Crystal gripped a piece of paper in her hoof as she navigated the quiet streets of Ponyville. A blue bonnet was tied over her ears and her pink streaks were tucked into it so that her mane appeared to be only blonde. Her tail was adorned with two matching blue ribbons, one tied off at the end of the carefully orchestrated braid and the other at the dock in a bow so large that it obscured her cutie mark.
It was a little ridiculous, but she wasn't there to visit Horsey. She was on a personal mission.
On the outskirts of a small park sat a simple enough house. The address matched the one in the letter, so she took a breath, stepped up to the door, and knocked. A few moments later, the door flung open and a blur of pink tackled her in a tight hug.
"Oh my gosh, you're finally here!" Lovey pulled back to hold her at leg's length and beamed. "When I got your letter, I said to myself—no, actually, I said to Juniper, which reminds me"—she turned her head to call the mare's name over her shoulder, announcing their guest, then looked back at Crystal—"Anywhoo, I said to myself, 'Now she is a mare I'd like to see again!' And here you are!" She tugged Crystal inside. "Please, come on in! Right this way!"
Crystal's head spun with the mare's rapid manner of speech but she smiled nonetheless. "I hope I'm not imposing too much, Lovey."
Lovey paused to blink at her. "Imposing?" She bubbled with giggles and her wings fluttered. "Why, how can a friend I invited over be an imposition? That's just silly! Now, make yourself comfortable."
Crystal glanced around the main room of the house, and Lovey flew over to a door off to the right. It was a simple dwelling with an odd juxtaposition of pink and green decor strewn about. When the other mare, Juniper, walked into the room, the reason clicked: Juniper was an earth mare with a green coat and likely favored that color, while Lovey was obviously the pink culprit.
Juniper smiled and offered a wave before she sat down at the small coffee table sized appropriately for two. "Hi. You must be Crystal." The calm, cool way with which she spoke was a stark contrast to Lovey. "Nice to meet you."
"Oh, yes, that's—"
Lovey poked her head out of the side room into which she had disappeared. "There will be time for chitchat later, Cryssie! You said it was an emergency, so don't dally with Juniper!" She giggled and added, "No offense, Juni."
Juniper simply shrugged while Crystal quietly excused herself to follow Lovey into what seemed to be an office. It was a little hard to tell what it was intended to be, as the whole room was pink, including the walls, ceiling, floor, and furniture. Crystal had to pause just to get her bearings and discern what was something she could sit on and what wasn't.
"So," Lovey started, lowering herself onto a pillow, "what happened?" Her gaze drifted downward. "Everything seems all right to me."
Crystal unconsciously put a hoof to her chest where Lovey was staring. "I just, I just need to know, Lovey. Who is my special somepony that you see for me?"
Lovey's gaze lifted back up to meet Crystal's. "Oh, I don't know that."
"Then how can you say everything's fine?"
"Because it is!" Lovey smiled happily.
Crystal frowned. "How?"
Lovey paused, then repeated in the same chirping voice, "Because it is!"
Crystal groaned in frustration, rubbing her temple. "Lovey, I don't understand! How can it be okay? I don't know how he feels, I don't know if he's the one, I don't know anything! Can't you tell me something?"
"But I did." Lovey tilted her head one way. "Most ponies come in here with weak or tangled love lines and that's why they're confused. Yours is strong, which means you're on the right path and don't need any help from me." She paused, then continued in a slightly more serious voice, "Why are you confused? If your heart says he's the one, then isn't that the answer you need?"
Crystal's ears drooped and she stared down at the table in silence for a moment. "Haven't you ever had a case where a love line only went one way, where a mare loved a stallion but the stallion didn't love her?"
"Nope! I mean, I've had a mare who loved a mare who didn't love her, but not a mare who loved a stallion who—" She stopped when Crystal gave her a less than polite stare. "Um, what I really mean is, in that situation, there wasn't a love line. Love lines connect ponies. They don't just go one way. At least, I've never seen one like that, anyway..."
"What if mine is?"
"Oh, now you're just looking for worry." Lovey giggled and waved a hoof to dismiss the question. "But if it'll make you feel better, I'll find the end to your love line and see if it goes both ways. I'll have to charge you for my time, though..."
Crystal nodded quickly. "Absolutely! Tell me the price and I'll pay you immediately. I can't stand not knowing if Silent Knight cares for me or—"
Lovey clamped a hoof over Crystal's mouth to silence her. "Ah-ah-ah! You told me last time that you didn't want any spoilers, so I'm not going to tell you those kind of details, silly filly!" She pulled back with a big smile. "I'm only going to follow it, prove it leads back to you, and that's it! Nada more!"
"Oh..." Crystal sighed and retrieved her bit purse. "Well, I suppose that's for the best. It would be more exciting to find out from him rather than you, assuming he's the one at all."
"Exactly! Love is much more exciting when there are surprises!" Lovey gazed out the window dreamily. "Don't you worry, Crystal Wishes. Love is waiting for you, and it's going to be wonderful when it finally arrives..." She shook her head and returned her attention to Crystal, smiling wide. "Anyway, I'll let you know as soon as I know something!"
Crystal nodded and tried to smile back, though she felt a little down about the whole thing rather suddenly. If it turned out Silent wasn't the special somepony for her, then who could it be? Nopony else made her feel the way he did, and she wasn't sure she was ready to let go of her feelings just because an intangible force decided she should. But she was also too afraid to say anything to him, so what was she supposed to do?
---
"Crystal, Crystal, Crystal!" Velvet's voice shrieked, followed by the sound of Crystal's bedroom door being thrown open and hoofsteps rushing toward her.
Crystal hardly had enough time to peek groggily out from under the covers before a shadow was cast over her. Her eyes widened and she yelped in surprise when Velvet landed on top of her.
"What!" Crystal squirmed under the squealing mare. "What happened?!"
Velvet rolled over to land on the empty bed space and kicked her legs in the air. "We just got the Equestrian Writers Convention mailer!"
Crystal eyed her with reasonable irritation before checking herself for bruises. "And? They send those out every year the month before."
"Oh my gosh, I'm not an idiot." Velvet rolled her eyes. "Let me finish?" The excitement returned in full force when Crystal begrudgingly nodded. "I was flipping through it while waiting for you to wake up, since you're sleeping in today I guess—"
"I was," Crystal muttered. She had been up all night stressing over a cryptic letter from Lovey that had simply read 'S'all 'Kay!' and had several hearts all over. It had done nothing to assuage her doubts, so all she wanted to do was sleep.
"—and in the section for authors in attendance, there was your name, of course, but there was also an even more amazing name!" Her eyes were wide as she stared, waiting for Crystal to fill in. Silence hung between them for a moment before she groaned and answered, "Rose Quartz!"
Crystal paused to think on the name before it clicked and she gasped. "Rose Quartz is going to be there?!"
Velvet squirmed about much like Red after one too many cupcakes. "Yes! I need all of our copies of Prima Donna, because I want her to sign each and every one of them! I don't care how many times I have to stand in line to make it happen, either!"
Finally, unable to stay mad at the rude awakening, Crystal laughed and tugged the blanket back over her head. "That sounds great. When I wake up on my terms, I'll work on getting all our copies together. Are you going to be at the bakery today?"
"Yeah." Velvet slid off the bed, still smiling. "I have practice after that, so I might be late tonight. Just a head's up." Crystal simply responded with a loud, exaggerated yawn and Velvet laughed as she shut the door behind her. "Sweet dreams, Sleeping Beauty!"
Though she kept her eyes clenched shut, her mind was firmly standing by the notion of being awake and started to swim with doubtful thoughts. The convention was a month away and she had nothing to show for it. What if somepony started asking questions about her next novel? What if nopony came to her booth at all because she had nothing new since last year?
She curled up into a tight ball as the questions buzzed around her like a swarm of locusts. Her eyes snapped open when the sound of the front door shutting tore her focus away momentarily. Now that she knew she was alone, the condo sounded deafeningly quiet, making her thoughts resound even louder.
So much for sleeping in. She sighed and slipped out from under the covers, dreading another day of little to no progress on Her Silent Love. The writing was complete, more or less, but some of the scenes were painfully dull and in need of serious reworking.
---
Crystal sat hunched over the scattered pages of the third chapter, a light frown on her lips while the quill tapped absently on the paper. There were some gaps and holes she hadn't noticed when she wrote it that were glaring mistakes now and had halted her progress entirely for the day.
She dropped everything and stood abruptly. "Ugh!" Starting to pace the room, she grumbled under her breath, "I can't believe I missed that the first time. Of course Stoutheart wouldn't have reacted that way. Fancy Flight was just—"
Three knocks on the door interrupted her and she froze, ears perked upright and lopsided smile on her face. "One moment!" she called as she gathered the papers into a neat pile before prancing over to the door.
Silent Knight stood outside, and her heart fluttered at the sight of him. After only a few weeks of physical therapy and eating right, he was already looking much more like his usual, strong, swoon-worthy self.
"Oh, Sergeant, what a pleasant surprise." She smiled, hoping she didn't look too much like a fool. "Won't you come in?"
Silent nodded and walked inside. "Thank you." He paused to remove his helmet, which he set down by the door, then smiled at her. "I hope I didn't interrupt you. I'm sorry for coming by unannounced, but Velvet said I wouldn't be intruding."
Crystal turned toward the sitting area. "And Velvet was right." She sat down on a pillow and gestured to the one across from her. "What brings you here?"
Silent settled down carefully, given that edges of armor and fabric don't often get along. "I am working on Runic Phial's surprise birthday, which is less than three weeks away. I would be honored if you would attend and I know he'll be delighted, too." He hesitated just long enough to add before she could reply, "Also, I'm here because I need your advice on something."
Crystal smiled brightly to cover her curiosity. "Absolutely! I wouldn't dare miss it. You can consider me RSVPing a definite yes." She shifted, her ears perked and facing him with interest. "Now, what sort of advice do you need?"
"You see, I have the palace gardens reserved for the party, so there's a bit of an expectation for us to maintain a certain level of decorum. Understandably so. But lately, Runic is really into rock music, so we were hoping we could find a classical musician to play those songs. Is there any chance you might know of any?"
Crystal's gaze lowered to the floor as she went over the list of musical acquaintances at her disposal. Zerox came to mind first and foremost, especially given that he had gotten her the tickets that sparked Runic's rock music obsession to begin with, but classical wasn't exactly the stallion or his band's strong suit. There was the group that had played at the Grand Galloping Gala last year. Such short notice might be a stretch...
Finally, she looked back up with a smile. "That is a tough request, but I think I can manage the task. I certainly know whom I'll ask, at least. Leave the music with me."
"Great! Thank you, Crystal." His forelegs shifted to push his weight up as he started to stand. "I knew I could count on you."
Crystal's breath caught in her throat before she managed to ask, "Are you in a hurry?"
Much like an obedient dog, Silent sat back down, shaking his head. "No, I'm done for the day, but I wouldn't want to impose on your time."
Crystal giggled behind a hoof. "Sergeant, you're never an imposition. Besides, I think it's about time we discussed that tutoring you had asked for."
Silent nodded slowly. "I think you're right. I'll be starting at the academy soon and I'd hate to squander the time I have before then." He tilted his head. "Did you already have a chance to look over the materials I sent?"
"I have, yes." Her tail flicked behind her and she tried not to look too excited. The private alone time was finally happening! "You seem to be well-spoken and polite enough to skip most of the etiquette items. Honestly, all you have to do is treat ponies the way you treat officers. The etiquette is the same overall it seems. I mean no offense, but I imagine you're going to be weak in polite conversation, fine dining, dancing and..." She hesitated, fighting back a grin. "... lying about insignificant things."
One of his ears twitched and he briefly frowned when the word 'lying' crossed her lips. He cleared his throat. "No offense taken; however, I'm not really comfortable with lying, insignificant or otherwise."
Crystal shifted again, this time to cross her forelegs. "Then we'll call it creative interpretation of the truth, no outright lying. Now, as I see it, these are things we'll need to work on together, since I can't simply give you a pamphlet on them. I've studied all that you gave me already, so we can start right away. If it works for you, then perhaps you should come to see me twice a week after hours." Her heart skipped a beat with hope. "Is that acceptable?"
He hesitated again. "That sounds like an awful lot of your time being invested in helping me. I really don't want to be an imposition, especially since I don't have any way to pay you back. It would just be me taking advantage of you."
It took everything in her power not to turn too red at how the recently formed and socially indecent little voice in the back of her mind reacted to his words. She swallowed a lump in her throat. "As I said, sergeant, you can never be an imposition." The little voice continued to nag at her and she tried to laugh. "And you can't take advantage of me if I'm willing."
The back of her neck heated up—that wasn't what she had meant to say at all. "I want to help you with this," she quickly amended. "Helping ponies fit into this awfully fickle society is a labor of love, moreso when I was a filly and had more time to do so but I still enjoy it now just the same. It may very well be my secondary calling in life, just overshadowed by my writing." She winked. "I have no idea what that cutie mark would look like, but I'd have it."
Silent nodded. "Then I accept." He smiled and she melted. "I'm yours two nights a week."
He certainly wasn't helping keeping her thoughts on the straight and narrow. "Excellent," she said, certain her excitement was showing on her face. "Would you care for some tea before you left?"
"No, thank you." He started to stand up. "I should really be going."
"Ah, ah," she playfully scolded, shaking her head. "First rule of polite company: you cannot go until you've said no politely. You should allow your host to offer something twice, refusing it once if you want it and both times if you don't."
He simply tilted his head, brow furrowed.
She giggled and explained, "By refusing the first time, you're showing your host that you're not there just to take advantage of their hospitality. They will insist and then you may accept. If you're truly not interested in their offer, then refuse a second time."
He nodded, but his expression was still confused. "Thank you for the offer of tea," he said, lowering back to his pillow, "but not this late in the evening."
"Are you certain you don't want any?" she pressed. "Perhaps just half of a cup to keep you warm?"
His ears folded back and she fought against another giggle while he worked through his clear irritation at how unnecessary refusing twice seemed. Finally, a forced smile found its way onto his lips. "I really shouldn't. Winterspear is waiting at home with my special dinner, and I would hate to waste any of it." He started to rise, then paused to look at her for more instruction. When she nodded, he stood the rest of the way. "Thank you."
The giggle escaped her and she stood with him. "With enough practice, it'll become second nature," she assured as they walked to the door. "Have a safe walk home. Give Winterspear my warm regards."
He nodded. "I will. Thank you again, Crystal Wishes. I really do appreciate your help."
"Anytime," she said with a soft smile. She leaned against the doorframe and watched his retreating form before it disappeared down the stairs, her smile disappearing with him.
A heavy sigh escaped her and she returned inside, shutting the door behind her. No progress on her Silent love, either, it seemed.
Haaa! The gutter undertones are priceless. :3
Frustrated reader is frustrated with frustrated Crystal being frustrated.
Great chapter. I still want the "***************************" To happen. I will wait though. Great job. Good luck with the next part.
Oh geez, she's already training him. Run Silent. Run and don't look back!
6153402 Should see it from Silent's point of view. its just as frustrating
Hehehe This chapter was good. Why do I think Rose Quartz is a link to Steven Universe. Anyway I liked the chapter, Lovey is still as squirrely as ever and I love it. Cant wait for the next one. the last bit was really a tongue biter. I could just hear luna up in her tower yelling OH COME ON!
It's so sad that Silent is dense when it comes to romance. Maybe she should work on making Stout Heart as dense as Silent Knight and see if that helps her.
It's always nice seeing them flustered.
Oh hey, update's not late. Crystal, where's our regularly scheduled late/missed update?
Finally she addmitted that, finally.
On another note, I have something I wanted to say since the last chapter and that I've been thinking about for at least a couple more. The conclusion also ties nicely into the fact that you're planning a side story.
Let's switch for a second to Anzel's story, though(I hope you don't mind). Ever since the beginning SK is our favourite oblivious stallion. We watch his life through his eyes as he goes up in the House Guard and learns to have a social life. He grows, but with his growth the whole story grows as well. More ponies are being added or the already existing ones are given a backstory. The world gets bigger. Then, we may find ourselves more interested in other characters that accompany a protagonist. That's what happened to me as I found myself cheering everytime Ferrel got some screen time. In time, even though SK is the main focus, she's become my favourite. The character I'm a fan of. The story have grown and I've grown with it to care a lot about other characters as well.
Now, let's get back to Crystal's Wishes. Ever since the beginning Crystal Wishes was our main protagonist and will always be. That automatically made her our favourite character and we continuously care about her. Much like in Memoirs/Secrets, the story have grown, though. It took a while for me, but with the last few chapters I came to realisation that I developed an affection for a side character here as well. I cherish every scene that features Velvet Step. Maybe some will snicker and chuckle at it, as they've been thinking of her as their favourite for quite some time now, but I only recently started to think of her as my favourite. I've finally grown with story and I'm happy that it happened eventually.
For the last words, I'd like to apologize for this wall of text, but I really needed to let this out somewhere. I also want to give you, Crystal Wishes, a thousand thanks for continuously bringing to us this pure awesomness. Thank you.
New vocabulary added: squander
It's gonna happen soon! IT'S GONNA HAPPEN SOOOOOOOOOOON!!!
Yay, Lovey! Bit overboard on the pink though.
6153402 [Frustration intensifies]
6153582 Oh, and I forgot to add that, because she's my favourite character, I'm infinitely hyped for her side-story.
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Here come the lessons! Crystal's alone time with SK that she always wanted...This aught to get really good. On another note...
Whoa, I visualized her doing that before even reading that part.
'you cant take advantage of me if im willing' XD
'you cant take advantage of me if im willing' XD
Velvet's corruption seems to be working wonders. Not that Crystal was ever really all that "pure" to begin with. She's just more focused now.
6153516
To be fair, Silent's denseness at this point isn't entirely his fault. She and Velvet have been sending out some pretty serious mixed messages.
Hmm, not sure if no one commented on it because of other things to giggle over, or if no one noticed Lovey's spoiler... (Fun fact: Lovey's appearance in the Memoirs chapter, One Long Day, was due to Crystal's visit in this chapter.)
6153371 Crystal has these strange... feeeelings! What is a mare do with feeeelings? (Think dirty thoughts and then write stories about them, obviously!)
6153402 Innocent author is innocently smiling. Pure innocence over here.
6153476 Soon! We just unlocked Memoirs chapter 51... and the chapter you're looking forward to is 53...
6153484 In her defense, he asked for it!
6153514 Hah! Not intentional. Rose Quartz belongs to a friend who gave me a good idea.
6153516 Though in different ways, she did write Stoutheart oblivious to Misty Glen's feelings. Major friendzoning happens in the early chapters as Stoutheart goes to Misty Glen for advice on how to court Fancy Flight. Much feels. Such sad.
6153553 And Silent wasn't even trying to fluster her!
6153582 I usually make Tuesday without too much issue. It's Thursdays that give me trouble because of the short turnaround. And, I like walls of text when they're positive or at least neutral. Negative walls of texts are worth apologizing for, but never apologize for WoTs otherwise. It's fun to know how readers' opinions and feelings toward characters grow over time. And, of course, it's always fun to have our hobby be called "pure awesomeness."
6153616 SOOONNN!!
6153618 Lovey says there's not enough pink.
6153784 What, the most recent Secrets chapter wasn't enough for you?
6153884 She totally didn't mean it that way!
6153894 Hmmm... maybe that means you had a psychic episode! Quick, lottery numbers for next mega millions!!
6154253 She doth protest; you are taking her out of context!
6154419 Yeah, remember how she reacted to the hoofball players back in her first year of high school? Yeah... She was lost long before this all started. She just didn't realize it yet.
6154487
6154487 I fear the consequences of her and Wing discussing literature. ROFL Her Silent Love would get really 'interesting' lol
6154487 Innuendos are best.
6154487 Ah ok. well thats always good too. cant wait for the next chapter!
6154487
Was the most recent chapter of Doomaday enough for you?
Pony!Crystal, I'd tell you to pull your mind out of the gutter, but honestly, I want to see the stories your dirty mind comes up with. Perhaps Her Silent Love might not be progressing fast, but if a rash of bodice (or would it be saddle?) rippers comes out, we'll know what caused it!
On a more serious note, seeing this from Crystal's side was hilarious, and Velvet's reaction to Rose Quartz being at the EWC was awesomesauce. Can't wait for Thursday.
6154487
Oh, I remember. Now we just need her to remember it for a bit... Silent probably would have gotten the hint a bit sooner if she had drooled on him once or twice.
Also, for the record, I don't entirely buy that anything happened between them in that last chapter of Secrets. Crystal was far too calm. But it was from Silent's perspective, so there's really no telling. He is, as always, far too silent.
It's so refreshing to read a story where the world isn't ending for once.
I could kick myself for putting this in my read it later folder and not getting to it sooner because once i started reading yesterday, i only put it down to sleep.
Yay Crystal's alone time with Silent Knight
6155408 Aww, thank you for reading and commenting. Don't kick yourself! It's kind of a niche story and pairing that with its length, Wishes has a home in the depths of several Read It Later lists. I'm glad you've enjoyed it so far! It's refreshing to write for that reason. It's low key and just fun to sit down and play with before/after work; a great stress relief for me. The fact that folks also like it is a bonus.
6154733 Crystal is a lady! Ladies do not write bodice rippers! And oh, assuming I get the chapter out on time on Thursday, we are going to see just how Velvet feels about the Prima Donna series.
6154878 Totally reasonable reasoning for not buying it! That happens about five in-story months from now, so we've some time before we get what really happened...
6155794 It's all she ever wanted! But not exactly what she expected!
6155842
I beg to differ. Ladies do wrote bodice rippers, and I'll use your own words to tell you why:
Are you going to propose that all 'ladies'are contented in their - *ahem* - private lives and have perfect control over their imaginations? I didn't think so. Then, after they have a full story build around them, they just publish them under - *gasp* - pen names! and keep any money generated in a seperate account
6155953 Shenanigans! I'm not a proper lady, so you can't use my words against Crystal.
6155957 Cop out! You know its true! Fess up!
I had to go back and puzzle over this chapter to figure this out. Then it hit me...
Ooooh! Now I see it!
S all K ay!
S K
Silent Knight... It would seem that Crystal has her dim moments as well...
[edit] As much as I loathe deleting comments, the previous four are deleted by me. NightWolf289 and I have made amends via PM and thus, I'm cleaning the slate.
I'm trying not to freak out.... breathing.... totally didn't nearly screech. I'M SO HAPPY YOU HAVE NO IDEA THANK YOU
Also, Lovey is just great. Absolutely great.
6157175 I was wondering when you'd show up! Next chapter!! Oh gosh I hope you like what happens I'm admittedly a little nervous.
Oh Crystal, as if Lovey was going to give you a straight answer.
Rose Quartz? Having just binged all of Steven Universe over the weekend, intentional reference or just a coincidence?
Oh lordy!
Ahh, the first etiquette lesson. Sooooooo clooooooose!
6157546 She had to learn that the hard way! She hadn't had enough Lovey exposure yet to know that the mare's half-crazed... (and yet she tends to make good sense!)
Unintentional coincidence. Rose Quartz belongs to Oswin, who didn't intend the Steven Universe reference (as far as I'm aware). But I do love some Steven Universe!! (I listen to "Stronger Than You" on repeat some days.)
New reader to your story, and all I can say is: Wow
Very much enjoying this story despite my normal cup of tea is adventure romance. But they this story has me hooked! What can I say? Life is an adventure and this life is an amazing one!
6157202 I'm down for whatever, this has given me happiness for around three years already
6157678 Thanks for reading despite the lack of an Adventure tag! I'm glad I could tickle your interests with this story and I hope to keep the "life adventure" interesting enough to keep you around!
I'm sure you will! The fact I caught up to where it's at in just two days. Sometimes I wonder if I read too much at work. But reading is more fun. I think I'll read your other stories here once I get back to work(Yes, 99% of my reading is done at work. Go me? )
*finally reaches this chapter, sees there's no "Next" button*
But, but, but... It was getting even better... I shall wait with my mouse over the refresh button if I have to, but I'm greatly looking forward to another chapter.
6158943 You won't wait for long! Today is update day!
Wait, it is? Oh, crap! Get back to writing, me!!
6158943 No new chapter?
*Hits Refresh*
Still nothing...
*Hits Refresh*
Still nothing...
*Hits Refresh*
Still nothing...
Yes, I know that feel, and I know that mouse mamba step so well I should have carpal tunnel...