Returning

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The train made its way through the empty tundra far in the north of Equestria. The last settlement had been passed about three hours ago and the landscape had completely changed. There were no trees growing outside anymore, just short and stubby grass could be seen with the occasional shrubbery in between. It's gotten colder with each hour, even inside the train. Outside, more and more patches of ice and snow passed by, remains of the last snowstorm that had delayed the train earlier. In the distance some mountains slowly came into view, the last natural barrier between the Crystal Empire and the remain of Equestria. It would take many more hours before the train would reach the Empire that had just been rediscovered.

Inside the train there were only few ponies. In the front car most seats were filled with members of the Canterlot guard who had been chosen to assist the Crystal Empire's own guard. The other five cars were almost empty, every pony sat by themselves and most of them even sleeping. Most of them seemed to be some officials on a business trip, one of them wore the official sign of the Equestrian trading association.

No pony noticed the grey coated mare with the blue bandana in the back of the middle cart. She'd barely moved since she had entered the train in Canterlot and found herself a secluded seat. She just sat there and stared outside the window. The night was setting in and so far up north, darkness quickly swallowed the lands outside. The mare didn't care too much about it, she had stopped seeing the landscape hours ago and lost herself in thoughts. Her expression seemed neutral but if anypony would look closer, they would notice the tension in her entire body and the nervous flick of her tail. Her turquoise eyes stared into the night.

The mare startled when she suddenly felt a hoof on her shoulder. She looked up and blinked a couple of times, her eyes only slowly adjusting to the darkness around her. A light blue earth pony with a dark mane stood before her. She recognized her as the train hostess who had checked on her earlier and in the soft light of the lantern she carried, she noticed her sheepish smile. The train hostess explained that they wouldn't arrive anytime soon. Because of the storm and the darkness, the conductor had to lower the speed and hoped they would reach the Crystal Empire by sunrise.
The train hostess apologized for the inconvenience and offered her a pillow and a blanket so she could get some sleep at least. The grey mare looked around and saw that the other few ponies in the car were already sleeping. She nodded and a few strands of her yellow mane spilled out from the blue bandana she wore.
The blue earth pony just smiled and handed her the blanket and pillow and told her she'd be in the front if she needed anything. The mare nodded again and smiled gratefully as she wrapped the warm blanket around herself. When the train hostess left with her lantern, the mare curled up a little more comfortably on her seat but went back to staring out of the window.

She sighed as sleep wouldn't come to her even an hour later. At least this train was quiet and empty, the one that had brought her from Ponyville to Canterlot had been so crowded and she got the feeling that everypony was staring at her. All the noises and the many voices around her and so little space. It had been such a relief when she finally got out again and felt fresh air on her face. She still felt trapped even in this almost empty car, but she'd gotten almost used to it by now. She wasn't sure if she should be annoyed to be locked in here for a few hours longer or happy for the delay.

In Canterlot, the train to the Crystal Empire already stood there when she found the right track. She had taken a seat on a bench in front of it and ended up just staring at it. A few ponies glanced at her as they climbed in, but the train wouldn't leave for another twenty minutes so they didn't really bother.
It had taken fifteen more minutes and two near running-away before she found the courage to climb in herself. In the end, the idea of having to wait another week for the next train to the Empire had been too troublesome. Another week of listening to Applejack and Twilight trying to convince her. Probably even Fluttershy and Rarity this time as well. Also she already bought the ticket and wouldn't have the bits for a new one.
She just had to do this now, she knew she'd never forgive herself if she endangered these friendships by being a coward.

-*-

Another hour had passed and still no sleep. The mare sighed and hopped down from her seat to stretch a little. She gave a longing look at her saddlebags but the shook her head. Now wasn't the right time nor place.
Instead, she just picked them up and started wandering through the silent car towards the front of the train. She tried to be as quiet as she could, but in the noise of the running train the sound of her hooves made no difference. She passed a few more sleeping ponies and then noticed a light ahead. At the front of the first car, right behind the engine, she saw the train hostess standing in the light of her lantern. She sipped from a cup in her hooves and stared out of the window, but then she noticed the mare and waved her over.

The grey mare stepped through a narrow passage and found herself in some kind of staff room, probably the part of the train where the conductors and train hostesses passed their time. The blue mare closed the door behind her and the loud noise of the engine was blocked out mostly. She smiled and prepared another cup of steaming beverage. She took a whiff and recognized the scent of coffee. She thanked the train hostess and took a careful sip. As the hot drink slipped down her throat, she realized how cold she felt. She shivered but the other mare just laughed and offered her another blanket before she sat down on a small table. Another thankful mumble and she took the seat opposite of her, taking small sips of her coffee and feeling the stimulating effects already.

The train hostess just kept smiling and asked
"Can't fall asleep, huh? First time on a train for you?"
She blushed softly and shook her head. She answered in her quiet and timid voice
"Not the first time... but the first time for so long."
The other mare nodded and gave a sympathetic smile
"It's really been long with the delays and then the storm. Even gets me antsy. Next time, take a book or a friend with you. Distraction helps."
The grey mare opened one of her saddlebags and pulled out two slightly battered cupcakes with a light blue frosting. Silently she offered one to the mare opposite of her and soon both nibbled on their treat between sips of coffee.
"Wow, this is good. Did you get those in Canterlot?"
She shook her head
"Ponyville."
"Oh, there's that one shop! Sugarcorner or something. They make an awesome hot chocolate."
The mare giggled and shook her head softly again and replied softly
"Sugarcube Corner is the best place for cupcakes, but the best hot chocolate you'll get at Bon Bon's sweet shop. Just don't let the Cake family know I said that."
Both ponies giggled and soon the train hostess told stories of places she'd seen and ponies she met on the trains. The grey mare smiled and listened quietly, but the blue earth pony didn't seem to mind. She kept talking on and on until the first rays of sun illuminated the sky.

The blue pony noticed the light and looked outside, checking the landmarks. She grinned and took her passenger's hoof and pulled her out the room to the front of the train towards the engine. The noise grew again and through the half open window, a hefty breeze blew through their manes. The mare pulled her towards the window and shouted into her ear over the noise
"You have to see this!"
The train passed a mountain right now so except for a wall of stone, there was not much to see. But the moment her view was clear again, her eyes opened wide and her jaw dropped down.

In a distance before her, the Crystal Empire rose up from the bald tundra ground. Peaks of crystal reached into the sky and caught the sunlight on their glittery surface. Each of them shined in a different colour and all the colours blended together as the sun rose higher. She could make out buildings and houses by now, each of them familiar but she was sure she had never seen them before, not like this.
An old memory bubbled up from the depth of her mind, the same city with darker and dull colours, black crystals scattered all over like an infectious rash. The memory was evaporated by the bright and beautiful colours, by the sparkling lights and glittering hue. The mare just stared, not finding enough words to describe what she saw.

Crystal Note felt something inside her she had never felt before. A gentle tug on her soul, like something slipping into the right place again. She felt like she had found something she never even knew she missed. But with each moment she came closer to it, she felt more and more right about it. She felt like she belonged here. Her smile grew as she lost a tension inside her she never even noticed until now. She felt something drawing her closer, something familiar she knew she'd never felt before, but she wasn't worried. It felt nice and inviting, welcoming her and accepting her. A tear ran down her cheek and a wide smile appeared on her face when she finally understood: She was coming home.

Like a wave of water running down her body, the grey colour of her coat changed to a silvery-white. In the light of the morning sun, her body seemed to sparkle all over, even the strands of yellow mane that had escaped her bandana.
She turned around and saw her new friend staring intensely at her. She just kept smiling the happy smile and her turquoise eyes sparkled with joy
"Thank you for showing me this. I've never seen anything more beautiful."

-*-

The two new friends shared a quick hug and promised to write each other, then Crystal Note left the station. It was still very early in the morning and the only other ponies around were the one's from the same train as herself, most of them heading straight toward the castle in the centre of the city.
She saw a few crystal ponies making their way in the same direction pulling carts with goods. She smiled as she remembered the large market that had been set up on the grand plaza in front of the castle every day. Apparently the new princess kept on with this tradition. Her smile faded a little as she remembered running between the stands with other fillies. The others had been scolded by the adults for disturbing the market, but nopony ever accused her. They had just stared at her openly and watched her warily or scared.

Crystal Note sighed and turned around. She slowly walked down a street that lead away from the centre and towards the western outskirts of the city. She looked around and found some familiar looking buildings, then she fell into an easy trot once she remembered the way.
She reached her destination a few minutes later. As expected, she didn't see anypony around as she walked through the iron cemetery gate. Unlike in Canterlot where ponies visited their passed family and friends regularly and planted flowers on their graves, in the Crystal Empire all families used to have a place in their homes dedicated for memories of the ones they lost. The only time they would visit the actual grave was on the evening of the first spring moon, when the last winter storms had passed. Sometimes a pony would visit the grave of a really close friend on their day of death, but otherwise the cemetery remained abandoned.

Crystal Note walked through the rows of similar tombstones with her head hung low in respect for those who rested here. There were no decorations on any of the graves and the epigraph on the tombstones only stated a name and two dates. She remembered how somepony had explained it to her the first time she had come here
"In death, we are all the same. No matter what a pony did in their life, when they rest it's not important anymore. What is important are the ponies they met in life and the memories they created together, good or bad. We don't honour the spots where we burry our loved ones, but we will always keep our memories of them in our hearts and cherish them. As long as we have those memories, they'll always be in our hearts as well."

She sighed and slowed down until she reached two unremarkable graves in the middle of a row. They looked just like the others around them, but once Crystal Note was close enough to read the names, her heart clenched in her chest and she could feel the changing again. Her head hung low, her shoulders slumped and her ears flopped down as she made the final steps. As always when she turned dull and grey, the flood of sadness and grief drowned out all other thoughts and all reason in her mind. She felt tears forming in her eyes. During the train ride she had forced them back down every time, but now she knew she didn't have the strength anymore. She felt the first tear run down her cheek and just slumped on the ground in front of the graves. She read those names again before her vision was blurred, then she couldn't hold back any longer. Sat on the ground in the abandoned cemetery, Crystal Note stopped fighting and wept like a lost filly.

-*-

She didn't know how much time had passed when her tears ran dry and the crying stopped. She slowly stood up again, still sniffling. She stepped closer to the two graves and slowly started to pull out the weeds and tiny roots that had started to grow on them. She worked slowly with her hooves and her mouth, but eventually she pulled out some gardening tools from her saddlebags to take care of one of the bigger roots. As she did, she noticed a small bag in between the tools. A faint smile came to her when she saw a filly face drawn on it with a red crayon. Apple Bloom must have snuck it in before she left. She opened the bag and found flower seeds inside.

She hesitated for a moment, but then took the bag in her mouth and sprinkled some of the seeds on both graves, then carefully covered them with soil. She would most likely not be around to water them, but at least a few would sprout. Maybe she was breaking tradition, but it felt right to do this. A few flowers wouldn't make the memories in her heart go away.

Crystal Note spent another few minutes in silence, her eyes closed and her head bowed down, before she gathered her things. With a last sad look on the two tombstones, she turned around and headed towards the centre of the cemetery. Her posture was still slumped but her eyes had regained some of their light again.

One last thing to do, she walked up to the statue in the middle of the tombstones. The statue showed four ponies made out of crystal standing on a pedestal made of marble from Canterlot. One of them had wings, another carried a horn on its head, the other two seemed to be earth ponies but one of them had large emeralds as eyes. The ponies look towards east and the rising sun. An inscription on the pedestal dedicated this statue to all ponies of all tribes who lost their lives during King Sombra's rule and the war between nations, especially the crystal ponies who had to suffer far more than anypony else.

This statue had been one of the first things the new princess had done for her Empire. Twilight had shown her a picture and they'd talked about it a couple of times. Now that she saw the statue, Crystal Note felt her eyes going moist again. She reached into her saddlebag once more to reveal the last gift she had brought from Ponyville. It was a large and thick white candle she had bought with Rarity. It was enchanted with unicorn magic so it wouldn't be blown out by wind or rain and could burn for at least five moons.

This was, again, an old Canterlot tradition. This time however, Crystal Note didn't hesitate as much since she saw a similar candle already at the base of the pedestal. The candle was almost burnt down and she saw it had been pink instead of white. She stepped closer and lit her own candle on its flame, then carefully set it up at the base of the statue. While she did that, she started to hum softly. When the candle stood safely, she took three steps back and closed her eyes. With a voice as soft as the breeze around her, she started to sing

Just like the stars that shine above
May this small flame light up your path
To guide you home, safe and secure
Into the sacred fields of green.

And like the flame in darkest night
your light shines on, inside my heart
So I may never walk astray
Guided by you through night and day.

Crystal Note opened her eyes again and sighed. She didn't know if she remembered the words of the old song correctly, she'd only heard it once when she was a tiny filly. But they felt right in her heart so she decided to sing them anyways, for every pony who couldn't do so anymore.

She was startled when she heard a ruffling sound behind her. She turned her head and saw a tall pony with a pink coat bow down before the statue. The pony had spread out her wings with the purple tips as a sign of respect. Her horn glowed softly as she levitated a pink candle with the symbol of the royal family next to her head.
The Crystal Princess made the few steps until she stood next to Crystal Note who just kept staring lost for words. The pink candle floated to the white one, then was lit and placed next to it. The Crystal Princess closes her eyes and whispered a few words similar to the ones from the song.
Then she turned around and her violet eyes met the gem shaped ones.

At this point, Crystal Note snapped out of her trance and was about to throw herself flat on the ground before the princess, but she was stopped by the soft touch of a hoof on her shoulder
"Please don't. Not here."
Crystal Note swallowed nervously and kept her eyes on the ground as she whispered in a shaky voice
"Apologies, you Highness. Please forgive my insolent behaviour in your presence."

-*-

Cadance couldn't help but giggle at those words which grew into a kind laugh when she saw the confusion in the pony's expression.
She gently put her hoof on the mare's shoulder again and smiled
"Do you know what happens when a member of my staff starts talking to me like this?"
The mare before her grew more nervous again and shook her head. Cadance just giggled again and spoke softly
"They get a cup of tea and a cookie and then they have to listen to me for half an hour while I explain to them how silly all these stiff words are."
The confusion came back even stronger than before and so did the laughter. With a silly wink Cadance continued
"Sadly I don't have any cookies with me, so I must ask you to follow me back to the palace where I can fulfil my royal duties."
For the last words she used her faux regal voice and finally, the mare smiled as well. She bowed her head and mumbled in a timid voice
"As you wish, Princess Cadance."
Cadance smiled but then remembered where she was. She bowed deeply before the statue once more before she turned around and left the cemetery with the crystal pony by her side. Once they had passed the gate again, both ponies relaxed a little and Cadance smiled softly
"So Twilight told you about me I guess?"
The mare blushed and nodded. At first it seemed she wanted to remain silent but then she whispered
"She told me about what happened after the Empire reappeared. Um, did Princess Twilight tell you about me as well?"

Cadance nodded slowly
"She did, Crystal Note. She told me you spent some time in Ponyville and that you had problems remembering about the things that happened before the curse and right after. She didn't mention anything of your visit, though."

Cadance blinked when the crystal mare suddenly sighed relieved but didn't think too much about it when Crystal Note explained
"I didn't tell her that I was coming here, I didn't want her to go out of her way and arrange things for me. And... I needed to do this alone."
Cadance nodded and waited for a moment before she asked in a very gentle voice
"Those graves you were attending to... those ponies were very close to you, right?"
She wasn't surprised to see the light grey coat of the pony next to her go darker, being the Princess of Love allowed her to know exactly how Crystal Note felt as she spoke of the ones she lost
"They were the most important ponies in my life. They taught me everything I know and they cared for me. Only one other pony was ever as close to me as they were."
Cadance extended her wing and gently covered the pony's back with it, then squeezed softly. Her own voice was heavy with emotion
"It is terrible to lose your parents, especially when it happens far too soon."
Crystal Note nodded and sobbed softly.
Both ponies fell silent as they slowly made their way back into the city, quietly sharing their pain.

They made their way through the city and soon ran into other ponies. Most of the citizens had already gotten used to their new princess taking walks down the streets so except for a few ponies bowing and waving, nothing really happened.
Crystal Note luckily didn't notice to much of the attention and was busy looking at the buildings and streets as she walked next to Cadance. At first she seemed only curious, but the princess noticed her expression changing more and more to confusion and then to worry. Cadance also didn't like that the mare hadn't changed back into her normal appearance yet.

She asked in a soft voice so only Crystal Note could hear
"Is something troubling you?"
The mare looked up at the princess and shook her head with a blush on her face. Cadance sighed and called out
"Crystal Note. You are a terrible liar."
The crystal mare lowered her head. She remained silent for a few more moments, then whispered
"It feels so wrong. Everything. There's houses in places they shouldn't be and others are missing. There's streets I recognize but the buildings don't match. And I didn't recognize a single pony yet."
She looked up at Cadance again and as the former foal sitter of Twilight Sparkle, Cadance recognized the signs of a panic attack when she saw one.
"What if there's something really wrong with me? Maybe I'm sick? It might be infectious or dangerous for other ponies as well. What if I'm really a bad pony and I just can't remember and when I do I'll turn bad again? Oh, should have never come here, I should have..."
"Crystal Note!"
Cadance's voice forced the pony to focus back on her instead of those thoughts. She gave the pony a caring smile and put all of her compassion into her next words
"You are not a danger to anypony. And you're not a bad pony. No pony with a bad heart could sing a song like you did or would cry over their parents grave like you have."
The mare just stared up at the alicorn for a few moments, then nodded shyly but with a soft smile. Cadance gently pulled her into an embrace and held her. In her hooves, all pent up tension seemed to flow out of the crystal mare and when Cadance released her again, she smiled softly at the now silvery-white pony.

Crystal Note have her a grateful smile and thanked her silently, then she sat up and looked around again. Cadance tilted her head as the turquoise eyes went wide
"I remember this place. I grew up nearby."
Cadance smiled and stood up again. She thought back to the first time she arrived in the Crystal Empire a couple of months ago. Back then, most of the crystal ponies had suffered from memory loss as well. Some memories came back during the festivities of the crystal fair, though most of them only once the crystal heart had been reactivated.
Crystal Note hadn't been in the Empire during these events, but like her other subjects, she remembered when she let happiness, love and light into her heart.
Now sure she could help her lost subject, she nodded
"Let's go see your home then. Maybe we'll find something that helps you remember more."
Crystal Note nodded eagerly and headed into an empty street.

-*-

A few minutes later, the princess and her subject stood before some houses in the back end of an abandoned alleyway. The houses were in a desolate state and it was clear no pony had been here in years.
Crystal Note sat on her haunches and stared at one house in particular. Cadance could see tears forming in her eyes again, so she just sat next to her and silently offered her support. The crystal pony leaned against the taller alicorn and shivered, her coat lost some of its sparkle. Cadance softly wrapped one of her wings around her and whispered
"Maybe your memory is fooling you and this isn't the right place."
Crystal Note quickly shook her head
"It's the right place. I know it. It's their house."

Cadance blinked when she said 'their house' instead of 'our house' but decided to let it pass for now. Instead she asked
"You mentioned a third pony you were close to. Did this pony live here as well?"
The crystal pony nodded again with conviction
"She did. We lived next to each other. I spent every minute with Pinky when we were fillies."
The princess blinked and looked up at the mention of a name
"Are you sure she was called Pinky?"
In her mind, she went through the names of her subjects she had met so far, but she had to admit the only pony she knew with that name lived in Ponyville.
Crystal Note frowned and rubbed her temple with a hoof
"No... it was her nickname. She had a pink mane. Her real name was... it's... Rose Quartz.."
"And her cutie mark is a pink crystallized rose?"
The crystal mare looked up at the princess with eyes as big as saucers
"That's right. How do you know this?"
Cadance smiled and stood up again to look at the pony next to her
"I know her because she's one of my personal attendants in the palace. And a trusted advisor since the first day I met her."
The crystal pony stared and her jaw dropped down. The princess just giggled and started walking towards the palace again
"Come on, I'll introduce you."

Crystal Unicorn

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Crystal Note followed the princess through the hallways of the crystal palace. She had no eye for the beauty of the place or the view the large windows offered, she only thought of meeting her lost friend again. The few memories she was able to recover replayed in her mind since the moment she remembered her name and she was barely able to contain her impatience.
Cadance explained they would go into her personal chambers for privacy and then talked to a guard, but Crystal Note just nodded absently.

Then, she heard a sound and her ears perked up. She took a few steps into another hallway and she heard the sound again. Somepony was laughing and in her mind, the same laughter echoed through her memories. Before the princess noticed what was happening, Crystal Note ran down the hallway and stormed into the next room. At the far end of the room, she saw three mares taking to each other and laughing. One of them had her back turned towards her but Crystal Note recognized that laugh and the pink mane that was bound up into a bun.
"Pinky!"
The mare turned around surprised and her eyes opened wide. Crystal Note laughed and ran towards her. She never realized that the hair bun made her look way older, Pinky looked more like she was in her thirties, although she knew they were the same age.
She didn't care too much and just kept running and called out again
"Pinky! It's me!"
By now a pair of guards appeared from both sides of the room and tried to block her path but hesitated when they heard a similar call from behind them
"Crissy? It can't be! How... Where have you been?"

Crystal Note laughed when she heard her old nickname and slipped past the guards towards her old friend who now ran towards her as well. As she past the guards though, her blue bandana got tangled with a piece of armour and was ripped off.
She didn't care and just kept running, her yellow mane now flowing behind her. Her smiled faded when she saw Rose Quartz slow down and stare at her, first surprised, then confused. After a second her face turned into a grimace of fear and she backed away, her hooves slipping over the crystal floor in panic. She screamed at the top of her voice
"By all Stars! Please, no! You can't be one of them! Heavens, NO!"

Crystal Note froze when she saw the fear in her friend's eyes and then noticed everypony staring at her with the same fearful expression. She frowned when she realized they stared at her horn, no longer covered by her mane. She opened her mouth and tried to explain, but a loud command from the guards drowned out her words
"Seize her!"
Before she could react, two guard ponies had her pressed on the floor and held her down so she could barely move. Her eyes rolled up and searched for her friend, but when she saw disgust and fear in her eyes she wished she'd never returned to the Empire at all.
She didn't resist when the guards shoved her away from the mares and ripped off her saddlebags. Her body lost all energy and drive, her coat now a dark and dull grey and her brown mane partially covering her face as she sobbed.

From behind her, she heard a very loud and angry voice
"Guards! Release her immediately!"
The ponies on top of her hesitated and one of them tried to reason with the voice
"Princess, we..."
"NOW!"
The ponies flinched under the force of the voice and the guards stood up and let go of her
"Yes your Highness."
Crystal Note didn't take any chances and quickly got on her hooves and ran through the closest door. She heard yelling behind her but she just ran into whatever direction she could, the face of fear from Rose Quartz burned into her mind and haunting her.

-*-

Cadance fumed and glared at her guards. Two of them started to run after the crying mare and she stopped them with an angry shout
"Guards!"
The four stallions flinched and then stood at attention before their princess. At the side of the room she noticed Rose Quartz still shivering in fear.

She stepped in front of the two guards who had thrown Crystal Note to the floor and hit them with the full force of her angry stare. The guards stood still but went pale when confronted with Cadance' fury
"You two. You will follow her and make sure she's safe. Don't approach her and don't let anypony else approach her. Give her some time and space. If anything happens to her, if anypony only even throws a mean look at her, I will hold you accountable for it. Do you understand?"
Both stallions nodded and grew more pale and Cadance dismissed them with another sharp glare. The other two guards were sent to fetch her husband with a similar treatment, then the princess focused on the shivering mare.
Rose Quartz bowed deeply before Cadance and the alicorn's glare softened when she noticed trails of tears on her cheeks. She ordered her to stand up again with a touch of her hoof and motioned her to follow, though she couldn't fully hide the edge in her voice
"You have a lot to explain to me."

-*-

Princess Cadance entered her personal study with Rose Quartz following right behind her, all dull and gloom already. The crystal pony froze in fear when she saw the glow around her princess' horn and flinched as the door was slammed shut by magic. The princess stared at her with anger and an expression she hadn't seen on her before. Disappointment maybe?
Rose sunk on her haunches and lowered her head
"Princess, I'm sorry..."
The words were interrupted by the stomp of a hoof on the crystal floor
"It's not me you should be apologizing to. What's gotten into you back there? That pony was your fillyhood friend."
Rose didn't dare looking up at her princess and mumbled
"I didn't remember."
She still felt the princess stare at her and heard the annoyance in her voice
"Sombra's curse was broken by the crystal heart. Everypony's memory was restored, or so you told me. Why didn't you mention there were still things missing from your past?"
Rose closed her eyes and remained silent.

The princess waited for a minute for an answer. When she didn't get one, she went for another question
"Why hasn't anypony ever mentioned crystal unicorns to me?"
Again, the crystal pony wouldn't answer.
"Rose, please look at me."
Rose Quartz opened her eyes when she heard the softness in her princess' voice. She looked up and found a now familiar set of eyes, kind and compassionate
"Rose, I'm sorry I got so angry. I promised I would protect the Crystal Empire and every pony living here. But how can I do this when I don't know from what I need to protect you? Please, Rose Quartz. Please tell me what's happening."
The crystal pony sighed deeply
"Princess, I know you weren't aware of it, but you led a monster into your palace and you even defended her. I know you mean well, but whatever she is, she's a great danger for everyone."

Cadance sat down on her haunches and took a deep breath
"Rose, do you trust me?"
The pony looked up at her princess and after only a second of thinking nodded
"Yes Princess Cadance. You freed us from Sombra and you showed nothing but kindness ever since. I trust you with my life."
The pink alicorn smiled and bowed her head deeply in a gesture of gratitude
"Thank you Rose. It means a lot to me. But I must ask you to trust me now as well. Please tell me what I need to know and trust that I will make the right decision for the Empire and the ponies."

Crystal Rose stared into those eyes for a few minutes, trying to find the right words. The princess waited patiently and kept her attention on the mare in front of her as she started talking in a shaky voice
"Crystal unicorns are not natural. All that I know of them is from what I saw during... before we all fell asleep. I think I buried those memories so deeply into my mind because I didn't ever want to remember. But as soon as I saw her... it all came back."
She shivered at the cruelty of those memories, but she continued when her princess reached out and gently touched her hoof.
"King Sombra was obsessed to find ways to take over all of Equestria. He saw his armies at a great disadvantage against the soldiers of Canterlot who could not only attack from the air, but also cast spells. Being a unicorn himself, he decided to do something about the latter. You know he had ways to enslave ponies, to mess with their minds so they'd follow every of his unholy commands. A few unfortunate ponies however, the ones he saw potential in, had to suffer an even more terrible fate."

Rose Quartz shivered violently by now and her voice broke into painful sob. Cadance sat down next to her and gently embraced her. Rose sobbed again and continued, afraid she'd loose the courage to do so if she stopped now
"King Sombra used them for experiments and tried to infuse magic into them so they could fight like the unicorns of Canterlot. For months, we noticed ponies being summoned to the palace and never returning, but one day the King presented his first crystal unicorn. The stallion had burn marks and wounds all over his body and a black crystal was impaled into his head. His eyes were completely void of all emotion. And then, at the King's command, he shot a bolt of black magic into the crowd. He incinerated a pony in the blink of an eye. That day we learned to fear the crystal unicorns as much as King Sombra himself."

Cadance held her tightly in the embrace and Rose buried her face against her. The princess allowed this and waited for her to continue. After a couple of minutes, she felt like she could
"Soon there was a least two dozen on them, leading the other soldiers through the city, capturing new slaves or simply spreading fear so we'd never even think of fighting back. At some point I was ordered into the palace to serve as a maid for the King. I was young and weak and malnourished, my parents had died and I only had what I could find on the streets. I was no use in the mines or forges, so I was to become a servant.
One day, I saw the transformation with my own eyes. A stallion was held in place by two crystal unicorns and he begged and pleaded for mercy to the King. I saw how King Sombra levitated a sharp black crystal and then sent it towards the pony. I couldn't watch it, but I heard the cry. I opened my eyes again and King Sombra shot a beam of magic into the crystal and made it glow red. The pony was released and the now three crystal unicorns just stood there with empty eyes. They were merely expansions of King Sombra's will, puppets of his mind. They weren't ponies anymore. They were just weapons. Monsters.
And when I saw her horn, I... I..."
Rose Quartz voice broke down in a flood of sobs and clung in the princess.

-*-

Cadance held her advisor and friend against her body, her wings spreading out to cover as much as she could of the shivering mare. Tears burnt in her eyes, of anger and of sadness about the words she just heard. She didn't allow either to take hold of her right now, she had to stay strong for Rose Quartz. She needed her, as a friend and as a princess.
Cadance felt the mare relax against her body and stop shivering, the sobbing slowing down to the point she dared to address her friend again
"Rose, I'm so sorry you had to endure this. If there is anything I can do..."
The mare pulled back and looked up at her, tears still gleaming in her eyes
"What will you do about... her?"
Cadance couldn't fight back a faint smile. One reason why she chose Rose Quartz to be one of her advisors was her ability to get to the point fast, especially when the princess couldn't do so herself.

She thought about the question for a moment, then asked herself
"What would you want me to do?"
Rose shook her head
"You're the princess and I trust your decision."
Cadance nodded and closed her eyes. She waited another minute before she answered
"My heart tells me she's not a monster. And that I want to help her."
The crystal pony sat back up and gently pulled out of the embrace. Cadance put her forehooves back on the floor as well, but her wings remained wrapped softly around her friend.
"I've spent most of the morning with her. She's so sad and lost. I didn't feel any anger in her, nor rage or hatred. Nothing that resembled Sombra. She sung a prayer at the memorial of the four tribes. She cried when she saw her old home abandoned."
Rose nodded as she stared through the princess, lost in her thoughts
"That sounds like the mare I remember."
"And she cried at her parent's graves, after she tended to it."

With a blink of confusion, Rose Quartz' eyes refocused on the princess
"Her parent's graves? But her father's body was never found after the first assault from the armies of Canterlot."
Cadance' own confusion reached her eyes now
"And what about her mother?"
Rose Quartz shook her head
"She never came to the Crystal Empire with them. I think she passed away in Canterlot right after Crissy's birth."
Cadance softly pulled back her wings
"She was born in Canterlot? I didn't know crystal ponies lived outside of the Empire back then."
"They did not."
Cadance blinked confused and waited for an explanation from Rose Quartz
"Her father was a unicorn from Canterlot who had turned against the Princesses and decided to serve King Sombra instead. And Crissy had been an earth pony filly back then."

Cadance shook her head, once, twice, again
"How is this even possible?"
Rose Quartz face darkened in fear
"King Sombra. It's the only explanation. He must have done something to her."
Cadance shook her head almost furiously
"I'm telling you Rose, I didn't feel any trace of Sombra's magic in her. And she doesn't have a black crystal as a horn either. She's behaving like a normal pony, she's not a mindless weapon."
Now it was Rose's turn to shake her head and her eyes pressed close to hold back tears
"Whatever that thing is, it can't be my friend. She's too young. Crissy and I were of the same age, but now she's barely adult and I'm... old."
"Between changing species and gaining magic, that's the thing that worries you?"
"She also looks completely different."
"Yet, when she called your name you immediately recognized her."
At that, Rose Quartz fell silent again.

Cadance waited for a minute, then sighed deeply and asked
"Why is it so hard for you think it's really her?"
Rose just shook her head once more
"Princess, with all respect, but you couldn't understand."
"Then you should try explaining it to us."
Both ponies looked up and Cadance gave a relieved smile to see Shining Armor closing the door behind him.
Rose Quartz looked between the princess and her consort, then took a deep breath and started talking.

Confrontation

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Crystal Note sat in the dark corner of the room she had found refuge for now. It had been the first open door she found and fortunately the room only had that one door and a small window. She shunned the light falling in and fled into the dark corner on the opposite side of the door.
When she stopped crying she thought about pushing some furniture against that door, but she knew it wouldn't stop the guards. She knew they were standing outside and waiting, she heard them talk and call out to others from time to time. Why they didn't come in to take her to a dungeon cell, she couldn't understand. Maybe there was no dungeon anymore, but most likely the guards just didn't think she was worth the effort.

Her tears had run out at some point but the image of her old friend screaming in fear was still filling her mind and preventing her from thinking straight. Her worst fears were coming true and she could see them in the eyes of the other ponies. Something was terribly wrong with her, she was bad beyond redemption, she posed such a danger that the ponies rather disobeyed their princess than take any risk with her.

Crystal Note flinched when she heard a new voice outside and the guards answering. When the door slowly opened, she pressed herself against the wall and deeper into the shadows. For once she was glad about her dark grey coat so she would remain hidden for a few moments longer. Maybe she could slip through the door unnoticed.
Her plan died as soon as the stallion walked in and summoned a light on his horn. Crystal Note blinked at the sudden brightness and then recognized a white unicorn stallion in a guard uniform. She sighed defeated before even a word was said.

The stallion looked at her and closed the door behind him. His light dimmed down but still gave enough light to cast away the shadows she'd been hiding in. He looked at her cautiously, trying to figure out if she'd try and run away.
Crystal Note knew it would be useless though, maybe she could outrun a few guards but she'd be caught eventually. She slumped on the floor and pulled her hooves under her body and the stallion nodded.
When he talked, she was surprised to hear concern in his words
"Did the guards hurt you when they pinned you down?"
She shook her head but refused to look at him. The look on Rose Quartz' face hurt far more than any bruise could.

He waited for an answer that never came, so he sat down between her and the door but in a distance to make her feel safe. As safe as she could feel locked in a room with guards outside the door anyways.
"I'm sorry."
Again, his words surprised her and she looked up
"It's a very complicated situation. Those guards just attacked you for no good reason. I know you probably don't believe me, but I'm here to help you. You haven't done anything that makes me think of you as an enemy. But I need your help to sort this whole mess out again."

She looked at him and then stared back at the floor, her voice was croaky from crying so much
"It's not complicated. Everypony is scared of me. I'm scared of myself every time I see my reflection."
"Is that why you hide away your horn?"
His horn glowed up again and her blue bandana floated towards her. He kept it levitated in the air, just out of her reach. Crystal Note sighed at his blunt attempt to test her. Not in the mood for that kind of game she just focused and took the bandana into her own turquoise glow and levitated it towards her. The blue garment floated to her head and bound itself around her mane and horn, like she usually wore it. She'd been practicing this for the last two weeks but it still took all her concentration to move the bandana accordingly.

When she was finished she looked up again and gave the stallion a hollow glare. He just nodded, satisfied with what he saw
"So you can use magic."
"Barely. I can't manage anything past levitation. You can ask your sister if you don't believe me."
He stood up and took a step closer towards her, menacingly
"You know my sister?"
Crystal Note just nodded and fought back the urge roll her eyes
"She taught me what I know so far. I'm sure Princess Cadance already told you that, Prince Shining Armor."
The white stallion laughed nervously, and rubbed the back of his head with his hoof
"So much for me trying to be mysterious. I guess it's pretty obvious, I mean how many unicorns are there in the Crystal Empire anyways?"
Crystal Note managed a faint smile and nodded
"Also, it helps that Twilight showed me pictures from your wedding."
He laughed again and more sincerely this time.

When he calmed down his posture was far more relaxed than before and Crystal Note let out a breath she hadn't realize she was holding
"I mean it when I say I want to help you, Crystal Note. But to do so, we have to face the other ponies."
Crystal Note just stared at the floor in front of her
"They'll only get scared again. It was a mistake coming here, I should have stayed in Ponyville."
"In my experience, hiding away from everything only gets you so far. You'll have to face this sooner or later. Cadance and I will help you."
Crystal Note sighed deeply and stood up
"I don't even know where to start..."
"I do. Just follow me. We'll take it step by step. Rose Quartz is waiting for you."
Crystal Note went pale when she heard the name of her friend, but despite her own doubts followed she followed Shining Armor to the door.

He opened it with his magic and spoke to the guard ponies outside, sending them away. Crystal Note stepped outside of the room behind him and kept her eyes low, so she didn't see the guard charging at her until the stallion had her pressed against the wall, his heavy armoured body holding her in place. She squirmed helplessly as he shouted at her
"And where do you think you're going?"
"Corporal, let her go. That's an order."
The guard didn't move and just stared at her with rage in his eyes
"Sir, you can't let it roam through the castle. I told you how dangerous these things are."
"I remember, Ivory Lance. I'm not letting her roam, I'm personally escorting her to Princess Cadance. So unless you think I'm incapable of handling a single mare, you will let her go now and return to your post."
The guard, Ivory Lance, grunted and shoved Crystal Note towards Shining Armor, with more force than would be necessary. She managed to regain her balance and not fall on the floor but gave a soft whimper. She kept her eyes on the floor in front of her as she walked towards Shining Armor who threw a glare as cold as ice towards the guard pony
"You'll report to me first thing in the morning, Ivory Lance. Dismissed."
The guard opened his mouth to protest, but then flinched back when the glare hit him.

Shining Armor turned around and walked down a hallway, Crystal Note followed wordlessly. They didn't meet any other ponies along the way and after a few minutes and a long staircase, they reached an unremarkable door. After a knock, the door was opened by a bright magic glow and Shining Armor stepped through.
Crystal Note followed and found herself face to face with Rose Quartz again.

Her old friend looked as miserable as Crystal Note felt herself. She could see the trails from tears on her face and her pink mane looked almost grey right now.

From up close, Crystal Note could now see she had been mistaken earlier. Rose didn't just look older, she was older than her now. She could see the little signs of age on her face but most prominent in her eyes. She could see her friend had been through some hard years of struggle in the way her eyes looked at her, mostly sad but also tired and exhausted.
They waited for the other to say the first words. Eventually, Rose Quartz looked away and asked the first question that came to her mind
"Where have you been all this time?"
Crystal Note sighed and slumped down on her haunches
"Ponyville. I've spent a couple of weeks there before I had the courage to come back here."
Rose Quartz looked back at her and shook her head
"No. Before that. Where have you been all the years before?"
Crystal Note felt a pounding inside her head as this question threw her completely out of balance
"The years before? I... I was here. With you. And..."
"No you were not!"
Rose interrupted her with a harsh voice
"That night we tried to run away was the last time I saw you. I was caught by guards and they took me to the palace. I had to serve King Sombra as a maid for almost ten years but YOU WERE NOT THERE!"
The last words grew into an angry scream and Crystal Note whimpered, the pounding in her head growing into a painful throbbing.

She rubbed her temple with a hoof as images flashed into her mind
"I remember... we tried to slip between the patrols. But somepony heard us and I told you to hide and wait. Then I ran into the opposite direction and yelled so they'd follow me instead."
Rose Quartz nodded
"But they didn't. At least not all of them. They found me and took me back, but they didn't bring you with them. I thought you ran away and abandoned me."
Crystal Note looked back her friend as her headache got worse
"Pinky, I would never abandon you. We're like sisters."
Rose Quartz now glared at her, suddenly very angry
"I don't even know if you are the mare you claim to be. You sound like her, but you don't look like her. And you say you don't remember anything. So how dare you claim to be my sister?"

Crystal Note backed away from those words and bumped into Shining Armor who was standing between her and the door. He looked at him pleadingly, but his face was stern. This was another test, like he did with her magic before. She turned her head towards the princess instead, but then she saw something on the table behind them. Her saddlebags had been taken away by the guards, but apparently Shining Armor had brought them here.
She hesitated for a moment but didn't dare to get closer to Rose Quartz, so instead she reached for her magic. Her horn glowed softly and the saddlebag lifted up from the table towards her.
Princess Cadance tensed up and spread her wings when she noticed the glow, but then nodded and relaxed again when she saw it was only a levitation spell. Rose Quartz stared at the saddlebags and the turquoise glow that surrounded them.

The bags landed on the floor between them and now Crystal Note took a step forward and opened the largest of them. She pulled out her old violin and held it towards Rose Quartz.
Princess Cadance looked surprised but Rose' eyes opened wide in disbelieve. Out of all the ponies in the Crystal Empire, only she could recognize it and hopefully it would help her believe.
Rose' hoof shivered and reached out to touch it, as if to see that it's real. Her voice was barely more than a whisper
"That's Grandma's violin. Mother gave it to you..."
"On the day I got my cutie mark."
Crystal Note finished the sentence and nodded
"It's the only thing I took with me when we ran away..."

Rose pulled her hoof back and looked at Crystal Note again, this time looking past her horn and reaching her eyes. Finally, when she liked what she saw, a small smile came to her lips. The two mares fell into each others hooves and shared tears of relief.

After a minute, they noticed the royal couple watching them with knowing grins. Crystal Note blushed and pulled back again. Rose Quartz kept looking at her, shaking her head as she asked again
"Where have you been? It's been ten years, you look completely different and you have a horn. And still it seems you haven't aged a day."
Crystal Note shook her head
"What do you mean, ten years? Twilight told me the Empire was gone more than a thousand years."
Rose took her hoof and made her look at her friend again
"Harmony, you vanished before we were all hit by that curse. That night I last saw you... a lot of things happened after. It was years before King Sombra declared war on Equestria and the city was under siege. He created unicorns out of crystal ponies to fight for him, but the armies of Canterlot overran his troops. He waited until he was almost defeated before he cast the curse."

Crystal Note could barely take in all those words, her mind began to swim and the pounding behind her temples grew more painful. At the mention of unicorns, her hoof involuntarily rose to her horn and she whimpered
"Ten years? And there are others like me?"
Rose gave her a sad smile
"I thought so at first. But I'm not sure anymore. Sombra's unicorns had artificial horns made of black crystal. And... they didn't act like normal ponies anymore."
Rose bit her lip and Crystal Note knew she wasn't telling her everything. Princess Cadance took a step forward and drew her attention away from her friend
"Now that I've felt your magic, I'm sure you're not one of those unicorns. I don't feel a trace of Sombra's dark power inside you. Just normal, natural magic like Shining Armor has."
The white stallion nodded and backed the Princess up
"There's another thing separating you from them. My soldiers told me that Sombra's unicorns could not really do spells, only shoot blasts from their horns. Sombra had no use for magic but to weaponize it. But you just showed us a levitation spell."

Crystal Note nodded and took a deep breath
"But that doesn't explain were this thing came from. Or why I didn't age for ten years for some reason."
She poked the horn on her head and frowned in frustration, but that turned in confusion as soon as Rose spoke again
"Or why you look completely different."
Crystal Note looked back at her and didn't understand what she could mean
"Harmony, your voice and your cutie mark are still the same but everything else has changed."
Crystal Note flinched as a sudden bolt of pain shot through her head
"What are you calling me?"
"That's your name. Harmony. Don't you remember?"
Crystal Note whimpered and held her pounding head with both hooves and shook her head
"My name? But I know my name. It's Crystal Note. And I've always looked like this. The only new thing is the horn."

She kept her eyes shut tightly in an effort to dim the pain inside her head, but Rose Quartz continued
"That's a nickname we came up with, after you got your cutie mark. But your real name is Harmony"
She whimpered, louder this time as the name shot through her head again
"No! It... it can't be? I remember it so clearly. How can it be wrong?"
Rose fell silent and after a minute, Crystal Note opened her eyes again. The light stung in her eyes a little as she looked around and saw three ponies in different states of concern. Rose was the one to start talking once more
"What happened that night, after you left me behind?"
Crystal Note whimpered at the words and tried to force the memory into her mind
"I ran from the guard. I slipped through the alleys, so they couldn't catch me. I couldn't get back before I lost them. So I ran. Almost all the way out of the city."
The three ponies waited for her to continue, but nothing came.
"And then?"
"I don't know. Everything is just dark."
"Harmony..."
She winced in pain and called out loud, pained and frustrated
"Stop calling me that! I'm Crystal Note! I grew up here with my parents! My mother used to tell me stories and sing songs to me, and she gave me the violin and taught me how to play. She passed away when I was nine! My father worked in the mines but there was an accident three weeks after we turned fifteen. We were at his funeral together. I remember all of it!"

She slumped down after her outburst and began to cry again, from the pain in her head as well as the painful memories. She felt a hoof on her shoulder and sobbed, but not loud enough to block Rose' voice
"They were my parents."
Crystal Note abruptly stopped sobbing and stared at Rose. She was certain she must have misheard but Rose just sighed sadly
"You're right with everything. But they were my parents. We lived next to each other and we were like sisters. Your father was never there, so my parents looked out for you as well."
Crystal Note felt like the floor was suddenly was falling out under her and the headaches grew so much she felt sick to her stomach. She mumbled
"That's not true... I was at their grave today. I feel so sad about losing them. You're lying!"
Rose shook her head
"No, Harmony. I'm telling you the truth. You came here when you were little, whatever happened messed up with your memory. Your father worked for King Sombra and left you with our family. You're Harmony, an earth pony from Canterlot."

Crystal Note shook her head and howled in agony as the pain in her head exploded. She felt hooves trying to hold her as she squirmed on the floor, but she shoved them away. Suddenly all her sadness turned in anger, only fuelled by the pain and she stood up and glared at Rose. Her friend flinched when she yelled at her
"LIAR!"
Crystal Note took a step towards her and Rose backed away, afraid
"Why do you want to take everything away from me? First my name, then my family and now my identity? My home? Why? What have I done to deserve this? What did I ever do to you? Why? WHY?"
Rose reached the wall of the room and shrunk under the angry glare. Crystal Note took a deep breath to yell more but then she felt something holding her back. She heard a voice behind her calling her name
"Crystal Note!"

She blinked and felt it. She glanced up and saw angry sparks coming out of her horn. All her anger instantly turned into guilt and she forced her magic back inside. She saw Rose Quartz shivering in fear and felt sick all over. She wanted to run away, but the magic of the princess was still holding her in place. Making her look at her friend, her sister.
"Rose... I'm so sorry..."
She crumbled in the magic hold and as soon as she let go the pain inside her head returned.

Memories flashed through her mind again, but this time they seemed different.
She saw the other foals being scolded for running over a market stall, but the owner made sure to never look at her. Because she was different? Because he was afraid of her father.
She saw Pinky coming home from school and telling her all about it. But why didn't she go to school? Because her father wouldn't allow it.
She sat dinner with her family and noticed her parents fascinated by one of Pinky's stories. Because she's their daughter.
She was back at the graveyard with Pinky, crying at her mother's grave. Pinky's mother.

She shook her head and sobbed and tried to remember anything about herself, but it only made her head hurt more. She noticed the other ponies had gathered around her and looked down at her with worry. Her eyes found Rose and she whimpered
"Who am I? What am I? Was everything just a lie?"
Rose Quartz sat down next to her
"Harmony... Crissy. Whatever happened, we're still sisters."
"How can you be my sister if your sacred of me? And how can I be your sister if I don't even know who I am?"
"I know who you are. We'll find a way to turn you back. Everything will go back to normal and..."
"And then what?"
Rose stopped confused and Crystal Note continued sobbing
"Even if we find a way, then what? Then I'll be a mare I don't know without any memories of who I am. Why can't I just be myself?"

Before Rose could reply, Princess Cadance sat down in front of her so their eyes could meet
"You're always you, Crystal Note. Your form doesn't change who you are."
"Yes it does!"
She looked at Rose, Cadance and Shining Armor
"You're afraid of me and my horn. You're afraid how your subjects will react to me. You're worried I might be a weapon from King Sombra. All because of who I am now."
Cadance and Rose couldn't hold her gaze and looked away but Shining Armor stared back at her
"Do you even want to change back?"

Crystal Note thought for a moment, then explained
"The ponies in Ponyville saw me like this and they became my friends. Even Twilight Sparkle who knows I'm different than other crystal ponies."
Rose frowned and shook her head
"They don't know the old you. The real you."
Princess Cadance' head turned back at Crystal Note at those words and she whispered
"What if this form is her true self?"
Both Rose Quartz and Crystal Note stared at her now, one perplexed and the other hopeful
"I was not born in the form you see me now. I've been changed as well and it took me a while to accept this gift."
Crystal Note sat up again at those words
"A gift?"
The princess nodded again
"Rose Quartz has been telling me a few stories of your shared past. It seems to me you did a lot to help ponies even though you were only a filly."
Crystal Note closed her eyes, then nodded
"I can't remember. But I know I would do anything to help my family. Even if they're not really my family."

Cadance nodded and watched her attentively
"That's the impression I got as well. The crystal ponies have a deep sense of community and solidarity. It seems you shared this even as an earth filly. Maybe it was not Sombra who changed you, but the crystal heart itself."
Crystal Note's eyes opened wide and Rose Quartz spoke up again
"Princess, do you really think that is even possible?"
The princess turned her head and nodded again
"The crystal heart protects the Empire and every pony that belongs to it. If the crystal heart recognized Harmony as a kindred soul, I can't see why it won't protect her."
She turned back to Crystal Note and looked into her eyes
"I don't know what happened to you in that night, but maybe changing you into Crystal Note was the only way the heart could help you. And since it didn't have its full power back then, it took longer than expected."

Crystal Note held the gaze of the princess and remembered Twilight Sparkle looking at her almost the same way when she explained magic to her. She could see Cadance was genuinely interested in helping her.
She whispered softly
"Maybe even ten years?"
Cadance nodded
"I've felt the power of the crystal heart, I'm sure it could transform a pony if that pony shares a deep connection to the Crystal Empire."

Crystal Note though back of earlier that morning when she had first seen the Empire after a long time and how she felt. She tried to explain it to the princess, but it was Rose Quartz who understood her
"You felt the crystal heart calling you home. Any crystal pony can feel this. That's unbelievable."
Cadance smiled and nodded
"When the crystal heart regained its full power a few months ago, it removed all that remained of Sombra's influence. And it helped everypony to restore their memories. I'd say it's at least worth trying."
Cadance stood up and headed towards the door, Shining Armor next to her. Crystal Note hesitated but Rose Quartz held out her hoof to help her stand. Quietly, the two crystal ponies followed the royal couple.

This time they encountered many ponies as the walked through the palace. Guards, maids, secretaries, everypony stared at them, especially at Crystal Note who didn't wear her bandana this time.
She flinched each time she noticed a hoof pointing at her and shrunk under the threatening glares she got from almost every guard they passed. On the other faces, fear seemed to be most prominent.
Crystal Note caught up to the princess and whispered
"Are you sure it's a good idea? It seems like the whole Empire might be watching."
Cadance nodded and just kept going
"Let them watch. They are probably as anxious as you are, Crystal Note. When they see how the crystal heart reacts, they will understand. It will help them accept you."
"But... what if the crystal heart rejects me?"
Cadance turned her head and looked into her eyes with conviction radiating out towards her
"Then they will see you have my support, no matter what will happen."

Crystal Note knew the princess wanted to reassure her but that didn’t help the nervous jitters inside her guts that turned into stones. She fell back behind the royal couple again and kept her head hung low to avoid the stares and glares she received from the crowd. It seems rumours spread exceptionally well in the Crystal Empire, so as the group walked through the palace doors, Crystal Note was confronted with a large crowd of crystal ponies. Guard ponies on both sides cleared a path for the princess and her company towards a large circular plaza surrounded by some pillars. In the centre Crystal Note could see what had to be the crystal heart, floating between two spires of crystal and twirling slowly.

The heavy stones inside her guts softened a little when she felt that warm and inviting hum inside her again, like she had on the train. Through all the worries and fears, she’d almost forgotten about it but now as she got closer to the source, it returned to her as strong as before.
The princess and her husband stopped at the edge of the circular plaza. The princess bowed deeply and spread her wings wide, like she had in front of the monument in the cemetery. Shining Armor bowed his head as well, then took a step aside to clear the way for Crystal Note.

The silvery-white mare swallowed hard and took a few insecure steps forward. At the edge of the square, she bowed down as well, touching the crystal floor with her forehead and the tip of her horn. She thought she heard a soft chime, but nopony else reacted so she counted that towards her nervousness.
The crystal ponies around her watched intensely but silently. To their account, she hadn’t heard any mean words by them so far and by now, most of the glares had turned into curious stares. The crowd had gathered around the round plaza but Crystal Note did her best to ignore them for now, her eyes fixed on the floating heart in front of her.

She felt Rose Quartz stand beside her now and took a deep breath before she crossed the invisible barrier and entered the plaza. She didn’t know what to do or to expect, but then the chime sounded inside her again and the heart twirled a little faster. Crystal Note instinctively took this as a good sign and made another step forward.
As she did, the heart started to glow with an inner light and twirl more, soon so fast that she could barely even make out the distinctive heart shape anymore. She took another step forward, then a few more until she could almost reach out and touch the heart. The chime now sang constantly inside her and the last remain of hardness inside her stomach melted. She closed her eyes and focused on the song of the crystal heart and knew she would never forget this melody as long as she lived.
A large smile, more open and carefree than ever flooded her features and in a gesture of relief and gratitude, she bowed down once more with her eyes still closed.

The moment her head touched the floor, the light flowed out of the heart and spread out across the crystal floor. Crystal Note was bathed in the light and the other crystal ponies around her stared in wonder. One by one, they now bowed as deeply as the mare and soon the light filled the entire plaza and spread out even further along the path and into the city.

Princess Cadance watched and closed her eyes as the wave of light washed over her, leaving her in her crystalized form. The other ponies were transformed as well and shone with the same inner light as the crystal heart. Cadance saw them exchange some glances and a few words, then they focused back on the mare next to the crystal heart.
Crystal Note was still surrounded by the light and glowed brightly. The crystal heart twirled for a minute longer, then slowed down and reached its normal state. At the same pace it slowed, the glow around Crystal Note dimmed and the ponies could make out her shape again. She stood on her hooves again but her eyes were still closed. Her body was crystal as well, her silvery-white colour by now shining like diamonds, the trio of musical notes of her cutie mark glittering like sapphires on her flanks. The yellow mane now had the colour of golden citrine and sparkled in the last rays of light from the crystal heart. The horn on the middle of her forehead looked like made of purest silver right now, and Cadance could see the turquoise glow around it more brightly than before.

The crystal ponies watched her with barely hidden relief and as Crystal Note finally opened her eyes, she blinked confused. She stared into the completely different crowd and the smiles that now greeted her. She looked down herself and gasped as she took in her own crystalized body. A few snickers could be heard from the ponies around her but most just nodded their head, they could all relate to how the mare would feel right now.

Crystal Note turned around slowly while watching the crowd, a soft smile back on her lips. Her face visibly lit up when she saw and recognized a few faces, new memories glowing and flashing through her head, although this time without any discomfort or headaches. She took a full turn and was facing Princess Cadance again. The pink alicorn gave her a bright smile as well and next to her Shining Armor nodded.
Crystal Note’s gaze then fell on Rose Quartz and she locked her eyes with her sister in heart. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but no words made it past her lips. Her eyes opened wide and a dam broke inside her. In a massive wave, memories stormed through her mind with overwhelming strength.

Cadance watched the crystal unicorn with some concern as the smile faded and was replaced by a myriad of emotions. Quicker than a heartbeat, her features switched through confusion, fear, joy, sadness, relief, anger, love, pain, too many for Cadance to name them all in such a short time. Crystal Note’s eyes grew even wider and her lips kept moving as she spoke wordlessly. Cadance took a step towards her when her eyes lost all focus and glazed over. A wave of gasps ran through the crowd when she suddenly dropped out of her crystalized form. Her eyelids fluttered and her whole body shivered, then she simply passed out cold. Her body slumped forward but was caught in a glow of pink magic.

The ponies turned towards Princess Cadance who levitated the unconscious mare towards her and all over the crowd ponies started mumbling with each other. Cadance only focused on Crystal Note and checked with her magic and her eyes for injuries, but the mare seemed to be well if exhausted.
She sighed in relief and turned to Shining Armor. With a nod, he took the mare in his own magic and carried her back into the palace, followed only by Rose Quartz and a couple of guards. The ponies now stared at the crystal unicorn as long as they could, then their attention focused back on their princess.

Cadance waited for Crystal Note to be safe inside, then she spread her wings and flew up to the top of the stairs leading into the palace. She looked into the crowd and saw that once again, insecurity and fear had replaced most of the relief they had felt before.
She took a deep breath and spoke to them. With clear and open words, she explained what she had seen and learned today. They listened and Cadance felt proud of her ponies when she saw most of the fear was quickly let go and instead their eyes filled with concern for Crystal Note.
A few last worries remained and were voiced from the crowd though
“Why did she pass out when the crystal heart transformed her?”
“How did she get a magic horn?”
“Will she stand trial for the crimes the crystal unicorns committed?”
Cadance sighed and did her best to find answers
“She lost far more of her memory than any of you did, I would say it was simply too much to regain at once. We still don’t know where her magic comes from, maybe she can tell us once she wakes up again. And she will definitely not be charged for crimes she never committed. Whatever Sombra’s unicorns were, Crystal Note is not one of them.”

At the last statement the mumbling filled the crowd again and not everypony seemed to agree on it. To some point, Cadance could relate to those who had been hurt by Sombra and his dark magic. She thought of the changelings, how much she had to suffer by their hooves and how much she longed for revenge when she was in a dark mood.
She spoke up again and at the sound of her voice, the crystal ponies focused on her once more
“You all had to suffer from hatred and fear in the past, some more than others. But in the end, it was the love and light in your hearts that defeated Sombra once and for all. Neither anger nor revenge could accomplish this. Let us not fall back into the hatred of the past but instead focus on the light we’ve seen shine today.”
With that, the crowd fell silent again and Cadance browsed through faces with barely contained rage, thoughtful expressions, nods of agreement and anything in between. When no further questions were asked, the princess bowed her head towards her ponies and went back into the palace.

Confusion

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Crystal Note groaned when she woke up with a pounding headache. She tried to rub her temples with her hoof but found herself barely able to move under the mountain of blankets somepony had dumped on top of her. Not strong enough to struggle, she just sunk back into the soft bed and closed her eyes, hoping the pounding would stop on its own. At least the bed was warm and cozy.
For a moment, the bed and the pleasant drowsiness was all that filled her mind, then she wondered how she got into a luxurious bed like this and once again, the floodgates opened.

The last day rushed through her mind and with it came memories and impression and dreams, all mixed together into a giant mess inside her head. Now she knew where the headaches came from at least.
She was grateful that the panic of the last day had faded, even though her confusion only grew stronger and stronger inside her. She could barely tell which of the memories were real or not anymore. Was this bed even real? Did she really come back to the Crystal Empire?

Another groan broke out of her, reminding her that the headaches were indeed far too real. She tried to wiggle out from under the blankets but the bed was so soft she could barely move at all without sinking in deeper. With a frustrated spark, she lit up her horn and pushed the blankets away with a glow of turquoise magic. Okay, having magic was real too. That probably meant she was still a crystal unicorn as well.

She rolled to her side and opened her eyes again with a wince. The light hurt for a moment, then she noticed a chair next to her bed. On the chair, a crystal pony with a tannish coat. The mare’s mane had been bound up into a bun, but strands of pink hair stood out of it now. Probably because she had fallen asleep in the chair.
Another wave of memories and another timbre of pounding, and a name. Two, actually. Rose Quartz, Pinky.
As if she had heard her name, the mare snapped awake and stared drowsily. Her eyes needed a moment to take everything in, then she rushed to the side of the bed and reached out for Crystal Note’s hoof.
Rose held it gently and whispered with a question in her voice
“Harmony?”

She blinked at the name and winced softly. That name did something to her, but her confusion didn’t let her figure out what it was.
She closed her eyes again to dim the pounding headache and shook her head carefully. She mumbled as it was the only thing she trusted her voice to do right now
“I’m not sure…”
She opened her eyes again and looked into the worried blue ones hovering in front of her
“I don’t know what’s real anymore…”
The worry in the blue, gem shaped orbs grew and she suddenly felt like crying.

An hour later, Harmony had already learned a few new things. She still remembered how to use a shower. Hot water helped against headaches, but not against confusion. And she didn’t like chamomile tea at all.
Rose Quartz was still with her but hadn’t talked much except the necessary. She wasn’t too sad about that, as her confusion was still growing and by now she doubted she could form any sentence without turning it into complete garble.
She munched cheerlessly on some pastry and washed it down with another sip of hot tea.
The door opened and she knew she’d need to use words again soon. Princess Cadance stepped into the room and closed the door behind her again. She gave a nod to Rose Quartz and smiled softly at her as she sat down on the other side of the small table. Rose poured a cup of tea for the alicorn and with a chime of magic, it floated up for Cadance to take a sip.
Crystal Note couldn’t help but giggle as the cup quickly descended again and the spoon next to it came to live, adding none less than four loadings of sugar into the cup.

The giggle made the smile on Cadance lips grow and some of the worry in her eyes vanished. She went for another sip, then asked
“How are you feeling?”
Crystal Note/Harmony/whoever thought for a moment tried to find the right words to describe what was going on inside her. Her attempt failed, so she shrugged and just said the first thing that made sense
“My head doesn’t hurt as much anymore.”
Cadance gave an unsure smile and nodded
“Well, um, that’s good. You gave us all a scare when you just passed out in the middle of the square last night. How much do you remember?”
She tilted her head and blinked
“Everything is really fuzzy. I’m pretty sure I saw the crystal heart. And there was a lot of light. Then everypony was staring at me. And…”
She blushed and whispered shyly
“Please tell me you didn’t really do a cancan with Shining Armor and the palace guards?”

Next to her, Rose Quartz nearly choked on her tea and Cadance burst into a giggle fit, her wings unfurling in an attempt to keep her from falling over
“Oh dear. I need to tell that one to Auntie Celestia next time I see her. No Crystal Note, I’m afraid you simply passed out at that point. The crystal heart definitely recognized you as a crystal pony. My guess would be it unlocked all your memories and it turned out to be simply too much at once.”
She nodded and blushed more. When both Rose Quartz and the princess had regained their composure, Cadance asked another question
“So, do you remember your past now?”
She thought for a moment and nodded. Then shook her head. Then nodded. Then bumped her head on the table and winced as she left a scratch with her horn.

Rose reached out and gently patted her shoulder and Cadance touched her hoof gently
“I’m sorry Crystal Note. I was certain the crystal heart would help you remember.”
“It did.”
Cadance and Rose froze and she continued
“I remember things but it’s all so messed up. It doesn’t make any sense. It’s like… like…”
She struggled for words and just blurted out
“Like there are at least five ponies inside my head telling me things in different languages and I don’t understand even one of them.”
She started sobbing at the desperation of her own voice and felt Rose slip next to her for a hug. Cadance lifted her hoof up and gently rubbed the back of her head.

After a moment of silence, she whispered
“Is this real? Or is it a dream?”
Cadance gave what she hoped was a reassuring smile and nodded
“It’s real. I promise.”
She smiled, but then said
“That’s what a dream Cadance would say as well, right? It feels nice and I’d like it to be real. But maybe it’s too nice to be true.”
Rose and Cadance exchanged an unsure glance but the crystal unicorn just went on
“Did I really say that or did I just imagine it? I can’t tell the difference anymore.”
“Harmony, stop!”
Rose called out and held her old friend tightly
“This isn’t helping you. You’re only hurting yourself by saying such things.”
She laughed and grinned
“You should tell that to the other ponies. I’m sure most of them will be thrilled to hear that.”

Cadance was shocked beyond words but then the crystal unicorn started to sob and shiver. Rose picked her up from the table and had the mare lean against her. Her head buried into Rose’s shoulder who just held her in the hug.
Cadance stepped around the table and sat beside the two friends, then spread out her wings and gently covered them. The sobbing continued for a while, then more words
“I want to go home. But I don’t know where that is anymore.”
Cadance nodded and whispered
“You will always have a home here, Crystal Note. But maybe you should return for a while at least. Back to Ponyville. Where you won’t be confronted with unsettled memories by everything and everypony you look at.”
Rose Quartz stared up at the princess but Crystal Note nodded
“Okay…”

Rose frowned and then nodded as well
“I’m coming with you, Harmony. I’m not leaving you alone like this.”
Harmony looked up with a sad smile and whispered
“I’m going alone. I’m sorry sis. I just can’t think with you near me right now. I need some time.”
Rose Quartz felt tears running down her cheeks but then nodded
“Promise you’ll come back. Promise you’ll not leave me all by myself again.”
Crystal Note nodded and whispered between tears of her own
“Cross my hear and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”
Rose Quartz blinked but Cadance giggled softly and patted her back with her wing
“It’s a promise she’ll never ever break.”
Rose nodded and reluctantly let go of her.

Crystal Note sat up and wiped her eyes with a hoof and Cadance motion to the door for Rose Quartz. They left the room with the crystal unicorn and as soon as the door closed, Cadance let out a huge sigh
“That wasn’t what I expected at all.”
Rose just stared at her
“What are we going to do next?”
“Whatever we can do. Hopefully she’ll find some peace of mind in Ponyville. I’ll send somepony to the station to make sure today’s train won’t leave without her. And I’ll send a letter to Twilight to make sure she’s picked up at the station.”
Cadance took another deep breath
“Then I’ll write to Auntie Celestia and Auntie Luna. They don’t know anything about Crystal Note so far, but maybe they know a way to help her.”

Rose Quartz nodded and turned back to the door
“I’ll go get her things from your study, Princess. I’ll stay with her until I know she’s safe on the train. I don’t think I can do more right now.”
She took a step down the hallway, then turned around and wrapped her hooves around the surprised princess
“Thank you for doing all this for my friend. My sister.”
Cadance smiled and returned the hug, giving her friend the moment of closeness she needed right now.

A few hours later, Crystal Note was ready to leave. With her saddlebags on her back and Rose Quartz and Cadance at her side, she walked down the corridor towards the main doors. Again, many ponies noticed them but the glares where gone. The ones who had heard her desperate sobbing and crying looked after the crystal unicorn with open sympathy, other were curious. As far as she could tell, only a single guard darted a look of threatening anger towards her.
They exited through the same door as the night before and Crystal Note felt the crystal heart again as they got closer. It was still a warm chime inside her but this time it felt pleasantly comforting.
The ponies outside of the palace stopped whatever they were doing and watched the three ponies make their way down the palace stairs.

Crystal Note noticed a lot of insecurity in the crystal ponies she passed. She felt a lot of this in herself, but it seemed to bother her immensely to see it on their faces. She couldn’t say why or put it in words, but an idea grew inside her.
When they passed the round plaza with the crystal heart in its centre, she slipped from between Rose Quartz and Cadance and headed straight towards it.
A few ponies called out in surprise and a couple of guards rushed towards her, but she ignored them for now. If she had learned anything in these weeks then it was to trust her instincts and that’s what she did.

Like the last night, she bowed down deeply once she reached the edge of the plaza, her forehead and the tip of her horn gently touching the ground. Then she took a single step into the circle. She concentrated and reached inside. The ponies around her gasped and some even gave shrieks of fear as her horn glowed with her turquoise magic. With an defiant smirk, she opened the biggest of her saddlebags with her magic and levitated her violin and its bow out. The instrument landed safely in her hooves and the glow stopped.
With practiced ease, she put the violin to her chin and brushed the bow gently across the strings. She took a few moments to tune it as the guards didn’t seem to approach her and then started to play.

As soon as her melody was heard, all the ponies fell silent. It started as simple tune but as her bow danced over the strings, the tune grew into a beautiful melody. The crystal ponies forgot all their fear or confusion as they recognized the song. Even though none of them had heard it ever before, they had all felt it at some point.
Crystal Note closed her eyes and focused only on her music, pushing away everything else. In her mind and her heart, she heard and felt the song of the crystal heart once more. She gave herself to the song and let it flow through her hooves and out through her violin.
The song quickly spread out through the silent plaza and lured out more crystal ponies. They stared and listened as the song rose up around them and reached out for them. They watched as the mare who played it started to sparkle in the morning light and her citrine mane flowed along with the motions as she played the song of the crystal heart for them.

After minutes that seemed like hours to the ponies, the song slowed down and finally faded with a last long tone. Crystal Note opened her eyes again and put down the violin.
There was no sound except the clap of her hooves on the ground as she walked back to Cadance and Rose Quartz. Her horn glowed again and the violin floated back into the bag, but this time nopony seemed to care.
The three mares walked passed the dazzled crystal ponies who just stared at the crystal unicorn with wide eyes. Rose Quartz seemed to a little dazed as well as she followed Crystal Note and Cadance towards the station.
When the crystal heart was almost out of sight, Crystal Note turned around one last time to look at it. She bowed and let out a sigh before she turned back and walked on. Behind her, all the crystal ponies snapped out of their awe and started mumbling to each other.

Crystal Note did not notice any of this and kept walking. At some point, she took the blue bandana out of her saddle back and bound it around her head as usual.
The three mares reached the train in silence. Crystal Note bowed before the princess and was pulled into a hug in response. Rose Quartz stared into her eyes for a minute before the same thing happened.
Then, Crystal Note took a last look at the Crystal Empire and what used to be home, and climbed into the waiting train.

Crystal Note III What used to be home

by TalkingToMyself

Returning

Crystal Unicorn

Confrontation

Confusion