//------------------------------//
// Move Along, Blue Shadows 
// Story: Crystal's Hopes 
// by Crystal Wishes 
//------------------------------//

Crystal yawned as she walked down the hall toward home.  Her and Silent's home.  The base was quiet and still, which was just fine by her.  All she wanted was to go straight to bed, but a small stack of letters that had been pushed through the slot demanded her attention.

With another yawn, Crystal floated her luggage over to the bedroom door and levitated the letters.  Bill...  fan letter...  fan letter...  interview request... oh!  Her ears perked and her mood lifted.  A letter from Reindom House!

The other envelopes were set on the coffee table while she flopped onto the couch.  How much were they going to advance her for The Desert Rose?  How many changes and tweaks were they going to request?

Dear Crystal Wishes

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to consider your latest proposal.

Regretfully, we do not feel that The Desert Rose is in line with what readers have come to expect from C.W. Step nor what the market we cater to is currently looking for.  Therefore, it is our belief that Reindom House is not the right publisher for it.

Thank you for your continued efforts, and we wish you every success in providing us with the next C.W. Step bestseller.

Yours sincerely,

Perfect Pen

A strange feeling gripped Crystal's chest.  She read the letter over a second time.  A third time.  Again and again until she could define how she felt: angry.  She was angry!  How could they just... reject it?  Were they allowed to do that?  Was she just supposed to give up, roll over, and try to find a new muse?

Crystal's hooves trembled as the letter and its envelope fluttered to the floor, her magic instead snatching up her suitcase.  She jumped off the couch and stormed back out the door.  No, she was going to do none of that.  She was going to find a way around them!  The Desert Rose deserved a chance, and if it wasn't with Reindom House, then she would just have to look elsewhere.  And she just knew who to go to.

Determination guiding her, she marched right back off base and through the town, retracing the steps she had just walked moments before.  There was no need to hurry, as she had long since missed the train's departure, but there was a storm raging within her.

They hadn't just rejected her idea; they had rejected Velvet!  Her story wasn't interesting enough, even after the addition of an exotic setting?  Crystal blinked a few times when her vision started to blur.  How could she possibly tell Velvet that her story wasn't worthy of being told?

She wouldn't have to, because she was going to fight.  So what if Reindom House didn't want the story?  There were other publishers.

"Hello!" she said breathlessly when she arrived at the ticket counter.  "Ticket to Manehattan, please!"

The old stallion blinked a few times, adjusting his glasses.  "Afraid you'll be waiting a while, miss.  Next train isn't due for another two hours."

Crystal shook her head.  "It's fine.  That's fine."  She floated the bits onto the counter, then pushed them toward him.  "Ticket, please."

With her ticket clasped in pink magic, Crystal sat on a bench, gazing at the empty tracks.  A cold breeze ruffled her coat and she tugged a shawl tighter around her shoulders.  She was alone, save for the ticketmaster, though he was hardly any company.  As far as she could see from looking around the platform, she was the only pony there.

A moment passed.  Perhaps it had been a minute, thirty seconds, or not even a second at all.  However long the moment had been, it was long enough for darkness to creep into the corners of her mind.

What was she doing?  Running off to go fight for a story?  Silent Knight was where ponies were fighting for real, or at least going to be, and here she was all worked up over something inconsequential.  She was wasting her time.

Crystal shook her head.  No!  It wasn't a waste of time.  She was fighting for Velvet.  That was important... wasn't it?

Did Velvet even care?

Slowly, her ears started to sink.  Did anypony care?  It was just a story.  There were hundreds of thousands of stories.  Reindom House didn't think hers was worth publishing.

Her chest tightened and, unbidden, a choking sob fell from her lips.  She quickly clamped a hoof over her mouth and glanced around, easing when she confirmed she was still alone.

Alone.

Why did he have to leave her all alone?


♡


The train's whistle cut into the dream that vanished as soon as she opened her eyes.  She must have fallen asleep after the transfer to the second train, because it had hardly felt like time had moved, but the surroundings outside the window certainly had changed.  Manehattan stood on the coast, overlooking an ocean that was barely illuminated by the first rays of sunlight.

Crystal gathered up her belongings and readied herself for when the train pulled into the station, doing her very best to keep her mind on track.  Should she wait at the office, or just go directly to his house?  Sunset Coffee was a notoriously early riser.  For all she knew, he was already at his desk, sipping his coffee and starting his day.

Then again, whether he was there or not, it would be nice to drop off her belongings at his place instead of lugging everything through Eminence Tower.  She just hoped he and his family didn't mind the sudden drop-in with no advanced notice.

Her body jolted forward when the train came to a complete stop, squealing wheels and hissing steam filling the air for a moment.  Then everything went quiet.  She was the only pony in the car, and after hours spent on trains, the silence was starting to feel comforting.

The whole of Manehattan was covered in a light fog.  Sounds of a city stirring with life reached her ears when she stepped off the platform and into the city proper.  Taxi carts were already zipping through the streets and the sidewalks were about half as full as they were during the midday lunch rush.  The fog, however, kept everything shrouded in an air of melancholy, especially with how nopony took the time to greet one another as they passed by.

Even though she was now surrounded by ponies, she still felt a sense of loneliness clinging to her withers like a ragged shawl.  She pulled the real one she wore tighter around herself in an attempt to chase away that clawing, chilling sensation.

"Extra, extra," a colt's voice called among the haze.  "Read all about it!  Nordanver forces moving toward Rindaire to engage their enemy!"

Crystal had to stop and catch her breath.  The words knocked the wind right out of her.  Tears filled her eyes and she quickly shook her head to chase them away, urging her hooves to keep moving.

No matter where she went or what she was doing, the war followed her.  It was the feeling that nipped at her, clung to her, suffocated her whenever she was alone.

Faster.  She had to get to the apartment complex faster.  The sooner she had company, the sooner she'd feel better.  This all-encompassing darkness would be chased away by the light of a friend.

She made her way to and inside the building, hurried up the stairs, and rapidly knocked on the door.  She prayed somepony was home as she waited, each beat passing in the pounding of her heart, a drum of war that throbbed in her skull, until—

The door opened and Sunset Coffee blinked.  "Crystal Wishes!"  He beamed at the sight of her.  "What a surprise!  I was just on my way into the office."

Crystal nodded.  "Good morning!  I was hoping to catch you.  I'm sorry it's so short notice, but do you mind if I drop off my luggage here and chat with you while you walk to work?"

Sunset's brow raised, then he chuckled and, after she levitated her bags inside, pulled the door closed behind him.  "All right.  Is this for business or pleasure?"

"Business, though it's always a pleasure to see you."  She winked, trotting alongside him.  "How are the girls?"

"Great!  Can never complain about my little flowers.  Cocoa loves the little mare care packages you send her, by the way."  After a pause, he glanced at her, concern in his eyes.  "So.  What's up?"

A soft sight escaped Crystal while her magic retrieved the letter from her saddlebag.  "Here."

Sunset stopped to take the letter in one hoof and read through it.  His expression grew serious and his tone remained even.  "I see.  I imagine you want to talk about this.  You've not had a rejection before, have you?"

"No."  Crystal's ears flicked back and she did her very best not to pout, though she very much wanted to.  "It doesn't mean the story is dead, is it?  I just simply have to find another publisher?"

"Well...  It's somewhat tricky, isn't it?"  He cleared his throat and continued leading her out of the apartment complex and onto the street.  "You have a contract with Reindom House.  C.W. Step is a publisher pseudonym... more or less, they own it.  Our parent company owns it, to be precise.  So the only way to use C.W. Step for—"  He paused, glancing at the folded-up letter.  "Sorry.  What was it called?"

"The Desert Rose," she replied in a quiet mumble.

He nodded.  "Right!  The Desert Rose.  If you want to publish that under C.W. Step, either we fight to prove to Reindom House it is what they're looking for, or—"

Her ears perked up, hope fluttering in her chest.  Such a simple little word could have so much meaning.  "Or?"

"Or you rework your idea to a more serial-suitable format and we publish it in Mares Monthly."  He bumped his shoulder to hers.  "I believe in you.  You haven't let me down yet.  If you're willing to fight for this story, then I'm willing to fight for you."

The hope exploded into joy as she threw her forelegs around him in a tight hug.  "Oh, thank you, thank you!  Yes!  A serial's fine!"  She withdrew and continued walking beside him, a happy skip in her step.  "It's not quite what I wanted for this story, but at least it'll have my name on it.  I don't want to have to hide behind a different pseudonym, not for Rose."

His brow knitted slightly as he glanced down at her.  "Hmm...  You seem particularly attached to this one."

A smile spread across her lips and she giggled, nodding.  "I am.  This one is special.  More special than anything I've written so far, I think.  I want to prove to a friend—my very best friend—that her story, her life, who she is...  That she's not strange or bizarre."

"Well."  He puffed his chest, holding one of the doors that led into Eminence Tower open for her.  "Tell me all about it, and I'll pitch it to Kahuna.  I know it won't pay as much as if Reindom House had taken it, but at least it will get out there, eh?"

The smile faded some, but she nodded.  "It's something.  It's not what I wanted, but I suppose we can't always get what we want."

"You never know!"  Sunset winked as they made their way toward the elevators.  "It could take off swimmingly and Reindom House will approach you, begging for your forgiveness!"

Crystal laughed and waved a hoof.  "Oh, wouldn't that be a wonderful turn of events?"  After he pressed a button and they waited for the elevator to make its way down to the lobby, she sighed wistfully.  "It is what it is.  Now, then, let me tell you about The Desert Rose.  I've set it in Saddle Arabia to add an exotic appeal."

Sunset's head bobbed.  "Okay.  I like it so far."

The gilded doors slid open and they stepped inside, a unicorn wearing a tuxedo collar operating the elevator while Crystal continued, "The... complicated part, I suppose, and why Reindom House rejected it, is the protagonist does not fall in love, nor does she want to."

"Oh?"  He blinked at her.  "That's, well.  I'll be honest.  That's a bold move for you, given your reputation as a romance writer."

"I know, but I want to do it.  I want to write it."  She nodded, mostly to reassure herself and her nervous heart.  "I have a stallion and a mare that pursue her, seeking her hoof in marriage.  As such, she finds them companions better suited for them than her, which is how I tie in the romance part."

Sunset hummed in thought.  He didn't say anything as they arrived at the sixty-third floor, instead just nodding his head to gesture for her to keep following.  He led her into the Mares Monthly wing and all the way to his office before he finally said, "It has potential."

Crystal released the breath she forgot she had been holding.  Lowering herself into the seat across from his desk, she asked in a quiet voice, "You think so?"

"I do."  He steepled his forehooves.  "Of course, you know just as well as anypony else that comes into this office that a serial publication is different from a novel."

She nodded quickly, her nerves tingling with excitement.  "Oh, absolutely.  What do you think needs to be pared down?"

Tapping his hooves together, he pursed his lips, then said, "The suitors and your protagonist helping them find love...  That will be a few too many plot threads to keep track of with a monthly publication.  What if she simply helps the two of them get together?  That would simplify things a great deal."

"Oh..."  She bit her lower lip.

One of his brows raised.  "'Oh'?  Is that a problem?"

"No, I—well, it's just that—"  She took a sharp intake of air and released it as a sigh.  "It's not a problem, per se.  I would simply have to change the mare suitor into a stallion."

Sunset blinked a few times.  His confusion was entirely understandable.  She kept her gaze averted as he puzzled through her words for a moment and finally asked, "Why is that?"

Oh, how could she put it?  She raised a hoof to rub the back of her neck.  "Well, you see, Velvet—this is written for and loosely about her...  She, well."  She swallowed, the hoof sliding down.  "She thought it would add a certain—a certain appeal if the stallion pursuing the main mare ended up with another stallion.  She said it would be"—her voice lowered into an embarrassed tone—"hot."

The immediate response she received was a snerrk.  He slapped his hooves on the desk and threw his head back, laughing without any restraint.  The sound stirred Crystal into joining him, first with giggles, and then full-on laughter.

"I—"  He gasped for air.  "I see!"  He wiped his eyes with both hooves.  "Well, that's a great idea.  The mainstream market could use more hot stallion love."  The moment she felt her face turn red, he started laughing again.

"Ohh!"  She tried to pout, but giggling made it a difficult look to maintain.  "Could you please be professional about this, Mr. Coffee?"

He snorted and waved a hoof.  "Okay!  Okay, okay."  He breathed in and out.  "I'm just surprised.  You've talked about Velvet before, but I had no idea how different you two were.  In seriousness, though, that gives you two unique hooks.  I think our audience will love it.  We don't have anything on the schedule set in Saddle Arabia, and I can't remember the last time there was a story in Mares Monthly that was set there."

She twiddled her hooves.  "You don't think it's... too unique, do you?  Too far out there?"

"Not at all.  It will be fine.  After all, you believe in it, don't you?"  His smile was still in place, but his eyes had a serious look in them.

"What?"  She blinked, then steeled her resolve.  "Of course.  No—"  Tossing her mane over her shoulder, she straightened her back to sit as tall as she could. "Not just of course.  Absolutely!  I know I can write this well."

His eyes softened and he tapped a hoof on the desk.  "That's the spirit!  Well, I'll present it to Kahuna.  Why don't you head back and hang out with the girls?  I'll let you know how things go when I get home."

Crystal nodded and rose to her hooves.  "I'll do just that.  Thank you, Sunset.  I really appreciate it."

"Anything for my favorite client!"  He winked.  "This'll work out just fine for you, I'm sure of it."

"I certainly hope so!"  As she made her way out of his office, she couldn't help but feel a strange bitterness in the back of her mind.

Nothing was going to take her writing away, not the war, and certainly not Reindom House.  Oh, she'd show them what her readers expected!  They expected good, quality writing, and that was exactly what she was going to deliver.