Summer days in Ponyville were usually very nice. Ponies of all three tribes would be out to enjoy the warm weather, a refreshing breeze from the Everfree Forest making sure the high sun wouldn't be too hot. In the park, ponies gathered for picnics and the playground was lively with colts and fillies lost in a game or another.
Everywhere around town, ponies came together to chat, play and laugh, enjoying a nice time and, when they felt like it, a sweet treat.
Sugarcube Corner was not the only place in Ponyville to go, but it was one of the most popular. Behind the counter, Cup Cake smiled to her latest costumer before she allowed herself a short break. Lunch rush had settled down and gave the Cake family a chance to take a breather. Cup Cake watched her husband passing the few tables inside the bakery to check on the good dozen of costumers and behind her, she heard the typical sounds of Pinkie Pie going wild in the kitchen.
Cup Cake smiled and asked herself for the hundredth time how Pinkie could have so much energy in everything she did, be it parties or, like today, producing near endless amounts of muffins and cupcakes. Normally, she’d be worried about all the mischief Pinkie would get herself in as well, but ever since the twins had joined their little family, Pinkie Pie had proven she could be trusted with this task. Mrs Cake smiled when she heard the giggling of her foals between Pinkie’s happy cheers.
The door opened again and Cup Cake’s smile grew wider as Rainbow Dash and Rarity walked into Sugarcube Corner. Both of them such good friends of Pinkie Pie and the family, as well as wonderful costumers.
Rainbow Dash waved with her wing and called out before she reached the counter
“Hey Mrs Cake! Can we have cupcakes? Blueberry and chocolate chip!”
“Oh, and some iced tea would be divine, if you have it.”
Cup Cake heard Pinkie’s enthusiastic “ON IT!” from the kitchen and nodded
“Take a seat, dearies. I’ll have Pinkie bring your order right away.”
Rainbow and Rarity thanked her and headed for an empty table, then Cup Cake tilted her head slightly when she saw a third mare walk in behind them, a crystal pony with a silvery-white coat and a yellow mane, mostly hidden under a turquoise coloured bandana. Cup Cake was one of the few ponies in town who knew that the bandana also hid a unicorn horn
“Why, hello deary! That’s a surprise to see you here today.”
The mare smiled back and answered in her soft voice
“Hello Mrs Cake. How are the twins?”
“Just wonderful, thanks for asking. You have to come to back and say hi to them, Crystal Note.”
The crystal pony smiled brightly and nodded, but then jumped back as a loud shout startled her nearly out of her hooves
“WHAT?!?”
Rainbow Dash snickered and even Rarity couldn’t supress a grin as she took a step away from Crystal Note. She tried to brace herself for the impact but was still thrown over by the pink flurry that hit her seconds later. They rolled across the floor in a white and pink ball before coming to a stop, the saddlebags Crystal Note had been wearing flinging across the room. Pinkie Pie ended up firmly attached to Crystal Note in a tight hug.
Struggling for air, she tried to pat the curly pink mane of her friend who released her embrace just enough to look at her and bombard her with words
“You’re here how come you’re back so soon and why didn’t you say something I mean you’re back and I didn’t know so I didn’t even prepare a “yay you’re back” party or a “so good to see you again” party or a “we missed you so much” party and now you’re here and it’s so great to see you again and you have to tell me everything you hear everything!”
Crystal Note felt dizzy and it was hard to tell if from the initial hit or the barrage of high pitched and loud and fast words. After a moment, she smiled again and carefully separated herself from Pinkie Pie who went straight into a happy hopping
“It’s great to see you too, Pinkie. Um, I just arrived, it was kind of a spur of the moment decision.”
Pinkie Pie giggled and hopped towards the table with her laughing friends
“That’s great! And that means we finally get to celebrate! I have your cupcakes!”
Crystal Note blinked when she saw a tray with the pastries balanced on Pinkie’s fluffy tail. How did she…? She shook her head and grinned. Don’t try to understand Pinkie Pie, only madness lies that way.
Luckily, Rainbow and Rarity had expected Pinkie’s energetic greeting and managed to catch the saddlebags as well as a small case, now sitting next to the table. The four friends sat down and took a cupcake each as Carrot Cake set a tall glass of iced tea in front of each mare.
Soon they were lost in happy chatter and laughter as Rarity and Pinkie told Crystal Note all that happened while she was gone and the crystal mare talked about her trip to Vanhoover.
Cup and Carrot Cake couldn’t help but smile when they watched them catch up, luckily things stayed rather slow so they could take care of the shop and their twins by themselves.
A few more ponies from town walked in as the day went on, greeting the crystal mare with happy smiles, but none of them stayed too long. Crystal Note kept smiling as she sipped on her tea and listened to the latest stories of the Wonderbolts and Twilight’s newest antics and waves of laughter filled the bakery whenever one of them hit a funny part of their story.
As the afternoon passed, the sky got more clouded and it started to drizzle outside. Cup Cake noticed but the four friends were too lost in their stories. Only when rumbling thunder could be heard, Rainbow Dash looked up and frowned
“What’s the big deal, there was no rain scheduled today, let alone a storm.”
Rarity and Pinkie Pie giggled
“Some weather pony must have been too lazy to clear all the clouds again.”
“Or maybe she was just too busy napping like last week.”
Crystal Note joined their laughter but Rainbow Dash just glared at them
“Har har, very funny. I almost forgot to laugh.”
That only made the laughter worse and when Rainbow noticed even the Cakes starting to giggle, she went to the window and checked the sky
“Must be some storm from the Everfree Forest blown over town.”
She turned her head and smirked at Crystal Note
“Seriously, what’s it with you coming to town and storms soon after every time?”
Crystal Note blushed a little but smiled again as soon as everypony around her fell into laughter again.
A few minutes later, the rain grew stronger and the rumbling more frequent. Rainbow Dash kept throwing glances out the window and her ears perked up
“I guess I better see if the weather team needs some help. Everfree storms have a tendency to get unpredictable.”
With a wave and a few calls of goodbye, she was out of the door and into the sky. Soon after, the first lightning bolt split the sky. Cup Cake headed to the kitchen to check on the foals and Rarity got up as well
“I’d better head to check on Sweetie Belle. Hopefully I’ll not be too wet before I reach home, I spent hours fixing my mane.”
She hugged Crystal Note and Pinkie Pie, promising to meet again tomorrow.
Crystal Note looked after her into the pouring rain and sighed
“I should be going too. It doesn’t look like it’s going to stop soon and it’s quite a walk to Sweet Apple Acres.”
She looked at her saddlebags and sighed again. She’d be completely soaked before she even made it out of town, hopefully her things would stay dry at least.
A large gasp exploded next to her as Pinkie Pie jumped up, nearly reaching the ceiling before she propelled towards Crystal Note into another bone-squeezing hug
“You should stay here for the night! We could have a sleepover party!”
Crystal Note wiggled helplessly in Pinkie’s grasp and Carrot Cake nodded
“Can’t risk catching a cold in that weather, we’ll set the spare bed up in Pinkie’s room for you.”
Crystal Note blushed, but she also smiled thankfully. A few months earlier, she’d probably declined or tried to sneak out unnoticed despite the rain, but today she felt comfortable enough to accept an invitation from a friend
“Thank you, Mr Cake. Are you sure it’s not too much trouble with the shop and all?”
Cup Cake returned from the kitchen, Pound and Pumpkin riding on her back. She heard the last words and giggled
“Don’t you worry, dear. I doubt anypony would come here during an Everfree storm, they’ll all get cosy at home.”
Without giving Crystal Note a chance to reply, she picked up her foals and placed one in Crystal Note’s hooves and the other on her back. Pumpkin giggled and stared up at her while Pound started to tuck and play with the turquoise bandana that was wrapped around Crystal Note’s mane. Crystal smiled and couldn't help gushing out
"Aww, you two are just adorable!"
She giggled and sat down on the floor playing with the twins while Cup Cake and Pinkie cleaned up the bakery and the kitchen and Carrot went upstairs to take care of the bed.
The game was cut short though when more lightning and thunder filled the air and both foals got scared, running to their mommy and clinging on her forelegs. Cup Cake tried to calm them down but the constant thundering kept them at the edge.
Pinkie Pie sighed as she watched but she knew the foals were terribly scared of storms. She tried everything, from making silly faces to singing her "Giggle at the Ghosties"-song. Not even a party could cheer them up when they were like that. Hopefully, the storm would end soon or she doubted the two foals would get much sleep tonight.
Lucky for her, parties were not the only way to cheer somepony up. When the foals almost started crying, a soft melody filled the bakery. Pinkie and the foals turned around to see Crystal Note with her violin in her hooves. She had her eyes closed as she played a happy little song for them. Pound and Pumpkin slowly let go of Cup Cake’s hooves and gingerly stepped towards the crystal pony. Their eyes were wide and they moved very quietly, almost as if the music would stop if they made a sound. Pinkie giggled when another lightning flashed down but the foals barely noticed it and then finished off her duties with Mrs Cake.
As soon as she was finished though, Pinkie Pie snuck up on Pound Cake with a wink to the musician. Crystal Note winked back and kept playing to distract the twins.
Pinkie Pie grinned and tensed in her crouched position, then leaped forward to pounce Pound with a loud "Roar!" before she cuddled the small colt in her hooves. At the same time, Crystal Note lit up her horn and Pumpkin was lifted up towards the ceiling, surrounded by a turquoise glow of magic. Both foals shrieked at first, but soon ended up squealing in joy, Pound wiggling in Pinkie's hooves and Pumpkin in the magic glow as she slowly descended into Crystal Note's hooves to be cuddled as well.
The four of them spent the rest of the evening playing and fooling around under Cup Cake's watchful eyes and safe from the storm that kept blowing outside.
Crystal Note giggled as she flopped on her bed in Pinkie's room. Dinner with the family had been great and after the foals had been bathed and tucked in, their parents had decided to retire for the night as well. After all, they'd have to be up very early in the morning to get the bakery going in time.
Of course, that didn't stop Pinkie Pie from her plans of a sleepover party. Lucky for her, sleepover parties went along far more calm than her usual parties so the two friends got a chance to just relax in each others company. Of course, relaxing for Pinkie Pie meant hopping up and down on her bed, eating sugary snacks and telling story after story after story in mind-numbing pace.
Crystal Note smiled when Pinkie reached the climax of her current story, the first time she foalsat the twins, and reached into her bags with her magic. A brush floated through the room towards her as she settled down comfortably on the bed. With one hoof she caught the brush and pulled off her trademark bandana with the other, then started brushing her mane like she did every night. She smiled and closed her eyes, it always felt so nice to let her mane flow free and untangle all the knots that would build up under the bandana during the day.
Crystal Note was so focused on her task, it took her a minute to realize something was missing. Suddenly the room was very quiet. She opened her eyes and found Pinkie Pie sat on the bed and watching her, a very big grin glued on her face. Crystal Note blinked as she realized Pinkie had stopped talking in the middle of her story and even stopped hopping on her bed
"Is something wrong?"
Pinkie's smile just kept growing as she shook her head, making her curly mane bob up and down
"I'm just happy you're not hiding anymore!"
That made Crystal Note even more confused and she tilted her head to the left
"But Pinkie, I'm not hiding anything from you. You're my friend and I would never... oh..."
She blushed and looked at the bandana she still help in her hoof
"Oh..."
Pinkie Pie grinned and giggled but Crystal Note just blushed more and shook her head
"I'm not hiding, Pinkie. I just like wearing it. It's a fashion statement."
"It is?"
Pinkie Pie looked her friend and Crystal Note immediately felt guilty when she saw Pinkie's blue eyes filled with an almost childlike innocence
"No Pinkie... not really."
"Then why you still wearing it? You smiled when you took it off, so why put in on at all?"
Crystal Note closed her eyes and her hoof gripped the garment more tightly
"Because... I hoped it would make everypony stop staring at me all the time."
"And does it?"
"No... not really."
Pinkie Pie giggled more and flopped down on her back while still watching Crystal Note, her legs spread out to both sides
"And there are ponies who say I'm silly!"
Crystal Note tilted her head and frowned a little
"Why is this silly? I just don't like ponies staring at me."
"But didn't you just say that the bandana doesn't help? So why wear it anyways? I mean it's not like it's a big secret anymore, right?"
Crystal Note felt a cold shiver run down her spine
"You... you didn't tell anypony, right?"
Pinkie gasped and rolled back on her tummy, staring wide-eyed
"Of course not! I Pinkie-promised not to tell your secret! Losing a friends trust is the fastest way to lose a friend FOREVER!"
Crystal Note blinked and looked around the room as the last word somehow managed to echo through the bedroom from different directions. She then slowly nodded to Pinkie and opened her mouth to thank her, but Pinkie's next words had her drop her jaw
"Besides, you're the one telling to everypony yourself!"
Crystal Note stared for a moment and blushed with a shake of her head
"That's not true..."
"Really? How many ponies do know your horn secret so far?"
Crystal Note glared softly at Pinkie
"Barely anypony. Just you and the girls. And Spike of course. And the princesses. And Granny Smith, Big Mac and Apple Bloom. Maybe Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo too. Oh, and Lyra and Bon Bon. And..."
She trailed off for a moment as she realized she quickly ran out of hooves to count, then her head dropped on the bed her face first, mumbling into a pillow
"... and almost the entire Crystal Empire."
Pinkie Pie giggled again and returned to hopping up and down on the bed. Crystal Note looked up to face Pinkie's grin with a weak smile of her own
"I guess I really am a silly pony, huh?"
Pinkie Pie snorted and giggled even louder, then fell into a song while hopping
Who's a silly pony?
Who's a silly pony?
Who is? You is!
Crystal... oomph!"
Her performance was rudely interrupted by a flying pillow that hit her head. Pinkie shook her head and stared at the giggling mare in front of her, too perplexed to say anything for a moment. Crystal Note's laughter died when Pinkie reached behind her. With the sound of a sword pulled out of its sheath, Pinkie presented a pillowy projectile of her own
"I hope you know this can only mean war!"
Crystal Note grinned back and reached out for another pillow
"Bring it, baker girl!"
A couple minutes, two ripped pillows and ton of giggles later, both friends finally collapsed on their respective bed, rolling on their backs and catching their breath. They grinned to each other before they finally decided to get to the sleep part of their sleepover party. Wishing each other a good night, Pinkie Pie turned off the lights and soon the only sounds were the soft breaths of the two friends and the rain, still pounding against the windows and the roof.
Cup Cake woke up when it was still dark. A quick look at the clock told her it was about two in the morning, still far too early even for a baker. Why did she wake up? She listened and heard the rain outside and her husband snoring softly beside her. Otherwise, everything seemed quiet.
Suddenly she knew what had woken her up and she quietly climbed out of the bed. She slowly walked down the hallway towards the other bedroom next to her own. Still, no sound but the rain outside and occasionally the rumbling of thunder. Another lightning bolt illuminated the dark hallway for a moment. Normally, the twins would be crying their tiny eyes out at a storm like this, so why was the house so quiet?
She slowly poked her head through the door, her eyes moving to the bed to find it empty. Instead, she saw the distinct shapes of three ponies at the window. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could see Pound and Pumpkin standing on the wide windowsill on their hind legs, their forehooves against the glass to keep them upright. They had their faces almost pressed against the smooth surface as they stared outside at something Cup Cake couldn't see. In between them stood Crystal Note, her silvery-white coat standing out clearly in the dark room, especially since it seemed to reflect the tiny bits of light from outside. She was standing on her hind legs as well, one of her forehooves next to each foal on the windowsill, just in case they'd lose their balance.
Cup Cake was about to say something when suddenly a pink hoof wrapped around her mouth and pulled her away from the doorway. Suddenly she was facing Pinkie Pie who held a hoof to her own lips and whispered very softly
"Shhh! Just watch!"
Both mares poked their head in front of the doorway again, Pinkie's head hovering over Cup Cake.
The trio at the window hadn't noticed and kept staring out into the dark and stormy night. After a minute, they could hear Crystal Note's voice in a whisper
"Here it comes..."
Moments later, another lightning bolt struck down and Cup Cake could see their faces reflected in the window. Crystal Note had her usual calm smile but the twins looked excited, not the least bit scared. Before she could wonder too much, she was surprised again.
Crystal Note created a strange sound, her voice deeper than usual
"Barrrummmmummumumm..."
Cup Cake blinked in confusion but the twins just giggled softly, joined by Crystal Note. Seconds later the rumbling sound of thunder could be heard and Cup Cake realized it was the sound Crystal Note tried to imitate. The three giggled a little more and the crystal pony whispered
"That was way too early. Let's try again, okay?"
The foals nodded and pressed their noses back against the window. Soon enough, another lightning flashed and they held their breath as seconds later...
"Baaarrrrummmmmummmummmummm!"
This time, Crystal Note timed her rumbling just right to match the thunder from outside, eliciting a series of happy squeals from the twins. Cup Cake smiled and felt her heart glow brightly at the sight of Pound and Pumpkin laughing at the very thing they feared so much. Despite the cold night and the rain, she suddenly felt warm inside at their giggling, as well as from the muffled squee she heard from Pinkie Pie above her. Like any mother, nothing brought her more joy than seeing her foals happy.
She kept hiding in the doorway and watched the twins and Crystal Note repeat their silly game again and again, her heart jumping a little each time the twins squealed in joy. The time between the flashes of lightning soon grew longer and the thunder faded into a soft rumbling instead of the deafening clashes from earlier. Crystal Note's own rumbling soon was the only sound beside the soft drumming of the rain from outside.
Pound then yawned and slipped down from his perch and was caught in Crystal Note's waiting hooves. Pumpkin tore her eyes away from the window and Cup Cake and Pinkie both let out a silent "Aww!" when they saw she could barely keep her little eyes open.
Crystal Note smiled and her horn glowed in a very soft light. With Pound in her hoof and Pumpkin floating in a turquoise glow, she made her way back to the bed and carefully tucked the foals in once more, gently pulling the blanket around them. She started to hum a soft tune that Cup Cake recognized as their favourite lullaby but the crystal unicorn giggled when she saw the foals were already fast asleep before she'd even sung the first note. She gently nuzzled both foals as they snuggled into the bed and whispered
"Sweet dreams, little gems."
She quietly sneaked out of the bedroom and found herself in a hug from Cup Cake and a far tighter one from Pinkie Pie who bubbled out as quietly as she could
"That was soo sweeet!"
Crystal Note blushed a little and shyly met Cup Cake's eyes
"I heard them sobbing when I returned from the bathroom and I just had to do something. I... I kept them up too long though. I guess they'll be a little grumpy in the morning... sorry."
Cup Cake smiled her brightest smile and squeezed the flustered mare gently
"Don't be sorry, honey. A little grumpy in the morning is far better than a sleepless night with crying and being scared."
Crystal Note blushed but smiled at the same time and leaned into the hug. Pinkie Pie squeezed both mares tightly
"I'm super sure they'll never be scared of storms again! Not after having so much fun in tonight! Thank you so much!"
Crystal Note's blush grew even brighter and she mumbled sleepily
"I'm glad... *yawn*... I could help..."
They giggled silently, then Pinkie Pie nudged Crystal Note back to her bedroom
"Come on, let's get some shuteye while we still can. See you in the morning Mrs Cake, goodnight!"
Cup Cake smiled as the two friends climbed upstairs to Pinkie's room
"Goodnight dearies. Sleep tight."
Once alone, she silently slipped next to the twin's bed and watched them slumber peacefully, curled up into a little bundle of adorable sweetness each. She heard a faint rumble of thunder in the distance but other than a slight twitch of Pound's wings, the foals stayed fast asleep. With a loving smile, she leaned down and tenderly kissed their foreheads.
Back in her own bed, she still felt that warmth inside her. Moments later, she fell asleep with the sound of their happy squeals in her ear and the image of them slumbering before her eyes and the biggest smile ever on her face.