We Are The Crystal Ponies

Ebony Pie's POV.
*Yawn* What a nap. I gotta say, catching that cold from trying to swim the Gems and I back home was not the best idea I had. Oh well, better me than one of the Gems. They need to be healthy to protect the world. Pearl was awesome, taking good care of me.

I woke up with a gasp to the sound of someone slamming the door closed. I opened my eyes and saw Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl looking out the window and Quartzite leaning against the door, flustered and embarrassed.

"Quartzite?" I asked, finally speaking up.

Quartzite looked at me and smiled, "Ebbie! You're awake."

"What was that about?" I asked, rubbing my eyes, and grabbed my glasses.

"Who were you talking to?" Pearl asked with a nod.

"Huh?" Quartzite tilted his head at the Gems.

"That girl." Garnet answered.

Quartzite blushed, "You saw?" Then answered with a small sulk, "She's just a girl I know. Except she doesn't know me. We've never talked."

I sat up and got out of bed, "You mean that filly from last year's parade?"

Quartzite looked at me, "You remember her?"

I smiled, "Remember her? I still have her bracelet in the freezer."

Amethyst gasped and smiled, squeezing Quartzite's face, "You like her!"

Quartzite's face turned red with embarrassment, "I like everyone."

I got dressed into my casual attire and made my way downstairs. Pearl smiled with excitement, "Let's set up a play-date. I'll write up an invitation and work out a schedule." She gasped, "Oh, we'll have to find out her favorite kind of tea..."

"There's no need for that, Pearl." I spoke up, "Steven just needs to be nice to her."

Garnet nodded in agreement, "I agree with Ebony. Just talk to her."

Quartzite nodded in understanding, but started to panic, "But what if I say the wrong thing? What if I fall into the sand and it turns out to be quicksand? What if the tide comes in? What if she's already gone?! What if-"

"Quartzite!" I shouted, cutting him off, "Would you like me to talk to her for you?"

Quartzite nodded, "Please?"

I nodded, "I promise to say nothing to mess up your funky flow."

"Funky Flow?" Pearl and Amethyst repeated in confusion.

"You will do great, Ebony." Garnet encouraged me.

With that, I grabbed the bracelet from the freezer and made my way out of the Temple. I walked along the beach, toward a lonely girl, thinking of what to say to her. As I got close, the ground shook violently, accompanied by a loud whale-like roar. A piece of the temple was about to fall on top of the girl.

I ran and tackled into her, "Watch out!"

I felt something tingle inside me and my gem glowed. In a form of a rose, a rosy pink bubble encased me and the girl. The rubble crashed into the bubble and crumbled into the sand, leaving us unharmed.

I recovered from the tackle and looked at the bubble, "How did I do that?" Then I turned to the girl, "Hello. Are you okay?"

I got a good look at her. The girl was a young Deer faun. Her fur was a light teal color with light blue hooves. Long, black wavy mane and dark brown eyes. She wore a light cream dress with a pastel teal skirt. A pair of rose-tinted glasses.

The faun adjusted her glasses and looked at me, "I'm fine. Who are you?"

"Oh, forgive me." I stood up and helped the faun to her hooves, "My name is Ebony. But you can call me Ebbie, if you like."

"Snowflake." The faun introduced herself, then looked at the bubble, "What happened?"

I scratched the back of my head, "This might be hard to believe, but I'm magic. Well, half-magic, on my mother's side."

Snowflake looked at me, "You did this?"

I nodded, "I guess I did." Then I explained to her, "My little bother, Quartzite, and I are members of the Crystal Gems, we fight monsters and protect humanity from evil."

Snowflake smiled, "Oh, that's kinda like my dad. He's a cop." Then she frowned, "Well, more like a private security guard." She looked at the bubble and asked, "How long does it usually last?"

"Oh, right." I answered.

I closed my eyes and tried to think about making the bubble go away, but I felt nothing and my gem wasn't glowing. What's going on?

Snowflake raised a brow in concern, "What's wrong?"

"My magic kind of has a mind of its own." I explained, "Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't."

Of course! This is a Gem thing. Pearl, Garnet and Amethyst might know how to make this bubble disappear.

I started trying to move the bubble, and start a conversation with Snowflake, "So, I don't see you around that often."

Snowflake joined me, "My dad works for a bunch of different beaches, so we are never in the same place long."

"I can understand." I smile, "I sometimes go on adventures with my guardians, Garnet, Pearl and Amethyst. But, they usually say it's too dangerous for me."

"You always go in a bubble?" Snowflake asked me, once we got moving. Turned out we were blocked by rubble.

I shook my head, "No. This is new to me too. I'm not even sure what this is." Then I assured her, "But, it's okay! My guardians will know how to fix this."

Snowflake and rolled the bubble up the hill toward the Temple, but as we stopped rolling, the bubble rolled back to the foot of the hill. I tried again, but the bubble refused to move.

I shouted as loud as I could, "Hey! We need help! Garnet! Pearl! Amethyst!"

"I don't think they can hear you." Snowflake opinionated, then suggested, "We can just wait here until they come out."

"But, who knows how long that can take." I pointed out, "I suppose we can ask some of my other friends in the city."

*Later, at the Big Donut...*
"Way to go, Ebony!" Swift Wind laughed as he teased me and Sweet Tune tried to break the bubble with a hammer, "Is this your magic love bubble or something? Did you make it because you're in love?"

"I'm 16, Swift Wind. I'm not a kid anymore." I told him, then explained to Snowflake, "That's Swift Wind. He can be a bit of a jerk, but he's a nice guy on the inside."

"He makes weird faces." Snowflake told me with an uncomfortable expression.

I turned to Swift Wind and noticed he was making kissing faces and licking the bubble. Agitated, I walked over and flicked the bubble. The bubble vibrated and kicked Swift Wind off.

Sweet Tune turned to Swift Wind and shouted, "Swift, quit being a jerk and help!"

Swift Wind turned to the stout blonde and argued, "What? I'm helping Ebony on her date."

"You're embarrassing her." Sweet Tune argued back.

"Oh, I'm not!" Swift Wind started shouting, then the two started arguing.

"Swift Wind and Sweet Tune run the Big Donut." I explained to Snowflake.

"Do they get along?" Snowflake asked me.

"They argue a lot, but I think they do." I answered in all honesty.

Sweet Tune sighed and ran into the café, "I'm gonna go try something else."

"Anyway, this place has the best donuts." I told Snowflake, "Quartzite and I come here and hang out here everyday."

"My parents don't let me eat donuts." Snowflake frowned, "They have trans fats."

"Ouch." I winced, "Your parents sound quite sheltered."

"They are." Snowflake nodded.

Sweet Tune suddenly came back, running toward us with a wooden chair. She whacked the chair against the bubble. The chair broke into pieces, but the bubble was undamaged. It was like this bubble was made out of diamond.

"Sorry, Sweet Tune." I apologized. Sweet Tune just shrugged. I looked at Connie, "I think I have a better idea."

*Later, at the Docks...*
Snowflake and I left the Big Donut and arrived at the Docks. Since blunt objects didn't work, maybe something sharp can pop the bubble.

Snowflake smiled as she looked around, "Whoa, a trawler. And a little skipjack!"

I smiled at the young faun, "You seem to know a lot about boats."

Snowflake looked at me, "That's what happens when you hang out at the beach, and don't swim, and don't have friends. Y-You look at boats."

I gave the young Snowflake a concerned look. No friends? Must be very lonely.

Then I saw who I was looking for. I moved the bubble after a young, blonde Uncorn colt in a sailor uniform, "Onion! Onion!"

Onion turned to me and Snowflake, eating a bag of popcorn. I breathed onto the bubble, creating a screen and wrote, 'PRAHS GNIHTEMOS DEEN EW' on the bubble. Onion smiled and gave me a thumbs up. Then he ran off.

"What did you tell him?" Snowflake asked me.

"I told him that we need something sharp to pop the bubble!" I answered.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Snowflake asked in concern, "Can't we just go back to your house?"

"One more try and then we'll go home." I told her.

Suddenly, a foghorn startled me with a squeak. I turned to find that Onion was on a fishing boat and aiming a harpoon gun at us. This isn't what I meant, Onion! Snowflake and I quickly jumped out of the way. Onion fired the harpoon at the bubble. However, the spear bounced off and hit the dark trawler next to us, causing it to sink.

"The trawler..." Snowflake sighed.

*Later that Evening, at Funland...*
"Funland?" Snowflake asked me, as we rolled into Mr. Smiley's Funland.

"Since sharpness and blunt things didn't work, maybe we can use something with enough force to crack the bubble open." I explained, "If this doesn't work, we can go home and get help from the Crystal Gems."

With that, Snowflake and I rolled to the closest roller coaster ride. Snowflake looked very uncertain. So was I. What if this doesn't work? What will happen after we're free?

I was about to tell Snowflake I was having second thoughts, but another violent earthquake forced the bubble onto the rails. We rolled into the carts, then flung into the bottom of the ocean.

Snowflake and I recovered and Snowflake asked, "Where are we?"

I looked around, as I gave her glasses back, "By the looks of it, I think we're at the bottom of the ocean."

Snowflake gasped in a panic, but I assured her, "It's okay!"

"Are we even close to the shore?" She asked, trying to calm down.

I looked above us and mentally measured and calculated, "I believe so."

"Let's start rolling." Snowflake stated.

She and I started rolling the bubble toward the direction of the shore.

"Don't worry, Snowflake." I tried to assure her, "When we get back, the Crystal Gems will definitely know how to help us out. They bubble things all the time."

Suddenly, a large shadow swam over us. Snowflake and I looked and the shadow belonged to a worm, around the same size as a whale.

Snowflake panicked and hid close behind me, but I assured her, "It's alright, Snowflake. Look." I pointed and we watched the worm peacefully eating glowing seaweed, "It only wants to eat the glowing seaweed. Not scary at all."

From its mouth, I noticed a Gem inside. Much like the Centipeedle. The worm roared and dived into the earth. The burrowing caused the earth to crack and Connie and I fell into a trench.

When I recovered, I noticed my hoof in Snowflake's face. I quickly removed it and apologized, "Sorry! Are you all right?" Snowflake didn't answer. She adjusted herself and stood up. "Snowflake, I-"

"No, you're not!" Snowflake snapped at me, "You keep saying you're sorry, but you don't know why anymore. Now we are going to suffocate or starve at the bottom of the ocean." Tears welled up in her eyes, "And only my parents will notice, because no one else cares about me!"

I turned to the crying faun. No one cares about her, but her parents?

"I'm gonna disappear without ever making a single friend." Snowflake finished. She collapsed and started crying into her hands.

I dug into my pockets, and showed Snowflake the glowing pink bracelet I kept in the freezer, "We could be friends!"

Then I admitted with a sad smile, "Quartzite and I saw you at the boardwalk parade last year. You dropped your bracelet. I left my float and picked it up, but then I couldn't find you. So I saved it in the freezer, so it would last longer. In case I saw you again."

Snowflake looked at me and her eyes widened, clear from the tears, "You were the tall one with the pink Unicorn colt on the carwash float."

I nodded, "Yeah. That's Quartzite."

She giggled, "He had soap bubbles in his hair."

I giggled at the memory, "He was supposed to be a scrub brush." Then I frowned, "I'm sorry, Snowflake. And this time, I know why." I put the bracelet around her wrist, "If I'd have returned your bracelet back then, you wouldn't be stuck in this bubble with me now."

Snowflake shook her head at me, "No, it's okay." She regained her smile, "I'm having fun."

I smiled in relief. Suddenly, the bubble finally popped. Snowflake and I held our breath and swam up to the surface to catch it. I couldn't help but smile and laugh over our little adventure. Now, that it's over, what else can we do together?

Hehehe.

Unfortunately, our celebration was cut short, as the worm attacked us. It dived into the water, creating a large wave that washed us into the shore, then it chased after us. I hid Snowflake behind me and glared at the worm.

"Stay away from my friend!" I told the creature.

The worm roared at me, but I stood my ground and took an offensive stance. I grew up watching martial arts movies. Time to show what an visual learner can learn by watching carefully.

The worm dived for me, but I attacked it by kicking its head up. I leaped into the air and grabbed two of the top tentacles. I moved to the back of its head and forced into a submission move. The tightness caused the monster to poof into a mist of clouds and it vanished, just like the Centipeedle. All what was left was its gem.

I landed and walked over to Snowflake, "Snowflake! You alright?"

Snowflake was lost for words.

The four familiar voices shouted in worry, "Ebony/Nora/Ebbie!"

Snowflake and I turned to see Quartzite and the Gems running toward us. Pearl was first to speak, while Garnet sent the worm's gem to the Temple, "Ebony! What's going on? What did you do?"

I struggled to find the words to say, but Snowflake smiled, "It was incredible!"

I turned to the young teal faun, "Really? You mean it?"

Snowflake nodded, "Yeah. You were like a wrestler, or a ninja."

I giggled, then noticed Quartzite blushing. I gestured to my baby brother, "Snowfalke, this is my baby brother, Quartzite."

Snowflake waved, "Hi, Quartzite. I'm Snowflake." She smiled, "Ebony told me a lot of things about you."

Then Amethyst put her hand over my shoulder, "So, are you going to introduce us too?"

"Quartzite and Ebony were so excited to meet you!" Pearl smiled, "Right?"

Quartzite blushed in embarrassment, while I smiled and nodded.

"Hey!" Garnet spoke up, picking Pearl and Amethyst by their shirts, "Don't mess with their funky flow!"

Then she left, leaving Snowflake confused, "Funky flow?"

Quartzite groaned in embarrassment, while I just giggled.