Crystal Heart: After the Swarm

by Betty_Starlight

Chapter 5: But Seriously, Why is It That...

“Do you think I’m pretending?” I ask the magenta unicorn holding me from behind in her forehooves as we spooned together on the bed…

She whispers in my ear, “Remember what we talked about overthinking, right? You’re a changeling and can take any form you want. This is what you choose. Do you need anything else?”

I close my eyes, “But uh, I don’t know what’s real anymore?”

She holds me tighter, “What do you mean?”

“I was living this life as an evil changeling queen… Then, one day, that all gets taken away from me! And the truly bucked up thing is, it was really your fault that it all happened and I really should hate you! But now… But now with all of these new emotions that came up when we first got together…”

“Are you okay?”

I begin to shake a little bit, “I uh, I don’t know anymore Starlight Glimmer… I don’t know how I am anymore… I mean, remember that first time at the theater?” *

Starlight giggles softly, “Yeah… I remember getting that strange note in my office, asking me to meet somepony there… And then, I met you!”

“Yeah, I knew surprising you with flowers would be a great way to show you I cared!”

“Did you actually care though?”

I sigh, “Well uh, not really… Not at first, no… I kept thinking about how I was playing you and how I was gonna get my revenge earlier…”

“When, Chryssi?”

I open my eyes, “What?” and frown.

“When did you begin caring about me?”

I sigh, “I don’t know, okay? All I really know for sure is that at first, I was going to stab you in the flanks and destroy you, but now, well, now I can’t do that…”

She holds me tighter and I squeal, “EEP!”

“The important thing now is that you’re reformed by my love and that you care for me now!”

I gasp out wide-eyed, “I do need to breath though!”

She releases me and chuckles softly, “Sorry baby!”

I’m silent for a moment before finally saying, “This is real, isn’t it?”

“Yes! Now do I need to tickle you?”

My eyes widen, “What?”

“You’re thinking too much again, and so that must mean you need tickles, yes?”

I stammer out quickly, “No! Don’t…”

But it was too late! She already had her hooves in my front pits and was moving them around madly to stimulate me!

“He he he he he! Stop it, jerk! Ho ho ho! I swear, you’re gonna pay for this! Ha ha ha ha!” I chuckle as she does the deed.

“You gonna keep thinking too much?” She asks while continuing to torment me with her forehooves.

I giggle profusely while snorting and saying, “He he he! Vengeance will be mine one day, Starlight Glimmer! Ho ho ho!”

She stops and comments, “You know, if you were saying those things as Chrysalis, it would be different?”

I stop for a moment when what she said begins to sink in… “But… But I’m not Chrysalis… Right?”

“Do I need to tickle you some more?”

My eyes widen in shock, “Uh, no! Not at all! I’m Crystal Heart! Yes! That’s my name! Crystal Heart! Of course!” and nod.

She chuckles slightly again, “Right! So, why don’t we get you some coffee?”

And seeing my best way out of the tickle bed, I then frantically nod and say, “Yes! Coffee is good! I like coffee!”

<*****>

I grumble lowly under my breath before taking that first tentative sip of my coffee… I stare up at the magenta unicorn smiling back at me from across the table from underneath my disheveled brown mane and frown at her… “You seem cheery?”

Her eyes widen, “Oh, I’m just happy we got everything out into the open earlier… I mean, I know who you are now and feel like we can really help each other!”

“Or I could just go back to my cave?”

Her smile lowers, “Do you really want that though?”

“Not particularly?” I honestly reply before sighing to my slight left and looking back at the unicorn. “I think I just need some time to figure these things out?”

Her eyes widen, “Well, if that’s what you need, then that’s what we should get you!”

I widen my eyes and nod, “Right! Time! That’s what I need!”

And then, instead of dropping it like I was really hoping she’d do, she just made things worse, “So uh, what do you need help with? I got the day off today and we can just relax and focus on things together!”

“Coffee shop trip?”

She smiles, “Yeah, I saw that coming like a thousand ton asteroid!”

<*****>

And so, I sat there writing on the paper with my mouth… I looked down my aquamarine snout at the sheet that had the words Identity issues: written on it, with nothing underneath, as it sat there next to my triple mocha in it’s white paper cup with the plastic safety lid on it… I spit the pen out and sigh at what little work I had done…

Starlight frowns at me from the other side of the table, just to the right of her own paper cup and says, “It’s just so strange! You have magick, but you say you’re not comfortable using it?”

My eyes widen and I grab the dark blue pen with my mouth and write, Not comfortable with magick on the paper underneath the first line and spit it out before staring at her, “I don’t know why? I’m just not okay with that anymore?”

She frowns, “Well, lets explore that then, shall we? I did used to be a counselor, you know!”

I grimace at this realization, “This is technically true…”

Her mouth normalizes, “Well, right! But back to what I was saying! Why no magick anymore?”

I sigh and answer, “I don’t know, okay? I mean, I’m Crystal Heart now and not Chrysalis, right?”

She frowns and nods, “Well, right! That’s what you say!”

I clear my throat, “Uh, right! Well, Crystal Heart doesn’t have magick… She’s an earth pony…”

She blinks, “Okay, so since you’re an earth pony now, you choose not to have magick?”

“Well, don’t you think that choice is kinda already made for me? I mean, earth ponies don’t have magick!”

Her eyes widen, “Of course! And I’m guessing that’s why you no longer use your wings?”

My own pupils enlarge as well, “I don’t have wings, remember?”

She frowns and is obviously taken aback as she moves her neck back an inch, “Oh uh, right! Of course! Yes!”

I furrow my brow and narrow my gaze and mouth at this unicorn, “Are you questioning my commitment?”

Her eyes widen and mouth goes agape in shock, “N-no! Of course not, Crystal Heart! I uh, look!” she shakes her head, “I’m sorry, okay? I just uh, didn’t expect you to turn out to be Chrysalis or well, from Chrysalis rather,” she waves her right forehoof in the air casually and sets it back on the ground. “and now when I think about how you used to have wings, well, I guess I just momentarily forgot that you didn’t?”

I frown at this impudence! “So that’s it then? I tell you that I used to be Chrysalis and now, you’ll never forget it, right?”

She blinks slowly and lowers her shoulders, “N-no Crystal Heart! Listen to me!”**

My eyes narrow…

She sighs out of her snout, “It’s just new information, you know? It’ll pass! I promise! And I’ll try my best to just uh, forget it, okay?” her eyes widen, “Your past shouldn’t matter, after all! Believe me, if anypony knows that all too well, it’s me!” she smiles. “I’m just gonna forget your past, okay honey? And you should probably do that same!”

My eyes widen as I sigh, “Well uh, right! So what else?”

She looks at me, “Well, there is the fact that you no longer seem to want flight?”

I frown, “Well, no! Not particularly?”

She frowns, “Why not?”

My eyes widen, “Well, for one, everypony knows me as an earth pony now!”

She nods, “Well, right! But you could shift into a pegasus form and have flight, you know?”

My pupils enlarge to maximum, “And just what would we tell everypony who saw me?”

Her eyes widen when she considers this, “Well, that you fell into a magical pond and that it transformed you! And now you have wings!”

“Are you being serious?”

“What?”

“First off, they’d start asking questions like, where is this pond and can you show us the way, and secondly, that story sounds ridiculous and nopony with more than two brain cells to rub together would actually believe it!”

Her eyes widen, “Okay! Okay! I get it! I guess this means you’re just stuck as an earth pony all the time, or at least, in public?”

I frown and widen my eyes again, “Did I not already say that I was fine with that? Do you not believe me?”

“Well, yeah! Of course I believe you! It’s just that, well, I was wanting to improve your life!”

“Starlight, you’ve already immeasurably improved my life and I assure you, you need not do more than you already do…”

She frowns, “So you say…”

I stare into those blue eyes of hers right then and say, “No, Starlight! You need to hear this!”

Her eyes widen as she’s visibly taken aback, “Go on?”

I clear my throat with my right forehoof before my mouth and lower it as I look at her again, “Sorry! After years of feeling nothing, it’s so odd to finally actually care! Um,” I blink at my love. “after well, everything and how you helped me realize that I actually am worth something, I just feel very attached to you…”

She frowns once more, “Yeah, almost like you love me?”

I smile and giggle slightly, “Heh heh, uh, yeah! That! I uh…” I blink at her. “I really do care for you Starlight…”

“Why’s it so hard to admit for you?”

My pupils enlarge as my aquamarine muzzle glowers, “W-what?”

She smiles faintly as her head lowers slightly, “Why can’t you just say that you love me already?”

“I say I love you all the time! I said that to you several last night when we were uh, doing stuff together…”

“Having sex?”

I nod, “Right! That! When we were having sex, I told you that I loved you several times! So it still counts!” as I feel my cheeks begin to enlarge and grow warm… By this point, she’s grinning and snickering gently while I scowl at her, “You impudent worm! Why must you torment me?”

She stops giggling and her eyes widen, “It’s fun?”

“Ugh!” I roll my eyes. “In all my days of sitting in the palace section of the changeling hive, I never imagined it would one day come to this!”

She sighs and stares at me, “I know what you mean! Back when I led my cutie mark cult, I didn’t think I’d be principle of a school later and end up dating and living with a former bug queen!”

I can only smirk at this, “Hmm, quite the endearing term!”

She grins slightly and snickers through her nose, “I thought so!”

I finally decide to take my strong cappuccino in my forehooves from the right of the notepad I was looking down at and take a mighty swig of the warm caffeinated beverage…

Her view widens, “Wow! Slow down, baby!”

I set it down quickly and sigh, “Sorry love… I kinda needed that… “

“I see…” She says before using her magick to tentatively take a small sip from her disgusting and puny berry latte coffee… I’m still perplexed as to why anypony would ever drink that?

I shake my head and stare down at the notepad, “Okay, so we got not wanting magick and not wanting flight! Uh, is that all?”

“Well, you did kinda give up on your plans of revenge and ruling Equestria, earlier?”

I widen my eyes, “Oh, that! Uh…” I frown. “I sort of did, didn’t I? Why would I do that?”

She frowns, “Perhaps you found something better than power and control? Something more worthwhile?”

At this point, I can no longer contain it… I scream, “AAAAAAHHHH!!!!” at Starlight! “It makes no sense! You destroyed me! Why do I love you?”

(To be continued…)

Author's Note:

*Given I have a tendency to begin my stories on crests, I really should provide better context in the future.

**Wait! Didn’t Starlight go through something similar with Trixie back in season 6? Déjà vu!