//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Melodies of Friendship // by TalkingToMyself //------------------------------// 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.