Crystal sat, frozen in frightened anticipation as an unopened envelope hovered in front of her, addressed from Sunset Coffee. Fear coursed through her and kept her still as a statue while worries bounced around her mind.
She hadn't been by or sent him a status update in quite some time. Was he angry with her? Was this a notice that he was no longer her agent? She swallowed and slowly opened it to pull the letter out. A small picture fell when she unfolded it and, after catching it to get a better look, she smiled.
It depicted all of Sunset Coffee's foals playing in the fall leaves in one of Manehattan's parks, each wearing scarves of different colors of autumn. The youngest, Violet, chewed on a maple leaf the size of her head.
He always knew how to soften her up, which only made her more nervous about the letter's contents. Finally, she looked over the writing.
Crystal:
Haven't heard from you in a while. I assume that means things are either going really well, or not well at all. Either way, just let me know, all right? It would be great to debut the novel at this year's Equestrian Writers Convention, if you're far enough along. No pressure if not.
Always here,
Sunset
P.S. You should come to Manehattan soon. The fall foliage is beautiful... very inspiring for writers, heh!
Crystal read the letter over one more time before she let out a sigh of relief, then laughed at herself and shook her head. With renewed vigor, she sorted through the rest of the mail, reading each one while she went back to making tea.
"Hello!" Velvet called as she threw the door open.
The teacup dropped onto the counter with an unpleasant clank as Crystal startled by the sudden entrance.
Velvet continued in blissful ignorance. "What's for dinner?"
Crystal glared playfully at her. "Broken china and spilt tea."
"Oh." Velvet stopped in her tracks. "That doesn't sound worth coming home early for."
"Well, when you tell me not to wait up, that's what you get." She huffed and returned her attention to the mail. "Anyway, I haven't started dinner yet. I was waiting until I was hungry."
Velvet sighed, walking into the kitchen. It was a tight fit with the both of them, and she made sure to exaggeratedly bump her rump against Crystal's as she turned to the fridge.
"Fine, fine, fine, I'll get out of your way," Crystal said with a laugh and walked out into the living room. "So what happened that brought you home?"
"Club was full," Velvet explained simply while she unwrapped a leftover sandwich. "Couldn't get my groove on."
Crystal plopped down onto a pillow. "Ah, yes, the elusive and illustrious groove. Didn't you tell them never to throw off your groove?"
Velvet snorted around a bite of daisies and spinach on whole wheat.
Crystal tilted her head when she flipped a new letter to the top of the levitated stack. "Oh!"
"Oh?" Velvet walked over. "What?"
"It's been a while since I got a fan letter." She smiled. "At least, I assume that's what this is. It's forwarded from Manehattan, so..."
Velvet sat down beside her and took another bite of sandwich. "Well, fans don't really like to write to say 'Hey, that book you didn't publish yet? Yeah, good job on that.'"
Crystal huffed. "No, but new readers could always write."
"Would you just open it and read already?" Velvet nudged her.
Crystal giggled while her magic handled the envelope. Once it was opened, she read the letter aloud, "Dear C.W. Step, It embarrasses me to admit this about such a thing as romance novels, but I am a huge fan of your books."
"It's a stallion," Velvet interrupted, grinning eagerly. "It's totally a stallion."
Crystal huffed. "If you're not going to let me read it, then I'll keep it to myself."
Velvet sighed and leaned back. "All right, carry on."
Crystal cleared her throat before she continued, "Please don't take my embarrassment the wrong way, though; I love them, but I am apparently not supposed to enjoy that sort of thing as a young stallion trying to be respectable."
"Called it!" Velvet cheered, then lowered her head. "Continue."
Crystal eyed her for a long, quiet moment. "Ahem. Keep quiet. My father especially would disapprove, so I am a mere closet fan. The way you manage to make the characters just come to life on the pages is magical. I hope that someday I will find a special somepony to call my own and I know that, even if it's only half as amazing as books tell me, it'll be wonderful. I went—"
The borborygmic rumble from Velvet's stomach interrupted her this time. She rubbed her grumbly tummy before standing up. "Ugh, one sec."
Crystal snorted. "That's it, I'm done sharing this with you."
While Velvet huffed and complained her way to the kitchen to rummage for more leftovers, Crystal continued to read the letter to herself until Velvet returned with a bowl of soup.
"This is so sweet, he—" Crystal did a double-take and stared at the bowl in Velvet's hooves. "How long has that been in the fridge? What even is it?"
"Dunno." Velvet's stomach rumbled again. "Too hungry, don't care, what's so sweet?"
Crystal's nose scrunched up before she explained, "Apparently, he was at last year's Equestrian Writers Convention but didn't stop by the booth because he was embarrassed. And listen to this: Life should really be like one of your stories, where the reader knows it'll all work out in the end, but maybe I should start treating it like one. Maybe, if I work up enough courage, it'll all work in the end. I shouldn't worry about my silly fears and just take a leap of faith. If anything, that is one thing your books have taught me."
Velvet slurped her mystery soup, then put in, "Sounds like some pretty great advice. You should listen to him."
"Listen to his advice that he garnered from my own writing?" Crystal giggled. "That seems a little strange."
Slurrrp. "Whatever it takes to make you take a leap of faith into Silent Knight's armor!"
Crystal rolled her eyes and contemplated magically ripping the bowl away from the mare, but then thought better of it and instead stood up. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to work on my next book for my number one closet fan."
"See?" Velvet pointed at her. "By taking so long, you're depriving him and your other adoring fans! In fact, you're a downright villain. For shame, Crystal. Didn't your parents raise you better than that?"
Crystal flicked her tail as she started toward the bathroom, her notebook trailing after her. "Yes, yes. I'm going to take a bath to try to get my groove on. Try not to eat us out of house and home."
"No promises!" Velvet called just before the door shut behind Crystal.
While the bath was filling up with hot water, she tied her hair up into a loose bun and slipped in. "Now, let's see... Misty is done being coy. So what does she do?" She nibbled on the tip of her quill while she looked up at the ceiling. "Mm..."
The heat rose from the water in thin, wispy tendrils of steam that faded away into the cool air. She shivered at the drastic difference in temperatures as the water slowly rose around her. Once it reached her middle, her magic flicked the faucet off and closed her eyes.
For a moment, there was nothing but the sound of a few residual drops falling and hitting the water. Slowly, her body relaxed while her mind roamed for answers to the dilemma of where to take the plot.
The weight of other ponies waiting on her to finish writing started to smother her. Sunset was waiting. Luna was waiting. Her fans were waiting. Everypony was waiting.
Her eyes snapped open. It was too much! The weight of their expectations was too much. A shuddering gasp escaped her and she shifted uncomfortably against the porcelain tub.
She needed a distraction, but her greatest distraction was writing, and that was the source of her stress. An idea formed in the back of her mind at that conundrum and her notebook opened up to a new page. She just needed to write something else, something with no strings attached. Her eyes closed once more to let her mind wander freely.
The moon hovered above her, looking down with argent compassion. It was finally time. With Luna's blessing, she was going to cast off her self-conscious doubts and become a new mare.
"Hello?"
Ah, that voice. That wonderful voice sent a shiver down her spine, and she turned to see him approaching with those sturdy legs carrying him forward. Her knees went weak, but she forced herself to be strong. There would be time for weakness later.
"You said it was urgent. What is the matter?" His deep voice and silver eyes were full of gentle concern.
What could she say? For so long she had hesitated, had shied away from her true feelings. But now she knew that it was not words that she needed, but action. The path lay before her only if she were brave enough to walk it. Taking a step toward him and a deep breath, she prepared herself.
There was no turning back now. Tonight was the night. Tonight, she would be his.
The quill pulled away and Crystal tilted her head to reread her own writing. She yelped when she got to the end and nearly threw the notebook across the bathroom, recoiling to the far side of the tub. "Wh-what?!" The mixture of her embarrassment and the steaming water resulted in an overwhelming heat from which she felt like fainting.
She took a few ragged breaths as she stared, wide-eyed. "Luna! That's Luna's fault. She put the idea in my head, not me!" Splashing water in her face, she shook her head quickly to try to clear it. "I would, I would never..." Slowly, the notebook returned with the aid of her magic. "I couldn't... Could I?"
She swallowed, flipped a few pages further into the unexplored depths of the notebook, and tentatively lowered the quill to paper.
---
"I wish we had decided on Prance instead," Horsey mumbled as she drowned her wedding sorrows in a bowl of ice cream. She and Crystal were in the living quarters above the restaurant, both wearing fluffy robes and soaking their hooves in warm, lavender-scented water. "This has been a disaster so far."
Crystal blinked. "But it's only been a week! How can it already be a disaster?"
Horsey sniffed. "Every pony has an opinion, and with Sav busy at the restaurant, I have to make the decisions. A-and I'm not good at saying no to ponies." She looked at Crystal with big, soft eyes. "Can't you just move here for a few months?"
"We'll see... What exactly is going wrong?" She raised her spoon and took a delicate nibble of mint chocolate.
"Everypony is too nice, that's what." Horsey stuck out her lower lip. "And they're all so excited for the wedding that they're all offering to help out so they can be a part of it." She jerked her head up to look at the other with a small frown. "I have twelve flower fillies. Twelve! I don't even know all of their names!"
Crystal sputtered, nearly choking on the ice cream were it not for its quickly melted consistency. "That's more than Lady Cadence had at her own wedding!"
Horsey's ears drooped. "I know. I don't want his parents to think I'm being pretentious! Heavens to Betsy, I just want to be married. I don't want to make a show of it."
Crystal offered a small smile. "Don't worry. Tomorrow morning, I'll go around and take care of things, all right? I'll straighten it out if you just give me a list of ponies I need to let down."
"You don't mind?" Horsey looked up from her third bowl. "That's not embarrassing?"
"Anything for you, Horsey," Crystal replied, winking. "As your mare of honor, I swear on that honor that your wedding will be everything you dreamed of and more, even if that means I have to make little fillies cry."
Horsey leaned over from her seat to nuzzle Crystal's cheek. "Thanks so much, Crystal. You're the best."
---
"What do you mean I can't be a flower filly?!" a foal shrieked and stomped. "Fine, then if I can't be a flower filly, then I'll be the flower filly! Just wait, I'll tell Daddy. He'll straighten this out! Come on, Silver Spoon." She snubbed her nose and stormed away, the other filly following behind her after sticking her tongue out at Crystal.
Crystal blinked a few times, her head tilting slowly to one side until she sputtered into a laugh. Every generation had its Golden Pants, it seemed to her, and as she crossed Diamond Tiara off the list, she hoped the silver one would find her own path like Horsey.
She paused to look at the remaining names of fillies to fire. The last one was Twist, who apparently lived at the local confectionary, so Crystal started trotting down the street in the direction of the shop.
Ponyville truly was an idyllic little town, when it wasn't under attack or upside-down or run amok by whatever disaster was happening that week. Luckily, so far during her visit, nothing out of the ordinary had happened. She stopped, glanced around to see if she had jinxed herself, then giggled and continued onward.
Once she arrived at the confectionary, she knocked a few times. The top half of the stable door swung open and a filly poked her head out, a full head of red curls bouncing with the excited movement. She looked up at a Crystal through a pair of thick-framed glasses and smiled brightly. "Oh, hello? Can I help you?"
"Yes, you may," Crystal replied, returning the smile. "Are you Twist?"
The filly nodded. "Yeth, I am. Who are you?"
"I'm a friend of Horsey's, and—"
"Oh, yeth!" Twist hopped up and down. "The wedding! How ith that going?"
Crystal put a hoof on the half door separating them. "May I come in and talk?"
"Of courth, come on in!" Twist undid the latch and opened the door, gesturing to the nearest table. Her tone dropped to one of concern as she asked, "Ith everything okay?"
Crystal sat down and waited for Twist to sit as well. "There's been a small miscommunication, and there are too many flower fillies, I'm afraid."
Twist nodded slowly. "I kinda wondered that, 'cauth all the girlth at thchool talked about it." She giggled. "It kinda theemed like too many. Tho doeth that meanth I'm not a flower filly anymore?"
Crystal offered a small smile. "I'm afraid so, sweetie. I'm sorry."
Twist sighed, her ears drooping, but made a clear effort to keep a smile on her face. "Aww, that'th okay. I underthand. Thank you for taking the time to tell me fathe-to-fathe, though..." The smile grew sincere again. "Do you want thome peppermint candy?"
"Would it make you happy if I said yes and you'd forgive me for the bad news?"
Twist nodded, and the two giggled before the filly trotted behind the counter. After she returned with a bag of peppermint sticks, Crystal stood from her seat.
"Thank you for being so understanding, Twist," Crystal said as her magic took the bag. "It has nothing to do with you, all right? Horsey just got overwhelmed with all the offers."
"Yeah, 'th'okay." Twist smiled brightly. "Maybe nexth wedding I'll be a flower filly. Have a nithe day!"
Crystal nodded. "Keep your chin up and hooves crossed. And thank you for the peppermints!" She waved and walked out the door.
It was done. The disappointed faces, the tantrums, or the sad acceptances would probably haunt her for a while, but she smiled and carried on her way. At least it was done, and she still had some time before Horsey got off work.
A familiar red stallion caught her eye, and she turned her head to get a better look. "Axel?" She smiled. "Hi, Axel!"
Axel froze in place before his expression relaxed with recognition. "Oh, hi." He changed his course to head in her direction. "What are you doing in Ponyville?"
"My friend's getting married, so I'm helping with that." Her ears perked up. "Speaking of! Do you simply repair carts or do you also build them?"
Axel rubbed one foreleg with the other's hoof. "I build 'em. Why?"
Crystal rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "I would love to commission something special from you for the wedding. If you're not busy, why don't you let me buy you a drink and we'll discuss the details?"
"Well, um..." He hesitated, his eyes flicking about as he seemed to contemplate his options before nodding. "Okay, sure, I guess."
"Great!" She clapped her hooves. "Come along, then. I have a lot of ideas and I don't know a thing about cart-building!"
Axel chuckled and followed alongside her. "Then you're talking to the right pony, Miss Crystal."
Crystal, please don't turn these stories into Fifty Shades of Pink.
I cracked up when she started to write like that.
First off, that sneaky word use! Brilliant! And it only makes Velvet's character even more amazing.
Second off, I don't think I ever gave you permission to use my fan letter,,, Wait... Scratch that! I totally never, ever, ever wrote anything like that.
Third, it's like Velvet is taking a crack at my own writing habits...
Hah! You can blame it on Luna all you want, but you're the one who wrote those words, Crystal, not Luna. And hey, maybe it'll give you just enough courage to actually say something to Silent...
hahahaha, no, we know it won't work, but hey, she'll get some neat stories and some pleasant dreams out of it at least.
6128104
I don't think you have to worry about that. Crystal is a much better writer than wossname...whoever wrote Fifty Shades. Seriously, some of the things in that book are so bad I'm almost positive the author made it bad on purpose. The thought that someone could write that and actually believe that it was good is just... I can't even.
Crystal's used to dealing with Canterlot ponies, so she shouldn't have too much trouble with Filthy Rich.
That was a really nice letter from a fan. It's sad that even in this day and age, some people can't just be open about what makes them happy or feel special without being mocked or ridiculed.
But enough about the sad stuff! Horsey's getting married and she doesn't know how to assert her wants? Well, I suppose that means she won't be a bridezilla, though it does open up these new problems. Diamond Tiara isn't the kind of filly to let something go, so I hope the other fillies don't pay the price!
Great chapter, which lead to a random question: Would it be a possibility for you to occasionally include fan-letters to Crystal in your story, similar to what you've done in this chapter? Perhaps let your fans write them, and you pick and choose whenever you feel the need to include one?
That's Diamond Tiara for you---always being the spoiled, stuck-up sore-loser.
So sorry for the late update, but at least it was in the right day (in my timezone)? I can't promise that Thursday won't be another late nighter, so please bear with me until I get my normal RL schedule back. I really appreciate y'all's patience.
Also, not that anyone has asked (which I appreciate the lack of pressure), that "50 Fan Favorite" picture from some time ago is still in the works. The artist let me know the background is completed and that the characters are sketched out, so hopefully we will see that soon!
6128103 Never throw off Emperor Velvet's groove!
6128104 Next chapter title: "Sexy Fun Times in HD IMAX" (that's the only vague, peculiar 50 Shades reference I know) Crystal and I are both going to sell out.
6128125 The groove! It's very important to Velvet's club life.
6128137 Hahah! Are you saying you were taking a bath with my OC? I don't know how I feel about that.
6128198 Did the word use meet your satisfaction? I figured I could get away with it as long as it involved Velvet. And, re: third, I was taking a crack at myself, by the day-late update last week and today's late hour update. I mean, I know I still do pretty good when it comes to the frequency of updates, but I've set a standard for myself that I feel guilty when I fall short.
6128211 It's got to start somewhere... And it starts with smut! Dirty, dirty smut! Okay, knowing Crystal, it was probably so beat-around-the-bush (...harrr) that it could get by an Everyone rating, but she tried.
6128217 That and Filthy Rich always seemed like a nice guy! He'll just make Diamond wear that bunny costume again. To the wedding! Ooh, the humiliation...
6128313 Thankfully, Horsey has Crystal to keep things straight! Oh, wait, but Crystal has to go back to Canterlot at some point... Well, I'm sure things will be just fine.
6128429 W-well, the fan letter was a bit of a surprise from CaDragon. I can't make any promises but if I receive any more I can find a place for them (much like it was in this chapter, more or less), or for very brief cameos at the upcoming Equestrian Writers Convention. Not that... I'm asking for either? But since you asked, it's certainly something I can accommodate, but not something I'd ask for because that seems so very, very pretentious of me?
6128478 It was an easy decision when I knew I wanted to show an ex-flower filly not reacting well to the news. Who would react that way? Uh... duh! DT!
6128491
She denies any and all association with such calibre of writing. It never happened, you can't prove it, and she'll never pony up (heehee) to it.
6128514 Aww. Have an even happier Pinkie in thanks for your kind words! I am both happy and terrified that you folks like my story. Happy because how cool is it that there over 300 people in this world that liked my story enough to upvote and/or to favorite? Terrified because every chapter feels like a new opportunity to trip over my own shoelaces and wake up to 300 conversions to downvotes.
Excuse me while I tie my shoelaces, then go to bed... See you all, ideally, on Thursday with the next chapter!
6128482
i.imgur.com/1TRpJyt.jpg
But seriously though, I'm curious to see what would happen if Crystal ever did write a legit erotic story. I know she won't (at least, nothing she'd actually publish), but it's still an amusing thought.
Virgins always write the best erotic stories.
I'm pretty sure that her romance obsession would kick in and she'd end up writing a perfect, idealised interpretation of events, but at the same time, she's definitely got a raunchy side to her that she only seems to show around Velvet, so who knows. She might surprise me. Maybe Silent's worry about having to date both of them was him channeling one of her unpublished stories? ...I need a suggestive eyebrow wiggle emoticon for sentences like that...
6128485 I'm assuming that Crystal had to also dismiss the Cutie Mark Crusaders? Or are they participating as flower girls? Because I remember them being great flower girls at Shining Armor and Cadence's wedding.
6128482
Ooooooo... I actually hope not. Well, not you. I definitely want Crystal to sell out. Off camera though. I really want just the reaction shots and maybe some choice fan-mail forwarding courtesy of a certain Princess who just happens to be well-connected and in the know.
Me: cool! A realistic OC fic!
(Sees its over 50 chapters) oh geez, I'm into one shots
personal challenge accepted!
The next chapter of Anypony for Doomsday? is not finished yet. I just wanted to let you know that I'm placing all the blame for that on you.
It's nothing personal, Crystal.
It's just... funny business.
But... But...
I just read this entire thing in one sitting and it's really late at night and there are no more chapters right now and SILENT KNIGHT ISNT WITH CRYSTAL WISHES YETTTTTTTTTTTTTTT.
I see that Crystal will be writing under a new pseudonym soon. I'll check the local stores for the first novel by T. W. Hoof.
6128482
If you want a short little story that kinda sorta fits this check out Naked Singularity. It is beautiful.
6128482 Or he'll have Crystal decide DT's punishment as a way of having her make amends for her rude behavior, I'm sure Crystal could think of a few punishments she hoped would weed the mean out of Golden when she was Diamond's age.
Hmm, only problem with response roundups is when it gets a downvote, I have no idea what I said wrong. I apologize for whatever it was that earned last night's roundup someone's displeasure... but good morning, everyone! We got some new readers overnight so yay!
6128562 Who knows with Crystal anymore! With how frazzled she could potentially be with the weddings, she might just send Sunset Coffee the wrong manuscript. Talk about awkward! And, well, as far as her being more raunchy around Velvet, they're besties, it's totes okay.
6128588 Crystal didn't get to see them at the wedding, so I suppose it depends on if they did a good enough job that word-of-mouth got around... and, of course, whatever it is Horsey wants!
6128604 Oh, my, well, I guess we'll have to find out if Crystal is bold enough to even think of doing such a thing!
6128624 Well, I'm glad my dauntingly long fic caught your eye, and hope to see you 'round these parts again!
6128732 Aww, shucks, thanks. I appreciate the sentiment! I'll keep updating regardless of my anxiety and look forward to proving you right!
6128782 You can only blame me for so long before I start to blame you back!
6128786 Hello there! Welcome to the show, thank you for taking the time to read and comment! And don't worry, I update at least once a week, so those two schmucks will get together at some point. I mean, of course they will, right? They have to, don't they? ...
6129169 Hah! I like it, T.W. Hoof. And I'll have to check that out!
6129251 I bet she could think of a thing or two!
I stayed up to 2:30am waiting for an update, but there was none, so I went to bed... And then, bam, update at 4:44
She fired DT, but does it mean that she also fired Silver Spoon? I hope not. This would be a nice opportunity to kinda nugde her in the right direction. I hope this will be a thing.
Also, Crystal is now officialy deeply involved in two weddings. Citing one of the previous chapters, 'Crystal, what have you gotten youself into?'
New vocabulary added: argent, Heavens to Betsy
According to phrases.org.uk it is a mild exclamation of surprise, so I dunno how it fits the situation. Is Horsey just surprised that organizing a wedding is so tiring/difficult/troublesome?
6128562
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6129451 Sorry about the late update. We didn't see her fire Silver Spoon, but we also don't know if Silver Spoon was one of the twelve. In my mind, Diamond Tiara butted Silver Spoon out of the opportunity ("But somepony has to hold the camera to make sure there are pictures of me, Silver Spoon!").
As for the Heavens to Betsy exclamation, that is how it is usually used (shock/surprise), but as most dialogue goes, the speaker isn't necessarily always using things correctly or how they're oft used. Folksy sayings are also kinda flexible that way. In this case Horsey meant it as an exclamation of exasperation / current expression of prior shock at the whole situation she's gotten into. She's learning more folksy talk by osmosis of living in Ponyville for a couple years now, so it could be argued that one just got lost in translation.
6129469 When I first read that line, I immediately thought of exasperation, so you achieved what you wanted. But then, I went to look it up and got confused. Thanks for explaining.
Velvet's questionable soup entertained me more than it should have. And no Crystal, don't be kind to Diamond Tiara! Crush her little filly heart for being a jerk! Awesome chapter, as always!
6129534 It really entertained me, too. I think it's because we've all been there at one point or another in desperation, and have also witnessed someone else do the same thing in disgust.
6128495 *whistles innocently and eyes a PM*
Nice job with this chapter. I think it was great to see the comments about the groove. Also, I loved the correlation between Diamond Tiara and Golden Pants. I think we both know what Crystal needs to finish her story. Great job. Good luck with the next chapter.
6129539 I can't pass any judgement on Velvet because it was my roommate who was certain that someday after I ate something he was going to have to call the paramedics for me. (he never had to)
*singsong* Oh, Crystal Wiiisheees... are you getting hot in that tub?
I love that you included Twist! Admittedly, her voice was a bit too nasally, but her lisp and her character was adorable. It's too bad we didn't see more of her.
Your story is too cute
After reading it so far, I'm actually inspired to re-write my own story. Maybe even pull it out and change the tittle.
Guess I'll make it more cannon too. And your collaborations with other writers is wonderful too.
Heh, finally got around to reading my updated stories. Another great chapter, I was legitimately blushing as she read my letter.
I didn't mean for it to make her feel pressured, though. Oops.
ALSO:
6129305
I went full Luna on that name, forgive me.
The Wandering Hoof.
Next chapter Velvet gets sick. Nobody questions the soup.
6129751 I had fun with it! Yes, I've been waiting for a day to make that comparison and have it make sense, since originally that's all Golden Pants and High Horse were: my carbon copies of DT and SS. That derailed a bit for one of 'em, obviously!
6129763 Yeah, I felt bad for Twist! Apple Bloom and her seemed to be established friends, then Apple Bloom just up and ditched her for her new friends. I know friendships can be volatile at that age, but yeesh... it's like Twist never even existed sometimes!
6129816 Aww, thank you! I'm humbled that I could inspire you! I wish you the best of luck in your literary endeavors. My motto is just write what you love, and the writing will love you back.
6129859 Heehee, it's okay, I think right now she could use a little pressure to get her flank in gear, either in love or in writing! Whichever gets her moving forward! Again, thank you for the letter. Velvet had fun with it, as you saw.
6129864 BAHahaha! Honestly, in my mind, I was thinking "The Wishful Hoof" ... so I wasn't too far off. You definitely went more Luna than my mind did, though. (Why does Luna not have an emoticon? For shame...)
6129918 The soup did nothing wrong! It just sat in the back of their fridge for an undetermined amount of time, that's all.
6129816
A tittle is the little dot above the i. So what are you changing it to?
6129967 my spell checker didn't catch that, I meant the name of my whole story. Not really good at giving my own stuff good names.
6130017 Don't worry, I'm not great at titles either.
Labyrinth - A crossover with the Labyrinth movie.
Crystal's Wishes - A story about the lifelong wishes of Crystal Wishes.
Lovey Dovey and the Business Pony - A story about a pony named Lovey Dovey and her interactions with Magnate, a business pony.
I am not a clever girl.
6130017
Spellchecker wouldn't catch it, tittle is an actual word. I got what you were saying, I was trying to make a joke. As to naming I'm not great at it either.
But it doesn't matter if it's unimaginative, some of the best works titles aren't hugely witty or inspiring. Harry Potter and the (Insert plot device), Lord of the Rings (Basically Sauron), The Hobbit (Main protagonist is a hobbit), Star Trek (Translation: Star Adventure), Star Wars (A war in space), trying to convey some deep and profound meaning behind a title is not required for success.
Crystal, that bath scene scene! <insert (in)appropriate Luna emote here>
Figures that Diamond would be a brat about the flower filly issue and that Twist would be reasonably pragmatic. I half expected Crystal to rush back and re-enlist her for the wedding once she tasted the peppermint sticks.
Love the referance in this. Made me laugh for a good bit. Anyway loved the chapter, Luna has been a naughty princess muhahahahah. Then again I cant blame her. A shame about having to turn down certain fillies for the wedding. at least Twist took it well. On a last note:
alot2thinkabout.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/threw-off-my-groove.gif?w=640
6130303 It's fine. Vanilla frosting is perfect for my cake!
Finally caught up after a few days of reading. Both good and sad, as now I have to wait.
But I have a very very big question. When is Velvet going to confess her unending love to Crystal?! Been waiting for it since a little before they moved in together!
6131368 So long as nothing crazy happens, the next update will be tomorrow!
Good question! I guess we'll have to wait and see!
This was sort of a 'meh' chapter for me. It honestly felt like filler.
6130215 Hehehe... Well, we haven't seen her try the peppermints yet!
6130566 I definitely do not regret the groove reference! Totally worth the laughs it garnered.
Ah curse these time zones! They drive me to drink! If only I could read the updates to your wonderful story when you post them. Oh well, thems the brakes I suppose. Better late than never. So Crystal tries to write a bit of her story and gets stuck for a bit when her mind "wanders". Later she goes through with helping High Horse with her wedding preparations. All in all it seems to be quite a productive week for Crystal. I know with Crystal there, Horsie's wedding should go as smooth as butter.
Ah before I forget, thank you ever so much for the cameo of my OC. I am really glad he can play a small part in the wedding.
I've read some of the comment traffic and noticed you may have concerns about how us as readers might be displeased with how you update your story. Now, I know I am probably just another voice in the choir of people reassuring you otherwise, but I just want to remind you; this is your story and us as readers are guests in your home that is your FimFiction profile. Real life comes first and you do what you need to do to keep your real life as stress free as possible. Us readers can wait if you have to delay the story a bit to straighten out your real life. Don't let a negative comment or a down vote hurt you too badly. You are a very talented writer and your stories reflect that.
6131738 I'm very glad you liked your cameo. Thank you for being a Patron! I look forward to sharing Axel's return. The cart building was just too perfect; in my mind, Crystal is looking to commission the equivalent of our post-wedding limousine ride.
And thanks, I appreciate your words. I don't think it's any secret that I'm not the most confident person 'round these parts, but I'm trying to get better about it. It helps to have great readers like y'all.
TWIST IS ADORABLE!!!!
Oh Moon and Stars above!
So much aborableness!
6135898 I will go back through at some point and correct the mistakes. If it is only stray when it's something totally out of my wheelhouse, then I feel pretty good about that.
6137620 The usage of the word "chain" is more of a simile than a metaphor in this case. It's just the easiest word that has a meaning close to what I meant, and also isn't exactly what I'm saying happened. In the comment you reference I was just making a "Starbucks across the street from a Starbucks" joke. But I like playing devil's advocate so here goes!
I like the absurdity of Quills and Sofas being a multi-city store, given the very fact that it doesn't seem like there would be a demand for it. Maybe we just don't appreciate how often ponies go through sofas. Or, perhaps, Quills and Sofas started as a Canterlot store and expanded to Ponyville because of their close proximity. Canterlot has a high school / community college as established in the comics, there is also the school for gifted unicorns. Those would put quills in high demand. I've also established that Canterlot has a very fashionable and fickle society, which might mean couches and sofas travel in and out of style on a monthly basis! They need new sofas yesterday to stay ahead of tomorrow's fashion trend!
I'm not attempting to set any of these ideas in stone, because folks have all sorts of opinions and laying down head canon not pertinent to the plot in the first chapter seemed like risky business. Some things are safe to leave to a person's imagination and invoke fun conversation!
As for what she's buying, I guess I just assumed it was obvious. It's a store that sells quills and sofas, sofas generally don't go in small boxes, and she likes to write. She's also a regular (I attempted to establish this, anyway), and she made it clear when they walked in that she didn't want her order blurted out (Mr. Quills is an older stallion, he can pick up on a social cue or two). She's also downtrodden and not exactly thinking about the quills first and foremost, so her thoughts aren't "Golly gee, so glad I got this package of quills!" at the moment. In my head, I mentioned it was a plain-looking box to try to imply she's not buying anything fancy, more like those multipacks of Bic pens you can get at just about any store. It seems a little absurd to buy generic pens/quills one-by-one but I suppose I just assumed that specific exact detail wasn't very interesting or important. This is also the first chapter, where I was much more tentative of giving information overload when OC stories have enough stigma as it is.
I will take a look at the end again and see if I can clarify it in a way that makes sense to me and the character's mindset, though. I shouldn't assume any of my assumptions were as obvious as they were to me. It's the first time the question has come up but I won't assume it's the last so I'll try to address it.