CHAPTER 13

Twilight’s Interlude

“Ugh! I can’t do it Spike! I just can’t do it.”

The little dragon looked up from his sweeping at the lavender unicorn. “Uh...can’t do what, Twilight?”

Twilight whirled around to Spike. “Trust her! I can’t trust Crystal!” Twilight walked over to one of her windows and peeked out. Rarity, Fluttershy and the mare in question were gabbing it out as they walked away. “Look at them. How can they be all friendly with her?”

Spike leaned against the broom. “Maybe because she hasn’t done anything wrong, Twi. I don’t see what the big deal is.”

Twilight turned back around, aghast. “Hasn’t done anything wrong?! Spike! Everything about her is wrong!  She was found in the Everfree. She says she isn’t from this world. She doesn’t have a heart but instead has a magical artifact in place of it. She can control said artifact that was made for unicorns in spite of being a pegasus and she says that she isn’t even a she! There are so many impossibilities tied to her that everything about her is not right! She is not possible!”

Spike sighed and got back to sweeping. “I really think you are really just overthinking it, Twilight.”

Twilight’s ear twitched, an action unseen by Spike. “Overthinking it! Spike...I...err...UGH! If you knew what she did yesterday, you wouldn’t be defending her so much!”

Spike let out a huff, setting the broom against the wall. It seems like his chores were going to have to wait. “Do you mean how she killed that dragon?”

Twilight froze. “Yes...How do you know about that?”

Spike struggled to keep himself from faceclawing. “Ponyville isn’t exactly a big town, Twilight. when something like that happens, word gets around pretty fast.”

“But...but,” Twilight fiddled with her hooves. She was losing ground. “How are you able to trust her after that?”

“Because she didn’t do anything wrong! She protected this town. That dragon was attacking and Crystal put her life on the line to protect us from it. Are you saying you wouldn’t have done the same thing?”

“No, that’s not what I am saying. I don’t have a problem with what she did but how she did it.” Twilight began pacing back and forth. “There has been nothing happening in Ponyville for months now. Suddenly this mare shows up and we are attacked changelings and dragons, not to mention the threat of war!”

“War?”

“I’ll...tell you later.” Twilight sat down next to the case that held the Elements of Harmony. “Spike, I really can’t trust her. She is getting too close to everypony too fast. She was even Knighted by Luna and Princess Celestia agreed to it. I can’t help but feel there is something more to this Crystal Blossom than what she is telling us.”

“You know, you’re probably right Twilight. She is probably here on some covert operation from a neighboring kingdom. She is probably trying to get close to the princesses so she can overthrow them and rule Equestria with an iron hoof. She will probably make us all her slaves with some foreign magic and make us do her bidding.” Spike rolled his eyes as he finished his sarcastic little speech. But alas, he forgot how much sarcasm was lost on Twilight.

“You are exactly right, Spike!”

“What?”

“She is a fraud! She might even be a changeling herself! That could explain how she is able to control that crystal. Tee hee hee! That is what I am going to do. I will expose this fraud for what she really is. Ponyville, the Princesses, All of Equestria will know this Crystal Blossom is a fake!” With that, Twilight bounded up the stairs to her room to prepare her plan.

Spike stood in the middle of the library, dazed. “Umm, Twilight. You know I was joking right? ...Twilight?”