Velvet Heart opened her eyes and looked around confused, then slowly remembered. She was in Vanhoover, in Bonne Voyage’s house near the lake. This wasn’t her bed, but it was very comfy. And she wasn’t alone, Sweetie Tooth just had her own bed and slept next to her.
The sun peeked in through the windows and Velvet Heart realized she’d been sleeping longer than usual, but it was still early. She looked around but then remembered that Glass Slipper had chosen to join Haute Nuage in the top floor for the night. The pegasus had the entire floor to herself and an additional bed as well. Probably the two had been talking through the whole night.
She made her way to the door and her ears perked up at the unfamiliar sound her hooves made on the wooden floor. She had to stretch up to reach the handle of the door and peeked out. The hallway looked empty but the door right on the other side stood open a crack. Just like Crystal Note had promised last night. Velvet stepped outside the room, closing the door as quietly as she could before she slipped into the other room.
Crystal Note had sprawled out on the bed, not bothering with a blanket. Compared to the Crystal Empire, the air in Vanhoover was much warmer even at night. Velvet Heart saw the slow and steady rise of the mare’s body, obviously still asleep. She carefully hopped on the bed beside the mare, freezing for a moment when the impact shook the bed. Crystal Note stayed asleep, only her hoof twitched a little.
The filly carefully climbed closer to her caretaker until she was right next to her. Just like the night before at the lake, she scooted against Crystal Note’s flank and snuggled in gently. With a happy and satisfied sigh, Velvet Heart closed her eyes again. Warm and comfy now, she dozed away in the mare’s presence.
She felt Crystal Note move besides her a few minutes later, although she didn’t pull away. Instead, Velvet Heart felt a gentle nuzzle on the top of her head and her eyes peeked open again. Crystal Note had half sat up, with her hooves now tucked nicely under herself and her warm body half curled around the filly. She smiled down at Velvet Heart with that same smile Mommy had always had and her eyes shined with that same glow that always made the filly feel so warm.
They stayed like this, together for a few more minutes, until they heard a big yawn outside the room. They giggled softly when they heard a mare mumbling about missing a chance to sleep in, the voice getting quiet as it moved further into the house.
Crystal Note smiled and winked to the filly
“Shall we go help Bonne Voyage with breakfast?”
Velvet Heart nodded and jumped down to the floor, waiting for Crystal Note to climb down as well. The mare guided the filly through the house towards the kitchen, where they greeted their friend and host.
Velvet Heart grinned when Bonne Voyage just mumbled and went back to staring at the gurgling coffee maker. She helped herself to a cup and after a few long draws, she finally returned the “Good morning”. They set up the large kitchen table, although Velvet Heart noticed that Crystal Note floated far more plates than they needed from the cupboard.
Lured out by the noise and voices, Sweetie Tooth joined them shortly after. Like every morning, she and Crystal Note shared a big hug that ended with a nuzzle from the mare. Her hooves gently brushed through Sweetie Tooth’s messy mane, trying to tame the strands as much as she could without a brush.
Haute Nuage and Glass Slipper climbed downstairs when everything was almost ready, including some fried eggs and toast for everypony. Like her sister, Haute Nuage went straight for a cup of coffee and Glass Slipper, after greeting the twins, agreed on a cup herself. Velvet Heart stifled her giggle behind a hoof when her big sister’s muzzle scrunched from the bitter taste, but the teenager kept sipping anyways.
Everypony took a seat and the fillies kept glancing at the four unused plates, but Bonne Voyage and Haute Nuage were already discussing all the fun things to do today in the big city, so they didn’t bother asking.
When they were almost finished, they heard voices from the front door and seconds after, a yellow and orange blur zipped into the room, straight at Haute Nuage
“Auntie! We’re back!”
The young mare giggled and caught the blurry thing with a hug of her wings. It turned out to be a pegasus colt who laughed and struggled to get free again, especially when Haute Nuage tussled his mane. Eventually he broke out of the hug and retreated just out of reach, his small wings flapped to keep him afloat. It seemed like he just now noticed the three crystal fillies staring at him and the two other mares laughing gently
“Wind Chaser! What did I tell you about racing indoors?”
The kitchen door opened wider and three more ponies stepped inside.
The pony who had spoken was an earth pony stallion with the same azure coat as Haute Nuage and Bonne Voyage, so Sweetie Tooth immediately knew she was looking at another sibling. Big brother, if she had to guess.
Next to him was a mare with a bright and warm smile that only grew as she took in the visitors from the Crystal Empire. She exchanged a knowing wink with Sweetie Tooth who was already staring at the mare’s wings, nicely folded to her sides for now, before she walked over to Crystal Note for a hug
“It’s so nice to see you again! How was your trip?”
“Just fine, thanks. Nice to see you too, Morning Breeze. How are your parents doing?”
“They’re thrilled to see their grandfoals, as usual. Wind Chaser ate so many cookies he’ll be on a sugar high for the rest of the day.”
Both mares laughed as the pegasus colt greeted his other aunt in similar fashion.
The third of the ponies, an earth pony filly with the same sand-yellow coat as her brother but a vibrant red mane, approached the twins while her parents and aunts were busy getting a hold of Wind Chaser once he started zooming around in circles. She seemed to be of the same age as the twins and smiled friendly, like her mother
“Hi! I’m Cherry Tap! Who are you?”
Crystal Note smiled as she watched the three fillies quickly lost all shyness and threw themselves in a mess of questions and answers about Vanhoover, the Crystal Empire and school. Wind Chaser, once he had been calmed down enough, jumped right in as well. He wouldn’t go to school until after summer, but he already had a clear opinion on everything it seemed.
Glass Slipper sat on her seat, a little lost. She watched her sisters and the other two foals at their lively discussion she probably couldn’t join in, then glanced to Haute Nuage and Bonne Voyage who greeted their brother. For a moment, Crystal Note thought the teenage filly would try to sneak out, but Morning Breeze sat down next to her and helped herself to the last cup of coffee. The pegasus mare drained half her cup in go and let out a blissful sigh which lured out a giggle from the teenage filly. Before long, the two of them discussed their favourite choice of drinks for breakfast, which ended up in a lot more giggles.
The extended family plus guests found their places at the table and finished breakfast together, accompanied by the sounds of happy laughter.
Later that morning, the ponies split up into groups. Morning Breeze was going to take the foals to the lake for a ride on a cruise boat, together with Crystal Note. Haute Nuage talked Glass Slipper in joining her for some window-shopping in the centre of the city, while Bonne Voyage and her brother would get the things they needed for later. Since breakfast lasted long and was very filling, they all decided to meet at a park for a picnic later in the afternoon instead of having lunch.
Just before they left, Crystal Note passed a small bag to Glass Slipper. The filly peeked inside when she was sure nopony was watching her and gasped at the number of golden bits inside. Uncertain how to react, she looked back to her caretaker, but Crystal Note just smiled and winked at the filly before they all went on their ways.
Glass Slipper followed Haute Nuage through the mass of ponies in the city who gathered in front of stores or walked through with bags from their shopping. Unlike the Crystal Empire with its market place and stands, Vanhoover had a shopping district with all kinds of stores for all kinds of things. Glass Slipper saw stores for dresses, hats, toys, even furniture.
Haute Nuage didn’t seem to pay too much attention to most of the shops. Glass Slipper noticed her wings twitch at times, but the pegasus stayed on the ground and made sure to not lose Glass Slipper in the crowd.
Ever since they left the house, Haute Nuage had been rather quiet. Glass Slipper didn’t really know what to think of it but put it towards the fact that they had been talking deep into the night and only gotten a few hours of sleep. She was engrossed in all the new sights, so she didn’t notice the sideway glances the pegasus pony threw towards her.
When the crowd finally thinned down a bit, Haute Nuage finally shared what was on her mind
“So, what’s it like, living with Crystal Note?”
Glass Slipper blinked surprised, completely caught off guard by that
“It’s fine, I guess. She takes care of everything at home and she helps take care of my sisters. And me, I suppose.”
She blushed and leaned a little closer, afraid somepony might overhear what she said
“When Mom and Dad… when they were suddenly gone, I didn’t know what would happen. But Crystal Note was just there, and she stayed. Now it’s kind of normal again.”
Haute Nuage nodded sympathetically and stayed silent for a few minutes, not wanting to push on the teenage filly, but in the end her curiosity won anyways
“It must be great living with somepony who’s famous like Crystal Note.
The teenager snapped out of her thoughts again and turned her head around
“Your sister said the same on the train. What do you mean, famous? I guess everypony in the Crystal Empire knows her, but it’s not that big so everypony knows almost everpony anyways.”
Haute Nuage met her gaze and seemed perplexed
“I’m sure you could ask around here and lots of ponies would know her, more in Canterlot even. She’s been quiet for a while, but she was a big number just a couple of years ago.”
Glass Slipper frowned and shook her head. All she had seen so far from the crystal unicorn showed that she didn’t like to draw too much attention to her. She couldn’t even imagine her as ‘a big number’ in anything.
Haute Nuage tilted her head and her wings rustled on her sides
“You mean, she never told you even though she’s your mom now?”
“She’s not my mom!”
Glass Slipper blushed as the words burst out of her without thinking. She cleared her throat and when Haute Nuage was sensitive enough not to push further, she answered more calmly
“She never talks much about herself. Nothing of her past, at least. When we’re in school, she’s working on some songs I guess and I’ve heard her play her violin a few times. But she’s just a street musician, right? She plays on the market plaza and stuff.”
Haute Nuage laughed and flapped her wings once
“Yeah, she’s famous for that. She was travelling all over Equestria and would suddenly appear in a new city and play in a park or in a street. Even later when she was doing concerts and tours, she’d still do that.”
Glass Slipper just shook her head again
“That sounds nothing like Crystal Note.”
Haute Nuage noticed the confused expression, then smiled and used her wing to pull Glass Slipper along
“I’ll show you something.”
They fell silent when Haute Nuage guided them through the streets and towards one of the biggest stores Glass Slipper had seen yet. The storefront was decorated with music keys, notes and instruments like guitars and saxophones and the sign said ‘Melody Fusion’s Music Empire.’
As soon as they walked in, Glass Slipper noticed the music. Multiple songs sounded out from different corners of the large store and ponies browsed through rows of records. Glass Slipper saw signs on the shelves with words like ‘Classic’, ‘Pop’ or ‘Musicals’, but also names like Sapphire Shores.
Before Glass Slipper could take in more details, Haute Nuage pulled her towards one of the many isles of shelves with a moderate amount of ponies. She could hear one of the songs clearly now and even though somepony else was singing, she recognized the song as one Crystal Note had sung at the market in the Crystal Empire. Haute Nuage smiled when she guessed what the filly was thinking
“You know that one, right? It’s one of my favourites.”
Glass Slipper frowned and perked her ears to hear better
“But that’s not Crystal Note who’s singing, is it?”
“No, but she composed the song and performed it a few times during her second-to-last tour.”
The crystal filly jumped in surprise at the new voice that suddenly joined into their discussion and turned out to be a cream coloured unicorn mare. Both of them stared at each other for a moment, Glass Slipper at the mare’s horn while the unicorn couldn’t take her eyes of the filly’s shiny coat.
“Oh sweet Celestia, you’re a real crystal pony! That’s so cool! You’re just like Crystal Note!”
Glass Slipper couldn’t do anything but blink for a couple of moments and both Haute Nuage and the mare laughed softly
“I’m sorry, I usually don’t rush it on ponies like that. I’m Melody Fusion, welcome to my store!”
The other two introduced themselves as well and Glass Slipper noticed that Melody Fusion was wearing a set of earrings that looked like musical notes. On closer inspection, they looked exactly like Crystal Note’s cutie mark.
The unicorn noticed the filly’s stares and giggled
“Yeah, I know the earrings are a little cheesy, but I’m really a big fan. It’s why I opened a music store.”
Haute Nuage giggled and nodded, but Glass Slipper just tilted her head confused
“You’re a big fan of what?”
“Why, of Crystal Note of course! I first saw her on a concert in Canterlot when she was still with the Ponyville Music Ensemble, but when I found out she was writing her own songs as well, I bought all her records. Some of them are real classics by now.”
While she was talking, Melody Fusion picked up some of the records with her magic and brought them to a record player that was set up in the corner of the room.
She put on one of the records and again, Glass Slipper recognized one of Crystal Note’s songs and the mare’s voice as well
“I think I know that one.”
Haute Nuage and Melody Fusion laughed
“Well, you should. It’s a bestseller. I’ve heard it live on a concert once, Crystal Note was amazing!”
Glass Slipper got more and more intimidated by the way the mare gushed about her guardian
“Did you ever see her perform? Her last concert was three years ago, but she has that habit of popping up in towns and giving impromptu concerts in parks.”
Glass Slipper nodded and mumbled absently as she looked at the covers of the records Melody Fusion still held in her magic, all with that familiar cutie mark
“She likes to share her music, so she enjoys playing where others can hear her. That’s why she visits the market so often. At least that’s what she told me”
The unicorn mare gasped softly and smiled with glee
“You mean you know her personally? Oh! My! Gosh! You have to tell me everything! How did you meet her? What’s she like in pony? Oh, I hope there’s a new tour soon, I can’t wait to see her perform again!”
Glass Slipper unconsciously backed away as the unicorn mare bombarded her with more and more questions. She couldn’t understand how anypony could be so obsessed with a pony like Crystal Note. Haute Nuage was no help, the pegasus just watched and hid a grin behind her hooves, but luckily Glass Slipper was saved by a voice from the back of the store
“Hey Melody! Less fan girl, more business mare, please!”
Melody Fusion blinked a few times and giggled as she waved to the stallion behind the cash register. She smiled as she turned to the crystal filly who, by now, was backed against a wall
“I’m sorry, I do get a little ahead of myself and… oh no, I didn’t scare you did I sweetheart?”
Glass Slipper shook her head but didn’t dare get any closer to the mare again. Melody Fusion’s smile wavered and the mare took a single step forward. To Glass Slipper’s great surprise, the mare bowed down deeply in front of her
“Glass Slipper, my sincerest apologies. It was never my intention to frighten anypony who came from so far to visit Vanhoover, especially since you made it to my humble store as well.”
Haute Nuage laughed as she looked between Melody Fusion and Glass Slipper, having trouble to decide who was more hilarious, the mare and her over the top apology or the filly who looked like she didn’t understand the world anymore.
Glass Slipper blinked a couple of times and uttered out without thinking
“You’re a very strange pony.”
“So kind of you to notice!”
Now both mares laughed and Glass Slipper simply couldn’t help but join in. Melody Fusion gently guided the teenage filly back to the record player
“Being normal all the time is boring, you know? I think ponies should embrace the things that make them special more. If we’re all strange and special, we would all worry far less altogether.”
Haute Nuage just grinned and Glass Slipper smiled once she thought about that for a moment. Even if she wouldn’t agree fully with the mare, she liked how Melody Fusion managed to be genuinely happy and share this with everypony around her.
The unicorn picked up another record from the huge shelf, entirely dedicated to Crystal Note, and told the story behind it. Glass Slipper listened attentively and answered a few questions about Crystal Note in return, which would lead to more stories as the time flew by.