At Her Doorstep
Raven peered at Crystal over the rim of her glasses from across the cafe table. "How are... things?" she asked, her tone guarded.
Crystal giggled after taking a sip of her tea. "It's all right, Raven. We can talk about wedding things."
"No, we agreed this would be a lunch date between friends!" Raven hesitated, then twiddled her hooves. "But, well, if friends talk about the current status of rescheduling for the wedding, I suppose that still falls within the boundaries."
Crystal set her teacup down and crossed her forelegs, leaning forward. "I've gotten most things rescheduled for the new date with little to no issue. There is a problem with the musicians, however. They go on tour the day before and won't be available."
"I see..." Raven sighed, but smiled nonetheless. "Well, I suppose there are worse problems to have. Can you find a new quartet?"
"For you, Princess, anything." Crystal giggled when Raven shot her a dirty look.
Raven straightened her glasses, lowering her gaze to her own untouched teacup. "Thank you for all of your hard work. My brother hasn't even offered to lift a hoof." Her nose scrunched up and her brow furrowed as she frowned. "I really cannot thank you enough."
"It's all right, really." She reached across the table to gently pat Raven's hoof. "That's what friends are for!"
"I suppose." Raven shook her head. "Enough talk about my wedding! Let's talk about yours." A sly grin curled the corners of her lips. "You and Silent Knight have been spending an awful lot of time together as of late."
Crystal's ears shot up and she cleared her throat, her gaze darting about to look at anything but Raven's cat-like grin. "We're only dating."
"Oh, I'm sure," Raven cooed. "You're graduating this year, aren't you?"
Crystal blinked and, wary of the sudden topic shift, answered slowly, "Yes. Month after next, in fact."
Raven hooked her forehooves together and leaned in closer. "Then you'll be a full-fledged young mare..." She winked. "Assuming you aren't already."
Crystal blinked a few more times. "What?" The mare just grinned at her. "I don't..." Her eyes widened and she waved her hooves while her face felt like it was on fire. "Oh, no, no, no! We're only dating!"
Raven's mischievous expression fell into a light frown. "No juicy gossip, then?"
"None!" Crystal squeaked, then dropped her face into her hooves. "Why is everypony so intent on embarrassing me?"
Raven shrugged. "I can't speak for anypony else, but I find it to be adorable when you get flustered."
"Adorable is a word one uses for fillies and colts." Crystal frowned. "I am neither."
Raven shrugged again and rested her muzzle on one hoof. "So, truly, how far has your relationship gone?" She smiled. "Give me something to giggle over."
Crystal stared at her, down at the table, over at another table, then she sighed. "We've had our first kiss."
"How tame! I expected better from a romance novelist." Raven shook her head, clicking her tongue with disappointment.
"I'm not that sort of romance writer, you know!" Crystal jabbed a hoof in the air to accentuate her point. "My stories are quite clean, thank you very much."
Raven giggled. "Perhaps that's why you're not rich! Have you considered that there is a much more profitable genre of romance?"
Crystal's face started to heat up. "I—that is—I'm aware of such a market, yes."
"It's just an idea." Raven winked, then rose to her hooves. "Now, unfortunately, I need to get back to work."
Crystal tossed a few bits on the table and stood to follow her, mumbling, "I'll walk with you. Silent said he needed to see me today, anyway."
"Oh?" The excitement returned to Raven's voice as they walked out of the cafe. "Oh, yes." She deflated, her gaze facing forward. "I think I know what it is about."
"You do?" Crystal tilted her head. "How?"
Raven hummed in thought before she shook her head. "It is probably a topic better for him to broach."
Confusion swirled around Crystal's emotions as they trotted toward the palace. Once there, Raven went straight toward the throne room while Crystal turned right into Luna's wing. She paused to smooth her mane with one hoof, then knocked on the door to Silent's office and called, "Hello, Silent Knight?"
"Come in," his voice responded.
Crystal pushed the door open and stuck her head inside. "Hi." She smiled. "How are you, Lieutenant?"
Silent bobbed his head, rising from his seat. "Fine. Why don't you sit down?"
Her ears stood straight up, but she nodded and complied. Sudden terror gripped her. He was breaking up with her. There was another mare. There was another stallion! She swallowed her thoughts and widened her smile.
"There's something I need to tell you, but the problem is I can't tell you very much." He sat back down once she was seated and took off his helmet. His gaze followed it as he set it down on the desk between them, then he looked back at her. "I have a... mission that I need to leave for."
Relief swept through her and her smile relaxed. "Oh? Is that all? Silent Knight, you've had missions before." A new sensation clenched the pit of her stomach. "Is there something special about this one?"
He folded his hooves on the desk. "I could be gone a while."
"A while," she repeated. "How long is a while?"
He hesitated, then repeated, "A while."
"I see." She glanced away from him. "Well, I'll miss you, certainly." Her gaze returned to him. "When are you leaving?"
"This afternoon." He sighed and his ears folded back, a guilty look briefly darkening his expression. "I meant to tell you this sooner, but I've been, well. I've been busy."
"I understand." She smiled and reached across the desk to place her hooves on his. "The life of an officer is not always convenient."
He looked up to meet her gaze, smiling softly. "I'm glad you understand. I'm sorry I can't tell you more... Do you have time to sit with me a while before I leave?" He nodded his head toward a tall stack of paperwork. "I still have work to do so it might not be very interesting, but it's nice to have company, especially when that company is you."
She giggled and leaned in, placing a kiss on his cheek. "I'll do anything you'd like if you keep up that flattery."
"I do my best." He settled his helmet back onto his head, then slid a paper off the stack and focused his attention on it.
She shifted in her seat to get more comfortable and gazed fondly at him, if a bit solemnly. How long was a while, indeed?
---
Crystal walked alongside Silent as they stepped out into the courtyard where two sky chariots were parked. They carried a waiting Princess Luna and other guards, but Crystal's eyes were fixated on her stallion. She maintained her smile, though her chest ached with worry and a tinge of loneliness already. "Quite the entourage you have. This must be a very special mission."
He shifted uncomfortably after they stopped a few paces away from the chariots. "I'm afraid I can't really speak to that."
One of her ears started to fold back but she flicked it into place. "Of course. You're a big, important pony with big, important things to do." She giggled, though the cheerful sound subsided just as quickly as it bubbled up. She asked in a quiet, tentative voice, "Should I be worried for your safety?"
Silent hesitated, then shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't speak to that, either. But..." He glanced at her. "I don't believe so."
Crystal's heart clenched in her chest and, for a moment, she forgot how to breathe. She took a sharp intake of air and smiled. "I understand. Please come home safely, all right?"
They stopped just a few paces away from the chariots and turned to face one another. He looked down at her with a soft smile. "I'll do my best." They just stared at each other until he continued, "I should go. They're waiting on me."
Her ears drooped. "No kiss goodbye before you head off into uncertain territory and unknown danger?"
"Oh." He glanced at the chariots, all eyes suddenly on them, and he swallowed.
She followed his gaze, then huffed. "Oh, come now, Silent Knight." She returned her focus to him. "They don't care."
"Yes, Silent Knight," Luna called from her chariot, "we do not care. Do not make me order you to kiss her so we can go."
Silent shot the princess a polite but serious glare. After brief consideration, he leaned in and placed a quick peck of a kiss on her lips. "See you soon."
"I hope so," she replied, watching him as he straightened up. "Be careful."
He nodded, then trotted over to the chariots and climbed into the larger one. Crystal stood there, a throbbing ache in her chest but a smile on her face while she waved them off. Once they were airborne, she allowed the tears she had been biting back to blur her vision. He was frequently away on guard duty, but rarely like this. It scared her that he might not return, and it scared her even more that she had to let him go. Her head knew that duty came first but her heart didn't want to believe it.
She wiped her eyes and turned to start the walk back into the city proper. This was the life she had agreed to and she certainly wasn't going to make a fool of herself by going back on her word. He would be fine. Princess Luna was with him.
Of course, Luna had been with him last time, but she tried to push that thought out of her mind.
---
"Velvet, do you think I'm a proper socialite?" Crystal asked absently while flipping through a magazine.
Velvet blinked a few times. "Uh, I don't know. What answer do you want to hear?"
Crystal glanced at her with a small frown. "The truth?"
"Oh." Velvet shrugged. "I guess not, but isn't that what you wanted? To get away from your parents and their smothering social crap?"
Crystal clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth and snapped the magazine shut. "That was before I began dating a royal officer." She hopped down off the couch to pace around the living room. "This simply won't do! If I'm serious about him, then I should be a good and proper match. It won't be so difficult." Her brow furrowed in thought. "One event a week should suffice to elevate my status. Of course, that means I'll be attending events again."
"Well, yeah, most ponies generally attend events when they plan to attend events." Velvet snorted. "They kind of go hoof-in-hoof."
The frown returned and Crystal's pacing became more fevered. "That means more time spent with my parents. My mother will begin to ask questions. She'll want to meet him!"
Velvet's head lolled from side to side as she tracked Crystal's movement. "I see. Then don't go!"
Crystal stopped to stare at her. "But I need to if I plan to be in a serious relationship with him!"
"You're not in a serious relationship already?" Velvet crossed her forelegs over her chest. "Celestia's sake, dating is unnecessarily complicated."
"Of course we're not in a serious relationship yet! We've only just progressed past hoof holding to kisses goodbye." She flopped down onto a pillow and buried half of her face into it. "I'm serious about him, and I believe he is committed to me, but there is still a great deal of time until he invites me to his condo on the beach!"
Velvet stared for a long, quiet moment until she said, "Crystal, he doesn't have a condo on the beach."
Crystal huffed. "No, but that's the type of situation that implies a serious relationship."
One of Velvet's hooves raised to rub at her left temple while she groaned. "Okay, whatever. Let's get back to this whole event-going thing. Do you want to?"
"I want to be a good mare by his side," Crystal replied hesitantly.
"That is totally not the question." Velvet waggled a scolding hoof. "If you don't want to go, then I think it's a stupid idea. If you want to elevate your social status, then it's really your only option. Just don't forget you still have final exams coming up. Can't this wait two more months so school's off your plate?"
Crystal sat up and shook her head. "I don't think it can. I have the perfect opportunity to attend events on the weekend while he is away. I'm sure he'll have an officers' gala at some point and when that happens, I want everypony there to know he is with the right mare." Her eyes widened. "And I have just the idea of how to ensure that!"
In a flurry of excited movement, Crystal's magic retrieved a quill, an ink pot, and parchment, and she began to write out a letter.
Velvet watched her with a raised brow. "And just what is your idea?"
Crystal glanced up at her. "I'm going to ask Axel if he can make me a custom sulky. Something that will impress every pony when I arrive at an event. Of course, I'll have to hire somepony to pull it, but I can deal with that issue later. The sooner he can get started on it, the better." Her gaze returned to her letter. "It would be good for his business, as well, so I'm certain he won't mind."
Velvet shifted on her pillow, her shoulders rolling to stretch out the muscles before she asked, "How can you afford it, especially with all the crystal things you've been buying lately?"
Slowly, Crystal's ears folded flat against her mane. "Things are getting a little tight," she quietly admitted. "I've been writing short stories for Mares Monthly for the extra bits, but that only goes so far." She looked at Velvet, smiling. "This will be my last big expense. It will be worth it. Then I'll restrain myself until my savings are back in order. I can still cover my part of the rent, of course."
Velvet sighed and shrugged. "Okay. Just try to keep your wits about you, okay? I don't want you to be miserable just to fulfill some stupid obligation you made up yourself."
Crystal nodded while she folded the letter and tucked it into an envelope. "Some sacrifices must be made, and if all I have to do is attend one or two events a week, then I believe I have it pretty easy."
"Sacrifices." Velvet scrunched up her nose. "Now you're making dating sound like a cult."
Crystal paused, then turned her head to grin at Velvet. "Join the love side," she hissed. "Resistance is futile!"
Velvet stood with a huff and turned away, snapping her tail as she walked toward the kitchen. "I'm not listening!"
Crystal pointed at Velvet's retreating form. "You will be assimilated!" She held her serious face for as long as she could before bursting into a fit of giggles.
---
Sunday marked the beginning of her re-entry into the socialite world, and she was more than prepared. Of course, the personal carriage was hardly ready yet, but she had put together a stunning ensemble for that afternoon's art show. Crystalline attire was already all the rage, so she retrieved a silky gown of varying shades of blue from the back of her closet. After all, if everypony was going to sparkle, then she was going to stand out by not standing out.
That didn't stop her from adding a little glitter to her coat, of course, but she otherwise remained without shine. Snapping a black feathery clip just behind her ear, she examined her reflection before giving a nod of approval. That left her with two and a half hours before she would be fashionably late.
"Let's see," she muttered to herself, pacing around her bedroom. "Who will be there? My parents, of course." She rolled her eyes. "I presume Fancy Pants will make an appearance. Perhaps Fleur will be with him." Another roll of the eyes. "I swear, if she does another impromptu fashion show..." She blinked when realization struck her. "Wait, is Fleur still his top model? Or is she at a new agency?" Her heart started to race as panic set in. "Is anything I know still relevant anymore?"
It would be fine. She would be fine. She had known the ponies everypony should know all her life, and even if she had been out of the loop for a while, she was born and bred to be a social elite. It was about time her upbringing actually had a use beyond playing puppet for her mother's whims.
Her pacing ceased at a new, distracting thought. "Art show. I wonder if Painted will be there?" A smile crossed her lips. "It would be nice to see her, though I don't know how much time I'll have to chat..." She shook her head to clear it of thoughts and started toward the bedroom door. "Let's give this a trial run, then."
She swept into the living room to make her grand entrance, nodding at the furniture in greeting. "Hello, darlings. Oh, my." She stopped beside the floor lamp in the corner of the room. "You're looking absolutely divine, Mrs. Lamp." She smiled and batted her eyelashes. "Have you lost weight? My goodness, if you keep this up, Mrs. Lamp, you might disappear!" They shared a laugh, though it was really just her laughing behind a hoof.
Three knocks interrupted her mirth. They resounded throughout the condo like a drum of war and shattered her nervous but cheerful disposition, replacing it with an overwhelming sense of dread. "No," she whispered as she turned to face the door.
The pony on the other side knocked again. Crystal swallowed and walked forward, her magic turning the knob. "Hello?"
Winterspear stood at her doorstep.
She was out of uniform, but that detail did nothing for how suddenly difficult it was for Crystal to breathe. Winterspear's eyes were bloodshot and widened when she met Crystal's gaze. "No, wait, it's not—I'm not here about Silent Knight. As far as I know he's fine. It's his..." Her ears folded back. "It's our father. He's—he's dead."
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Yes, Velvet, join the love ssssside. Go find ssssomepony ssssspecial. You shall become one of ussssss! Mwahahahahaha!
Me too
Cool chapter and I've totally forgot that we have to cover at least a little bit of the time when SK is in Haven. Also good job on bringing us this chapter on time. Short bio says you're out of town this week, so I guess you wrote it in advance?
New vocabulary added: sulky
Now taking bets on how long it takes Crystal to realize that every time she tries to be "the perfect mate," something terrible happens.
Girl, just be yourself! But if you insist on this silliness, could you at least warn everyone when you're about to try again so we can adjust our schedules and watch out for pianos and anvils?
On that note, I should probably get rid of that box of oily rags I've been keeping on the top shelf in my knife room....
Now we know what kind of hijinks Crystal will be getting up to while Silent is off going batty.
Busted.
Oh shit.. that Cliff hanger.. Anyway It is always amusing to see her try to bring out her upper class learning when she can, although she tries not to really show it. A shame that Silent went off with luna to me- -Is gagged by Luna- Sorry Off to do some mission or other. A good chapter and it made my day to see it posted. cant wait for the next one
Poor Crystal... so much woe in one chapter.
I bet this is exactly what Upper Crust's mentality was when she got married to Jet Set. Would explain why she changed from what Jet liked to what she became.
Never really thought about how involved Crystal was with Silents family during his absence. I guess i assumed Iridescence would have been the one doing all the emotional legwork, but now that i think about it Crystals too big hearted to not be involved somewhat.
Damn, that ending.
Very nice chapter, though somehow in not sure how this socialite thing is gonna go with Crystal being off her game for so long.
I'm suddenly very curious as to how Au has been faring. That snotty sort of forced social control only goes so far and for only so long.
Has she been holding on? Has she been slipping? Damn you Silent's father for...!
Oh, that's insensitive of me.
Crystal's definitely going into the social thing for all the wrong reasons, and all the wrong methods. She gets to chill with the princesses regularly; don't they sort of define the social climate? Plus, what if Silent gets into the habit of having "important duties" on the evenings of officers' balls?
Actually, considering who the other officers that we've seen are, I don't think Crystal needs to be worried about being a proper Canterlot mare in their presence. She might just get laughed at.
6265080
Were I to risk a guess, assuming that there are officer's balls and the like, she will need to tone it down a bit. However, she's bright enough to recognize that the folks around her aren't the sorts of socialites she was thinking they would be (for example, not like those at the art show). And speaking of which, if there were any small talk with her which brought up her usual social circles, she would be unbelievable. By which I mean that if someone were to comment on her not being present at other recent events, and ask whom she has been spending her time with, her real options are Velvet, Shining, Runic, Miley, and Luna. So, telling those social ponies that you were absent because of your evenings spent with the Princess might be a bit unbelievable, and create problems there. Until Luna finds out and makes it a point of being seen in public with you. Humble pie, served warm.
For as much as Crystal talked about how oblivious Silent Knight was in noticing her to begin with, she is putting a lot of effort in things (like raising her social status) that Silent Knight will be oblivious too.
I think I'm getting more curious about Velvet now than I am either Silent Knight or Crystal Wishes. I'm really interested in why she shies away from Lovey Dovey and the talks about dating (I suppose the simple answer could be that she really isn't interested).
6265313
IIRC Velvet has stated that she's decided to make her ballerina career her main focus at the moment. She feels she doesn't have the time or energy for that and giving a special somepony the kind of attention such a thing deserves.
6265350
Personally, I think she just can't take the heat that she's always dishing out to Crystal, and she knows it.
That ending though, another great chapter can't wait to see how Crystal will interact in socialite events.
Dam... and now we find out just how long Crystal had this burden before Knight got back from the nox ponies. Poor Crystal. Also, her playing socialite is going to backfire. I'm just waiting on how. :P Well, until next time. :D
~Melly~
You know with all the pressure Crystal is getting from everyone about writing an erotic novel, I wonder if she will do it and for what reason? Perhaps if she ever did, I'm thinking it would be for some extra money. You never know, her fans might just soak it up like a sponge. She would just have to over come her worries about writing one without feeling dirty I suppose. *Sees a mental image of Crystal trying to write an erotic novel whilst overcoming her very red blush on her face*
All in all though, no one can force her to write one. It is her choice, and I doubt she is ever going to get around to writing a story like that.
Is there something significant about him having a condo? If there is, I'm thinking it's a reference to something like a story or movie?
Oh and I saw that little tidbit of my OC in there.
Thanks for that. That really made my day.
Ooh I've been waiting for this part to come up here, cause I saw Silent's reaction first over in secrets. I really want to see how Crystal reacts, not only to Silent's fathers death but how she'said going to try and console his mother and Winterspear.
I agree! (Sorry, Crystal...)
Edit: Finished the chapter and... Shit.
6264634 Resist the temptation, Velvet! You know it in your heart to be true to yourself!
6264648 Haha, if only I could be so lucky to have chapters written in advance! I just sat down and forced myself to start writing around 7am, then sporadically through the day until it was done. Thankfully I had a burst of inspiration halfway through and wrote most of it within an hour or two.
6264717 Upper Crust would argue Crystal is being herself. The self that she always wanted Crystal to be!
6264755 Pfff, Mares Monthly only does tame material. Now, if she had said Cosmarepolitan, that's basically a death sentence on her being able to fend Velvet off. (Also, hurr hurr, batty.)
6264766 She can't fight what's in her blood! Or water. I'm sure Upper Crust tried dosing the water with some kind of mind control snake oil.
6264809 It was a bit of an emotional roller coaster for her, that's for sure!
6264855 That is a very good theory! I would say the only difference is that Upper Crust's motivations were more selfish (I want to be one of the elite), whereas Crystal's are selfless, albeit arguably misguided (I want to make him look like one of the elite).
6264936 Iridescence was definitely the first one Winterspear would have gone to, but she also knows that Silent is serious about Crystal and leaving her out of the loop would be a mistake. Of course, bringing her into the loop may have its own consequences!
6264974 It'll be fiiiine! She said it'll be fine. So it'll be totally fine.
6265080 I guess we'll see if Crystal will get any info on Au, from the source or otherwise. I can tell you that while you may have to wait a while, Au will become a more notable character later on in Crystal's life. I thought you'd be happy to know that.
As for getting to chill with Luna, we haven't really seen her doing that much as of late. Of course I don't show everything going on in her life but she has had a lot on her plate! That and Crystal would never use her friendship with Luna for something like social gain. And I've never gotten the impression from the show that, say, Twilight was given an elevated social status for being Celestia's protege. But that could be argued all sorts of ways, of course... 
6265235 Sometimes, when you're in love, you get silly notions in your head. I said it in the response round-up but I think it's funny... I spent months putting tomatoes on my sandwiches just because my man did, even though I hated them. That was a funny conversation when I finally fessed up that *gasp!* I didn't like tomatoes. Spoiler: He did not break up with me over it.
Anyway, yes, I totally agree with you that throwing around the 'I'm friends with Princess Luna' card might be met with some resistance.
6265313 It's kind of funny how that works, huh? As for Velvet, I know it must be getting tiresome, but I am actively working on her side story that I promise will explain a lot of things! Then there will be a sequel that will explain everything else.
6265350 She has definitely stated that, yes indeed!
6265535 It could be interesting, given the theories in the comments! It looks like the running theory is that it will range anywhere from unnecessary to an all-out disaster.
6265649 If it helps any, in Secrets Silent said they were leaving on Thursday, Wallflower said the accident happened two days after he left, i.e. Saturday, and Winterspear arrived at her doorstep on Sunday. That means she has to carry the knowledge for... pretty much the whole time he's gone.
6265897 Hah! I won't question it. Maybe Mrs. Lamp moved to Canterlot. Hmm, she's still a Mrs. so where is Mr. Lamp!?
6266046 It does seem to keep coming up a lot! And she is low on money... Desperate times...
I do think Raven was just trying to tease her, but then again, the last time writing such things was brought up (a la Luna) she found herself with some Heated Thoughts... 
As for the beach condo, that's a bit of an inside joke between Anzel and me. In the context of the story, it's just Crystal's whimsy getting away with her. 
Oh, if you liked the name drop, then just wait until next chapter, buddy!
6266090 It is a very delicate subject, that is for sure.
6267002 Harrumph, flustering a lady just for your own enjoyment! Rude! And... yep. Shit.
Thank you all for reading! I'll get today's minific posted as soon as I finish it. It will be the third and final minific in the Upper Crust and Jet Set series. I'll post a link to a poll at the end of the blog post so y'all can vote on what you're interested in for next next week (because next week is another Horsey chapter!).
Toodles!
History moves in circles. Crystal is following in the hoofsteps of her mother.
6267220 Isn't it strange how that happens?
Hopefully she won't go off the deep end...
6267196
i.imgflip.com/bsuoq.jpg
If you haven't made up your mind yet, I'd like to suggest http://stawpoll.me
6267246 Hey, you like your Wishes updates to be on time, don't you?
Then hush.
That link didn't work but I presume you meant strawpoll.me ... either way, I have the poll ready to go! I guess if anyone sees this and is interested in voting now, you can at: http://www.poll-maker.com/poll375370x73f5454a-14
Hope it works because I've not used this site before!
6267250 Eeyup, I meant strawpoll.me, but I didn't know there would be so many options and strawpoll only has 4, so that would not work. Also, yes, your poll works.
/EDIT:
Geological breakdown doesn't work, I think, but that's not really important, is it?
6267363 I got a little carried away with the "A Day in the Life Of ___" options.
Also, I saw your write-in response... Added that as an option. Forgot about Au! 
6267385 Aww, I'm sorry...
I don't mean to break you!!
We have indeed not met Stratus Knight in person (pony?)... we only heard a bit about him from Wallflower that didn't necessarily paint him in a positive light. Other than that he is a bit of a mystery, at least for now.
Aw Nuts!
Why, why, why, WHY!
Why did you have to write a Cliffhanger chapter on a Thursday? Now I have to obsess over it through the weekend!
I'm going back to my corner now to rock the fetal position until Tuesday.
And Winterspear, we love you, but don't be such a stranger, because your appearances are turning into a harbinger worthy of the Old testament prophets!
Finally, I know that I have commented on Silent's glacial rate of progress with Crystal. He has been acting like all his testosterone is being used up in his rehabilitation and vengeance project's, leaving his romantic life left in neutral. Seriously, does he feel anything when he touches/hugs/kisses her?... But now I'm starting to get concerned about all the pressure Crystal is getting to advance things along.
Really.
From Cosmo pics and articles, to friends looking for spicy conversation, I feel like Crystal is being stressed to force the issue and make moves that she isn't at ease with at this time. I hope that this isn't how society really works. I'd like to tell her that there's nothing wrong with patience.
6267518 Hey, I was originally considering having Winterspear not even say why she was there and ending it with the "Winterspear stood at her doorstep." line. Be grateful for small gifts.
As for your other points about Silent's pacing and Crystal's pressure... All very valid points and theories!
[edit: That said, although it was Luna who made mention of more mature fiction (not knowing Crystal, in fact, had not done so)... Crystal started having the more heated thoughts pretty much on her own! 
]
One of the things I've been thinking of is her next novel. Every genre has its conventions. Detective novels, one of their conventions is "beautiful dame walks into detective's office to start the case."
You're going to write a romance? Ok, retell a famous detective novel from the dame's viewpoint. A few comments about how clueless he is about her feelings, a few new takes on old clichés & you could end up w another best seller. The Mare Tease Falcon, perhaps?
You might want to pick something old enough to be in public domain.
That was a nice chapter. I enjoyed it. Good luck with the next one. I wonder if this will help Crystal and Winter bond?
6267196 Oh, I'm not finding the lack of anything about Velvet tiresome or anything. I think I just relate the most/emphasis with Velvet so it's always amusing to read about her. I can't wait to read the side story (not that I'm asking you to rush or anything as I am quite enjoying the stories you and Anzel are putting out).
6267196 Theories, theories everywhere! Now you know your story can make us emotionally conflicted, in a good way of course.
6267196 That it is, which is why i've been waiting for this, I guess "arch" to come up. I can't to wait to see how SK's mom reacts initially and how everyone tries to console eachother. Awesome story btw. I rarely comment, either when I find a major mistake or when I'm supper excited for an upcoming part (this is the latter btw XP).
6268342 Aww, well thanks! I greatly appreciate it! Glad it's not the former.
I hope I don't disappoint since this is the arc you've been waiting for!
6268371 You have yet to dissapoint, you write horses very well.
Oh, Crystal, don't worry so much. You're not Silent Knight. You don't have the ability to make your dates wish you were the opposite gender.
But on a more serious note, watching her try to figure out dating is hilarious. Once this is all over, and she finally has it all figured out, she'll look back and realise that Velvet was right all along.
As usual.
Seriously, for a mare that disdains romance the way she does, Velvet's got things figured out. It makes me look forward to that side-story of hers even more.
Can't wait for Crystal to join the ranks of, say, Barley-quin Romance? I'm almost sorry I didn't put Life's mother Lovely in as a possible cameo (Lovely is that kind of romance author, I kinda based her on my mother, who has quite a few of these types of books around. She was a single mother after all). Teasing aside, she really is adorable when flustered.
Fie and shame upon thee, sir Knight! Silent may be thy name but with yon fair mare 'tis a horrid stallion as wouldst live by said name! At least he has the good sense to be guilty about forgetting to mention an open-ended expedition to his special somepony.
Oh boy. Oh this can only end badly. Listen to Velvet, you silly filly! You're doing this for all the wrong reasons. Ugh, I hope somepony talks some sense into her before this blows up in her face.
Thanks be to the sisters! Yes, Winterspear, talk some sense into your brother's marefriend. Tell Crystal to stuff the socialite nonsense before she makes SK uncomfortable.
Well...
I guess all I can say is I'm looking forward to seeing how the other family members react to Stratus' passing. SK seemed to let off the bare minimum of grief and Luna's dreamwalking kept the worst of his nightmares from bothering him. At best, SK still hasn't seemingly dealt properly with his father's death.
6266046
Is your OC Axel?
6267196
Poor Pedrolamp Lamp. Penelampe must have left him. I guess he didn't turn on very often. He didn't shine bright enough for her. I guess they'll never love each other til their bulbs burn out. Oh well, there are probably other lamps in Costa Rica for him to keep their shade. Lol, I don't even know what half of these puns reallt mean, but they're still punny.
~Melly~
6268422 Well shucks, I should print that out and put it on my fridge. I bet my mother would be proud to hear that.
6268787 I'm so happy someone quoted the "There was another stallion!" line because I was grinning to myself as I wrote it. Oh, silly Crystal. I'm glad you're enjoying Crystal's Dating Mishap Show! And... agh! I'm trying! I've got... two chapters fully written, the rest outlined. It's just a matter of finding time to expand the outline.
Also, with how much overlap it has with other stories, plotting all the events out so they match up makes things a little trickier (but totally worth it in the end).
6268829 Barleyquin! I love it!
I'll have to remember that for... um, totally no reason. 
It should be interesting to post the next few chapters given everyone's reactions and expectations after this one, both for the event-going and for Stratus's passing. I guess all I can do at this point is hope I don't disappoint!
6269145 Yep, Lord Legion is one of our Patreon supporters and for his background pony slot he picked Axel!
6269827 Hahahah! Thank you for the good laugh first thing in the morning!
6269145 Yes he is.
6267518 I think that Silent's feelings about the whole dating scene are heavily explained in Secrets, so there's little point in reiterating them here. The real focus is on Crystal's viewpoint.
6270864 Valid point! I've tried to keep this a third person limited perspective, where things are slightly skewed by her own opinions (though I have strayed a few times, like when we followed Velvet for two chapters). Neither Anzel's nor my stories are 100% the whole picture!
6270749
I am enjoying it very much. She tries so hard, you just can't not like her.
And don't worry about trying to get things out faster or whatever. You already have a far more reliable update schedule than 95% of the other authors I follow on here, so just keep doing what you do.
OH BOY A DEAD FATHER! What a great bonding time for Silent and Crystal!
The teasing has begun! Well, has continued in a new and fun direction.
Hahaha.
I feel bad for laughing at that, but the phrasing is funny.
Ahhh, the mission to the bat ponies, I was wondering when we were going to get to that.
Interesting plan to start attending social functions again. Crystal's mother is going to be surprised. It makes sense though, as the significant other to a highly ranked officer connected to the palace and the princesses, it makes sense to dip back into that, and that status in itself gives a very firm social footing to start from even without her parents connections.
On the other hand, maybe the social networking plan isn't going to happen.
6272807 I would say you are probably one of the few, if not only commentators that hasn't predicted doom and explosions over Crystal's attempt at returning to the social world. The reactions thus far to its potential impendingness has been pretty fascinating to me!
6272853 Well, she was raised for it. I don't remember the early story interactions with the social scene as well as I might (the only one that really sticks out at the moment is a chapter with Blueblood that went...poorly, but that might have been Blueblood's fault), so I could be totally off about how well it's going to go.
With the recent bits and pieces about airships and Crystal's family business, we know that her family's presence at such events is based on more than just social climbing, so that's another reason I don't see it going too badly. It's one thing to just be a socialite with not a lot of value to society, but it's entirely another to be effectively a captain of industry or to be related to one. That in theory should be at least be a bit of insulation from someone nasty deciding to ruin Crystal's night at some event.
Thinking about it, the airship thing also puts another spin on Crystal's friendship with Luna. Nobody was intending it at the time (unless Luna plans ahead in interesting ways), but that could be lightly to significantly important at a later date in either this story or Silent's.