As the Friendship Express chugged along, 7 ponies, a dragon and a human occupied themselves in the carriage they were in. Rainbow Dash, after having a nap, gave a big yawn and looked behind her at Applejack who had a hoof on an item that was under a sheet.
"Um, Applejack, what is that?" She asked
"Oh, just a little somethin' for the young'un," she answered, then she lifted the sheet to reveal a baby bed. "Made from genuine Sweet Apple Acres apple trees. We made 'em for all the Apples, and anypony related to Twilight is practically family."
Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Yeah, it's okay... But it's no Cloudsdale mobile! Bam!" She said, pulling out a cloud and rainbow themed mobile
"Ooh, pretty!" Pinkie Pie tried playing with it, only for one of the clouds to fall of it, causing Rainbow to glare at her
"Well, a mobile is real nice... as long as you have somethin' to lay in so you can look at it," Applejack countered. She than looked over as the apple themed blanket was replaced with a white one with purple horseshoes.
"And a fetching blanket to keep you warm," Rarity said, smiling at her work
"Hey, did you bring anything Sunset?" Rainbow asked
Sunset looked up from the text she was reading on her phone. She leaned over to her bag and pulled out a green and orange snail plushie. "Yea, I stopped by the local toy shop on the way to the portal. I just picked the first thing I saw. I hope the baby likes it."
"Aww, so cute," Fluttershy said, smiling at the snail
Twilight simply smiled at them. "I'm sure Shining Armor and Princess Cadance will love all our gifts. But I think they're more happy we'll be attending the baby's Crystalling"
"Ooh! I can't wait to see all that light and love make the Crystal Heart even more sparkly and shiny!" Pinkie exclaimed
"Actually, Pinkie, the Crystal Heart is an ancient and powerful relic. Without its magic, the Crystal Empire would be lost to the Frozen North," Twilight explained
"Wow, this Crystalling sounds pretty important. I'd understand if you wanted to... you know... wait to do a different friendship lesson when we get back," Starlight tried to suggest
"Are you kidding? This trip is perfect! Not only do I get to see the baby and take part in the ceremony that helps maintain the magic of the Crystal Empire, but I'm starting my new pupil off with the most amazing friendship lesson ever! I can't wait!" Twilight gushed
"Right... Me neither..." Starlight said nervously "Actually, Twilight, I am a little worried about meeting Sunburst."
"Oh, trust me. I know what it's like to see old friends. But I'll be right there to help things along. I've broken the whole lesson down into a few easy steps to ensure this reunion goes off without a hitch!" Twilight said as she unravelled a long list
Starlight gave a nervous laugh before turning to Sunset, asking a question that had been on her mind. "Um, say, Sunset." Sunset looked up. "Twilight explained the mirror portal to me, I have to ask, how are you still human?"
"Actually, I've been wondering that myself," Twilight agreed, after rolling up her list. All the other ponies turned to look at her, curious about the answer too
"I'm still human thanks to Spike having a book with a long-term transformation spell already for me when I came through," Sunset answered, giving the dragon a grateful smile
"Really?" Twilight lifted an eyebrow at Spike
"Yea. I remembered in one of the Sunset's journal entries, that she had mention that she would prefer being human here. So, I went looking for a book with the right spell in it, so it was ready for when she eventually came," Spike said, smiling proudly
YOU ARE READING
A Crystalling Tail
FanfictionWhat if Starlight wasn't the only pony to have a friendship lesson in the Crystal Empire? What if this pony didn't go as a pony? It's time for a long overdue reunion between teacher and student
