A week had passed since Summer, Rockruff and Wooloo came to live with Twilight and the others in Ponyville. Twilight gave Summer her own room in the castle which was big enough for her, Rockruff and Wooloo. The room had a dresser on the right side of her bed while there was a small table with a lamp on the left side. Her bed was comfy with big pillows and a beautiful blanket that had a starry night pattern on it. Rockruff and Wooloo had their own little beds and Rotom Dex has his charging station on the dresser as well.

Today, Twilight, Starlight and Spike were taking Summer, Rotom Dex and her pokemon to the Crystal Empire to visit her brother and sister in law, Shining Armor and Princess Cadence, the rulers of the Crystal Empire. Spike was wearing a large coat and hat cause he was popular at the Empire, being called 'Spike the Brave and Glorious' after he saved the Crystal Empire from King Sombra when it first returned by getting the Crystal Heart to Princess Cadence in time.

The train stopped at the station and the group got off of the train and entered the Crystal Empire. When they entered the city, they saw that it looked like a ghost town. There wasn't anypony outside at all. "That's weird where is everypony?" Twilight asked, wondering where everypony was.

"Odd..." Summer said.

"I can explain, everypony." a voice said and Summer saw a white unicorn with dark blue hooves and a mane and tail that were also dark blue with a lighter blue stripe in them, wearing a royal guard uniform with a shield cutie mark coming beside an alicorn female who was wearing golden shoes and had a pink with a purple, yellow and pink mane and tail whose cutie mark was a crystal heart coming towards them alongside a crystal pony guard and another male unicorn. This one was a bright orange with a darker orange mane, tail and bread whose cutie mark looked like a sun reflecting rays. He also had white hooves as well.

Summer had been told about Crystal Ponies and their crystal magic, which gives them their crystal shiny coats. "Oh, Cadance, thank goodness! What's going on?" Twilight asked.

"We can explain, Twily... if it really is you." Shining Armor said before he looked at his wife and nodded towards her. Cadence nodded and went over to Twilight before doing a special dance, "Sunshine, sunshine...ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake! Mmm!" She and Twilight did together before they hugged each other.

"It's okay, everypony. It's her." Shining Armor said with relief.

"Of course it's her! What's all this about?" Starlight asked, going over to Sunburst who was carrying a small baby carrier in his magic which held Flurry Heart, Shining Armor and Princess Cadence's baby. She was an alicorn filly with cute chubby cheeks and a tiny muzzle, light grayish magenta fur with tinges of pale light grayish fuchsia, a curled mane and tail with a gradient mixture of light cerise to grayish violet with light arctic blue streaks, and big cute light opal eyes. Her wings were huge as well.

"A changeling's been spotted nearby." Sunburst replied.

"A changeling?!" Twilight exclaimed.

"What's a Changeling?" Summer questioned.

"It a really bad bug like pony that feeds off of love." Spike said.

"Yes, Spike is correct. After Queen Chrysalis took my place at our wedding and invaded Canterlot with her army of minions, we're not taking any chances." Princess Cadence said.

"Changelings feed off of love. And ever since Flurry Heart's Crystalling, the Empire is filled with more love than anywhere in Equestria. It's possible they've come for the baby." Sunburst said, looking at the sleeping baby, who started to awake.

"That's why we posted the extra guards, and why we're—" Shining Armor began before Twilight finished for him, "Checking everypony's identity.

"I'm sorry for all of this. Flurry Heart's really been looking forward to seeing you." Cadence said as Twilight came over and Flurry Heart cooed at the sight of her Aunt.

Flurry Heart giggled at her Aunt before she spotted Summer and her pokemon. Flurry Heart cooed before she fluttered out of her carrier and onto Wooloo, hugging her wool. "Awww... Flurry Heart loves Wooloo." Twilight cooed at the sight.

"Baaa..." Wooloo smiled at the tiny alicorn filly.

"I'm guessing you must be Summer Blaze, the kirin?" Shining Armor asked Summer and she nodded, "Y-Yeah... I'm living with Twilight, Starlight and Spike now.

"Well, we're glad to have you and your Pokemon here in the Crystal Empire, Summer." Shining Armor said. "You can look around if you want, just be careful." Summer nodded.

"Okay, thank you. I'll have Wooloo stay here so he can play with your little baby." Summer said, seeing Flurry Heart nuzzling Wooloo's warm wool. Cadence and Shining Armor chuckled. "Rockruff, come on buddy..."

"Rockruff..!" Rockruff barked before he followed his kirin trainer as they explored the Frozen North together. They weren't very far from the Crystal Empire and saw nothing but snow, which was very new for Summer since in the Peaks of Peril, it was always warm and humid there with vegetation all around. Seeing snow, and ice for the first time was a big change for Summer, but she didn't mind at all.

"Hmmm... wonder what a Changeling actually looks like, huh Rockruff?" Summer asked her Puppy Pokemon. Rockruff shrugged not knowing what a Changeling would look like. However, his ears perked up at something nearby, "Rockruff...!"

"What is it boy?" Summer asked Rockruff. The Puppy Pokemon lead her to a small cavern that was underneath the snow that had ice crystal and gems inside of it as well. "H-Hello...? Anypony here...?" Summer called out.

"W-Whose there...?" a timid voice came.

"Um.... I'm Summer Blaze... a Kirin.... I'm not a threat to you..." Summer called back. Summer and Rockruff heard footsteps coming near them and out came a male Changeling who had blue eyes. "Oh, you're a Changeling."

"Yeah...." the Changeling sighed. "It's okay. I know you don't wanna be friends." he fluttered his wings and prepared to leave but Summer called to him, "Wait! Don't go, Changeling."

"My name is Thorax." Thorax said as he landed on the ground again.

"What's wrong? You seem sad and lonely here..." Summer asked, seeing his sad look.

Thorax sighed, folding his ears, "All I've ever wanted is a friend. From the moment I first split my egg in the nursery hive...I was part of the attack on Canterlot during the royal wedding, but I'd never seen true friendship like that! And I couldn't just steal it and feed on its love. I wanted to share it! After that, I knew I couldn't live with my kind anymore. I set off looking for love to share, but..."

"But... what?" Summer asked.

"I'm starving! And there's so much love in the Crystal Empire right now. It's what drew me here! But it's drivin' me crazy!" Thorax exclaimed.

"That would be from that Royal Crystalling thing they held a while back. It's pretty much a giant outpouring of light and love for a new baby." Summer said before Thorax hissed at her but Summer didn't flinch in fear as Thorax controlled himself. "Oh, sorry! I'm just so hungry! If I had a friend, maybe the love we shared could sustain me, but I don't think the Crystal Ponies want to be friends."

Summer and Rockruff felt bad for Thorax. He was the kind of Changeling that wanted to change for the better despite what the Changelings did at the Royal Wedding in Canterlot. Summer knew that Thorax was a nice Changeling but Twilight and the others wouldn't think that based on what happened during the Royal Wedding.

"Well... maybe Rockruff, Wooloo and I could be your friends, Thorax." Summer offered, much to Thorax's surprise.

"R-Really?" Thorax asked.

Summer nodded, "Yeah, I can tell you're not like the other Changelings and that you want to change your entire kind for the better to live in peace and not cause war or harm to others."

Thorax smiled with tears appearing in his eyes. "T-Thank you...."

Summer nodded. "But everyone is still looking for you cause they spotted you nearby."

"S-So what do we do?" Thorax asked Summer. Summer thought for a moment. She could take Thorax inside the palace in disguise, but that might be a huge risk, if the pair would come across Flurry Heart who would be emitting a lot of love from her Crystalling that it might cause Thorax to lose control of himself and cancel his disguise.... but if Thorax already had enough love to sustain him through his friendship with Summer, then he wouldn't need to take love from anypony else and it would show everypony that there is hope for Changeling kind.

"Well... how about this... I continue to share my love with you through my friendship until your satisfied enough that you won't lose control of yourself. Then once you are ready, we'll go into the Crystal Empire with you in disguise so that no pony will know that its you and when the time is right, you can reveal yourself to everypony." Summer explained.

"Huh.....? So... once I feel full from your friendship, then I won't feel hungry anymore so everypony will see that Changelings' aren't all that bad and maybe I can be accepted into the Crystal Empire." Thorax smiled, seeing Summer's plan. "Great plan, Summer."

Summer nodded, "Your welcome."

And so that's what Summer did for Thorax for the next three days in the Crystal Empire. While Twilight, Starlight, Spike and the others searched for the Changeling in the city and palace, Summer would sneak off to the Ice Cavern where Thorax was hiding and they would spend time together. Thorax would show her some of the precious Ice crystals he found while exploring the cavern and Summer would show Thorax some of the magic spells that she knew and there were a lot of spells that she did know, from Transfiguration spells, to teleportation and even levitation.

Thorax was impressed with Summer's magical arsenal and her skills in magic. "I wish Changelings knew as much about magic as you do Summer? How'd you learn about so much magic?"

"I've studies magic for years in the Kirin Village before I decided to go to Equestria and live in Canterlot to advance my studies. It really helped alot." Summer explained.

"I'm impressed." Thorax smiled.

"And I'm surprise that you can change into anything at will; whether pony or inanimate object. It's incredible. I wish there was a spell that could allow me to do that." Summer pondered.

"Well maybe there is but you just haven't found it yet." Thorax smiled at Summer, who smiled back. "Yeah, guess I'll just have to keep looking." Thorax nodded at Summer as they continued to spend time together.

After about a week of searching Twilight and the gang were not very successful in finding the Changeling. "Oh this is gonna take forever to find the Changeling." Twilight groaned in dismay.

"Well, it is a Changeling. They're mastered at blending in cause they can change into anything and be in plain sight." Shining Armor said to his sister.

"I just wish we had a small lead as to where the Changeling was hiding, then it would be easier to capture it." Cadence wondered.

"I'm sure you'll find out a way soon... anyway, I'm gonna go and explore some more. Come on, Rockruff." Summer stated and Rockruff barked happily at her before he followed Summer.

"Well at least Summer's enjoying this trip." Twilight smiled.

"Yeah...." Starlight smiled before she realized something, "Wait.... has anypony noticed that Summer and Rockruff have been exploring way more lately?"

"What do you mean?" Spike asked.

"I mean at first Summer and Rockruff were just exploring for about an hour before they came back, but now they've been gone for more and more hours at a time." Starlight said. "Isn't that a bit worrisome?"

"Well, exploring can take sometime." Twilight defended. "But it does seem odd know that I think about it. What do you think they could be up to?"

"I don't know.... but let's find out...." Starlight smirked at the group.

Soon, Twilight, Starlight, Spike, Cadence, Shining Armor and two royal guards trailed Summer and Rockruff from a distance so they wouldn't notice they were being followed. They saw Summer and Rockruff go underneath the snow and disappear. "Huh? They went underneath the snow? How is that possible?" Spike asked.

"There are large Ice Caverns underneath the snow, but they're hard to pinpoint since you have to fall through a hole to figure out if one's there." Cadence explained.

"Why would Summer and Rockruff go in there?" Shining Armor asked.

"I don't know, Shining Armor, but let's find out." Twilight suggested and the group carefully went inside the Ice Cavern and hid on the side, peeking out from behind to see Summer and Rockruff.... talking to the Changeling they've been looking for!

Starlight gasped, "Summer and Rockruff have been talking with the Changeling!"

"We have to save them!" Spike exclaimed, but Twilight grabbed him in his magic before he could rush out. "Wait Spike..."

"What is it Twily?" Shining Armor asked.

"Look at the Changelings' wings." Twilight whispered, pointing to Thorax's wings which were now crystalline and sparkling. "They're.... crystalline... normally Changeling wings are transparent but that Changelings' wings are crystalline."

"He probably was feeding on her and Rockruff's love." Spike suggested bitterly.

"If that was true then Summer and Rockruff would have been returning to us, really frail and weak, but they look the same just as they left. Something else is going on." Twilight pondered as the group eavesdropped on the conversation. "Thank you for helping me, Summer." Thorax thanked.

"It's what friends do for each other, Thorax. Whether pony or Changeling." Summer smiled. Rockruff barked happily, wagging his tail. Thorax smiled while buzzing his wings. "It's really nice to know that somepony wanted to be friends with me. That's all I really wanted and now thanks to you, I don't feel hungry anymore."

Twilight and the group looked at each other in awe and shock.

"Well no matter what may have happened in the past, you can't let that cloud your judgement on someone you haven't gotten to know or let you jump to hurtful conclusions." Summer told Thorax. "Hopefully, Twilight and the other ponies will realize that too once I introduce you to them..."

"Actually....." Thorax and Summer turned and saw Twilight and the others looking at them. "You already have." Thorax gasped in fear before it turned into a rock and fell on the ground. "It's okay Thorax, we know your not a threat to the Crystal Empire."

A pair of eyes appeared on the rock and Thorax changed back into himself. "Y-You do....?" Thorax asked nervously.

"Yes, we heard what Summer and Rockruff have been doing to help you, Thorax and she's right we shouldn't let what happened at the Wedding effect how we feel about Changelings in the present because some of them can be nice, just like you." Twilight smiled as she came closer to the pair.

Summer and Rockruff smiled along with Thorax. "On behalf of the Crystal Empire, I would like to extend my hoof in friendship, and I'm sure all of my subjects are eager to do the same." Princess Cadence announced and the two guards cheered happily.

Thorax smiled brightly once again, "Welcome to the Crystal Empire, Thorax. I'm sorry we didn't take the time to get to know you. Maybe we can change that now." Shining Armor offered which Thorax happily agreed to, "That'd be so amazing! I want to know all about friendship, and maybe one day I can take that knowledge back to the Changeling Kingdom! If my kind learned how to create love for one another, maybe they wouldn't have to take it from others!"

"I think that's a great idea." Twilight smiled at Summer and Rockruff happily.

Author's Note

Summer's Pokemon:

1. Rockruff (M)

Moves - Rock Throw, Bite, Tackle, Howl Double Team, Thunder Fang

1. Wooloo (F)

Moves - Tackle, Electro Ball, Defense Curl, Copycat, Cotton Guard, Reversal

Mane Six's Pokemon:

Twilight - Noctowl:

Moves - Hypnosis, Air Slash, Brave Bird, Superpower, Sky Drop, Psychic

Rainbow Dash - Braviary:

Moves - Sky Attack, Air Cutter, Brave Bird, Sky Drop, Rock Slide, Superpower

Applejack - Mudsdale:

Moves - Stomp, High Horsepower, Iron Head, Double Kick, Mud Shot, Iron Defense

Pinkie Pie - Spheal:

Moves - Water Gun, Body Slam, Ice Beam, Aurora Beam, Dive, Powder Snow

Fluttershy - Dragonite

Moves - Dragon Claw, Dragon Dance, Thunderpunch, Ice Punch, Fire Punch, Dragon Rush

Rarity - Milotic

Moves - Hydro Pump, Twister, Dragon Pulse, Recover, Light Screen, Mirror Coat