//------------------------------// // Moving Day - Final Part // Story: Crystal Note - Where life leads us // by TalkingToMyself //------------------------------// The few things from the cart didn’t take long to unload and Crystal Note then showed them all of the mansion before they would decide where to put everything. The ground floor had only a small foyer, the large living room they had seen before, and a big kitchen. Sweetie Tooth was most excited about this. On the middle floor, Crystal Note showed the fillies their new bedroom. It was easily twice as big as the room they shared before, and had two beds, two small filly-sized desks, a drawer and a few seat cushions. The twins were excited and went to explore every crook and cranny of the room, but Glass Slipper stayed at the door, slightly confused “Why are there only two beds for the three of us?” Crystal Note looked up from watching the twins and met Glass Slipper’s puzzled expression with a knowing smile “Let me show you something.” They left the twins explore on their own while Crystal Note led Glass Slipper up the stairs to the top floor. The mare opened a door and motioned for Glass Slipper to enter. As the teen walked in, she gasped excited and her lips curled to a smile. The room was a tad smaller than the other bedroom, but it only had a single queen-sized bed with covers in blue and purple, her favourite colours. There was also a desk, but a normal-sized one, also a dresser and a vanity table with a big mirror. Glass Slipper stood in the middle of the room, trying to take everything in at once. Crystal Note stayed at the door and watched her oldest charge with a smile “This is your room, Glass Slipper.” Although she had almost guessed it, Glass Slipper’s voice still turned into an excited squeal “My own room? Just for me?” Crystal Note kept smiling and nodded softly “In fact, the upper floor will be more or less yours. There’s a bathroom up here for you as well and a guest room.” Glass Slipper had a wide grin on her muzzle as she looked around again, taking in all the details. Crystal Note walked inside and stood next to her “It’s still a little bare, but I figured you would rather choose your own decorations instead of having me decide.” Glass Slipper nodded excited, but the suddenly stopped when she realized something “Wait, so you chose everything else?” Crystal Note nodded and sat down next to her “So far, I did. I tried to stick with the necessities first. This is my new home as much as it is yours and your sisters’, so we’ll decide together from now on. But this room, Glass Slipper, will be yours and yours alone, so you get to decide here.” Crystal Note laughed when Glass Slipper wrapped her hooves around her in a hug that was equally excitement, gratitude and joy “Thank you, Crystal Note!” She nuzzled the filly’s mane “You’re very welcome, Angel.” The few belonging found had found their places in shelves and on cupboards. They had made a list of things they would still need, including a first stocking of the so far empty pantry. What they had brought with them from the old home served as dinner, Sweetie Tooth and Crystal Note had taken the chance to familiarize themselves with the new kitchen while Velvet Heart and Glass Slipper talked about decorating their rooms more. Now dinner was finished, the dishes were done and the sun had set, so it was time for the twins to get ready for bed. Before that, however, Crystal Note had one last important thing to explain “This is going to be my room.” They stood in front of a door in the middle floor and Velvet Heart peeked inside curiously. There was only a single bed, a nightstand and a cupboard. This had to be the smallest room in the entire mansion. On the other side of the hallway was the twin’s bedroom and the stairs leading up were close as well. Crystal Note looked each of them in the eyes “This door doesn’t have a lock and it won’t get one either. So it’s always open. Early in the morning” she looked at Velvet Heart for this, “late in the evening,” then at Glass Slipper now “or even in the middle of the night.” The three fillies nodded and Crystal Note smiled her warm caring smile “You can come here to get me whenever you need me. No matter what you need or what time it is. Please remember that. Wake me up if you need me, I don’t care. I made a promise and I will stay true to it.” Crystal Note searched for their eyes again to make sure they understood. To her greatest relief, she found no fear from them. They trusted her and believed her implicitly, and it made her heart glow with warmth. She smiled and nuzzled Velvet Heart who stood closest to her “Good. Now, bath time for you and off to bed.” The fillies giggled and stormed off to the bathroom on their floor, which had a tub just like the one they had before. They spent some time splashing around while Crystal Note tried to keep the flood contained. Meanwhile, Glass Slipper went upstairs. Her bathroom had a walk-in shower instead of a tub, but she enjoyed it just as much. She was back downstairs in time for to tuck the twins in. They had first experienced split beds in Vanhoover and had already decided who would take which bed. Velvet Heart would get the one closer to the door, Sweetie Tooth’s bed would be the one by the window. Crystal Note gently pulled the covers over each of them before they received a nuzzle from both their big sister and their caretaker. Crystal Note had been humming a little tune for a while now, and once the fillies were tucked in snug and warm, she had the tune grow into a lullaby for the twins. She loved singing for the fillies and watched as they gently slipped into a peaceful sleep. When Crystal Note and Glass Slipper left the bedroom, Glass Slipper headed upstairs to her own bedroom, even if she didn’t feel very tired yet. She had already made it to her new bed, when she suddenly realized she didn’t hahave to turn in yet. They had always gone to bed together, but now she could stay up if she wanted to. It was such an overwhelmingly new idea that she needed a full minute to grasp it. She climbed back down the stairs with decisive steps, firmly determined to use the new freedom for all it was worth. Then she realized she didn’t even know what to do all by herself. Fortunately, she wasn’t the only one still awake. From Crystal Note’s bedroom, she saw light shining into the hall. As she had promised, Crystal Note had left the door open a crack, just in case. Glass Slipper nudged it open a little further and looked inside. Crystal Note sat on the bed with a candle on her nightstand and a scroll in front of her. A quill floated in her turquoise magic and wrote on the parchment, until she noticed the teenage filly “Hello Glass Slipper. Not ready to call it a night yet?” Glass Slipper shook her head and gingerly stepped inside with a faint blush, but Crystal Note only smiled warmly “I’m writing a letter to Bonne Voyage, would you like to write one for Haute Nuage maybe? We could send them together then.” Glass Slipper smiled and sat down on the floor as Crystal Note floated a second piece of parchment and a spare quill towards her. She grabbed the quill with her teeth and dipped it into the inkwell. So many things had happened she wanted to tell her new friend, she didn’t even know where to start. Crystal Note finished her own letter and watched with a smile as Glass Slipper furiously scribbled passages until the scroll there was no more space on the scroll. The night was halfway through already, when Crystal Note heard an unpleasant sound that immediately woke her up. She climbed out of her bed and went straight to the door opposite of her bedroom, slowly pushing it open. The twin’s bedroom was dark, but not quiet. Crystal Note heard another whimpering sob and rushed to Sweetie Tooth’s bed. The filly had curled up into a ball of shivers and mumbled in her sleep “No! The ghosts are here to get me…” Crystal Note lowered her head so she was next to the filly and nuzzled her gently “Shh, Sweetie. There are no ghosts. Nothing can harm you here.” Sweetie Tooth calmed down as soon as she heard Crystal Note’s voice, and under her touch, she could feel the shivering slow down and finally stop. With a last little mumble, the filly snuggled into her pillow as the nightmare passed. “What if there really are ghost?” Crystal Note’s ears perked up and she looked over her shoulder. On the other bed behind her, Velvet Heart had sat up and was now watching her. With her hoof, she tucked the blankets back around Sweetie Tooth before she turned around and sat in front of Velvet’s bed, so they were almost eye-to-eye now “What do you know about ghosts, Velvet?” They spoke very softly so they wouldn’t wake Sweetie Tooth, and Velvet Heart had to lean in to understand Crystal Note’s whisper “They haunt abandoned places at night. Like this one.” Crystal Note tilted her head, by now her eyes had adapted to the darkness and she could see the frown on Velvet’s face “But we’re living here now. This house isn’t abandoned anymore, so there couldn’t be any ghosts.” “Maybe they didn’t realize it yet and that’s why they’re still here. Or maybe they want this place back and try to scare us away.” Crystal Note giggled softly and gently nudged the filly with her head “Are you scared, Velvet Heart?” “No!” Velvet shook her head a little too fast though “But Sweetie Tooth is. It might be enough.” “It might.” Crystal Note looked back at the slumbering filly, then stood up on her hooves “There is only one way to find out. Do you know how to catch a ghost, Velvet Heart?” The filly looked at her with wide eyes and shook her head, slowly this time “Let me show you.” The big living room was dark except a few dots of moonlight that sprinkled in through the windows. Crystal Note and Velvet Heart sat in the shadows at the bottom of the stairs, eyes fixed on the ‘ghost bait’ they had placed in the middle of the room “Are you sure this is how you catch a ghost?” Crystal Note nodded and whispered back “That’s what the mages of Unicornia wrote down in the Tome of Spirits.” Velvet Heart nodded and didn’t notice the small smirk from the unicorn mare. That tome did exist, but it was as fictional as the old kingdom of Unicornia, but Velvet Heart didn’t need to know that just yet. “And ghosts really like cookies?” This time, Crystal Note couldn’t supress a faint snickering “Of course, Velvet Heart. Everypony likes cookies, right?” This got the filly suspicious as she eyed the plate with cookies on the coffee table once more “But, if ghosts aren’t alive, why would they even need to eat?” “Maybe they don’t need to eat, but they just like the taste.” At that, Velvet Heart glanced up at her caretaker and noticed the smirk, which made her puff up her cheeks “You’re fibbing!” Crystal Note laughed gently and admitted with a nod “I guess it was only a matter of time before you figured it out, Velvet.” Velvet Heart poked Crystal Note’s flank and got a nuzzle to her mane in retaliation, both of them giggling. When the giggles eventually tittered out, Velvet Heart shuffled a little closer to Crystal Note. Her voice didn’t match the mirth of the moment at all, she sounded scared “But what if there really are ghosts?” Crystal Note sat up a little straighter, giving Velvet the chance to lean against her if the filly wanted so. Her voice was calm and soothing, like the night around them “I don’t know if ghosts are real, Velvet. I’ve never seen one, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t exist outside of legends and stories.” Velvet Heart nodded, eyes again fixed on the cookies they used as bait “I don’t anything about ghosts except they’re scary. Can you tell me more?” Crystal Note nodded and took a deep breath, almost like a sigh “The stories I’ve heard are not very nice. They say that ghosts are restless souls, of ponies who had died but could not find peace for whatever reason. Some say that those souls search for vengeance or redemption by haunting the living. Others say that they are simply lost and that negative emotions lure them in, so that’s why the haunt places where they find sadness, fear or anger.” Velvet listened attentively and shivered “So they are looking just for a place like this? Mom and Dad died, and we’re sad all the time and I’m angry and…” “No.” The filly looked up and Crystal Note shook her head “Your parents have passed, but they left behind so much love for each of you. It might be buried under some sadness at the moment, but I know that it’s there. And I know you can feel it as well, Velvet Heart, if you just listen.” Velvet Heart tilted her head to her side and lured out a smile from Crystal Note "Listen? Listen to what?" "Close your eyes, Darling. Let me show you." Crystal Note kept her soft smile, but Velvet Heart shivered again and hesitated "But what about the ghosts?" "I won't let any ghosts get you, Velvet Heart. You can trust me." Velvet Heart looked up at Crystal Note's eyes for a minute longer, before she closed hers like Crystal Note had asked her, even if she started shivering again from the darkness. Crystal Note put her hoof on the filly's shoulder, and the shivering stopped "It's okay. I'm right here." Velvet kept her eyes closed as she nodded. She leaned a little to her side, towards Crystal Note, slowly and carefully first, but when Crystal Note didn't pull away, she leaned in further until she was fully resting against her. After a minute or two, Crystal Note whispered to the filly, but in the darkness, it sounded louder than usual "Think about your Mom and your Dad, Velvet. Think about them and listen." Immediately, Velvet Heart saw their faces and she felt them holding her, but she heard nothing, except she'd started sniffling again "I hear nothing." "You're not listening with your heart, Darling. Try again. You're almost there." Velvet kept her eyes shut and shuffled closer to Crystal Note, instinctively snuggling into the mare's warmth and presence as she tried to listen inside her. "I feel so sad." "I know, Velvet. But that's not all, isn't it? Remember how we set up the photos? You were crying, but you were also smiling at the same time." Velvet nodded and listened very closely "I miss them so much." Velvet felt a gentle hoof wrap around her and hold her close "Of course you do, Little Gem. I miss them too. But they are still there for you, in your heart. Can you hear? Can you feel them?" Velvet could feel it, but she couldn’t put it into proper words, so she just nodded. “Sometimes love takes strange forms, Velvet Heart. Love can be liquid and fill up your eyes like tears and you think you’re sad. Sometimes love can be like a fire that burns and churns inside your tummy and makes you feel like you’re angry. And sometimes, it can be scary like a ghost. But it doesn’t have to be like that.” Crystal Note held the filly close as she kept whispering to her “A ghost is only scary because we don’t understand. But you can understand, Velvet, just like you can learn to listen to your heart. You love your parents and they love you, but right now it makes you feel sad and angry. You miss them so much and we all do, and that’s why it hurts. You have to accept that. Once you do, you’ll see that you can love them without missing them. You’ll learn to keep them in your heart, but in a place where it won’t hurt anymore. It’s very hard and you need to listen very closely to your heart, but I know you can do it, Little Gem.” Velvet Heart kept pressed against Crystal Note, but she couldn’t listen anymore, not with the tears and all the words spinning around her “How can I do all that? It sounds so hard.” Crystal Note gently nuzzled the top of the filly’s head. She didn’t know that, but that was the same thing Velvet’s mother used to do whenever Velvet got frustrated “It is hard, Velvet. It’s one of the hardest things to do. Some even say it’s impossible, like catching a ghost. But that won’t stop us from trying, right?” Crystal Note gently nudged the filly with her muzzle and Velvet smiled. She could even giggle. She looked at the plate with the cookies and giggled more. That whole idea sounded so silly, now that she started to think about it without being afraid “I don’t think we’ll catch a ghost with that.” “You’re probably right, Velvet.” Velvet Heart tilted her head in thought “But that still doesn’t prove ghosts aren’t real.” Crystal Note watched the filly in her embrace closely. She could tell there was more on Velvet’s mind than just that, and she had a good idea what it might be, but she’d already pushed far out today. The last thing she wanted was to overwhelm Velvet Heart on her first night in their new home. So she latched on the words Velvet offered her instead “How about this: Tomorrow, we’ll go check the Crystal Library together, just the two of us. If there’s anything to learn about ghosts, we’ll find it. Sounds like a plan?” “Uh-huh.” Velvet nodded against Crystal Note. As they had talked, she stayed close the mare without even realizing it. Her little head rested safely on her caretaker and guardian, and she felt it very hard to be scared when Crystal Not was holding her like this. Velvet smiled when her eyes closed down and she thought of the little family shrine they had set up. It was the first thing Crystal Note had them do, so she knew it was very important. Like Crystal Note had said, Mommy and Daddy loved her and watched over her. There’d be no way a ghost could get past them! Crystal Note must have seen the little smile because Velvet felt a kiss on her forehead just like Mommy always did, but it was Crystal Note’s voice she heard “Sweet Dreams, Little Gem. We all love you.” Velvet drifted off to sleep with those words in her ear and a smile in her heart.