"Velvet..." Crystal sighed.
Velvet raised a hoof to stop her and sucked in a wheezing gasp for air before another bout of laughter shook her whole frame. She dropped the hoof back down to clutch her sides and hunched forward as she continued to laugh.
Crystal sighed and looked over at Horsey. The mare had been waiting with Velvet for when Crystal got home and was currently sitting on one of the pillows and giggling behind a hoof. "Since she's out of commission—"
"Crust!" Velvet shrieked in between gasps for air. "Crust!"
"—how have you been?" Crystal smiled.
Horsey's mirth deflated. "Oh." Her ears drooped. "Oh, um, no, it's okay, I think I'm fine with enjoying Velvet's reaction to your story."
Velvet reached out to grab Crystal by the shoulders. "Y-y-your mother... pizza!"
"Yes, Velvet." Crystal frowned at her. "Seriously, it's not that funny."
Horsey giggled. "It kind of is, though."
Crystal held her frown for as long as she could before she cracked a grin. "It really is, isn't it? I never would have imagined in all my life that my mother came from a family of pizza makers!"
After a round of giggling and laughter, Velvet wiped her eyes and looked at Horsey. "Okay, okay, okay. So enough about Crystal's awesome trip of great discoveries. You said you had something to tell us when Crystal got home, and she's home now."
Horsey shrunk back under the weight of their expectant stares. "Oh. Oh, okay, I guess we can talk about it."
"What? What is it?" Velvet leaned in, a grin spreading across her lips.
Horsey breathed in and, instead of an explanation, she merely let out a soft whine. Crystal and Velvet just kept staring, so she was eventually compelled to say, "I'm—I'm pregnant."
Velvet gave a shriek of delight while Crystal's hooves flew to her face and her heart skipped a beat. "What?!" they cried together.
"Horsey, that's wonderful!" Crystal trembled as excitement coursed through her. "You're going to be a mother!"
Velvet bounced on the tips of her hooves. "I'm going to be an aunt!"
The two paused to peer at Velvet before Horsey said, "You two don't understand. I'm very pregnant." Her lower lip trembled. "I-I'm due in four months!"
Velvet's eyes went wide. "Oh my gosh! Why didn't you tell us sooner?!"
"Because I'm so embarrassed! What if ponies do the math?" Horsey buried her face in her hooves.
"The math?" Velvet looked at Crystal as her brow furrowed, who mirrored the confused expression.
Horsey drew a shaky breath as she explained in a tentative whisper, "I got—I got pregnant on—on my wedding night."
Crystal tilted her head. "There's nothing wrong with that, I don't believe?"
There was a pause before Velvet gasped and jabbed Crystal in the side with one hoof. "Crystal! Crystal!"
Crystal winced and glared at her. "What?"
Horsey tried to disappear into the pillow while Velvet exclaimed, "She had two wedding nights!"
"O—ooh!" Crystal laughed and waved a hoof. "Oh, Horsey! You were a married mare! It's not that big of a deal!"
"But what if it is?" Horsey squeaked. "If they do the math, then they'll think that we got married because I got pregnant. If we tell them the truth, then they'll be upset that the wedding was fake!"
Velvet paced a circle around them. "It'll be fine. I mean, worst case, you just own up to it. What are they going to do? Kick you out of town? Seriously? This is Ponyville we're talking about. The ponies there are the nicest in all of Equestria!"
Crystal nodded. "Velvet does have a good point. Besides." She giggled, throwing her hooves in the air. "Who could be upset when they hear that you're having a foal! Nopony's going to sit down and do the math when the little one's born and they see how absolutely adorable and perfect she or he is."
Horsey moved her hooves to glance between them and offered a weak smile. "Do you really think so?" When they both gave emphatic nods, her smile gained strength. "Oh, I really hope you're right. Sav just said it didn't matter what ponies thought, but it does! What if it hurts his business?" The smile fell into a worried frown. "What if they start rumors about us and—"
"Shh." Velvet slapped a hoof over Horsey's mouth. "Stress isn't good for the foal. Think happy thoughts." She grinned. "You do know how to do that, right?"
The corners of Horsey's lips lifted around the hoof and she nodded. "Mmhm."
"Great! So, then, have you two thought of names yet?" Velvet pulled her hoof back to steeple it with its counterpart. "I think High Velvet Wishes would be a totally perfect name."
Horsey burst into a chime of giggles, shaking her head. "I want my foals to have nice, simple, normal names. Not like mine at all. Maybe something Prench... We don't know yet."
"Foals?" Crystal repeated with emphasis. "Are you having twins?!"
"What? Oh, no!" Horsey waved her hooves. "No, no. Just one. For now." A dark red hue showed through her coat. "S-Sav wants, well, more than just one. He wants at least two... I kind of want three..."
Velvet rolled her eyes. "Then name them High, Velvet, and Wishes. It still works!"
Crystal and Horsey looked at each other, shook their heads, and just laughed. Velvet feigned offense for as long as she could before succumbing to laughter herself.
---
Silent settled into the seat across from Crystal and picked up the menu waiting for him. "It's been a while since you invited me out for lunch during my work hours."
Crystal giggled. "Maybe this is something we should start doing again. Provided you're not too busy to have lunch, of course."
"I can probably make room in my schedule." He wiggled his ears as he looked over the lunch options. "Hmm, have we eaten here before?"
"We have!" She tapped her hooves together. "I doubt you remember, but I invited you to lunch, ah, well over a year ago and we ate here. It was the day before the game night with Princess Luna, where you walked me home"—heat filled her cheeks and rose to the tips of her ears—"and I realized I was falling in love with you."
Silent sat perfectly still, gazing at her with a stoic, unreadable expression until he lowered the menu. "I'm glad this place has a fond memory for you."
Laughter bubbled up from her chest. "You don't remember, do you?"
"I'm sorry." He shook his head. "The place and menu are familiar, but—"
Crystal raised a hoof, smiling. "It's fine. That's why you have me, to remember all of the inconsequential moments that happened that are important to me. Now, before we dive into wedding details, how was your trip?"
"It was fine. Happy to be home... I think. I guess it depends on the wedding details." He flashed a light grin before returning to idly deciding what to eat. "So?"
"Okay!" Crystal leaned back and lifted her gaze to the ceiling. "Well, I have an appointment scheduled with the florist next week and I would very much like for you to be there. I don't know what I want and I'm hoping you can help."
He glanced up to stare at her, one brow raised.
"All right, let me rephrase." She laughed. "I don't know what I want and I'm hoping you being there will prevent me from spending three days standing in a florist shop, frozen with indecision."
"I can stand. I'll even nod and smile. This is your dream wedding, dear, so I won't talk you out of anything." He smiled as he tapped the menu against the table. "Especially since it's on your parents' bit and not mine."
Crystal's ears perked upright. "Oh! Yes. Speaking of dream wedding, well, it appears that I may be getting mine after all."
He tilted his head. "In what way?"
"You know that Raven and I have been friends for a while, right?" She shifted in her seat. "She's arranging for the garden area to be temporarily transformed into a rose garden for the wedding."
"I see." He sat in thoughtful silence for a while, set down his menu for the last time, and chuckled as he shook his head. "You're a lucky mare, aren't you?"
Crystal winked. "I managed to get engaged to a stallion like you, so I would have to agree!" She giggled and raised a hoof to flag down a waiter. "You missed a lot while you were gone. We found out that Horsey is pregnant and that my mother is from a very, very large Itailian family."
Silent blinked a few times before he repeated, "A very large Itailian family? Are we talking about the same mother or do you have another you haven't mentioned before?"
"Same mother! Can you believe it? I found out that I have four uncles, two aunts, and a whole lot of cousins all of a sudden!" She inclined her head, smiling at the stallion who approached their table. "Hello, Rossby!"
Rossby glowered at her, then glanced between the two of them. "Hi. Would you make up your mind on whether or not you're avoiding me or stalking me? This is getting annoying."
Silent furrowed his brow. "What?"
"Don't mind him," Crystal said, waving a dismissive hoof. "He's an old friend with a twisted sense of humor." She returned her smile to Rossby. "How far are you in the series?"
A light red flush spread across Rossby's cheeks and he snapped, "I don't know what you're talking about! Are you going to order something or not?"
Silent's curious expression remained in place while Crystal said, "Of course, of course. I'll have my usual. Silent?"
"Oh. The grilled zucchini, please."
Rossby snatched their menus and started to turn away, but Crystal's magic grabbed his hooves before he could start walking.
"Wait, wait," she said, "before you go, I wanted to give you this." She levitated a folded paper over to him. "It's a list of my recommendations. I thought, perhaps, we could meet every other week to talk about what you've read?"
"Like a... book club or something?" He frowned at her, then took the paper out of her magic. He glanced at Silent, who looked away to stay out of the conversation, then scrunched up his nose. "Sure. Fine. Whatever. Now let me go, or else neither of you are getting anything to eat or drink."
The pink aura dissipated from his hooves and he hurried off toward the kitchen. Silent stared after him before looking across the table. "Should I be worried?"
"Worried? About Rossby?" Crystal laughed, shaking her head. "Absolutely not. He's more like an annoying kid brother than anything else."
"I mean... Doesn't Rossby work at Runic's?" Silent tilted his head. "What is he doing here?"
Crystal nodded. "Oh, he does. He also works here, at Café au Lait, SunBucks, Platinum Salon & Spa, and I think at least one other place. Honestly, I can't keep track. He works a lot for somepony his age."
Silent just blinked a few times, then shrugged and smiled. "All right. Well, then, are there any other wedding developments I should know about?"
Crystal shook her head. "Nothing that I think you care about. I've coordinated the tablecloths, decided on how the napkins should be folded, picked centerpieces, and other things that give you that glazed-over look you're giving me right now."
"Sorry." He chuckled softly and reached across the table to take her hooves in his. "I do care. At least, I care that you care. If that's not enough for you then we have a serious problem."
"Hmm..." She pursed her lips, then giggled and squeezed his hooves. "It'll do for now."
"That's great, because I'm hungry and I don't want to fight right before we eat."
"Oh, is your stomach really all you can think about?" She stuck out her bottom lip in a pout.
"Yup!" He leaned back, withdrawing his hooves to set them on his side of the table. "That's how stallions work, or so my stomach tells me."
Her pout faded as she succumbed to giggling. "I'll keep that in mind and make sure to bake muffins the next time I need a favor from you."
He smiled and winked. "I'm not saying that you have to do that, but I'm also not saying it will hurt your odds."
---
"Okay, sweetie, you're going to have to slow down!" Crystal laughed as Dot tugged one of her forelegs in a single-minded mission of getting the three of them to the florist as quickly as possible.
Silent trotted alongside them, chuckling. "I don't think she can hear you."
"Flowers, flowers, flowers!" Dot chimed with every hop and skip. "Flower filly's gonna help with flowers, flowers, flowers!"
Crystal shook her head, her mane bouncing and fluttering from all the movement. "I feel so out of shape all of a sudden!"
Silent lengthened his stride to get ahead of Dot and gestured at the sign advertising Leafy's shop. "There it is, Dot. Slow up and take a right!"
Dot nodded and let go of Crystal's leg to jump onto Silent's back. "Take me to the flowers, Silent Knight!"
Without missing a beat, Silent broke into a gallop, skidded to turn himself toward the door, and bounded into the shop. By the time Crystal caught up to them, however, the mood had changed. Dot was still excitedly bouncing around, but Silent seemed paralyzed by the nigh countless types of flowers that suddenly surrounded him.
"Don't worry, this hopefully won't take long," Crystal whispered as she walked past him and toward the counter. "Hi, Leafy Roots!"
The mare glanced up from the flowers she had been arranging and smiled. "Hello. Crystal Wishes and Silent Knight, I presume?"
"That's us!" Crystal shifted her weight to her hind legs and rested her forehooves on the counter.
Dot jumped straight up into the air to peek over the edge. "Hi!"—hop—"I'm here!"—hop—"I'm Dot!"
Leafy blinked a few times. "Oh, um, h-hi?"
"She's the sister of a friend," Crystal quickly explained, glancing between all of their faces. Leafy seemed somewhat uncertain, Dot couldn't stop beaming, and Silent was staring forward with his shoulders squared. How typical of him to resort to his guard stance when out of his element.
"And the flower filly!" Dot squeaked.
"And the flower filly," Crystal repeated.
Leafy's expression lifted into a smile. "Oh, okay, then. We'll, let's start there, okay? Rose petals for the flower filly?"
Crystal chewed her bottom lip. "I suppose I hadn't really thought about that. Are there any other flowers that are typically used?"
"Well," Leafy started, moving over to a book and flipping through the pages, "some brides like to deviate from traditional rose petals and use something more exotic, such as cherry blossoms. Hydrangeas are another popular substitute. Rose petals are the most common, though, of course."
Crystal bobbed her head slightly. "I see... oh!" She reached out to tap on one of the pages before it could be turned. "I like that! Are those white rose petals with writing on them?"
"Yes, ma'am. You can even choose the writing and they'll be custom painted for your wedding, though I think you said yours was in just a few months. It would be expensive but I could put it in for a rush order."
"Mm..." Crystal looked at Silent. He just stared straight ahead. She looked down at Dot. She just kept bouncing around. "Dot?"
The filly stopped moving to look up at her. "Huh? Yeah?"
"What kind of flowers do you want in your basket?" She smiled.
Dot hummed as she stared at the floor in thought, then replied, "I think white rose petals. They'll look the best on green grass. You said it was gonna be in a rose garden, right? Then white rose petals."
Crystal turned her gaze back to Leafy. "You heard the filly. White rose petals, please."
"Do you want the writing on them?" Leafy lifted an order form and waited.
Crystal grumbled with indecision until finally shaking her head. "No, no writing. Plain is fine. It's not as though anypony will be picking them up to read them, right?"
Leafy just shrugged and marked down the selection. "All right, well, moving on to the bouquet, what did you have in mind?"
"Well, you see, as Dot mentioned, the wedding is going to take place in a rose garden. I was told they will be beautiful red roses, which I'm also told is because they are in season during the winter months. I love roses, but I don't want the bouquet to be washed out by the others."
Leafy nodded. "So, no red roses in the bouquet."
"Oh, no, I think I do want red roses." Crystal shifted from one hoof to the other. "Just not that specific kind of red rose. And not solely red—white included as well. Primarily white, actually, I guess? With a splash of red. Do you have different kinds of red roses?"
Leafy blinked a few times. Crystal knew how strange she sounded, but the words weren't coming out right. It didn't help that her heart was fluttering with nerves and Silent was just staring off into space.
Slowly, Leafy turned her gaze to Silent, and he noticed her just enough to offer a shrug in response.
"Well, Miss Wishes," Leafy started, hesitated, and continued, "obviously I don't know what kind of roses are going to be in the garden, so I don't know what red to avoid. But I do have many different pink roses, as well as some light red ones. Or maybe crimson would be better?"
Dot groaned, her enthusiasm seeming to wane. Crystal shifted again. She needed to make a decision before the filly lost interest and Silent fell asleep. "Perhaps, do you have any pictures of bouquets you've done for previous weddings?" She tried to smile. "A visual might help me better show what I'm trying to explain."
Leafy nodded and pushed the small book of flower petals aside to set a much larger one in its place. "Excellent idea, ma'am. I've had the pleasure of arranging the bouquets for numerous weddings, so I know we'll work out exactly what you're looking for."
Silent picked Dot up and set her on his back. She leaned forward to look at the book with Crystal and said, "Thanks, Silent!"
"Yup." Silent's gaze returned forward.
"Now, this bouquet was all red flowers," Leafy explained as she gestured to a page of pictures. "It had a few white ones in it. Are you thinking something like this, but reverse in the ratio?"
Crystal pursed her lips. The bouquet was lovely, but it was missing something. An assortment of just roses seemed to be... well, 'just roses', which ordinarily would be fine, but her heart wanted something more. Of course, it wasn't being very clear on what 'more' was.
"No, no, no!" Dot squealed as she hopped off Silent's back, landing on the counter, and tugging the book away from Leafy. "Don't you get it, ma'am?" She flipped a few pages and slammed her hoof down. "She wants it like this one! See? You just take out the red red ones in this one. Add in three white ones here!" Her hoof dotted all along the picture. "A crimson one there to blend the different reds, and maybe mix in something other than a rose for contrast!"
Silent started to reach for Dot and his mouth opened to apologize to Leafy, but a flash of white caught everypony's attention. They all stared as a white glimmer stretched out from golden centers to form the petals of two white flowers on the filly's flank.
"And then you'll need to wrap a pearl ribbon around to offset the green, and maybe throw in some foal's breath, for some extra flare!"
Crystal could only gasp as beneath the image of the two flowers, light green stems that contrasted with her dark green coat stretched down and intertwined. A bright flash illuminated the whole cutie mark, adding the final touch of a pink heart where the stems overlapped.
Dot trailed off in her explanation when she noticed all three pairs of eyes on her. She looked around at them and frowned. "What?"
"Dot," Crystal said in a breathless voice, a wide smile tugging at her lips, and pointed at the mark. "Look, sweetie."
Dot looked down and jolted a few inches into the air, gasping loudly, and spinning around. "My cutie mark?!" She stopped turning around to face them and beamed. "I got my cutie mark!"
Leafy laughed behind a hoof. "Well, then, maybe that's a sign I should hire her."
Dot ignored the comment, instead jumping off the counter and into Silent's embrace. She wrapped her forelegs tightly around his neck and squealed, "Take me home! I want to show Iridescence! Please, can we go home?"
Crystal nodded and waved a hoof to shoo them off. "Absolutely. I can take the rest from here now that Dot has explained what I wanted. You get her home as quick as you can."
"Okay!" Silent moved Dot onto his back. "I'll see you later." As he trotted toward the door, he added, "Hold on, we're flying home."
They left the store with the sound of Dot squealing following them out. Leafy and Crystal stared after them until Crystal laughed and shook her head. "Oh, Dot. She's such a sweetheart. I'm so glad for her."
Leafy smiled. "I don't think I've ever seen a pony get their cutie mark before..."
"It's been a very long time for me," Crystal mused, her gaze focusing on nothing for a moment as she reminisced, then shook her head again, quicker to clear her thoughts. "Well, then, did you catch everything she said?"
"Oh, yes, ma'am. Absolutely. It sounds like it will be a beautiful bouquet."
Crystal bobbed her head in a light nod. "Yes. There's only one change I want to make, however."
Leafy readied her pencil between her forhooves and hovered it over the order sheet. "What is that?"
"Well, I'd like it if it could be more like—" She reached for the album, pulled it closer, and turned the pages until she found the one. "Like this one, please. I think this style would better match the gown I've picked."
Leafy paused to examine the picture, then smiled softly. "Oh, that's my favorite. You won't regret it, ma'am. It's a lovely style."
I still remember the excitement I felt in have Dot getting her cutie mark from Silent's perspective.
First to comment!Wait, he still works at ALL of these places? I thought he had a couple part time jobs and he kept getting fired. I mean...he's Rossby
This is a long shot, but I'm not a flower person and can't really imagine the bouquet very well that Dot described. Was this by chance based off a real one that you have a picture of?
Poor Silent, having to put up with all the wedding planning.
Hopefully, he'll enjoy the wedding itself more than this part.
It really was and is that funny and I had about the same reaction when I got it.
One down, two to go.
Numbers, Crystal's worst enemy.
Of course Crystal Wishes remembers, helped of course by the book she is writing in secret that mirrors her relationship. Names have been changed to protect the innocent, which is why Velvet Step is the same.
My first thought, it's time for Crystal to start a book club in the back of Sunridge Sweets. The Council doesn't use that room every day after all and it would be good for business.
What is Crystal's cooking skill like anyway? I have a hunch it is either very good due to the Velvet connection or very bad.
Featured again?! But how?! What sort of dark magic have you cast?! I'm keeping an eye on you...
Hah! I knew I was right about Horsey. Savoir is just too sexy for his own good. There was no way she could resist.
I remember the forshadowing to horesy!!! wooo! my damaged memory remembered something! -ahem-
I think alot of people had that reaction
I think its sweet that Horesy is having foals, Motherhood would suit her well. As for Dot, Dot is adorable, and its adorable that she finally found her cutie mark. A very pretty one if the description is anything to go by. I cant wait till the wedding to happen. A good chapter and its always amusing to see Rossby's surly self.
New theory: "Rossby Waves" is not a name, but a make and model identifier. That's why it seems like he's everywhere at once; Rossby Automation LLC built more than one Waves model equinoid automaton for general consumption. It's the most lifelike one to date, but they haven't quite figured out the personality matrix, so it's always crabby, even if it is always happy to help.
"But Phyco, if there's more than one, then why do they all have persistent experiences and memory?"
Obviously, the Rossby Waves communicates with other models in range through its Wavesguide™ wireless transmission system to maintain the illusion that it's a completely normal pony by sharing information. This also allows them to learn very quickly and even specialize in more than one task group. If they could figure out the personality glitch, it'd be the perfect employee!
That was sweet. Also, get job with Horsey getting pregnant. I wonder if this will make Crystal a little foal crazy. Finialy job with capturing Silent's glazed over expression. Many grooms develop that expression as the wedding planning kicks up.
Silent does a wonderful Big Mac impression. Go get him Horsey!
First of all, sorry for the late update yesterday. It was one of those days where I had everything under control for a nice update at a reasonable time, then nothing!
6651227 I had fun taking some artistic liberties with the magic of cutie marks. I like the idea of them being painted on.
6651233 Haha! Yes. He works part time shifts, different places on different days. They're all very "low impact interaction" jobs that even his social skills can manage—"Hi, welcome to SunBucks, can I take your order?" "Welcome to the Platinum Salon & Spa. Do you have an appointment?" etc. etc. If anything comes up that he can't (or doesn't want to) handle, he just gets a manager to deal with it. Crystal is an exception because they know each other and he actually does consider her a friend, he's just young and not good at showing it.
As for the bouquet, great question. So, more or less kind of like this one:
g01.a.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1e_QjHVXXXXXdXVXXq6xXFXXXL/2015-New-Wedding-font-b-Bouquet-b-font-30-font-b-Roses-b-font-Bride-font.jpg
Except with varying shades of red... light, medium, and dark. Does that help any? Of course, Crystal made a switcheroo on the style of the bouquet at the end, so the shape of it is going to be different from that one...
6651251 I don't think many men enjoy this part of the wedding planning. Then again... I went from excited to "dear god please just let this be over" pretty quick with planning my own, so I can't talk.
6651259 Tut, tut...
Crystal has never been great at the math. I think at one point she tries to do it in her head and one of her eyelids sag as her brain starts to overheat.
Hahaha! Yes. Good job, that's what I've been building up to with Rossby. The book club! Hahah.
I'd say her cooking skill ranges depending on how many times she's obsessively made the meal in question before letting Silent try it. She's no Pepper Ridge, but she's not bad. Just slightly above average?
6651322 Depending on how you define it, Wishes has technically never been truly featured. The bottom three slots are "popular updates"—older stories that hit some metric of views/upvotes/comments/whatever so that whenever they update, they take one of the three slots. The top seven are the truly featured ones!
6651415 Way too sexy.
"I do."
"I do."
"I'm pregnant."
"Je sais. "
6651448 Yes, Horsey will be such a sweet mother. I've been looking forward to the reveal... even though everyone knew it was coming, I was amused by her reason for wanting to keep it secret. Oh, Horsey, you're such a panicker!
6651615 Well, show's over, folks, Phyco just spoiled the surprise ending. Crystal finds out Rossby's an automaton, then realizes she's one, too, and we enter a dystopian future where only the robots survive for the sequel.
6651731 I do know the "glazed over" look very well. I made it myself on occasion! And, yes, Crystal is often heavily influenced by her surroundings...
6651800 ...
I so love Velvet for this kind of reactions
Whoa Horsey is pregnant
Also, Dot got a cutie mark once again
Wow lotta great stuff happening to everybody! Horsey is preggers, Dot got her cutie mark, and Crystal is getting the wedding she always dreamed of! So when can I expect an invite? lol
6652007 Super pregnant! Seven months, in fact. They did not wait.
6652014 It was a very positive, optimistic chapter. My favorite!
6651233 And you're not the first comment, so are you sure you should be throwing stones? ):< Offended, sir! Offended!!
6651615 I'd offer a finely-worded rebuttal to this outrageous slander, but perhaps it'll be easier if I use a more limited vocabulary:
EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE.
6652005
Hahahahahaa. Yeah, that sounds about right.
Ah, such a light, happy chapter. Horsey's going to have a foal, Velvet is totally being Velvet about Uppy, and Dot got her cutie mark. So prettyful! Dot is still rediculously cute, too. Rosbey is... Rosbey... Is this really the first time Silent is meeting that surly, angry, pony of denial? Oh well, at least he's not being a raincloud on Crystal's date this time. Actually, where is he going to sit at the wedding? That will be interesting for seating arrangements.
6652005
Ha! Ich gewinne!
6652063
Don't care! Still worth it! I'll revel in this day for the rest of my life, even if that's not very long!
6652063 I can never get mad at someone that makes a dr. Who reference.
My sincerest apologies Mr. Waves, I was under the impression of migratory employment, when the truth was closer to crazy-hard work ethic.
And you weren't offended at Crystal calling you the "annoying kid brother"?!
Also, HolyCross9 commented 3 minutes before I did, so when the page loaded in Chrome it showed me that I WAS the first to comment. The internet lied to me...again
6652241 are you going to die soon?!?! no way! your avatar makes you look both hardcore and/or immortal! (it's always been more fun for me to assume everyone looks exactly like their avatar....sorry Lord Legion)
6652005 is it just me or does Silent have a lot more....emotions from his perspective than Crystals?
and
There is so much more going on up in that head of his!
I remember reading scenes from her perspective where she asks a serious question and he pauses...then says something and leaves, but from HIS perspective there's like half a page of thoughts, feelings, recollections, analysis and so on.
I guess my point is this: Silent Knight is BATMAN
6652564 45.media.tumblr.com/db10b4339a2dfa688e09df4d13509254/tumblr_n5y0ng7wAS1t9bvgbo1_400.gif
Baby! yesssssssss. Incoming adorableness and Crystal and Velvet getting to be aunts.
Rossby! You're back. Again.
Ohhh. Cherry blossoms sound neet. But with the wedding already in a rose garden, its darned hard to say the white rose petals aren't perfect.
Flower arranging cutie mark get! And what a great time for it!
6652665 45.media.tumblr.com/19bd789e362a97754ddbec8a29e0c7eb/tumblr_nwk6phWgJg1u0chlqo1_500.gif
6652600 ...that's a good picture right? positive? They're hugging so I get a "i forgive you" kinda vibe...but they're wrestlers so there's an undertone of "I could kill you"
6651415
I mean, I'm a guy, but even I have to admit it. That name alone.
6652005
God dang it. I did not catch that. I'm not sure I wanted to either. *Shakes fist at the heavens* PUNNNNNNNNSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!
6652682
Well that would be quite the twist now wouldn't it. And in addition to being some kind of robot/Dalek/cyborg/whatever. Just how many mysteries are you hiding? Am I going to need to go back and try to decript all of your lines for hidden messengers?! WILL THE LAYERS NEVER END?!
6652689 Yes. It was a loving hug, but in a manly way.
This isn't related at all, but I found it and really wanted to use it.
45.media.tumblr.com/7a08299f25111f43b622ada1dda0cad3/tumblr_nsf3jcNMfc1urengfo1_250.gif
6652708
Seriously. I know it's on hiatus until it gets rewritten, but if you haven't read Horsey's side story, you should. Savoir is just so damn smooth. He could seduce the socks right off Celestia without even trying. I have no idea how he stayed single long enough for Horsey to get him.
6652719
Oh I certainly plan to. I'm in the middle of the Silent Knight stories right now, but after that?
Eh, er... Wait, what?
Ummm, sorry... I must have heard 'flowers this, and flowers that' and then just zoned out, or something. But alright - I'm good now - so here goes.
*Dips the tip of pinkie finger into the chapter and tastes it, rolling it around on tongue a bit*
Well, it's good... But I think it could also use a smidge more Velvet. Just my opinion, y'know.
Aaaaaaaaaaaah Horsey is pregnant!!!! Oh gosh, so excited.
And Velvet of course. Gotta love the Velvet. Great chapter!
6651251 He'll enjoy the getting married part. But mainly he is waiting for the honeymoon that happens afterwords
img05.deviantart.net/86de/i/2013/333/a/e/a_surprise_attack_by_silverfox057-d6w34wv.png
Also I found this while spending like 15 minutes looking for a picture to use. It's awesome.
wwcdn.weddingwire.com/wedding/1225001_1230000/1229657/thumbnails/400x400_1326481691597-6755468160572748l5E8liinc.jpg
Velvet needs to get that Fortune Cookie somehow!
6652005 One of the minor reasons I'm glad I'm never getting married. the major reason, though, is that my moderate to severe Social Anxiety Disorder would leave me constantly second guessing myself during any relationship, and that's not exactly healthy. Now, if I could just find a therapist for that
6652126 Hahah, yes, so many fun things going on! Silent recognizes Rossby from Runic's shop, but Rossby is generally neutral pleasant to just slightly pleasant when Silent's there. He's not used to a) seeing Rossby working other places and b) being so passive aggressive.
6652564 It's his guard training! He keeps a straight face by default. It's amazing the light grins get through at all sometimes!
6652865 Pffbbtt. Never happy! I can never please everyone!
6653347 Hahahaha I'm going to read that as "Horsey is pregnant [...] and Velvet [is as well] of course" and just keep laughing. Hahah!
6653442 Honeymoons can be great, relaxing vacations!
6653743 I can empathize. I got lucky by finding someone else with anxiety issues, too. I'm not saying you should go trolling at anxiety support groups for booty, but...
Velvet's right, the pizza thing is hilarious.
I knew it! Though really, with all the sex all three of this pair have apparently been having, they're kind of lucky that the first pregnancy only happened when the involved parties were safely married up. Well, maybe more careful than lucky, but still.
Ooooohhhh. Well, I guess 'carefulness' wasn't exactly on Horsey's mind at the time, but Crystal's right, she was married.
Huh, that's kind of weird in my estimation. At only a year or so back, that seems like a short amount of time to already have forgotten.
That is certainly true.
Haha, I just realized that Itailian is a ponyism and not a typo.
I can't quite imagine how one would manage their schedule with like six part time jobs.
Wedding flowers with the petals individually written on? That seems a little extra indulgent even for a wedding. Does such a thing really exist?
Just as awesome from the second perspective, maybe even more so. I love cutie mark scenes.
6654811
Don't you 'Pffbbtt' me, missy. It's uncouth, gauche, lacking in culture, and wholly unamusing. At least, that's what Upper Crust berated me with when I raspberried at her...
You... you don't wanna' know what Au did...
Pffbbtt!
6654999 Haha! Well, in Silent's defense, from his perspective it was just an impromptu lunch a year ago with a mare he thought was in a relationship with another pony. There wasn't anything particularly special about it—he remembers the game night and whatnot, but the lunch itself was just a lunch among other lunches. It wasn't the one where Crystal and Velvet seemed to be flirting with each other and he was, in his mind, an awkward third wheel... That one is hard to forget.
A typo! Egads! What kind of person do you take me for! I never make those...
Rossby isn't doing all six each day; ponies are a lot more accommodating, I'd imagine. "I can only work every other Tuesday and Thursday." "Great! We'll see you then!" The schedule probably does look ... interesting, though.
They're synthetic and not personalized, but I got the idea from here... It seems way unnecessary to me, too. Who's going to be looking at the flower petals that closely?!
6655124 PFFBBHHTT!
6655147 Oh, synthetic makes more sense, you might just be able to print them up like that in the first place with little to no extra cost. I suppose I could see the painted on real petals at the right ultra high society wedding, one where the people paying for it have more money to throw around than most of us would.
6655165 Yep, that's exactly my thinking. Granted, on that site, the ones with writing cost just about double what the regular petals cost. Natural, preserved petals? Over triple the regular price! Yeah... I went with some really cheap silk petals I got at, I don't know, I think Hobby Lobby. I don't even remember them being on the aisle. They were quite easily the last thing on my mind!
I do enjoy the hoity toity idea of hoofpainted rose petals, though.
6655178
Y'know, with magic, it's probably not that hard to get petals with print. it's probably just very tedious.
Sounds like something Crusty would invest in just to show how important Crystal is.
6655509
Tedious to that level is a big price jump. Trust me tediously doing something like that makes you want to cry in frustration, the extra money makes you less likely to kill someone.
Y'know, I bet that if the Pizzas got to know Jet Set, they'd find he's not such a bad guy. Oh, that would drive Crusty absolutely bonkers!
6657083
That's what Crusty would do: pay some poor schmuck to do this incredibly tedious thing for Crystal's wedding. She's certainly not going to do it herself; it's beneath someone of her stature.
6654811 *Spits out tea* *sputtering laughter*
I did not think about that
Hate to say it, but this is a really good story.
6658685 I'm glad it exceeded your expectations, then? Thank you for giving it a read!
6659152 Sorry, I should expand. I'm very picky when choosing stories to read. 90% of stories I read the first chapter and quit, but yours kept me interested. Thank you so far for the good writing. I am looking forward to reading more. -subtle hint about wanting more chapters-
I suppose its a testament to your writing skills that I hadn't even noticed I was at the end of what you have written until it was staring me in the face, wonderful so far and I will await the next chapter with bated breath!
6660463 Oh, haha! That makes sense. I was confused at first—"That's a compliment, right? Yeah, I think it is. I'll just assume it is!"
Well, thank you and 6660740 both! The remaining chapters will be likely posted on the regular schedule of Tuesday / Thursday (not sure if the upcoming Thanksgiving will slow my writing or not since we are hosting this year). I will be taking a break to finish Velveteen Mask and start on the Lovey Dovey sequel before I dive into the Wishes sequel. This story is almost over, but Crystal's isn't by a long shot!
6645301
More than likely thouhg Papa Pizza will be matching Princess Celestial drink for drink. Especially if it I a bottle of table wine. As for the cosmic pizza special, just make sure the desert menu has moon pies on it.
I love the little call out you did for people like me who said that people really should read both stories to grasp what's going on in both main characters heads. Not that you have to, but it does enrich the whole experience. Thanks Crystal!
6661105 Oh wow, thats actually really festive... your picture I mean, Has Anzel changes his as well?