Chapter 1

View Online

Crystal Note hummed softly as she made her way through the streets of Ponyville. She enjoyed the crisp and chilly air around her now that winter was getting stronger with every passing day. Rainbow Dash from the local weather patrol had told her that snow would be arriving soon and Crystal Note couldn't wait to see the town covered in white.

Most ponies around her already wore scarves or hats against the cold, but Crystal Note grew up far in the north and wasn't really bothered by the weather at all. Right now, she was only wearing her turquoise bandana as always when she went outside. Some ponies knew about the horn she hid behind it by now, but she decided it'd be best to keep that number limited. She already got more attention than she asked for by being a crystal pony outside of the Empire, showing everypony that she was a crystal unicorn as well would be a bad idea.

Her smile faded a little when she thought of what happened in the Crystal Empire after she'd been exposed by accident. She definitely wouldn't want a repeat of that.

Crystal unicorns had once been a dark creation of King Sombra, the shadow king that had first taken over the Crystal Empire as a tyrant. With his dark magic, he enslaved many of the peaceful crystal ponies to become ruthless soldiers for his armies. A few of them, he even infused with magic in artificial horns and turned those crystal unicorns into living weapons for his war against Canterlot. In the end, when he was beaten, he unleashed a powerful curse that made the entire Crystal Empire vanish for more than a thousand years.

A shudder ran down Crystal Note’s spine. Even though her transformation had been under completely different circumstances and her magic was rather weak, she was still close enough for other crystal ponies to see her as a threat. She had only recently discovered what had happened to her all those years ago. She sometimes wondered how the crystal ponies would react if they knew her story, but she couldn’t bring herself to go back there. Not yet. So she stayed in Ponyville for now and hid away her horn from other ponies.

As usual, she took the route through the park on her way back to Sweet Apple Acres. A few ponies she saw here regularly waved as she passed by and she nodded politely. She had tried approaching some of those ponies like Applejack and Pinkie Pie told her, but she ran out of things to talk about within minutes. Mostly because they always bombarded her with questions about the Crystal Empire she couldn't answer. Sometimes she didn't know those things, but most of the time she couldn't make herself talk about it, especially when the questions were about King Sombra.

Today however, none of such questions were asked. Instead, a beautiful song filled the small park. Her ears perked up and she turned towards the source of the music, like many other ponies around her. The sound of maybe a harp came from a bench near the centre of the park where a small crowd had gathered.

The song had just stopped and a new one started when Crystal Note joined the group of ponies and got a good look at the musician. A mint green unicorn with a green and white mane sat on the bench with a lyre in her lap. She heard some ponies giggle at how awkwardly the unicorn had sprawled out on the bench, with her back against the ledge of the bench and her hind legs spread out to the front. This position however allowed her to use both of her forehooves to pluck the strings of her instrument.

Crystal Note watched amazed as she noticed the golden glow around the instrument and realized that the unicorn was not only using her hooves, but her magic as well to play her lyre. That way she managed to create a wonderfully flowing song, much smoother than anything Crystal Note had heard before. Her ears perked up and she closed her eyes for a moment and now noticed the soft chime of magic behind the sound of the lyre. Together with the fluid motion of her hooves, it was easy to see that the unicorn musician was well practiced and had probably spent years perfecting this technique.

Crystal Note's smile widened and sat down on the ground close to the bench but at the edge of the little audience the unicorn had gathered. She closed her eyes again and listened attentively as the melody grew more complex as the song continued. Soon she had lost herself in the music and noticed nothing but the melody that waved around her. She loved music and this song was easily one of the prettiest she ever heard. She kept her eyes closed as the minutes passed by, her head gently bopping the rhythm of the song.

Far too soon, however, voices intruded into the song. She tried to ignore them as best as she could, but they became more and more insistent and louder. She peeked with one eye, then the other one flew open as well. She was surrounded by ponies somehow, all of them staring at her with wide eyes of surprise, some pointing at her and whispering with each other.

Out of instinct, her hooves flew up to her head and she sighed relieved when she found her bandana still in place. She got a look at her own hoof and now realized what was going on. Apparently, while listening to the beautiful music, she had tapped into her crystal pony magic and her body had changed accordingly. Her coat and her mane were now positively sparkling as she almost looked like she was made of purest crystal by now.

She blushed at the ponies and backed away, her sparkling fading a little, as she didn't feel comfortable in the centre of attention so suddenly. A few stepped closer and asked a couple of questions but she forced her eyes to the ground, staring at the spot in front of her hooves. After a short while, the questions stopped and only mumbling could be heard. She peeked up again and saw that most of the ponies had continued their walk through the park now that the music had stopped.

She blinked and realized the song had been stopped somewhere in the middle. Ignoring the few remaining ponies who stood watching her, she turned to the bench with the unicorn musician. The unicorn mare looked rather annoyed as she stowed away her lyre. Crystal Note saw her pick up a few bits she'd gotten from her audience and now blushed even more.
With her sudden changing, she'd unintentionally drawn away all the audience from the lyrist and therefore any chance for her to ear some more bits.

She took a step towards the unicorn but a stallion was faster and stood between her and the musician
"How did you do that? That looked amazing!"
The few remaining ponies closed in on her, smiling curiously and friendly, but to Crystal Note for a moment they looked like a pack of arctic wolves surrounding their prey. The last of her sparkle vanished and she took a deep breath to keep her body from changing to a dark grey and towards the other extreme of her appearance. Crystal pony magic was passive and heavily tied to emotions, both positive and negative.

In her timid voice, she gave her usual explanations, mostly using the words Twilight Sparkle told her when they talked about crystal pony magic. The ponies kept smiling and nodded as their most urgent curiosity was satisfied. They started to talk with each other and tried to include her into their chatter, but Crystal Note kept staring to the now empty bench. Gathering her courage, she asked the ponies
"The pony who played the lyre, do you know her?"
The stallion nodded and turned around to the bench
"Oh, she's already gone. Her name is Lyra, this is her usual spot when she feels like playing. I guess it's too cold for her today, normally she stays way longer."
Crystal Note blushed and softly shook her head, but the stallion didn't notice. From what she's seen, she knew the real reason the mare had left.

A thought crossed her mind and she smiled as an idea formed. She asked the stallion
"Do you think she might be here again tomorrow?"
He nodded and grinned
"Like I said, she's here a lot. I'm sure she'll come tomorrow."
The other ponies nodded and their chat now circled around the wonderful music Lyra played all the time. Crystal Note smiled and sighed inwardly that she finally wasn't the centre of attention anymore. She listened for a while longer but in her mind, her idea kept growing.

After a few minutes, she said goodbye to the ponies and headed home. When she arrived at Sweet Apple Acres, she quickly slipped into her room to prepare for tomorrow.

The next day, Crystal Note sat on a bench in the park and waited. She picked a spot where she could see Lyra's bench but wouldn't be noticed right away by any passing pony. It was already past noon and Crystal Note got worried if the unicorn would return. She readjusted her bandana once more before her hoof sunk back on the case next to her on the bench.

Crystal Note guessed it had to be about two in the afternoon when the mint coated unicorn finally showed up. She carried a familiar case in her golden magic and climbed on her bench. The case opened and the lyre floated into her lap while the case remained open on the ground in front of her.
Losing no time, Lyra started to play with her hooves and her magic like she did yesterday. Soon the beautiful tune lured out the first ponies towards her by and they gathered around her.

Crystal Note stood up and picked up her own case with her mouth, then slowly made her way towards the lyrist. She made sure the unicorn would see her and as she expected, a small frown appeared on Lyra's face. Giving her an apologetic look, Crystal Note stepped closer and opened her case as well. Lyra watched her closely without missing a beat of her song, which made Crystal Note even more impressed of the lyrist.
She took out her violin, the only thing she had taken with her when she had fled from the Crystal Empire. With her instrument in her hooves, she looked at Lyra again, this time almost pleading.

The unicorn frowned briefly before she understood. She hesitated for a few beats of the song, then rolled her eyes and nodded. Crystal Note gave her a grateful smile and walked past the small audience. The ponies looked up surprised when they saw the crystal pony with a violin. Even though Crystal Note loved playing it, so far she had only done so in the safety of her room or deep in the orchards of Sweet Apple Acres, where no other pony would see her.

Lyra stayed sprawled out on the bench like yesterday so Crystal Note sat down on her haunches next to the bench. Luckily, Lyra played one of the pieces she heard yesterday. She readied her violin and its bow and waited for a cue, then joined in with a few soft strokes.

She heard the ponies mumbling again but she just closed her eyes and like yesterday focused only on the song. She followed the lead of the lyre and carefully weaved in her own notes. She heard Lyra repeated the bridge of the song a few times with some adjustments of her own, then after a minute both instruments and musicians were in line with each other and the song continued in two voices.

Crystal Note smiled while she was playing and luckily recognized the next song as well. She'd been practicing this one last night, so she fell even quicker in tune with the lyre this time. She kept her eyes closed as she easily followed Lyra's lead through the song and when it ended right into the next one, soon losing track of the world around her except for the music.

Lyra watched the crystal pony next to her from the corner of her eyes while playing another easy tune. She was still annoyed that the mare had more or less blown up her audience last night and cost her a lot of bits, but she had to admit that the crystal mare knew how to handle her violin well enough. So far, she'd been able to keep up with her songs with only a few minor glitches that probably no pony except a professional would even notice.

Lyra grinned and went for a new song, upping the pace and difficulty a few notches. She was not surprised to see her fellow musician stop for a moment and listen closely. She was however surprised on how fast the violin bow picked up the tune again. The melody the violinist next to her played was far simpler than her own was, but it worked well along the song of her lyre. Lyra nodded impressed, then smiled to her crowd when she heard some clapping.

By now they'd gathered an audience that was bigger than Lyra would manage when she played all by herself. She was happy to see that the ponies of Ponyville appreciated the show very much and that they were very generous as well.
While the crystal pony next to her was fully absorbed in the song, Lyra made the effort to smile and nod thankfully at each pony who donated a few bits into her open lyre case. The violin case on the ground next to her own was closed. Lyra didn't know why but that meant more bits for her, so she wouldn't be complaining.

They played together for almost an hour before Lyra set down her instrument for a short break. The violinist blinked a few times, as if she'd just woken up and Lyra couldn't help but giggle. She could relate far too well how a pony could completely lose oneself in a nice tune.
Her audience clapped again and threw some words of appreciation at the two musicians. Lyra smiled and thanked them but she noticed the crystal pony making an effort not to meet anypony’s gaze. Instead, she focused on her violin.

Lyra frowned, but the she just shrugged and chatted with a few of her regular fans. In the back of her head, something was bothering her though. If the new pony didn’t want to draw any attention, why would she come here and play her violin? And out of all places, at her usual spot? She could have easily made her own crowd or lured some of Lyra’s audience away, but she joined her instead. Lyra blinked and turned to look at the silvery-white mare as well as her still closed violin case. She was not here to earn some bits. She had no trouble stealing attention from her yesterday, why would she now… Was she trying to…? Oh.

The crystal pony noticed her gaze and looked up at Lyra who now gave her a grin in return. Lyra picked up her lyre again and nodded for the other pony to start. The crystal pony blushed and closed her eyes. When she started to play, her tune was rather simple again. Lyra sighed disappointed but joined in effortlessly. The audience fell silent again and listened but after the song they’d heard just before the break, they weren’t really impressed.

Lyra kept playing for a minute longer and then called out
“Hey!”
The crystal pony next to her opened her eyes and saw Lyra’s challenging grin
“Go for it! Don’t hold back.”
The pony blushed a little at first, but the she returned with a smile of her own and a nod. The turquoise eyes closed again and this time, her bow started dancing lively over the strings of her violin.

Lyra grinned and put in the same effort as her fellow musician. They quickly fell in tune again, much to the enjoyment of their audience. Sometimes Lyra would add a little twist to the song only to find the crystal pony matching up, then the violinist would start a completely new melody and Lyra found herself challenged to join in.

The two ponies smiled and played for a couple more hours, but given the intensity of their music, it felt far shorter for both of them. In the end, the crystal pony put down her violin, almost panting exhausted. Lyra finished the tune and set away her lyre as well. She grinned, her smile reaching all over her face. It’d been a while since she had that much fun while performing in the park.
The audience cheered and quickly closed in on the two musicians. While Lyra just kept smiling, the pony next to her blushed and focused on putting her violin back into its case. Lyra handled the crowd and made sure she thanked everypony for their donations. Luckily, the ponies soon went back on their ways as the sun already began to set.

Once they left, Lyra used her magic to pick up the generous amount of bits they earned and took care of her own instrument. She was still smiling when she turned around to talk to the crystal pony, only that all she could see was her backside. The crystal mare had already picked up her violin case and turned around to leave Lyra rather confused
"Hey, don't you want your share of the loot?"

The crystal mare turned her head back and blinked confused. Lyra gave her another grin and jingled the small bag of bits in her magic hold. At that, the crystal pony blushed and shook her head
"I disturbed your concert yesterday, so you should have my share to make up for it. Besides, you made most of the work anyways."
Now that her suspicion was proven correct, Lyra's grin grew a little more
"Well, yeah. But you shouldn't sell yourself short either. Come on, we'll split fair and even."
With another shake of her head, the crystal pony turned around and made the first steps away.

She was however stopped by a soft tug on her tail, from a golden glow. Her eyes opened wide in surprise but any fear quickly faded with Lyra’s disarming smile
“Let me treat you to dinner at least. Come on, I owe you.”
After a moment of hesitation and with a soft sigh, she agreed
“Okay. As long as it’s not too expensive.”
Lyra released her magic grip and grinned
“Oh, I know just the thing. This way.”
She picked up her lyre with her magic and made her way back into town, the crystal pony at her side as they walked in a relaxed pace.

“You really don’t have to do this, Miss Lyra.”
Lyra just kept grinning and shrugged
“So you know my name, but I still don’t know yours.”
“Oh, sorry. I’m Crystal Note.”
“I’m Lyra Heartstrings. Nice meeting you!”
“Likewise.”

Crystal Note fell silent again after that, but Lyra kept on talking
“So you came to town a couple weeks ago, right?”
Crystal Note nodded and since Lyra kept staring at her, she felt compelled to say something
“During Applebook Season.”
Lyra didn’t seem bothered by the short worded responses and just went on with conversation
“Yeah, I heard about it. The whole town was talking about it when you saved Applejack’s sister from being hurt in that storm.”

Lyra couldn’t help but laugh as Crystal Note’s cheeks went from pale to bright red in an instant
“I didn’t realize I caused that much of a commotion…”
“Nah, not really. But you did leave an impression on everypony, that’s for sure.”
Lyra didn’t think it was possible for anypony to blush even harder, but she’d take any bet that Crystal Note had to glow in the dark by now.

After giving the mare a minute or two to compose herself, and for her face to take a normal colouring again, Lyra went for another question
“You’re not that great with getting a lot attention, are you?”
Crystal Note shook her head softly and her ears dropped down.
“Shame. I could just image you on a stage otherwise.”
Lyra laughed when the silver mare snapped her head towards her so fast that strands of her bright yellow hair spilled out from under the bandana she wore
“On a stage? Me?”
“Sure. You got talent, with a little practice you could go pro and give concerts like this.”

Crystal Note’s eyes went wide and she seemed to stare right through Lyra for a moment. With a little shake of her head, she focused on the unicorn again
“But you’re far more skilled than I am. Why are you playing in a park instead of giving big concerts?”
Lyra just shrugged and held her smile in place
“Been there, done that. It’s just not my style I guess.”
Crystal Note tilted her head slightly and for a moment, it seemed she could see through those words. Lucky for Lyra, they reached their destination just in time.
“We’re here.”

Crystal Note blinked and tilted her head to the other side when she recognized the shop. She’d been here before with Apple Bloom and her friends
“You’re having dinner at the candy store?”
“Nope. We’re having dinner at home. Let’s go in.”
Lyra stepped behind her and more or less pushed her through the shop door with a giggle.

Inside, Crystal Note was greeted by the mare who ran the candy store, an earth pony with a cream coloured coat and a curly mane with pink and blue swirls
“Welcome to the Sweet Shop! How can I help you?”
Crystal Note blushed and didn’t know what to say, but Lyra grinned and slipped in behind her
“Hi Bon Bon! Table for three, please!”
The mare, Bon Bon, rolled her eyes but with a smile and Crystal Note realized this was a running joke between the two of them
“It’s still not a restaurant, Lyra.”
Lyra let out an execrated sigh at that
“Remind me again why I come here every night?”
They both shared a giggle and a nuzzle on their cheek. Crystal Note watched from the door and couldn’t help but smile at the sweet display.

After introductions, Bon Bon led Crystal Note past the store and into a sitting room for dinner. She learned that Bon Bon and Lyra had their rooms upstairs above the shop. The large kitchen, where they usually had their meals, was easily three times the size of a normal kitchen and served for Bon Bon’s candy making mostly.

The earth pony didn’t seem too surprised to have a guest for dinner, when Crystal Note stuttered out an apology for imposing she just smiled and shrugged
“I’m used to it. Lyra is just the kind of pony to meet someone new and make instant friends.”
Lyra laughed and set the table with her magic while Bon Bon prepared some salad and bread rolls for the three of them
“And Bon Bon is just the pony who would never turn anyone down when they appear at her doorstep.”

Crystal Note watched them silently as the prepared dinner and noticed the small details. The way Bon Bon held out the bowl of salad for Lyra to pick up and let go just a mere fraction before Lyra’s magic took hold if it. How Lyra didn’t even have to turn her head to know exactly where Bon Bon was and moved to the side to make room for her while she was focused on levitating a few glasses from a cupboard. So many little signs that showed the two mares were not just familiar with each other, but perfectly in tune with another.

“You complete each other. That’s so sweet.”
Lyra and Bon Bon blushed and looked first at each other, then at the crystal mare in front of them, but when they saw Crystal Note’s genuine smile, all three of them just giggled.

While they enjoyed dinner, Crystal Note let Lyra tell Bon Bon how they met and how they spent the afternoon. Bon Bon chuckled and gently nudged her unicorn friend
“It’s a good thing you’re getting some competition. You’ve been pretty lazy with your music practice recently, Miss Heartstrings!”
Lyra pouted a little, but with a smile
“Just because I’m not up at sunrise doesn’t mean I’m lazy.”
“There’s sleeping in, and there’s rolling out of bed way past noon, Lyra. You can’t sweet talk your way out of this.”
“Well, when it comes to sweet I stand no chance against you anyways. And not just because you’re a candy maker.”

Bon Bon blushed furiously and both friends’ heads snapped towards Crystal Note when the crystal mare started laughing so hard she had to wipe away some tears from her eyes
“I’m sorry, but you two are just so… for a moment, I thought I was looking at…”
The thought finished in her mind and dropped in like a stone against a mirror. A shiver ran down her spine and more tears shot into her eyes, although this time she tried as hard as she could to hold them back.

She noticed Lyra and Bon Bon staring at her with wide-open eyes, Bon Bon even covered her mouth with her hooves. She realized she didn’t finish her sentence so she mumbled with a voice barely above a whisper
“You reminded me of my parents for a moment.”
She closed her eyes and fought back a sob
“They loved each other so much, just like you.”

Crystal Note didn’t dare open her eyes again. She knew she had completely spoiled the mood and she had seen the fear in Bon Bon’s eyes. Everything she was afraid of just happened as soon as she opened her mouth.
She had to get out before she could mess up even more. She had to go. Run away.
“I’m so sorry… I’ll just leave…”
She jumped on her hooves and turned towards the door but before she reached it, she heard Lyra call out
“Leave? But, what about dessert?”

That question managed to throw Crystal Note’s panicked thoughts completely off balance, so much even that she stumbled and flopped on the floor. Bon Bon rushed to her side and helped her up, but not without throwing a frowny glare at Lyra
“Was that really necessary?”
“Hey, I stopped her didn’t I?”

Bon Bon’s frown vanished when she leaned down to Crystal Note and she spoke with a soft voice
“I don’t think you should be on your own right now.”
From the other side of the room, Lyra agreed
“Bonnie’s right. You just lost all your light, Crystal Note.”
The crystal mare looked down at her hooves and noticed that her coat had taken a dull grey colour and that her hoof was even shaking.

She sobbed softly
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you worry. I tend to overreact a lot when it happens and…”
Her mouth clamped shut when she realized what Lyra had said. She had heard those exact words only once before, from Princess Twilight Sparkle during one of her scientific lectures, when Princess Twilight recited a passage from a long forgotten book
“How do you know that, Lyra Heartstrings? Nopony ever knew that before.”
Lyra blushed sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head
“Well, I’ve always had an affinity to mystical creatures. I learned all about them when I was enrolled in Princess Celestia’s school for gifted unicorns. I practically devoured every book I could get on sea ponies, windigos or humans.”
At the last word, Bon Bon exaggeratedly rolled her eyes, which made Lyra only blush more. She coughed gently and went on
“Anyways, I’ve read a lot on crystal ponies as well. They were gone long enough for many ponies to stop believing they really existed, but I knew they were real.”
She ended with a satisfied grin towards Crystal Note
“And it turns out, I was right all along!”

Bon Bon had used Lyra’s explanations to lead Crystal Note back to the table and take her seat next to Lyra again. She nudged Lyra’s shoulder and pointed at the clearly distressed crystal pony on the other side of the table, her eyes giving a clear message to the unicorn. Not helping!

Crystal Note missed the silent exchange, her eyes stayed glued at her own hooves even as she nodded and whispered
“So you know all about them… um, I mean, us.”
Lyra nodded while Bon Bon next to her tilted her head slightly. The earth pony hadn’t missed the slight slip-up from Crystal Note but she stayed silent when Lyra went on
“I know all I could find in books, at least. It’s your magic that makes you change appearances and it’s connected to the ‘light inside you’.”
Bon Bon noticed how Crystal Note tensed up at the word ‘magic’ and how her voice seemed even more tiny than before
“I guess you know more than I do, Lyra Heartstrings. To be honest, I don’t understand it at all, it just happens.”

Bon Bon smiled kindly and reached over the table to place a gentle hoof on Crystal Note’s shoulder
“Don’t worry about it. I never think much about earth pony magic either. I guess that’s a unicorn thing, they just overthink everything.”
She chuckled when Lyra pouted and crossed her legs in front of her chest
“But she has her good sides too, you know.”
“Gee, thanks.”

Bon Bon giggled softly and even Lyra smiled when Crystal Note joined in hesitantly. With some of the tension relieved, Bon Bon got up and fetched a plate of chocolates and caramels for them
“Here. Those always cheer me up when I’m feeling down.”
Crystal Note stared at the offered treats. Lyra’s hoof darted forward and Bon Bon swatted it back without even looking away from the crystal pony
“No need to be shy, Crystal Note.”
Hesitantly, she reached for a piece of chocolate and took a small bite. Bon Bon just grinned and waited for her taste buds to start working, only to chuckle moments later when the candy vanished in Crystal Note’s mouth and the mare chewed on with a blissful smile on her face.

Lyra took the chance to snatch a few sweets for herself and for a few moments, all three enjoyed their treats silently.
Bon Bon glanced towards Lyra when she noticed how Crystal Note’s coat seemed to brighten up to a light grey, not the silvery-white she’d seen earlier but at least not dark and glum anymore. Lyra nodded knowingly and asked softly
“Feeling better?”
Crystal Note nodded with a deep breath
“Much better. I’m really sorry I made you worry. I didn’t mean to. When I’m sad, I change and then I suddenly get really sad and I just…”
She blushed and took another calming breath
“It’s hard to think straight when it happens.”
Lyra nodded again, some things she’d been wondering about since she’d seen Crystal Note change colours in the park the other day now made more sense to her. Bon Bon on the other hand frowned when she understood the meaning behind what happened just minutes ago
“So, I guess there’s a story behind your parents, and not really a nice one at that.”

Crystal Note closed her eyes and nodded again, but Bon Bon sighed relieved when her coat stayed the same colour at least. Lyra, never the pony who would let herself get dragged down by anything for too long, knocked her hoof on the table and snapped both Crystal Note and Bon Bon out of their thoughts
“Way too nice of a day for depressing stories. Come on, I’ll show you around the house while Bon Bon does the dishes.”
She quickly jumped to her hooves and gently pushed the confused crystal mare out of the room, but not before picking up more chocolates with her magic. Bon Bon smiled appreciatively, before her brows furrowed in a frown
“Wait a minute, it’s your turn to do dishes tonight, Lyra!”
Lyra grinned and winked to Crystal Note as she pushed her through the door
“I’m sorry, I need to take care of our guest first.”
“Lyra Heartstrings! If you think you can just…”

Bon Bon’s annoyed voice was cut out when the door closed behind them and both of them giggled
“Will you be in trouble for that?”
“Eh, don’t worry. Bonnie is far too nice to be angry for more than a few minutes.”
They giggled again and Crystal Note followed Lyra back into the candy store and up the stairs in the back of the large room.

Upstairs was what you would expect from any usual home, bedrooms, guestroom, bathroom, broom closet.
One room however left Crystal Note floored. Lyra was talking about how she and Bon Bon had come to live together when they passed a half-closed door. Curious as ever, Crystal Note had peeked inside, just to open the door fully and stare with wide opened eyes.
Inside she found a large collection of instruments, multiple lyres of different sizes, including the one Lyra had played in the park, as well as a large harp in the back of the room. She also saw different guitars, a banjo, a cello and a violin.
“See something you like, Crystal Note?”
The crystal mare couldn’t pull her eyes away from the large collection and muttered out
“You can play all of those?”
Lyra just smirked and nodded
“Well, they don’t call me Heartstrings for nothing, you know.”
Crystal Note glanced over the vast collection again and only now noticed they were mostly stringed instruments indeed, with the exception of a pair of bongos, which seemed odd.

Finally, she turned to her eyes towards the unicorn musician
“I can’t believe somepony like you has to play in a park for bits. Any orchestra in Equestria should be begging to have you.”
Lyra laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of her head again, clearly flustered
“Well, to be honest I’m nowhere as good with all of them as I’m with my lyre, though some come close. But most importantly, I don’t play in Ponyville park because I have to. I do it because I want to!”
She chuckled when Crystal Note’s eyes opened so wide she could clearly see their gem shape in every little detail and explained
“You know, concerts and big stages and large audiences and stuff is fine, but just sitting in the sun, playing whatever tune I feel like and making ponies around me smile? That’s what makes it really worth it.”

Lyra watched closely as Crystal Note’s expression changed from disbelief into a wide smile, not at all unexpected
“You get what I mean, right?”
The crystal mare nodded and for a moment, her turquoise eyes looked through Lyra at an image from the past
“Yeah, I think I do.”
“I knew it!”
Lyra laughed and gently nudged the blushing mare
“I suspected as much when you didn’t want any of the bits we earned. You wanted to help at first, and then later you kept playing because you had so much fun, just like me.”
Crystal Note nodded and hummed affirmatively, before they both started to giggle.

Lyra turned her head and gave the mare a cheeky side-way glance
“We should totally hang out and jam together! Maybe we’ll even get some new songs going between the two of us.”
Crystal Note smiled brightly and her head bopped up and down eagerly
“I’d love that!”
Lyra raised her right hoof and Crystal Note bumped in with her left one to seal the deal.

They giggled again when an annoyed voice sounded up from downstairs
“If you two are done goofing around, I could really use a hoof down here!”
Crystal Note smiled and winked to Lyra
“I’ll go help. Just in case she’s still angry she had to do the dishes all by herself.”
Lyra grinned gratefully
“Thanks! Now I really owe you one. I’ll join you in a few.”

Crystal Note giggled and climbed down the stairs to meet Bon Bon who was standing on a ladder. She was reaching up to one of the high shelves and picked up an empty jar with both hooves, which left her balancing on her rear hooves only. Her head turned to the stairs when she heard somepony coming down
“About time you showed up, Lyra. Now could you…”
She stopped when she saw Crystal Note instead, but the crystal mare just smiled and walked up next to her. Bon Bon handed her the empty container and smiled
“Thanks, but you don’t have to do Lyra’s work, Crystal Note.”
“I do! I need to thank you for dinner and the delicious candy.”
Bon Bon blushed a little and smiled
“Um, in that case, could you hand me the jar over there? I want to restock the shelves so I won’t have to do tomorrow morning.”
Crystal Note nodded and held a jar of gumdrops up for Bon Bon to pick up and put in its place. They worked their way through the shelves that covered the entire length of the wall and Bon Bon moaned a little when she had to climb down and reposition the ladder ever so often
“Usually, Lyra does this with her magic. When she’s not too lazy that is.”
Crystal Note just giggled and held up the next jar.

Soon the work was almost done, with only one empty jar left. Bon Bon leaned far to the right to reach the last jar, unwilling to move the ladder for just that one. This left her balancing on only one rear hoof on top of the ladder, while she stretched her right hoof to grip the edge of the jar. With a soft grunt, she finally got a hold on it and pulled. Sadly, at this moment the ladder wobbled a little which caused Bon Bon’s hoof to slip. It all happened in a matter of seconds, too quickly for Crystal Note to react.

Bon Bon shrieked when she felt gravity take hold of her and pull her down. Her body tensed up and she clenched her eyes shut as she braced herself for a hard impact. Only she didn’t hit the floor, instead she felt surprisingly light all of a sudden.
After a few moments, she reopened her eyes and shrieked again, but this time followed by a sigh of relief. She was floating in mid-air, still holding the jar in her hooves, and she was surrounded by a magic aura. She turned her head back into the room
“Thanks Lyra, you’re a lifesaver.”
Her eyes went wide when the unicorn was nowhere in the room. She glanced down herself and only now saw that the glow was not Lyra’s golden magic but had a light blue colour instead. Her eyes darted to Crystal Note.

The crystal pony stood next to the ladder with her body crouched in a strained position as if she was struggling under a heavy weight. Her eyes were clenched shut in hard concentration. What drew Bon Bon’s gaze however was the bright turquoise light that came from Crystal Note, more exactly from under the bandana that was wrapped around the crystal pony’s mane.

Lyra scampered down the stairs before Bon Bon could process what she saw
“Oh my gosh! Bonnie, are you okay? I heard a scream and… huh?”
Lyra seemed equally surprised but unlike Bon Bon, the unicorn could make the connection between the magic glow and the light far quicker. She watched Bon Bon float down to the floor in a clumsy version of a levitation spell.
As soon as Bon Bon was safe on the ground, the glow vanished and Crystal Note slumped on the floor with a heavy pant.
Her turquoise eyes opened and found two sets of stares focused on her. Bon Bon looked genuinely surprised and confused, but Lyra almost glared at her suspiciously.

Denying the obvious would be impossible. With a deep sigh, Crystal Note reached up and pulled her bandana from her mane. With a little shake of her head, the curly strands fell down her back and revealed a unicorn horn on her forehead
“Um, surprise?”
She shivered when both stares turned into frowns and her coat turned a few notches darker even, causing her to quickly loose grip of her already tipped-off emotions again. While fighting back a sniffle, she managed to press out a whispered apology.

Bon Bon was the first to snap out of her daze
"Hey! Please don’t cry, Crystal Note.”
She rushed to the mare’s side and gently put a hoof on her shoulder
“You don’t need to apologize. If anything, I need to thank you! That could have ended badly if you hadn’t caught me.”
When Crystal Note seemed to calm down again, Bon Bon tried with a smile
“And don’t know why you would hide that you’re a unicorn, but...”
“Because there are no crystal unicorns, Bon Bon.”

Lyra’s words harshly interrupted her friend and the unicorn walked up to Crystal Note. The crystal mare closed her eyes and her head sunk to the floor as she dropped down into an almost submissive crouch under Lyra’s glare
“Who are you? What are you?”
“Lyra Heartstrings! What’s gotten into you?”
Bon Bon’s and Lyra’s eyes met
“Bonnie, crystal ponies don’t have horns. It doesn’t work like that, just like earth ponies don’t suddenly grow wings.”
“So what? That does not give you the right to treat a pony like that.”
“Don’t you get it, Bonnie? There’s something wrong here and…”
“I’m a monster!”

A loud yell, followed by a sob burst out of Crystal Note, still crumbled on the floor with her hooves covering her face
“Lyra is right, I’m not normal. I’m an abomination. A monster. I should have never...”
“Stop it right now! Both of you!”
Bon Bon’s angry yell easily outmatched both Crystal Note’s sobbing and Lyra’s attempt of a reply. The crystal mare kept her eyes locked on the floor while Lyra froze under the force of Bon Bon’s glare
“Good. Now listen to me. Both of you.”
She turned to the crystal unicorn
“I’ve met monsters and ponies who behaved like monsters. You’re none of it, trust me. And you!”
She turned to Lyra who had lost all of her edge when Crystal Note started to cry and by now looked like she had taken a beating
“You spent the whole day with her and invited her to our home, so you know she’s a nice pony. And you should be the last one to judge anypony for being a little different, Miss ‘I sit strange all the time because that’s what humans do’!”

Lyra groaned and facehooved
“Yeah, I really deserved that.”
She glanced at the crystal mare on the floor and moved at the firm nod she received from Bon Bon. She held out her hoof to the grey mare to help her up
“I’m sorry, Crystal Note. I totally blew up about nothing. Just because I don’t understand something doesn’t make it a bad thing. It just means I need to learn to be more open for the world around me.”

Crystal Note peeked up from between her hooves when she heard Lyra. She stared at the hoof and reached out slowly. Lyra’s grip was firm when she pulled her back on her hooves again
“I… thank you, Lyra Heartstrings and Bon Bon.”
The mint unicorn cringed with a little smirk
“I think we’re past the formality by now. Just call me Lyra.”
“And you can call me Bonnie, all my friends do.”
The crystal unicorn glanced between the pair and finally, a small smile curled her lips
“My friends used to call me Crissy… um, I’m sorry for unloading all my emotional baggage on you. Twice.”

The pair giggled and Bon Bon gently nudged Crystal Note
“Don’t worry. I hear that’s what friends are for.”
“Sorry we brought it all up on the first night as well. Usually, we wait for the third date.”
“Lyra!”
Bon Bon tried to glare again and Lyra just smirked and they both started to chuckle. Crystal Note smiled and after a few moments giggled along.
She took a deep, cleansing breath and with her balance somehow restored, her coat took the light grey colour again.

Of course, as expected, Lyra and Bon Bon stared at her when she changed. She sighed deeply and explained
“I can’t really control how my coat changes. When I’m sad and my coat turns dark, it sometimes spirals out of control and I’m so sad I can’t think of anything else. Same for being scared.
But it works both ways, so when I calm down, I can change back. I get better at keeping it at bay, but…”
Bon Bon nodded and sighed
“But we just pushed all your buttons at once and you got overwhelmed, got it. Sorry about that.”
Lyra hesitated and added
“I’m sure having a horn doesn’t really help at all. Do you have magic bursts as well? I get them when I’m really stressed, sometimes.”
Crystal Note shook her head slowly
“It hasn’t happened so far, thank Luna. I don’t have much magic to surge out anyways.”

Bon Bon and Lyra fell silent again. Of course they were both still curious, but they didn’t want to trigger another emotional outburst. So instead, they took her back into the sitting room and Bon Bon fixed them some hot chocolate.
They sat in silence for a while, then Bon Bon and Lyra started to chat about their day. For them, it was the usual thing to do and seemed natural.
Crystal Note stayed silent, but it wasn’t unpleasant. Lyra had noticed in the park that the crystal unicorn wasn’t the most talkative of ponies, but the way she smiled when they reached a funny part showed her she enjoyed listening at least.

The sun had long set when Crystal Note finally said her goodbyes. She had managed to decline Bon Bon’s offer to use their guest room, but only after she promised to visit again soon. Lyra and Bon Bon watched as the crystal mare, now wearing her bandana again, walked into the night.

When she arrived at Sweet Apple Acres, the farmhouse was quiet and dark since everypony had retired for the night already.
As quietly as she could, Crystal Note climbed up the stairs and sneaked into the room that had become hers over the last few months. Once in her bed, she pulled the blankets around herself, but didn’t fall asleep right away. Instead, she thought about what had happened today while staring at the moon through the window.

Lyra and Bon Bon had found out about her secret, but despite some initial tension, things seemed to work out in the end. Lyra had encouraged her at the park with her music and invited her home. Bon Bon had welcomed her despite not knowing more than her name and she had stood up for her before things went downhill.

Both had to witness two emotional breakdowns in short succession, but they had been very sensible about it. They didn’t force her into a conversation or even sent her away when she stayed silent after that. If anything, it seemed like Lyra and Bon Bon enjoyed her presence anyways.

She smiled softly and rested her head on the pillow
“I think I made some new friends todays.”
The smile stayed when she finally fell asleep.

Chapter 2

View Online

True to her word, Crystal Note visited Bon Bon’s candy store the next day. There wasn’t much to do at the farm in winter, so the work was taken care of after lunch. She told the Apple siblings she’d be out in town for the day. Half an hour later, she entered the shop. Bon Bon, lured out from the kitchen by the bell on the door, smiled and walked around the counter to hug her new friend. Crystal Note blushed shyly but smiled as well as she returned the gesture

“I would ask if you had a good night, but I just need to look at you to know.”
Crystal Note tilted her head and Bon Bon chuckled warmly
“You’re back to bright and sparkly, Crissy.”
Crystal Note glanced down at her hooves only to roll her eyes a moment later. Bon Bon had used her nickname, she took that as a good sign as well and matched the earth pony’s warm tone
“There’s no fooling you, is there Bonnie?”
They giggled and shared what had happened since they last met, which mainly was Lyra explaining a few crystal pony facts to Bon Bon.

Before they finished, a couple of earth ponies entered to shop. Crystal Note retreated to a quiet corner of the shop while the candy maker took care of her costumers. Of course, she wore her bandana again today, but she still preferred not getting too much attention if possible. She smiled when more ponies siphoned in for sweets, most likely since Hearths Warming Eve was closing in already. Bon Bon’s business turned lively rather quickly as she handed out candy canes, toffees and chocolates with a smile to each of her costumers.

Once the initial rush was settled, Bon Bon noticed many empty spots in her shelves already and retreated to the kitchen to prepare more. Crystal Note accepted the hasty apology from the cream coated mare with a smile and thought about offering help, but then remembered her few failed attempts in Granny Smith’s kitchen. If she failed at cooking soup, she doubted she’d be of any good at making candies.

So instead, she offered to look over the shop while Bon Bon was busy, which was easy enough for her. By the time Bon Bon returned with a new batch of candies, they heard the bell from the nearby school ring and the earth pony groaned
“Here they come.”
On cue, a horde of colts and fillies streamed into the shop, babbling and laughing excited that classes were finished for the day.
Bon Bon and Crystal Note had there hooves full to satisfy all their wishes for a sweet treat. Crystal Note saw that despite her groan earlier, Bon Bon smiled brightly at the foals when she gave them their poison of choice. She clearly enjoyed every smile and ‘Thank you’ she received in return, far more than the bits that landed in her cash register.

As quickly as they had appeared, the students vanished again and left two exhausted, but happy mares behind. Crystal Note collected the empty jars and boxes while Bon Bon restacked. The crystal unicorn in disguise noticed the glances Bon Bon threw at her, especially when she climbed up the ladder to get a box from the top shelf. Any unicorn like Lyra or Rarity would have used magic for that, but Crystal Note preferred using her hooves instead. Even though she certainly was confident enough in her levitation spells, at least.

Whatever thoughts ran through Bon Bon’s mind, she decided not to follow them and went back to small talk
“Thanks for your help, Crystal Note.”
“Don’t mention it. I wasn’t aware you had that much of business.”
“Usually, I don’t. They must have sensed I got help today.”
Bon Bon smirked and drew a face
“I wonder how the Cakes deal with all of this every day in the bakery.”
Crystal Note couldn’t help but giggle
“Pinkie Pie. That pony never runs out of energy it seems.”
“That is so unfair!”
They both chuckled and returned to work. Bon Bon’s ears perked up a little when Crystal Note started humming a little tune.

The rest of the day went on rather quietly. Bon Bon spent most of the time in the kitchen, joined by Crystal Note. She was worried that just sitting there would be too boring for her new friend, but the crystal pony seemed happy just to watch silently.

She had been watching Crystal Note throughout the day, of course. Many things she had seen last night left her curious, but she knew better than to ask all the questions like ‘Why do you hide your magic instead of using it?’ or ‘Why did you call yourself a monster?’
One question though kept nagging at Bon Bon’s mind.

When was waiting for a pot of chocolate mass to get the right temperature, she went for it with carefully measured words
“Hey, Crystal Note? Mind if I ask you something?”
The pony in question tilted her head and her smile wavered a little. Bon Bon was good at reading ponies, so she knew right away that Crystal Note had sensed the cautious undertone in her own voice
“Why are you here in Ponyville?”
The smile on her face fell apart and Crystal Note closed her eyes
“You saw last night. I can’t be in the Crystal Empire like this.”
Bon Bon frowned. She hadn’t even mentioned the Crystal Empire with a word, she’d just been curious why Ponyville instead of literally any other town. But since Crystal Note immediately jumped to the Crystal Empire, it had clearly been on the mare’s mind all along. That, together with how she had reacted made it very easy for Bon Bon to understand
“But that makes you sad. It’s still your home and you miss it.”

Crystal Note’s eyes flew open and she stared at Bon Bon in surprise. The earth pony got that reaction often, most ponies didn’t expect a pony who had dedicated her life to candy to deliver sharp conclusions like this.
Crystal Note overcame her initial surprise rather quickly and mumbled
“Maybe I do, but it doesn’t matter. Things have changed. I have changed.”
Bon Bon stirred the chocolate to see if it had the right consistency already and remarked casually
“You didn’t have a horn until recently, I guess. It’s clear in the way you talk and how upset you were last night. If you had been a crystal unicorn all your life, you’d either be better at hiding it or you’d be more collected about it by now.”
Crystal Note just stared with eyes as wide as saucers, unable to process how easily she'd been figured out by the earth pony she just met yesterday
"There really is no fooling you, is there?"
"The last pony who managed to do so was Lyra."
"Figures."
They giggled softly and Bon Bon started to spread the chocolate into moulds. From the corner of her eyes, she kept watching the crystal pony. She could almost see the gears running inside her head as Crystal Note mulled over if she should tell the story behind everything or not.

“Doesn’t matter.”
Crystal Note’s head jerked up suddenly as she was pulled out of her thoughts
“I’m sorry?”
“Doesn’t matter that you have a horn or where it came from. You’ve been nice to Lyra and me and everything else is just past, so it doesn’t matter.”
Bon Bon put down the empty pot and fixed Crystal Note with one of her serious looks
“Don’t get me wrong, if you want to talk, I’m all ears. And if you want to vent sometime, I’m here. But if you don’t want, I’ll stop talking now and we’ll never mention it again.”
With that, Bon Bon turned away and picked up the filled mould with her mouth, which prevented any further discussions effectively.

She turned back to the stove and prepared another batch of chocolate batter but added some chopped nuts this time. Crystal Note watched silently from the corner of the room she had chosen as her refuge.
After a couple of minutes, she walked to Bon Bon and took a closer look at things as her curiosity finally won out in the end. Bon Bon smiled and explained a few things about making chocolate and together, the filled the hazelnut chocolate into moulds when it was ready.

Bon Bon went right away to prepare a new mix of dark chocolate this time while Crystal Note helped by cleaning all the used pots. The crystal pony looked far more relaxed now she had something to do and Bon Bon decided it would be safe enough for chatting again
“So, what’s it like living with the Apple family? Pretty busy I guess, running a huge orchard.”
Crystal Note nodded and smiled
“It’s not that much work during winter. And they are all very nice, they’ve practically welcomed me into the family already. I feel good with them, but sometimes it’s a little strange.”
“Strange as in Lyra-strange or something else?”
Bon Bon smiled at the little giggle she was able to lure out of the crystal unicorn at that
“It’s hard to explain. I guess Applejack feels somewhat responsible for me, which is nice. But she can be a little overprotective. Also, this means her friends are looking out for me as well. They are all very nice, don’t get me wrong, and I really enjoy when we hang out, but whenever there’s just a small problem, they get all serious about it. I guess it comes with being the Elements of Harmony, they’re used to dealing with almost everything in half an hour.”

Bon Bon giggled softly
“I have to admit, from the outside they really seem a little strange at times, but they saved Ponyville and Equestria a good number of times now, so I guess that proves it works.”
She giggled a little more behind her hoof
“Even if it’s hilarious to watch Princess Twilight freak out.”
Crystal Note frowned with a little sigh and Bon Bon stopped right away
“I’m sorry. Sore spot?”
The crystal pony slightly shook her head, even if the frown stayed
“Princess Twilight goes too much out of her way. She’s determined to find a way to help me with my… condition. She keeps offering me magic lessons. I know she wants to do some research to find out more. She’s even gone so far to ask the other Princesses for help.”

Bon Bon recognized the tone in the crystal unicorn’s voice far too well
“Did you ever tell the princess you feel uncomfortable with that? Or any of them? ‘Cause all of that sounds to me like they’re only trying to help out a good friend. I bet they don’t even realize how you might feel about it.”

Crystal Note looked down and shook her head frantically
“I couldn’t. They’ve all been so nice to me. What if Applejack would kick me out? Or what if Princess Twilight just orders me to do those experiments? I don’t want to risk it.”
Her head shot up again when Bon Bon burst into giggles and added
“Or what if, Celestia forbid, you’d run out of excuses for yourself?”

The expression on Crystal Note’s face was priceless and Bon Bon went from giggling into full but kind-hearted laughter
“Crissy, that’s not how friendship works at all. Just look at Lyra and me, we keep throwing quips at each other and sometimes Lyra drives me crazy. That doesn’t mean we’re not best friends. I bet even they argue at times, that’s normal between friends.”
A blush from Crystal Note was more than enough to confirm Bon Bon’s guess and she went on
“In essence, your friends will either accept how you feel and stop, or they’re not really your friends. I think, right now, it’s more important you find out what you really want, Crystal Note.”
Crystal Note’s eyes stayed locked on Bon Bon, wordlessly pleading for the earth pony to go on
“Right now, you’re in denial I think. You hide away, you do things you don’t want because ponies expect them from you, but it doesn’t make you that happy. You like Ponyville, but you say your home is the Crystal Empire. You like spending time with your friends, but you’re afraid to tell them when you don’t enjoy yourself. You shouldn’t feel that way.”
Crystal Note nodded silently and Bon Bon, now satisfied with what she shared, returned to her preparations.

When Lyra arrived at home late in the afternoon, she found Bon Bon doing her thing in the shop and Crystal Note sitting in a quiet corner, staring at the floor. Before she could address the crystal pony, Bon Bon pulled her into the kitchen and brought her up to date.

Lyra’s initial frown turned somewhat softer when Bon Bon reached the end, but she still sighed
“I think that might be a little much all at once, don’t you?”
Bon Bon nodded and her ears flopped down a little
“I know, but it just happened. I was trying to do some chitchat but everything I said just hit her like a brick. I think she has a lot on her mind but barely anypony to talk about it.”
Lyra nodded in affirmation and saw what Bon Bon was getting to
“So, we keep her company and keep it easy, until she’s ready to talk about stuff.”
Bon Bon joined her nod and they smiled when they invited Crystal Note to stay for dinner again.

Unsurprisingly, the crystal mare tried to decline but this time had to cede against Bon Bon’s stubborn insistence
“You helped all day in the shop. Either it’s dinner or I have to pay you a wage for that.”
Crystal Note submitted to her fate with a shy smile and a mumbled ‘Thank you’, but Lyra just grinned and pulled her towards the stairs
“Awesome. That means we get to play some tunes while Bonnie is cooking. You brought your violin? No? No problem, you can use mine. This is going to be great.”

Lyra’s speed picked up as she nudged the crystal pony up the stairs and into her room and her rambling blocked out Bon Bon’s protests of Lyra dodging housework, again. However, once she heard the music coming out of the room, Bon Bon just smiled and finished closing the shop before she vanished into the kitchen.

A week later, Lyra watched and listened as Crystal Note made the bow travel over the strings of the violin in her hoof. True to their promise, the two musicians had met to play together a lot during the last few days, either in the park or at the room above the Sweet Shop, often joined by Bon Bon.

Today, Lyra had offered some sheet music to her new friend, mainly to test out what level Crystal Note was playing at. As soon as she got a feel for the tune however, she barely needed the sheets anymore and just finished each piece by heart.
“Like I said before, Crissy. With your talent, you could go pro easily.”
As expected, Crystal Note blushed at just the slightest hint of praise
"I just practice a lot, that's all."
Lyra shook her head and pointed at the sheets of music
"You never played these songs before, right? Those are from my last year at music academy, that's pretty advanced stuff and you just picked it up like that."
Crystal Note stared at the notes and shook her head
"I must have already known it, then."
Lyra grinned and chuckled
"Hey, I’m the first to say that Canterlot Music Academy is really old-fashioned, but I doubt they'd teach us songs that are a thousand years old so you could know them."

Crystal Note smiled faintly as Lyra giggled over her own joke, but the mint unicorn could see it didn't reach her eyes
"I guess not. And I didn't really have anyone to teach me anyways. I never had sheet music when I learned how to play.”
Lyra tilted her head and frowned
“Really? Bummer. Must have been hard to learn without any help.”
Crystal Note sighed and stared at the sheets in front of her
“We didn’t really have any musicians, back then. The king needed miners, smiths and soldiers for his armies, but no singers or violinists.”

Lyra watched the crystal pony carefully. She had been offered tiny fragments of Crystal Note’s past over the last week, narrowly avoiding the emotional turmoil she had to witness on the first day they met. Today however, she didn’t see any signs of Crystal Note losing her light again, so Lyra felt safe enough for another question
“Who taught you how to play, then?”
“My mother. She couldn’t really play that much, but she knew how to hold it at least, from her own mother. I quickly got a hang of it and she knew many songs, so she would sing them to me and then I would repeat them on violin. I started adding new things to the songs I knew and well,” she turned her head to look at her cutie mark, a trio of musical notes, “This one appeared soon after.”

Lyra smiled and glanced at her own mark with her namesake lyre on her flank
“Sounds familiar. I was always interested in music, but when I first picked up a lyre, it just clicked and bingo! Cutie mark.”
The both giggled and when Lyra held out her hoof, Crystal Note bumped with her own
“So you know how to sing as well? I couldn’t carry a tune if my life depended on it.”
Crystal Note chuckled and nodded
“I learned as many songs as I could from everypony.”
At Lyra’s inquisitive stare, the crystal mare blushed and looked away shyly, so Lyra decided not to push it and instead changed topic
“So, what’s your mother doing these days?”

As soon as she said it, Lyra immediately wanted to kick herself. Crystal Note clenched her eyes shut and suddenly, all colour seemed to be sucked out of her as her coat changed into a dirty grey hue
“She, she passed away when I was nine.”
Now Lyra only wanted to kick herself even harder and she stumbled through an apology
“Crissy, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to…”
Crystal Note shook her head and took a deep breath
“It’s not your fault. There’s no way you could have known.”

Lyra bit her lip so she wouldn’t blurt out what she thought. She couldn’t have known, but she should have guessed it. She had read about the Crystal Empire and the war. She had felt sick by just reading about everything that had happened, but she only now realized that Crystal Note had to see most of it with her own eyes, when she was still a filly. Add that to the fact she already had one emotional breakdown when her parents were only mentioned and Lyra couldn’t help but feel like an idiot.

She carefully placed her hoof on Crystal Note’s shoulder and the mare turned her head. Their eyes met and the crystal pony managed a little smile when she took in the other’s concerned expression.
Lyra understood right away. Crystal Note appreciated the gesture, but she didn’t want to talk about it. Lyra nodded and put her hoof back on the floor. They sat together silently for a while, Crystal Note looking at the wall with a thousand-mile-stare into nothingness.

Lyra then suddenly smiled again and gently nudged her friend
“I’ve got an idea!”
Crystal Note snapped out of her daze and focused back on the excited unicorn
“Maybe you’re not that confident dealing with an audience on your own, but you managed pretty well when we played together. So we should work with that!”
She jumped back on her hooves and with a glow of her horn she picked up the music sheets and browsed through them, looking for something
“I have a friend, she’s a professional. She plays concert but with others in groups and orchestras. Maybe that's more like your style.”
Crystal Note blinked surprised at the sudden change of pace in her friend, but Lyra could see she was at least intrigued by the idea
“How about we go visit her tomorrow? You can show her what you can do and maybe she’ll even have a gig for you.”

Crystal Note blushed and looked at the sheets Lyra offered to her in the golden magic glow. They seemed to be very advanced, so she whispered
“Maybe, we can just meet for now?”
Lyra got a hold at her enthusiasm and nodded with a sheepish grin. There was no need to rush, after all.
“Sure. Lunch tomorrow sounds good?”
“Um, sure.”
“Great! I’ll let her know and we’ll figure out where to go. Just be here around noon, okay?”
“Okay…”

Lyra kept grinning and let the topic drop for now. Even though the crystal mare didn’t share her inital excitement, she could see in her eyes that she was looking forward to this. Before Crystal Note could lose herself in the ‘What if?’-game again, something both she and Bon Bon had seen her do a lot during the last week, Lyre picked up her lyre and started an easy-going tune.
Crystal Note shared her genuine smile and waited for a cue to join in on her own instrument. Together they played away the rest of the afternoon and any lingering doubts.

Chapter 3

View Online

The next day, Bon Bon welcomed a very nervous crystal pony into her shop. Crystal Note had her violin with her and fumbled nervously with her bandana that covered most of her mane as well as her horn. Sometimes, when the shop was closed and only Lyra and Bon Bon were around, she would take the bandana off, but at even the slightest risk of being seen, she refused to part with it.

Bon Bon gave her friend an encouraging smile
“You’re a little early, Lyra isn’t back yet. She finally managed to get up at a decent time for once.”
Her friend smiled softly, a victory in Bon Bon’s book since Crystal Note also stopped her fumbling
“You really don’t need to worry. All of Lyra’s friends are nice, they have to be to get along with Lyra after all.”
They shared a giggle at the good-natured banter and Crystal Note took her usual spot in the quiet corner of the shop while Bon Bon went on with taking care of things.

At first, it had felt strange to have the mare just sitting there by herself and Bon Bon had tried to make conversations but only got one-worded responses. By now, she knew that the crystal pony enjoyed her company in silence just as much. They’d both do their thing and when something meaningful came to their mind, they shared that thought with the other. If that started an actual talk, that was fine, if not, they at least knew the other was listening.
Sometimes, Crystal Note would comment on something Bon Bon had said hours before and Bon Bon could appreciate the effort the crystal mare put into finding the right words.

Lyra on the other hand took Crystal Note’s silence as a free pass to ramble on everything and anything that came to her mind. Crystal Note didn’t contest Lyra’s ideas, like Bon Bon usually would, and so forced Lyra to actually think about what she said. Sometimes, that was just enough to throw the energetic unicorn off her loop and whenever it happened, Crystal Note would just smile silently.
The only times Crystal Note would open on her own were when music was involved.

Bon Bon quickly noticed however, that there was a distinct difference between just silently enjoying her company and the silence Crystal Note locked herself in when she was worried. Lyra had started calling it the 'What if'-game after the crystal unicorn had once admitted that she sometimes couldn't stop thinking of everything that could go wrong. Just like her crystal pony magic, her thoughts had the tendency to spiral out of control.

It didn't take much to see that's exactly what Crystal Note was doing right now, so Bon Bon walked over to her friend. Crystal Note was so lost in her thoughts, she only noticed Bon Bon when she felt a poke on her muzzle
"Ow!"
She flinched away, the poke had startled her way more than it hurt, and her eyes focused on the earth pony in front of her and the outstretched hoof
"Stop it."
Crystal Note blinked and looked between the hoof and Bon Bon's eyes
"Stop what?"
“Imagining everything that could go wrong.”
At that the crystal pony blushed and looked away
"But, I didn't..."
Bon Bon didn't give her any chance to make up another excuse this time
"Look, I'm not blind, neither is Lyra. We know what's happening when you stare at nothing like that. Lyra calls it the 'What if'-game. Take it from me, it's a game you'll never win. I'm not going to force you share what's on your mind, but I won't watch you loose to your own fear over and over, okay?"

Crystal Note didn't dare looking up when she heard the hard sternness in Bon Bon's voice. The earth pony waited for a moment, then she just sighed and shook her head
"So, you wanna play the hard game, huh? Fine with me, Crissy. Let's see if you can handle the rules."
When Crystal Note finally looked up, she saw Bon Bon in a firm stance, fixing her with a frown. She could also see that the driving force behind the firmness and the frown though was concern for her friend most of all
"Rule number one: Whenever I see you worrying about something that's not worth it, I’ll poke you again."
Crystal Note blushed and crouched down under Bon Bon's frown, but another voice chimed right in
"Rule number two."
Lyra stood in the doorway. Clearly she'd seen what happened because she stepped next to Bon Bon and matched the earth pony's pose and voice perfectly
"Whenever you apologize for something that's not your fault, you get a poke."

Both friends stood unwavering when Crystal Note finally glanced up, pleading with her gem-shaped eyes. When she realized there was no way they would change their minds, she whispered shyly
"Rule number three… when I’m really uncomfortable talking about something, I may say so?”
Lyra’s and Bon Bon’s eyes met in a sideway glance and after a few moments of non-verbal communication, they focused back on the crystal mare, far less stern
“Alright.”
“Sounds fair.”

Crystal Note sighed in relief and smiled a little when she saw Lyra grin
“But don’t expect us to go easy on you!”
The unicorn gently poked Bon Bon, who was struggling to keep her stern gaze
“This one is a sour loser.”
“I am what?”
With that, Bon Bon turned away from Crystal Note to fix Lyra with a glare now
“At least I’m not the one who cheats each time we meet with Lily and Daisy for playing cards.”
"Hah! You have no proof for that!”
Both friends stared at each other for a moment longer, but Crystal Note couldn’t take any more. The crystal pony just burst into laughter.

Bon Bon and Lyra watched Crystal Note laugh so hard she nearly fell over and Lyra grinned when she saw the usual sparkle return to the silvery-white coat
“Ready for lunch?”
Crystal Note needed a few more minutes to compose herself, but when she did she smiled along with her friends. They said their goodbyes to Bon Bon and headed into town.

Lunch with Lyra’s friend was a great success. They had met in one of Ponyville’s many outdoor cafés and even before they had a chance to order lunch, Lyra had been praising Crystal Note’s talent up to the clouds. The crystal mare was clearly flustered by all this but couldn’t stop Lyra’s rambling. The third pony equally divided her attention between Lyra’s words and Crystal Note’s blushed face while she wondered how long it might take for the crystal pony to hide under the table or just run away.

Octavia Melody was no stranger to eccentric musicians. Sometimes she had the impression that incredible talents were bound to make ponies socially awkward. Crystal Note’s quiet attitude changed a little when the food finally arrived.
As usual, Lyra almost swallowed her meal as a whole so she could go back to talking. Crystal Note, true to her shy demeanour, filled the gaps in her silence with dainty nibbles on her sandwich. Octavia on the other hand dissected her salad with precise and well-measured motions, always prim and proper as a mare of her standing was expected to be.

They both waited for Lyra to run out of words before they started talking. Crystal Note was probably lacking a proper backbone while Octavia simple was too polite to interrupt her friend.
The earth pony fixed Crystal Note with a taxing stare under which the crystal pony cowered down in her seat
“Well then, Miss Crystal Note. Lyra told me you are indeed interested in joining an orchestra as a violinist.”
Crystal Note blushed and finally stuttered out a few words
“Um, interested yes, but I don’t know if I’m good enough to join.”
Octavia raised a brow and indicated a smirk
“Is that so? Lyra here seems to believe you are talented enough.”
“Talented… well, maybe. But being a professional is more than just talent. It’s a lot of hard work you put into your music for years, right?”

The smirk grew and Octavia nodded, visibly pleased and the distinct accent she used lost a lot of its sharpness
“Indeed so, Love. I have many hours of my day dedicated to practice and rehearsals. On top of that, there’s the challenge to perform with others as well if you are aiming towards a spot in an orchestra. Canterlot’s music scene holds up a very high standard.”

Lyra rolled her eyes and grinned
“High standard of getting boring really fast if you ask me. Anyways, we already played together, Crissy here could easily keep up. We synced up in no time at all.”
Octavia once again fixed Crystal Note with an inquisitive stare
“I’ll take your word for it, Lyra. Crystal Note, I think the easiest way to find out what you are truly capable of is a short demonstration. Would you mind?”
Crystal Note immediately blushed again and looked around
“Right here and now?”
“Why not, Darling? I’m sure nopony would mind some entertainment to go with their lunches.”
Turquoise eyes darted to Lyra in search for help, but all Crystal Note got was a grin and a nod to encourage her.

Octavia could almost see the nervous jitters that filled up the crystal pony by now. Perhaps this was a tad harsh, but it would show her if the mare could deal with some pressure. She watched closely as Crystal Note closed her eyes for a deep, cleansing breath. When she looked back at Octavia, her initial worry quickly faded.
With calm and well-practiced motions, Crystal Note opened her instrument case and revealed an antique violin in surprisingly good shape. As the mare got ready to play, Lyra and Octavia exchanged a quick glance. Both of them had noticed several of the other patrons already watched expectantly, even if Crystal Note seemed oblivious to it.

Like always, her eyes closed down before she had the bow travel softly across the strings of her instrument.

Lyra seemed to recognize the song and smirked. Octavia focused and listened as the violinist picked up the tempo of her bow and weaved notes into a flowing melody. While it was not the most complex of songs, the way Crystal Note played clearly contributed heavily to the wonderful music that quickly captivated her small audience in the café as well as some of the ponies passing by.

Blissfully oblivious, Crystal Note kept playing the melody with a serene smile on her face, her body swaying gently in tune. Octavia could easily pick up that Crystal Note was adding flourishes and alterations to the simple melody so even when she repeated passages of the song, they sounded new even if familiar. As she played on, a happy cheerfulness grew more and more prominent in the music and was sent out to everypony with each new note of the melody.

For anypony who still could not tell that Crystal Note greatly enjoyed playing her song, the mare also started to glitter and shine in the sunlight. Octavia had heard of this phenomenon but involuntarily gasped when she saw the magic of the crystal ponies with her own eyes for the very first time.

Crystal Note kept playing for a few minutes. When she ended her song, her eyes snapped open from the sudden applause she received. Just as Octavia had expected, the ponies appreciated the short performance very much. Both fellow musicians couldn’t hold back a giggle as Crystal Note’s face turned beet red from a blush, but the crystal mare threw a timid smile to everypony.

Once the applause had faded and ponies were focusing on their meals again, Octavia addressed the violinist
“Marvellous, Love. I can say that Lyra, for once, did not exaggerate. You play your violin as well as any professional from Canterlot, at least. Even if your song doesn’t fully match the classical Canterlot repertoire. Is this perhaps one of your own creations?”
Crystal Note’s blush refused to fade even as she smiled
“No, not entirely. It’s an old piece from the Crystal Empire. I just tweaked it a little here and there.”
Octavia smiled and inclined her head to a nod
“This song is special to you, is it not?”
“Very special. It’s the first song I learned to play. And it’s the song I played when I got my cutie mark.”
“Ah.”

Octavia nodded again, now it all made sense to her. Crystal Note had not simply chosen a song she knew by heart, but a song she had put in her heart. Instead of going for something complicated to show off, she chose this simple but beautiful song to express herself. It really showed Octavia more of the mare’s personality than all the talking before had.

She noticed the pair of exotic, gem-shaped eyes focused on her, in a face that looked somewhat hopeful but also a tad nervous. Octavia had seen this kind of expression many times before and admittedly, she had worn it herself as well, with each new audition she faced. However, this was the first time that expression was directed towards her as Crystal Note silent asked for her judgment.

Octavia kept her face in a neutral smile as she fixed the crystal pony with the same taxing stare. Crystal Note grew more nervous when the proper mare didn’t say anything for a few moments
“Crystal Note, it would be my pleasure to ask around in your name. Perhaps, in time, we’ll find a spot for you in a Canterlot orchestra.”
Through Lyra’s snickering, Octavia watched the crystal pony brighten up, just like her smile
“You really mean it?”
“Absolutely, Love. However, I have one favour to ask.”
The crystal pony stared at her expectantly and Octavia matched her bright smile
“Next time Lyra and you come together to play, tell me ahead of time. I’d love to join in.”
“Done! Let’s see if you can keep up with us!”
Lyra exclaimed excited and all three of them shared a happy giggle.

Chapter 4

View Online

The weeks passed and when winter was wrapped up into spring again, Octavia, Lyra and Crystal Note met at least once a week to play together. For Octavia, these meetings made for a nice change of pace from her usual rehearsals and strict performance schedule, as well as a chance to experiment with songs that would never run in a traditional Canterlot orchestra. For Crystal Note, each of those meetings was a chance to challenge herself, not only as a violinist, but as a performer as well. As the weather got better, Octavia and Lyra set their sessions more often to public places like the park of Ponyville.

As Lyra had predicted, Crystal Note had less trouble facing an audience in a group. Over the weeks, she even developed some stage awareness as well. She would notice ponies around her while she was playing and smiled whenever she received a donation from her audience. This newfound confidence helped her outside of her music as well.

Following Bon Bon’s suggestion, she had finally talked with Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends. The Princess had been a little disappointed when Crystal Note told her she wasn’t interested in exploring her magic any further than the basics, but she seemed more frustrated that Crystal Note had needed weeks of gathering courage to speak up on it. They reassured her that they weren’t angry or mad at her, just because she had different interests then them didn’t mean they couldn’t stay friends.

The most changes and longest talks Crystal Note had with Applejack. While the Apple family reassured her that she was always welcome at Sweet Apple Acres and that the room she used would always be hers, they all had to acknowledge the fact that Crystal Note simply wasn’t a farm pony. When spring was in full bloom, Crystal Note still helped with the work at the farm occasionally, but most of the time she’d spend working on her music. Whenever she was at Sweet Apple Acres, there was a tune filling the air and her newly adopted family encouraged her to follow this passion.

However, Crystal Note spent much of her time with Lyra and Bon Bon, their guest room soon became hers to use permanently. At some times, Crystal Note couldn’t believe how lucky she was to have so many wonderful ponies as her friends.
All that honest acceptance and encouragement did wonders to her on more than one level. The first thing she noticed was that her nightmares grew less and less. She slept peacefully through the nights and faced her days with newfound energy. She also became less shy around ponies. While she never would be as bold as Lyra or even Rainbow Dash, she certainly didn’t turn into nervous jitters anymore when she had to talk to somepony new.

Another thing that changed was her finding more and more occasions to share her music with others. On Rarity’s suggestion, she had started playing in the local spa to entertain the costumers, something Aloe and Lotus, the two earth ponies running the spa, greatly appreciated. What came after where requests from other ponies who approached her. A little gig at a birthday here, a small performance for a gathering there, or simply a request when ponies found her playing in town. Just a few little things Crystal Note could do to make ponies smile and which she greatly cherished. As a nice side effect, she also managed to earn some bits, at least enough to contribute to the Apple family and Bon Bon for giving her a room in their homes.

The only thing that didn’t change was that she still kept her horn a secret. She kept wearing her bandana whenever she was in town and only told a few selected ponies about it, once she was sure they’d understand. Octavia Melody was one of those ponies.

On a sunny day that felt more like summer than spring, Lyra and Crystal Note walked home after a session in the park. They were in good mood and chuckled at Lyra’s jokes when Octavia ran towards them with a beaming smile on her face
“I have great news!”
Crystal Note tilted her head curiously and Lyra grinned widely
“Well, don’t keep us on the edge. Spill it!”
Octavia easily matched Lyra’s grin this time
“We are playing at the Grand Galloping Gala!”
“What?”

Octavia grinned satisfied but Lyra and Crystal Note just looked confused at each other
“Um, Tavi, not to spoil it for you, but isn’t the Gala like the biggest event of the year? They probably have ponies lined for years for a chance to perform there. And we’re not even professionals.”
Octavia’s grin wouldn’t fade the least
“All true, but here’s the thing: We won’t be playing in the ball room during the dance or anything. You know that everypony always has to stand in line for hours to be greeted by the princesses, right?”
“Yeah, so?”
“So, somepony decided that the waiting would be less taxing if the ponies had a little bit of entertainment. That is where we come in.”
She turned to Crystal Note who had remained silent so far
“We will be there before the actual Gala starts and play in the entrance hall. Granted, it is nothing too exciting, merely a bit of atmosphere, but nevertheless, we will be at the Grand Galloping Gala.”

Octavia watched pleased as Crystal Note’s smile grew wider and her coat started to glitter a bit more in the sunlight. She knew her friend was almost as excited as herself. Only Lyra didn’t seem convinced yet
“I don’t know, Tavi. You know how I feel about those long, drawn out performances for stuck-up noble ponies in Canterlot.”
“That’s the beautiful thing about it, Love. They will barely even notice us most likely, since that kind of ponies only have eyes for Princess Celestia anyways. We can play some of our own songs if we like. And once everypony is inside, we are allowed to have some fun at the actual festivities as well. Doesn’t that sound great?”
“Yeah. Great.”
Lyra couldn’t get excited as it seemed, even as Crystal Note looked at her with wide open eyes
“You don’t want to play at the Gala?”
“Not really. No offence Tavi, but all those ponies are just there to catch a glimpse at the princesses from close up and to gossip. They don’t care for the music at all, they only care for themselves.”

Octavia bit her lip, she knew Lyra was partially right of course. Crystal Note let out a small sigh
“I didn’t know you felt like that. It’s a shame. Rarity told me about the Gala before… I wondered what it would be like. But I guess we won’t be performing if you don’t want to.”
Lyra’s ears flopped down when she heard the disappointment in Crystal Note’s voice. Her friend had become much more confident over the weeks and it would be a huge step in the right direction if she played for a crowd this big. Plus, she really sounded like she wanted to play

With a sigh of her own, she turned back to Octavia
“One condition.”
The earth pony smiled and held up a golden ticket
“Here’s an extra ticket for Bon Bon.”
“I hate it that you know me so well.”
Lyra deadpanned and glared with no force at Octavia, while Crystal Note just smiled
“Does that mean you’re coming?”
“Yes Crissy. But only because I want to see you and Bon Bon have a blast.”

“Oh, simply wonderful, Darling!”
All three ponies turned towards the new voice that chimed in and found Rarity standing close enough to listen in. Ignoring the fact she’d been caught eavesdropping, the white unicorn squealed excited
“We’ve got just enough time to get your dresses done for the Gala, so I need to you grab Bon Bon and head over to Carousel Boutique right away!”
“Um, Rarity, I don’t think we need…”
“Not another word, Darling! This is the Grand Galloping Gala we’re talking about! You can just go there au naturel!”
“Huh?”
Crystal Note giggled and leaned in to whisper
“She means everypony will be dressed up for it.”
“Oh. Then we didn’t she say so?”
Both Octavia and Rarity rolled their eyes in near perfect unison
“I swear, there are times I believe you are Rainbow Dash in disguise.”
“Hey! I don’t brag nearly as much as she does.”
That finally broke the tension and everypony chuckled a little

“Very well, I’ll expect all four of you at the boutique, say in an hour?”
Lyra sighed defeated and nodded
“Fine, we’ll be there. But nothing too fancy.”
“I’m sure we will find something that matches your likings, Lyra Heartstrings.”

A couple of hours later, Lyra groaned annoyed from her spot on the podium, covered in silk and fabric
“How long do we have to stay like that?”
“Lyra Heartstrings! Miss Rarity here sacrificed her free night to make us all dresses last minute for the Gala. If you can’t be grateful, at least stop complaining like a foal!”
“I am grateful! I just don’t like fancy dress-ups.”

Octavia and Crystal Note chuckled on the podiums next to her as Rarity put some needles in the fabric to set its length to the perfect level. The fashion designer had chosen a style that would fit each mare but was similar enough to mark them as a group, only the colours were slightly different to match each mare’s coat and mane.
Bon Bon’s dress was already done and only needed some finishing touches, she would be wearing more of an actual gown in colours that matched Lyra’s, much to their satisfaction.

Lyra looked over herself and sighed again
“I think I’d look better in a tux than in a dress.”
Rarity froze for a moment and turned at Lyra with a taxing glance
“Hm. I’m inclined to agree, Darling. However, since this will be a group performance, I think you’ll do better with matching outfits for your little ensemble.”

Crystal Note tilted her head
“Ensemble?”
“Of course, Darling. Isn’t that what you are?”
Lyra, Octavia and Crystal Note exchanged a glance and slowly, all three started to smile
“I like it.”
“It does have a nice ring to it, I agree.”
“Ensemble.”
Crystal Note rolled the word and chuckled in her melodious way
“Ponyville Music Ensemble. That sounds great.”

The three musicians smiled and Bon Bon was quick to join in
“If the Gala works out, you could do more performances together.”
“Whoa whoa whoa, easy Bonnie. I’m not too thrilled to go professional all of a sudden.”
“Nopony said you have to.”

Octavia rolled her eyes with a friendly chuckle as the couple went on and focused on Crystal Note instead. The crystal mare looked at herself in the mirror with a serene smile on her face, turning her body left and right a little to see all the tiny details Rarity had managed to add despite the short time. With the gentle sparkling that still coloured her silvery-white coat, it was not hard to see her on a big Canterlot stage.

Rarity walked another circle around the mare with that critical look on her face before she sighed with a frown
“I guess it can’t be helped. Such a shame.”
Octavia couldn’t quite understand Rarity’s sudden frustration or why Crystal Note started blushing at her words
“What seems to be the problem, Miss Rarity?”
“Oh, nothing important. It’s just a shame, her mane would complement the dress perfectly with a few touches here and there. But, I guess we need to be looking into a matching hat now.”

Octavia looked at the mirror in front of Crystal Note and sighed along with Rarity. She had seen Crystal Note without her bandana enough to be used to the sight of her horn, but of course the crystal unicorn was still very conscious about that. She had heard some half-mumbled explanations about it and Crystal Note once confessed that she was, in fact, the only crystal unicorn in the whole Crystal Empire. But, instead of embracing her uniqueness like Lyra would, Crystal Note acted like she was ashamed of being different.

"Couldn't you hide her horn if you styled her mane differently?"
Rarity nodded, still with that same critical look
"I'm pretty sure I might. If I had a chance to try, that is.”
Crystal Note’s ears dropped down, along with her head
“What if there’s a gust of wind or something and my mane gets dishevelled? Somepony could see my horn and freak out.”
“Would they really?”
Bon Bon had been listening for a while and now entered the conversation
“Crystal Note, I think you’re afraid over nothing. So what if you have a horn? I’m pretty sure many ponies wouldn’t even notice it.”
Lyra nodded along
“Besides, who actually knows what that horn of yours really means? Think about it, a few months ago nopony even remembered the Crystal Empire at all. Nopony would suspect anything is wrong with you being a crystal unicorn.”

Crystal Note shivered and shook her head as her coat lost most of its shine
“You knew something was wrong right away, Lyra.”
“Yeah, but that’s me. How many other mares do you know who study mythical creatures like I do?”
“Um, Princess Twilight?”
“Darling, that’s not a valid point. Twilight simply studies everything she can get her hooves on. Besides, she already knows about your little secret, so there would be nothing to be afraid of.”
“Yeah, and those noble ponies in Canterlot probably are too busy fawning over the Princesses to notice much else. Crissy, I’m sure you’d be just fine.”

Octavia had remained silent as the three friends tried to convince Crystal Note to let go of her baseless fears. Their success seemed very limited however. Octavia had only recently learned about Crystal Note’s true nature, but she had not felt appalled at all by it, she was merely surprised. That, so she suspected, was going to be the reaction of most ponies if they found out about Crystal Note’s horn. They’d be surprised for a moment, then simply shrug it off. But how could she get that point through to Crystal Note?

Her eyes fell on Rarity’s large wall calendar in which she kept track of her appointments. One day had a circle around it and it was marked as ‘Spa day’. Octavia smiled as an idea quickly grew into a plan and she addressed the hesitant mare
“Crystal Note, you’re going to play at the spa again tomorrow, right Love?”
“Um, yes. Why do you ask?”
“How about you give this matter a try in a controlled environment? A test run, so to speak.”

All four mares looked at Octavia now, Lyra grinning widely as usual and Bon Bon with an approving nod. Crystal Note only stared confused and muttered
“A test run for what?”
“On how ponies will react, of course. Tomorrow, when you play at the spa, simply take off your bandana. There won’t be many ponies who would see you and you could see their reactions.”
“That’s a fabulous idea! Fluttershy and I will be at the spa tomorrow as well, so even if things would go south, which they won’t, you would have the two of us as emotional backup.”
“We can be there too if you want. It’s been ages since I could convince Lyra for a spa day, so she owes me anyways.”
“Hey!”

Octavia ignored Lyra’s antics and kept her eyes on Crystal Note. The poor dear seemed almost overwhelmed by so much encouragement from all sides. A few weeks ago, Octavia was sure that Crystal Note had run off by now and claimed she wouldn’t deserve this kind of support. But today, she looked like she might almost give in

“Take heart, Love. We will all go together and nothing bad will happen, you’ll see.”
Crystal Note took a deep breath and finally nodded shyly
“You promise you’ll all be there?”
“Of course!”

Crystal Note couldn't help but smile as all her friends called out simultaneously. Immediately, her coat and mane shimmered once again and even if she said nothing, Octavia and the others knew very well how much it meant to her.

Rarity, sensible to her friends' feelings as ever, knew that Crystal Note didn't enjoy being at the centre of attention too long. So, she turned to Octavia and started fussing about her evening gown, pulling Lyra and Bon Bon into a lively discussion on colour and style. Crystal Note climbed down from her pedastal and carefully took of her finished dress while the others were busy, so she didn't noticed them throwing glances at her direction. Of course they noticed how Crystal Note's smile quickly faded away and turned into a worried expression. The four friends shared a glance and nodded to each other in a silent promise. Tomorrow, they would make sure Crystal Note went through with her plan and be at her side, no matter what would happen.

Chapter 5

View Online

The next day came quickly, almost a little too fast for Crystal Note. In the morning, she helped Granny Smith in the farmhouse so the elderly matron wouldn’t have to overwork herself. Granny Smith kept her mind busy with stories from the last Apple family reunion, so the time just flew by. Before she even noticed, it was noon and time for her to leave for the spa.

Usually, she liked playing in the spa very much. Aloe and Lotus Blossom were wonderful ponies and appreciated her music a lot. Immediately after she had first played in their spa, they had asked if she could come again. Soon, every Wednesday she would visit the spa and play her violin for the costumers. The ponies enjoyed it, Crystal Note enjoyed it and Aloe and Lotus got something no other spa in Equestria could offer. They paid her graciously and even offered her free treatments after her work was over. Crystal Note always declined of course, since there was always the risk that she had to take off her bandana.
Their kindness didn’t stop just with that, though. When Lotus Blossom heard from Rarity that she was saving bits for a trip to visit a friend in Vanhoover, Aloe had asked Crystal Note the very next day if she could play more than once a week.

Crystal Note took the route through the park as usual and smiled friendly to every pony who greeted her on the way. The ponies of Ponyville were used to having a crystal pony around by now, so her trip through town seemed completely normal. Only a few noticed that Crystal Note seemed a little tense today, and even fewer saw that her coat didn’t seem quite as sparkly today.

In front of the spa, Octavia was already waiting for her. She wasn’t a regular like Rarity and Fluttershy and so she didn’t feel like just walking in all by herself. Just moments after Octavia and Crystal Note had greeted each other, Lyra and Bon Bon arrived as well, the former looking a little grumpy
“I can’t believe you talked me into this, Bon Bon.”
“Oh, be quiet. You know as much as I do that you like going to the spa.”
“I’ll never admit that in public.”
“… You just did.”
They all chuckled as Lyra facehoofed in overly dramatic fashion. Before she started acting like she was dying from embarrassment, Bon Bon caught her ear with her teeth and dragged her inside, mumbling something about ‘oversized foals’. Lyra just winked to Crystal Note as they passed by.

Crystal Note couldn’t stop giggling for a while and when she looked back at Octavia, most of the tension she had felt was gone. She could always count on Lyra to find a way to cheer her up. Octavia looked pleased as well, especially when she saw two more ponies approach from a different direction.
“Darling, I’m so glad you could make it.”

Rarity pulled Octavia into a hug and the grey earth pony replied in the same fashion
“Why, of course Love. A lady never backs out on a promise. How could I not come today?”
Crystal Note hid a giggle as both of them kept going. This gave Fluttershy a chance to slip next to Crystal Note and whisper
“Don’t worry, Rarity and I came up with a plan in case you need to get out suddenly.”
Fluttershy cleared her throat and pointed at something in the distance with her hoof
“Oh no, look everypony! A swarm of parasprites, and it’s coming right at us! Whatever shall we do?”
Fluttershy raised her hoof to her forehead in a classic ‘damsel-in-distress’-pose, trying to get her face form a terrified expression. All while her voice was so even and flat that there was absolutely no way anypony couldn’t tell how fake it was.
Crystal Note just burst into giggles and had to sit down so she could hold her sides.

Fluttershy completely missed her friend’s reaction and instead turned to Rarity, now with a voice full of distress
“Oh Rarity, I don’t think I can do this! What if there’s somepony who’s really scared of parasprites and gets a panic attack? Or worse, what if there is a swarm of parasprites for real and ponies start chasing them away? Oh, I could never forgive myself if any of the poor little sweeties got hurt!”
Crystal Note couldn’t stop giggling and it didn’t help that Octavia joined in as well.

Rarity seemed to get the severity of the whole situation and rush to Fluttershy’s side
“Fluttershy, Darling, listen! There are no parasprites and there won’t be. It’s only a backup strategy in case something goes wrong! Which will absolutely not happen, Darling!”
“Oh, I don’t know Rarity…”
“Darling, trust me, nothing bad will happen!”

Even though Rarity was talking to Fluttershy, she looked at Crystal Note instead. Octavia put her hoof on her shoulder
“Shall we go in, then?”
Crystal Note took a deep breath and nodded to her three friends
“Let’s go.”

Once inside, Crystal Note found herself on her own far quicker than she expected. Aloe and Lotus only had time for a quick hug before they fussed around Rarity who was one of their best clients. When Rarity announced she needed ‘the usual’ for all five of her friends, Lotus Blossom immediately prepared a session in the steam room for them while Aloe rushed off to get more helpers.

Crystal Note was used to this, the two earth ponies who ran the spa very rarely had free time during work. She walked through the large main area to her usual spot, next to the massage tables and near the baths. As always, she checked once more that her bandana was in place and wouldn’t fall off when she played, then she took out her violin from its case.
This violin was the only thing she brought with her from the Crystal Empire and had been given to her by her mother when she was only a small filly. With utmost care, she tuned her trusted instrument and softly stroked the bow over the strings, satisfied with the gentle sound.
Finally, she closed her eyes and started to play.

She started with her favourite songs and a few she had put together with the help from Lyra and Octavia. Before long though, she was simply weaving notes and tones together to create a gentle and slow melody, picking up the overall atmosphere of calmness and relaxation that always filled the spa and turning it into song. The ponies around her listened more or less attentively, but that didn’t matter to Crystal Note. This wasn’t like her performances in the park or in town, where she tried to entertain a crowd. Today, she only contributed her part to help the ponies relax and having a good time, just like every other pony who worked in the spa. In many ways, Crystal Note enjoyed playing like this a lot more, as it meant she wouldn’t be in the centre of attention but could still make ponies smile with her music.
Playing like this felt so natural to her that she even started singing along under her breath from time to time, something she wouldn’t do in the park in front of ponies or even with Lyra and Octavia.

After she had been playing a while, her ears perked up and she noticed a few familiar voices nearby. While she kept playing her violin, she opened her eyes and smiled to her friends. They were large enough of a group that they had one of the big baths for them. Rarity and Bon Bon were discussing the qualities of different bath supplements for their coat while Lyra tried her best to look like she didn’t enjoy herself, and failed.
Octavia and Fluttershy smiled back to her, though Crystal Note could almost feel the gentle nudge Octavia sent along with her smile. Of course she knew that Octavia only meant well, but Crystal Note could feel all the nervousness from before return, so much that she almost had to put down her violin as her hooves began to shiver.

Fluttershy seemed to pick up the little signs, since her eyes immediately found hers. Crystal Note saw how the gentle smile only grew wider and the kind pegasus nodded to encourage her.
Crystal Note took a deep, slow breath like she learned from Princess Luna. Then she abruptly stopped playing and put down her violin.

A few ponies noticed and looked up when the music suddenly stopped, but most barely even noticed. Those who did look up saw that Crystal Note reached up with her hooves and tucked at the bandana she always wore. The accessory slipped down and revealed a mass of yellow mane with curly ends. Crystal Note still had her eyes closed and shook her head a little so her mane would untangle and flow down to her shoulders. She held her breath when she realized that her horn would be clearly visible now.
She held still for a couple of moments, then another few. Nopony was screaming, that was a good sign. She didn’t hear the mumbles and whispers she expected either. After a minute of waiting, she carefully opened her eyes and looked around.
Only to see, nothing.

Nopony seemed to care much about her. She glanced around and some of the regulars waved or smiled in her direction. No hooves pointed at her, no frowns or glares. Only a few surprised expressions that vanished quickly.
Her head darted around to look at her friends. Rarity and Fluttershy smiled brightly, Octavia with a knowing nod. Lyra gave her a hoof up and Bon Bon’s smirk said it all. Told you so.

Still somewhat dazed, Crystal Note reached for her violin once more and picked up the last tune she had played. Her eyes kept darting around, but even though more ponies looked her way again, still no signs of distress.
Until she saw Aloe.

The earth pony stared at her with an expression of terror and covered her mouth with a hoof. Their eyes met and Crystal Note lowered her head in shame. She tried to keep her breathing even, tried to keep her emotions in check so she wouldn’t completely break apart in the middle of the spa.
Maybe she could sneak out before…
“Oh no, look what you’ve done!”
Crystal Note flinched and backed away as Aloe rushed towards her. She kept her eyes clenched shut and whispered some words of apology. She could almost feel the stares of the other ponies now and just waited for somepony to strike her down.
She never expected what happened next.

As soon as Aloe reached her, Crystal Note felt hooves brushing through her mane. She dared a glance and saw Aloe standing next to her in near panic as she worked through the mess of hair
“Oh, just look at this! A mane with that much volume and natural spring and stuffed under a scarf! No, that I can’t let go. Come!”
Crystal Note squeaked in surprise as the earth pony gripped her hoof and dragged her away from the baths and towards the beauty section of the spa.
She turned around to her friends and reached out for help. Bon Bon had jumped out of the bath as soon as she heard the loud call, but now she was giggling along with the others. Only Fluttershy looked somewhat sympathetic, but even she hid her grin behind her wing.

The next moment, Aloe had her seated in front of a big mirror while Lotus Blossom wheeled over a cart with various assortments of brushes, scissors and bottles with lotions. Before she could protest, one of the sisters blocked her vision with something that looked like a slice of cucumber.
“What…?”
“No talking now!”
Crystal Note felt a brush work through her mane and somepony gently applied something cool and half-liquid on her face
“Just relax, darling, let us do our work! Just lean back and let Aloe and me take care of you.”
Lotus Blossom finished applying the beauty mask while her soothing voice worked on Crystal Note’s nerves. Finally, the crystal mare took a deep breath and settled back as told.

She could hear the two sisters discuss over something with hushed voices, but she tried to block it out and not worry. Neither of them had mentioned her horn so far and she willed herself to take that as a good sign.
The temperature in the spa always was a little higher, so the costumers could relax but the coolness of the mask on her face felt nice and refreshing. Despite their sudden urgency, Aloe worked very gently as she first brushed Crystal Note’s mane, then applied something that smelled like strawberry, probably shampoo. Crystal Note enjoyed the soft rubbing on her mane and the sensation when Aloe rinsed with warm, clean water. The noises in the background blurred into a single hum and the soothing scents of the spa helped Crystal Note stay calm and relaxed.

Aloe and Lotus Blossom worked diligently and efficiently. After the shampoo, they used different conditioners as well. Aloe nodded when she noticed that Crystal Note had stopped fidgeting and went right to work. With a few snips of her scissors, she did some minor adjustments to accentuate the natural curls even further, fluffing up the mane here and there. When she was finished, she circled around the mare with critical eyes, before she shared a big smile with Lotus Blossom.

“Alright darling, take a look and tell me what you think.”
Aloe removed the mask of the mare’s face with a soft washcloth and stepped to the side so Crystal Note could look at herself in the big mirror. Crystal Note gasped and her eyes opened wide.
Her mane looked like she had never seen it before. What used to be a tangled mess now fell down her back like an elegant wave of golden silk. To both sides, her curly locks bounced softly as she turned and tilted her head. With her hoof, she carefully touched her mane that now also felt as soft as silk and sparkled in the light. Behind her, Lotus Blossom held up a smaller mirror so Crystal Note could see her new manestyle from every direction
“Aloe, it’s, it’s…”
“I know! And to think you hide this under a headscarf all the time.”

Crystal Note ignored the giggling from Lotus Blossom and looked at herself again before she realized she had not even looked at her horn yet. It was still there of course, and Aloe had not tried to hide it at all. It was just that, for the first time ever, the horn that poked out between her mane looked like it belonged to her. Instead of a foreign structure that stood out, the horn just looked natural. For the first time, she could look at herself and not immediately feel like she had to cover up.

“Well?”
Aloe and Lotus watched her expectantly and Crystal Note simply pulled the closest of them into a hug
“Thank you so much!”
The two mare beamed and returned the hug as Crystal Note switched between the two sisters. They didn’t need much more, since Crystal Note started to glitter and sparkle all over and told them all they needed to know.
“Ah, and just in time. Your friends are finished with their baths, so you can join in now. Come!”

For the second time in less than an hour, Crystal Note was dragged through the spa by her hoof, only this time she tried to protest
“But, I’m here to work! I’ve barely played at all for you today.”
“Nonsense, darling, you can play every day you like, but today all your friends are here for you.”
Aloe ushered her to sit down on a massage table between Rarity and Lyra who just smirked at her. Across from her, Octavia, Bon Bon and Fluttershy were already enjoying their massages, so Rarity was the first to comment on her new manestyle, marvelling both at her mane and Aloe’s expertise to coiffure. Lyra was less colourful about it than Rarity, but just as positive overall
“I’m not a mare for fancy manedos, but you can totally wear this, Crissy.”
Crystal Note started to blush, which made them all giggle, then Aloe, Lotus and a third pony returned to them.

Lyra smiled and eagerly laid down her head on the pillow in front of her, as did Rarity next to her. Crystal Note expected they would get massages now, like the other three of their friends, but she froze in place when Aloe instead picked up a long file and started to work on Lyra’s horn. Crystal Note shivered involuntarily at the sound, but Lyra sighed happily
“Oh yeah, that’s heaven.”

Crystal Note stared at her friend and then at Lotus Blossom who now stood in front of her with a file as well
“A-are you sure that’s a good idea?”
She eyed the file as if it was a weapon of some kind and her body tensed up, ready to flee if it came closer. An hour ago, she had been terrified by the thought of somepony just seeing her horn, and now she should let somepony touch it?
A white hoof reached out and touched hers. Crystal Note turned her head and Rarity smiled reassuringly at her
“Darling, trust me, nothing bad will happen.”
Crystal Note remembered that Rarity had said those exact same words before they had entered the spa, and so far, she was proven true. Lotus Blossom had a kind and patient smile for her, professional but at the same time warm and infectious
“Just rest your head and close your eyes if you want, let me take care of everything else.”

Crystal Note took a deep breath and nodded. Her head on the pillow and her eyes closed tightly, she waited for the hard impact that never came.
Lotus Blossom knew very well how to approach her nervous friend and started with some soft touches, until she saw Crystal Note’s hooves relax on the table and her eyes close more naturally, only then did she start to file with a little more pressure.
To Crystal Note, the sensation was indescribable. Since she only had had a horn for a short while, it was utterly new, like tasting a new and exotic dish for the very first time. At the same time, there was something eerily familiar to the feeling of the file as it removed the tiny deposits from the small grooves of her horn. The closest thing Crystal Note had for comparison was the feeling of a soft bristled brush on her coat, just like her mom had brushed her with when she was a filly.

Like before, she simply relaxed and let the voices around her fade into the background as she enjoyed the feeling. Lotus Blossom was very gentle and knew exactly what to do, so Crystal Note didn’t even feel a tinge of worry at any moment.
She was so relaxed in fact, that she barely noticed how somepony had started with a massage on her shoulders while Lotus was finishing on the tip of her horn. Instead of arguing, she just let it happen this time. After so many years of struggling every day and months of hiding and keeping a distance from everypony, it felt incredible to have somepony take such care of you. She felt how the hooves helped her loosen up knots and tensions that she barely even realized were there to begin with. When the mare was finished, Crystal Note felt wonderfully relaxed from head to tail.

She felt a little dizzy when she got up from the table and stood on wobbly hooves for a few moments, but the other girls just giggled gently and kept up their easy chatting. Unspoken, they took Crystal Note into their middle as the six of them slowly moved towards the entrance now that their spa session was finished. Crystal Note tried to argue when she saw that Rarity levitated a bag of bits to the counter to pay for all of them, but a poke to her muzzle from both Lyra and Bon Bon made her stop and called out another round of giggles. The same happened when Aloe insisted on paying Crystal Note even if she only played a couple of hours today.

Thanks to her friends keeping her distracted, Crystal Note didn’t notice she was getting a lot of looks from the other ponies at the spa. None of them were scared or threatening, only curious and friendly as at some point during the massage, Crystal Note had started to glimmer from a light that seemed to come from within herself. Even now, her natural sparkles still danced over her coat and her mane positively glowed.
Crystal Note, after losing both arguments to her friends, turned around to the spa again. Her violin was still at her spot, packed safely into its case. Thanks to how great her day had been Crystal Note felt bold enough to push a little further even. Instead of walking through the spa, she closed her eyes for a moment and channelled her magic. With a soft glow of her horn, the violin case floated towards her through the spa in between the ponies still enjoying their pampering. Some ponies noticed, but except for a stallion who moved out of the way, nopony even dropped their conversations as they witnessed Crystal Note’s use of magic. Only Bon Bon and Lyra noticed and shared a proud smile.

With some waves and promises to return soon, the group of friends left the spa late afternoon. Fluttershy excused herself right away and took flight to return to her cottage and her critters, but Rarity and Octavia followed Bon Bon’s invitation to the Sweet Shop for a cup of tea and a snack. Again, her friends kept Crystal Note in their middle, but she didn't even think of putting her bandana back on and spoil Aloe's work on her mane. Some ponies turned around to watch as the usual group walked through town, but at this point Crystal Note didn't worry anymore, she felt save with her friends at her side as they entered Bon Bon's shop.
Rarity looked around the interior curiously and admitted with a blush that she hadn’t been here in ages. Thanks to her close friendship with Pinkie Pie, she always found herself at Sugarcube Corner for something sweet.

Bon Bon happily gave her the grand tour, along with some samples, and soon enough the five mares sat together in the living room, discussing candies and sweets while sipping tea. Eventually, they came to talk about Crystal Note’s new manestyle again, which left the crystal unicorn thoroughly flustered
“Well Darling, I hope you can see now how marvellously your new coiffure will work with your new dress. I hope you shall at least consider.”
Crystal Note nodded quickly, even if it made her blush more
“I will, Rarity. But I don’t think I can pull up something like this on my own every morning.”
“Nonsense, Darling. You just have to get used to it.”
At that, Lyra grinned and quipped in
“And get used to get up two hours earlier so you can fix your mane every morning.”
Rarity huffed in fake indignity as everypony else giggled
“I’ll have you know, Miss Heartstrings, that I’ve never needed more than an hour to prepare myself in the morning.”
“This is still longer than Lyra needs every morning in a whole week!”
Everypony, even Lyra, broke into laughter.

Later that night, after Octavia and Rarity had left as well, Lyra and Crystal Note sat in the living room again while Bon Bon was taking care of the dishes. Since Lyra couldn’t sit still without anything to do for long, they had set up a game of checkers. Lyra was lounging on the easy chair in her usual way and moved her pieces with magic while Crystal Note used her hooves instead.
Lyra was thinking very hard over her next move, so she barely even heard Crystal Note’s soft voice as she whispered in a shy tone
“Lyra, can I ask you something?”
“Huh? Sure, anything. What’s up?”
“Do you think you could teach me some spells?”

Lyra looked up from the checker board, pleasantly surprised
"Sure, but what brought this on so suddenly? I thought you don't like magic."
Crystal Note blushed and mumbled
"It's not like that. It's just very strange."
Lyra knew enough of Crystal Note's past to not go deeper into this and instead, she smile broadly
"I'm sure I can teach you a thing or two. But if you need more advanced stuff, you should ask Princess Twilight. She knows a lot more than me."
Lyra finally a made her move on the board as Crystal Note gave her wry smile
"Only when Princess Twilight talks about magic, I barely understand a word. She's, um..."
"Unable to explain a single spell without reciting at least three great wizards? Yeah, she's been like that since we were fillies. She had to know a book by heart before she would even try out a single spell from it. Though it obviously works for her."
They giggled and Crystal Note tilted her head as she threw a critical glance at the checker board now that is was her turn.

"So, what kind of spell did you have in mind?"
"I have no idea. Something simple, I suppose. So far, I only know levitation."
Lyra nodded and thought about it for a minute
"A light spell is pretty easy. And pretty useful as well. Sounds good?"
"Uh-huh."

Crystal Note made her move and another minute of silence passed before Lyra talked again
"I guess you won't be wearing your bandana as much anymore."
Crystal Note blushed but didn't look up from the game
"I'll try not to. At least not in Ponyville anymore. It felt good not hiding."
"Coulda told ya that one for free."
They giggled together
"I'm glad you don't want to hide anymore. I always feel bad when you do around us."
Crystal Note blinked and tilted her head
"But I don't hide around you or Bon Bon."
"Maybe not your horn, but you're still holding back with us. Sometimes, you get that look and I can tell you have something on your mind but you don't say it. Dunno why."
Crystal Note's head dropped down and her ears flopped back in shame
"Me neither. It's instinct by now."
"Well, you don't need that anymore. No matter how weird it seems, just let it out okay? You'll need a lot of weird to drive Bonnie or me away."
"More than you would believe, Crissy."
Lyra smiled to Bon Bon as she returned from the kitchen at the perfect time to help make her point.
"It's just like in the spa. Sometimes it might seem like a big thing in your head, but it's really not. There's no need to be afraid. okay?"
"Uh-huh."

Crystal Note smiled back to Bon Bon and looked at the checker board in front of her again. Her horn glowed softly and one of her checkers moved to beat three of Lyra's in a single turn
"I win."
Lyra stared at the board in disbelieve, before she mumbled
"You could have made that move three turns ago."
"Uh-huh. But you only told me to stop holding back just now."

Bon Bon laughed heartily while Lyra stared at Crystal Note's serious tone and expression while she said that, only to laugh along
"Hey Crissy, are you still nervous about the Gala?"
"No, not anymore. I'm really excited how it will be."
Both Bon Bon and Lyra smiled proudly at their friend.

Chapter 6

View Online

Tomorrow would be the night. The night they had been waiting for. The night they had practiced for weeks to be ready. Tomorrow would be the best night ever.

It would be Octavia’s best night ever. She would be playing at the Grand Galloping Gala, again. Not in the ball hall and not as part of a quartet that had been thrown together by somepony with no sense for music or harmony. Sure, it was less prestigious to play in the entry hall while everypony important would be sitting inside, but she would play with her friends and she would play the music they all enjoyed. Plus, every important pony in Canterlot would be there, so there still was a chance that they might get another gig out of it.

It would be Lyra’s best night ever. Well, more like best late afternoon to early evening ever, since they had to be there before everypony else. Which meant getting up early so they would be in Canterlot at noon. Still, she would play at an official event again, with a group of friends who enjoyed the same easy-going and happy melodies like her. And after that, she was invited to the Gala, with Bon Bon. Maybe she could get a dance or two with her special somepony. If not, they could still enjoy some fancy party snacks and a nice night together. Plus, it might be nice to see Princess Celestia again.

It would be Bon Bon’s best night ever. She still couldn’t believe it that she got a ticket for the most hyped party of the year. If Pinkie Pie’s stories were anything to go by, it would be very different from the parties and festivals Bon Bon knew from Ponyville, but with Lyra she was bound to have a blast no matter what. Even if it only meant making fun of some snobbish rich ponies and their show-off outfits. Plus, she would get to hear Octavia, Lyra and Crystal Note play all night long.

It’s going to be a disaster! Crystal Note couldn’t stop worrying for the whole week up to the Gala. What if she missed a note and messed everything up? She’d humiliate her friends in front of Princess Celestia and Luna and every noble pony in Canterlot! What if she ruined her dress by accident? Rarity would never forgive her and all her friends would be angry with her. What if somepony saw her horn and got angry or scared? Aloe and Rarity had promised to meet the four friends early morning to help them get their outfits and manes in shape, so she couldn’t wear her bandana to hide. She had only been walking through Ponyville without it and so far, without any dire consequences, but could she count on being lucky in Canterlot as well? Even that wasn’t the most troubling thing. What if somepony talked to her? Out of everything that could happen, that was the worst possible thing! She almost felt like fainting just thinking about it.

She could see it so clearly, somepony in a fancy suit would walk up to her and ask something and she would turn into a stuttering mess. Suddenly everypony was looking at her and she could feel their glares hit them, full of anger and disapproval. She turned around to her friends for help, but they had ducked into the crowd in shame, so that nopony could associate them with that terrible beast. Already there were angry shouts coming from the crowd and ponies blamed her for messing everything up, for taking all their happiness away. She didn’t belong here, she should have never returned, and now they would make sure she never would again.

From the crowd, some ponies pushed through towards her, ponies with spears and chains, soldiers in black and red armour with helmets that covered all their faces expect for those sickly green eyes. They closed a circle around her, spears ready to strike her down, no way out to flee as Crystal Note crumbled on the floor in tears
Oh no, please don’t! Please not them! Anything but them!

The voices called for her blood and the closest of the soldiers grabbed her mane and jerked her head up, exposed her neck and brought his spear closer towards her and…

“That is enough now. Open your eyes and see, Crystal Note.”
A voice nearby reached her and all the shouting from the crowd immediately stopped. Crystal Note blinked, as everypony seemed to be frozen in time, except her. She scooted backwards, away from the spears King Sombra’s soldiers were pointing at her. Wait, King Sombra’s dark soldiers? In Canterlot?

Finally, she saw the dream for what is was. The images didn’t fade but Crystal Note was not part of the scene any longer, instead she was now watching from the side and another pony stood next to her. She smiled and bowed down deeply
“Princess Luna!”
The deep blue alicorn returned the smile but kept her eyes on the nightmarish scene in front of them
“It’s been a while since you had a dream this frightening, Crystal Note. I wonder what would cause it tonight out of all times.”
Crystal Note sighed deeply and sat down next to the princess as the frozen nightmare faded into a small bubble and their surroundings changed into the moonlit landscape Luna preferred
“Probably it’s because I’m very nervous about tomorrow.”
“You speak of the Gala.”

Crystal Note nodded and her ears flopped down
“I’m not sure if it’s a good idea for me to go there.”
“But you were happy to participate, thrilled even to play for the ponies. What of that?”
“That was before I realized how many things could go wrong.”
Princess Luna didn’t say anything, she had seen the nightmare unfold after all. Instead, she looked at Crystal Note, realizing how much the troubled mare had changed. Her mane was made up in a different style and her coat shined healthy. Unlike before, she had not tried to cover up her horn with her mane or the bandana she had seen on the mare on earlier occasions.
Princess Luna knew, better than anypony else, that the dream self always reflected the image of what a pony wished to be seen as. Crystal Note had embraced this new version of herself, a pony would did not have to hide but could be proud of who she was. As much as Princess Luna approved this development, she was aware that Crystal Note still had some way ahead of her, starting with her crumbling self-confidence.

“You are aware that you will not be alone at the Gala. Your friends will be at your side.”
“I know, but what if…”
“Twilight Sparkle and her friends will be around as well. Applejack and Apple Bloom with be with them. Are they not like sisters to you?”
Crystal Note blushed and nodded
“Sure, but…”
“And if everything fails, I will be present still, together with Celestia. Do you think sister or I would let anything happen to you under our eyes?”
At this, Crystal Note simply sighed defeated and slumped forward
“Of course not, Princess. You are right with everything, and I’m being paranoid, as always.”
Princess Luna simply giggled and spread out her wing over the smaller mare
“Don’t be too hard on yourself. We all get nervous every now and then. But it’s important we not let ourselves be consumed by our anxiety.”

Crystal Note nodded softly and took a deep breath in, just like she had learned when she first met Princess Luna. As she exhaled slowly, the bubble with the nightmare was blown away like a small cloud of dust, and Crystal Note smiled again
“Thank you, Princess Luna.”
“I barely did anything tonight. All you needed was a quick reminder.”

Luna got up on her hooves again and Crystal Note followed
“Our time runs short, I have more tasks ahead before the sun rises. I’m looking forward to see you at the Gala, my little pony, and finally hear you play.”
Luna's horn glowed and Crystal Note suddenly found herself somewhere in the orchards of Sweet Apple Acres, one of her favourite spots in Ponyville
"Farewell, Crystal Note. I've made sure that the rest of the night will be untroubled for you."
Crystal Note turned around to thank her, but Princess Luna had already faded away. She sat down in the soft grass and let the scent of apple blossoms and the soft rustling of the leaves lull her back into a deep sleep.

Lyra and Crystal Note walked behind Octavia towards the grand castle of Canterlot. Both musicians had been here before, but still they couldn't help feel impressed by the size and beauty of the castle that was nestled into the flank of the mountain.

As they got closer though, the beautiful impression was drowned out by an aura of rush and activity. Preparations for the Gala were in full swing and ponies ran around with various last minute tasks or deliveries. As they approached the entrance, a pony of the royal guard stepped into their path. It was easy to identify them as musicians, since each of them carried an instrument case
"The entry hall is closed for preparations, you have to use the side entrance. Follow me."

Octavia nodded and thanked the guard. She had taken the lead as soon as they had left the train, which was just fine for Crystal Note. Of the three, Octavia was the one with the most stage experience and the only one who had been at the Gala before.
Since Octavia took the lead, Lyra could make sure Crystal Note was alright. She had confessed to her friends that she felt very nervous. Of course they could all relate and as she had hoped, each of them had some good advice for her. While Rarity helped them into their outfits, she shared some tips she had picked up during fashion shows. Aloe's gentle affirmations while she styled up her made had visibly soothed Crystal Note just as much.

Lyra told many stories from her time at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns on the train ride to keep Crystal Note from worrying. Now, Octavia had taken the lead of their little ensemble. As strange as it seemed to Lyra, Crystal Note got calmer as they approached the palace and by the time they followed the guard through some outer gardens to the side entrance, Crystal Note just looked around curiously. The Royal Palace of Canterlot was a beautiful sight and Lyra knew from experience that ponies could spend days in there without having seen all of it.

Today, they didn't have time for any sightseeing. As soon as the guard let them in, a pony with a bright red hat approached them, wearing the uniform of the royal staff
"Ah, Miss Octavia. Ten minutes earlier as usual, I see."

While Octavia and the stallion shared some pleasantries, Crystal Note took in her surroundings. She had been in the CrystalPalace before, but the Canterlot Palace was barely comparable. Everywhere she looked, she saw marble, gold and stained glass. Red carpets decorated the floors and many statues and figurines filled the alcoves at the sides of the hallway. The ceiling was high and the big windows made sure plenty of light filtered in, giving everything an airy feel.

They followed the stallion through some rooms while around them everypony seemed to be in chaos. More than once, Crystal Note had to duck as pegasi flew narrowly over them
"Is it always this busy before the Gala?"
The stallion just laughed
"It's going to get worse before it gets better, I'm afraid. We're expecting more guest than ever before tonight and all members of royalty will be present at once. It's definitely a challenge, but luckily we have a secret weapon at our disposal."

The three musicians shared a glance but before any explanation could follow, they saw who the stallion meant with 'secret weapon'.
As the entered the entrance hall, they saw Princess Twilight Sparkle floating in the centre of the huge room with the help of her wings. In her magic, she had no less than ten different checklists circling around her as she called into different directions
"These statues are for the ballroom, please get them there so they're out of the way. Oh, these crates need to get to the kitchen fast, somepony please take care of that! Nonono, the flowers are for later! First, we set up all the other decorations and then we add flowers as last!"

Lyra couldn't help but giggle as Twilight efficiently directed everpony through their tasks. Somehow, she never had to yell and she stayed friendly and polite all the time, but still managed to keep everypony at pace.
When she heard the giggle, the princess looked down to see Lyra and Crystal Note wave up to her
"Hey guys! I'm so glad you're here."
Without much decorum, Twilight alighted right in front of them and smiled brightly
"You all look great!"
Octavia bowed her head in a formal greeting and smiled right back
"Indeed, Rarity has really outdone herself this time. These gowns are magnificent."
"Oh, your dresses are nice too!"

They shared a friendly giggle and Lyra teased her old school friend a little
"So, how is your new job as Princess of Checklists?"
Twilight took it with stride and just giggled along
"We're perfectly on schedule. In fact, we're even a little ahead. If you want, you can get some lunch before we start, we've set up a snack table for everypony who's working so hard!"

Octavia and Lyra looked at Crystal Note who just smiled, more excited that they had seen her all week
"Maybe later, Princess Twilight. If you don't mind, we'd like to get attuned to our surroundings first."
"Of course! Over here."
Twilight led them to a little stage at the side of the room, between the entrance and the large stairway where Princess Celestia and Princess Luna would later greet every guest personally before they reached the ballroom
"There you are. If you need anything, just give a call. I'm sorry I can't stay much longer, I need to make sure everything is right in the kitchen now."
"Sure thing, Twilight. We'll catch you later inside."

Lyra waved as Princess Twilight flew through one of the doors before she helped Octavia set up her cello. Crystal Note stood in the middle of the stage and just closed her eyes. For a brief moment, she just let all the noise and all the other ponies around her fade away as she took a deep breath. When she exhaled and opened her eyes again, they seemed to shine from within and she had a calm and serene smile on her face
"Hey Crissy!"
She turned her head and saw Lyra grin at her with her lyre floating next to her in her golden magic
"We're doing this or what?"
"On it!"
Octavia let out an exaggerated sigh at their antics only to smile along as she took her place by her cello
"Ready when you are. Your count, Love."

Crystal Note nodded with her violin in position as well. Lyra tapped her hoof on the floor four times, then Octavia started to play, with Crystal Note joining in a few beats later, followed by Lyra.
They played their usual song, the one they played at the start of all their practice sessions to get in tune with each other. The song was not overly complex, but there was a little swing to the melody, especially when Lyra added flourishes as usual.

The three friends and musicians quickly attuned and Octavia smiled pleased. The acoustics of the entrance hall were not optimal, but Princess Twilight had chosen a good spot from which their music could spread out and fill the entire hall.

The ponies around them stopped for a few minutes to listen, just to return to their tasks with new vigour. Crystal Note barely noticed any of this, it had only taken her moments to get 'in the zone' as Lyra had called it. When the first song finished, she immediately bridged into another one and was quickly backed up by Octavia and Lyra.

Crystal Note kept her eyes closed while she played as usual, but Lyra and Octavia shared a pleased smile. Crystal Note's nervousness was completely gone and so she could easily keep up with them, even though they had more experience on events like this.
They played another few songs before Lyra set down her instrument
"Good job, girls. Safe something for later Crissy, we still have the whole night ahead of us."
Octavia nodded and with a soft sigh, Crystal Note set down her violin as well
"I guess you're right."

When Crystal Note opened her eyes again, she looked surprised over the completely different entrance hall. While they had been playing, the others had finished their job of decorating. Everything looked very festive and grand and only a pair of pegasi flew around to add some more white and blue flowers.

The stallion from earlier returned and told them that they had about an hour before the doors would open, so this time the three friends took the chance to get a bite before the Gala started.

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were the last ones to arrive in the entrance hall. They took their spot on top of the small set of stairs and Princess Celestia took the time to thank everypony for their hard work. When everypony was in position, she turned towards the three musicians from Ponyville with a smile and a nod. Octavia and Crystal Note bowed their heads appropriately with Lyra following close behind.
Once more, Lyra counted with her hoof and as they began to play, the grand doors opened and the first ponies streamed inside. The Grand Galloping Gala had officially started.

The first song they had chosen was one of the classical Canterlot repertoire, since the first ones to arrive were the noble families of the capital city. Crystal Note kept peeking as the ponies passed by, but as Lyra had expected, nopony even looked their way as all their attention was on the royal sisters.

Then the initial rush settled in and ponies quickly filled the hall as they waited for their turn to be greeted by the princesses. They chatted quietly mostly, even if a few ponies clearly were very excited. This time, Crystal Note saw some ponies look their direction. Most of them had a pleased expression as the music offered some distraction while they waited in line, just as intended.

After the first hour, the crowd changed from mostly nobles to a mix of all kind of ponies, and the excited whispers increased noticeably. Octavia nodded to Lyra and Crystal Note. As planned, the switched from the slow and dragged pieces of the classic Canterlot style to more lively, upbeat and flowing melodies. The reaction from the crowd was very positive, so they tried some of the songs they had written together next. Lyra couldn’t hold back a smirk when she noticed that even Princess Luna was tapping her hoof in time with their tune.

Overall, nothing exciting happened in the entrance hall. A few ponies watched their performance with some interest, but mostly they went by unnoticed. Crystal Note took this with a lot of relief. No negative reaction was a good thing in the end and as they changed to their own songs, she was back in her zone and blissfully unaware of anything but the music.

They took a short break after a few hours, when the stream of guests thinned down. To their surprise and Lyra’s pleasure, Bon Bon had already been waiting for this and quickly approached her friends with drinks and snacks from the ball. Lyra and Bon Bon quickly brought each other up to date and Bon Bon admitted that inside, it was more boring than she had expected, especially without her friends.

They chatted for a while until Octavia suddenly tensed up and stared at something behind Crystal Note. She quickly jumped back on her hooves and bowed her head, next to her Lyra and Bon Bon did the same.
“Your Highness.”

Crystal Note, who couldn’t see who had approached them, got up and turned around. She had expected Princess Twilight or maybe Princess Luna, judging from Octavia’s reaction. However, when she turned around, she froze for a moment. Behind her, her friends gasped under their breaths when Crystal Note lost most of her natural sparkles and she bowed so deeply that her forehead touched the marble floor
“P-Princess Cadance…”

The Princess of the Crystal Empire wore a gorgeous gown that accentuated her natural grace and elegance. Her mane had gemstones woven in and was styled in a way traditional to her Empire in the north. The other three saw a benevolent and kind smile on her face, but Crystal Note couldn’t see it with her eyes clenched shut.
Princess Cadance stepped closer and gently touched Crystal Note’s shoulder, at which the crystal unicorn sat back up but kept her eyes glued to the floor. The princess gave her a moment to compose herself and shared a smile with the other three friends. Her face brightened up visibly when she noticed Lyra’s and Bon Bon’s matching dresses and she shot a wink towards them.

Crystal Note kept her eyes on the floor and barely even dared to breathe. Although she was living in Ponyville, she was still a crystal pony and therefore at least somewhat part of the Crystal Empire. Which meant that she Princess Cadance’ subject more than of any other princesses, even Princess Celestia.
The last time she had met her Princess was already some months ago, back in the Crystal Empire. After she had painfully regained her lost memories, Princess Cadance had sent her back to Ponyville so she could recover from the shock, but Crystal Note knew that wasn’t the only reason. Sending her away also meant that the other crystal ponies wouldn’t have to fear the presence of a crystal unicorn among them.

Since then, Crystal Note had had no contact with her former home or its princess, not even a letter. Guilt and shame, but mostly fear had prevented her to make the trip to the north again.
Princess Cadance had every authority to take her back to the Crystal Empire. Most likely, Rose Quartz had told her everything there was to know about her past. Princess Luna would fill any gaps if Princess Cadance had asked her aunt.
So right now, all she could do was wait for Princess Cadance' judgement and hope it would be merciful.

“You’re looking well, Crystal Note.”
Cadence’ voice was gentle and there was a smile when Crystal Note finally dared to look up at the princess
“Many thanks, Your Highness.”
Lyra, Octavia and Bon Bon shared a concerned look at Crystal Note’s sudden demure behaviour, until the noticed the almost-pout from Princess Cadance
“Do I need to lecture you again, Crystal Note?”
Crystal Note blushed and quickly shook her head
“Apologies, Your High-… I mean, no Princess. I’ll behave.”

Cadance chuckled and any tension just faded away
“I hear that life in Ponyville treats you well and that you made some new friends, but it’s good to see it with my own eyes.”
Crystal Note nodded but didn’t say anything. Cadance looked into her eyes for a minute, before she addressed the three friends
“Would it be okay if I borrowed Crystal Note? It will only take a few minutes.”
The three shared another glance and nodded
“Of course, Princess Cadance. We’ll be waiting here.”

Princess Cadance turned around and walked to a nearby door at the other side of the hall, away from the noisy ballroom and the line of party guests. She turned her head back and Crystal Note followed, after a moment of hesitation.
She didn't know where Princess Cadance was leading her, but the taller alicorn slowed down for Crystal Note to catch up so they would walk next to each other. Crystal Note remained silent and waited for her princess to say something first
"Your sister misses you dearly. She keeps asking me for news about you."
Crystal Note blushed and her ears flopped down in shame
"I'm sorry. I meant to write her, but whenever I start I can't find the right words."
"I understand."

Princess Cadance did not scold her, but she didn't sound very happy either. They fell silent again, before the princess started another attempt
"I was hoping to see you at the end of winter. I thought you would come to visit your parents' graves at least. Rose Quartz was waiting for you."
Crystal Note closed her eyes and shook her head
"So many ponies have lost families and friends. I would have only disturbed them, so I stayed and found my own way to mourn, by myself."
"Without anypony to share your pain? Without anypony to comfort you? That's not what I wanted for you when I sent you to Ponyville, Crystal Note."

Crystal Note bit her lip, fighting for her voice not to break
"Applejack and Apple Bloom were with me. They call me their sister."
"But you distance yourself from them. Why, Crystal Note?"
Crystal Note looked up, surprised and confused
"How do you know?"
"I've asked Twilight to look after you and she told me. Now please answer my question, Crystal Note."
This time, there was a sob in Crystal Note's voice as she answered
"I've already abandoned a sister once. I could not bear if it happened again."
"Crystal Note, look at me."

Crystal Note flinched at the tone of Cadance' voice, but obeyed. When she met Princess Cadance eyes, she almost looked away again right away at their intensity, but a firm hoof on her chin kept her head in place
"You will only abandon Rose Quartz if you never come back to her and therefore break your promise. And it is heartless and selfish to push those away who care about you. They chose to stand by you, so you don't get to say they can't."

Crystal Note kept staring up at Princess Cadance and nodded as her words slowly sunk in. Cadance released her and her voice returned to its normal gentleness
"Did you tell your friends about this already?"
Crystal Note sat down next to the princess and shook her head
"Not everything, but I'm sure Bon Bon already guessed a lot of it."
"Then she's a wise mare and you should listen to her more often."
Crystal Note just chuckled and agreed.

Princess Cadance looked at her for a little while, then smiled
"I meant what I said earlier. You look well, and it's not just your new manestyle. You're more confident and also more at ease. I think it's high time made use of it."
"What do you mean?"
“I mean something like this. Playing your violin for other ponies, maybe even making a living out of it. Wouldn’t that be something you like to do?”
Crystal Note only thought for a moment before she nodded
“I would like that a lot, Princess.”
“Then now is the time, Crystal Note. And if you need any kind of help, I expect you to tell me about it.”
Crystal Note looked up again when Princess Cadance put her hoof on her shoulder
“Even if you’re living in Ponyville, I care about you, too. So you don’t get to push me away either.”
Crystal Note smiled softly when Princess Cadance looked at her as her friends always did, with true care and assurance
“Thank you, Princess Cadance.”
Cadance pulled her in for a quick embrace.

“I’ll expect to see some mail from you soon, Crystal Note.”
“Yes Princess, I’ll write you as often as I can.”
“Don’t write to me, write to Rose Quartz instead. It would mean the world to your sister.”
“I will.”

They quietly made the way back towards the entrance hall, but before they reached it, Crystal Note addressed her princess
“Princess Cadance? I still care about the Crystal Empire a lot, so if there is anything I can do...?”
Cadance winked and smiled
“I understand. We’ll find something for you. For now, you should focus on yourself and what you want.”
The princess searched and found Crystal Note's eyes again
"No matter how far your travel, you will always have a home in the Crystal Empire. And when you come back, even just for a visit, ponies will be happy to see you return."
"I somehow find that hard to believe, Princess. Maybe Rose Quartz would want to see me, but who else?"
"Me, of course."
The princess giggled when Crystal Note blushed
"Thank you, Your Highness."
"I think you'd be pleasantly surprised if you visited, Crystal Note. Sometimes in life you have to take a risk. And you have good friends who truly care about you, should anything happen. You should always remember that."
"I'll try, Princess Cadance."
"Good. That's all I ask."

By then, they had reached the entrance hall again and Crystal Note quickly walked towards her friends. They had gotten a little worried, but when they noticed the sparkles on Crystal Note’s mane, they knew they didn’t have to be.

Princess Cadance smiled as Crystal Note took her place among her friends again
“You have certainly made an impression with your work today. I heard many ponies inside compliment your music. Does your group have a name already?”
Octavia and Lyra bowed their heads and thanked the princess while Crystal Note was too busy blushing from all the praise. Lyra and Bon Bon giggled and Octavia took it to answer to Princess Cadance
“We are the Ponyville Music Ensemble, Your Highness.”
Princess Cadance nodded and hummed in approval
“I will definitely remember that. And I hope I will get a chance to speak with each of you, once you join the party.”
Octavia, Bon Bon and Lyra returned the smile of the princess wholeheartedly
“It would be our pleasure, Princess.”

Cadance smiled and turned around, back towards the party. However, after a few steps she looked back over her shoulder with a sheepish smile
“I don’t suppose you’re taking any requests, do you?”
That definitely got the attention of the ponies in the waiting line as well, so Octavia and the others shared a glance
“Do you have something in mind, Princess Cadance?”
Crystal Note didn’t expect for her Princess to catch her gaze again with that knowing smile and a nod
“Perhaps you could play something from back home?”
Octavia and Lyra glanced at Crystal Note, but the crystal unicorn already had her violin in position and her eyes closed. She knew exactly what she wanted to play.

Without any hesitation, she played her favourite song, the song her mother had taught her and the song that had helped her get her cutie mark. Just like back then and especially after her talk with her Princess, her love for her sister filled her mind and poured into her song. Lost in her music, she didn’t notice how the mumbled conversations died down around her. She did however notice Octavia and Lyra joining in with their instruments and doing their best to match up with the passion she played.

This time, Crystal Note could feel it clearly. She felt a tingle run down her body as the change happened. With her friends at her side and her music filling her soul, she also knew exactly what kind of change it would be. Thanks to Princess Cadance and her words of encouragement and approval, but to no small parts thanks to her growing self-confidence, this time she embraced the change as it took place.

She did not crystalize as she had in the presence of the crystal heart, but for a brief moment, the ponies who looked at her could see that she was almost glowing with a light from inside her. While there had been subtle sparkles before, her silver-white coat now glittered and shimmered as she moved. Her mane took the colour of golden citrine and her horn looked like it was made of purest silver.

Octavia stared openly while Bon Bon and Lyra shared a proud smile. Princess Cadance met their eyes and nodded knowingly, before she returned to the ballroom.
The song ended and the moment passed. Crystal Note opened her eyes again and smiled at the gaping ponies in her normal appearance. She took a short bow, which seemed to snap most of the crowd out of their stupor.

She turned her head to look at Lyra who just winked and played another song as if nothing had happened. Octavia and Crystal Note joined in without missing a beat. The line was considerably shorter now and Bon Bon stayed with them as they played until the last guest had been greeted to the Gala.

Chapter 7

View Online

Inside the ball hall, Crystal Note found the Grand Galloping Gala surprisingly dull. Ponies stood together taking our sat around smallish tables, all dressed up in fancy clothes, but only a few seemed really happy to be here. Most of them only had polite smiles.

At certain points, as if on some hidden cue Crystal Note couldn’t see, some ponies got up and switched from one little group to the next. It looked like a weird choreography to her, but stiff and mechanical, like gears in a machine.

Lyra, Bon Bon and Octavia didn't look like they enjoyed themselves much more either. However, Lyra wouldn't be Lyra if she would let herself dragged down by this for very long. After a quick raid at the buffet, which Crystal Note accidentally called snack table, much to the displeasure of some unicorns who stood by, the little group found a table to sit down near the dance floor.

Lyra and Bon Bon started their usual banter about the quality of the food, but it soon ended up with them just being Lyra and Bon Bon. Crystal Note had seen this before, but it couldn't stop her from smiling each time. They were just so Lyra and Bon Bon, even in the middle of a fancy gala both of them were just so happy to be in each other's company. Octavia on the other hoof watched the string orchestra playing for the dancers, but she looked very appalled somehow
"Ugh, everything they play is... standard. Dreadfully so. There is no variation in their play whatsoever, no passion at all. Not that many of the crowd would even notice it, mind you."
Crystal Note giggled and smiled
"Well, at least they're dancing."

The dance floor was crammed with ponies in fact. They moved in time with the music in well-measured and calculated motions, but Crystal Note wondered if it counted as dancing when not all of them looked like they had fun with it.
Lyra had noticed as well and shook her head
"You call that dancing, Crissy? You have no idea."
She hopped on her hooves and fell into a deep formal bow before Bon Bon
"May I have this dance, Milady?"
Bon Bon chuckled shyly and blushed
"Lyra, you know I have no clue how to dance to something like that."
"So what? Afraid some of those stuck up nobles you'll never see again will call you out for it?"

Bon Bon giggled even more
"Oh, imagine the looks on their faces. Very well then, Milady. Lead on."
Lyra smiled and took Bonnie's hoof as she led them into the middle of the dance floor.

With their hooves around another, they danced as one and completely attuned to another. They only had eyes for each other as Lyra's playfulness and Bon Bon's grace mixed perfectly into a quick-paced dance. Only, it didn't match the soporific music from the orchestra too well. Bon Bon and Lyra didn't care and Crystal Note laughed as the ponies around them jumped out of the way to make room for their lively dance.

Luckily, Octavia had meanwhile managed to get the attention from some ponies of the orchestra and pointed towards the dancers. Almost immediately, the music changed into a more fitting piece and more ponies were lured to the dance floor by Lyra's and Bon Bon's example. Crystal Note grinned and Octavia hid a very un-ladylike giggle when some of the nobleponies left the dance floor, huffing in annoyance.

"Well, well, I'd never thought I'd see you crash a party like that, Tavi."
Crystal Note froze momentarily when she heard an unfamiliar voice very close to her, but Octavia only rolled her eyes, albeit with a smile. She didn't even turn around as she answered
"And I would have never expected to see you at a formal ball like this. And of course, you're late as usual."
"Hey, the party starts when I arrive, never the other way around."

Crystal Note turned her head to look at the pony who seemed so familiar with Octavia that she even called her 'Tavi', a nickname Crystal Note had only heard from Lyra until now. Next to them, she saw a unicorn mare with a very pale yellow coat that looked almost white in the lights of the ballroom. She had a two-toned mane and tail of blue and sea green and her eyes were hidden behind larges shades with purple glasses. She was also not wearing a dress like the other ponies at the Gala, instead she had a pair of headphones hanging around her neck. Her cutie mark was two bridged eight-notes and she had a confident smile on her face, despite the fact that she looked out of place at the Gala, even to Crystal Note.

The mare lifted her shades for a moment to wink at Crystal Note with bright purple eyes, then she sat down next to Octavia, so close that their flanks even touched. Octavia didn't seem to mind at all, she even leaned a little towards the unicorn and her lips curled into a smile as well
"So, how was Manehatten, Vinyl?"
"My kind of city, Tavi. The city that never sleeps. I only came back because I missed you."
Octavia had the grace to blush as she batted her hoof towards her
"Oh, you could have fooled me. But I know what keeps you coming back."

The two of them seemed to have forgotten everything around them as soon as they started talking, even Crystal Note who was still standing near to them. Crystal Note didn't feel insulted by this at all, in fact it was very sweet to see. She decided to give them a chance to catch up and left the table she'd been sitting at.

With Lyra and Bon Bon dancing and Octavia occupied, Crystal Note decided she'd get herself another cup of punch for now. She weaved through the groups of ponies effortlessly and without drawing too much of attention. If somepony looked at her, it was mostly because of her dress anyways for sure. Rarity had really outdone herself with such a wonderful gown.

Crystal Note felt surprisingly at ease, even all by herself and surrounded by ponies she didn't know. Somehow, the crowd gave her a feeling of anonymity and she could easily blend into the background if she wanted. Not that she felt the need to right now, as nopony was watching her. Her dress had seemed so enormous in Rarity's mirror and her new manestyle looked so fancy, but compared to the ponies of Canterlot, her attire was still plain no matter how beautiful she felt.

She felt so good from the successful performance with her best friends and after receiving support from Princess Cadance, she didn't even want to hide it. The sparkles that danced on her body in the bright lights of the ballroom were a visible sign for everypony to see and even if Crystal Note didn't notice it, drew in some attention.

The music from the orchestra had reached by now something like an easy jazz and Crystal Note found it easy to match her steps to the rhythm of the music around her. She hummed, counting on the noise of talking ponies all around her to drown it out. Maybe because of that, she felt confident enough even to sing softly under her breath. Without any second thoughts, words formed into a song that matched the music as well as the happiness she felt.

With a cup of punch floating next to her in a glow of her magic, she slowly made her way back towards their table, her hooves still skipping more than actually walking. As usual when her music took over, her eyes closed down and she walked a few steps without looking as she sung for herself.
Until she bumped head first into another pony.

She almost shrieked as she backed away and instinctively let go of her magic. Her cup fell down, but luckily was caught by another unicorn's magic
"My, my, careful my dear. We wouldn't want to spoil anything on your dress now, would we?"
Crystal Note looked up at an incredibly tall unicorn mare with white coat, a pale pink mane and a friendly smile
"Are you alright, my dear?"
Crystal Note stared until the words of the kind voice reached her brain and she stuttered out a response
"Y-yes Miss...?"
"Oh, Fleur de Lis, but you must call me Fleur, my dear. Here, I believe this is yours."

She levitated the cup towards Crystal Note who took it into her own magic, with more effort than it should have been judging from Fleur de Lis' concerned expression
"Are you alright, my dear? You didn't hurt yourself, did you?"
Crystal Note quickly shook her head
"No, Miss Fleur. I'm sorry I ran into you, I should have been more careful."
"Oh, I'm not. It's always a pleasure to meet a friend of Rarity."

Crystal Note must have been staring again, since Fleur de Lis smiled and even chuckled a little
"I would recognize Rarity's style anywhere, my dear. And I know she only makes dresses like these for her closest of friends."
At that, Crystal Note blushed softly and shook her head
"Oh, I, um, Miss Rarity is a very generous pony indeed. She made these gowns for our first performance as a group."
"Performance you say?"
Fleur de Lis fixed her with a taxing look, which turned into a bright smile again
"Oh, of course my dear. You played in the entrance hall when we walked in, and at personal request of Princess Celestia herself I hear."

Crystal Note felt her blush intensify as she nodded shyly. Fleur had talked in a normal volume, but as soon as she had mentioned the princess, ears perked up all around them and ponies turned around to find out whom Fleur was talking too. They looked at the smallish mare with her modest but tasteful dress and her unusually coloured mane. A few frowned at how such a plain mare would get the attention from Fleur de Lis and even the princess, but then they saw the sparkles that danced over Crystal Note's coat. Suddenly what they had thought as plain only moments ago seemed particularly intriguing, almost exotic.

Some of the ponies stepped closer to include themselves into the conversation and Crystal Note instinctively backed away a few steps. Fleur de Lis seemed oblivious to this and just continued
"So tell me, my dear, why aren't you at the main stage right now? Clearly, if you received a personal invitation, there must be a reason for it."
Crystal Note stuttered out a response that hopefully made sense
"I t-think it was rather P-princess Twilight who recommended u-us for..."
One of the stallions didn't let her finished and just latched on the first thing that caught his attention
"Oh ho, acquainted with two of the Princesses, are we? Well done, indeed."

"I think it's rather three Princesses she keeps company with, isn't that right? I definitely saw Princess Cadenza call her to a private meeting."
A mare with yellow coat and white and pale lavender mane stepped uncomfortable close to Crystal Note who could feel her confidence leave her quickly
"It's not every day we get to know nobility of the Crystal Empire. I'm Upper Crust and it is my pleasure to meet you, Miss...?"
Crystal Note stared, so intimidated by all the ponies who stared at her that she almost missed the question
"Oh, um, my name is Crystal Note. But, um, I'm not of noble origin. In fact..."
The same stallion as earlier interrupted her again
"You're so modest, Milady. But you surely must be of an important family. After all, you're a unicorn and you socialize with all the Princesses, so..."
"Stop!"

Crystal Note jerked into an upright stance, shocked at how the stallion seemed to assume something this ridiculous over the simple fact that she had a horn
"I don't socialize with all the Princesses. In fact, I've only talked to Princess Cadance twice in all my life, and I've never even met Princess Celestia. The only one I know is Princess Twilight, but that's normal if you live in Ponyville."
Upper Crust scrunched her muzzle
"Ponyville you say? But clearly, you are a crystal pony, why would you ever go a town like Ponyville?"
Crystal Note looked at her with a confident smile
"Because that's were my friends live. I feel at home with them in Ponyville, even if I'm from the Crystal Empire. Where we don't have a noble class, by them way."
She turned back to the stallion
"If you want to know, my mother was a simple seamstress and my father worked in the mines. They were not more important than anypony else in the Crystal Empire by any means."

The unicorn nobles around her looked very surprised and exchanged a few glances. All of a sudden, the attitude changed from curious to disinterested. Upper Crust scrunched her muzzle again, like she had just tasted something bitter
"I see how it is. I suppose Princess Cadance asked for her to play as a favour from Princess Celestia. If she had any reputation, clearly we would have heard of a Crystal Note before."
"Indeed so. And her performance was not very impressive either if I recall correctly. Not at Canterlot standards by any means."
The other ponies nodded and Crystal Note looked between them, completely confused by their behaviour.
Only Fleur de Lis still smiled and chimed in with her kind voice
"Now, now, she was playing in the background at the entrance hall. I'm sure Miss Crystal Note is capable of more, given the opportunity."

The stallion smiled in a way that made Crystal Note want to hide somewhere in shame and his voice was now harsh
"If you say so, Lady de Lis. However, I believe we still have other important ponies to meet. Shall we, Upper Crust?"
"Most certainly. Tata, dear."

As quickly as they had gathered, the ponies suddenly wandered away in different directions again, leaving only Fleur de Lis and a baffled Crystal Note behind
"Well, I think I should let you mingle some more, Crystal Note. It was a pleasure to meet you."
Fleur gave her a warm and sincere smile before she walked off as well.

Crystal Note just stood in the middle of the ballroom, her cup of punch almost forgotten as it sunk to the floor when she let go of her magic
"What just happened?"
She asked nopony in particular, but she got an answer nonetheless
"The normal snobbish Canterlot treatment, I'm afraid. It is something that is bound to happen when you don't fit into their narrow terms of approval, Darling."
Crystal Note turned her head and saw Rarity come over to stand with her
"Don't let it get you, Darling. They wouldn't recognize your talent anyways, they just wanted to get closer to the Princess through you."

Crystal Note just sighed and shook her head
“But, why would they? Can’t the just go over and say ‘Hi’ to Princess Celestia?”
She pointed at the tall alicorn who stood out from the crowd and was indeed surrounded by ponies and engaged in conversation
“Darling, that’s simply not how things go in Canterlot. You can’t just visit the palace and chat with the Princess. That is simply unheard of.”
Crystal Note furrowed her brow
“It works like that with Princess Twilight.”
“Why, yes it does. But there is a marked difference between Twilight and Princess Celestia, mind you.”
“Really? I mean, I’ve never met Princess Celestia, but everypony keeps telling me that she’s very nice and kind and always trying to help everypony. Isn’t that just like Princess Twilight?”
Rarity only had a fond smile for Crystal Note and her innocently honest way of seeing things. She gently put her hoof on Crystal Note’s shoulder
“Don’t let any of those Canterlot ponies ever change the way you think, Crystal Note. You are absolutely correct.”

Crystal Note smiled back and Rarity noticed with some satisfaction at the glimmer on her friend’s coat didn’t fade away. She knew what this meant but felt the need to say something nonetheless
“I came over to see if you needed some assistance with the sudden attention, but you’ve handled it just perfectly. Well done, Crystal Note.”
Rarity held back a chuckle when Crystal Note immediately blushed from praise
“I wouldn’t call it perfectly.”
“Considering how everypony crowed you out of the blue, I’d say you did just fine, Darling. And your performance with the ensemble was beautiful as well. Why, I even had to mention your name a few times since ponies kept talking about you. I hope you don’t mind?”
Crystal Note’s smile brightened up at that
“Octavia will be thrilled to hear that.”
“And you as well, I certainly hope.”
Rarity watched her closely but the smile didn’t waver as Crystal Note nodded
“It was fun and I wouldn’t mind doing it again.”
“That’s all I wanted to hear, Darling.”

Chapter 8

View Online

The Gala went on deep into the night and at some point, it even changed into a real party. Most of the nobleponies took their exit before midnight, after Princess Celestia declared the official part of the Gala to be over.

What she didn’t mention was that there were still various activities planned throughout the night. Pinkie Pie took over and ensured that everypony had fun, the buffet got restacked with more party-friendly snacks and a pony name DJ Pon3 was left in charge of the music.

Bon Bon, Octavia and Lyra sat near the dancefloor again with Crystal Note and looked at the stage with gleeful anticipation. Some strange devices now stood were the instruments had been before and none other but the unicorn mare with the shades from before now entered the stage and stood behind them. Crystal Note threw a surprised glance to Octavia, but she just nodded and gestured for her to watch.
As soon as DJ Pon3 stood behind the turntables, the crowd cheered and she fired up the first tunes while the dancefloor filled again.

Crystal Note’s ears perked up as the utterly unfamiliar music hit her ears and turned to her friends, looking helpless and confused.
They chuckled softly and Lyra explained to her about music records, turntables and house music, all concepts she had nothing to compare to from her life in the Crystal Empire all those centuries ago.

It took her a while to get familiar with this strange form of music, but she soon bopped her head along to the beat and smiled as she watched everypony dance. This time, there was no strict set of rules, just ponies having fun.
Lyra and Pinkie Pie had tried to drag her on the dancefloor as well, but Crystal Note was fine watching for now. She chatted with a few ponies she knew, like Applejack and Apple Bloom who sat with her for a while, but most of the time she sat by herself.

She wasn’t scared of anypony. She knew that if she wanted, she could just join in and they would immediately welcome her without a second thought. She wasn’t nervous either, not after the intimidating mass of nobles was gone now.
She was just content with watching everypony around her. She didn’t feel left out, but she didn’t feel the urge to throw herself in either. She had reached a very pleasant state of equilibrium, with both herself and the party around her.

Eventually though, she had to take a break, even from just watching. She walked through the groups of now laughing ponies and saw a door to one of the many balconies of the palace. A little bit of fresh air was just what she needed right now.

She walked through the door and sighed in contend as she felt the cool air of the night. She closed her eyes and just enjoyed the soft breeze for a minute.
“It’s a beautiful view, isn’t it?”
Crystal Note’s eyes snapped open and she noticed an earth pony mare standing at the banister in some distance to the door. In the starlight, Crystal Note could see that she was wearing a pretentious gown and a necklace with a crest made of precious stones. With that, she looked just like the other nobles Crystal Note had seen at the Gala, only that she was an elderly earth pony instead of a unicorn.

Something else didn’t match either. The mare wore a beautiful dress and the crest of a noble family, but her posture was slumped from exhaustion. Tentatively, Crystal Note walked closer to her and when she saw the mare’s eyes, she could see a deep sadness in them.
It didn’t take a genius to understand and Crystal Note had seen this expression before, unfortunately. She was looking at a pony mourning in loss.

Crystal Note stood next to the mare and said nothing for a while. She had never seen this mare before, but somehow she felt a connection to her. She stayed, hoping that her company might bring the mare some comfort at least.
The mare appreciated this with a soft smile. Crystal Note saw sadness, but no desperation in her eyes. Instead, there was acceptance and a certain measure of peace as she started to talk once again
“We were here, last year, my husband and I. We looked at the stars forever, at this very spot. I only came back here because if him.”
Crystal Note watched the mare who was still gazing at the stars and whispered in a shy voice
“What happened to him?”
The mare curled her lips into a sad smile
“He passed, my dear. He was old. I am old, too. He just went ahead without me.”

Crystal Note implicitly understood. Why the mare was here tonight, by herself when inside was the biggest event of the year happening. She was mourning, but it was healthy. She didn’t cling on what happened or blame herself. She had accepted it and found her way back into life. She had become wiser of this, not weaker.
Crystal Note was mourning too, but now that she had seen it, she longed that peace that the mare next to her had. Everypony she lost had been ripped out of life by force or tragic events. She had cried and cried over them, mostly her parents, mostly all by herself. She tried to push it away, out of her thoughts and as far away as she could, in the company of her friends or by simply drowning them in the music she played, but all those regrets, all this sadness was never really gone. Each and every day, whether she liked it or not, her sadness drained some of her strength and energy.
She had never healed from it like the mare in front of her and she couldn’t tell why, since she wanted and needed it so much.

Her voice trembled both in fear and in desire as words tumbled out
“How did… how did you… why can you… why can you smile again?”
The elderly mare turned her head and looked at Crystal Note. It was clear she could see the same sadness and loss from the crystal pony. For a moment, there was pity in her eyes, but then the smile returned, brimmed with compassion
“We had so many good times together, my husband and I. We’ve been together for decades, always together. I know he would not want me to wallow in grief. For his sake, and mine, I’ve moved on. I have ponies counting on me and helping me. For them, I keep going.”

She kept looking at Crystal Note as she spoke and she anticipated her next questions
“That does not mean I forgot him. That does not mean I left anything of him behind. He’s still with me, in my heart. He is just in a place where I can carry him without hurting myself.”
Crystal Note could only nod. Something stirred deep inside her, and even if she couldn’t understand yet, she suddenly had something to hope for. Just knowing that there was a way made an enormous difference to her.

The mare smiled when she saw that spark of hope in Crystal Note’s eyes and reached out to touch her hoof. For a moment, they understood each other and Crystal Note could feel what it meant to be at peace with her past.
Like any moments though, it passed and sadness returned to mare and by extension to Crystal Note. They turned to look at the stars again and with a deep sigh, the mare spoke once more
“It also doesn’t mean that I’m not sad anymore. Or that I don’t miss him. Sweet Celestia, in times like these, I miss him so much. I would give anything to see him again. To hear him laugh with me. To feel him hold me just one more time.”

Crystal Note, deeply moved by the words and emotions of the mare next to her, watched the stars, tiny dots of light on a dark sky. She could relate to this, so much.
Without any thought, purely following and instinct from deep inside her soul, her lips just moved and her voice was as soft as a breeze as she sung

And I’d give up forever to touch you
Cause I know that you feel me somehow
You’re the closest to heaven that I’ll ever be
And I don’t want to go home right now

And all I can feel is this moment
And all I can breathe is your light
But sooner or later it’s over
I just don’t want to miss you tonight

And I don’t want the world to see me
Because I don’t think they’d understand
With everything meant to be broken
I just want you to know who I am

Crystal Note's voice faded out and next to her, the old mare shed a few tears. Crystal Note felt the moisture run down her own cheeks, but surprisingly, she didn't feel the desperation that usually came with her tears. She wiped her tears, but her hoof was not grey as she had expected. She felt, good. Lighter, in a way.

The mare next to her brushed away some tears of her own, but she could see what happened
“Better, my dear?”
Crystal Note nodded and took a deep breath
“Yes. Yes. I haven’t sung like this, in years. Not since…”
The mare just nodded, of course she understood. She didn’t even have to say it, so she just smiled
“That’s a shame, my dear. You have such a beautiful voice for singing.”
“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

The mare knew she was thanking her for more than just the compliment, so she put her hoof on Crystal Note’s shoulder
“If you want to thank me, keep singing. Even if it’s just for yourself. Can you do that?”
Crystal Note nodded with a small smile
“Yes, Milady. I promise.”

The mare smiled when saw that flicker of hope from before was now a bright spark in Crystal Note's eyes, a spark that would not fade so easily anymore. She still felt pity for the young mare who had to go through so much sadness already, but it warmed her heart to see her take the first steps past it, even if it was only a song in the dark.
"And you know, my dear, if you're ever in need of an audience, you could visit me at my estate anytime. I would certainly enjoy hearing you sing again."
Despite how sad she had just felt, the elder mare couldn't help but chuckle when Crystal Note bowed her head in what seemed like a well-practiced motion
"It would be an honour, Milady."

The mare smiled and answered the bow with a graceful nod
"Very well. You'll find my estate a bit outside the city near the road to Ponyville. Just ask for Lady Ramonia and you should find me."
"I will."
They both looked up when they heard a loud series of cheers from inside the ballroom and Lady Ramonia chuckled softly
"Now, I think it's past time we joined the festivities again. I've held you out here far too long as it is, Miss."
At this moment, Crystal Note realized she had not even introduced herself and quickly fix this with another bow of her head.

As soon as they were back inside, Crystal Note heard somepony calling her name
"Crissy, there you are! Come on, grab your violin, we've got something to prove."
Crystal Note blinked confused for a moment when Lyra suddenly took her hoof and tried to pull her away
"Lyra? What's the matter."
"Well, Vinyl Scratch just claimed that stringed instruments could never sound anything but outdated, so Tavi and I are gonna show her, but we need you! Come on, everypony's already waiting."

Crystal Note was about to pull back with a quick excuse, but before she could think of anything, Lady Ramonia pushed her towards Lyra with an affectionate nudge and a loud chuckle
"Now, that I just have to see. Let's go!"
With that, Crystal Note finally let Lyra pull her towards the stage and she even felt her lips curling to a smile. That smile turned brighter when she almost all of her friends from Ponyville cheering once they saw her, Pinkie Pie and Apple Bloom louder than anypony else. On the way, Rainbow Dash swooped in to lop her violin at her, which she caught safely in her magic.

On the small stage, Octavia was already waiting for her with her cello, shooting quips at the unicorn DJ from earlier, Vinyl Scratch. Both of them were smiling though, so Crystal Note knew better than to worry. Lyra and Bon Bon were there as well, the former one with her namesake lyre ready to play.
Crystal Note didn't really need any more encouragement, but just to make sure she saw Princess Twilight and Princess Cadance making their way towards the stage as well, chatting and giggling like fillies and just as excited.

The three musicians looked at each other and for a moment, it was only them. Crystal Note barely noticed the ponies watching them or the sounds all around them. Octavia gave her a nod and started playing. Lyra and Crystal Note smiled at each other when they recognized one of the songs they had created all together.

Crystal Note closed her eyes and on cue, she and Lyra joined in. Just like in the entry hall before, the three mares were in tune from the very first note they played. And just like earlier, Crystal Note immensely enjoyed performing with her friends. This time however, she felt something stir inside her, the same thing she had just felt when she sung on the balcony. Crystal Note allowed the feeling to take hold of her. She suddenly didn't just play for the ponies who listened anymore, or only for her friends. She also played for herself, she played because it made her happy. The fact she knew it made the ponies around her smile was a wonderful feeling, but knowing that she could just be happy for herself took any pressure from her.
Together with Lyra and Octavia, she played song after song, free and unchained, with a smile that wouldn't fade.

Chapter 9

View Online

Rain and grey clouds dominated the sky for the entire day. Barely any light made it through the thick veil of bad weather and even less ponies dared going outside on a day like that. Lyra watched the empty street through the biggest window of the Sweet Shop. So far, she had only seen one pegasus cross the sky during the last two hours. Any other sane pony stayed inside their warm homes.

Behind Lyra, she heard Bon Bon sigh in frustration. Not a single costumer came to buy her candy today. She had hoped that the downpour would end sooner than expected but the weather patrol kept true to their promises this time. She half-heartily slammed her hoof on the counter and the thud was loud enough to snap Lyra out her staring
“Huh? What?”
“Nopony is going to come today.”
“You don’t know that, Bonnie. It’s just a slow day.”
“Augh. I hate slow days with nothing to do.”

Lyra laughed and got up and stepped behind the counter. She gently hugged Bon Bon and the earth pony’s frown melted into a soft smile
“You don’t have it in you to hate anything, Bonnie. You’re too sweet.”
Bon Bon rolled her eyes and chuckled
“You’re hopeless, Lyra”
“Hopelessly romantic, maybe?”
“Nope. Just hopeless.”
Lyra glared for a moment, but then both of them just giggled and joined in a nuzzle.

Determined to get at least something productive done, Bon Bon started cleaning all the shelves in the shop. Lyra knew better than to tease Bon Bon too much on a day like that, and since it was her turn cooking, she headed to the kitchen to get an early start on dinner.

The late train rolled into Ponyville station, almost empty. Nopony stood at the platform and the conductor didn’t even call out the next stop. Only one mare stood there to get out, so the stallion pulled the door open for her
“Have a nice day, Miss.”
The grey mare kept her eyes low and didn’t reply. She stepped into the open with nothing but a flimsy bandana to protect her from the rain. The conductor just shrugged and returned into the train.

The mare was soaked within seconds, but it didn’t seem she cared in the least. Her bandana couldn’t hold back her wet mane and brown strands obscured her face. The streets were empty and dark, so nopony saw the mare stumble down the street, unsteady on her hooves. Nopony saw the trails of wetness that ran down her muzzle, not all from the downpour. In the drumming of the rain, nopony heard the sobbing.

The dark grey mare hurried through the empty streets, more than once her hooves lost hold on the slippery ground. Somehow, she managed to stay on her hooves and push on further. Like a moth lured by the light, the mare headed straight for the two story house, a little away from town centre.
The storefront was dark but the mare threw herself against door anyways, knocking with her hooves. She didn’t expect the door to be unlocked, so she literally fell into the shop. She hit the floor with a whimper.

Bon Bon jumped on her hooves and crouched into a defensive stance from instinct. As soon as she recognized who had invaded her home, she raced to her side
“Crystal Note! Sweet Celestia, what happened to you?”
The grey mare whimpered again and clung on Bon Bon like a drowning pony would on a life float
“Bonnie!”
She wailed in a long whine and pressed her soaked, trembling form against the earth pony.

Bon Bon couldn’t care less about getting wet herself as she wrapped her hooves around her friend in a tight hug
“Crissy, talk to me. What happened?”
The only answer she got was more sobbing. Bon Bon’s mind caught up and took in many details. The mare’s coat and mane were dark and dull, partially from the wetness. Of course, since Crystal Note was a crystal pony, the darkness of her colour also spoke volumes of the mare’s emotional state. Bon Bon knew that to throw Crystal Note this much out of balance, it would need an immense shock.
Not good.

Crystal Note was blubbering like a filly and she wore her bandana. She’d been on a trip to the Crystal Empire and returned like this.
Not good at all.

“Crystal Note.”
She forced her head up with a hoof and finally, Crystal Note’s gem shaped eyes focused on her
“I wanna help you. I can’t if you don’t tell me what happened.”
“Bonnie… I’m a monster…”
Bon Bon forced back the instinct to roll her eyes and snort. Instead, she replied in her most calm voice
“Crissy, we’ve been through this. You’re not a monster. You’re…”
“They pointed their spears at me!”
“Then those guards are jerks.”
The crystal mare pulled off her bandana so her silvery horn was clear to see
“Everypony stared at me. They yelled, they screamed. They didn’t let me close to the palace.”
“There’s always going to be nay-sayers, Crystal Note.”
What was supposed to diffuse some of her fears only brought more wailing
“They hid away their foals from me, Bonnie.”
“What?”

Lyra, lured out of the kitchen by the screams and crying, crossed the room and took her spot next to Crystal Note
“Crissy…”
“WHY WOULD THEY DO THAT?”
Crystal Note screamed, at the top of her voice and louder than Bon Bon had ever heard her before. Just as quickly as it had appeared, her anger burnt out again and she slumped on the floor, crying bitterly.

Bon Bon noticed that Lyra was close to her boiling point as well, the unicorn gritted her teeth together and her eyes were hard. With a soft touch, Bon Bon drew Lyra’s attention to her and shook her head with a sad expression. She couldn’t deal with Lyra going ballistic and Crystal Note being depressed at the same time. Luckily, Lyra understood right away and swallowed her anger. Right now, her friend needed them both.

Without words, Lyra and Bon Bon took Crystal Note in their middle and helped her on her hooves. The crystal mare was still lost in tears and had to lean heavily on her friends, but they managed to get her into the sitting room and into one of the soft armchairs. Lyra stayed with her while Bon Bon left for a few minutes and returned with cups of hot chocolate.
Crystal Note didn’t say anything all the while. She ignored the cup that was placed in front of her and kept sobbing.

After a few more minutes of silence, Bon Bon decided to press on
“Crissy, tell us what happened.”
“I don’t want to…”
Crystal Note managed to press out a few words between her tears, but Lyra touched her shoulder
“Crissy, we know. But there’s no other way this time. It’s eating you up from the inside if you don’t let it out!”
“But… what if…”
Bon Bon took hold of her hoof before she could even start
“What if we get scared of you like them? Not going to happen. What if you really are a monster? You’d not be sitting here in our house if you were. What if we’re angry or disappointed at you? We’re not. You stomached your fears and went there, Crissy. Even if it didn’t turn out as we wished, we’re proud you got so far. Anything I missed?”
Crystal Note slumped into the chair and shook her head. Slowly, her sobs died down, even if she wouldn’t let go of Bon Bon’s hoof.

“I felt good on the train. I kept reading Rose Quartz’ letter and how she was looking forward to see me again. I felt confident for a change, so I jumped out of the train and headed straight for the palace. But I didn’t even get close.”
Fresh tears ran down her muzzle and the dark colours in her coat and mane refused to fade even a little, but her voice was somewhat calm as she continued
“I took the main street. I walked towards the market plaza to the front of the palace and everypony was staring at me. I should have known. I should have known there would be guards following me as soon as I left the train. I should have known it would be too soon for them to forgive me. But I was so eager to meet Rose Quartz, I acted confident and bold. I took off my bandana. If they’re staring anyways, give them something to stare at, right?”

Despite the situation, Lyra couldn’t resist a smirk and Bon Bon rolled her eyes. Crystal Note noticed just that and started to apologize again, but Bon Bon quickly stopped her with a hoof on her mouth
“It’s not you. I just can’t get behind how anypony could be scared of you. I mean, they’re supposed to understand what you’re going through since they’re crystal ponies as well, right? And they know you have a horn, so I don’t get the big deal.”

“They’re scared of me.”
The answer came far too quickly, even Lyra noticed this right away. She figured Crystal Note had been mulling this over and over in her head. Whatever the real reason might be, in the crystal unicorn’s head, this conclusion was the only possible truth already.
“You don’t know that for sure, Crissy…”
As expected, Crystal Note just started sobbing more
“You didn’t see them. The way they stared at me, as if I was about to attack them. They ran out of my way. They whispered behind me and somepony started yelling at me. I… I couldn’t take it. It hurt seeing them all so afraid. Afraid of me. So I looked away, down at my hooves. And then everything went into chaos.”

Bon Bon and Lyra braced themselves as Crystal Note’s coat was nearly black by now and tears kept streaming down to the floor. Most disturbing though was her voice that started to crack and fall apart every other word
“I didn’t mean to. When I looked away, I accidentally pointed my horn at somepony. I wasn’t doing anything, I swear. But they screamed so loud. Suddenly, the guard was surrounding me. They pointed spears at me. Everypony was screaming and shouting and I heard foals crying. It was just like… just like…”
Lyra bit her lower lip when Crystal Note fell apart in Bon Bon’s grip. As much as she hated it, she needed to ask
“Just like what?”
In a howl, Crystal Note yelled out
“The guards! They glared at me and pointed their weapons at me. It was just like back when they were King Sombra’s soldiers, when they attacked and arrested innocent ponies. I didn’t see the crystal guard anymore, I just saw Sombra’s dark soldiers. I couldn’t stop. They circled me and came closer and… and… I panicked. I’ve never been so afraid before and then it happened.”

Bon Bon’s hooves gripped more tightly and her eyes clenched shut to hold back tears. Most out of sympathy for her friend, but she couldn’t deny that there was some anger boiling inside her as well. Why all this? Just because she’s a little different? They don’t even know her.

Lyra’s frown turned from anger to worry. Something was very off, she could tell, and she was almost afraid to ask
“What happened? Can you tell us?”

Crystal Note dissolved in tears and sadness, reliving her encounter had her broken down just as much. Even if she wanted, there was no way she could hold back now, not anymore
“One of them charged at me and I pushed. I didn’t think, I just reacted on instinct. I saw his spear and I screamed and I pushed.”
Bon Bon didn’t understand right away, but one glance at Lyra’s pale face was enough to get her back on track
“Crissy, tell me you didn’t…”
“She did.”
Lyra’s tone was untypically harsh and uncompromising
“She panicked when she was attacked, so she defended herself with her magic.”
Crystal Note coiled in fear and pain as Lyra confirmed what had happened, but instead of being shoved away, the embrace that held her only grew stronger. She felt more than she heard Bon Bon crying as she held her
“How could they? How could they push you so far?”

Lyra joined the hug, knowing that her friend needed every ounce of support she could get right now
“You didn’t hurt anypony.”
There was not a sliver of doubt in her voice. Much to Crystal Note’s disbelieve, Bon Bon nodded and agreed wholeheartedly
“You wouldn’t do that.”
“Never.”
Crystal Note felt a few knots inside her untangle and with a deep, ragged breath came relief. At least her friends would stay at her side

“Crissy, we don’t want to hurt you with this, but you need to tell us what happened after. You’ll never be able to let it go unless you do.”
Crystal Note pressed her eyes shut and nodded weakly. Right now, in her friends’ embrace and away from the world, she felt safe enough. For a moment, she could pretend and separate herself from all that happened, just enough to explain
“I pushed him away with my magic and he stumbled as if he had been shoved. He dropped his spear, but something was wrong. I screamed when I pushed and it was like a roar in my ears and I felt… I don’t even know how. Hot and cold, a bright flash and my head hurt. I was dizzy for a moment. When I could see clear again, everypony was staring at me in fear. Somepony screamed and ran away, even the guards backed away in fear. I saw a mare jumping in front of her foal when I looked her way, and she looked so terrified, like I was going to attack her child. I just… I couldn’t…”
Like a tidal wave, everything came rushing back at her. The moment of disconnection faded brutally and her inside froze up again. It had happened. Everything was real. And she was responsible for it.

Lyra and Bon Bon held the wailing mare tightly in their middle. They knew whatever words they had would not reach her right now, so they stayed silent, but close all the time. Minutes, maybe hours passed before Crystal Note could stop crying. A little longer even before she uncurled her body and tried to sit up again.
As soon as she did, the forgotten mug of hot chocolate floated into her hooves in Lyra’s golden magic. Bon Bon gently pushed her back against the plush seat of the armchair. A very weak and fragile smile lit up her face for a brief moment, before it was drowned out by sorrow and confusion.

Lyra was the one to break the silence
“You didn’t hurt anypony and you never wanted to. You had a magic surge.”
Crystal Note stared as the fellow unicorn explained
“It happens when you’re hurt or emotionally stressed, which you were. To put it simple, you lost control of your magic for a moment and it all surged out of you at once. That’s why you saw a flash and that’s where the headache came from.”
Lyra flashed an encouraging smile at Crystal Note, but it didn’t break through to her. Instead, her turquoise eyes sank to the floor again and she mumbled
“What have I done?”

“You’ve done nothing, Crissy. Magic surges, they just happen. You’re still new to magic and you never really tried to use your spells under that level of stress. Plus, with both your crystal pony magic and unicorn magic tapping into your emotions… Crissy, the pony who got hurt the most was you.”
Lyra watched concerned as Crystal Note just shook her head and didn’t even seem to hear her, before Bon Bon came to her help
“And before you blame yourself, every unicorn has them. If anypony is to blame it’s those crystal guards who attacked you.”
Crystal Note closed her eyes and whispered
“They were just trying to…”

“No!”
Bon Bon interrupted her friend and poked her muzzle
“Don’t defend them! Don’t make up excuses for them. There’s no excuse, not even a little. You did nothing and they threatened you. I don’t care if they were scared of crystal unicorns all those years ago. It should be clear as day that you’re not like those creatures. For land’s sake, even the crystal heart and Princess Cadance accepted you into the Crystal Empire, why can’t they just get over it?”
Bon Bon’s voice grew louder as she went on and she screamed in frustration. Both Crystal Note and Lyra just stared, utterly amazed from such an outburst of the usually collected mare
“Wow. You’ve been holding that one back for a while, haven’t you Bonnie?”
Bon Bon groaned frustrated. As usual, Lyra just had her figured out, so there was no reason denying it any longer
“Yes! And I can’t tell you how good it feels to let it out!”
They exchanged a quick glimpse before they focused back on the crying mare in there middle
“Your turn now, Crissy.”
“Yeah, let it out.”

Crystal Note shook her head with her eyes clenched shut, but Lyra and Bon Bon insisted relentlessly
“Crissy, this is eating you up. It’s hurting you. You can’t carry this around with you forever.”
“Aren’t you angry? Disappointed, maybe? Come on, you can tell us. We won’t think less of you if you do.”
Crystal Note shook her head vehemently and shivered. Between long, desperate sobs, she managed but a few words
“I can’t… I don’t know… I don’t deserve…”
Bon Bon frowned but before any anger could flare up inside her, Lyra shook her head
“Yes you do, Crystal Note. You just have to try it. If you can’t talk, try singing.”
That was just enough to throw Crystal Note off loop
“Singing?”
“Yeah. You always have a song for every occasion. When you can’t find words, I’m sure you can still find that song. I know it.”
Bon Bon nodded approvingly and squeezed Crystal Note’s hoof encouragingly
“It’s worth a try, Crissy. It’ll make you feel better, I promise.”

Crystal Note still hesitated but Lyra wouldn't let her pull away
"Come on, you need this. We're here with you and you're safe with us. No matter of you're angry or sad, you can let it out. We'll never think any less of you if you do."
Crystal Note wavered in her decision but Lyra just gently directed her gaze to her eyes
"Don't you trust us?"
The crystal unicorn stared for moment, but then nodded vehemently, which made both Lyra and Bon Bon smile softly
"It'll be okay. Just close your eyes and let it out."

Crystal Note closed her eyes and took a deep breath, even if it was still hitched from crying. Bon Bon and Lyra waited patiently and stayed close
“It’s okay, Crissy. How do you feel?”
Crystal Note sobbed and tried several times, but each time her voice broke down
“I… I feel like… like…”
Finally, her voice took that familiar quality as she started singing, scared and sad and quietly

Like a storm is raging inside of me
It’s getting harder to breathe…
It hurts deep inside…

Just let me be
Who I am
Doesn’t anypony understand?
And I hope so hard for the pain to go away.

And it’s torturing me…
But I can’t break free…
So I cry and cry but I can’t get it out…

Crystal Note quickly dissolved into tears again and Lyra and Bon Bon pressed in close, crying as well when they heard the deep pain in her friend’s voice.

The crystal unicorn sobbed loud and clung on her friends who just held her in their middle. After a few minutes, when Crystal Note had calmed down at least a little, Lyra tried with a weak smile
“Okay, maybe singing wasn’t the best idea right now.”
“Ya think?”
Lyra could help but burst into laughter at Bon Bon’s sarcastic tone
“I’m not sure. Maybe we should give it another shot.”
“Oh no you don’t! “
Even Crystal Note’s lips twitched into a quick smile as Lyra laughed even harder as Bon Bon rolled her eyes
“You’re unbelievable, Lyra.”
“Unbelievably smart, maybe?”
“Nope. Unbelievable.”
Crystal Note chuckled softly, even though tears still ran down her cheeks.
"You guys... thank you so much."

She smiled when her two best friends squeezed her gently
"We’re here for you, Crissy.”
“We don’t care what everypony else thinks. We know who you are and we like that pony a lot.”

Finally, Crystal Note’s tears ran out, partially from relief but mostly from pure exhaustion. Within her friends’ embrace, her eyes closed down and she passed out. Outside, a storm was raging and inside her as well, but right now, here with her friends, she was safe.

Chapter 10

View Online

Lyra woke up in the morning from loud knocking on the door. She stood up with a little groan, she felt stiff from a night on the couch. At least somepony had pulled a blanket over her. She suspected Bonnie, but her friend was still asleep on one of the armchairs with a blanket of her own.

Lyra blinked slowly. She had never been a morning pony and her thoughts worked through a fog, especially since something woke her up so abruptly. Something had happened last night so they hadn’t made it to their bed, and she remembered crying and holding Crystal Note a lot.

Her eyes flew wide open when everything rushed back to her. She looked around the room but saw nopony else, only Bon Bon as she woke up from another series of knocks from the front door.
Lyra rushed out of the room to answer the door, surprised by who had come to visit them this early
“Spike? What are you doing here?”

Lyra and Spike knew each other from the years in Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. Spike the baby dragon followed Twilight Sparkle around a lot these days, and Lyra’s fascination with mythical creatures had been at its peak back then, so naturally they had started to hang out between classes and Twilight’s special study sessions. They had never been as close as Lyra was with Minuette or Twinkleshine, but they had enough common ground to rekindle their casual friendship, now that they both lived in Ponyville and saw each other regularly.

Today, Lyra knew this wasn’t a friendly visit from her dragon buddy, as Spike was huffing out of breath and with some official looking scrolls in his claws
“Lyra, thank Celestia you’re here! Something happened and we need your help!”
Lyra waited for Spike to continue, but all that happened was him burping up a scroll with his dragon fire
“Oh geez, not again.”
He scanned through the parchment before he rolled it up with a heavy sigh
“So she’s not in Canterlot either.”
“Who’s not in Canterlot?”

Spike seemed to realize he had been talking to Lyra and snapped back
“Oh yeah, right! You see, Crystal Note went on a trip to the Crystal Empire the other day…”
“I know, she told me all about it.”
Spike nodded impatiently and showed her a scroll. Lyra couldn’t read it because he was waving it around, but she recognized the royal insignia of Princess Cadance
“Point is, she never arrived at the crystal palace. Cadance says there had been a misunderstanding at the market, but that was the last time anypony saw her.”
Lyra angrily blew her breath through her nose and any trace of friendliness faded away
“Pff… ‘Misunderstanding’ my cutie-marked flank… try assault next time you see her.”

“What do you mean? How do you know about that?”
“She came back late last night during the storm. Some jerks in the Crystal Empire tried to chase her off, with spears and all. She only defended herself, but because she’s a unicorn, everypony panicked and she ran back home during the chaos.”
Spike, who had never seen Lyra this angry, tried to wrap his head around what little he got
“But, why would anypony want to chase her away? And if she ran home, why didn’t Crystal Note go to Sweet Apple Acres or to Twilight and me?”
Lyra sighed and looked Spike
“Because she was afraid of exactly what’s happening right now, Spike. Let me guess, Princess Twilight already organized search parties and a royal investigation and probably activated every guard available on short notice?”

Spike held his elbow with his free arm and his gaze sunk to the ground
“She also requested help from Princess Celestia and Princess Luna from Canterlot.”
Lyra shook her head and frowned
“That’s the last thing Crystal Note needs right now. She doesn’t want even more fuss about everything that happened. It’s bad enough it happened at all, but with Twilight involved, this is going to be blown up into a national crisis. Do you think Crystal Note would feel happy about that?”
Spike immediately shook his head
“No, never. She’d never confront anypony even if they’re at fault. But you know Twilight and Applejack.”
Lyra nodded and put her hoof on Spike’s shoulder
“That why Crystal Note came to us last night. At the moment, she felt safer with us.”

Spike nodded and sighed
“Yeah, I get that. So, can I see her? I’ve got a letter from Princess Cadance for her and if she’s with you, then I can…
“Spike, she’s not here right now. She was here last night and she cried herself to sleep on our couch, but she was gone when you woke me up.”
Spike seemed alerted for a moment
“You mean she ran away, again? But what she got into trouble or headed to the Everfree Forest all by herself? We should start looking for her and… oh… right.”
As soon as he noticed Lyra glaring at him, he realized what he just said
“I’ll tell Twilight she’s okay and that she needs some space. I’ll keep her letter for now, she can get it from me when she feels ready.”
“Thank you, Spike. I promise I’ll let you know when she comes back home, okay?”

Spike agreed and hurried back towards the Golden Oaks Library again. By now, Bon Bon had gotten up and walked into the shop from the back, rubbing her eyes
“Who was that?”
Lyra sighed and closed the door
“That was Spike. Twilight riled up a search party because Crystal Note didn’t report in last night.”
Bon Bon rolled her eyes
“Seriously? She should know that Crissy spends her nights here with us.”
Lyra smiled joylessly
“Yeah, but you don’t understand, this time it was very important. Princess Cadance had sent scroll.”
Bon Bon threw her hoof into the air
“Can you believe the nerve of some ponies? Even if she’s a princess.”
“No wonder Crystal Note came right here last night.”

Bon Bon nodded and looked around
“Speaking of which, where is she?”
“I have no idea. She was already gone when Spike woke me up.”
Just as Lyra expected, Bon Bon simply shrugged and went for the door
“I’ll go get her. How about you set up some brunch for when we’re back?”
Lyra just nodded and smiled. Bon Bon was crazy good at finding ponies for some reason. She didn’t even doubt for a second that she would return with Crystal Note soon, so she decided to keep the store closed for today and went right into the kitchen.

Bon Bon walked through the winded paths down the western orchards of Sweet Apple Acres. Everything was still wet from last night’s storm and the wind had blown down many of the leaves, but the sun was hot again today. She had checked her surroundings a few times now, but she was certain that none of the Apple family were anywhere near. Granted, the orchards were big enough to get lost in, but if they’d been really that close as a family, the Apples should have known about Crystal Note’s favourite hiding spot around here.

She pushed her latent anger aside when she heard sobbing. She followed the sound and prepared herself for the worst when she walked between the tall apple trees. As expected, she found Crystal Note, hunched over in the shadows of a small grove. Bon Bon noticed her coat was dull and grey, but it would have surprised her to see anything else at that point.

She made herself obvious by stepping on some branches and Crystal Note’s ears perked up. The sobbing stopped for a moment and Crystal Note looked her way. Bon Bon was still far enough so Crystal Note could have run away if she wanted to be alone, but the crystal mare just slumped down. She didn’t look any less stressed, but at least the sobbing had stopped, so Bon Bon took it as a sign to come closer
“Hey Crissy.”
“Hi…”

Bon Bon didn’t like how Crystal Note’s voice sounded, hopeless and tired. It sounded like the mare had already given up on finding a way out of this, but that was not Bon Bon’s plan right now
“So, would you like to talk awkwardly about the weather now, or should we cut right to the case?”
Crystal Note sighed defeated and whispered
“Bonnie… I can’t do this right now.”
“Running away won’t help you solve this, Crissy.”
“I know. I know. But right now, I just…”

“Found her! Told them I could do it in ten seconds flat. HEY AJ! OVER HERE!”
Both Bon Bon and Crystal Note looked up and saw the blur of colours with Rainbow Dash’s voice vanishing in the direction of the farmhouse. Crystal Note slumped down and folded her hooves over her head while Bon Bon silently cursed for not counting in the pegasus factor.

Soon enough, they heard many hooves as a group of ponies quickly ran down the weathered path towards Crystal Note’s hiding spot. Up front was Applejack, followed closely by Princess Twilight
“There you are! Land’s sake girl, we’ve been worried sick ‘bout you. Why didn’t you come home last night?”
“We’re so glad to see you, Crystal Note! Are you hurt? We’ve heard there’s been some trouble and then Spike say you got into a fight and we all got worried. Of course I immediately rounded up the girls and all, so…”
Applejack jumped in again when Twilight drifted into rambling
“So we can find those guys and teach ‘em a thing or two ‘bout treating a friend of ours like that, let alone a member of ma family.”

Crystal Note kept her head hidden behind her hooves and when Applejack and Twilight kept going, she shifted away from them. Bon Bon took this as the cue she’d been waiting for and stepped in between the princess and her friend
“Back off! Can’t you see you’re overwhelming her?"

Princess Twilight stopped rambling and backed away a little. She seemed both relieved and concerned to see Bon Bon, unlike Applejack. She didn't back away even a step and just turned towards the other mare, leaving both earth ponies them muzzle to muzzle.
Applejack's famous stubbornness didn't let her calm down easily and Bon Bon wasn't very far behind her, so they ended up glaring at each other
"With all respect, but this here is a family matter, so kindly stay out of this."
Bon Bon snorted and pushed against Applejack
"Well, I'm here to support my friend and I won't stay out of this. Especially since I know what you're doing isn't helping her at all."
"Beg your pardon?"

They glared at each other from close distance while Rainbow Dash hovered awkwardly behind them, but she usually bold pegasus didn't dare to interfere today. Princess Twilight watched for a moment longer and addressed Bon Bon in what she though was a calm manner, but Bon Bon could easily see the tension she was hiding
"Bon Bon, I see what you're trying to do and I appreciate your effort. But if what Spike says is true and there really has been a fight, then...
"If there has been a fight? So you mean you don't believe what Crystal Note told me?"
Bon Bon harshly interrupted Twilight who shook her head
"Of course not. But as the Princess of Friendship, I think it's my duty to step in now and make sure that none of my friends get hurt even more. I hope you understand."

Bon Bon abruptly turned away from Applejack and now glared a the princess instead, with little respect for her royal title
"Oh, I understand alright. You think just because I don't have a crown or a fancy element necklace, my friendship is worth less then yours. I can't do anything so I should just leave and let Princess Twilight 'left her friends in Canterlot without saying goodbye' Sparkle do her thing now."
As Bon Bon intended, that was more than enough to have Twilight loose her cool
"Not that's not... I never said that I was... how do you even know about that?"
"Your old friend Lyra Heartstrings moved to Ponyville too, Princess. Since we live together, your name came up once or twice when we talked, but that's not important now!"

She stomped her hoof on the ground and glared at Twilight, Applejack and Rainbow Dash who now stood at their friend's side
"Last night she was devastated when she returned. Did she go see Princess Twilight for advice? No she didn't. Did she run home to Sweet Apple Acres to her supposed family? Nope, guess again. She came to Lyra and me. Because she knew we would listen to her. Because she felt like none of you would understand her. I won't let you push Lyra or me aside just because you waved with your crown."

At this point, all of them started talking at the same time, though from Bon Bon and Applejack it was more yelling at each other while Twilight tried again and again to make an argument but got cut off by either of them. Rainbow Dash wasn't helpful either.
"My family and I been there for her ever since she came to Ponyville and I won't let you..."
"No! You obviously never let her anything, you just..."
"Hey, you stop yelling at my friends right away, or I'll..."
"Please, can you listen for a second, we have solve this mess before..."
"SHUT UUUUUP!"

All four of them winced when the loudest voice they had ever heard screamed at them. Bon Bon who stood closest nearly fell over and Rainbow Dash covered her ears with her hooves. Applejack jerked her head around so quickly that her hat flew of even.

Behind them stood Crystal Note with tears in her eyes as she screamed at the. There was a feint glow around her horn, some Twilight registered but wouldn't process until days later, as for right now, she was just baffled like the rest and frankly, a tad scared even. She had never seen Crystal Note so angry before and the usually soft spoke mare never screamed.

When the four bickering mares fell silent and gaped at her, Crystal Note took a deep breath. Her voice was still louder than usual and there was an edge none of the others had heard before
"That's why I came here and told nopony. I just wanted some time to think. I didn't want to be treated like a helpless filly." She glared at Applejack at this, then turned towards Twilight "Or worse, like another friendship problem." Both their ears dropped, then Crystal Note turned at Bon Bon who already looked ashamed, but met her eyes to receive her just deserts "And I am sick and tired of everypony telling me what I'm thinking and how I feel."

Crystal Note took a step backwards, away from everypony, and her voice was back to its usual quiet tone, even if she sounded insecure
"All I wanted was some time for myself. Is that really so much to ask?"
She didn't wait for an answer and instead turned around and ran away, deeper into the orchard and towards the edge of the Everfree Forest. Rainbow Dash spread her wings to go after her, but one look at the other three made her dismiss that thought immediately.

The four of them stood there in awkward silence. It took them a while to look at each other again and longer to start talking.

When Crystal Note couldn't run anymore, she had almost reached the dark forest. She wasn't foolish enough to walk in alone, so instead she sat down by one of the small streams that separated the forest from the farmland. She looked at her blurry reflection in the flowing water. She frowned gloomily at the image of her horn.

She didn't know how long she had been sitting there, when she hard a chuckling laughter and a strange voice, seemingly out of nowhere
"Splendid, I must say. First that wonderful hubbub in the Crystal Empire, and now this! You should have seen the look on poor Twilight's face. What am I saying, of course you've seen it, you were there of course! Such a nice little chaos, for a pony at least."

Crystal Note jumped backwards when a mass of water emerged from the tiny stream and floated in the air. The creature contorted for a few moments, before it took a form that looked like the strangest mix of body parts Crystal Note had ever seen. Red and yellow eyes fixed on her, but the creature didn't seem dangerous or aggressive, in fact he even winked at her.

She needed a moment to catch up, but she was almost sure who she was looking at
"You're... you're Discord, right?"
He chuckled again and waved his paws through the air
"Well, who did you expect? Celestia?"
He passed a his griffon claw past his head and suddenly, his face looked a lot like the princess, right down to her flowing mane, even if it was still a pair of yellow and red eyes watching her. With a snap, he was back to normal, or at least as normal as Discord would look
"No, indeed I am Discord, Lord of Chaos, though recently reformed, but I'm sure Fluttershy has already told you about that. Speaking of me...", he leaned forward so his face was closer to Crystal Note, even if he was still floating in the air, "I couldn't help but notice that you have the tendency to cause a little commotion wherever you go, isn't that right Crystal Note?"

He put a strange emphasis on her name and winked, which made Crystal Note suspect he knew more than he was telling her. Still, she felt it was best not to anger a creature like Discord, so she did her best to answer
"I guess ponies keep staring at me. I, um, I am a little unusual."
"A little unusual, hmm? If what I've heard is true, and it is most of the time, then you are more than unusual. You are unique, or should I say singular?"
He chuckled once more, but this time Crystal Note felt shiver run down her spine
"I... I guess you could say that."

He clapped his hands together and grinned widely
"Yes, you are. A few decades ago, Celestia was the only alicorn for a while, but suddenly there's four of them, maybe even five soon. But there has been and will be only one Discord! You and me, we are one of a kind, so to speak. Maybe we should open a club!"
With a snap, Crystal Note suddenly found herself inside a room that reminded her a little of the Cutie Mark Crusader clubhouse, sitting on a couch instead of the ground. Discord sat next to her with a shirt that said '#1 Draconequus' and as she looked down herself, she was wearing a matching shirt only her said '#1 Crystal Unicorn' instead.

Before she could take in more details, Discord sighed displeased
"But then again, a club of two is doomed to become dreadfully boring."
With a snap of his claw, they were back in the meadow, at the little stream, as if nothing had ever happened. Only that Discord now lounged in an easy chair that also floated in the air
"That, and not everypony appreciates that unique sort of amusement that comes with me being around."

Crystal Note sat down on the ground and looked up at the strange creature. She knew it probably wasn't polite to ask this, but she couldn't let go of it
"You mentioned the Crystal Empire. Were you there, when... did you...?"
Even though Crystal Note didn't finish her question, Discord started laughing again
"Oh, goodness no. I don't cause that sort of chaos anymore, even if it won't keep me from enjoying it when it happens. No, no, my little oddity, you see, what happened there was all on you. Congratulations!"

Crystal Note clenched her eyes shut. Of course it's all my fault. I'm the one to blame for everything. I should have never gone back there. And I shouldn't have returned here either. Discord is right, all I can do is cause trouble and make everypony else's lives miserable.

Discord seemed completely oblivious and just went on in a casual tone
"But to answer your first questions, yes I was there to enjoy the show. Honestly, there's too little excitement in Equestria these days to miss out on something like that."
Crystal Note took a deep breath. She didn't want to talk about this, but here was a chance to find out something that had been on her mind since she jumped on the train. If Crystal Note had learned anything growing up in the brink of an incoming war, then it was to take the chance, any chance she could get, for it might as well be her last.

She looked up at the floating draconequus and pressed out words
"Can you tell me what happened after I... I..."
Discord winked and chuckled
"After you shook everypony awake and got them on their hooves? Oh, well, the usual you'd expect. Some yelling, some crying, sprinkle in a little panic and a very angry guard captain on top. Without you, the all the fun run out very fast. Such a disappointment if you ask me."

He shifted and his chair vanished into thin air. He would be lying on his belly now, if he wasn't floating that was, with his mismatched arms crossed under his chin
"That's what I followed you instead, after I realized there was nothing more of interest to me."
Crystal Note didn't have to look up anymore to meet his eyes, but she still felt shrinking down under his gaze
"Did you see a mare with a bright pink mane? Her name is Rose Quartz."
Discord just rolled his eyes and waved dismissively
"Oh, I'm sure your sister is fine. She got through more than ten years without you, what difference does a month of two more make?"

He chuckled again but this time, Crystal Note interrupted him, with a sterner tone than before
"Tell me what you saw."
Discord blinked and stood to his full size, easily towering the pony. That had not been a question, that was a demand. Ponies don't demand things from Discord. Ponies don't talk to him in that tone as a matter of fact, with maybe one or two exceptions. His fingers already flexed for another snap, but he recognized that look in Crystal Note's eyes. He had seen in before on a small pony like her.

His fingers relaxed again and for the first time, his voice was just calm
"I saw her running into the market and reading everypony the riot act. She was furious as far as I can tell, but her anger burnt out quickly. By the time Shining Armor took her back to the palace, she was bawling but she was far from the only one."

He watched and tilted his head when Crystal Note collapsed on the ground, whispering through tears of her own now
"I've made my sister cry again."
Discord sighed and went back into lounging in the air, his eyes rolling up once more
"So what? Ponies cry all the time over the silliest things, after all."
As if to make his point, when he glanced down he saw Crystal Note doing just that, however accompanied by a change to dull and grey colours running down her body. While she cried, Crystal Note did not only remember her sister's hurt expression from her last visit, but also the looks she had gotten from Bon Bon, both the last night and earlier today along with Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Princess Twilight. How she had leashed out in anger at them, when the only one to be angry at was herself.

“Oh come on now, don’t tell me you let a little arguing get you down. If anything, these ponies should be thanking you.”
Crystal Note looked up at that
“Thanking me? But I made their days miserable. They are afraid of me.”
“Exactly. They are afraid of you, instead of being afraid of, I don’t know, a blizzard or a natural catastrophe, or me for a fact. And since we both know you’re no threat, isn’t it better for them to fear you than all that other stuff?”

Crystal Note sat up, her tears reduced to sniffling and thinking about what Discord had just said
“Well, maybe, I guess.”
“And you got them all thinking at least. If you hadn’t shown up, all those crystal ponies would have never faced their fears and just lived on their boring, dull lives without ever expanding their horizons. Maybe you didn’t plan it that way, but you got their minds rolling, so they will be better prepared for the next time something happens that shakes their tiny little world. I say, good old Cady should be thanking you for stirring them up.”
She looked at him, surprised
“You know Princess Cadance?”
“Know her? Why, let me tell you, we work together all the time, even if she doesn’t know it. You wouldn’t believe how much chaos comes with any romance or love story, it’s positively delicious.”
Despite all, Crystal Note managed a soft giggle
“Well, if you say it like that, I suppose there’s some truth in it.”

“Of course it is! And don’t forget what you also did, stirring up a little competition between Twilight and her friends” he emphasized the word with finger quotes. “I’ll have to say, simply hilarious!”
Crystal Note looked away, in shame that she yelled at her friends
“Do you think they will ever forgive me?”
“Oh, pish-posh, of course they will. You’re all just one friendship song away from a happy reunion. And since you are a singer, I’m sure it’ll happen sooner than later.”

He snapped his fingers and suddenly, they were standing on a big stage, with spotlights on them and a crowd of mini-Discords in front of them cheering. He was wearing some strange costume and a brightly coloured wig and yelled into a microphone, while Crystal Note had an electric guitar in her hooves and played a perfect riff. She didn’t even know how to play that riff, her hooves just moved along with Discord’s magic. It was very funny nonetheless, and when Discord stopped sing-shouting, she kept on playing on her own a little, which made the crowd of Discords cheer again.

Another snap, and the stage, crowd and costumes were gone. However, Crystal Note still had a guitar in her hooves, although a classic one this time. She strummed over the strings and even if it wasn’t perfect, she had some understanding of the tune at least.
Discord just lounged back in the air
“You see? Everything will turn out eventually. And to be honest, life would be so boring without a little chaos here and there.”
Crystal Note giggled and could only agree
“I guess even chaos serves a purpose, in moderation.”
Discord clapped his hands together with a bright smile
“See? I knew you’d get it. That’s why I kept my eye on you.”
His left eyeball grew comically large and fixed on her, but by now Crystal Note was almost used to his antics and only laughed while strumming her guitar.

“Just a little word of advice: Sometimes it’s best to keep your chaos between other ponies who get it. At least until you’re sure you won’t chase anypony off.”
Crystal Note smiled and winked
“Is that why you have your tea parties exclusively with Fluttershy?”
His grin grew as his eye turned back to normal
“I’ll neither deny nor confirm this. Speaking of, I’m almost late as it is. Tata, and keep your chaos as it is, cause if you get boring, I might come back remind you.”

With another snap, Crystal Note was back at the meadow with the little stream as if nothing had ever happened. Well, almost as if nothing had happened, since she still had the guitar Discord had created in her hooves. Next to her, she found a fitting case for it, with a note inside “From a friend.”
She smiled and tentatively started to play a first little melody on her new instrument.

The sun was already set when Crystal Note made it back to Sweet Apple Acres. It was the closest place she could go from the meadow and after she had exploded on Applejack earlier, she felt like she had to apologize before anything else. Maybe they’d throw her out of the Apple family, but honestly she might as well deserve it.

She knocked at the front door, only to find it unlocked. Inside was dark, only a single light from the kitchen filtered into the living room. At the kitchen table, Crystal Note saw Applejack, staring at a mug of tea probably. As soon as she heard the hoofsteps, she looked up and sighed relieved
“Crystal Note, thank goodness you’re back. Listen Sugarcube, I need to apologize.”
Crystal Note blinked surprised at that
“You? I thought if anyone, I had to apologize for yelling at you.”
With a shake of her head, Applejack closed in on her
“No, t’was all my fault out there. I’ve always told you you’re part of the family, but I’ve never remembered what that really means. That we have to support each other, even if we’re a little different at times. I have to support Apple Bloom when she does her Crusader’s thing, and I need to be more supportive for your crystal pony thing as well.”

Crystal Note smiled and fell into the hug Applejack offered to her
“I still feel awful about yelling at you, but thank you Applejack.”
“No need, Crissy. And I guess you’re not staying here for tonight either, but let me tell you again, your room always stays ready for you. You’re not losing a home when you’re with Bon Bon, you gain one extra.”
They both held each other for a while longer.

“Granny Smith made her famous pie, in case you came for dinner, but since you didn’t show up, well…”
Crystal Note frowned
“Please tell me you didn’t wait for me and let the pie get stale.”
Her worry was well placed, as this happened before, but this time Applejack shook her head with a sheepish smile
“Na, we ate it this time. Though we left you a slice. Twilight was nice enough to put it in a magic bubble so it’d stay fresh until you came back. I guess we all realized you'd not want us to miss out just because of you."
Crystal Note smiled and nodded softly
"Thank you..."

"Spike had a letter for you from Princess Cadance. He gave it to Lyra for safekeeping."
"Oh. That's nice of him. I'd thought that Twilight would insist on giving it to me herself."
"Yeah, she would. But we talked things through, and we agreed it's best this way. Even Twi agreed in the end."
Crystal Note sighed and smiled
"I still have to talk to her, eventually... but it's nice to know she's that upset anymore."
Applejack put a hoof on her shoulder
"You'll get through it, I just know it. Now, you better get to your friends before it get even later."
They shared another hug, then Crystal Note rushed out of the farmhouse again and back towards Ponyville.

All the houses were dark by the time Crystal Note reached town centre. However, Bon Bon's shop still had some lights on, so she went to the front door and entered quietly. Bon Bon and Lyra were both still awake and chatting when they noticed her walking in
“Crissy! Welcome back!”
They didn’t seem angry at all or even bothered as they approached her for a quick but heartfelt hug
“Spike left a letter for you. I put it upstairs in your room.”
Crystal Note nodded sheepishly
“I know. Applejack already told me.”
She looked at Bon Bon with a scared expression
“Bonnie, I’m so sorry about what happened earlier and… um…”
She didn’t get any farther as both of them poked her muzzle at the same time
“Rule number two, remember? No apologizing for things that aren’t your fault.”

Crystal Note blushed and looked away
“But, I exploded in front of you when you didn’t deserve it. You just wanted to help and I didn’t appreciate it.”
Bon Bon shook her head and put a hoof on Crystal Note’s shoulder
“Yeah, we wanted to help but not in the right way. Not the way you needed it. I went looking for you so nopony else would overwhelm you, but I ended up doing just the same. It’s really my own fault how things ended, and you don’t have any reason to be sorry.”
Crystal Note shook her head
“I still am sorry. I could have handled everything better.”
“In all fairness, we could have done so as well, but we didn’t. It was a messy situation from the get go.”

Lyra nodded and nudged her gently
“Seriously, don’t beat yourself up over it. I mean, you stood your ground not only against Applejack and Bonnie, but against Princess Twilight as well. That’s something to be proud of if you ask me. Even if the reasons weren’t as, um, honourable on each side.”

Crystal Note smiled shyly and looked at Bon Bon again
“Um, did you… after I left?”
Bon Bon simply nodded
“We talked things through, no worries. There were some harsh words, but we figured ourselves out in the end. We all agreed we kinda acted like jerks out there, but we know that we were wrong now, so no hard feelings.”
“Oh. That’s good. I wouldn’t want you to get in any kind of trouble because of me.”

Lyra just rolled her eyes and poked Crystal Note again
“Worrying about how things go wrong, that’s against rule number one if you ask me.”
This time, all three of them giggled, even if Crystal Note’s giggle ended in a soft yawn.
“Quite a day, huh Crissy? How about we hit the hay now?”
Crystal Note nodded sheepishly
“That sounds like a good idea…”
“And tomorrow, you can tell us the story how you got yourself a guitar.”
At this, Crystal Note just smiled and shrugged
“Got it from a friend I made today.”
Lyra and Bon Bon chuckled softly at this and smiled as they watched Crystal Note retire for the night.

In the guest room which was the room she usually used when she stayed at the Sweet Shop, she found a large bundle of letters on the bed. Most of them had the royal insignia or Princess Cadance from the Crystal Empire on them. The fact that they were already here meant that they had been sent by dragon fire.

Crystal Note broke the seal on the biggest one and unrolled the scrolls. She flew over the lines and soon felt her eyes filling with tears again. She didn’t want to cry again, not tonight, not after the two days she just had been through. So she just put the letters away for now and climbed into her bed instead. She quickly fell into a fitful slumber.
When Lyra checked on her later in the night, she saw the mostly unread letters. She also saw Crystal Note with tearstains on her cheeks as she tossed and turned in bed. Lyra sighed softly and readjusted the blankets to cover Crystal Note. As much as she wanted, sadly this was the only thing she could do right.

Crystal Note immediately stopped tossing around and her breathing deepened and calmed down. Lyra stayed with her for a little while longer, and when she left, Crystal Note had finally slipped into a restful sleep.

Chapter 20-something - Sunshine

View Online

Author's Notes:

This has been lying on my hard drive for months, but I didn't publish it because this story is not at the point where this chapter would fit in.

Instead of waiting even longer, I'll just send this out right now and give you the abridged version of what's going to happen between the last chapter and this one, and hopefully I'll get this story finished sometime.

After her rough experience in the Crystal Empire, Crystal Note get some encouragement from her friends which leads to them performing at a festival of some kind. Crystal Note plays on her new guitar for that, and she reveals that she's even written some songs, but she refuses to sing in front of an audience, even in front of her friends, mostly because she's afraid that she'll get a repeat of what happened in the Crystal Empire if she opens up too much of herself to anypony.
Bon Bon tricks Crystal Note into singing one of her songs, which turns out successful. A few weeks after the festival, Crystal Note decides to leave Ponyville for a while and travel through Equestria. She wants to see more of the world and find more inspiration for her music, but she also wants to find out where her real home is.

This chapter is an early stop on Crystal Note's journey.

Pine Creek Valley wasn’t the sunniest town in Equestria. Some of that came from its location deep in the northern forests and surrounded by giant pine trees that blocked out much of the sun. The other reason was that Pine Creek Valley also had more rain than almost any other place in Equestria. It was so far up north that the Crystal Mountains where already in sight, the last natural barrier to the hostile tundra of the frozen north. When warm, humid air from the south reached the mountains, a lot of clouds formed naturally, far more than any weather patrol could ever handle. It also didn’t help that the northern forests had a touch of wild magic in them, not unlike the Everfree Forrest near Ponyville. That wild magic, mixed with the frozen clouds, made heavy rainfall and even storms very common for the area.

Maybe that was why pegasus ponies and unicorns didn’t stay long in Pine Creek Valley. The town was more of a big village that a real town with only a couple dozen inhabitants. Most of the ponies who lived here were earth ponies who had specialized in woodwork. It was the rare pony who didn’t have a tree, a saw, a hammer or at least a pine cone in their cutie mark.

The whole village was made of wooden huts and houses. Every day, ponies went into the woods to cut trees or grow trees respectively, gather wood or build things out of wood. In Canterlot, noble families and rich business ponies owned furniture made from Pine Creek Valley carpenters and even the Royal Palace paid high prices for it. The wood from Pine Creek Valley was also used in construction, from rustic wood floorings in houses to sturdy bridges crossing rivers or even in railroad constructions.

The earth ponies of Pine Creek Valley were happy that Equestria appreciated their craft. For them, the northern forest was the perfect location with plenty of wood for their work, and barely anypony born here ever moved away. Pine Creek Valley was their home and they had grown up in these forests. While the pegasi avoided the region because of the uncontrollable weather and the unicorns preferred the grassy fields of the central lands, the earth ponies endured and adapted to their life in the forest town.

That didn’t mean that everything was always sunny in Pine Creek Valley. Sometimes, even the sturdiest of ponies got worn down by days of endless rain. The last storm had started five days ago, but the downpour didn’t make any signs to stop anytime soon. With that, life in Pine Creek Valley had come to a complete stop. Lumberjacks couldn’t find any dry trees, carpenters couldn’t work with soggy wood and even the foresters had less work since the rain would give the pine trees everything they needed.

In such times, most ponies stayed at home and took the chance to rest up. In a downpour this long though, many ponies preferred the town tavern over their lonely, same homes. At least here, they had some company as they stared out of the windows and waited for the rain to stop.

At the edge of town, a single mare in a yellow raincoat withstood the rain in an effort to save at least some of her garden from the constant flood. In some distance, under the canopy of the trees, her two foals took the chance to play outside for a bit while staying relatively dry in their own raincoats. The mare couldn’t really blame them, nopony could stand being coped up at home for so long, especially the kids.

As she was working on her small field of forest carrots, a shriek echoed through the rain and had her look up. Her foals raced up towards her and hid behind her as her youngest shrieked again

“Spirit Mare! Spirit Mare!”

The mare looked back into the forest where the foals had been playing. The ‘Spirit Mare’ who came to haunt the forest and steal away colts and fillies was an old pony-tale, made up so the foals wouldn’t wander too deep into the forest on their own. She was about to tell her children just that, but her smile died when something moved between the trees.

She saw a white figure, shaped like a pony, only she had never seen a pony so white that they glowed in the dark. The ghostly shape weaved in between the trees, slowly but surely approaching them, and without any sound. She felt a shiver run down her spine and backed away from the ghost, pushing her foals towards the safety of their home as she did without taking her eyes of the figure, ready to scream for help or take a run.

Just as she was about to grab her foals and dart off, the figure sneezed. The mare blinked and chuckled as her tension just fell off her. Who had ever heard of a sneezing ghost?

Now, with her thoughts clear again, she recognized the figure as a young mare with a silvery-white coat, so bright it would reflect even what little light made it through the thick canopy. Now that she was closer, she could hear hoofsteps as well now, which had been drowned in the drumming of the rain before.

The un-ghostly pony sneezed and finally, the mare walked up to her. Whatever question she had, it died on her lips when she took in the miserable shape of the young pony, thoroughly wet with nothing to protect her from the rain except a flimsy headscarf and loaded with packs of luggage.

“You poor thing, you’re completely soaked!”

The young mare, almost a filly still, looked up when she heard the voice. When she saw the houses nearby, she spoke up in a tiny, shy voice

“Is this Pine Creek Valley?”

The mare nodded and took her hoof, pulling her towards her home

“Yes yes, but let’s get you out of the rain first. Who goes wandering through the forest in weather like this?”

The two foals watched from a distance but lost some of their fear when they saw that their mother wasn’t afraid at all. They rushed forward to the closest hut and opened the door for the two mares. However, once the traveller noticed how small the hut really was, for a mare and two foals, she hesitated

“Um, is there an inn or a hotel in town maybe?”

“Well, the tavern sometimes rents out the back rooms for travellers, but you’re welcome to stay with us for tonight.”

She shook her head and looked at the foals who were still watching her warily, the younger one hiding behind his older brother

“I really don’t want to intrude.”

The mare sighed and shook her head

“Well, in that case, head to the centre of the town, the biggest house with all the lights on, you can’t miss it.”

“Thank you, Ma’am.”

The mare watched as the young pony walked into the pouring rain again.

-*-

The tavern was packed with ponies, as it had been all day. Larch Trunk behind the counter wasn’t overly busy though. Most of the ponies stayed here because of the company anyways, and because he kept the place warm with the large fireplace in the middle of the room. He had the fire running for three days straight now, and even though he wouldn’t run out of firewood, he still wished the rain would stop soon, just like everypony else in town.

When the door swung open with a creek, he looked up surprised. That late, he didn’t expect any new costumers. He was even more surprised when a stranger walked in. Visitors were rare enough in Pine Creek Valley, so a young mare during a rainstorm was enough to have everypony wondering.

The young mare was packed with luggage and had her mane bound back with a blue bandana. She had a white coat, but it looked more grey right now since she was soaked from head to tail. After a shy glance around, she immediately moved closer towards the fireplace with a relieved sigh when the warmth finally reached her.

Larch gave her a moment to settle down, before he left his counter and walked up to her

“Evening, Miss. What can I get ya?”

The young mare looked up at him shyly with a tiny voice to match

“I’ve been told you could give me a room for the night? And, maybe a hot meal?”

Larch nodded once, firmly

“Sure can do. That’ll be twenty bits, paid up front if you please.”

The mare’s ears flopped down and Larch frowned

“That… that is more than I currently have.”

“Well, then we have a problem here, Miss.”

The mare lowered her eyes back on the floor while Larch let his eyes roam over the mare’s saddlebags. He wasn’t going to send her back into the rain, but he couldn’t just give away stuff for free either.

His roaming stopped when he noticed a weirdly shaped piece that he recognized as an instrument case.

“Can you play on that?”

The mare followed his gaze and she nodded as she placed her hoof on the guitar case

“Tell you what: Folks didn’t have much besides rain all week. You give them something else for a change, and I’ll see that you got a warm bed tonight.”

The mare, for the first time, looked up and met his eyes this time. There was a spark of a challenge in her bright turquoise eyes

“And what about dinner?”

Larch kept his frown in place. Of course she would get a hot meal, after she had a chance to dry up by the fireplace. But he didn’t have to tell her that right away

“Let’s hear you play and if they like it, we’ll see.”

The mare agreed with a nod and settled down by the fire more comfortably now. She had spread out her bags so they could dry up, but the guitar hadn't gotten wet inside the case, so she pulled it into her hooves. It was a simple, but nicely crafted piece out of finest wood. Larch Trunk could tell that just by looking at it. The mare fiddled with the strings a little as she waited for the wood to breathe and adapt to the room, then spent a couple of minutes to tune her instrument.

By now, some more ponies in the tavern where watching her, including Larch who had returned behind his counter. Just by watching her prepare, he knew that she knew her stuff. While she got ready, he headed into the kitchen to prepare that promised meal.

-*-

Crystal Note idly strummed over the strings of her guitar. She could finally feel her hooves again and her rain-soaked coat wasn’t as bad anymore. Also, after a whole day of staggering through the rain, the prospect of a bed tonight sounded just heavenly.

But first, she would earn that comfort as promised.

While she played a few disconnected chords, she glanced through the tavern from the corner of her eyes. Everypony was in a glum mood, from the bad weather and being cooped inside with only little to do. Crystal Note tried to relate how they had to feel, so she could find a song that would reach them right now.

A happy, cheery song would be the most obvious distraction. Then again, it would clash so heavily with the dark weather and the depressing atmosphere, it would probably rub them the wrong way. If she wanted to touch them, she had to start from where they were and then slowly move along.

Finally, a song came to her mind that would work. It wasn’t one of hers, but it would fit in perfectly and do the job for now. Her hooves moved over the string as she weaved more notes together into a tune, dominated by minor chords and rather slow. As the melancholic melody filled the tavern, more ponies turned towards the fireplace to watch the mare play, but Crystal Note had her eyes closed already as she became a part of the song.

After a couple of minutes of playing, she started to sing. Her singing voice was higher than the song she played, but the colour of her voice matched the sadness of her melody. She didn’t sing very loud, but everypony could easily hear her song

Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone
It’s not warm when she’s away.
Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone
And she’s always gone too long
Anytime she goes away…

The ponies around her were watching as she played, or they were watching the rain outside. Like the song, they also had this feeling of loss, this feeling of missing something very important. The song didn’t change that, but at least it made their worry a little easier to carry, as it gave them something more tangible than the endless drumming of the rain.

It didn’t matter anymore that Crystal Note was a stranger to them, since it was clear she understood. More than a few already hummed along to the melody of the guitar, while leaving the singing to Crystal Note as she continued

Wonder this time where she’s gone
Wonder if she’s gone to stay
Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone
And this house just ain’t no home
Anytime she goes away…

And I know, I know, I know, I know
I oughta leave the young thing alone
But ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone…

This time, when the singing stopped, more voices backed up the strumming of the guitar, and a few even joined in for the last verse of the song

Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone
Only darkness everyday
Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone
And this house just ain’t no home
Anytime she goes away…
Anytime she goes away…
Anytime she goes away…

There was no big applause when Crystal Note finished her song, nor did she expect some. This was neither the place nor the occasion for something like that. Still, as she played the last chords of her song, a wave of motion ran through the ponies in the tavern. Instead of staring blankly ahead, now the ponies looked at another and a few mumbled conversations started between them.

Crystal Note smiled and kept her hooves busy with another tune. She didn’t start singing immediately again. Like her wooden instrument had needed a few minutes to breathe, now she gave her song the same time, carefully testing out where to go next. The ponies were not watching her, at least most of them weren't, but Crystal Note glanced around from the corner of her eyes. As she had hoped for, her song had gone some way to pull their minds out of the grey and monotony of the rain.

Now, she was ready to push it a little further.

The colour of her music changed again, more abruptly this time. Most of the minor chords were replaced with warmer, happier ones that matched her voice far better. As soon as she had the attention of almost everpony, she dived right into her next song

Well there's a dark and a troubled side of life
There's a bright and a sunny side too
But if you meet with the darkness and strife
The sunny side we also may view

Keep on the sunny side, always on the sunny side
Keep on the sunny side of life
It will help us every day, it will brighten all the way
If we keep on the sunny side of life

Oh, the storm and its fury broke today
Crushing hopes that we cherish so dear
Clouds and storms will in time pass away
The sun again will shine bright and clear

Keep on the sunny side, always on the sunny side
Keep on the sunny side of life
It will help us every day, it will brighten all the way
If we'll keep on the sunny side of life

Crystal Note let her guitar carry on the melody a little longer but before she stopped playing, she glanced through the crowd. She saw smiles, more than before and a few ponies even met her eyes and nodded in appreciation. She returned those smiles, but what she saw when she looked back to the counter had her forget about the audience from one moment to the next.

The pony from behind the counter, Larch Trunk, had returned and set in front of her was a big bowl of hot and delicious vegetable soup. The scent alone had her mouth water, even if it was just soup, after a day in the cold rain it smelled like a little piece of heaven. With a bare minimum of table manners, she dove right in. The soup tasted amazing and vanished far too quickly, as did the small loaf of bread she had gotten along with it. Only halfway through her meal, she noticed the mug of spiced tea the stallion had brought her as well. With her food gone, she paced herself through the tea now, as she knew it might be the last warm thing she would get for the night.

While she had been eating, the crowd around her got livelier. Ponies were talking with each other again instead of sitting on their own and staring. Crystal Note heard the laughter from everywhere in the tavern when somepony cracked a joke, which happened a lot. While she sipped on her tea, she watched the owner get busy as well since nearly all the tables called for another round. Crystal Note stayed at her seat by the fireplace to get the last dampness from the rain out of her coat, but when the stallion walked past her, he threw a wink at her. She took that as sign that she had earned her promised bed for the night.

Even though she was tired, she decided to stay at the fire for a while longer, just enjoying the warmth while outside, the rain kept pouring. With a sigh, she sat down her cup. The tea had been tasty and warming, but now it was gone.

Somepony from a nearby table also noticed her empty cup and called out, loud enough to be heard a few tables over even

“Hey lady, you give us another song, I'll get you refill. What do you say?”

Crystal Note met his eyes and chuckled at the challenge in his grin. Instead of replying, she picked up her guitar once more.

This time, she didn't feel for the mood in the tavern like she had before, since many ponies were watching her already. Right now, all they wanted was some entertainment and Crystal Note took a little gamble when she went for an old song, hoping that maybe somepony would recognize it

Got on board a train that's headin' out to somewhere
Didn't think before deciding what to do
Oh, that talk of opportunities, adventure and apple trees
Rang true, sure rang true

They say it never rains in southern Appleloosa
Seems I've often heard that kind of talk before
It never rains in Appleloosa
But girl, don't they warn ya?
When it pours, man, it pours

Crystal Note smiled when she heard some chuckles from the crowd, just as she had hoped for. She kept humming along to her melody, joined by a few of her audience once more, until she went for another verse of the song on her own again

Out of work, I'm out of my head
Out of self-respect, I'm out of bread
I'm underloved, I'm underfed
I wanna go home

It never rains in Appleloosa
But girl, don't they warn ya?
It pours, man, it pours

By the time the chorus set back in, so did the ponies and sang along. More voices joined the melodious humming this time, even as Crystal Note sung on. By the time she reached the final chorus, it seemed like everypony in the tavern had joined in

Will you tell the folks back home I nearly made it?
Had offers but didn't know which one to take
Please don't tell 'em how you found me
Don't tell 'em how you found me
Gimme a break, give me a break

Seems it never rains in southern Appleloosa
Seems I've often heard that kind of talk before
It never rains in Appleloosa
But girl, don't they warn ya?
It pours, man, it pours

The song faded out into a small wave of applause and cheers, so Crystal Note got up and took a bow to her audience. She looked up and shot a look at the pony who had challenged her, he was already gesturing to the tavern owner. Claiming her prize in the form of a fresh cup of brew, she smiled and enjoyed her drink quietly with her guitar resting next to her.

By now, the night had arrived and a bulk of costumers left. Larch Trunk also called out last round, so by the time she had finished her tea, only he and Crystal Note were left in the tavern

“Come on, Miss. I'll show you your room for the night.”

Crystal Note followed into a small, but tidy bedroom. It was clean, dry, and warm, everything was made of pine wood, so the scent of the forest was still present. Crystal Note nodded gratefully at the stallion who left her for the night. She quickly stowed away her few things and climbed into the bed, where she fell asleep just seconds later.

Melodies of Friendship

by TalkingToMyself

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 20-something - Sunshine