Crystal Note - Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres!

by TalkingToMyself

Rating: everyone
Tags: Alternate Universe, Applejack, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Crystal Ponies, Twilight Sparkle, Slice of Life
Length: 11162

A crystal pony arrives at Sweet Apple Acres only a few months after the return of the Crystal Empire. While trying to find out why the crystal mare left her home, Applejack discovers more than one secret surrounding the unusual visitor.

After vanishing from a curse for more than 1000 years, little is known about the Crystal Empire and its inhabitants. Especially the final years of King Sombra's rule remain shrouded by mystery. Even to the crystal ponies themselves as their memories remain effected by the tyrant King's dark magic.

Now the Crystal Empire has returned and King Sombra has been defeated, but the aftermaths of his cruelty still linger within his former subjects.

One crystal pony begins travelling through Equestria to learn about her past and finds friends along the way. Will revealing her past help her understand more of herself and find a place in this new future?

Her first trip leads her to Sweet Apple Acres in Ponyville, where she meets the Apple family and the recently coronated Princess of Friendship.

Now with a sequel: Crystal Note II Memories and Magic

Welcome to this new project I had on my mind for a while now. This is the first story of a mini-series, more sequels are definitely planed.

Hope you enjoy reading and any feedback and suggestions are more than welcome!

Published 2017-08-02 21:40:06 UTC
Last updated 2017-08-02 21:40:06 UTC

Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres!

Author's Note

Hi everyone and welcome to this story!

I hope you can enjoy reading this as much as I did enjoy writing!

Just a few remarks before you start:
I'm not a native English speaker so I apologize if there are some mistakes or grammar issues. When you find some, please let me know and I'll get it fixed as soon as I can.

That is also the reason I've decided to not emulate the Apple family's Southern drawl but instead stick to normal English. Again, any advice or help with that would be highly appreciated!

I'd love to hear some of your opinions on this story and I'm happy for any suggestions and ideas.

Have fun reading!

Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres!

Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres!

The town of Ponyville lay quietly in the early morning hours. The soft glow off the moon had just faded but Celestia's sun was yet to rise. The streets were empty and even the earliest of birds were not up yet.

A little outside of town though, on the top of a green hill, one pony was up and staring to the east. The hill rose up in a large field of trees and a big red farmhouse could be seen in some distance. The orange earth pony readjusted her trademark hat for the seventh time in as many minutes as she looked at the horizon and muttered impatiently
"Come on. Any moment now."

Applejack beamed when the sun finally rose up from the horizon and spread out rays of light and warmth. Even though it was fall and the sun had lost most of its summer heat, it was still a beautiful sight to behold.
Only Applejack had no eyes for Celestia's star as she watched the early lights spread through her orchards. The rays of sun were reflected by thousands and thousands of ripe, wonderful and healthy apples.
The orange farm pony rose to her back hooves and kicked her front legs in the air as she yelled out loud enough to be heard all over Ponyville
"YEEEEEEHAW! It's Applebuck Season!"

Applejack ran back towards the farmhouse with the beaming smile glued to her face. She was greeted by her family outside: Bic Mac smiled as brightly as his sister, his tall red form towering over the other two. Apple Bloom was actually hopping up and down on the spot in excitement and Granny Smith gave one of her proud smiles, watching her grandchildren get ready for harvest.
Applejack finally reached them and called out
"You all ready to get your hooves into it?"
"Eeyup!"
"I'm ready!"

Applejack and her siblings looked at the huge family orchard, all eager to get started. While it was true that they'd do some harvesting almost all the year, Applebuck Season still was the time when the most of their fruits were ripe and ready, the single biggest harvest at Sweet Apple Acres and just enough time to get them all sold and shipped before Thanksgiving.

Big Mac turned around and Applejack saw a good dozen of ponies make their way to the farmhouse. Most of them were earth ponies but two pegasi had joined as well. It wasn't unusual for the Apple family to ask for some help during Applebuck Season, especially since the fateful year Applejack had her stubborn overdrive and tried to do all the work by herself. Usually though, her friends were the ones who'd end up helping out. Ever since Twilight had turned into an alicorn Princess though, things had changed, for the better mostly.
Twilight was now studying even harder to become the best Princess she could, but that also meant she had to visit Canterlot more often. Rainbow Dash was training hard after her success at Wonderbolt Academy, trying to make that final push towards her lifetime goal. Rarity's business had gone overdrive when ponies saw the dresses she'd made for Twilight's official coronation and even Pinkie Pie got more responsibilities at her work in Sugarcube Corner. The friends still saw each other a lot, but sometimes ponies just ended up being busy. Applejack smiled, at least Fluttershy had promised to come over once she'd finished taking care of her critters.

Applejack hadn't been lazy herself, with the help of her family she managed to expand her farm quite a bit, planting more and more apple trees and growing them all in record time. She'd love to see her friends join in, but she was actually happy to find lots of ponies in Ponyville who seemed as eager as herself to earn their share of the harvest with hard work instead of buying with bits.

The ponies quickly made their ways into the orchards with lots of buckets and tubs and went straight into work. None of the town ponies were as skilled in bucking apples as the Apples themselves, but they all worked hard, picking up apples and carrying bucket after bucket of apples back to the farm were Granny Smith decided which ones were good for sale and which ones would be lucky enough to become cider later that year.

By the time the sun reached its peak, they had made a good deal of progress already, about half the eastern orchard was taken care of. The ponies had gathered in front of the farmhouse, a large table had been set up and Granny Smith served everyone a good meal.
The ponies shared some stories and laughed a lot until one by one finished up their serve and got ready to continue harvesting.

Applejack was just about to assign them to their tasks when she heard a shy voice coming from behind her
"Um, excuse me? Is this Sweet Apple Acres?"
The farm pony turned around and smiled
"Sure is. What can I do for..."
The orange mare didn't finish her question and openly stared at the visitor now, her mouth hanging open.

The voice belonged to a young mare with a silvery-white coat and two large saddlebags on her back. Her mane was held back by a blue bandana that clashed heavily with her orange-yellowish mane, but that wasn't what made Applejack stare.
The mare's coat and mane seemed to sparkle with some inner light even though she wasn't standing in the sunlight at the moment. The young pony stared at Applejack with big shy eyes and Applejack could clearly see the pupils inside the turquoise eyes being not round but with some edges around them, shaped just like the gemstones Rarity loved so much.

Applejack smiled friendly at the nervous mare and closed her gaping mouth again
"Sorry for staring, Miss. It's just not everyday you see a crystal pony here in Ponyville."
The mare opened her eyes even wider and now it was her turn to stare
"You... you know about crystal ponies?"
Applejack laughed and shook her head a little
"More or less. I've been around when the Crystal Empire returned and I helped Princess Twilight and Princess Cadance set up the fair and find the Crystal Heart. At least I know enough to recognize your kind when I see one."

The crystal mare had been listening attentively and she quietly repeated the names, then said
"Well, um... the Mayor sent me here. I was looking for something to do and she told me you could use help with picking apples?"

Applejack took another look at the pony and noticed some details. The crystal pony seemed rather slim, almost skinny, definitely not used to heavy work like harvesting. Her coat shined healthy, but she didn't seem to be the kind of pony who brushes everyday and spends hours in front of a mirror styling her mane. Even Applejack could see the blue bandana didn't really match with her natural colours and she was sure Rarity would faint when she'd seen it.
Applejack thought of the huge orchard waiting for her and her family and gave a nod
"Sure, I'm always up for somepony willing for some hard working. Did you ever buck apples before?"

Applejack waited for the answer with some expectations. She knew there were no apple trees up north and that the Crystal Empire relied mostly on berries from sturdy bushes who withstood the cold.
The crystal mare shook her head and looked down shyly
"I'm afraid not. I guess the closest thing I did was picking up crystal berries from time to time."

Applejack smiled and nodded again. The honest answer definitely went in favour for the mare
"No worries, we'll find you something to do and you'll get the hang of it. I'm Applejack, nice meeting you Miss!"
The crystal mare beamed in joy
"You'll have me? Thank you so much! Oh, I'm Crystal Note. Nice to meet you too Miss Applejack."

The mares went to join the others and after Crystal Note had set down her saddlebags by the farmhouse, the group of ponies went straight back to work.
Applejack watched the crystal pony and assigned her to pick out the apples that didn't fall into the tubs from bucking and get the full buckets back to the farmhouse.
Just as she guessed, the pony struggled under the heavy weight from the apples and made the ways slower than the other ponies who had volunteered. Granted, she never complained or slacked off as she picked up the apples with her mouth and carefully placed them into the buckets and she managed to contribute despite her slower pace, so Applejack didn't mention anything and just kept working.

After another two hours, Fluttershy had finally arrived and after a warm hug, Applejack introduced her to the crystal pony. Fluttershy gave the nervous mare her kindest smile and they decided to team up together. The butter yellow pegasus would fly into the trees and shake out the apples, and the crystal pony would catch as many as she could.
As they two went off, Applejack noticed her cutie mark: Three musical notes assigned in a trio or something similar. She grinned at how much the mark fit the crystal pony's name, but then again she wasn't one to tell since she also wore her namesake on her flank. She didn't think much about it and just kept bucking her trees, smiling each time the apples fell perfectly into her buckets.

The sun was almost set when the last team returned to the farmhouse. Applejack looked at the apples they all managed to get in today and nodded in approval
"Great work everypony! If we keep this up, we'll be finished in no time at all. But let's all just have dinner for now!"
The ponies cheered and laughed as they went to sit down at the large table again. It was getting a little chilly already, but Granny Smith served them all hot apple juice and her famous apple pie fresh from the ovens, so nopony complained as they dug in.
Applejack kept chatting with her friends from town, asking if they'd be back for the next day and most of them were. Apple Bloom added that Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo would join in tomorrow as well, but it would be a school day so they'd only be there for the afternoon.
Fluttershy sat at far end of the table, next to Crystal Note. The pegasus was her usual quiet, happy with just watching and being with everypony. Crystal Note had settled to listening and watching as well, though her focus was more on the pie on the table than the other ponies. She'd already eaten a slice and while the other ponies had no problems with going for seconds or even thirds, the crystal pony didn't seem to dare going for another one.
Applejack just laughed and walked over. Fluttershy smiled at her as she refilled her cup and then both friends watched the silver sparkly pony trying to stare down the pie in front of her.
"You know it tastes as good as it looks."
The crystal pony's head tilted up and she found herself staring at Applejack who just laughed softly and refilled her cup as well. Even Fluttershy giggled a little and gently patted the new pony with her hoof
"It's okay, you can have as much as you like. No need to be shy."
"Darn right! You worked hard today so you get to have a good meal. That's the Apple way of saying 'Thank you for helping!'"

Crystal Note looked between the friends before she finally scooped a second slice of pie into her hooves. Before Applejack and Fluttershy stopped giggling, it was gone and replaced by a third one. The nervous expression left the pony and now a blissful smile spread on her face.
"I take you like Granny's recipe."
The crystal pony nodded and took another bite
"It's amazing! I've never eaten anything this good in all my live."
The elder mare smiled, having caught the last bits of conversation and simply put another slice into Crystal Note's plate
"Thank you kindly, deary. Make sure you're back tomorrow and I'm gonna fix something extra special!"
All the ponies cheered and raised their cups at that. Crystal Note just smiled blissfully and nibbled down her pie.

After a few moments, the other ponies started asking some questions about the Crystal Empire and the sparkling pony gave some polite answers without really saying much.
Applejack and Fluttershy watched and the earth pony addressed her friend quietly
"So, what do you think of her?"
"Crystal Note? Oh, she's nice. It was nice working with her and she's smiling a lot."
Applejack nodded
"Just wondering, did she tell you anything why she came here?"
The pegasus shook her head and blushed a little
"I'm sorry, we didn't really talk that much. I tried to chat a little but she seemed fine with being quiet so I didn't push it. I like being quiet too."

Applejack sighed and nodded again. She'd seen the same when watching the pony. Everytime she was asked something she'd just reply with nod of her head, only talking when absolutely necessary it seems. Not that she had any problems with that, but Applejack couldn't shake of the feeling there might be more behind it than just being timid around others.

The sun had set by now and Big Mac fetched some candles for light. Soon, the ponies from Ponyville stood up and thanked for the meal. They promised to return the next day and went on their way home, until only the Apple family, Fluttershy and Crystal Note were left. The crystal pony stared absently into the flame of a candle and the gem shaped eyes sparkled a little in the glow, or so it seemed.
Apple Bloom started yawning. She wished everypony a good night and helped Granny Smith get the plates and cups back into the house. Big Mac excused himself and went towards the barn to check things for the night and Fluttershy stood up as well
"I think I should be heading home now too. Thanks for dinner, Applejack."
"Don't mention it! Thanks for helping out. You know, you could stay over night if you like. It's already dark and I know you don't like flying at night too much."
Fluttershy blushed and shook her head
"Oh, it's not that far, I can do it. Plus my little friends will be worried if I don't come home. And I don't want to be a bother for you."
Applejack laughed and hugged her friend
"Okay, I get it. But don't you ever think you're a bother, Fluttershy. You're welcome at our home any day of the year."
Fluttershy blushed but smiled and returned the hug. She waved to Crystal Note who barely noticed it and flew towards the Everfree Forest and her cottage nearby.

Applejack waved until she couldn't see her anymore, then turned towards the crystal pony
"I don't want to be rude, Miss. But it's getting late and we have a lot of work to do tomorrow. And if you want to help again, you'd better get some sleep as well."
The pony sat up and blushed, noticing she was the only one left besides Applejack
"Oh my, I'm sorry. I didn't notice everypony already left. I'm so sorry, I'll be out of your mane now. Thank you for dinner."
The crystal pony scooped up her saddlebags and with a shy smile towards Applejack she trotted away.

Before she fully left the light of the candles Applejack called out to her
"Crystal Note!"
The pony froze and turned around, the nervous expression back on her face
"Miss Applejack?"
"If you want to get back to Ponyville, you need to head this way. You'll end up in the orchard if you keep going that direction."
The pony sighed and let her head hang down. Applejack blinked and could have sworn that her coat just turned a notch darker than it was before. She shook her head and blamed the flickering light of the candles to it
"You are staying in Ponyville, right? You have a room in the inn or at a friend's house?"
The crystal pony shook her head and kept her eyes glued on the ground.

Applejack turned around to look at Granny Smith who had been listening and Big Mac who returned from the barn. The red stallion gave a slight nod and Granny just turned around and went back into the house, no doubt to prepare a room.
Applejack smiled and walked over to the pony
"You know, we do have a guest room. You could stay here for the night if you want."
The crystal pony stared up at Applejack who almost got used to her stunned expression by now
"You mean it?"
" 'Course I do! You just get in and we'll have you a room ready in no time at all. But I warn you, we're up before sunrise, especially during Applebuck Season."
The pony beamed and nodded eagerly
"That's fine with me. Thank you so much for letting me stay!"

Applejack gave a happy sigh as she slipped into her own bed. Crystal Note had excessively thanked her and her family for letting her stay in the guestroom, just the other side of Applejack's room and promised to make up for it by working even harder tomorrow.
She still had a lot of questions on why the pony came here and why she didn't talk too much, but she knew she was a good pony and would stay true to her word. Being the bearer of honesty, she always had a good feeling on whom to trust and whom not. Crystal Note absolutely fell into the first category.
She yawned and pulled the blankets over herself and closed her eyes. Maybe she'd find out more tomorrow.

The next day came soon, as expected. Applejack was up already an hour before sunrise, preparing lunch for Apple Bloom since it was a school day again and breakfast for the whole family and guest.
Big Mac returned from some early chores in the barns and Apple Bloom made her way downstairs together with Granny Smith. They sat down and just as Applejack was about to call, Crystal Note joined in as well. Today, her mane looked even more messy than yesterday, but she wore her blue bandana again to hide most of it.
The family began their usual chat during breakfast but their guest remained mostly silent even if asked some questions. Especially Apple Bloom got frustrated when all her questions on the Crystal Empire were answered with shrugs.

Soon it was time for Apple Bloom to leave for school and the ponies from yesterday returned. Applejack decided she'd try to talk with her guest later and assigned them to their tasks again. This time she sent the crystal pony off with Big Mac's group while she led half the ponies into the nothern orchard. Like the day before, everypony threw themselves into work again. After a couple hours of apple bucking, the orange mare decided to call her helpers in for lunch break. The other ponies collected the last apples and then headed towards the farmhouse while chatting.

Applejack climbed up a small hill to see how far the others had gotten. She smiled as she was joined by her brother, doing the exact same thing. They looked over their orchards and Applejack nodded in approval.
"We're almost halfway through already. We should be done at the end of the week latest."
"Eeyup."
Applejack smiled and kept talking since this was how many of their conversations went on anyways
"It was good to call for help from town. We get things done a lot quicker. We should do it next year too. At least for Applebuck Season."
"Eeyup."
"We might have to pay them some, but the sales going so well we'll still make some extra bits of it."
"Eeyup."

Applejack smiled and then noticed one pony who was still working on filling her last bucket before lunch: Crystal Note was still picking up apples with her mouth while the other ponies had already reached the farmhouse. She saw the mare accidently kick over her bucket, but the crystal pony just set it up again and refilled it. After another two minutes, she finally set the now full bucket on her back and slowly headed to the others.
Applejack noticed Big Mac watch her as well
"Did she talk to anypony today?"
"Nope."
"What do you think of her?"
The red stallion turned her head towards her sister, clearly expecting her to say more, so she added
"Well, she just appeared and asked for a job, but she never said why."
"Nope."
"She also didn't tell us where she came from. We don't really know anything about her."
"Nope."
Applejack frowned a little
"She's slow. And not as strong as the others."
"But she keeps going."
Applejack turned her head towards her brother at that response with the same expression he gave her earlier
"She's not strong, but she's dedicated. And she's working hard. She doesn't take any breaks and she doesn't complain."
Applejack looked at the crystal pony who was greeted by Granny Smith with a bowl of soup as she sat with the others and thought about what her brother just told her
"Eeyup."
The siblings laughed and went down the hill to get themselves some lunch as well.

Soon after lunch break they where joined by the cutie mark crusaders and Rarity who had walked the fillies back from school. Applejack and Rarity hugged like always when they met and Applejack's beaming smile turned out to be contagious
"Well, you sure look happy toady Darling."
"Sure am! It's Applebuck Season after all and we're even faster than I expected. You came to join the fun as well?"
Applejack grinned as the smile on Rarity's face faded a little
"Oh my. Um, that's a wonderful idea! So, how about... oh, how about I give Granny Smith a hoof around the house? It'd be a shame if the poor dear overworked herself."
Applejack laughed at how Rarity elegantly dodged getting her hooves too close to any kind of dirt but nodded approvingly anyways
"That'd be mighty helpful!"

Applejack and the others went back into their work routine of bucking, picking up and carrying apples to Granny Smith. Rarity now managed most of the heavy lifting with her magic and helped the older mare sort the harvest out.
To Applejack's surprise, Crystal Note seemed to pick up her pace and no longer fell behind the others. She gave a smile to the silent pony when they both reached the farmhouse with another load of apples.
The crystal pony returned the smile as they walked along, but when they reached Rarity she looked nervous again. The white unicorn didn't seem to notice and simply picked up the buckets with her magic from the mares' backs.
Applejack noticed the crystal pony watch the glowing horn for a moment, then she turned around quickly and headed back into the orchard. The orange mare shrugged and followed her. After her talk with Big Mac, she'd come to the conclusion that she'd respect the pony for all the help and hard work she'd done. Even if she didn't want to talk about herself. Maybe she'd loosen up after some time, but Applejack wasn't about to pressure her.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders had teamed up to help in Applebuck Season, but they soon got distracted from work by chatting about the new pony in town
"I can't believe a crystal pony would come to Ponyville and then even stay at your house for the night. Do you think she'll stay tonight as well?"
"I hope she does! It'd be nice getting to know her better. I mean she's a crystal pony after all. I'm sure she has a lot of neat stories to tell. She might even know some things about crystal pony cutie marks!"
"Or maybe, she's got a dark secret! Maybe she had to run away from the Crystal Empire because she discovered an ancient crystal pony ritual that was so creepy nopony wanted it to be known, and now she has to hide from her own kind to be safe."
Sweetie Belle eeped and shivered before she called out
"Scootaloo, it's mean saying something like that about somepony you don't even know. I'm sure she's nice and friendly and just wanted to see more of Equestria."
The orange pegasus filly tried to reply but was cut of by Apple Bloom who ended the fight before it started
"She is a nice pony. She thanked us all a lot for letting her stay in the guestroom. She just doesn't talk about herself. But I'm sure she'll do if we just show her we're really trying to become her friends!"
The three fillies nodded and went off to look for their soon to be friend.

They found the crystal pony working by herself in the eastern orchards, shaking out apples from the trees and picking them up. She only noticed the three fillies when they were suddenly standing next to her
"Hi Miss Crystal Note!"
She blinked surprised but gave them a friendly smile before going back to work.
Apple Bloom nodded and the three spread out like planed. The yellow earth filly started bucking the closest tree like her sister had shown her and Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle helped the crystal pony fill her buckets quickly. Crystal Note blinked surprised again and just put the buckets on her back and went to deliver them to Granny Smith, still smiling. Her smile grew a little more nervous when she found the three fillies walk next to her and staring at her. She blushed and asked in a meek voice
"Can I help you with something?"
Apple Bloom gave her a sweet smile
"Oh, we were just wondering if there's apple trees in the Crystal Empire."
The crystal pony shook her head and kept walking towards the farmhouse.
Apple Bloom sighed at the silent answer but Sweetie Belle kept going
"So, you never had apples before you came here?"
Another shake of the head.
"You did? But how, if there's no apple trees?"
The crystal pony sighed and spoke in a calm voice
"We traded with Canterlot sometimes. But apples were very rare."
The fillies smiled. She was talking, success!
"So apples were like food for royalty or something?"
The mare nodded and the fillies sighed. One step forward and two steps back.
Sweetie Belle decided not to give up as easily though. She noticed the glittering mark on the silver pony's flank and smiled
"You cutie mark is so pretty! Are you a musician or a singer maybe?"
The mare shook her head again and closed her eyes
"I used to sing. But it was a long time ago."
Scootaloo blinked in confusion
"Wait, but the Crystal Empire just appeared like a few months ago. That's not really a long time ago."
"Scootaloo! The Empire didn't just appear out of nothing! It was banished a thousand years ago by a curse. Rarity told me about it. King Sombra..."
The white unicorn filly stopped as Crystal Note flinched so suddenly the buckets fell down and all the apples spread out on the ground around the now dull grey mare
"Oh no! I'm sorry Miss! I didn't mean to..."
The mare shook her head and started pick up the apples again, though her hooves were still shaking a little.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo helped but Sweetie Belle just sat there looking guilty when Applejack walked towards them. She frowned when she noticed the crystal pony had lost all her sparkles and looked like she was about to cry
"What happened?"
The crystal pony shook her head
"Nothing, I just stumbled and dropped the apples."
Applejack frowned at the obvious lie, but she let it slip since the mare only seemed to cover for Sweetie Belle. She'd have a word with the fillies later but for now she just nodded and joined them as they walked to the farmhouse.

Rarity awaited them and took care of their load again. Sweetie Belle walked up to her sister, still looking guilty and Applejack turned to Apple Bloom. Crystal Note just turned around and walked off a little quicker than usual.

Applejack fumed after learning what happened. She scolded them for mentioning King Sombra. She told them some of the awful things she'd learned while being in the Crystal Empire herself. The Cutie Mark Crusaders looked devastated, and Rarity insisted the fillies had to apologize. The five ponies waited and soon the crystal pony returned with more apples. She looked up surprised and her eyes went wide when the three fillies walked up to her and called out in unison
"We're sorry Miss Crystal Notes."
Applejack stood behind her little sister
"You'll have to excuse them, they're just too curious for their own goods."
Rarity took Applejack's side behind her own sister and gave an apologetic smile
"We assure you, they had no bad intentions."

Crystal Noted looked between the fillies and mare for a moment, then kneeled down to meet the fillies' eyes
"It's okay girls. I'm not mad at you."
The girls smiled and thanked her and the crystal pony just sat down on her haunches with the same happy smile she had the last night. Applejack and Rarity found themselves smiling too as Crystal Note's coat brightened up again.
Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom gasped at the changing colours. They looked at each other and addressed the silver mare again
"Is this crystal pony magic?"
"Can you do it again?"
Applejack and Rarity blinked and scolded
"Apple Bloom!"
"Sweetie Belle!"
"Pinkie Pie!"

All ponies looked up surprised to see the pink pony standing between them with her fore hooves stretched above her head
"Hey girls! You want to try out my super amazing new cupcakes?"
Pinkie reached behind her and suddenly held a large tray of cupcakes with frosting in all colours. Before anypony got the chance to say anything, Applejack noticed Crystal Note had used the distraction and once again left silently.

Applejack didn't see the crystal pony again until dinner. She arrived with the other ponies and looked down at the ground to avoid Applejack's attempt to approach her. The orange mare sighed and helped Granny Smith serving dinner to her helpers. They made great progress this afternoon and celebrated like they did last night, but this time Crystal Note just sat by herself and barely listened. The ponies from town had gotten used to her by now and didn't mind, but Applejack found herself looking at the crystal pony ever so often.

The ponies started leaving for the night again and most of them promised to return the next morning. Crystal Note stood up too but before she could leave Granny Smith gave her a cup of freshly brewed tea and just asked her to stay. Confused the crystal pony sat down again and watched Big Mac and the elder pony take everything inside. This time, they would not return with candles and soon, sitting in the moonlight became very chilly for Applejack and the silent pony.

Applejack stood up and readjusted her hat, a nervous gesture that sometimes slipped through. She stood before the crystal pony who looked up from her tea
"Listen, I want to apologize for my sister and her friends. It wasn't right for them to keep prying on you. And bringing up painful memories."
She sighed and looked at the pony, her green eyes meeting the gemshaped turquoise ones
"But I have to admit I'm curious too. I know I shouldn't ask you, so I wont. But let me just say that sometimes talking about something makes it easier to deal with it. Especially if you're sharing with a friend."
The crystal pony blinked surprised and Applejack went on
"I can tell there's things troubling you, even though you try not to show it. So if you need somepony to talk, my room is just next to yours, okay?"
The pony's eyes went wide and the moonlight made her turquoise pupils sparkle
"You're still letting me stay at your home?"
Applejack laughed and nodded
" 'Course we do! We Apples always keep our promises. I'm heading in now, don't stay out too long or you'll catch a cold."

Applejack walked into the house, feeling better already. She nodded to Granny Smith and Big Mac in the kitchen and went upstairs to Apple Bloom's room. After a long and teary talk with her little sister that ended in an even longer hug, she finally went for her room to retire. Just as she closed the door she noticed the crystal pony climb up the stairs as well. She heard the door next to her room open and close just before she fell asleep.

The next day started uneventful. Breakfast was quiet since Apple Bloom didn't carry her usual excitement today and barely said anything before she left for school.
Soon the ponies were back in the orchard and working hard. Applejack was pleased to see they were more than halfway through the western orchards as well so only the southern one's remained. She gave some encouraging words to the ponies around her and all of them doubled their efforts to be done with this part before lunch break.
Applejack laughed when she noticed Crystal Note try her luck with bucking a tree, only making a few apples to fall down. After a few pointers from Big Mac, she tried again and smiled at her success.
Applejack smiled as well and everypony continued bucking and picking their apples.

After lunch, Rarity and the Cutie Mark Crusaders returned to the farm, Rarity was convinced that all fillies should make up from their behaviour yesterday by helping at the harvest. No protests were made and soon all the ponies went to the western orchard.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders worked quietly today and tried to avoid the crystal pony if possible. It worked for a few hours, but then they found themselves walking alongside the silvery-white mare towards the farmhouse. The crystal pony smiled friendly to them but the fillies only returned it briefly and turned their attention back on the path, they didn't want to give the mare the impression they'd be staring at her again.
Crystal Note walked alongside them silently, with a thoughtful expression. Then, she fell out of her normal step and began to stomp the ground with her hooves. The fillies looked up surprised and watched the mare as she stomped in a silly way to create an easy rhythm. The crystal pony smiled and started singing with her eyes closed:

Everything is music
I just put words in a frame
To capture this very moment
And never let it go away
To cheer and to amuse you
with every song I sing
Forever I'll be smiling
feel my music deep within
Forever I'll be smiling
feel my music deep within

There's just no get away
When you're dancing in my brain
When I'm cruising on your waves
I could never go astray
There's just no get away
When you're dancing in my brain
When I'm cruising on your waves
I could never go astray

Crystal Note's voice was more clear and loud than all the days before and the fillies giggled and smiled when they heard the song and watched the mare do her silly rhythm with her hooves.
They laughed together as they reached the farmhouse and a smiling Rarity. The crystal pony blushed a little but Rarity just giggled
"What a wonderful little song, Darling. Something you created yourself I presume?"
The magic glow surrounded the baskets again and they were lifted towards to barn.
Crystal Note shook her head, her voice back to quiet and nervous
"Not really. I just made up a few new words on an old song."
"Still, it was quite catchy. You have a very nice voice for singing."
The mare blushed more as she found Rarity staring at her head
"I'm terribly sorry Darling, but this blue headscarf just clashes with your mane. I think you'd look much better without it."
The magic gently tucked at the bandana and the mare's hooves shot to her head to keep it in place
"NO! I mean, thanks, but I'd really like to keep it. It's... personal."

Rarity blinked surprised and let go of her magic
"I deeply apologize, I wasn't aware it meant that much to you."
The crystal pony sighed relieved and gave a shaky smile
"It's okay. You couldn't have know. Um, I'll go back to work."
With that, the crystal mare turned around and ran back into the orchard, leaving behind a confused unicorn and three fillies.

The sunset came and Applejack found herself in a particular good mood. Work for the day was done and everypony had come together for dinner again.
She smiled when she saw Crystal Notes get along far better with everypony, after sharing her song with a few others and singing a few more verses while working. The Cutie Mark Crusaders practically hung on her lips when she finally talked a little about the Crystal Empire as well, without giving too many details though.

The crystal mare suddenly perked up her ears and Applejack looked up, noticing a familiar shape in the sky race towards the farm. She rose her hoof in greeting as Rainbow Dash dived down from the sky and did a flashy entrance as usual, ending in a full stop mere inches in front of her friend.
The ponies from town rolled their eyes and laughed but the crystal pony watched the cyan pegasus nervously, almost scared. Scootaloo squealed in joy and hopped to Rainbow's side, bouncing up an down.
The mare just smiled and patted the filly's head
"Hey Squirt. Hi A.J. How's it going?"
Applejack smiled
"Doing great! We'll be done by the end of week with no trouble at all!"
Rainbow's smile faded and she nodded
"Yeah, about that. I just came from weather control and there's a big storm scheduled for Ponyville soon."
Applejack groaned frustrated
"Horseapples! A storm, during Applebuck Season out of all times?"
Rainbow Dash glared a little at her friend
"Hey, no reason to get mad at me. It's not like I decided this."
The earth pony sighed and nodded
"You're right, I'm sorry. So, how soon?"
"Tomorrow night..."
"Say what?! But, that's impossible. We're fast and all but doing a week's worth of harvest in a single day?"

By now the others had gathered around and were discussing lively. Applejack only had eyes for her family though. Apple Bloom seemed worried but Granny Smith just nodded, as did Big Mac. The red stallion finally talked
"We need more help. Anypony we can get."
Applejack sighed and nudged her hat
"You're right. I'd rather loose some bits than loose any of our apples."
She turned to all the ponies present now
"Everypony, please, if you know anypony who can help out tomorrow, bring them here. We can't pay much, but I promise we'll make it worth your efforts."

The ponies all nodded and Rainbow offered to ask some pegasi as well and zoomed off again. Dinner was cut short as everypony headed back to town, leaving only the Apples and Crystal Note behind.
The crystal pony sighed and stood next to Applejack who looked at the southern orchard
"Is there anything I can do? I'm sorry I cost you so much time."
Applejack shook her head
"Don't blame yourself, Sugarcube. We've had hard years before, we'll get through it if we just work hard and stick together."

The crystal pony sat down on her haunches and gave Applejack an encouraging smile. They watched the apple trees in the fading light, then Crystal Notes stood up and went to help Big Mac. He was already setting up things at the barn for the coming storm, making sure to secure the gates against the wind.
Soon the rest of the family joined in as well, securing the house in the light of some lanterns. When all four ponies finally retired into their beds, it was already close to midnight.

When Applejack walked down the stairs again next morning with bloodshot eyes. She obviously didn't find much sleep, as did her brother. Crystal Notes sat at the table already, yawning and nipping at a cup of tea with Granny Smith. Apple Bloom climbed down the stairs shortly after and was sent off to school despite some complaining.

Granny Smith stayed inside to clean up after breakfast and the three young ponies stood in front of the farmhouse, getting ready for work and waiting.
As the sun rose up from the horizon, Applejack stared towards Ponyville and found herself floored.
Down the road she could see at least three times as many ponies than the last day. Some pegasi where flying over the group of earth ponies and even a few unicorns had decided to join in as well.
What made Applejack smile was the group of five mares in front, two pegasi, a white unicorn, a pink earth pony and in the middle a purple alicorn with a small dragon riding on her back.

She ran towards them into the inevitable group hug and asked
"I thought you were all busy. Twilight, what's with all your princess business?"
The alicorn just smiled and shook her head
"You needed our help, and a friend is always more important than that silly crown of mine!"

The ponies gathered around the Apples and Big Mac and Applejack lead them towards the southern orchard, the biggest part of the Sweet Apple Acres.
They formed teams and quickly fell into an efficient work pattern. The earth ponies would buck the apples out of the trees and get them into the buckets and baskets, with the help of the unicorns and their magic. The pegasi then took the full buckets to the farm house where another team would store them safely in the barn.
They made good progress but by noon the sky was already filling with dark clouds and the wind started blowing. Everypony decided to skip lunch break and worked even harder to get as many apples harvested as possible.
Spike had by now taken a position on the top of tree on a hill and directed the teams of pegasi where they needed to go next. Twilight meanwhile flew to the edges of the orchards and with her magic lifted as many apples as she could directly from the trees and levitated them to the farm.

Applejack swiped some sweat of her brow and nodded thankfully to all the ponies around her. She saw Big Mac point towards town again and she saw Miss Cheerilee, the school teacher, walking the three fillies to the farm and then joining in to help as well.
The sky grew darker and a few hours later the wind was so strong it nearly blew off Applejack's hat. She looked around and saw the tired pegasi struggling against the wind and exhausted faces on every pony.
She sighed as a drop of rain landed on her muzzle and the ponies groaned but kept on even as it started to drizzle. Soon everypony was soaking wet and covered in mud.

Applejack looked at the last couple dozen trees and shook her head with a sad sigh.
She called out loud
"That's it, everypony! Grab all you can and then head back to the farm! We need to get out of the rain before the storm gets closer."
She ran between the teams and helped them all get their buckets full and on their way, but frowned when she saw only two of the Cutie Mark Crusaders running towards the farm
"Where's Apple Bloom?"
A light brown stallion looked up and pointed deeper into the orchard
"I saw her and the crystal pony go that way."
Applejack thanked him and ran into the direction he had shown her
"That silly filly really should know better."
She flinched as a lightning struck down and rumbling could be heard in the distance. Worried, she ran even faster.

Apple Bloom flinched as well when she heard the rumbling and turned to Crystal Notes who just had filled her last bucket
"I think we should better get back to the others. Rain's only getting worse."
The silvery mare nodded and lifted up her harvest on her back and took the path towards the farmhouse. The filly next to her would try to get some missed apples at times, but the crystal mare just shook her head silently and urged her towards the safe home.
"APPLE BLOOOM!"
But ponies looked up and turned towards the familiar voice
"We're here, sis!"
The filly called out and ran between the trees again, followed by the crystal pony.

Applejack sighed relieved when she saw the two ponies through the rain and called out again, when a very strong gust blew her hat off. She reached out to quickly grab it and heard a shriek. She looked up worried and saw a large branch fall down from a tree, broken loose from the same gust. Applejack watched as the crystal mare pushed Apple Bloom out of the way but wasn't quick enough to dodge herself. The branch hit the pony's head and she collapsed.
Applejack quickly ran towards the mare and kicked away the branch from on top of her, then checked her friend.
It seemed like she had been unconscious for a moment but now her eyes were fluttering open again and she stared at Applejack leaning down to her, the turquoise eyes having trouble to focus. Applejack and Apple Bloom both gasped when they saw a trail of blood trickle down from under the blue bandana of the crystal pony.
"Oh nonononono!"
Applejack quickly loosened the headscarf while the mare was groaning in pain and tried to push her away but had troubles lifting her hooves. Both Apple sisters gasped again and stared, stunned for a moment.
They saw a big cut in the middle of the pony's forehead. Right at the base of her silvery-white horn.
Apple Bloom blinked a few times and whispered
"You're a unicorn?"
Applejack shook her head. She was almost sure there were no crystal unicorns when she had helped recover the Crystal Empire from King Sombra's dark magic.

The crystal unicorn sobbed and Applejack snapped back into the present. She took the soaking wet bandana and tightly wrapped it around the cut to stop the bleeding. She called out to Apple Bloom to help her and together, they carefully lifted the mare on Applejack's back. Both ponies ran as fast as they could towards the farmhouse.
Apple Bloom managed to pull ahead and called for Granny Smith but the Crystal Note groaned and touched Applejack with her hoof
"Please... don't tell anypony... please..."
Both sisters looked surprised but Applejack just shook her head
"We can worry about this later, we need to get you out of the rain first and have somepony look at your injury. Your horn might be hurt."
"No... please... if they find out..."
The crystal pony mumbled out weakly, her eyes losing focus again and her coat turning all grey. The Apple sisters looked at each other and nodded.

When they reached the house and stormed inside, Applejack quickly made her way through the crowded basement and headed straight into the guest room. She moved as fast as she could so nopony would have a chance to get a closer look at the barely conscious pony on her back.
Apple Bloom headed to Granny Smith and asked for hot water and some towels, like her sister had told her to do. The remaining ponies got worried and Twilight climbed up the stairs after Applejack and gently knocked at the door
"Applejack? Is everything alright?"

Crystal Note shivered and some more blood trickled out from under the makeshift bandage. Applejack gently held her hoof
"Sugarcube, you need help. I don't know how to treat a hurt horn. Please, let me get Twilight, I'm sure she knows what to do. She's one of my best friends, she'll keep your secret, I promise."
The crystal unicorn opened her eyes and managed to focus on Applejack
"Princess Twilight... is here?"
The orange mare nodded
"Yes she is. Can I let her in? We only want to help you, Sugarcube."
The crystal pony nodded weakly and Applejack ran to the door and opened it. She quickly pulled Twilight in and closed the door again and whispered to her friend
"Twi, she's hurt on her head from a falling branch and I need your help. But first you have to promise you won't tell anypony what you see! Please!"

Twilight looked surprised but when she saw Applejack's serious expression, she just nodded. She quickly went through the motions of a Pinkie Promise and they headed to the bed with the shivering mare, tears running down her face and mixing with the blood on her forehead.
Twilight gasped and very gently pulled the bandage off with her magic, only to let out a muffled shriek of surprise
"A crystal unicorn? But how?"
Applejack touched her friend on the shoulder
"Twi, help first and questions later."
The princess blinked and nodded
"You're right."
She carefully dabbed the edges of the cut with the wet bandana, but as soon as Apple Bloom entered with a bucket of hot water and a load of towels, she used them to carefully clean the wound without touching the horn. The Apple sisters stood on each side of the bed and watched concerned. The crystal mare flinched and whimpered when Twilight dapped around the base of her horn and Applejack gently held the mare's hoof again.

Once the wound seemed clean, Twilight carefully touched the horn with her hoof, trying to be as gentle as she could. Still, the mare whimpered in pain again and squirmed on the bed, her eyes were closed now and her breaths fast and uneven.
Twilight looked even more worried
"Something is wrong. Did she use any magic when she was hit?"
Applejack and Apple Bloom shook their head
"I haven't seen her use any magic at all since she got here. Not even picking up something."
Twilight carefully touched the tip of the horn again and Crystal Note started crying
"Twi, you're hurting her!"
"She's not using any magic. When unicorns are hurt, their emotions can trigger their magic. There should be at least some sparks coming out right now, but there's nothing."

Applejack looked down at the crystal unicorn and back to Twilight
"So can you help her?"
Twilight sighed and nodded
"There's one thing I can try at least."
She leaned down to the mare's face and whispered softly
"Crystal Note? I'll try to send some of my magic into your horn. It might make the pain go away, but it'll hurt first. Okay?"
If the grey pony registered the princess' words, she didn't show it. Twilight closed her eyes and on the tip of her horn, a small purple ball of magic appeared. She carefully leaned down and touched the tip of the mare's horn with her own and had the spark travel down the silver horn. The mare opened her eyes wide for a moment and shrieked in pain and confusion. Her hooves flailed in all directions and Applejack tried to push her on the bed and hold her still. Then suddenly the mare sighed and relaxed and sunk back into the bed. Her breath was slow and weak, but steady now. Twilight pulled back and from the tip of the silvery horn, a few small turquoise sparks flickered out.
Twilight sighed relieved and smiled to her friends
"She's okay. But she needs rest now."
A few towels floated up, surrounded by a purple magic glow and Twilight gently wrapped them around the pony's head in a pressure bandage to stop the cut from bleeding again. A quick spell later and the crystal pony's coat and mane were dried. Another purple glow softly pulled the bedcovers over the shivering pony.

Twilight sighed and sat back on her haunches and sighed relieved when the shivering stopped and the pony slipped into sleep. She then turned to Applejack and Apple Bloom
"So, what exactly is happening here?"
Applejack sat down as well and shook her head
"I wish I knew, Twi. She got hit pretty hard. And she was so scared for somepony to find out. She begged me not to tell anypony, except you. I don't understand it."
She looked at the sleeping mare
"Why would a crystal pony just leave the Crystal Empire all on her own? And why would she hide the fact she's a crystal unicorn?"
Twilight just sighed and shook her head
"I guess that's something only she can tell us herself. I've never even heard of crystal unicorns before. I'd love to ask Princess Celestia or maybe Cadance about it, but I don't want to do that without her permission."

Soon they heard a knock on the door and Rainbow Dash asking if they were okay. The two friends looked at each other
"What should we tell them?"
Applejack frowned and stood up
"I'll figure something out. You stay here, in case there's something wrong with that horn again."
The alicorn nodded and sat next to the bed. Applejack took a deep breath and then headed downstairs. She explained what happened as much as she could without telling about Crystal Note's secret. The other ponies all expressed their worries and get-well wishes, the successful harvest mostly forgotten by now.

The night was dark outside when the storm finally calmed down enough for the ponies to return to town. Applejack thanked them all for their help again and after some convincing, also got her friends to leave. Only Spike stayed behind to wait for Twilight and ended up curled up asleep on the family couch.
Applejack carefully opened the door to the guestroom and peeked in. She could see the sleeping form of the crystal pony, the silvery coat almost glowing white in the little moonlight the dying storm let through. Twilight lay on the rug before the bed and seemed to be sleeping as well, a blanket wrapped around her.
The orange mare closed the door again and slipped into her own bed, wondering how to deal with all of it the next day. Before she could think about it any though, the stressful and exhausting day took its toll and Applejack fell deeply asleep.

The hours passed slowly for Twilight Sparkle as her thoughts kept returning to the crystal unicorn in the bed before her. Crystal ponies had magic of their own, just like earth ponies and pegasi as well, the crystal magic mostly affecting the emotions and appearances of the ponies. But a pony with crystal magic and the ability to shape and use this magic like a unicorn? Theories ran wild in her head but she violently shook her mane and forced herself to look at the pony in the bed: A young mare far away from home, injured, scared and feeling left alone. A pony who needed her help, as a friend and as a princess. Not a science project or a new research topic.
Twilight silently scolded herself for such thoughts when the mare in the bed began to stir and mumble in her sleep. She quickly stood up and began whispering soothingly to the crystal unicorn, but the turquoise eyes snapped up and rolled around in fear and panic. She didn't scream but she was clearly terrified by the alicorn leaning over her and tried to get away from Twilight, the panic only increasing when she found herself tangled in the blankets.
Out of an instinct, Twilight gently hugged the mare and held the shivering pony close to her while she kept speaking in a soothing voice.
The mare stopped struggling after a while and whimpered, but her body kept shivering. Twilight softly wrapped her wings around her, trying to cover her with her warm plumes which actually helped. The crystal pony calmed down after a few minutes and was softly lowered down into the bed again, the purple magic pulling the bedcovers up once more.
Twilight sighed and just watched the pony for a while, hoping she could offer the right help for Crystal Note.

The next morning came far too early, at least for Twilight. She felt like she'd just closed her eyes a moment ago, but the sunlight shining into the window told her she must have been sleeping for a couple hours at least. She stood up and stretched her sore body and wings, then her gaze fell back on Crystal Note.
The mare was still sleeping and Twilight noticed some spots of red on the bandage around her head. She removed it as gently as she could and found the wound already starting to close. The alicorn narrowed her eyes and concentrated, her own horn glowing softly. She smiled at the healthy hum she sensed from the crystal unicorn's own horn.
With a quick spell, Twilight reheated the water in the bucket and gently cleaned the injury on the mare's forehead once more. The crystal pony stirred and slowly opened her eyes.

Twilight saw the gem shaped eyes looking around confused before they focused on her. She smiled softly but the young mare in front of her just opened her eyes wide. Clumsily, she climbed out of the bed and pressed herself flat on the floor before the Princess, muttering some words almost like an incantation, her eyes closed fearfully.
Twilight was so surprised she needed a minute before she could react and tried to pull Crystal Note back on her hooves
"Don't do that! You're still hurt, you need to stay in bed and you need a new bandage."
The crystal pony shivered and wouldn't dare look at Twilight as she whispered
"Apologies, Your Highness. Please forgive me. I'm not worthy of being in Your presence"
Twilight blinked surprised and finally the incantation made sense to her. This must be how King Sombra had expected the ponies to behave around him. She gently lifted up the pony's chin with her hoof and looked into her eyes
"Crystal Note, it's okay. You're not at Sombra's court anymore. You don't have to treat me anything different just because I was given a crown."
The turquoise eyes stared back at Twilight with fear and confusion. Twilight smiled and gave the mare the time to compose herself. Eventually, the crystal unicorn sat back up on her haunches, her eyes cast down on the spot in front of her hooves. One of her hooves rose up to touch her forehead and she gave out a soft whimper when she felt the healing wound.

Twilight's magic gently levitated a wet towel towards Crystal Note and the pony pressed it softly against the cut. The crystal pony gave a thankful smile and Twilight felt her worries fade a little more. She asked in a soft voice
"Do you remember what happened?"
The crystal pony nodded and remained silent.
"All of it?"
Again a nod, but this time with some uncertainty.
Twilight tilted her head and smiled
"Okay. Good. Um, let me sum it up anyways, just to make sure we didn't miss anything. You were at the orchard with Apple Bloom during the storm. A branch fell down a tree and it hit you on your head. That's why you hurt your head, and your horn.
Applejack brought you here and asked me to check on you. Your horn was hurting and your magic was gone, so I used a spark of mine to fix it."

The crystal unicorn's hoof involuntarily rose up to touch the horn, then frowned. Twilight waited for another moment and finally heard a whisper from the mare
"I wish I could just make it go away."
Twilight blinked surprised
"Your horn? But then you would loose your magic as well, you know."
The mare sobbed and dropped back on the floor, her hooves covering her face
"I don't care. I don't need it. I never asked for it. It's just there and I don't know what to do."

Twilight frowned at this sudden outburst. A unicorn who didn't want her magic was something she'd never heard of before. She was grew up being a unicorn as well and could clearly remember being excited with every spell she learned. Just like her parents and her brother and all her classmates at school...
Twilight's frown buried deeper into her brow when Crystal Note's coat turned into a dull grey and lost any sign of sparkling, even her mane now looking dull brown as it fell down over her face in messy strands. The crystal mare grew up in an empire ruled by a tyrannical unicorn king and with everypony around her unable to do any magic.
Being the odd pony out. And being constantly reminded that magic could be used for terrible things. No wonder she wanted to get rid of her horn and her magic.

The princess sat down next to the sobbing mare and softly touched her shoulder. Crystal Note leaned a little against her and Twilight pulled her into a gentle embrace. She kept holding her close until the sobbing slowed down into a soft sniffling, then stopped. She pulled back a little to put her hooves at the mare's shoulders and gently made her look at her.
She gave the crystal unicorn a soft and caring smile
"Everything is going to be okay, Crystal Note. We'll figure something out together. But first you need to get better."
The gem shaped eyes stared into purple ones and she whispered
"Why are you doing this?"

Twilight kept smiling and helped the mare get back on her hooves again
"You're Applejack's friend. That's makes you my friend as well. And a friend is always there to help you when you need it."
The crystal unicorn smiled for a moment, but the frowned
"I lied to Applejack. She won't be my friend anymore."
Twilight shook her head again and both ponies turned her head towards the door when they heard another voice
"You didn't really lie, you just kept a secret. That's not the same."
Applejack closed the door behind her
"And even if you lied, I'm sure you'd have a pretty good reason for it. So we'd still be friends no matter what."

The crystal unicorn gaped at Applejack and then smiled thankfully. Like a wave of water flowing down her body, the grey colour of her coat changed back into the silvery-white and her mane took its usual yellow hue again. She tried to get up on her hooves to thank Applejack, but her legs gave in under her. Twilight luckily was close enough to catch her before she fell
"Easy now! You're still hurt. You should lie down again."
With Applejack's help, Twilight lifted the crystal pony back on the bed and then put on a new bandage on her head. Crystal Note whimpered a little at the touch but held still for the Princess. When she was finished, the crystal unicorn mumbled a soft 'Thank you'.
Applejack pulled up the bedcovers again and smiled
"You just rest and get better, Sugarcube. We'll think of what to do when you're up to it."
The crystal pony blushed and whispered
"You're letting me stay here?"
Applejack laughed softly
"How many times do I have to tell you, Sugarcube? You're welcome to stay as long as you want. And before you ask: Yes, Twilight and I will keep your secret and Apple Bloom will too. No pony will know before you're ready to tell them."
Twilight nodded affirmatively and Crystal Note smiled again
"Thank you. If I get to stay, maybe we should tell Big Mac and Granny Smith at least?"
Applejack nodded and smiled
"That would make things a lot easier. I'll tell them right away at breakfast. Speaking of, would you like something to eat?"
The crystal mare blushed and shook her head
"Not really. May I sleep some more? I'm so tired."

Applejack nodded and Twilight gently put her hoof on the mare's shoulder
"Crystal Note, I promise I will do everything I can to help you with your magic. I'll help you learn more about it. Teach you how to use it if I can. And if you really want it, how to make it go away. I promise as friend and a princess."
Crystal Note looked up at Twilight and smiled, though her turquoise eyes were already hazy and tired. She mumbled sleepily
"Thank you, Your Highness..."
Twilight just giggle softly and smiled
"Just Twilight is fine. Now get some sleep, I promise I'll be back to talk later."

Crystal Note smiled and closed her eyes slowly. The two friends watched her for a moment longer, then silently left the room and went downstairs to tell the rest of the family.
The crystal pony rolled to her side in her sleep and curled up comfortably under the warm covers. She still smiled as she gently slipped into a deep and restful sleep.
The sun rose higher and light made its way in through the windows, but the crystal unicorn just kept sleeping.
As she was bathed in light, dreams came to her sleep, of Applejack and Apple Bloom and Twilight and the friendship she'd been shown. Her mane glowed and turned crystal all the way, the now citrine coloured strands sending out myriads of sparkles with each ray of sun that touched them.