Part One: Welcome to the Crystal Empire

It had been a long journey, but relief was finally in sight. Scribbler, one of the fic readers who had come to reside in Ponyville, was sitting in a train car, bound for the crystal empire. Her nose was buried in a novel she had been aching to finished reading. Making note of her place, she took a deep cleansing breath, as she looked out on the snowy backdrop outside the window.

“Finally!” she exclaimed. “Peace and quiet at last.” She mused a bit. How long has it been since she last had a proper holiday? How rare is it that she gets some time just for herself, without some kind of nonsense happening with her friends? She felt the frustration well in her chest as her mind drifted back to a certain shipping incident, as well as a fiasco centered around a certain red unicorn, who will not be named, that spawned a certain castle that will also not be named.

“Stop it, Scribbler!” she stopped herself before she crossed the threshold of reliving that nightmare. “This is going to be a quiet, relaxing trip. You’ve made sure that nopony knows where you really went. Any pony who would try to find you believes that you’re on your way to Trottingham, or Manehattan, or evenLas Pegasus! You’ve masterfully applied misdirection to ensure a quiet trip for yourself.” She put a hoof to her mouth. “That sounded uncannily like exposition.” She let out a frustrated groan. “I really do need this break. Any more chaos, and I might completely loose my capacity for internal monologue.”

Scribbler tucked her book away into her saddle bag as the train’s conductor announced that the crystal empire was the next stop. All things considered, she was finally starting to look forward to her trip. She had heard how peaceful the crystal empire typically was. It would be nice to finally, FINALLY, get some quiet time.

Upon exiting the train, a smile had come to her face, and a spring to her step. Her vacation from buffoonery had officially begun. She looked around, taking a moment to appreciate the sights. The crystal empire was many things, one of them being beautiful. The crystal spires in their vibrant hues, reflected an aurora in the sky above. The streets seemed to twinkle, like walking on a bed of stars.

Happily humming to herself, Scribbler made her way down the streets. Her stress was already beginning to melt away. She soon found her first destination. “Here we are. The Crystal Radiance Hotel. I’ll just check myself in, and then the library awaits.”

The hotel foyer was lavishly decorated with tapestries and vases filled to the brim with crystalline flowers of many types. Roses, tulips, and begonias were just a few of the flower types to grace the halls. To Scribbler's surprise, the flowers still carried a soothing floral aroma, despite their crystal appearance. Even though the halls shared the cooler colors of the Crystal Empire, there was an undeniable warmth to the hotel that made Scribbler feel welcome.

"Oh, hello! Are you a guest?" Scribbler turned to face the unexpected greeting. A crystal pony stood in the entrance to the foyer. Her ruby mane twinkled in the light. Her amethyst crystalline coat was impeccably kept. Her ruby eyes radiated a welcoming warmth. "I hope you haven't been waiting long. I'm Periwinkle Gleam. I'm the proprietor of the hotel. Do you have a reservation?

Scribbler nodded. "Yes. I should have a weeklong reservation. My name is Scribbler. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Periwinkle smiled and motioned to the front desk. "The pleasure is all mine. Welcome to the Crystal Radiance Hotel. Come. Let's get you checked in." Periwinkle hummed cheerfully to herself as she flipped through the guest register. "What brings you to the Crystal Empire?"

Welcoming the opportunity for some pleasant small talk, Scribbler opened up. "I'm honestly just looking for a relaxing, quiet, and stress free getaway." Scribbler sighed as some of her pent up frustration began to surface. "There can be so much nonsensical and insane shenanigans back home. I needed a break. I'm likely to go bonkers otherwise."

Periwinkle stifled a giggle. "You live in Ponyville, don't you?"

Scribbler raised an eyebrow. "How did you know that?"

"You would be surprised how often we get tourists from Ponyville. It's always the same story. 'I need a break from the crazy. Another creature from the Everfree Forest ran amuck, and I'm spending some time here while they rebuild my house.' I find it really impressive how resilient ponies from there seem to be."

Scribbler half smiled as she realized that she wasn't alone in her need for rest. "I suppose that is one way to describe it. It never is boring. If it's not the countless town festivals, most of which appear to have been made up by Pinkie Pie, it's some kind of monster attack or crazy shenanigans."

Periwinkle continued to smile. "Well, that's one of the reasons why the Crystal Radiance Hotel exists. When your exciting life gets a little too exciting, we are here to offer a quiet respite." Periwinkle perked up as she found the entry she was searching for. "Here we are. Scribbler. Oh my!"

"What is it?"

"I have some good news and some bad news."

Scribbler felt her heart sink a bit. "I knew it was too good to be true," she sighed. "What's the bad news?"

"The bad news," Periwinkle hesitated, "is that the room you were booked for was left in a rather... chaotic condition by the previous guest. A Mr. Discord if I'm not mistaken."

Scribbler slapped her hoof to her face. "Of course!" she groaned. "Why wouldn't the chaos follow me on my vacation. In this case, the literal personification of chaos just so happened to make a bloody mess of my hotel room. Why am I even surprised?"

Periwinkle chimed in, "Now now. I did say there was also some good news, didn't I? Because of the inconvenience, we are taking half off from the charge and refunding the booking fee."

Scribbler started to calm down a little. "I suppose that is good news, but where am I going to stay? When I was booking the room, this was the only one available that fit in the budget."

"Not to worry," Periwinkle sing-songed, "I didn't say the good news was over yet. We're, at no extra cost to you, upgrading you to the royal embassy suite, the finest room we have to offer. You'll receive the full package."

Scribbler stared, dumbfounded. She had not anticipated such an upgrade. "Isn't that a bit much? The royal suite seems a bit of a disproportionate compensation."

"You haven't seen the condition of the room." Periwinkle smiled coyly, "If anything, we're still overcharging you."

"Wow." Scribbler certainly wasn't expecting such treatment. "Well, thank you for your hospitality."

"You are quite welcome." Periwinkle then rang a small bell. A young stallion bellhop appeared. "Bellhop service is part of the package." She addressed the young stallion, "Please take Ms.Scribbler's luggage up to the Royal Embassy Suite." The stallion nodded, he deftly loaded Scribbler's bags onto a trolley cart and left the room. "Diamond Facet, he's one of the best bellhops we have."

"How good is he?" Scribbler asked.

"Everything is in order, Madam." Scribbler nearly leaped in surprise as the bellhop appeared behind her. "I took the liberties to change the linens and replace the flowers. Is there anything else I may be of assistance with?"

"Nope that will be all for now," Periwinkle nodded dismissively.

"Then I should return to the problem room. The other staff appeared to be having difficulty with the flying spaghetti monster when I left them."

Periwinkle waved as Diamond left. "He's very good." She gestured for Scribbler to follow. "Right this way. We have a special lift to take you directly to your suite."

Scribbler took a moment to let everything sink in, before taking a deep breath and following Periwinkle. True, the trip hadn't exactly gone to plan, but she was now staying in probably the most expensive hotel suite she had been in. Perhaps this vacation might actually be a nice and relaxing trip after all.

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