Velvet Heart woke up and everything was dark. She couldn’t tell where up and down was, she didn’t know where she was. She couldn’t think from panic and she couldn’t breathe.
Some instinct took over and she tumbled out of the bed. She fell down and the impact on the hard floor hurt a little, but it reminded her where everything was again. She stumbled through the door even if she still couldn’t see anything and her breathing was barely more than a few troubled heaves.
With her hoof stretched out in front of her, she hobbled forward until she reached something hard again. She leaned against it with all her weight and the door budged open easier than she had expected, so she hit the floor again with a whimper that was really more of a sob.
She couldn’t get back up this time. It was still so dark and she couldn’t get away from it, and now it was cold as well and hard. She wanted back but she didn’t know where that was. Nothing made sense and she was so scared.
Then suddenly, she felt something else. She couldn’t think clear enough to tell what it was, but she knew it was familiar and it meant safe. Finally, she managed to suck in some air with a big breath, and the tight grip of the nightmare grew weaker.
She felt light, lighter than air even. The hard floor wasn’t there anymore. From instinct, she pulled her hooves against herself and curled into the tingly warmth that came with the glow. She couldn’t see the glow like normal, but she only slowly realized that was because she had her eyes clenched shut and only very little of the light made it through to her. Still, there was light and light was good. Warm was good too. The ‘lighter than air’-feeling was surrounding her but she didn’t feel afraid. She knew her mommy would never drop her.
And just as she remembered what that glow and the feeling meant, her mommy took her in her hooves and held her close. Velvet Heart let out another breathless sob, but from relief this time as she fled into Crystal Note’s embrace. Her mommy kept her hooves around her and Velvet heard her voice. It was too blurry to make out any words, but it was soft and not like the harsh darkness and the nightmare, so she listened to the sound as her breath returned.
Crystal Note gently rocked the shivering filly in her hooves. She kept the levitation spell in place, not that she needed it anymore, but because she knew the light would comfort Velvet Heart. As she waited for her daughter-in-heart to calm down, she whispered softly to her. Her first instinct was to sing a lullaby, but she knew that Velvet Heart wouldn't want to go back to sleep. In sleep, darkness and loneliness would be waiting for her and Velvet didn't want to face another nightmare.
So Crystal Note just held Velvet and whispered soft affirmatives. It didn't really matter too much what she said, as long as Velvet knew she wasn't alone. "I'm here." were the words Crystal Note repeated the most, followed by some other words Velvet Heart needed to hear very much right now. "It's not your fault."
Velvet never told Crystal Note too many details of her nightmares, but the mare recognized that most of them came from guilt, even if there was no reason to feel guilty. As much as Velvet knew this in her head, her heart still felt otherwise. Luckily, Velvet was doing the right thing and reached out when it was too much for her to carry alone. Crystal Note did everything she could to comfort her, she loved her filly so much.
It took a while before Velvet Heart carefully opened her eyes again and stirred in Crystal Note’s embrace. The faint glow of magic chased away the dark shadows and her new mommy was smiling, so she smiled back, even if she didn’t feel much like smiling right now. Crystal Note released her hold just a little so Velvet Heart could wiggle into a more comfortable position, but Velvet stayed close still. With a voice as soft as the glow from her horn, Crystal Note whispered
“Do you want to talk, Little Gem?”
Velvet shook her head vehemently, and Crystal Note ceded immediately
“Okay Velvet. You don’t have to. But if you want to talk later, you can come to me anytime.”
Velvet nodded into Crystal Note’s coat
“I know Mommy.”
“Good.”
Crystal Note smiled for Velvet and nuzzled the top of her head
“It’s the middle of the night, Darling. Do you want to get some more sleep?”
Velvet shook her head once more, and again Crystal Note understood
“Okay dear. But you’ve got school tomorrow, so we should rest up a little at least. How does that sound? You can stay with me if you want.”
Velvet smiled and when Crystal Note lied down on the bed, she snuggled against her flank. It felt good that her mommy understood her so well and she felt safe next to her even in the dark night. She even kept the light from her magic in place just for her
“Thank you Mommy.”
“Anytime, Little Gem.”
Velvet’s smile grew when mommy called her that. At first, it had been weird that Crystal Note called her by the pet name her parents had used, but by now it felt right, just like sharing a home with her or sharing her thoughts with her, even the ones she’d usually keep a secret. Tonight, she felt more right than usual and she wanted to tell her new mommy. Luckily, she knew exactly what to say
“Love you, Mommy.”
As she had hoped, she felt Crystal Note crane her head back to plant a soft kiss on the top of her head
“I love you too, my little filly.”
They both fell silent after that, and Velvet Heart relaxed as she felt and heard Crystal Note breathe slowly next to her. She didn’t go back to sleep, but her body and her thoughts slowed down in Crystal Note’s calming presence.
At some point, the magic light dimmed down until it was barely even a flicker, before it gently faded out completely. Velvet knew Crystal Note had fallen asleep, she could tell from the deep slow breaths next to her. Velvet didn’t really blame her. Crystal Note had work to do tomorrow as well and needed rest just as much. Also, she felt safe just being close to her mommy, even if she was sleeping. Velvet stirred a little and Crystal Note instinctively curled her body towards the filly. It made Velvet smile more and she was still smiling when her eyes finally fluttered closed as she gently drifted back to sleep.
When Sweetie Tooth woke up, she was very confused for a while still. It was still dark in the room and when she turned towards the window, she couldn’t see any light from outside either. So it wasn’t morning yet, but she was awake and didn’t know what woke her up in the first place. She turned around and thought about just going back to sleep when she suddenly realized why she’d woken up. She clumsily climbed out of her bed and rushed to the bathroom.
A few minutes later, she walked through the hallway back to her bedroom, but she slowed down when she noticed her sister in the doorway. She wanted to apologize for waking her, but even in the dim moonlight, Sweetie Tooth could see that something wasn’t right. Velvet Heart looked worried and she stared at the door on the other side of the hall, Crystal Note’s bedroom door.
Sweetie Tooth slowly walked closer and but said nothing since Velvet motioned for her to be quiet. Then she heard the sounds that probably had Velvet Heart so worried.
They were coming from inside Crystal Note’s bedroom, they would have never noticed them if Sweetie Tooth hadn’t accidentally woken up Velvet Heart, but now that she heard them, Sweetie Tooth felt like her stomach had turned into a lump of ice.
Crystal Note was crying. Her mommy was crying about something, and the way it sounded, it was something really, really bad. It didn’t sound like her mommy was sad, more like she was afraid. Sweetie Tooth had seen her worried or scared before, but never so much that it made her cry, and never like this. Crystal Note had to be really, really scared a lot. Terrified was the word Sweetie Tooth was looking for, and neither her nor Velvet Heart liked it.
Wordlessly, they walked to the door and nudged it open, enough so they could look inside. Crystal Note was tossing and turning in her sleep, her legs kicked out as if she was running from something and her face was messy from crying. Now that the sound wasn’t blocked by the door anymore, they heard clearly how desperate it sounded. Crystal Note was talking in her sleep as well, but the twins couldn’t make out words because of all the crying. They didn’t need much more and sprang into action right away.
Crystal Note was lost somewhere that wasn’t real. She knew that much, but it didn’t help her. The things she saw, old memories mixed in with fears new and old, she even heard the voices and could smell things again, and they wouldn’t let her go, she had no chance but to run, but she only ran deeper into the dark and closer towards it. She couldn’t get away, but she couldn’t let it get her, she had to keep running but the shadows wouldn’t let her and then she saw eyes in the darkness and suddenly, it all came back to her. It reached out towards her and she screamed at the top of her voice and…
Something touched her flank.
She screamed and jumped to her hooves, crouched into a defensive stance, ready to run if her body wasn’t paralyzed with fear. The room was dark, and her vision was blurry, but she saw an opening she could run and escape and…
Then she heard a sob from next to her and she could see clearly again. She saw Sweetie Tooth close to tears and staring at her. She reached out but felt a cold stab through her heart when the filly backed away from her in fear. It was almost more than she could take.
She forced herself to a few slow breaths, until she trusted her voice again. When she addressed the filly, it was only barely more than a whisper
“Sweetie Tooth, what are you doing here? It’s the middle of the night?”
Sweetie Tooth said nothing and still fought back her tears, but Crystal Note felt somepony else. She turned her head and Velvet Heart was there as well, clinging on her side with her small hooves and pressing her head against her barrel. Crystal Note felt her lips curl into a smile and when she talked to Sweetie Tooth again, her voice was soft
“Did I scare you, Sweetie?”
Sweetie Tooth again said nothing, but this time she bopped her head for a quick nod
“I’m so sorry, Sweetie Tooth.”
She opened her hooves for a hug but remained sitting on the bed, so Sweetie Tooth could decide if she wanted to come closer or not.
Her heart soared when the filly rushed forward into her hug. She gently closed her hooves around Sweetie Tooth and shifted on the bed so Velvet Heart could slip closer as well, which she did. Crystal Note silently held her fillies for a few minutes before she whispered softly once more
“I’m so sorry, little gems. I never wanted to scare you.”
Velvet Heart pressed her head closer to her, but Sweetie Tooth whispered back
“You were crying in your sleep, Mommy.”
Crystal Note closed her eyes and forced as much calmness into her voice as she could
“I just had a bad dream, Sweetie.”
“But you were screaming as well and kicking and crying.”
Crystal Note gently squeezed the filly in her hooves
“I was just a bad dream, dear. You don’t have to worry.”
Sweetie Tooth looked up at her and her sad face nearly broke Crystal Note’s heart
“But, what kind of dream could be so bad that it made you cry?”
Crystal Note couldn’t hold her gaze and looked away
“Don’t worry, Sweetie. I already forgot the dream, I can’t remember a thing.”
“That’s not true!”
This time, Velvet Heart looked up at her mommy and Crystal Note couldn’t look away when Velvet glared at her, angry and worried and scared as well
“You know exactly what your dream was all about, and you’re still scared of it, even now!”
Crystal Note opened her mouth to decline, but she found she could not lie to her daughters
“You’re right. I’ve had this bad dream before, many times.”
She felt tears in her eyes again, but when both Velvet Heart and Sweetie Tooth gently pressed against her, she didn’t cry
“Why did you never tell us, Mommy?”
“Oh, Velvet.”
She took a deep breath, more of a sob as she sunk down on the bed again, to hide her shivering hooves
“If I told you, I’d make you cry as well. That’s the last thing I want, my little gems.”
Sweetie Tooth could do nothing but stay close to her mommy, but Velvet Heart could see, and she knew what to say
“But you need to talk about it with somepony. You have to. It hurts so much.”
Crystal Note couldn’t deny Velvet’s reason, because she was absolutely right, relentless even
“Mommy, if you can’t talk to us, you need to tell somepony else. Please!”
Velvet Heart glared up at her, only it wasn’t really a glare, she just knew without the sliver of a doubt that this was what needed to happen.
After a few moments of staring at her, her mommy finally nodded and whispered
“Okay. I will.”
Crystal Note hoped that would be enough, but Velvet Heart just saw right through her once again
“You have to promise! Please, Mommy.”
Something about the way Velvet Heart looked at her made it impossible to refuse, so Crystal Note took a deep breath and nodded
“I promise.”
“Pinkie promise?”
Crystal Note smiled softly and nodded to Sweetie Tooth as well
“Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”
Sweetie Tooth smiled and even Velvet Heart released her from that look with a nod, so Crystal Note closed her eyes and sighed deeply. She felt so vulnerable like she hadn’t in years, not since the time just after the curse and not even when she remembered all the bad things. She couldn’t help but wonder what the fillies would say if they knew.
“Hey Mommy?”
Crystal Note opened her eyes and looked at Velvet Heart and those beautiful open and honest eyes
“Even if it’s really bad, you know we love you!”
Crystal Note’s eyes flew wide open for a moment, before her head sunk down on the pillow in front of her. She couldn’t understand, but somehow Velvet Heart could. It was like the filly could see right through her, deep into her heart, and she knew exactly the words Crystal Note needed to hear right now. Crystal Note sobbed as if in pain, but it was a healing pain, as a wound she had carried around for years was torn open, so it could now finally heal. Velvet Heart, her Little Gem, her clever filly, held her like she knew she needed right now, and Sweetie Tooth did as well.
Crystal Note felt the tears run down her muzzle, but she had no strength to fight them, she couldn’t and didn’t want to. Her fillies stayed close and held her, like she had held them before, and Velvet Heart knew what to do.
Crystal Note cried for a little while, when a voice reached her senses, young and brave and so beautiful as she sung
Hush now, quiet now
It’s time to rest your sleepy head
Hush now, quiet now
It’s time to go to bed
Crystal Note sobbed again, loud and long this time as her tears kept running, especially when Sweetie Tooth joined her sister in singing. Crystal Note couldn’t remember the last time somepony, anypony had sung for her, sung her to sleep even, and held her like this, but she couldn’t question it right now, she needed this so much. Velvet had seen it right away and now she couldn’t stop crying, she hadn’t cried like this in decades. Even in tears, she felt so safe and accepted, with her fillies holding her. Eventually, she cried herself to sleep but Velvet Heart’s and Sweetie Tooth’s voices stayed with her.
When Crystal Note woke up again, she knew she had overslept. The sun shined brightly into her bedroom, almost as if to make sure any shadows of the last night had vanished by now. Not that any of them could have reached her dreams that night again, not after what Velvet Heart had told her and done for her last night.
Speaking of which, she could see neither her nor Sweetie Tooth or even hear them, so she got up from her bed and headed downstairs. She felt lighter today and she knew exactly why.
She heard cooking sounds from the kitchen and when she walked in, she saw Sweetie Tooth throwing a pancake up into the air, where it flipped and landed perfectly on top of the stack she had already made.
Crystal Note smiled to her and walked up to the counter
“Good morning Sweetie Tooth. It smells delicious.”
“Good morning, Mommy!”
They shared their hug as each morning and Crystal Note pulled Velvet Heart in as well, who had just finished setting the table. Velvet looked up at her again, the same way she did last night, only now in the light Crystal Note could read her expression more clearly. Again, she got the feeling that Velvet Heart could just see right through her and directly into her heart, but she liked what she saw because her eyes shined brightly, and she wore a beautiful smile. Crystal Note leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead, thanking Velvet for what she had done last night.
Then she turned back to Sweetie Tooth
“How about you and your sister start without me? I need to go do something right away.”
She turned her head and met Velvet Heart’s gaze again
“I have a promise to keep.”
Velvet Heard nodded immediately and so did Sweetie Tooth after she exchanged a glance with her twin sister. Crystal Note smiled to them gratefully, then headed straight for the door.
She met a few ponies on her way through town, but she didn’t talk to anyone. By the time she reached the café at the market, she was feeling very nervous, but the image of Velvet’s eyes kept her going. She knocked at the side entrance and after a minute, Sour Berry opened the door. He looked at her surprised
“Crystal Note? What are you doing here this early?”
“Good morning, Sour Berry. May I come in?”
Sour Berry noticed the strain in his old foalhood friend and nodded immediately
“Of course. Did something happen? Do you need something?”
Crystal Note stepped inside, but she didn’t dare looking at him
“I… I really need somepony to talk with. And I’m probably going to cry. If it’s bad time, I can go and come back later or find somepony else or…”
“Harmony.”
Crystal Note flinched and stopped her rambling when Sour Berry called her by her old name, from before. She finally looked up and found a pair of understanding eyes, focused on her
“I’ll always have time for you. And you sound like you really need this. So, how about you just tell me what’s wrong so I can help?”
Crystal Note had only a small smile for him, but she immediately felt better. She didn’t really know how to start at first, but once she did, words just burst out of her. She kept talking for the longest of the day and spoke of things she had never told anypony else before. Sour Berry didn’t always know what to say, but he listened all day long. Some ponies wondered why the café stayed closed that day, but other than that, nopony even noticed how much this day meant for either of them.