Crystal friendship

So you´ve never actualy met him?”

“Nope. It´s kinda scary situation, isn´t it?”

Deeter looked at with condused look on his face.

“What do you mean?”

“That somepony like Snaky exists. Somepony who can trick your mind, that you will competly loose sense overview of the world.” She answered him and white unicorn noticed that orange mare slightly shivered. As far as he knew Applejack was elelement of honesty, at least before they had to gave up the Elements. Celestia knows what she had to think about somepony as tricky as Snaky.

And when he thinked about it, what did he actually thought of him? Snaky prooved to him his loyalty, but how could he knew that everything wasn´t just an illusion?

Deeter shaked his head. The last think they needed was distrust.

“Hey! Look guys! We got to a river!” screamed Pinkie hapilly and jumped around them.

“Damn, it would be dangerous going straight through it, the stream seems strong and it might took Snaky off my back.”

“So what do we do?” asked AJ.

“I will try to teleport us on the other side. I am not sure if it will work, because I didn´t practise too much in few past months.”

Deeter closed his eyes and focused on channeling the magic. His horn slightly shined but almost immediately stopped and left vice-captain with light headache.

“What happened?”

“I don´t know. It seems that I don´t have any magic left!”

“How is that possible? We didn´t meet any danger for a long time now, you should´ve been recovered by now!”

“As I said: I don´t know. We will just have to find another way across.”

* * * * * *

“So this is where that pony Zecora lives?” asked Deeter and pointed at old hut, deep in the forest.

“Yea, I just hope that changelings didn´t find her first.”

Group of ponies walked to the door and when Applejack knocked on the door, which shortly opened, and ponies could see, that their concerns were not necessary. Zecora seemed to be not hurt and with curiosity looked at group of ponies.

“Greetings everypony, I didn´t expect you,

but seems that you didn´t expect something too.”

“Greetings, miss Zecora. My name is Deeter Spirit, I am vice-captain of the royal guard in Crystal Empire. We came to ask you for help.”

“Pleasure to meet you, come inside,

there you can tell me, what on your heart lies.”

All ponies walked inside and were greeted by creepy masks, which Zecora gathered. White unicorn with help of Applejack laid Snaky down on thick blanket, which zebra brought, when she saw trickster´s condition.

“Our friend was attacked by changelings, I menaged to heal him but now he is going to be very sensitive on diseases, so we can´t take him with us. Can you please help him?”

“Of course I can, tea from herbs is all he is going to need,

but where did come creatures, which would cause such deed?”

Vice-captain explained her situation with Ponyville, because zecora seemingly didn´t even met changelings, which wasn´t too suprising, because of how deep the forest was and also because they propably didn´t know about her either, so there wasn´t a reason to send them search through the Everfree.

“If that is how things are, you can stay here as you need,

even with strengh from hearbs, it will take a while for you friend to heal.”

“That´s a generous offer Zecora. Thank you.” answered her Zecora and looked on Deeter, who was up until now sitting next to Snaky and now was walking to zecora.

“I also thank you miss, but I can´t stay here. Others are still locked by changelings and I have to save them as fast as possible, so we can go to the Crystal Empire and save it from changelings too.”

“Then we will go with you!”

“No! You girls have to stay here, in safety. Your lives are much more importatnt then mine and I don´t want to risk the possibility that we could seperate completly.”

“But look how Snaky ended up, when he decided to take things into his hooves! It´s too dangerous.”

“Don´t worry, I can take care of myself. Also the greates power of changelings is being able to change shapes. That ability will be useless if I´ll go alone.”

White unicorn waited a while if somepony wanted to protest, then he said good bye and walked out of the hut.

* * * * * *

“Don´t worry Applejack. When pony is protecting something from his heart,

and love he doesn´t lack,  there is no dangerous situation too hard.”

“I just feel bad. Because of me Snaky got hurt and now he is going there alone.”

*from all cornes of the hut sounded quiet laugh*

“He is going to be safe. Changelings have no power over him, when he is alone. Also his decision if very important part of my plan.” spoke an unknown voice, which sounded like echo of multiple speaking ponies and in the deepest shadow appeared pair of green eyes. For a second, ponies and zebra could see purple and green flame coming out of them.

“Who are you?” shouted Applejack and carefuly watched the pony, hiding in shadows.

“You know who I am, you just can´t see it...yet. But that isn´t important. There is something what deeter doesn´t know about the crystal what he found in body of dead changeling. He knows that it sends magic somewhere. That “somewhere” is Queen Chrysalis. Now you maybe realize what I mean by this.”

Nopony spoke.

“Well, let me tell you that Crystal Empire is being protected by magic of it´s prince Shining Armor. Not by Crysta Heart´s amgic. Why? That magic was devoured by changlings, instantly. Do you understand know?”

Applejack stared into his green eyes.

“Are you sayin that all that magic was sended to Queen Chrysalis?”

“That is right. Right know, she is most likely holding power far beyond of that of friendship or love. Time is running out, much faster then we thought, that´s why I let Deeter to go alone. I am going to save Princess Twilight and her unicorn friend on my own, so we can go save Crystal empire.”

“Wait. What do you mean that you “let” him go? And who in the hay are you?”

Pony walked to the Snaky, somehow still covered in shadow, which moved along with him and slowly touched the unicorn. Snaky scattered like large crystal thrown down from mountain.

“I am the one who just died in front of your eyes.” said grey unicorn, when he walked out of the darkness.

“He was a mistake. My mistake, which I´ve never should´ve done. He started to relay on his friends too much. It´s time do things seriously.”

“What the...? Snaky? How is it possible?”

“Pff. The whole time all of this was just and illusion. Well, most of it. I´ve never got hurt, we simply walked to the basement, disguised as changelings and saved you. Then I took us here so you two were safe.”

“But why all that nonsense?”

“As I said, the Snaky who you just saw shatter was getting out of my hooves. I had to do few changes in my point of view, so this didn´t repeat.”

Unicorn slightly waggled, but menaged to not fall.

“Also there is a reason behin some things what happened during our way here. Some of them, like when you noticed my cutiemark was just my way of killing time. But that lack of deeter´s magic is a concern. What happened is that all his magic was slowly sucked out and sended to queen Chrysalis. That´s also what happened to changelings and the reason why they never changed shapes. The crystal takes all the magic, not just what they eats.”

Snaky slowly pulled out the crystal which just few hours ago had Deeter with him, then he dropped it on the ground and crushed it with his hoof.

“It´s time to show those imitations of my magic my true power. I am going to save Princess Twilight and then we will save Crystal empire...together.”