//------------------------------//
// The Voice Inside 
// Story: Crystal's Hopes 
// by Crystal Wishes 
//------------------------------//

Equestria stretched out before Crystal, distant and vast and full of life. She could see snow-capped mountains reaching into the clouds, golden fields rolling over hills, and dark forests spreading out far and wide.

She knew there were ponies all over the land, but she couldn't see them. There were clusters she recognized as villages and towns, though their names escaped her. Geography had never been one of her best subjects.

Once upon a time, there had been an idle dream of hers to explore Equestria with Silent. She would have clung to his back while they soared through the skies, her hornlet allowing for cloud-bound rest stops. No train, no other passengers, nopony but the two of them and wherever they wanted to go.

That dream, now, was dead. Thunder Tumble's report had been confirmed when Silent's letter finally arrived.

Queen of my heart

I write to you fearfully. I did, in fact, endure the battle as you knew I would but it was not without a price. Once more I did my duty and woke to find myself in a hospital bed, grateful to be alive, but fearful of the consequence. In this case, the wound may be too much to handle. My wing was shattered and I was told I would likely not fly again.

It was as if I was being attacked at the core of my being. What is a pegasus without her wings? What is a pegasus without her ability to fly? Isn't that what defines us and makes us special? What will I be when I get home if I can't fly?

That just wasn't how I wanted to be. They said no and I said yes. Once I was well enough, I started to work on it. The wing is weak, I can tell that easily. It doesn't move right. Still, with determination and some degree of plan, I can make do. I can still be a pegasus. If I keep it up, perhaps I'll get strong and, more or less, fly well enough with the brace on.

I am saddened to say I may not be able to carry you anymore, my love. It is my largest fear when it comes to this. What will you think of your handsome knight that cannot fly you into the night's embrace?

Of course it all remains to be seen, however, as they told me I'd never fly again without the brace and I have proven them wrong. They do not know or understand the determination of the Knight bloodline.

Don't worry about me. This is just a moment of weakness and hurt. I'll be my old self soon enough. The stallion you fell in love with. The stallion you still love. The stallion that yearns to return to your warmth and never leave it again.

Your Silent Knight

Crystal took a deep breath in and moved to lay over on her side. She was stretched out near the path that wound down Alicorn Spire, a good fifteen minutes' walk outside the gates of Canterlot.

She wanted to be alone, especially today of all days. Everypony she knew was gathered at the palace in wait for Princess Celestia's Harmony Remembrance speech. If she went, there would be certain expectations of her: to be the heartbroken wife, the strong Foundation leader, the empathetic mourner.

Today, she didn't want to comfort others or be comforted through her tears. Honestly, she didn't even want to cry. She just wanted to be a mare who missed her husband.

A droplet hit her face and she tilted her head back to welcome the rain which was, as usual, right on schedule. The sky was full of grey, laden clouds that circled Canterlot without crossing the walls. As soon as the first drop had fallen, hundreds more came after it and Crystal was soaked to the bone within seconds.

This was, in fact, exactly why she had come so far out of the city rather than hiding under her bed covers. Sitting in the rain on such a gloomy day was beautifully cliché, like something out of a story, and she relished it.

At least, she did until the downpour stopped without warning. She frowned in both disappointment and confusion. The morning paper had clearly said there would be a two-hour storm outside of Canterlot.

The morning paper had also once told her that the war was progressing well, with the Sudramoar forces being pushed further back. A push that had cost her husband his flight, though they neglected to mention that part.

Weather reports, she'd learned over the past two years, were far better for her nerves than those of the war.

When she opened her eyes, little droplets stuck to her lashes and she had to blink them away. Her brow furrowed as her vision cleared enough to confirm that there was still rain all around her, but she was sheltered from it. A glance upwards revealed a happy little white cloud hovering just a few meters above her.

"Hello?" she called, ignoring the way her teeth clattered and her voice trembled. "Could you please move your cloud?"

"No," the cloud's owner replied in a voice just above the patter of rain.

Crystal paused, one ear flicking. "And why not?"

A water-soaked green head leaned over to look at her upside-down, braid dangling like a pendulum. "Because you'll catch a cold."

Her eyes widened in momentary surprise before she settled into a soft laugh. "Hello, Rossby."

The young stallion frowned at her. "Oh, look, you remember my name."

Crystal got up and moved over to sit outside the shelter. "Yes, yes. Snarky comment, playful reply, irritated retort to mask your fondness for me. I'm quite familiar with this dance."

He stepped off the edge of the cloud and glided in a tight circle to land where she had been. After a quick shake that sent a spray in every direction, he sat down and leveled a blank stare at her.

Some of Crystal's mane was plastered to her face, and though she had to blink as droplets fell into her eyes, she didn't look away from his challenge. They remained like that for a while, the rain falling in a steady rhythm, until Rossby heaved a great, put-upon sigh.

"I was trying to enjoy the barely moderate weather when I saw somepony just sitting here." He turned his head to look out at the view before them. "A pony has to be either really stupid or really determined to do that."

"Perhaps a bit of both," she mumbled, joining him in enjoying what could still be seen of Equestria through the haze. "I wanted to be alone."

Rossby snorted. "Whoops."

In spite of herself, Crystal smiled. "Yes, you ruined that quite nicely."

"Yeah, well." There was a pause before he asked in a voice that bordered on worry, "So, why are you out here instead of at the Remembrance ceremony?"

Crystal closed her eyes and tilted her head back to let the rain hit her face. Each drop was cold as ice. "Because I'm tired."

"Okay. That explains why you're not at the ceremony, but not why you're trying to catch a cold. I'm pretty sure that'll just make you even more tired, actually."

"Maybe I want to catch a cold." She blinked several times in an attempt to open her eyes, then shuffled to the side to sit under the cloud with a sigh. "I don't know. I thought it would spark a revelation about—everything. Anything. Something."

When she started to shiver, Rossby stretched out one wing to wrap around her. "That's stupid."

She gave a stuttering laugh. "I suppose it is."

Just as a companionable silence started to settle around them, Rossby broke it with a mutter. "I'm leaving Canterlot in a few weeks."

Crystal jerked back to look at him in surprise. "Leaving? Why?"

His brow furrowed and he dropped his gaze. "I was, uh, caught."

"Caught? What do you mean?"

A faint look of embarrassment crossed his face. "I was spinning up a tornado... or two." His wings twitched. "Okay, it was three. But I had everything under control. They weren't that big."

"What happened?" she asked, stuck somewhere between confused and amused.

"Well, even though everything was fine, this pony came out of nowhere and dispersed them, then started into this dumb lecture about how dangerous it is for the ecosystem, or whatever."

As he continued, his tone started to lighten and he looked back out across Equestria. "Turns out she was a member of the Stormchasers. I've never met a real stormchaser before." The corners of his lips turned up into a tiny smile. "She said that I could be one, if I tried."

Crystal raised a questioning hoof. "What exactly is a stormchaser?"

The smile vanished as his eyes rolled. "Only the most elite weatherponies get to join the Stormchasers. They go to places beyond Equestria to study natural weather patterns." His smile returned twofold. "It's unpredictable out there. Blizzards! Typhoons! Supercells! And I'd get to experience it all firsthoof!"

Her shaking hoof moved to cover her mouth as she giggled. "That sounds terrifying. I'll take my nice, pleasant, scheduled rain showers, thank you very much."

"Pff, boring." He shot her a small grin that fell when their eyes met, and he looked back away. "So, anyway. The timing works out. I'll finish my last year of prep school in a month, and start the internship process."

Her own smile faltered. "And this internship process will take you away from Canterlot?"

"Yeah, it will." His ears flicked back against his mane. "Before I can even try out, I have to have a year's experience in all the major regions of Equestria. North and south."

Crystal blinked a few times. "How long will that take?"

Rossby raised his forehooves to count off taps of one against the other. "There are four distinct regions in Northern Equestria, and three in Southern Equestria." He frowned and glared in Canterlot's direction. "Thanks to the stupidly long school system here, I'm already four years behind my peers. Yay."

"And then you'll be off in distant lands after that?" Crystal bit her lower lip, then took one of his hooves in her own. "Is this goodbye, then?"

For a while, he didn't reply. He just stared down at their joined hooves with a blank expression. "Yes... kind of. No." He gave a quick shake of his head. "No. Part of being a stormchaser is bringing weather knowledge back to Equestria. So, I'll see you when I'm forced to come back."

"Oh, how kind of you." Crystal smiled softly and looked back ahead of them. "I'll miss you."

"Yeah," he muttered, squeezing her hoof to say he'd miss her, too.

The rain filled the quiet space between them. Thunder rumbled in the distance—no, not thunder. Tens of thousands of hooves hitting cobblestone all at once in applause.

"I guess the ceremony's over," Rossby said.

Crystal gave a noncommittal sound in reply. She needed to get back to the Foundation and resume her role as its strong leader.

Instead, she closed her eyes and listened to the rain.

Rossby remained at her side, not saying a word and not letting go of her hoof. She hadn't realized how much she needed the silent company.

When the patter of drops against the ground grew softer, Crystal gave in with a sigh. "I need to go before my mothers send out a search party for me."

"Yeah." Rossby withdrew his wing first and then, reluctantly, his hoof. "It's been. Nice. Being your friend, I mean."

She sputtered a laugh. "Oh, thank you for such a magnanimous compliment, Your Highness."

With a light glare, he turned away from her. "I take it all back. I won't come visit you."

"Please do," she said with gentle sincerity that earned her a cautious side glance.

His head bobbed in the slightest nod before his wings lifted him off the ground. One hoof grabbed the underside of the cloud to tug it along. "Come on. I'll keep the path dry for you."

As she opened her mouth to politely decline, the only sound that came out was the clatter of her teeth. She instead gave a sheepish, grateful smile and started to stand.

Her joints complained from the cold, so she eased herself into a slow walk to stretch them out and warm them up. Rossby matched her pace, flapping his wings to keep aloft as they moved forward together in silence.

There was no wildlife about as they travelled the path to the city gates. Every other creature was smart enough to have taken shelter from the rain. It made the distance seem that much further, but she kept moving with one hoof in front of the other.

That tactic worked for most things in her life, after all.

Once they cleared the rain, Rossby dropped back down to land beside her. He regarded her with a slight furrow of his brow. "You're soaked."

Crystal snorted. "You're observant."

He stated at her a moment longer, then lowered into an odd stance and stretched out his wings. "Whatever. Just stay still."

Curious and intrigued, she nodded and braced herself for whatever he had planned. She watched as he sprung back into the air and flew around her in a quick, tight circle. He went around and around until the air began to stir, faster and faster until he became a blur. Before she knew it, she was standing in the middle of a funnel of wind that whipped through her coat. Her mane and tail flapped about helplessly, and she had to close her eyes to keep from getting dizzy.

Just as suddenly as it started, it stopped, and she found herself windswept but perfectly dry. Rossby landed in front of her, his own mane a mess.

"There," he said with a little grin. "All dry." He ran a hoof over his frazzled braid. "Try to avoid going out of your way to get caught in a rainstorm."

Crystal stepped forward and wrapped a foreleg around his neck to pull him in for a hug. She snorted a laugh when he went completely stiff at her touch. "It's a hug, doofus."

As quickly as he could, Rossby squeaked out, "I don't do hugs!"

"All right, all right." She let go of him, brow shooting up when he stumbled to avoid falling over. "Oh, goodness, you're not kidding."

He shot a glare at her once he regained his balance and backpedaled out of her reach. "No. I don't kid about these things. Or anything, really." With a huff, he jumped into the air and landed on his cloud. 

Crystal raised an apologetic hoof. "I'm really sorry! I didn't know!"

There was a pause before he turned his head away, but she saw the tips of his ears turn red. "It's, uh. It's fine. The sentiment is appreciated, anyway. Just don't ever do it again."

"Okay." She eased into a smile and flared her magic to gently tug one of his reddened ears, earning a yelp and another glare. "Good luck with joining the Stormchasers. I know you'll do great."

He rubbed at his offended ear, then gave a faint smile in return. "Thanks." Silence followed, which he interrupted by clearing his throat. "I'm leaving now before this gets any more awkward."

And with a flick of his wing, he sent his cloud sailing off into the city proper, leaving her with a strange sentiment in her chest. Although she'd gone out of her way to be alone, now that she was, she felt lonelier than ever.

She tried to push the thought from her mind and instead trotted the rest of the way up the path. As she approached the gates, she nodded politely to the guards posted at both sides. Neither acknowledged her bedraggled appearance; they just nodded back and kept their eyes forward.

Though she really needed to drop by the condo and clean herself up, she opted to instead take the scenic route home. If she ran into somepony on the way, they would want to talk. Probably about the war. That was the last thing she wanted right then.

The lower district of Canterlot was a mix of old buildings set against the mountainside and new ones stretched out on platforms. Some of the shops there catered more to tourists who would have just arrived by hoof, carriage, or train, but there was a neighborhood of some note that she headed toward.

Harmony Hamlet was a quaint community of old homes that were typically passed down from generation to generation rather than bought and sold to new owners. Sentiment kept many of them reminiscent of the original Canterlot architecture.

Crystal walked slowly down the quiet road, taking in the sight of each quaint dwelling. There was a round cottage with more flowers than anything else, and off on her right sat a little one-story ranch with a wraparound porch. Leisurely, she turned the corner onto Storybrooke Lane where, between another cottage and a cute yellow two-story, there was a sight that stopped her cold.

It shouldn't have been a house of any importance. In fact, it was the ugliest home she had seen in the neighborhood. Somepony without any architectural sense had taken a two-story home with a pointed peak and built on a short addition, which instead had a sweeping roofline. The contrast went against all reason and sense.

To make matters worse, it was in a clear state of neglect and disrepair. The paint was faded and chipping off, dust coated the windows, and some of the shingles were missing.

The little 'For Sale' sign affixed to the crooked fence posts was almost laughable. What pony in their right mind would buy such a home?

Crystal tutted under her breath and told her hooves to keep walking. Instead, they carried her forward until she was standing by the fence and peering down at the sign, which held pamphlets for more details.

Her magic was already pulling one of the sheets out before she realized her horn had lit.

A diamond in the rough, this home has great hidden potential just waiting for its perfect owner. Featuring a wide pegasus loft that overlooks a spacious living room with a vaulted ceiling—

A pegasus loft? Crystal found herself both wanting to smile and wanting to cry. She moved to peer in through the window, but the haze of dust made it hard to see much.

She could imagine it, though: Silent lounging on a loft, his watchful gaze on her and their foals as they played on the floor below. Perhaps they'd have a little pegasus who would sleep up there, nestled under his father's wing.

Her vision blurred and she took a shuddering breath, raising one hoof to quickly wipe her eyes. This was foolish. What was she doing here?

With a tightness in her chest, she turned to leave, but her hooves wouldn't move. There were echoes of a possible future in the disrepair that filled her senses with more fantasies.

The weeds strangling what used to be a garden within the fenced-in yard showed her lazy afternoons spent applying what she had learned working at the Foundation toward growing vegetables. Zucchini, mostly. Silent's favorite.

A large kitchen had been mentioned in the pamphlet. She felt good-morning kisses exchanged over two cups of tea and freshly made muffins. She tasted simple dinners, sometimes made by her, sometimes by him.

Refinished hardwood floors captured every little hooffall as foals ran about. Two, three, maybe even four of them! They'd have her smile and his eyes. Her charm and his strength. Her creativity and his loyalty. They would be perfect.

But most of all, the dilapidated, neglected old building felt like home—and that both terrified and excited her.

The sound of ponies milling their way back into the neighborhood broke the strange spell she was under, and with an embarrassed flush, she hurried away from the house and back on her way through Canterlot. She kept her gaze forward to avoid unwanted eye contact, and moved at a hurried gait to ward off undesired conversation.

It wasn't until she finally arrived at the condo that she realized she was still carrying the pamphlet in her magic.

She stood just inside the door, staring down at where it had fallen when her attention shifted to the lock. It stared back at her, boasting the low price and great potential.

What point was there in keeping a flyer for a house she couldn't buy? Silent was overseas in a war, for Celestia's sake! All she wanted was for him to come home. Everything else was just a means to an end of waiting for that day without losing her mind.

And, yet, she wanted it. She wanted to keep it. Because it gave her—

Slowly, a smile bloomed on her lips and she levitated the paper back into the air. She walked across the living room and into her bedroom, where she pulled out a blue hat box that sat inconspicuously in the closet.

Inside was her secret collection: every letter Silent had sent her since he left; clippings of any newspaper article that featured the Black Dragoons or the rare mention of Dread Knight; and, now, a pamphlet for a house that gave her the one thing they all had in common.

Hope.