//------------------------------// // Hearth's Warming - Part III // Story: Crystal Note - Where life leads us // by TalkingToMyself //------------------------------// A few hours later, they reached Carousel Boutique as their last stop for the day. Glass Slipper looked around with shining eyes when she saw all the different gowns and dresses at display and left the little group to take a closer look. From the backrooms, Crystal Note could hear the sound of a sowing machine and a familiar voice calling out for someone. She smiled when a unicorn filly rushed in from the storage room. Sweetie Belle had a beaming smile as she greeted the new costumers “Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where everything is chic, unique and… Crystal Note!” The mare laughed and returned the hug from the teenage filly “Sweetie Belle, so nice to see you. How’s music academy?” “It’s great! I’m already part of the choir and we’ll have our first big concert soon!” The other mares smiled and congratulated along with Crystal Note, but then Sweetie Belle noticed the two youngest crystal ponies staring up at her in awe. She smiled and turned towards them “You’re Sweetie Belle?” “From the Cutie Mark Crusaders?” Sweetie Belle giggled and nodded “Uh-huh! See?” She shifted to show them the cutie mark she shared with the other two crusaders and the twins squealed excited “That’s so cool! We’re Cutie Mark Crusaders, too!” “I know! I helped make all those new capes for you!” “Really?” Lyra giggled and winked to Crystal Note as they watched them “And, we lost them.” “Eeyup.” The four mares giggled and finally lured the last pony out of the backroom as well. Rarity smiled when she saw Crystal Note and the others, but something else caught her attention. She quietly walked towards last of the crystal fillies, lost in admiring one of her finest gowns “I see somepony has a keen eye for fashion.” Glass Slipper nearly jumped up in surprise, but Rarity had a gentle smile for the filly and picked up the dress with her magic, nudging her towards one of the dressing rooms “Go on, Darling. Try it on for me, I’m sure you’ll look smashing!” Glass Slipper didn’t need too much convincing. Rarity finally made it to Crystal Note who was swept into a hug and greeted in appropriately dramatic fashion by her friend before they got to catch each other up. They ran short however, as Glass Slipper soon returned. She blushed a little as she walked up to them wearing a classic ball gown, the skirt swaying a little with each step. Crystal Note just watched proudly with her hoof rising to her heart, but Rarity gushed out and hurried over “Oh, Darling! Absolutely wonderful, so much grace, like a dancer! Here, come this way.” Rarity helped Glass Slipper onto a podium and surrounded the filly with big mirrors so she could see herself from every angle. The filly beamed and started to glitter in the soft light of the boutique as Rarity hushed around her to add minor modifications to the gown. “Oh, this brings back memories. I remember the first time I had your mother wear one of my dresses, it was so much effort to get her in at first. Between you and me, Darling, your mother’s taste of fashion is a bit lacking in some departments.” Rarity winked to Crystal Note who was listening of course, but the crystal mare only giggled and teased back “I still have my bandana in case you were wondering.” “Augh, Darling, please don’t remind me! I needed weeks to get that image out of my head!” As the others laughed, Glass Slipper curiously turned to Crystal Note "Why would you need a bandana?" "You see Angel, I used it to hide my horn away from other ponies. When I first came to Ponyville, I wanted everypony to believe I was just a normal crystal pony." "Huh. And why?" Crystal Note took a deep breath, but Bon Bon was ready to help her out "Sometimes being different can be hard, Glass Slipper. You mother already attracted a lot of attention for being a crystal pony, so we thought it was better to keep this a secret." "We? You mean, you and Mom?" Lyra grinned and took Crystal Note's other side "And me. I helped too." "Lyra, you were one of the reasons Crystal Note decided to keep her horn a secret." "Yeah, so? That totally counts as helping." Everypony laughed and even Glass Slipper was giggling. She was still curious about the rest of the story, but she had to ask later, especially since Rarity was finished as well "There you are, Darling. You look fabulous, if I may say so." Glass Slipper looked at the mirrors and her smile grew almost too big for her face. The dress complemented her sparkly lilac coat perfectly with a rich blue colour and golden applications. Like a real ball gown, the soft fabric hugged her barrel nicely and ended in a wide, flowing skirt. Glass Slipper swayed a little from side to side and giggled. Even though it looked a little stuffy, she could easily move in the dress and she wondered what it would feel like to dance in a gown like this. “Whoa. You look so pretty, Sis!” “Almost like a Princess!” Glass Slipper smiled at her sisters and spun around on the podium to show off, which made everypony laugh and giggle again “Fabulous, Darling. Now I hope I will be seeing you wear it at the Hearth’s Warming Celebration.” Glass Slipper’s eyes went wide as she turned to Rarity “You mean, I can keep it?” “Why, of course Dear! Every becoming lady needs a little something for a special occasion, after all.” Crystal Note giggled and stepped in “This is more than a little something, Rarity. How much do I owe you for this?” Rarity huffed and threw her head around “I will hear none of this!” “Rarity, a dress like this would cost a fortune in Canterlot. At least let me…” “Oh no, Darling. I won’t let you do anything. In fact, I think I should…” Bon Bon and Sweetie Belle giggled as the two unicorns went on. Lyra winked to the twins “It’s going to take a while for them to stop.” “Does this happen often?” “Only like every time they meet! I think it’s their way of showing how much they appreciate each other or something.” Now Princess Twilight was laughing wholeheartedly as well while she helped Glass Slipper step down from the podium “Do you want to keep wearing it, Glass Slipper? There’s snow outside, so it might get wet.” “Oh. Um, I better take it off then.” “Let me help. Hold still for a moment, please.” Glass Slipper did as the princess said and watched as a purple glow surrounded her. She knew it had to be magic, but she couldn’t help notice how different it felt from the magic her mom had. With a quick flash, the gown suddenly disappeared right off from her “Huh?” “Don’t worry, Glass Slipper. I sent it to your room back at the castle.” “Oh, wow. Thanks. I didn’t know you could do that.” Princess Twilight just smiled “I could explain it to you if you want. It’s a combination of three spells, actually. First…” “Please, no lectures today! It’s winter break and I just finished all that homework my teachers gave me!” Sweetie Belle’s desperate plea started a new round of giggles, especially when Twilight blushed and mumbled that a break from school doesn’t need to be a break from learning. When everypony, including Rarity and Crystal Note, had calmed down again, it was getting close to dinnertime. Bon Bon and Lyra invited everypony to their home at the Sweet Shop, but Princess Twilight announced that Spike had prepared a big meal at the castle, so they all ended up heading there together instead. Glass Slipper stood in front of a huge mansion, far bigger than any she had ever seen, wondering if she was at the right place “Hey, Glass Slipper! You made it!” She turned around a saw a familiar pony walk up to her, with an overnight bag like her own “Sweetie Belle? What are you doing here?” “I’m here for the sleepover, of course! Silver Spoon told me she invited you, too. But why are you waiting outside?” Sweetie Tooth giggled and gently nudged her towards the doors and rang the small bell. Quickly after, an old stallion in some sort of uniform opened the door for them “Ah, Miss Sweetie Belle, welcome. The young lady is already expecting you in her rooms.” “Hi Mister Randolph! Nice to see you again.” Sweetie Belle just walked in, followed by a shy Glass Slipper who watched the stallion warily “Um, hello?” “Ah, yes. Miss Diamond told me we were expecting an extra tonight. Welcome to Rich Manor, young lady.” “Oh. Um. Thank you for your hospitality!” As was tradition in the Crystal Empire, Glass Slipper bowed her head deeply to her host, but the stallion just chuckled “Please, there is no reason for that. I’m but a humble butler in Rich Manor, not Master Rich. In fact, the Master isn’t home tonight, I am afraid, but you might run into Mistress Rich later.” “Oh. Okay.” Sweetie Belle had been watching with a smile and now just dragged Glass Slipper along, she clearly knew her way around the many rooms and headed right up the first set of stairs. From a distance, Glass Slipper could already hear laughter from other fillies. They entered a bedroom that was larger than most of the houses in the Crystal Empire and Glass Slipper saw Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon sitting on cushions on the floor and laughing. In front of them was another pony, a pegasus with orange coat and a short purple mane who was telling a hilarious story as it seemed, in between her own laughter “And then… then, when he finally found his way out of the cloud again… he crashed right into the team captain!” The three burst into another wave of laughter and the pegasus ended up rolling on the floor from laughing, which gave Silver Spoon the chance to notice Sweetie Belle and Glass Slipper in the doorway “Hey girls! Come in, glad you made it!” Diamond Tiara jumped on her hooves to greet them with a quick hug as well, while the pegasus was still catching her breath. Sweetie Belle smiled and flopped on a pillow between her and Silver Spoon “So how long did Scootaloo already torture you with her stories?” “Hey! My stories are awesome and you know it!” “Your stories all end with somepony crashing into something.” The four friends giggled and Glass Slipper finally felt enough at ease to sit down as well. She picked a spot near the door out of old instincts, but she smiled when Sweetie Belle introduced her “Scootaloo, this is Glass Slipper. She came to visit from the Crystal Empire.” “Whoa, that’s far! How long are you gonna stay?” Glass Slipper answered the few obvious questions and suddenly noticed that Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo almost had the same cutie mark. Her eyes opened wide when she realized what that meant “Wait, you’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders, right? The first ones?” “Oh, so you heard of us, huh?” Scootaloo couldn’t hold back a smug smile, which was quickly taken care of when a pillow from Diamond Tiara hit her head “Hey!” “Sorry, but if we let this get to your head, we’ll hear nothing else for hours.” “You’re one to talk!” “Diamond Tiara? Diamond Tiara, are you here?” Glass Slipper watched with some confusion as all the others rolled their eyes and Diamond Tiara called back to the voice from the stairs “Up here, mother.” She didn’t sound too happy that her mom called her and Glass Slipper couldn’t understand why, until the mare walked into the room. Diamond’s mother was an earth pony, but unlike the ones Glass Slipper had seen in town, she was wearing clothes and jewellery. They looked expensive, but Glass Slipper didn’t think it looked too well on her, even if she ignored the fact that she was wearing them inside her own house. Diamond’s mother glanced over the present fillies with a hint of bother, maybe even disgust. It was hard to tell since her nose seemed naturally curved up towards the ceiling. She only smiled barely when her eyes passed Silver Spoon, until she focused on Diamond Tiara. She smiled now, but the smile lacked any warmth, just like her voice “There you are, Diamond Tiara. I hope everything goes well with your little soirée.” “It’s not a soirée, Mum. It’s a slumber party.” The mare sighed and let her frustration take over her expression “Diamond Tiara, I know you like passing time with your… friends,” she stumbled over the word, “But I sure hope you would embrace our family’s high standards at least occasionally.” “Mum, do we have to do this right now?” “No, I suppose we do not. Enjoy your, augh, slumber party.” The mare sighed once more, exhausted and tired. It was clear she had had this talk with Diamond Tiara lots of times before. She turned around to leave again and Diamond Tiara mouthed ‘Sorry about that’ to the others at the same time. Glass Slipper felt a twinge in her stomach. “Mistress Rich? A moment of your time, please?” The others stared confused when Glass Slipper jumped on her hooves. Spoiled Rich turned her head at the filly’s polite tone that didn't even have a trace of mockery in it. Along with that, Glass Slipper sent a smile to the mare. She was glad she remembered the mare’s name correctly. “Mistress Rich, I would like to thank you for inviting us to spend the night in your home. That is very generous of you.” The mare watched, just as surprised as the fillies, when Glass Slipper bowed down deeply before her, following a tradition from the Crystal Empire. She smiled at Mrs Rich and unlike the smiles from the mare, hers was warm and sincere and her coat glittered from a light inside her “Thank you very much, Mistress Rich.” Spoiled Rich didn’t know how to reacted to this, obviously. While she struggled for words, there was a very un-ladylike blush on her cheeks “T-think nothing of it. I, um, I hope you girls have a pleasant, um, party.” She smiled again, but this time the girls saw the genuine feeling behind it and smiled back “Thanks, Mum.” She left the fillies for themselves and softly closed the door behind her. Immediately, the four fillies from Ponyville turned to Glass Slipper “That was really nice of you to say.” Glass Slipper just shook her head and explained “In the Crystal Empire, inviting somepony into your home is a big deal.” “Really? I though hospitality is a big thing for crystal ponies.” Glass Slipper smiled and nodded to Scootaloo “We would never turn down anypony in need, but no crystal pony would ever try to impose into anypony’s home uninvited, just like that.” “Oh. I think I get it.” “Well, at least you got Mum off of our tails for the night. Usually, she’s rude all night long, it’s such a pain.” The fillies giggled a little, but Diamond Tiara immediately stopped when she saw Glass Slipper didn’t and had her ears pressed against her head “What’s wrong?” “Nothing.” “Glass Slipper, if you want to say something, just do it. I promise I can take it.” Glass Slipper closed her eyes and suddenly her coat didn’t shimmer anymore “I don’t think you should say things like that about your mother. And you shouldn’t take her for granted just like that.” Diamond Tiara now clearly remembered the conversation they had at Sugarcube Corner earlier that day, because her ears immediately flopped down “You’re right. I never thought of it like that.” Before the mood could drop all the way, a new pony burst into the room “Sorry I’m late, girls! I had to help Granny Smith prepare for tomorrow.” Scootaloo took the clue and pulled Apple Bloom’s attention to her, which meant Glass Slipper could get a good look at the third of the Crusaders. Apple Bloom was a tall earth pony with a vibrant red mane and pale yellow coat. Her long red mane was bound back into a ponytail with a pink bow ribbon. She spoke in that drawl Glass Slipper knew from the ponies of Appleloosa who visited the Crystal Empire during every crystal faire. “Hope y’all didn’t get too bored without me.” “Nope, not at all. In fact, we decided to replace you with sompony new and more exciting.” “Is that a fact?” They giggled, along with Glass Slipper, and finally Apple Bloom turned around and noticed the filly from the Crystal Empire. Apple Bloom had been very close to Crystal Note back then, so she easily recognized Glass Slipper as a crystal pony “Howdy there. Crystal Note wrote a lot about you, so it’s great to finally meet you. I’m Apple Bloom.” “I’m Glass Slipper. Nice to meet you, too.” There was a short moment of silence before Apple Bloom chuckled and rubbed her hoof “You know, when Crystal Note wrote that I now had nieces, I always figured you’d be younger.” Glass Slipper giggled behind her hoof “Don’t worry, Auntie Apple Bloom. My sisters are a lot younger than me.” Apple Bloom made a face and the others giggled “You know, aunt and niece doesn’t sound right. How about we try being best friends first and worry about everything else later?” “Sounds great to me.” The others smiled at her and Apple Bloom sat down next to her “So, why don’t you tell us a little about yourself?” Glass Slipper smiled along and talked about her life in the Crystal Empire and her sisters. The fillies chimed in every now and then, and they talked long into the night.