I'll Wait For You
Ink Mage

Chapter Four
Age Fifteen

"You really weren't kidding about the whole 'Year Before Sweet Sixteen Birthday Bash' idea, were you?" Shining Armor said with a groan, watching his wife flip through countless magazines and advertisements. Cadance only giggled, booping her husband with a quick flick of her hoof and smiling.

"Nope! I really wasn't," she said happily, placing a mug of coffee down on the large crystal table. Shining Armor sighed, putting his head in his hooves.

"Alright, what have you got in mind?" he asked. Cadance grinned.

"Okay, so what I was thinking was doing a giant dance party in that minor club downtown," she said, flipping a page in the magazine she was reading and showing it to her husband.

Shining Armor looked at it skeptically. "A club? She's only fifteen," he said.

"It's a club for minors, dear," Cadance explained, "no harm, no foul."

"I know... but it still doesn't seem very appropriate for a filly her age. If we're introducing her to the concept of clubs, who knows what she might go and do when she is of legal age?" Shining Armor said, quirking an eyebrow at Cadance. Cadance chuckled, laughing it off with a shrug.

"And what exactly is she going to be going out and doing?" she asked teasingly. Shining Armor's eyes widened as he looked at the mare in awe.

"What the hay, Cadance," he said, his eyebrows furrowing.

Cadance giggled.

"You're welcome for that," she said with a smile, twirling out of the kitchen happily.

Shining Armor sighed, resuming his previous state of his head in his hooves.

Thorax was getting restless.

Fifteen. Fifteen. Princess Flurry Heart would be turning fifteen in the matter of days, and Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor still hadn't allowed him to spill his secret to her.

What a laugh.

Life would be so much easier if Flurry knew. They could hang out normally, they could pull pranks... oh sweet Celestia all the pranks they would play... it would be so much more fun if Flurry knew, Thorax's life would have a purpose again.

Then again... what if all that stuff never did end up happening?

Thorax stopped. His heart began racing as he pondered over the possibilities.

What if fear ended up consuming Flurry Heart? What if she grew not to trust him? What if she didn't want to be his friend anymore? What if she got so worked up by the fact that her best friend since she was a child had been lying to her all these years? What would she think of him? What would she think of them?

Would she really believe that changelings are all bad creatures? Would she even dare to look at him, let alone give him another chance? What if she didn't care about their friendship in the first place? What if she was only being nice to please her beloved parents?

No.. such nonsense thoughts didn't need to be tolerated in Thorax's mind. Of course she was his friend, she would never have even given him a second look if he wasn't. He knew her too well.

But was it well enough?

What if Flurry really did end up hating him once she found out?

If she ever found out...

Thorax sighed, abruptly bursting into green flames and transforming into Crystal Hoof. He walked down the chilly hallways, his thoughts kept swimming back to him.

That was it. Flurry Heart really could never know if he wanted to keep his friendship with her from falling. They were doing just fine now, why change something with a risk of ruining it all?

Flurry Heart suddenly appeared in front of him, a grin plastered on her face as she bounced in place.

Crystal Hoof immediately plastered on a fake smile. He looked at her excited state, raising his eyebrows.

"Uh... is there something I need to be concerned about?" he asked slowly, as Flurry's face kept brightening by the second. She let out a squeak that sounded half-way between a squeal and a giggle.

"As a matter of fact, there is!" Flurry Heart exclaimed, "I just overheard a conversation between my parents!"

"And... this is a good thing?" Crystal Hoof questioned. Flurry Heart nodded happily, fluttering open her wings and hovering a few inches above ground level.

"Yes! Guess what they were talking about!" she said.

"Enlighten me," Crystal Hoof said.

"My birthday party!" Flurry Heart said, "they're letting me have a club party!"

"A... club party? Aren't you a minor?" Crystal Hoof questioned. Flurry Heart nodded.

"Yeah, but it's a club for minors! Meaning no cider and stuff, but who likes cider anyway?" she said, dragging him into one of the spare rooms. She sat down on the rough couch, and gestured for Crystal Hoof to sit besides her. He did as told. "Alright, now what's your story?" she suddenly asked as they got comfortable.

Crystal Hoof gave her a questioning look.

"My story?" he asked.

"Yeah, when I came up to you you didn't exactly look very happy. I know a fake smile from a real one. Some may call me, I don't know, the daughter of the princess of love?" Flurry said with a teasingly strict face. Crystal Hoof grinned, before dropping his expression and sighing heavily.

"Well, even if there was something wrong, I could never tell you," he said.

"And why's that?" Flurry asked.

"Uh... I... I can't say, actually," Crystal Hoof said, his ears flattening on his head. Flurry's expression instantly sobered.

"Ohh, secret personal guard stuff?" she asked innocently. Crystal Hoof stopped for a few seconds, before gulping and nodding. "Oh, I understand. I guess."

Gosh Crystal Hoof hated lying to her.

"Well, I guess I could give you little snippets? Without really telling you everything, of course. You understand," he reasoned, replaying back her words. Flurry nodded eagerly.

"Spill. Vent. All that good stuff," she said, her head leaning forwards; closer to him.

Crystal Hoof gulped. "Uh... right, well... let's just say, I have this friend," he said slowly. Flurry nodded.

"Friend. Got it. Go on," she encouraged.

"Yeah, friend. And... I'm kind of hiding something from her," Crystal Hoof continued. Flurry's demeanor instantly dropped.

"It's a mare?" she asked solemnly. Crystal Hoof inwardly flinched.

"Uh... yeah, I guess," he said with a shrug.

"And you say you're hiding something from her?" Flurry pondered. Crystal Hoof nodded, beginning to get more and more comfortable with the conversation.

"I am... and it's a pretty bad secret. It's like, my entire life has been a lie to her," he continued. At this point, Flurry's bubbly manner was back, a slight twinkle in her eyes as she smirked ever so slightly. Barely even noticeable.

"Well that can't be a very nice feeling," she said.

"It really isn't..." Crystal Hoof started again, his voice small and quivering. "I... I can't stand it!" he suddenly bellowed. Flurry didn't move, allowing him to continue. "I just... I've been wanting to tell her my entire life! Her parents refuse my boundless requests, and it just isn't fair!" Crystal Hoof yelled.

Flurry Heart didn't move a single muscle. Her large blue orbs eyed him as he vented.

"I've talked to her mentor, her guidances, every pony who was there during the incident all those years ago... I should be trusted! Not stown away like some old piece of furniture!"

By now, Crystal Hoof was rattling on without a care in the world. Flurry Heart still didn't say anything, or show any intention of doing so.

"I mean, I proved to them that I'm trustworthy! I proved to her family that they can trust me! But what do they do?" Tears threatened to fall from Crystal Hoof's eyes. "They let me stay in their fucking house while hiding this stupid secret from their only daughter?!"

Crystal Hoof panted, his voice getting increasingly louder and angrier by the second.

"I'm so done! I'm so tired of hiding my real identity. I've proven that I'm trustworthy countless times! Just because I'm a changeling doesn't mean I have any less heart!!"

Crystal Hoof suddenly stopped, finally coming back to his senses. He looked at Flurry with wide eyes.

Flurry Heart stood ghost still, staring ahead of her as she took it all in. Her face was becoming increasingly redder by the second. Crystal Hoof's jaw dropped at his mistake.

They stood in dead silence for what seemed like a century until something Crystal Hoof would have least expected happened.

She laughed.

Correction, she was laughing.

She, Princess Flurry Heart, the pony who was just bombarded with the biggest secret was laughing.

And she was laughing hard.

Flurry dropped to the ground, clutching her sides as she laughed increasingly louder.

"Wha... what?!" Crystal Hoof said in disbelief. Flurry Heart wiped tears of laughter from her eyes, pushing herself up to face him.

"You're hilarious, you know that!?" she said, before bursting back into a fit of giggles.

"I... I don't understand," Crystal Hoof stammered out.

"Oh please, Thorax," Flurry said. Crystal Hoof's eyes widened at the name. It sounded like a melody coming from her mouth. "Did you honestly think I didn't remember from all those years ago? I'm an alicorn. A naturally born one, too," she said, trying to calm her fits of laughter.

"You mean... you knew all along?!" Crystal Hoof exclaimed in disbelief. Flurry Heart was only able to nod. "I... I don't know what to say!"

"How about showing me your true form?" Flurry teased. Crystal Hoof laughed, summoning his transformation and erupting into dark green flames.

Thorax the changeling stood where Crystal Hoof once had. He grinned sheepishly at her.

Flurry only laughed cheekily, running in for a well overdue hug.

Author's Note

Sooner or later, the birthday chapters are going to stop. >.< XD

haha it finally happened!! XD

and hey...

the party's just begun.

time to get into the real drama. XD