//------------------------------//
// Home alone - Final Part 
// Story: Crystal Note - Where life leads us 
// by TalkingToMyself 
//------------------------------//

Crystal Note walked through the empty street in the light of the full moon. Nopony was outside this late and even the lights in the houses were out already. She approached the biggest of the houses at the end of the street and slowly opened the door. She sneaked inside as quietly as she could, fully expecting the three fillies to be in bed already. Much to her surprise though, there was still a glimmer of light in the living room.

She walked with soft steps and her lips curled to a smile when she took in the sight in front of her. The only light in the room came from the last embers in the fireplace. The room was still warm, even if the coolness of the night slowly crept in by now. In front of the fireplace, on one of the soft rugs and covered by blankets, she saw the three fillies. Velvet Heart and Sweetie Tooth had curled up against their big sister, Glass Slipper. The teenage filly had her head rested on her forelegs and in front of her was an open book with a story Crystal Note recognized as one of Velvet Heart’s favourites. The three had tried to stay awake as long as they could it seemed, but eventually sleep had caught up on them.

Crystal Note’s smile turned softer as she stepped closer and watched the three fillies slumber. They looked so peaceful, it would be a shame to wake them right now. However, when she sat down next to them, Velvet Heart began to stir. Her ears perked up and a moment later, her eyes opened to look directly at Crystal Note.
The smile wavered when she saw the look of fear on the filly’s face and her whispered words cut deep inside her
“You came back!”
Crystal Note understood right away, understood so well. Velvet Heart had seen her parents leave one day and never come back. It didn’t matter if it was of their own violation or not, they left and left her alone. It took weeks to make her feel anything but sad and angry, months before she could feel safe again.
Then, Crystal Note, the mare who promised to be always there for her, left as well. It didn’t matter than she tried to explain, it didn’t matter that she told her how sad she felt for it, it didn’t matter that Velvet Heart had tried to act strong. Those were only words and no words could change the fact that Velvet Heart had been left, again. No words could stop her mind going back to that place where she was afraid and alone, no matter how much she understood why the mare had to leave. 

And now, that same fear held her back from believing that she hadn’t been left alone. Words wouldn’t be enough to make her believe, so Crystal Note did the only thing she could do. She reached out for the filly to show that she was back, really. Her heart leapt when Velvet Heart jumped into her hooves and pressed into her gentle embrace
“You came back!”
All she could do was nod and hold back the tears she felt in her eyes. Velvet Heart didn’t need to see her tears right now. The filly had taken a first brave step of letting go of her fear, she wouldn’t let tears taint this moment for her, even if they were tears of relief.

Velvet Heart stayed in the embrace for a while longer and only pulled back a little to look up at her caretaker and guardian. Crystal Note smiled softly and released the filly when she started stirring, even if she didn’t want to if she was honest. Velvet Heart kept looking at her with those bright eyes and it only took a moment for the clever filly to see right through her. Crystal Note’s smile wavered a little but Velvet Heart’s frown turned into a smile and she gently nuzzled the mare’s side. Whatever Velvet Heart had seen, it wasn’t unforgivable and couldn’t match how happy the filly felt for her return.

Crystal Note leaned down to nuzzle the top of Velvet’s head very softly
“How have you been, little gem?”
Velvet Heart blushed at the pet name. It was the same her mother had used for her, but she hearing it from Crystal Note still felt a little weird, even if the mare even had the same tone of voice her mother had always used, the one that made her feel cared for and safe.
Velvet Heart didn’t dive too deep into that tonight and instead simply answered with a hushed voice so they wouldn’t wake Glass Slipper and Sweetie Tooth
“We’ve been good. Rose Quartz came home with us after school and she stayed over for the first night. Opal Waves checked in on us every few hours the following day. It was kind of annoying.”
She told how they had to convince the overprotective mare that they were fine for the night by themselves, in the end they had to rely on Sweetie Tooth’s best puppy dog eyes begging.

Crystal Note laughed gently and Velvet Heart leaned against her with a happy smile. It did feel right to be around Crystal Note, better than with Rose Quartz or Opal Waves. Crystal Note shifted slightly so the filly could rest her head against her flank and whispered softly
“I’m glad the three of you got along so well. But, how have you been, Velvet?”
Velvet Heart froze for a moment and a fearful tremble snuck into her voice
“I had a nightmare in the first night. And I yelled a couple of times. It was hard.”
She knew that it wasn’t right to yell at other ponies. She really, really tried not to, but sometimes she just couldn’t help it. Crystal Note had talked with her about it many times and now she was afraid of what her caretaker would say about her relapse.
Instead of scolding, she felt a soft nuzzle on the top of her head
“I know it’s hard, little gem. But it will get easier and we will make it better again, I promise.”
The filly smiled and leaned her head up towards the nuzzling
“Thank you, Crystal Note.”

Crystal Note let the moment linger a little longer, but eventually the cold crept into the living room now that even the embers had faded out
“Come on, love. Let’s get you and your sister tucked in. We can talk more tomorrow.”
She felt Velvet Heart nod and got up on her hooves again. Before she could take a step, Velvet Heart climbed up on her back and took her by surprise. She turned her head and watched with a smile as the filly curled up contently with a little yawn already.
With a soft giggle, she checked on Sweetie Tooth who was still sleeping peacefully. With a gentle touch of her magic, she picked up the slumbering filly. Sweetie Tooth knew how it felt to be carried with magic, so she didn’t even stir as she floated in a cloud of turquoise sparkles. Crystal Note took a moment to pull the blankets over Glass Slipper before she carried the twins up to their bedroom. Sweetie Tooth didn’t wake up and Velvet Heart fell back asleep on the way, so she silently tucked them in nice and warm in their bed. She watched them for a moment but the nightmares Velvet Heart had mentioned stayed away tonight, thank Luna for that.

She silently climbed back downstairs, where Glass Slipper was still sleeping. Sadly Crystal Note couldn’t carry her up the stairs, so although it broke her heart, she had to wake the teenage filly. She gently shook her shoulder and whispered
“Glass Slipper, wake up dear. It’s getting cold, let’s get you to bed.”
The filly stirred and blinked her eyes open, trying to see in the sparse light of the moon from outside. She yawned and her eyes fell on Crystal Note as she mumbled drowsily
“Mom?”
Crystal Note just smiled and gently pulled the filly on her hooves
"It's me."
Glass Slipper blinked and raised her head, but a big yawn told that she was still at the brink of sleep
“You’re back.”
Crystal Note giggled and led the filly towards the stairs, allowing Glass Slipper to lean against her
“I am. Sorry I’m late, dear.”
“S’okay. We tried to stay up but…”
Glass Slipper slurred and ended in another yawn. She walked along with her eyes halfway closed, happy to let Crystal Note guide her and help her climb under the covers of her bed. She felt a soft nuzzle on her mane, almost like her mom used to do when she was little
“Sweet dreams, Angel, You can tell me everything after a good night’s rest.”
“Night, Crystal Note.”
Glass Slipper was back asleep before Crystal Note even closed the door behind her. With a yawn of her own, but a smile on her face, she finally made it to her own bed. With a happy sigh, she closed her eyes with the images of her three fillies in her mind.
Coming back home had never felt better.