Crystal Note - Where life leads us

by TalkingToMyself

Vacation - Final Part

It was late into the night when Bonne Voyage and the others left the small club at the other side of town. Glass Slipper was still sparkling all over and chatted excitedly with Haute Nuage ahead of the others, Crystal Note trailed along as the last of the little group. She had ended up on stage with the band for the rest of the evening and now felt exhausted.

It had been a while since she performed for more than a hoofful of ponies and longer than a song or two. She had almost forgotten how draining a concert could be, but at the same time pleasantly rewarding. All those ponies, smiling and singing along, some even dancing through the night like Glass Slipper. The band could have made this happen on their own as well, but the fact that Crystal Note could contribute to their great work had her smile even now.

The most wonderful moment of the night had been Glass Slipper’s first dance, without a doubt. Crystal Note had never felt happier than watching the filly forget all her fears for a couple of hours and dance so beautifully, without a care in the world. Just for this moment, the trip to Vanhoover was worth every second of it.

However, now that she was out in the warm night, Crystal Note started thinking again. When she had moved to the Crystal Empire for good, she had almost entirely put a stop on concerts and performances, not counting her work as a street musician. She still wrote songs, but mostly she gave them to other ponies these days.
Then, the accident happened and of course, the three sisters needed her. She had to be there for them, take care of a house and deal with things like schoolwork and nightmares all of a sudden. Her music slipped more and more into the background and instead of composing, she only sung lullabies these days.

She couldn’t deny that she missed it, at least to some degree. She missed sharing her passion for music with an audience and the excitement of a concert. She also missed working with likeminded ponies to create songs that made ponies smile or touched their hearts.
Glass Slipper could see it, she had pushed her on stage and encouraged her. But what would the twins say?

Concerts would mean a lot of travelling all through Equestria. Maybe she could take the fillies along on some trips, but not all of them. Also, creating something new always took time which would, inevitably, be less time she could spend with the three sisters. Could she really do this when they still needed her like now, when their pain was still so fresh?

Crystal Note heard the laughter from Glass Slipper and Haute Nuage in front of her and shook her head. She pushed away her worries for later. Right now, the fillies were happy and she wouldn’t spoil the trip for them by mulling over the future.
She grinned when Haute Nuage teased Glass Slipper about a colt who had tried to approach her. Glass Slipper only smirked, but like any teenage filly, of course she enjoyed getting that sort of attention.

Glass Slipper, after dancing so much and barely getting any sleep the night before, soon yawned a lot. Crystal Note caught up to her and walked next to the filly. Glass Slipper had a sleepy smile for her and leaned against her as they walked back home, without even realizing how natural this came to her. Crystal Note was more aware of the gesture and slowed down, supporting the filly on each step and even humming a soft song for her. Glass Slipper kept smiling and just closed her eyes as she walked. Crystal Note safely guided her filly through the streets of Vanhoover, back to Bonne Voyage’s home and finally up the stairs to her bed. Just seeing how much Glass Slipper trusted her banished any lingering doubts out of the way.

With Glass Slipper tucked in, Crystal Note checked on the twins next. They were slumbering peacefully in their respective beds. She had been worried how they would react on separate beds, but they were doing just fine. Sweetie Tooth had received a stuffed animal from Cherry Tap’s collection and cuddled her plushie in her sleep. Velvet Heart took full advantage of the space and had her hooves spread out in every direction.

Crystal Note giggled silently and pulled the blanket to cover them properly again. Out of an instinct, she leaned down and planted a quick kiss on each of their foreheads, to which Velvet Heart started to smile in her sleep. She watched them sleep for a little longer, then returned to the guest room next door.

Tomorrow, they would be heading back home again, back to the Crystal Empire. Back to their small house and their own bed the three always shared. Crystal Note frowned just a little at the thought of the sleeping couch that waited for her. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the proper bed beneath her for now.

---

The next morning, everypony trickled into the kitchen one by one to get some breakfast. Unsurprisingly, Glass Slipper was the last to join. Crystal Note had already heard from Velvet Heart and Sweetie Tooth about all the games they had played last night, but she could see that Glass Slipper could not handle the energetic twins at the moment. So instead, she took the foals outside for a little walk after breakfast to the nearby park. They still had a little time before they had to get back to the train station.

Wind Chaser and Cherry Tap took the path towards the playground at the school and Sweetie Tooth ran after them. Velvet Heart turned around to Crystal Note, silently asking for permission. Crystal Note smiled softly
“Go on, little gem. I’m right behind you.”
Velvet blushed when Crystal Note used her pet name, but hurried after the others quickly. Crystal Note watched them play on the slides, soon joined by another few foals.

Crystal Note sat at the side of the playground and two other mares joined her
“Good morning. Wonderful day, isn’t it?”
Crystal Note returned their smiles and some easy chatting started as they watched their foals play.

Cherry Tap and Velvet Heart headed over to the swings after a while, and the young earth filly got curious
“What’s it like having another mom?”
“Huh?”
“Crystal Note. Auntie told me she not your mom, but she kinda is, right?”
“She’s not our mom!”
Velvet Heart more or less yelled out, but she blushed so hard that Cherry Tap immediately apologized
“Sorry. I just thought. I mean, she does all those mom-things for you.”
Velvet looked at her, confused
“What mom-things?”
“You know, tuck you in bed, sing for you, and help you with stuff. She even took us to the playground like my mom always does.”
“Yeah, so, she’s nice. But she’s not my mom!”

Cherry Tap stopped immediately when she saw that Velvet Heart was rubbing away some tears. She mumbled a quick apology, but it didn’t work as she had hoped as it only made Velvet Heart more angry
“Don’t act like you understand. You don’t know what it’s like when your Mommy and Daddy don’t come home and somepony tells you that you’ll never see them again!”

Velvet Heart was nearly screaming and now Cherry Tap felt like crying and sniffled out an explanation
“I don’t know that. I don’t ever want to find out, really. But you know about it and you didn’t get a choice. That’s why I’m sorry. I’m sorry you’re feeling sad.”
Velvet Heart felt like screaming but she pushed it away with all her might. Screaming wouldn’t help. Screaming would make Cherry Tap cry for real and Sweetie Tooth would cry too. She didn’t want to see her cry. And she didn’t want Crystal Note to see her cry, for some reason.

Cherry Tap seemed to understand at least that and leaned in for a short hug
“Don’t worry. I won’t tell. Playground rule.”
Velvet Heart grinned and nodded
“Playground rule.”
Never let an adult see you cry unless you have to.

Sweetie Tooth and Wind Chaser watched from over the slides. They looked at each other and nodded. Wind Chaser lifted off with his wings and landed right behind his sister, while Sweetie Tooth walked up to the other two so they wouldn’t notice him.
Velvet Heart rubbed her hoof over her eyes when she saw Sweetie Tooth, but the way her sister grinned like that made her wary
“What’s going on, sis?”
Sweetie Tooth looked between the two, but finally focused on her earth pony friend
“Hey Cherry Tap, guess what?”
“Um, what?”

Velvet Heart now saw Wind Chaser sneaking up the last few steps and grinned as well, backing away a little from Cherry Tap who waited for Sweetie Tooth’s reply
“I hate to tell you, but…”
At this point, Wind Chaser reached her and patted her shoulder with his hoof
“Tag, you’re it!”

Cherry Tap yelped surprised and spun around, but her brother just flew straight up out of reach. She turned around again, but Sweetie Tooth and Velvet Heart had used her distraction and ran off in different directions.
“Hey! No fair! No sneaking up on ponies!”
Velvet Heart laughed and blew a raspberry at her
“You’re just too slow!”
“Oh, now you asked for it!”

She raced after Velvet Heart but changed directions when she spotted another group of colts and fillies to her left
“Look out! She’s it!”
The group squealed and scattered, but one colt was too slow and got tagged by Cherry Tap.
Soon enough, the whole playground was involved and none of the fillies and colts cared about the adults who were watching them anymore.

---

Bonne Voyage brought Crystal Note and the three sisters to the train station sometime after noon. The goodbyes with Haute Nuage, Morning Breeze and her family had taken longer than expected and with lots of promises to visit again soon.
So now, the four crystal ponies only had time for a quick hug before they had to jump into the train back home
“Goodbye Bonne Voyage! Thank you for everything!”
“Bye Crissy, bye girls! Don’t forget to write!”

Bonne Voyage stayed at the platform the fillies waved through the window as the train started moving, until they could not see her any longer.
Sweetie Tooth sighed with mixed feelings when she slumped back into her seat. She had a lot of fun in Vanhoover and met so many new ponies, but at the same time she couldn’t wait to get back home. Glass Slipper seemed to think the same, even if she looked like she already missed Haute Nuage a lot.
Velvet Heart was silent. She hadn’t been during the whole trip, but now she suddenly was and Sweetie Tooth thought she knew why. It was easy to forget about Mommy and Daddy when everything was so far away, but now they were on the way back to it all.

Crystal Note sat down next to Velvet Heart, but she scooted away from her. Sweetie Tooth bit her lip and her ears flopped down. She knew Crystal Note only wanted to help, even Velvet Heart knew that, but Crystal Note was also a constant reminder that so much had changed. Velvet couldn’t look at Crystal Note without missing Mommy and Daddy and Sweetie Tooth didn’t know what she could do to help.

Lucky for her, she wasn’t alone. Glass Slipper took the seat next to Velvet Heart and they watched the landscape as it flew by behind the window. Crystal Note, even if she couldn’t be close to Velvet right now, still was far from leaving her alone. She sat across so she could watch them and started to sing.
It wasn’t like the song in the park where Crystal Note had an audience, and it definitely wasn’t like Glass Slipper had seen her sing on stage. Right now, she sang just for them, for Velvet Heart, Glass Slipper and Sweetie Tooth, and nopony else.

She didn’t sing loud, but her voice filled their cabin with her calming presence. Velvet Heart heard and understood that even if she wasn’t close, Crystal Note was still there. The filly leaned against her big sister who sat behind her and relaxed with a feeling of comfort.
Glass Slipper smiled as she listened. The song was slow and soft, it didn’t make her hooves itch at all, but it felt nice. Crystal Note could probably be on a stage right now and have ponies cheering on her, but she didn’t want that. She wanted to be here with them right now and nowhere else. Glass Slipper felt that she could always be herself with Crystal Note, just as Crystal Note was always herself around them. It made her feel safe most of all, but also appreciated and cherished.
Sweetie Tooth hopped on the seat and snuggled into the spot between Crystal Note’s hooves. She just let Crystal Note’s voice wash over her and make her feel cared for, and loved. She didn’t need any explanations for it or any reasons. She felt it in her heart, so it was true and right. Crystal Note had told her so, and Mommy had as well when she was still with her. Sweetie Tooth let Crystal Note’s voice and presence wrap around her like a warm, cosy blanket and it felt like being with Mommy and Daddy again. In fact, as she was slowly slipping towards slumber, there barely was any difference anymore. She smiled and as she drifted away, her dreams were bright and happy.

---

The sun was already setting when the train arrived in the Crystal Empire. The fillies had slumbered most of the ride, exhausted and pleasantly worn out from all the new things they had seen and experienced. Crystal Note almost didn’t dare to wake them, but finally it was time to leave the train and return home.

The fillies seemed a little dazed as they walked through the familiar streets and saw the houses and buildings they had known for all their lives. Crystal Note knew what was different today, of course. They had never been away from the crystal heart, and just as leaving had felt a little strange and scary, coming home now felt like the complete opposite. The crystal heart eagerly welcomed the four crystal ponies with its light and comfort, and the fillies were easily overwhelmed by all of it.

Crystal Note guided them down the familiar street to their little home and decided to send them to bed right away, even if it wasn’t that late. However, as soon as they walked past the front door, everything crashed down on the fillies like a tidal wave.
Everything was as they remembered it. Everything was painfully the same. Velvet Heart blinked away tears and turned her head away, but everywhere she looked, she was reminded of her parents. Glass Slipper next to her breathed in pitches so she wouldn’t sob, but her lilac coat had a dirty, greyish hue.
Sweetie Tooth lost her fight against her tears. She clung on Crystal Note’s hoof and buried her face against the mare.

Crystal Note tried her best to stay calm for them. She patiently guided them upstairs to their bed, even as Velvet Heart started crying as well. Thankfully, the fillies were not desperate or angry or devastated like on the day they first met. But they were just so sad right now, it hurt Crystal Note almost more than she could take. She offered comfort with hushed, gentle words, but they could hear tears behind them as well.

They cuddled together under the blankets and held each other until the fell into a fitful sleep. Crystal Note stayed with them all through the night, she sang for them and held them when the nightmares started. They looked so lost, in their single bed that was clearly too small for all three of them. Crystal Note cried silently for them. All three of them had been so happy and cheerful over the weekend, but it had only lasted for so long.

Crystal Note didn’t sleep, even if she would have been able to fall asleep, there was no way she would leave her fillies alone right now. She remembered her talk with Bonne Voyage on the first night in Vanhoover
“You love them, right? Then everything will be okay.”

She shook her head and sighed. But it’s not enough to just say it, she thought. I have to do something for it as well. If I really want to help, I can’t hold back any longer.
She knew what she could do. She also knew it would be hard, for her and for the fillies. As much as she had tried to shield them from things changing around them, now she had to expose them to changes again. It would be hard, but she knew her fillies could work through this together
“They’re not alone anymore. They have you now as well.”
Crystal Note smiled when Bonne Voyage’s voice echoed through her mind and reminded her once more. We’ll be there for each other, no matter what.