As Hearth’s Warming Eve came closer, Glass Slipper and the twins didn’t run out of things to do. Although they didn’t complete Princess Twilight’s long list, they still had lots of fun. And with their sudden abundance of aunts and uncles, they also had somepony watching over them at any time. Sweetie Tooth and Sugar Belle spent a day together for their bake-out as promised, with Bon Bon and Pinkie Pie joining in for good measure. Glass Slipper hung around Diamond Tiara and Apple Bloom most of the time, but also spent almost a whole day with Fluttershy and Rarity at Carousel Boutique. Fluttershy also took Velvet Heart to her animal sanctuary, and even though most of the animals were hibernating, the little filly enjoyed the trip very much and sparkles danced over her coat the entire day from happiness.
Crystal Note wouldn’t stop smiling either whenever she watched her fillies enjoy themselves, but she held herself back from joining in too often. She knew it was important for Glass Slipper and especially Velvet Heart and Sweetie Tooth to meet new ponies they could trust. Crystal Note knew very well that each of her friends had already found a place in their hearts for the three sisters and were nothing but supportive and understanding, even when the fillies found themselves struggling. Sadly, that still happened and more than once over the course of the next few days.
Like when Crystal Note walked past the library in the Castle of Friendship and heard a familiar but unpleasant sound. When she looked into the room, she saw Velvet Heart sobbing and sniffling into her hooves. Crystal Note wanted to rush inside immediately, of course, but then Princess Twilight stepped out from between one of the bookshelves. Twilight sat down next to the filly and spread her wing over her like blanket. She leaned down and whispered something to Velvet. Crystal Note didn’t hear what they said as Velvet whispered back, but the tears stopped.
Crystal Note never liked seeing any of her girls cry, but this time she stopped herself from going in. As much as she wished to comfort Velvet Heart, coming from Princess Twilight would make it mean so much more for the filly right now.
It was harder for her to walk past the sitting room where Glass Slipper, Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash were in the middle of a heated discussion. She couldn’t really tell what it was about, but she could see Rainbow’s stressed expression which meant she was out of her depth. She was about to walk in but she heard the last thing Glass Slipper said
“… I don’t know what to do about it and I can’t just tell Crystal Note.”
She froze on the doorstep for a moment, then walked away before any of the three could notice her.
Before she even realized it, she was outside and the cold air cleared some of the turmoil Glass Slipper’s word had set lose inside her. I can’t just tell Crystal Note. Crystal Note. Not Mom. Glass Slipper surely hadn’t meant any by it, she kept switching between the two frequently after all, but Crystal Note still felt a little stab. Far more though, she worried about the fact that there was something Glass Slipper felt she couldn’t talk about with her adoptive mother. Why does she feel that way? Did I do something wrong?
Crystal Note was so lost in those questions that she didn’t even notice where she was going, until she walked straight into somepony
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t looking where…”
She stopped apologizing when she finally recognized Vinyl Scratch and the big grin on her face. No doubt she had walked into her path on purpose
“What’s up, Crissy? Not like you to walk around with your head in the clouds.”
Crystal Note sighed and shook her head
“It’s nothing, really.”
“Aw, come on, you can tell me. What’s on your mind?”
With another sigh, Crystal Note told her friend what she had just seen, but Vinyl Scratch didn’t share her worries at all.
Instead, she just laughed it up, which only made Crystal Note frown
“Oh Crissy, you don’t have a clue do you?”
“I’m sorry that I’m worried about my daughters, Vinyl. After they lost their parents, this is a sensitive point for them and for me.”
Vinyl tried to stop laughing as hard as she could, but her typical grin stayed anyways
“Sorry, sorry, I know, but this is not an adoptive mom-thing. It’s just a regular mom-thing.”
“And what do you mean by that?”
Crystal Note tilted her head in confusion, which only made Vinyl grin more
“Oh come on, you’ve been a teenager once. Some things, it’s just not cool to talk about with your mom.”
Crystal Note frowned as she thought about that. She didn’t point out that her mother had long passed by the point she’d been a teenager, or that her foalhood was anything but normal
“So Glass Slipper went to Rainbow Dash for advice instead?”
Vinyl kept grinning and nodded
“Sure. Dash might not be the first pick for parental guidance, but she scores pretty high on the coolness meter. Depending on who you ask, she’s the embodiment of cool.”
“Yeah, that’s something Scootaloo would say, wouldn’t she?”
Crystal Note managed to smile a little at the thought, but couldn’t just let it go
“Should I ask Glass Slipper about it?”
“Nah, don’t worry. If it’s really important, she’ll come to you all on her own and if not, I’m sure Dash can manage. Probably.”
At this, Crystal Note finally giggled along
“You’re an endless fountain of confidence and wisdom as always, Vinyl.”
“You betcha. Now come on, you need something else on your mind and I know just the thing. I got some new tunes that could use a second pair of ears.”
They both chuckled as Crystal Note followed Vinyl Scratch back to her home.
When Crystal Note walked back towards the castle, it was the middle of the night already. Vinyl had kept her busy at their home with music until Octavia Melody had returned as well and then they both kept her tangled in old stories and new songs. They even talked her into going out for dinner with them. She didn’t know if it was an coincident, but they also ran into Neon Lights and others from the Ponyville Music Ensemble, and they convinced her to stay a little longer. It didn’t take long until they ended up in Berry Punch’s small bar, catching up and exchanging gossip and stories.
It was nice, hanging out with their old friends again like she used to. She did feel a little guilty about not checking on her girls, of course, but not to the point that she would worry. She knew Princess Twilight and the others would be spending time Glass Slipper and the twins, and as Glass Slipper had said many times, they were old enough to get over one evening on their own. So, she allowed herself to enjoy this night with her old friends and joined in when they inevitably started singing and making music. It was what had brought them all together in the first place, after all.
And just like all those years back, Crystal Note greatly enjoyed sharing company and music with likeminded ponies. Singing with a few crystal ponies on the market plaza just wasn’t the same as playing with her old band of friends. And after she had gotten a taste of performing during her trip to Vanhoover, she was very eager to perform with the Ensemble at Princess Twilight’s Hearth’s Warming Eve celebration as well. It was something she looked forward to with all her heart and she couldn’t wait to share this event with her little fillies.
It wasn't only performing though. She had felt it when she listened to Vinyl's new mixes but also later when the others had shown her a little of their new repertoire. It was like a tingle inside her mind, and she recognized it easily as the urge to create and invent something new. She had felt it many times before and tonight it was so strong she couldn't resist.
So after she sneaked into the castle and checked on the slumbering fillies as quietly as she could, she headed into one of the many studies of the princess where she found everything she needed. With her violin in her hooves, a stack of paper in front of her and a quill in her magic grip, she was ready. With a glow from her horn, a dome of pink light appeared around her and formed her 'bubble of silence'. Since this was sound-based magic and her special talent was music, it was barely any effort to keep this spell up so she wouldn't wake anypony. As always when she played, she closed her eyes. After a few slow strokes of her bow, she felt that tingle again and just let the music flow, her hoof and bow dancing over the strings and the quill dancing over the parchment as she created something new.
Crystal Note groaned when something poked her muzzle and turned her head away. Whatever it was, it was insistent as it followed her and kept poking. The touch was soft, but it kept her from sleeping, so she batted at it with her hoof before she rolled around and curled up with another groan.
She thought she heard giggling, but didn’t really think about and instead went back to sleep.
It seemed like she barely slept a minute before the poking was back again, more frequently now and more insistent. This time, she clearly heard some giggling and she recognized the voice as well. She turned away again, mostly so she could hide her grin, and waited. When the poke returned, she suddenly lunged forward and wrapped her hooves around the filly-sized perpetrator. She giggled when she heard Sweetie Tooth’s squealing and cuddled the filly close to her in her hooves, like she would with an oversized plushie.
As expected, her plushie started giggling and wiggling, even more when Crystal Note gave out a few fake snores as well. That was about when another set of small hooves started to poke and shake her
“Mom! Come on, you gotta get up!”
Crystal Note could hear Velvet Heart’s smile in her voice and faked a little yawn while cuddling Sweetie Tooth in her hooves. They yawn might have been fake, but the sleepiness in her voice definitely wasn’t
“Sleep now, get up later.”
Velvet giggled more and climbed on top of her, so she could better shake her awake
“Mom! You’re gonna miss brunch!”
With a thought, a soft glow surrounded the filly and after a surprised squeal, Velvet giggled as she floated in the air
“Mommy!”
Crystal Note rolled on her back and finally peeked on eye open, smiling up at Velvet Heart who hovered above her and wiggled in the glow of her magic
“Brunch?”
Velvet Heart and Sweetie Tooth both giggled and hopped out of Crystal Note’s respective hold to stand next to her
“Well, it was brunch when we were trying to get you…”
“…but by now it might be afternoon lunch already.”
They laughed when Crystal Note finally got up on her hooves and stretched with a big yawn
“Okay, I’m up, I’m up!”
The two fillies and giggled and hopped out of reach as Crystal Note leaned in for a quick nuzzle like every morning. She blinked confused, but when Velvet Heart started snickering and Sweetie Tooth pointed at her mane, she quickly understood why.
Somehow, during the night, she must have tipped over the bottle of ink she’d been using and left a small puddle of black on the floor. The rest of the ink, so she guessed, had to be in her mane, and as she checked, her hoof was black as well.
The fillies just laughed harder and Crystal Note glared at them with no real force behind it
“And when were you going to tell me about this, you little rascals?”
They at least tried to look sorry, but it didn’t work with the grins all over their faces, so Crystal Note just rolled her eyes and giggled along. Luckily, neither her violin nor last night’s work had been spoiled by ink, as most of it clung to her mane it seemed.
“Rough night, huh Crissy?”
Crystal Note turned to the new voice and saw Lyra standing in the door, not even trying to hide her grin, unlike Glass Slipper who hid halfway behind Lyra for cover. Crystal Note just rolled her eyes again before she gave up and joined right in.
“Good morning to you as well, Lyra.”
“Or good afternoon, but who cares about things like time anyways, am I right?”
Lyra and the three fillies laughed again, but at least Lyra helped her take care of the puddle of ink on the floor with a quick clean-up spell
“Let me guess, you fell asleep while composing, again?”
Crystal Note nodded with a little blush and Glass Slipper grinned and tilted her head
“Again? Did that happen before?”
“Oh sure.”
Lyra, clearly enjoying the attention from the three fillies, just ignored Crystal Note’s little glare
“When she was still living with us, she did that quite a lot. At some point, she was practically nocturnal. Ponies woke up to the last song she would play before going to bed.”
Lyra smirked to Crystal Note to take any edge from her teasing, but the twins just stared at her baffled
“Really Mommy?”
Crystal Note nodded and gave Lyra a little sideway glance
“Yes, dear. I would always lose track of time when I was working on my music. It’s a bad habit I picked up from your Auntie Lyra.”
She grinned when the fillies now focused on the unicorn in question again
“There was rarely any day your aunt would roll out of bed before noon by herself. Usually Bon Bon had to steal her blanket so she would get up. I bet she still does, huh Lyra?”
There was definitely a bashful blush for a moment, but then Lyra just laughed again
“It’s not a bad habit, it’s a lifestyle!”
“Uh-huh. A lifestyle that keeps getting her into all kinds of trouble.”
The fillies giggled when Lyra squirmed a little under all the attention now
“Like that time when we had a concert in Canterlot and everypony was at the station when the train arrived, except Lyra.”
This time, Lyra really blushed from embarrassment and Crystal Note had a grin
“She came running the last minute with a bed-mane and a toothbrush in her mouth, while trying to scarf down some toast at the same time.”
The fillies burst into giggles at that image and even Lyra couldn’t help but smile
“I wish I could say that was it, but it got even worse!”
They were walking down the hall to the dining room again as the fillies focused back on their aunt
“What happened?”
“You see, we were already halfway in Canterlot when I realized I hadn’t packed my lyre! I was on the way to a concert and I didn’t have my instrument.”
As the fillies gasped, Crystal Note took her chance to slip into one of the dozen bathrooms of the castle without them noticing
“And what did you do, Auntie Lyra?”
Lyra rubbed the back of her head and, like back then, had help coming her way
“She did nothing. I knew she would oversleep, so I packed her lyre for her.”
The three fillies looked up and saw Bon Bon waiting for them, with a little wink for Lyra and a big smile for the fillies. They greeted their new aunt and were laughing again when they finally arrived at breakfast.
Half an hour and quick shower later, Crystal Note took a seat at the table again, but the fillies were already on the move, this time following Spike to get all the Hearth’s Warming decoration for the big party the next day. While she sipped on her morning tea, she noticed the bustling all around her as Princess Twilight’s and her friends moved around to prepare the big hall for everypony. She could practically hear Starlight Glimmer throw out some high-power spells three rooms over, mostly levitation but a few glamour charms as well, meaning she was decorating.
Bon Bon was still around to keep her company as she enjoyed her brunch and finished with a cup of tea. Like back in the day, Bon Bon and Crystal Note didn’t need to talk much to enjoy each other’s company.
They did end up giggling a lot when they heard some loud calls from the entrance hall and decided to risk a peek. As expected, Pinkie Pie was in full swing party-preparation-mode while Princess Twilight desperately tried to get all the points on one of her many checklists done, with Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Starlight Glimmer poking in whenever they could. Needless to say, the foyer looked like a total mess, Twilight was in near panic and in the middle of it all the others tried to have as much fun as they could. Crystal Note smiled when she noticed that the twins followed Spike’s lead, who seemed completely unconcerned as they decorated the huge Hearth’s Warming tree in the middle of the foyer.
Bon Bon and Crystal Note giggled as they watched and by that caught the attention of Rarity, who stood at the side and observed as well. Her little frown faded into a smile as she joined the two mares and Bon Bon winked at her
“I thought you would be more invested when it comes to decoration, Rarity.”
“I know a lost fight when I see one, Darling. I put my trust into the fact that, between Pinkie and Twilight, everything will turn out perfectly as always. We’re doing this dance every year but it still has me dreadfully stressed each time. This is torture for my complexion!”
The two friends laughed when Rarity raised her hoof to her forehead for a fittingly dramatic pose, just before she joined in with a little chuckle as well. She tilted her head when her eyes fell on Crystal Note
“Whatever happened to your coiffure, Darling? Did you try to dye your mane a darker colour?”
Before Crystal Note could explain, Bon Bon just blurted out
“Not really. She fell asleep on an ink pot.”
Bon Bon started laughing again as Crystal Note blushed and Rarity looked almost terrified
“Oh no, Darling, and it’s the day before Hearth’s Warming Eve! This simply won’t do! Now, if only there was a place where we could take care of your mane, my complexion and get out of this stressful environment.”
She shared a grin Crystal Note
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“I am, if you’re thinking about an emergency spa day!”
Rarity sang those last words and even pranced on the spot from excitement. Bon Bon just giggled
“I don’t think it counts as an emergency when you’re so excited about it.”
“Details, Darling.”
They laughed and made their way to the exit and away from the chaos. At the doors, they ran into Lyra, Sugar Belle and Glass Slipper, all packed with ingredients for baking party treats. Once they brought each other up to speed, Bon Bon threw a smirk to Lyra
“So, you like to join us at the spa?”
“Um, thanks, but pass. Besides, somepony needs to make sure the castle stays in one piece for the big party.”
“Uh-huh. And that pony would have to be you?”
“Me? I was thinking, probably Twilight. But hey, I’d be around and watch how she does it.”
The two marefriends giggled and shared a long hug, which Rarity shamelessly gawked at. Crystal Note just smiled and was about to comment on that, but got distracted. Glass Slipper was staring at her, clearly to get her attention, but she seemed untypically shy about it. So, Crystal Note took a step away from the others and leaned in a little
“What is it, dear?”
Glass Slipper didn’t say anything at first and just looked embarrassed, so Crystal Note just waited for a moment longer. Eventually, the flustered teenager whispered out
“Can I… can I come with you?”
Crystal Note tilted her head slightly. Something was telling her that this wasn’t the thing Glass Slipper would be this flustered about. Because she didn’t answer for a few moments, Glass Slipper looked down at her hooves in embarrassment, but Crystal Note just moved her head back up with her hoof
“Of course you can come with us. You don’t have to be shy about asking, okay?”
Glass Slipper’s face turned into a smile and Crystal Note just smiled back
“You know you can tell me anything, right Angel?”
Crystal Note held the teenager’s gaze with her eyes, making sure that Glass Slipper knew she understood. To her relief, the filly’s smile turned a little brighter, even if there was a blush on her cheeks
“I know.”
At that, Crystal Note released her daughter with a bright smile and turned back to the others, who didn’t mention anything if they had even noticed anything. Rarity already gushed about the spa’s beauty section to Glass Slipper as they went ahead. Crystal Note and Bon Bon just shared a look and Bon Bon nodded approvingly. Like always, they didn’t need many words to understand another.