Crystal Note sat in the dark corner of the room she had found refuge for now. It had been the first open door she found and fortunately the room only had that one door and a small window. She shunned the light falling in and fled into the dark corner on the opposite side of the door.
When she stopped crying she thought about pushing some furniture against that door, but she knew it wouldn't stop the guards. She knew they were standing outside and waiting, she heard them talk and call out to others from time to time. Why they didn't come in to take her to a dungeon cell, she couldn't understand. Maybe there was no dungeon anymore, but most likely the guards just didn't think she was worth the effort.
Her tears had run out at some point but the image of her old friend screaming in fear was still filling her mind and preventing her from thinking straight. Her worst fears were coming true and she could see them in the eyes of the other ponies. Something was terribly wrong with her, she was bad beyond redemption, she posed such a danger that the ponies rather disobeyed their princess than take any risk with her.
Crystal Note flinched when she heard a new voice outside and the guards answering. When the door slowly opened, she pressed herself against the wall and deeper into the shadows. For once she was glad about her dark grey coat so she would remain hidden for a few moments longer. Maybe she could slip through the door unnoticed.
Her plan died as soon as the stallion walked in and summoned a light on his horn. Crystal Note blinked at the sudden brightness and then recognized a white unicorn stallion in a guard uniform. She sighed defeated before even a word was said.
The stallion looked at her and closed the door behind him. His light dimmed down but still gave enough light to cast away the shadows she'd been hiding in. He looked at her cautiously, trying to figure out if she'd try and run away.
Crystal Note knew it would be useless though, maybe she could outrun a few guards but she'd be caught eventually. She slumped on the floor and pulled her hooves under her body and the stallion nodded.
When he talked, she was surprised to hear concern in his words
"Did the guards hurt you when they pinned you down?"
She shook her head but refused to look at him. The look on Rose Quartz' face hurt far more than any bruise could.
He waited for an answer that never came, so he sat down between her and the door but in a distance to make her feel safe. As safe as she could feel locked in a room with guards outside the door anyways.
"I'm sorry."
Again, his words surprised her and she looked up
"It's a very complicated situation. Those guards just attacked you for no good reason. I know you probably don't believe me, but I'm here to help you. You haven't done anything that makes me think of you as an enemy. But I need your help to sort this whole mess out again."
She looked at him and then stared back at the floor, her voice was croaky from crying so much
"It's not complicated. Everypony is scared of me. I'm scared of myself every time I see my reflection."
"Is that why you hide away your horn?"
His horn glowed up again and her blue bandana floated towards her. He kept it levitated in the air, just out of her reach. Crystal Note sighed at his blunt attempt to test her. Not in the mood for that kind of game she just focused and took the bandana into her own turquoise glow and levitated it towards her. The blue garment floated to her head and bound itself around her mane and horn, like she usually wore it. She'd been practicing this for the last two weeks but it still took all her concentration to move the bandana accordingly.
When she was finished she looked up again and gave the stallion a hollow glare. He just nodded, satisfied with what he saw
"So you can use magic."
"Barely. I can't manage anything past levitation. You can ask your sister if you don't believe me."
He stood up and took a step closer towards her, menacingly
"You know my sister?"
Crystal Note just nodded and fought back the urge roll her eyes
"She taught me what I know so far. I'm sure Princess Cadance already told you that, Prince Shining Armor."
The white stallion laughed nervously, and rubbed the back of his head with his hoof
"So much for me trying to be mysterious. I guess it's pretty obvious, I mean how many unicorns are there in the Crystal Empire anyways?"
Crystal Note managed a faint smile and nodded
"Also, it helps that Twilight showed me pictures from your wedding."
He laughed again and more sincerely this time.
When he calmed down his posture was far more relaxed than before and Crystal Note let out a breath she hadn't realize she was holding
"I mean it when I say I want to help you, Crystal Note. But to do so, we have to face the other ponies."
Crystal Note just stared at the floor in front of her
"They'll only get scared again. It was a mistake coming here, I should have stayed in Ponyville."
"In my experience, hiding away from everything only gets you so far. You'll have to face this sooner or later. Cadance and I will help you."
Crystal Note sighed deeply and stood up
"I don't even know where to start..."
"I do. Just follow me. We'll take it step by step. Rose Quartz is waiting for you."
Crystal Note went pale when she heard the name of her friend, but despite her own doubts followed she followed Shining Armor to the door.
He opened it with his magic and spoke to the guard ponies outside, sending them away. Crystal Note stepped outside of the room behind him and kept her eyes low, so she didn't see the guard charging at her until the stallion had her pressed against the wall, his heavy armoured body holding her in place. She squirmed helplessly as he shouted at her
"And where do you think you're going?"
"Corporal, let her go. That's an order."
The guard didn't move and just stared at her with rage in his eyes
"Sir, you can't let it roam through the castle. I told you how dangerous these things are."
"I remember, Ivory Lance. I'm not letting her roam, I'm personally escorting her to Princess Cadance. So unless you think I'm incapable of handling a single mare, you will let her go now and return to your post."
The guard, Ivory Lance, grunted and shoved Crystal Note towards Shining Armor, with more force than would be necessary. She managed to regain her balance and not fall on the floor but gave a soft whimper. She kept her eyes on the floor in front of her as she walked towards Shining Armor who threw a glare as cold as ice towards the guard pony
"You'll report to me first thing in the morning, Ivory Lance. Dismissed."
The guard opened his mouth to protest, but then flinched back when the glare hit him.
Shining Armor turned around and walked down a hallway, Crystal Note followed wordlessly. They didn't meet any other ponies along the way and after a few minutes and a long staircase, they reached an unremarkable door. After a knock, the door was opened by a bright magic glow and Shining Armor stepped through.
Crystal Note followed and found herself face to face with Rose Quartz again.
Her old friend looked as miserable as Crystal Note felt herself. She could see the trails from tears on her face and her pink mane looked almost grey right now.
From up close, Crystal Note could now see she had been mistaken earlier. Rose didn't just look older, she was older than her now. She could see the little signs of age on her face but most prominent in her eyes. She could see her friend had been through some hard years of struggle in the way her eyes looked at her, mostly sad but also tired and exhausted.
They waited for the other to say the first words. Eventually, Rose Quartz looked away and asked the first question that came to her mind
"Where have you been all this time?"
Crystal Note sighed and slumped down on her haunches
"Ponyville. I've spent a couple of weeks there before I had the courage to come back here."
Rose Quartz looked back at her and shook her head
"No. Before that. Where have you been all the years before?"
Crystal Note felt a pounding inside her head as this question threw her completely out of balance
"The years before? I... I was here. With you. And..."
"No you were not!"
Rose interrupted her with a harsh voice
"That night we tried to run away was the last time I saw you. I was caught by guards and they took me to the palace. I had to serve King Sombra as a maid for almost ten years but YOU WERE NOT THERE!"
The last words grew into an angry scream and Crystal Note whimpered, the pounding in her head growing into a painful throbbing.
She rubbed her temple with a hoof as images flashed into her mind
"I remember... we tried to slip between the patrols. But somepony heard us and I told you to hide and wait. Then I ran into the opposite direction and yelled so they'd follow me instead."
Rose Quartz nodded
"But they didn't. At least not all of them. They found me and took me back, but they didn't bring you with them. I thought you ran away and abandoned me."
Crystal Note looked back her friend as her headache got worse
"Pinky, I would never abandon you. We're like sisters."
Rose Quartz now glared at her, suddenly very angry
"I don't even know if you are the mare you claim to be. You sound like her, but you don't look like her. And you say you don't remember anything. So how dare you claim to be my sister?"
Crystal Note backed away from those words and bumped into Shining Armor who was standing between her and the door. He looked at him pleadingly, but his face was stern. This was another test, like he did with her magic before. She turned her head towards the princess instead, but then she saw something on the table behind them. Her saddlebags had been taken away by the guards, but apparently Shining Armor had brought them here.
She hesitated for a moment but didn't dare to get closer to Rose Quartz, so instead she reached for her magic. Her horn glowed softly and the saddlebag lifted up from the table towards her.
Princess Cadance tensed up and spread her wings when she noticed the glow, but then nodded and relaxed again when she saw it was only a levitation spell. Rose Quartz stared at the saddlebags and the turquoise glow that surrounded them.
The bags landed on the floor between them and now Crystal Note took a step forward and opened the largest of them. She pulled out her old violin and held it towards Rose Quartz.
Princess Cadance looked surprised but Rose' eyes opened wide in disbelieve. Out of all the ponies in the Crystal Empire, only she could recognize it and hopefully it would help her believe.
Rose' hoof shivered and reached out to touch it, as if to see that it's real. Her voice was barely more than a whisper
"That's Grandma's violin. Mother gave it to you..."
"On the day I got my cutie mark."
Crystal Note finished the sentence and nodded
"It's the only thing I took with me when we ran away..."
Rose pulled her hoof back and looked at Crystal Note again, this time looking past her horn and reaching her eyes. Finally, when she liked what she saw, a small smile came to her lips. The two mares fell into each others hooves and shared tears of relief.
After a minute, they noticed the royal couple watching them with knowing grins. Crystal Note blushed and pulled back again. Rose Quartz kept looking at her, shaking her head as she asked again
"Where have you been? It's been ten years, you look completely different and you have a horn. And still it seems you haven't aged a day."
Crystal Note shook her head
"What do you mean, ten years? Twilight told me the Empire was gone more than a thousand years."
Rose took her hoof and made her look at her friend again
"Harmony, you vanished before we were all hit by that curse. That night I last saw you... a lot of things happened after. It was years before King Sombra declared war on Equestria and the city was under siege. He created unicorns out of crystal ponies to fight for him, but the armies of Canterlot overran his troops. He waited until he was almost defeated before he cast the curse."
Crystal Note could barely take in all those words, her mind began to swim and the pounding behind her temples grew more painful. At the mention of unicorns, her hoof involuntarily rose to her horn and she whimpered
"Ten years? And there are others like me?"
Rose gave her a sad smile
"I thought so at first. But I'm not sure anymore. Sombra's unicorns had artificial horns made of black crystal. And... they didn't act like normal ponies anymore."
Rose bit her lip and Crystal Note knew she wasn't telling her everything. Princess Cadance took a step forward and drew her attention away from her friend
"Now that I've felt your magic, I'm sure you're not one of those unicorns. I don't feel a trace of Sombra's dark power inside you. Just normal, natural magic like Shining Armor has."
The white stallion nodded and backed the Princess up
"There's another thing separating you from them. My soldiers told me that Sombra's unicorns could not really do spells, only shoot blasts from their horns. Sombra had no use for magic but to weaponize it. But you just showed us a levitation spell."
Crystal Note nodded and took a deep breath
"But that doesn't explain were this thing came from. Or why I didn't age for ten years for some reason."
She poked the horn on her head and frowned in frustration, but that turned in confusion as soon as Rose spoke again
"Or why you look completely different."
Crystal Note looked back at her and didn't understand what she could mean
"Harmony, your voice and your cutie mark are still the same but everything else has changed."
Crystal Note flinched as a sudden bolt of pain shot through her head
"What are you calling me?"
"That's your name. Harmony. Don't you remember?"
Crystal Note whimpered and held her pounding head with both hooves and shook her head
"My name? But I know my name. It's Crystal Note. And I've always looked like this. The only new thing is the horn."
She kept her eyes shut tightly in an effort to dim the pain inside her head, but Rose Quartz continued
"That's a nickname we came up with, after you got your cutie mark. But your real name is Harmony"
She whimpered, louder this time as the name shot through her head again
"No! It... it can't be? I remember it so clearly. How can it be wrong?"
Rose fell silent and after a minute, Crystal Note opened her eyes again. The light stung in her eyes a little as she looked around and saw three ponies in different states of concern. Rose was the one to start talking once more
"What happened that night, after you left me behind?"
Crystal Note whimpered at the words and tried to force the memory into her mind
"I ran from the guard. I slipped through the alleys, so they couldn't catch me. I couldn't get back before I lost them. So I ran. Almost all the way out of the city."
The three ponies waited for her to continue, but nothing came.
"And then?"
"I don't know. Everything is just dark."
"Harmony..."
She winced in pain and called out loud, pained and frustrated
"Stop calling me that! I'm Crystal Note! I grew up here with my parents! My mother used to tell me stories and sing songs to me, and she gave me the violin and taught me how to play. She passed away when I was nine! My father worked in the mines but there was an accident three weeks after we turned fifteen. We were at his funeral together. I remember all of it!"
She slumped down after her outburst and began to cry again, from the pain in her head as well as the painful memories. She felt a hoof on her shoulder and sobbed, but not loud enough to block Rose' voice
"They were my parents."
Crystal Note abruptly stopped sobbing and stared at Rose. She was certain she must have misheard but Rose just sighed sadly
"You're right with everything. But they were my parents. We lived next to each other and we were like sisters. Your father was never there, so my parents looked out for you as well."
Crystal Note felt like the floor was suddenly was falling out under her and the headaches grew so much she felt sick to her stomach. She mumbled
"That's not true... I was at their grave today. I feel so sad about losing them. You're lying!"
Rose shook her head
"No, Harmony. I'm telling you the truth. You came here when you were little, whatever happened messed up with your memory. Your father worked for King Sombra and left you with our family. You're Harmony, an earth pony from Canterlot."
Crystal Note shook her head and howled in agony as the pain in her head exploded. She felt hooves trying to hold her as she squirmed on the floor, but she shoved them away. Suddenly all her sadness turned in anger, only fuelled by the pain and she stood up and glared at Rose. Her friend flinched when she yelled at her
"LIAR!"
Crystal Note took a step towards her and Rose backed away, afraid
"Why do you want to take everything away from me? First my name, then my family and now my identity? My home? Why? What have I done to deserve this? What did I ever do to you? Why? WHY?"
Rose reached the wall of the room and shrunk under the angry glare. Crystal Note took a deep breath to yell more but then she felt something holding her back. She heard a voice behind her calling her name
"Crystal Note!"
She blinked and felt it. She glanced up and saw angry sparks coming out of her horn. All her anger instantly turned into guilt and she forced her magic back inside. She saw Rose Quartz shivering in fear and felt sick all over. She wanted to run away, but the magic of the princess was still holding her in place. Making her look at her friend, her sister.
"Rose... I'm so sorry..."
She crumbled in the magic hold and as soon as she let go the pain inside her head returned.
Memories flashed through her mind again, but this time they seemed different.
She saw the other foals being scolded for running over a market stall, but the owner made sure to never look at her. Because she was different? Because he was afraid of her father.
She saw Pinky coming home from school and telling her all about it. But why didn't she go to school? Because her father wouldn't allow it.
She sat dinner with her family and noticed her parents fascinated by one of Pinky's stories. Because she's their daughter.
She was back at the graveyard with Pinky, crying at her mother's grave. Pinky's mother.
She shook her head and sobbed and tried to remember anything about herself, but it only made her head hurt more. She noticed the other ponies had gathered around her and looked down at her with worry. Her eyes found Rose and she whimpered
"Who am I? What am I? Was everything just a lie?"
Rose Quartz sat down next to her
"Harmony... Crissy. Whatever happened, we're still sisters."
"How can you be my sister if your sacred of me? And how can I be your sister if I don't even know who I am?"
"I know who you are. We'll find a way to turn you back. Everything will go back to normal and..."
"And then what?"
Rose stopped confused and Crystal Note continued sobbing
"Even if we find a way, then what? Then I'll be a mare I don't know without any memories of who I am. Why can't I just be myself?"
Before Rose could reply, Princess Cadance sat down in front of her so their eyes could meet
"You're always you, Crystal Note. Your form doesn't change who you are."
"Yes it does!"
She looked at Rose, Cadance and Shining Armor
"You're afraid of me and my horn. You're afraid how your subjects will react to me. You're worried I might be a weapon from King Sombra. All because of who I am now."
Cadance and Rose couldn't hold her gaze and looked away but Shining Armor stared back at her
"Do you even want to change back?"
Crystal Note thought for a moment, then explained
"The ponies in Ponyville saw me like this and they became my friends. Even Twilight Sparkle who knows I'm different than other crystal ponies."
Rose frowned and shook her head
"They don't know the old you. The real you."
Princess Cadance' head turned back at Crystal Note at those words and she whispered
"What if this form is her true self?"
Both Rose Quartz and Crystal Note stared at her now, one perplexed and the other hopeful
"I was not born in the form you see me now. I've been changed as well and it took me a while to accept this gift."
Crystal Note sat up again at those words
"A gift?"
The princess nodded again
"Rose Quartz has been telling me a few stories of your shared past. It seems to me you did a lot to help ponies even though you were only a filly."
Crystal Note closed her eyes, then nodded
"I can't remember. But I know I would do anything to help my family. Even if they're not really my family."
Cadance nodded and watched her attentively
"That's the impression I got as well. The crystal ponies have a deep sense of community and solidarity. It seems you shared this even as an earth filly. Maybe it was not Sombra who changed you, but the crystal heart itself."
Crystal Note's eyes opened wide and Rose Quartz spoke up again
"Princess, do you really think that is even possible?"
The princess turned her head and nodded again
"The crystal heart protects the Empire and every pony that belongs to it. If the crystal heart recognized Harmony as a kindred soul, I can't see why it won't protect her."
She turned back to Crystal Note and looked into her eyes
"I don't know what happened to you in that night, but maybe changing you into Crystal Note was the only way the heart could help you. And since it didn't have its full power back then, it took longer than expected."
Crystal Note held the gaze of the princess and remembered Twilight Sparkle looking at her almost the same way when she explained magic to her. She could see Cadance was genuinely interested in helping her.
She whispered softly
"Maybe even ten years?"
Cadance nodded
"I've felt the power of the crystal heart, I'm sure it could transform a pony if that pony shares a deep connection to the Crystal Empire."
Crystal Note though back of earlier that morning when she had first seen the Empire after a long time and how she felt. She tried to explain it to the princess, but it was Rose Quartz who understood her
"You felt the crystal heart calling you home. Any crystal pony can feel this. That's unbelievable."
Cadance smiled and nodded
"When the crystal heart regained its full power a few months ago, it removed all that remained of Sombra's influence. And it helped everypony to restore their memories. I'd say it's at least worth trying."
Cadance stood up and headed towards the door, Shining Armor next to her. Crystal Note hesitated but Rose Quartz held out her hoof to help her stand. Quietly, the two crystal ponies followed the royal couple.
This time they encountered many ponies as the walked through the palace. Guards, maids, secretaries, everypony stared at them, especially at Crystal Note who didn't wear her bandana this time.
She flinched each time she noticed a hoof pointing at her and shrunk under the threatening glares she got from almost every guard they passed. On the other faces, fear seemed to be most prominent.
Crystal Note caught up to the princess and whispered
"Are you sure it's a good idea? It seems like the whole Empire might be watching."
Cadance nodded and just kept going
"Let them watch. They are probably as anxious as you are, Crystal Note. When they see how the crystal heart reacts, they will understand. It will help them accept you."
"But... what if the crystal heart rejects me?"
Cadance turned her head and looked into her eyes with conviction radiating out towards her
"Then they will see you have my support, no matter what will happen."
Crystal Note knew the princess wanted to reassure her but that didn’t help the nervous jitters inside her guts that turned into stones. She fell back behind the royal couple again and kept her head hung low to avoid the stares and glares she received from the crowd. It seems rumours spread exceptionally well in the Crystal Empire, so as the group walked through the palace doors, Crystal Note was confronted with a large crowd of crystal ponies. Guard ponies on both sides cleared a path for the princess and her company towards a large circular plaza surrounded by some pillars. In the centre Crystal Note could see what had to be the crystal heart, floating between two spires of crystal and twirling slowly.
The heavy stones inside her guts softened a little when she felt that warm and inviting hum inside her again, like she had on the train. Through all the worries and fears, she’d almost forgotten about it but now as she got closer to the source, it returned to her as strong as before.
The princess and her husband stopped at the edge of the circular plaza. The princess bowed deeply and spread her wings wide, like she had in front of the monument in the cemetery. Shining Armor bowed his head as well, then took a step aside to clear the way for Crystal Note.
The silvery-white mare swallowed hard and took a few insecure steps forward. At the edge of the square, she bowed down as well, touching the crystal floor with her forehead and the tip of her horn. She thought she heard a soft chime, but nopony else reacted so she counted that towards her nervousness.
The crystal ponies around her watched intensely but silently. To their account, she hadn’t heard any mean words by them so far and by now, most of the glares had turned into curious stares. The crowd had gathered around the round plaza but Crystal Note did her best to ignore them for now, her eyes fixed on the floating heart in front of her.
She felt Rose Quartz stand beside her now and took a deep breath before she crossed the invisible barrier and entered the plaza. She didn’t know what to do or to expect, but then the chime sounded inside her again and the heart twirled a little faster. Crystal Note instinctively took this as a good sign and made another step forward.
As she did, the heart started to glow with an inner light and twirl more, soon so fast that she could barely even make out the distinctive heart shape anymore. She took another step forward, then a few more until she could almost reach out and touch the heart. The chime now sang constantly inside her and the last remain of hardness inside her stomach melted. She closed her eyes and focused on the song of the crystal heart and knew she would never forget this melody as long as she lived.
A large smile, more open and carefree than ever flooded her features and in a gesture of relief and gratitude, she bowed down once more with her eyes still closed.
The moment her head touched the floor, the light flowed out of the heart and spread out across the crystal floor. Crystal Note was bathed in the light and the other crystal ponies around her stared in wonder. One by one, they now bowed as deeply as the mare and soon the light filled the entire plaza and spread out even further along the path and into the city.
Princess Cadance watched and closed her eyes as the wave of light washed over her, leaving her in her crystalized form. The other ponies were transformed as well and shone with the same inner light as the crystal heart. Cadance saw them exchange some glances and a few words, then they focused back on the mare next to the crystal heart.
Crystal Note was still surrounded by the light and glowed brightly. The crystal heart twirled for a minute longer, then slowed down and reached its normal state. At the same pace it slowed, the glow around Crystal Note dimmed and the ponies could make out her shape again. She stood on her hooves again but her eyes were still closed. Her body was crystal as well, her silvery-white colour by now shining like diamonds, the trio of musical notes of her cutie mark glittering like sapphires on her flanks. The yellow mane now had the colour of golden citrine and sparkled in the last rays of light from the crystal heart. The horn on the middle of her forehead looked like made of purest silver right now, and Cadance could see the turquoise glow around it more brightly than before.
The crystal ponies watched her with barely hidden relief and as Crystal Note finally opened her eyes, she blinked confused. She stared into the completely different crowd and the smiles that now greeted her. She looked down herself and gasped as she took in her own crystalized body. A few snickers could be heard from the ponies around her but most just nodded their head, they could all relate to how the mare would feel right now.
Crystal Note turned around slowly while watching the crowd, a soft smile back on her lips. Her face visibly lit up when she saw and recognized a few faces, new memories glowing and flashing through her head, although this time without any discomfort or headaches. She took a full turn and was facing Princess Cadance again. The pink alicorn gave her a bright smile as well and next to her Shining Armor nodded.
Crystal Note’s gaze then fell on Rose Quartz and she locked her eyes with her sister in heart. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but no words made it past her lips. Her eyes opened wide and a dam broke inside her. In a massive wave, memories stormed through her mind with overwhelming strength.
Cadance watched the crystal unicorn with some concern as the smile faded and was replaced by a myriad of emotions. Quicker than a heartbeat, her features switched through confusion, fear, joy, sadness, relief, anger, love, pain, too many for Cadance to name them all in such a short time. Crystal Note’s eyes grew even wider and her lips kept moving as she spoke wordlessly. Cadance took a step towards her when her eyes lost all focus and glazed over. A wave of gasps ran through the crowd when she suddenly dropped out of her crystalized form. Her eyelids fluttered and her whole body shivered, then she simply passed out cold. Her body slumped forward but was caught in a glow of pink magic.
The ponies turned towards Princess Cadance who levitated the unconscious mare towards her and all over the crowd ponies started mumbling with each other. Cadance only focused on Crystal Note and checked with her magic and her eyes for injuries, but the mare seemed to be well if exhausted.
She sighed in relief and turned to Shining Armor. With a nod, he took the mare in his own magic and carried her back into the palace, followed only by Rose Quartz and a couple of guards. The ponies now stared at the crystal unicorn as long as they could, then their attention focused back on their princess.
Cadance waited for Crystal Note to be safe inside, then she spread her wings and flew up to the top of the stairs leading into the palace. She looked into the crowd and saw that once again, insecurity and fear had replaced most of the relief they had felt before.
She took a deep breath and spoke to them. With clear and open words, she explained what she had seen and learned today. They listened and Cadance felt proud of her ponies when she saw most of the fear was quickly let go and instead their eyes filled with concern for Crystal Note.
A few last worries remained and were voiced from the crowd though
“Why did she pass out when the crystal heart transformed her?”
“How did she get a magic horn?”
“Will she stand trial for the crimes the crystal unicorns committed?”
Cadance sighed and did her best to find answers
“She lost far more of her memory than any of you did, I would say it was simply too much to regain at once. We still don’t know where her magic comes from, maybe she can tell us once she wakes up again. And she will definitely not be charged for crimes she never committed. Whatever Sombra’s unicorns were, Crystal Note is not one of them.”
At the last statement the mumbling filled the crowd again and not everypony seemed to agree on it. To some point, Cadance could relate to those who had been hurt by Sombra and his dark magic. She thought of the changelings, how much she had to suffer by their hooves and how much she longed for revenge when she was in a dark mood.
She spoke up again and at the sound of her voice, the crystal ponies focused on her once more
“You all had to suffer from hatred and fear in the past, some more than others. But in the end, it was the love and light in your hearts that defeated Sombra once and for all. Neither anger nor revenge could accomplish this. Let us not fall back into the hatred of the past but instead focus on the light we’ve seen shine today.”
With that, the crowd fell silent again and Cadance browsed through faces with barely contained rage, thoughtful expressions, nods of agreement and anything in between. When no further questions were asked, the princess bowed her head towards her ponies and went back into the palace.