Captivated
It was always good to come home from college over the summer, something Crystal had learned over the past few years. Having graduated from the po-dunk high school of Ponyville years before (no offense, she still loved the town she had been born in), she had managed to score a scholarship for her chemistry and geology work to a rather prestigious university in Manehattan. Her family and friends had been absolutely thrilled, and even though classes weren’t cheap in the slightest, the sheer number of jobs and interships she had been able to work during her stay meant that, within a few months of graduation within the coming year, she’d not only be debt-free, but she would finally have her double Master’s Degree in Chemistry and Geology. All in all, life was more or less good for her, and she was happy about that.
The journey from her room in her aunt’s old boutique wasn’t a terribly long one. After all, even though her cousins had been born about the same time as she, Crystal was far younger-looking than them. She took about twice as long to come to about the same age, after all. They were not quite out of their fifties, with careers and grown foals of their own. One pair was even expecting to be grandparents by this time next year, and Crystal couldn’t have been happier for them. Of course, that meant she might have to find another room, especially if the young bride and groom moved in with the groom’s parents for a few months until their new home was built.
Not that she minded; Crystal knew she’d eventually have to leave the boutique behind and go off to live somewhere else. Manehattan would be ideal, as it was where she was going to college and would likely find a career, but she just didn’t want to leave Ponyville behind so suddenly. She had been born here; this was her home, where she had grown up over the last fifty-odd years. Besides, she couldn’t just leave her parents without saying some sort of goodbye.
Walking through town, the young-looking Crystal couldn’t help but marvel how much it had changed in her lifetime, so short as it was yet for her. Gone was the old bakery; in its place stood a much larger and more efficient one, cranking out baked goods for not only Ponyville, but for small stores and shops all over Equestria. The old library tree was still there, though now the extensive basement had been enlarged to make room for the small laboratory dedicated to spell experimentation and potion brewing. To think, she had visited that so many times when she was younger, and it still looked the same to her now, after all these years. She wondered if her royal aunt still visited the place; surely she would come by, not just for an inspection, but for the happy memories it provided?
Crystal continued on her way, passing houses and gardens, trees and creeks. Her mother lived outside of town, though not terribly far; she wasn’t that old for a unicorn, though the isolation did make her feel better at certain times of the year. But, unlike what some might assume, Crystal did not head in the house’s direction. There was a good chance her mother wasn’t there, after all. She had a special place he visited every weekend, a bit further from Ponyville but still easily within walking distance.
Passing the massive apple orchards where countless descendants of the original Apple family worked, Crystal came over the crest of a hill and found what she was looking for. Off in the distance, under the leaves of a single, massive oak tree in the midst of a rolling meadow, sat her mother. That mane was unmistakable, even at this distance, and Crystal had sharp eyesight; something she had inherited from her father, no doubt.
Trotting along a small and winding path through the tall grasses and countless blooming flowers, Crystal walked up to her mother, who’s head was bowed in silence. “Mother?” she asked, noticing the slow rising and falling of the mare’s chest.
“Oh? Oh, Crystal, it’s so good to see you. Back from Manehattan already?” the elder mare asked, smiling at her daughter. She must have dazed off for a bit; no doubt on account of all the sweet-smelling flowers.
“I took an early flight,” the youngster said, smiling as she ruffled her wings on her back. They were not feathery like those of a pegasus, but ponies had long ago learned not to really care. Why should they? Her father had had wings of these sort, and he was loved by many. “How long have you been out here?”
“Oh, only an hour or two, but in my old age, time passes so much quicker,” the older mare said with a small chuckle. “Come now, sit by your dear old mom, and tell me; how are things with you?”
“Well, I’m only one year away from my double masters’ degrees,” Crystal said as she lay down and sidled up next to her mother, her long tail curling around them both. Even in her old age, Crystal had to admit her mother still gave off the vibe of being vibrant and a real dame. Her father had been lucky enough to snatch her up when he did, all those years ago. “No coltfriends yet, though there’s this really cute stallion in my choir that really likes me.” Crystal had inherited her mother’s singing voice, something that had earned her countless appraisals over the years, especially during choir in elementary school.
“Oh, really now? Do you like him?” the older mare asked, gently adjusting her mostly pink and white mane. It was heavily tinged in the white areas with grey, but unlike some others her age, Sweetie Belle was not one for vanity and gladly let the colors show naturally. She accepted herself for what she was, and so many took after her example that it was no wonder many of the younger ponies sought her out for advice.
“Well, I do, and we’re already good friends, but... if I start a relationship, it won’t work if I come back to Ponyville so often,” Crystal said with a sigh. “He’s a Manehattan resident, and although I’m sure he’d love to come visit you sometime, if this goes anywhere, I’d have to live in Manehattan as well.” She looked at her mother’s musical note cutie mark, the pinkish color reminiscent of her own rhinestone one.
“So? What’s wrong with that?” Sweetie Belle asked, wondering if her daughter’s heaping amount of foresight but lack of some common sense stemmed from her father’s side. “As long as you visit for the holidays, I’ll be fine. Just tell me the minute he pops the question.”
“Mother!” Crystal said in a tone attempting to be offended, but her smile showing she meant nothing by it. “We’ve never even been on what you could technically call a date!”
“So? Your father and I knew each other for years before he got around to asking me out, and I was sure glad he did,” Sweetie Belle said. “Your brother looks more like him than you, but thankfully you got more of my looks. You remind me of myself at your age.”
“Full of life?” Crystal asked, making a mental note to send a letter to her siblings in the near future.
“Beautiful,” Sweetie Belle said. “It comes from being raised right and knowing how to take care of yourself. I’m surprised the stallions aren’t coming calling for you in droves.”
“Well, when your aunt is a princess, your brother is captain of a royal guard, and your older sister is the chief librarian in all of Equestria, some stallions tend to find that a bit intimidating,” Crystal replied.
“Nevermind who your father is,” Sweetie Belle said with a wink. “I swear, some ponies are too intimidated by what the parents of prospective partners did. Those events belong in another life, to somepony else; why should they care your father was a general and a war hero, a scholar, a poet and a politician all rolled into one?”
“Maybe because not every pony in Equestria had a father like I did,” Crystal said as she looked down and away from the oak tree’s roots. There, on a simple golden plaque, lay the name she had loved more than anything in her time growing up in Ponyville. She had always been daddy’s little girl, and although she was growing older, she could never outgrow the love she felt for him still. “I miss him.”
“I do too, sweetie; I do too,” her mother said, gently nuzzling her under the tree’s shade. “He would have been so proud of you, to have come this far and to be destined for such accomplishments.”
“How long do you think my siblings and I will live?” Crystal asked.
“Well, you’ll all outlive everypony down in Ponyville, that’s for sure,” Sweetie Belle said with a small laugh. “Too much of your father’s blood in you three for your pony side to take too much effect. I’d say several hundred years for you two girls, if not at least thousand; likely even more for your brother Clavier, since he barely has any of my traits, save for his hind hooves, cutie mark and his mane.” Her brother was indeed a bit odd-looking, but was too intimidating to be made fun of; something both of his sisters had taken advantage of when they were old enough to be at the mercy of potential bullies.
“Well, I did speak with him and Claudia before I left after the holiday break, and they said I should follow my dreams. What do you think, mother?” Crystal asked.
“I think your brother and sister have a good pair of heads on their shoulders,” Sweetie Belle said. “You know as well as I do that that young stallion who’s got your eye won’t be around forever, so best to make a use of what you have. I will love you and support your decisions, even if it means more time alone with myself and your father. It’s good for you to explore your life without too many things holding you back.”
“Well, I guess so,” Crystal said slowly. The pair sat in silence for the longest time, the light breeze and warm air of summer carrying with it the smells of the meadow. Flowers bloomed, birds sang sweetly, and off in the distance, clouds rolled lazily through the sky.
“He proposed to me, you know under this very tree,” Sweetie belle said softly. “I wasn’t much younger than you are now.”
“I didn’t know that,” her daughter replied.
“It was right before he shipped off to the first war in the east,” Sweetie Belle said softly. “On our wedding night, your brother was conceived under this tree as well. Right where you’re sitting, actually.”
“Eww!” Crystal yelped, jumping up from the patch of grass she had been laying on. Her mother’s sudden laughing made her feel like an idiot shortly afterwards. “That’s not funny, mother.”
“Oh, come on, live a little,” Sweetie Belle said, managing to stifle her giggles. “No, it was in the honeymoon suite in the boutique. It was short and sweet, that night, but your father came back to me in one piece, and for that I was eternally grateful. After that, our little family grew, and now you’ve in turn grown as well. I can only hope you’ll give me some grandfoals before my time passes from this world.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that, mother,” Crystal said softly and with a smile, gently nuzzling the older mare. “I have a feeling that within a few years, you’ll get your wish. Besides, you’ll have to tell your grandfoals all about their grandfather.”
“We’ll both tell them,” the older mare said, looking back to where her husband lay under the ground. “We’ll tell them about how he lived: free, happy, and surrounded by love.”
They sat there for the rest of the day, a great feeling of love and happiness flowing through them. Under their feet, felt only by the earth, lay the unceasing heartbeat of one whose time was far too short for this world, but was long enough to have been full of love and joy.
Author's Note
Just a little something I thought of. I hoped you enjoyed it. Sorry if I may anyone tear up a little; I kinda did while writing this.
