Epilogue: Happily Ever After
Crystal dug her hooves into the sand to feel the warm grains while she gazed at the sparkling blue ocean before them. The gentle breeze carried the smell of the salty seawater as it wafted through her mane and coat.
The island was a utopian getaway. There were no tall buildings. No loud noises of the city. No ponies rushing about. Everything was slow, calm, and peaceful. That sentiment touched her very soul and she released a contented sigh.
"I can't believe it's so warm here this time of year," she said, looking over at Silent with a smile.
He nodded. "It's beautiful. I think Colton Head Island was a perfect choice for our honeymoon."
She flicked her tail at him as she strode forward, heading for the waves that lapped at the beach. "I think anywhere we're together is a perfect choice."
His brow raised as he just watched her, a light grin on his face. His gaze was locked onto her form as she dipped her hooves in the water, chuckling when she squeaked in surprise. The grin grew wider as he teased, "Oh, is it cold?"
"No!" She stuck her tongue out at him, then sucked in a breath of courage and trotted until the water was at her knees. With a small huff, she turned to face the shore and called, "Come on, it's perfectly fine. Don't be a scaredy filly of a little water!"
Silent's wings flared.
Crystal's ears drooped.
He grinned.
She gulped.
A mighty flap of his wings launched him into the air. When he dove toward her, she squealed and lunged into a gallop, laughing as the sound of his beating wings followed close behind. Her legs gave a cramping cry of dismay at first, given they were more accustomed to lounging on a pillow than running through water, but a surge of adrenaline quieted their complaints.
"Hey!" she yelled over her shoulder, kicking her hindlegs to splash water at him. "Don't cheat!"
With expert precision, he angled himself up, caught a gust of wind to push him forward, and swooped down to grab her around the middle. "Who's cheating?"
Crystal gasped and giggled as he lifted her off the ground. She kicked as if to grab hold of the water, but it eluded her grasp as he flew them higher and higher. "You are! You are most certainly cheating!" She squirmed against him. "Put me down!"
He grinned. "As you wish."
She squeaked when he teasingly loosened his grip and she glanced down to see the ocean beneath them. "On the ground, Siley!"
He held her over the water a moment longer, silent and unyielding, before he chuckled. His grip on her tightened to hold her close to him as he whispered in her ear, "Now who's the scaredy filly?"
A high-pitched whine escaped her until she relented, "I am! I'm the scaredy filly and you're the big strong stallion who's going to take me back to shore!"
"That sounds about right." He glided over to the shore and set her down, landing beside her. "Now, what did you learn?"
Crystal huffed and tossed her mane to look away from him. "That I've made a terrible mistake marrying a brute like you."
"Look at that." His wing stretched over her back and tucked in to pull her close. "Your mother did teach you something after all."
She held her pout as long as she could before giggling. "Oh, you." She inclined her head, nuzzling his cheek. In a softer voice, once her amusement had lulled, she added, "Can we stay here forever? Away from Canterlot and stress and responsibility..."
"Sounds nice." He looked out into the endless horizon of the sea. "But I think it would get boring once we do everything on the island."
The smile on her face curled into a light grin as she set a hoof on his chest and gave a light push. "I'm not so sure about that. Maybe the dolphin tours and the restaurants, but there's at least one thing I'd never get tired of doing."
"What's that?" he asked with endearing sincerity, his gaze falling to hers.
She tried to push him again, but to no avail. Her point would have been better made if he weren't so big and strong! Of course, that was one of his best physical features, so she wasn't complaining too much.
Instead, she opted for wrapping the hoof around his neck and pulling him down to her level. Their lips met in a soft kiss, and a pleased rumble of a moan in his throat indicated he caught her meaning.
Silent pulled back and looked over at their bungalow, a coltish grin on his face. "Well, if you insist, Mrs. Wishes."
Crystal started trotting up the beach, flicking him with her tail as she passed him and snubbing her nose in the air. "I most certainly do, Mr. Knight."
Making their way back to the bungalow at a brisk pace, Silent's gaze was fixed firmly forward while Crystal's wandered to admire their surroundings. Colton Head Island was a truly beautiful place. Everywhere she looked there were flowers, birds, trees, and other natural sights that often got lost in other tourist-friendly locations.
Life on the island was like a foal's tale: idyllic and carefree, inspiring a song in her heart that went on and on. Every good story had to end eventually, but for three weeks, she was going to enjoy every moment of her happily ever after.
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There's a song in my heart and a smile on my face!
When I'm here with you, I'm in the right place!
This story has been one of the best I've ever read, and I'd like to once again congratulate you on finishing it.
More like a tale by the Brothers Grimm and Crystal has only read the sanitized version to this point.
good thing they didn't make love on the beach, the sand would play hell with their fur
I've heard about these resort islands...
So which one of them was the changeling?
6965978
That would explain a great many things about Crystal...
Awww
That was a cute short chapter :)
Aww so sweet and ya, sequels!
The even word counts on all (!) chapters are creeping me out.
I'm gonna read it later though, right after I got a months supply of coffee downed.
Seriously, did y'all think I'd leave this story hanging at 109 chapters?
6965803 All I want to do~o... When the day is throu~ough... Is linger he~re on the fro~ont porch... with you~
6965808 Thank you so much!
It's been a joy and a pleasure to share it and I look forward to many more stories to come!
6965815 Not... not all fairy tales are Grimmified. There are some innocent ones. You know, somewhere, underneath the Mermaid turning into seafoam and whatnot...
6965896 Crystal is a lady! She requires at least a bed. Preferably satin sheets. And maybe some chocolate.
6965978 They're BOTH changelings!
6966055 Hahah, I know someone was disappointed with this story because they were under the impression that it was "obviously a changeling story" and by it not being that way, it was a lost opportunity.
6966110
6966151 Had to show a little bit of their honeymoon, since Silent didn't share it in his story and Hopes starts after they arrive in the Empire. Sun! Beach! Sand! Love!
6966230 Yes! Sequel indeed! I hope y'all like it!
6966256 Some folks think it's because I have OCD and/or are turned off by the word counts. In reality, it was just a little thing I did because the story was only going to be 15 chapters, I didn't expect anyone to read it, and it was a fun challenge. Then people started reading it, and now if I don't have even word counts, my consistent readers threaten pitchforks.
I'm being held hostage at this point.
In all fairness, though, I think it actually helps me. I go back through a chapter once it's done and look for weakness in details, descriptions, dialogue, etc. Clean them up. Explain expressions, add tones, etc. I'm not great with describing scenery or ponies, so it helps me try to be more conscious of my shortcomings.
6966282
Well, maybe 'some folks' have taken up a challenge as well, to see, who jumps to conclusions the fastest. Sounds like fun.
As for your consisent readers, you might should risk a riot just to push'em over, that would be quite a symphatic tableturn.
Also, — I should have mentioned that earlier in my first post — congratulations for completing the story.
400K+ Words is an astounding count, in less than 1 1/2-Year even more so. Well done. I'll report back once I'm through it, granted that I understand everything correctly and as intended.
If you'd excuse me now, I have to re-arrange my shelves.
Silly as it seems to mention it now, when you two are finished, it's going to be a little less fun logging in each week. I always look forward to your stories, and I can honestly say they're some of the highlights of my week. Other stories either aren't nearly as good, or simply don't have as much story.
6966364 Maybe so! Well, then, I'm not in the business of taking away people's funs. So if my word counts bring them joy in their conclusion-jumping challenge, then I'll keep on keepin' on.
Thank you! I update on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and other than vacations or exceptionally busy days, did so for the duration of this story. It helps keep me motivated to have a deadline that readers are expecting me to follow.
Hope you enjoy!
6966386 Aww... I'm super glad to hear that. This is one of Anzel and my's favorite hobbies. We probably discuss our stories—present and future—every day. Multiple times a day. I think we talk more about pony fanfiction than we do what we're going to have for lunch/supper.
It's a passion, and the fact that others like what we do keeps that fire burning. I have a lot of stories I want to write, and as I work on them I'm sure I'll think of more to follow them, so as far as I'm concerned you'll be logging in to updates from us for a long, long time.
Normally I never read stories that are huge or incomplete.
Now that this is complete, I feel I can get around to actually reading it. I've wanted to for some time now, but that incomplete tag...
It actually looks really fantastic from the description.
We'll see what happens.
6966463 Hope you enjoy!
Yeah this was a great way to end this story! Now for the sequel!
Ahhhh! Epilogue!
6966463 I'm usually like that too, but I have found that making an exception for any of Crystal's (or Anzel's) stories is never a mistake. With how often and reliably they update, there's never the fear that you'll read a story only to be left dangling for an indefinite amount of time.
I'm sad that this is over. I've been reading all of your work since early 2015 as well as all of Anzel's. i am however looking forward to the sequel with bated breath.
6966836 I felt like a little happy honeymoon fluff was appropriate.
6967011 Cute fluffy happy epilogue!
6967267 Awww... Thanks for vouching for us!
6967366 Wow! That is dedication! I'm honored and flattered that you've followed our stories this long.
I hope we continue to write what you like. The first chapter of the sequel is available now, under Crystal's Hopes!
Theoretically a good story if i were to have read it. But since i would not read girly things like this so i cant really say. But still theoretically excellent story which is quite immersive, cute and cuddly.
6968343 Theoretically, I would thank you for your kind words! Shame it's not a story you would read, but it sounds like you would have theoretically enjoyed it.
6968526 I would call it a companion story. What it offers is a different point of view with its own set of unique and memorable characters. It won't be a waste of your time, certainly.
It took me a while to get around to reading this one, but I'm so glad I did. Fantastic story, really well fleshed-out and interesting characters. Hm, just too many nice things to say about this one. The thing that stood out the most were the character interactions, just they way personalities bounced off each other in conversation was natural and very entertaining. The character growth and relationship development hit a lot of sweet spots too.
Sorry if my praises sound a little generic, I'm trying to compliment without spoilers for anyone wanting to give this a read later.
Highly recommended. 
6969184 Hahah! I wouldn't say your comments sounded generic, but more like someone being held hostage and trying to pass a secret message with normal-sounding phrases.
From your message, I gather you're being held at a place that sells pastries ("sweet spot") and that there is a lot of conversation going on ("character interactions stood out the most"). Therefore you are clearly being held hostage at a Panera Bread.
Somewhere, Velvet is proud.
A great ending to a great story.
Sweet Cheese and crackers this is a long fic...
6969311 Indeed it is! Worth the ride though ^_^
6969199 LOL. Wow. * takes cookie* Got it in one.
No really tho', I'm always self conscious about critiqueing other people's creative work. I remember all too well what it's like being on both sides of group critiques in art class.
6969316
*has naughty ideas about how to twist those words in your mouth*
Naah, I really enjoy your work, Crystal. Not only is it consistently very well written—I love how you manage to bring your characters alive, they never seem dead, or like puppets; down to the smallest background character, they are all well-fleshed out and have understandable intentions, and your prose flows very well—but also how reliably you don't just post stories, but interact with every of your readers. You usually seem to reply to comments and tweets in a day at the latest, and just about to every last one. That's damn impressive, I can't even begin to imagine how you manage to do this beside your day job. I don't think there are many professional writers with that kind of dedication and work ethic. All thumbs… *looks at his hooves*…
… ummm, up?
6969575 Ahh, it's okay. You took the time to read and comment; that's enough for me!
6971796 *proceeds to blatantly ignore all of your comments from here on*
Commenting, though, that's an activity throughout the day. Anzel and I appreciate that y'all take the time not just to read, but to write out a comment. The least we can do is respond. The whole "fanfiction community" setting is a unique one, with some parts I could do without but others that I greatly enjoy. Interacting with you folks is definitely the latter.
I usually get put off by stories with high word counts, but I have to say I am really glad I looked into this. It's really great writing, it's also the first proper piece of writing that I have ever just sat down and read all in one go, granted that 'go' took me the whole day and well past midnight but I just couldn't stop. My belief has always been that good storytelling, in anything, is always making the reader want more. This is by far the best example of this I have ever read myself. I'm also not ashamed to admit that a few parts got me hopping around the house in joy. In short; Magnificent story, looking forward to seeing what the sequel and side-stories have to offer.
6972212 If you enjoyed it, then I'm glad you looked into it, too! Yes, the word count is daunting; this story wasn't supposed to be anywhere near this long, and by the time I had the idea to split it up into several smaller ones, I was already 300k words in and it was too late.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read it and to leave a comment. It's a high compliment you're givin' and I'm certainly flattered! Hope you enjoy the other stories in the 'verse! 
6974107 Read it phonetically - Emerai = Em Err Aye. He's Doctor MRI, but noun-ified.
6975693
Have you seen the teaser for the new intro. Peridot is hilarious.
6979418
I don't think I could imagine how hard marking it 'Complete' would've been! I know I'd be pretty sulky about it.
On a related note, I've no idea whether you're going to or not, but we've seen where Crystal got her start, so as heartbreaking as it would be, if it ended where she met hers would be oddly suiting.
I actually wouldn't mind having my heart shredded like that, so here's a Silent Wish for that to pass.
3 days later and it looks like I'm a third of the way through already.
Whatever Anzel did to me, you're doing to me too. I just can't stop, it's witchcraft I tell you.
Well, time to continue.
Thanks for the read.
(Edit: 2 hours afterwards, I read another 10 chapters.)
I am not into ponies or fanfic in general. My brony teenage son insisted this was the best story he ever read and pestered me til I gave in and read it. And I have to admit I thoroughly enjoyed it. Very well written. (Kind of made me wish we all came in rainbow variations of colours - it would make life much more interesting!)
6993054 it got a lot better after the freshman year stuff. It was a combination of the perspective (i'm a guy in my 20s so the teenage girl perspective tripped me up every once and a while), and the setting. I hated high school with a burning passion so i'm not a huge fan of it as a setting.
6994289 Hahahah! I can say that is the first time I've been told that "how I ended up reading this" story, and I think it's my new favorite.
Well, thank your son for the high compliment, it's wholly appreciated. And thank yourself for being such a good parent. There needs to be a bumper sticker for this! "I Read Fanfiction Because Of My Brony Teenager" Hmm, that might not fit too well... "My Brony Teenager Made Me Read Fanfiction?" Ahh, too long as well. This bumper sticker market will never take off!
But, seriously, I'm humbled and flattered. I'm glad your son liked the story enough to pester you, and I'm delighted that it didn't disappoint after you went to the effort to give in to his pestering.
Alright, done!
What's my time... hold on, let me check...
7 days and 21 hours, well that's not too bad I guess.
Anyway, this was great. I don't really know what else I can say.
Ok, I do.
For me, the greatest strength of this series (and for pretty much all the QnB series) are the characters, and good god they are excellent.
I think I realized that this kind of story isn't really my thing, but I'll be damned if this wasn't a great showcase of friendship and romance.
Now if you don't mind, I'm going to take break before moving on to Hopes.
-Thanks for the read.
Pretty good fic. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. I'll check out the sequel, but I'm not sure about the side fics. I'm trying to get my read later list down a bit.
6996087 Take a break for sure! You've earned it!
Thank you!! I absolutely adore these characters. They write the story sometimes more than I do.
I do feel like they're my strength and I am not ashamed to lean on them as much as I can! It was a pleasure to share this story with you! 
6998809 Glad to hear it! Thanks for giving the story a shot despite the rocky Academy days!
No worries, I understand how it goes. Anzel's half of the universe will be there if you ever need to fill that RIL list back up! 
I am glad I had this story to keep me occupied while I was stuck in a remote Arctic community for a week.
Your story was well paced. very little of the story seemed forced it all felt like a very natural progression. I am looking forward to reading the sequel but I think I might take a break and let it progress a bit more before I pick it up (I like to marathon what I read and dislike having to wait for the new chapters appear).
Keep up the good work.
7003120 Oh dear! Well, I'm happy my story helped pass the chilled time!
Thank you very much for your kind words. And I totally understand! I'm a marathoner as well. Currently, Hopes is updating at least once (ideally twice) a week every other week until I finish Velveteen Mask, which isn't too far from its completion. Hopes will upgrade to one-to-two updates a week after that.
So there will be lots of content for you soon!
If you haven't read them already, I also recommend Memoirs and its sequel, Secrets! And I'm definitely not biased in that recommendation whatsoever!
REALLY loving the whole series so far.
I'm up to Acceptance.
7005428
I've been feeling the same thing.
7005417 Glad to hear it! Thank you so much for reading and commenting!
7005769 As long as you know what you're saying. I was just checking.