Back at the library, Mom was setting up a line of apples on the table for some reason. “Uhh… Mom? What are you doing?” I asked poking her wing.
“Did you already forget about your lessons? I told you I was going to give you one tonight.” Mom said before stepping back from the apples. “Sure you’ve pretty much mastered levitation… but that’s not all there is to magic of course.” she said before shooting one of the apples knocking it down. “There may be times when you need to defend yourself… and you can’t always run away.” The next apple she shot at, it turned into an orange. “Of course there’s also spells to completely change other items… that might take you a while to learn… For now just try to knock the apple off.” Mom said stepping to the side. I looked at the apple and tried to focus my magic on it… only to levitate it. “Try to focus on a different emotion rather than the one you feel when you levitate items… Try thinking about something that would make you mad instead.”
“Something that would make me make me mad…” I said to myself putting the apple down. I closed my eyes trying to think of something… Suddenly I started remembering the dream I had last night. Seeing the library on fire… imagining Mom being stuck inside… “nng…!” I did end up shooting the apple… but instead of knocking it off, the apple just exploded. I just stared at it in shock. Mom looked even more surprised.
“I said knock it off, not make it explode…! What kind of emotion were you feeling??” Mom said walking up to me. “What were you thinking about…?”
I just look down and sigh. “I was thinking about a dream that I was having last night… It was a bad dream.”
“What did you dream about…?”
“I saw the library and it was on fire… I thought you and Spike were stuck inside…”
“Oh dear…” Mom said hugging onto me.
“It felt so real to me… if anything happened to you I don’t know what I’d do…” I cried a bit hugging her.
“Don’t worry Crystal… I will always be here for you; And I will never leave you… understand?”
“Yeah… I understand Mom.”
Mom just pulled me into a tight hug. “I would risk my life for you… because if something happened to you too, I wouldn’t forgive myself.”
“I feel the same way about you, Mom…” I hug her tighter.
Mom smiled letting go of me. “Now try again… this time with less anger.” Mom said pointing to the orange.
I look at the orange and take a deep breath before shooting at it again… this time just knocking it off. “Whew…” I just sighed.
Mom just smiled at me. “Very good Crystal… you really are getting good at magic.”
“Actually… ever since I got my cutie mark, it’s actually felt easier to use lately.” I levitate myself up a bit. “I can even float longer than I usually do.”
“Hmm… well it is possible your cutie mark enhanced your magical abilities… Still there isn’t much known about you Crystal… In order to learn more about you, I’d probably have to go back to the world where I found you…”
“Then don’t worry about it.” I snapped looking away.
“Huh?”
“I don’t want to go back there, okay??”
“Crystal I--”
“I don’t want anything to do with that world! I don’t even want to be reminded of it!”
“Crystal! Let me finish!” Mom snapped. “I wasn’t saying I’d go there again. I was just saying; if you wanted me to learn more about your kind, I probably would have to go there… If you’re really that much against that, then I won’t, okay?”
I just sigh. “I’m sorry… part of that bad dream involved waking up back in that alley… thinking everything that happened here was all a dream.”
“It sounds to me like you had one heck of a nightmare then…” Mom said folding her wing around me. “You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”
“I know Mom… I know.” I smile looking up at her face.
“Now come on… let’s practice a little bit more before you go to sleep alright?”
“Alright Mom.”
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After about an hour of shooting apples, I was finally starting to feel tired. “Mom, is there anything else I could try? I’m getting kinda bored at shooting apples…” I say looking at all the scattered apples on the floor.
“Hmmm…” she said levitating a spell book to herself looking through it. “How about a spell that lets you make a ball of light so you can see st night?”
“That could be useful…” I say holding my hand up.
“Alright… this should be an easy one; try to imagine the light from the sun… imagine being able to pull a piece of it and hold it right in your hand.” Mom said demonstrating herself having a ball of light come out of her horn.
“Alright... “ I close my eyes concentrating on what she told me yo think about… eventually the ball of light came out of my hand as well. “Like this?” Mom just stared at me for a moment then looked to the side lost in thought. “Mom…? Is everything okay?”
“Huh?” Mom said snapping out of it. “Y-yeah I’m fine sweetie… sorry was just thinking about something…”
“You said it was an easy spell, right? Did I do something wrong?”
“No of course not… It just amazes me how fast you can pick up on a spell like this. For someone who wasn’t born a pony, it's just mind boggling.”
“But that’s not a bad thing right…?”
“No! No! I think it’s fantastic actually.” Mom said rubbing the back of her head. “In fact, it just makes me more curious how much magic potential you really have. You could be an amazing magic user Crystal.”
“You really think so?” I smile at her.
“I do.” she smiled back kissing my cheek. “But for now I think that’s enough lessons for one night. You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow after all.”
“Yeah… about that Mom…”
“Hm? what’s the matter sweetie?” Mom said showing a look of concern. “You don’t want to cancel your party do you?”
“No it’s not that… it’s Diamond Tiara. She can’t come to my party and I think it's because her mom won’t let her!” I exclaim.
“Well… that might be possible. But unfortunately there’s not much either of us can really do about it. We shouldn’t get involved with their personal lives.”
“But Mom…”
“No, Crystal… we shouldn’t get involved. The only pony who can help Diamond Tiara in this kind of situation is herself…”
“But--”
“No buts.” Mom said placing a hoof on my mouth. “Now off to bed, alright?”
I just sighed and nodded. “Okay Mom…”
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I just looked up at Crystal heading to the bedroom looking upset. I know she means well… she just needs to know that there are some things that only Diamond Tiara can fix on her own.
“Don’t you think you were kind of hard on her?” Spike asked looking up at me.
“She’ll be fine… This is more of a family issue anyways.”
“Are you sure there’s nothing you could do?” Spike asked. “Like talk to Diamond Tiara’s mother yourself and ask if she can come to the party? It wouldn’t be getting involved in their family issue, right?”
“I… guess you're right… Thanks Spike.” I smile hugging him. “Now you get some sleep too.”
“Yeah yeah…” Spike said going upstairs as well.
I just head out the door heading to Diamond Tiara’s house… Hope they don’t get too upset over visiting this late.
At Diamond Tiara’s House
I knock on the door to her house waiting for someone to respond. Eventually a pink mare came and answered the door… I recognized her as Spoiled Rich. “Uh hello…” I cleared my throat a bit. “My name is Twilight Sparkle. I know you barely know me but--”
“Princess Twilight Sparkle!” The pink mare beamed. “How could anypony not know who you are?? Please come in, come in!” I just mentally groan. “To what do I owe the honor of this visit?”
“Well the reason I came here is because of my daughter… She came here earlier wanting to invite your daughter to Sugarcube Corner tomorrow night. It’s for her cute-ceañera.”
“Her… cute-ceañera…?” she said just staring at me. “We are talking about the same daughter, correct? The one who isn’t even a pony?”
“Yes, the same person who you slammed a door to their face!” Diamond Tiara said from behind Spoiled Rich.
“What…?” I said looking at Spoiled Rich with a tone of aggravation.
“Diamond Tiara! Shouldn’t you be in bed??” Spoiled Rich shouted at her.
“She didn’t even give Crystal a chance to--!” Diamond Tiara got cut off by Spoiled Rich’s hoof.
“I said go to sleep, Diamond Tiara!” she yelled before turning back to me. “Little fillies have such an overactive imagination don’t they.” Spoiled Rich said laughing nervously.
I just lifted an eyebrow staring at her. “I don’t know… for some reason I get the feeling it’s not just her imagination.” I said starting to get in her face. “Forgive me… I originally didn’t even want to get involved with family issues, but now that my daughter is involved, I have no other choice but to get involved myself.” I look at her with a look of skepticism. “Perhaps you’d like to explain why you slammed the door in my daughter’s face… now.”
Spoiled Rich just looked to the side starting to sweat. She looked like she was in a panic. “L-look can’t we forget this whole thing ever happened?”
“I don’t think so.”
“P-please Princess Twilight, I would never intentionally try to do anything to upset someone as lovely and p-powerful as you…” Spoiled Rich stammered lowering her head.
“She’s just trying to suck up! She always sucks up to royalty!” Diamond Tiara blurted out.
“Diamond Tiara, I swear to you before this night ends I’m going to--!”
“You’re going to do what?” I said this time with my horn already glowing.
Spoiled Rich looked absolutely terrified at this point. She looked like she was about to run. “You know what? Why don’t you go to Crystal’s cute-ceañera? I-I’m sure it’ll be a lot more fun than staying home!” Spoiled Rich stammered looking at me. “I-in fact why wait?? Why don’t you go have a sleepover with her right now?”
“But… I’m already with Silver Sp--”
“Bring her with you!” Spoiled Rich shouted back at Diamond Tiara before turning back to me. I just simply raised an eyebrow at her. “Please don’t mention this to any of the royal parties in canterlot!”
“If I ever find out you were rude to my daughter again, I will.” I said glaring at Spoiled Rich. “For Celestia’s sake; you’re a grown mare and part of the school board! Set a better example for the younger ponies! Especially your daughter!”
Spoiled Rich just ran back inside before Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon walked outside. As soon as they did the door slammed shut. Followed by the sound of screaming and breaking glass. So much for not getting involved… I just sigh looking at the two fillies. “Sorry for getting you two involved like that.”
“Honestly…” Diamond Tiara spoke up. “I’m kind of glad you talked to her like that. When Crystal told me about her cute-ceañera, I definitely wanted to go! But the only way I could’ve gone at that point would be if I lied, and I’m sure Crystal wouldn’t be happy if I did.”
I just smiled at Diamond Tiara. “You really have changed a lot since that day… I’m proud of you.”
“Thanks… I’m still thankful for her saving me.” Diamond Tiara smiled back at me.
I just giggled a bit. “Come on… it’s getting really late.” I said lifting the two fillies on my back, heading back home.
On the way back Diamond Tiara giggled a bit. “You know… you really dealt a big blow on my mother’s pride like that.”
“I wasn’t trying to… I was just upset that she would treat Crystal that way… she even knew she was my daughter and did it anyways!” I exclaimed.
“Yeah… and her dad isn’t that much better.” Silver Spoon spoke up. Of course saying this kind of made Diamond Tiara a bit sad. “Wait I didn’t--”
“No it’s fine, I get it.” Diamond Tiara sighed. “Crystal is really lucky to have you for a mom, Princess Twilight.”
“Just Twilight is fine… you don’t need to be so formal with me.” I say getting close to the library.
“Sorry…”
“It’s fine Diamond Tiara.” I open the door. “Now why don’t you two go inside and see Crystal? She might still be awake.” They both nodded and headed inside the house. Tomorrow is going to be a big night… I hope it all goes well.