//------------------------------// // The Stormy Darkness // Story: Crystal's Hopes // by Crystal Wishes //------------------------------// The endless horizon of shifting sands stretched out before her, but she knew her way. The stars guided her through the desert. She was never lost as long as she had them to lead her home. Crystal nibbled on the end of her quill while she paused to read another passage from the Saddle Arabian guide book by Sure Stroke. Before she could glean anything useful, however, the front door opened and Winterspear walked in. "Oh!" Crystal sat up from where she had been sprawled on the couch. "You're home early. Aren't you on shift for another few hours, or did I lose track of time?" Winterspear sighed, removing her helmet. A chill ran through Crystal at the somber look on the mare's face. "There is an emergency address today at the palace. I don't know the details, but I know every guard in Canterlot is being called in to attend for crowd control. I'm—" Her wings drooped and her voice softened. "I'm worried. The papers don't know anything, either. I grabbed one on the way home..." One of Winterspear's wings shifted and she retrieved a newspaper from where it had been tucked underneath. "It just says: 'Princesses Call for Emergency Wartime Address'." The paper trembled in her hooves. "It can't be good, Crystal." Though her stomach had curled up into several aching knots, Crystal slipped off the couch and walked over to her. "I don't think anything good can come out of this war." "What if something awful happened?" Winterspear's eyes met Crystal's. They searched, pleaded, and begged for comfort. "Crystal, I..." She trailed off—there were no words necessary. They both knew. Crystal quickly shook her head. "It may not be that! It may not be. There's no sense in getting worked up just yet." She swallowed the lump in her throat. "When is it at?" Winterspear raised a hoof to wipe her eyes. "At noon. Iridescence and I will be on duty, so, please, go find Velvet and make sure you're not alone. Just in case." "I will, I promise. I won't be. I'll go find her right now." She stepped forward and nuzzled her cheek to Winterspear's. "Will you be okay?" Winterspear didn't reply beyond a soft sigh. She pulled Crystal into a hug and just remained there for a long, quiet moment. Crystal could feel the tense trembling of Winterspear's muscles and did her best to stay still. To stay strong. She could be weak later. "It'll be okay," Crystal whispered. "He's tough. He's survived before, he'll survive again." Winterspear sniffed as she let go of her and grabbed her helmet. "I hope you're right. I need to go report and get my assignment. Go find Velvet." In fearful silence, they walked out together, then parted ways. Winterspear made her way toward the palace while Crystal trotted into the city. Everything felt so normal. Ponies walked the streets to go about their daily lives with shopping, eating, chatting... Crystal wanted to scream. Didn't they see the news? Didn't they know what it meant? Didn't they care? Her hooves moved faster. She begged them to take her to Velvet's apartment—no! Velvet would be at work. She made a sharp turn, stumbling when her body complained that it wasn't ready for the sudden shift in direction. How fast was she moving? When had she broken into a full gallop? The large studio where the Royal Ballet practiced came into view. It was so far away. It felt like she was in a dream where her destination never grew any closer, but, mercifully, it did. She nearly tripped on her way up the stairs and if the doors hadn't opened under the pressure of her magic, she was certain she would have broken them down. A stallion looked at her in surprise when she burst into the foyer. "Can I help you?" "Velvet—" Crystal wheezed. "Step—" She gasped for air. "Please." The surprise shifted to concern. "Is everything all right?" Crystal shook her head. It was all she could do to stay standing. Talking was out of reach for the time being. "I'll get her right away. Please, have a seat." The stallion hurried through a pair of doors set against one side of the room. A comfortable-looking couch sat a few paces away, but Crystal didn't make it. Her legs gave up and her rump hit the floor a little too hard. Panic had overtaken her completely. An emergency address. If it were good news, then surely the papers would have been told so and then shared on their front pages. No, it had to be bad news. Awful news. Terrible news. The kind of news that had to be given from Princess Celestia herself. Hoofsteps quickly approached and Crystal looked up to see Velvet hurrying toward her. "Crystal! Oh my gosh, Crystal." She skidded to a halt, dropping down onto her haunches and putting both of her forehooves to Crystal's cheeks. "Is this about the speech this afternoon?" Crystal whimpered and nodded. "You don't know what it is! Nopony knows!" Velvet's brow furrowed. "You can't just freak out every time something might go wrong!" "But—" Crystal sniffled. "But—" Velvet sighed, slid her hooves down from Crystal's cheeks to wrap them around her neck, and pulled her close. "Okay, okay, don't look at me like that... I'll allow it this time." She sighed. "It's gonna be fine. Just because the princess wants to talk doesn't mean... well... It doesn't mean that." Crystal's lips parted to speak, but her voice was weak from the tears she was failing against. "How do you know?" she managed to ask, a hitch in her words. "Because, I mean, like... I don't know, but I can't imagine it not being okay." Velvet sighed. "Sorry, I'm not good at this. Come on, practice was almost over for today anyway because of the speech thing. Let's just go home until it's time, okay?" "Okay," Crystal whispered. They walked together in silence. In fact, after that meek, single word, Crystal found herself unable to say anything else, and Velvet was awkwardly accepting of that. They merely waited for the time to pass by, Crystal sitting on a pillow and Velvet finishing up her practice by herself. Once the afternoon hour drew near, Velvet took Crystal by the hoof and they started the walk toward the castle, still no words shared between them. Ponies were everywhere, all heading in the same direction. Some of them were chatting about inconsequential things—the weather, the latest fashion news, recent coffee prices… It raised bile into the back of Crystal's throat. They acted as if Princess Celestia gathered everypony in Canterlot for emergency addresses every day. Did they not understand, or did they just not care? Crystal's gaze darted about, seeking a kindred spirit. Somepony who understood. On the other side of the street, she saw a mare walking with her hooves scuffing the cobblestone, tail void of any perk, and ears flat against her mane. It was a depressing sight, and yet it brought Crystal some twisted sense of comfort. At least she wasn't alone. By the time they reached the castle, the majority of the palace courtyard was already filled with ponies. Crystal and Velvet managed to get a spot where they would be able to see, for all that was worth. The voice of an alicorn was able to carry long distances, but Crystal wanted to see her. She wanted to see her face, to know the truth before a single word was said. The minutes dragged by, and soon the entire courtyard was packed with ponies. The crowd spilled out of the gates and into the streets. City guards were positioned on street corners and on sidewalks to keep an eye on the crowd outside of the walls, while palace guards took up posts in the courtyard. At the center of the courtyard rested a podium that was encircled by members of both House Guards. An insurmountable wall of gold and violet kept civilians a respectable distance from where the princesses would stand on the ground level as opposed to the balcony. There were too many guards. Too many guards for good news. Crystal stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Velvet. Strangers were in every direction, but Crystal's gaze was locked on the clock tower. The pointers moved at an agonizingly slow pace, until— Ding, dong, ding, dong... The sound echoed into the silence. Heads turned toward the front doors of the palace, which started to slide open. Dong, ding, ding, dong... Princess Celestia walked into view with Princess Luna at her side. Their hoofsteps resounded in the pauses between the clock's chimes. Dong... dong... dong... dong... Raven and Willow trailed behind the alicorns and stood off to the sides while Princess Celestia approached the podium. She raised herself up and set her forehooves on it, taking a moment to look out into the crowd. Tension buzzed in the quiet. Even at a distance, Crystal could feel that something was wrong. The princess exuded none of her usual aura, and it was wholly unsettling. Velvet reached over and squeezed Crystal's hoof just as Princess Celestia began to speak, her voice carrying across the crowd with ease. "My little ponies, I've called you all here today to share with you an update on the war with King Kronson of Sudramoar. To my dismay, he did not take our intervention seriously and has not sought diplomatic avenues to resolve his discourse with King Ranald of Nordanver. "That is known by many. It has been in the newspapers and personal letters returning from our loved ones abroad. What is yet to be known is that roughly one week ago, the Nordanver army marched south to meet their Sudramoar opponents in an attempt to dislodge them. "Our allies failed in this task. They were brought low by a superior force and their army lies in ruins. Unfortunately, with a heavy heart, I am here to say that the Equestrian Army also participated in this battle." Gasps erupted like wildfire and echoed off the walls. The crowd moved with a nervous energy as ponies whispered to others and looked to their companions for reassurance. Crystal just stood there, waiting, strangely numb. "At the behest of King Ranald and his commanders, General Ironhoof dispatched our fleet to observe from behind friendly lines. It was meant to be a show of force to hopefully dissuade our enemies. In the course of the battle, due to how badly our allies were defeated, the fleet and the soldiers with it were swept up into the melee." This was it. This was what she had feared. The figure of the princess became hard to see as tears filled Crystal's eyes and she started to sway, her head becoming heavy and her knees becoming weak. Her hoof pulled away from Velvet so she could brace and steady herself. "Many of our airships were badly damaged. The TMS Harmony was destroyed, taking almost every hoof aboard with it. It pains me to say this, but in an instant, nearly five hundred lives were lost." The collective sound of every heart breaking filled the air. Wails of mothers and fathers, cries of wives and husbands, sobs of sisters and brothers... Grief was felt by every pony in attendance. A hoof grabbed Crystal's, and when she looked at its owner, she blinked in surprise. It was an older mare that she didn't recognize, but she did see something they had in common. They were both terrified. The hoof that clutched hers trembled, and tears were falling down the mare's cheeks as she held onto Crystal almost desperately. Crystal responded in kind by turning to face the mare and throwing her foreleg around her neck to squeeze her in a tight hug, and they wept together. "At this time, we do not have all of the names of the fallen. The enemy routed both what remained of the Nordanver army and the forces we sent further back to hold the line. We are in full retreat and have not had a moment's rest to completely understand what has happened. "We are truly at war now. At this very moment, while I stand here speaking to you, brave Equestrian soldiers fight for their friends. They fight for our allies. They fight against disharmony. I give you my word that I will exhaust every avenue I can to bring this bloodshed to an end as quickly as possible, but King Kronson does not seem inclined to listen. "The moment we fully understand all that we have lost, we will share it with you. Families will be contacted and arrangements will be made. Until that time, I implore you not to give up hope for your loved ones." Princess Celestia bowed her head. "I am truly, truly sorry, my little ponies. I wish I could undo this tragedy." "My son," the mare that Crystal held gasped out. "My son was on the Harmony." Crystal stiffened. "What?" "He was assigned to the Harmony. He wrote to me how excited he was about it!" The mare shook her head, tears falling freely and her whole body shaking. "My son is dead!" There were no words. Crystal simply held onto the sobbing mother and gazed off at nothing in particular while her own heart broke. It broke for the mother in her embrace that wept for her son. It broke for the ponies she saw around her that grieved and cried. It broke for herself, because she didn't want to comfort, but to be comforted. Silent might be dead. She knew he was on an airship. Which airship? Had he said? Was it the Harmony? A hoof touched her back and she turned her head to see Velvet standing there, sadness in her eyes. "Crystal..." Crystal shook her head. "I'm fine," she said in a soft voice. "Take care of somepony else." Velvet hesitated, then nodded. To her right stood a lone stallion whose expression was that of shock and disbelief. Velvet stepped toward him and put a hoof on his. He flinched away from her, blinked at her a few times, and wilted. "My wife..." was all he could say. That was all anypony could say. Crystal's ears were bombarded by who ponies feared they had lost. Although every pony in the city was gathered in one spot together, never had she heard so many lonely, desperate voices. "My son..." "My dad..." "My daughter...." "My brother..." Crystal's shoulders trembled at the thought of losing him. Her Silent Knight... "Thunder," cried a quiet voice that reached her among all the others that she recognized, and she craned her neck to look for it. Through the legs of all the ponies nearby, she saw four light grey hooves and the tip of a faded blue braid. "Dawn?" Crystal cleared her throat. "Dawn Walker?" The legs shifted and moved closer, tentatively at first, then quicker until the mare came into view. Sticking close to her side was Toffee Strudel, both of their cheeks wet with tears. "Mrs. Wishes?" Toffee asked. "Oh, Mrs. Wishes. H-How awful for you..." Crystal still held onto the weeping mother with one foreleg, the other shifting to rub her eyes. "Awful for me? Awful for everypony!" Toffee winced. "I mean... Your care companion, he's... He's not here with you." Care companion? Crystal stiffened, then quickly shook her head. "It's fine." Was it fine? She hadn't even thought about it, or about him. His wife was Navy. His wife could fly, so surely... if she had been aboard the Harmony, then surely... The mother pulled herself together just long enough to lean back and look up at Crystal. "I'm so sorry, dear. So sorry. If you have somepony—somepony that you should be with right now—" Velvet cleared her throat from where she sat with the stallion crying on her shoulder. "I can look out for these two if you want to try to find him." "We'll help," Dawn offered quietly. Crystal frowned. "And how would I find him in this crowd?" She shook her head. "No. I belong right here." "But—" Toffee winced. "He doesn't—well, he doesn't seem like the kind of pony that has any friends, so he's probably all alone right now." The thought of that, despite her feelings about him, hurt. It hurt deeply. She couldn't fathom not having the support of friends, especially at a time like this. Reluctantly, she gave the mare a tight squeeze before rising to her hooves. "I'll check his home. I doubt he left a note like he's supposed to, but it's the least I can do. Finding him in this crowd would be otherwise impossible." Carefully, Crystal navigated the crowd, trying not to break down at the faces all around her. Every single pony believed that their loved one was one of the lost. It was hard to believe otherwise with no proof to the contrary. After all, Crystal wanted to believe that Starlit Bastion's wife was all right because she was a pegasus, and yet that same logic failed to soothe her own heart in the least. The further she went into town, the fewer ponies there were. Most remained at the gathering to grieve together. Some had wandered away, perhaps to be alone, perhaps to seek out somepony just like she was. When she turned into the neighborhood where Bastion lived, the empty streets sent a chill down her spine. There was, however, a single figure in the distance. A large, burly earth pony carrying some kind of bulging satchel. She quickened her pace to get closer and his recognizable features came into view. "Starlit?" she called, but he didn't stop. It had to be him! There weren't many big, stocky earth ponies in Canterlot that had feathering on their legs. "Starlit Bastion?" He came to a halt. "What?" His voice cut through the air like a sharpened blade, stopping her in her tracks. "I was just looking for you." Her ears drooped. "Were you at the castle? Did you hear the—the news?" One of his ears flicked. "Yes. I was there. I heard it. What do you want?" She swallowed. Was he just being his normal self, or was he trying to act tough because he was hurting? How could he not be hurting? How could anypony not be? "I'm your care companion, so—" "Care companion?" He turned to face her, his steel grey irises a stark contrast to the bloodshot white they rested against. "I never asked for that. You could make yourself useful, however, and take care of Jet Ventures." Crystal blinked a few times, then furrowed her brow. "Jet Ventures? Wh-What are you talking about?" "Take it over, then shut it down." He stepped toward her, his looming shadow casting darkness over her form. "You're the heir to it, aren't you?" His voice became hauntingly cold and dripped with ice. "Then go to your Celestia-forsaken company that just murdered Equestrian soldiers, and burn it to the ground. The Harmony should have never been there." "I don't—" Her heart raced with fear. Fear for his sanity. Fear for her safety. "I don't know—How did you know—" "How did I know?" He chuckled. "Oh, little filly, of course I know who you are. Crystal Wishes, a romance writer? Wife of Silent Knight? How could anypony not know who you are? You're the spoiled, rich mare who's playing the little military wife with your trophy husband and doesn't know a thing about real sacrifice. My wife, my wife who I love, may be dead right now because of your family, and you're here to comfort me?" He snorted, his breath hot against her face, and he straightened up to his full, towering height. "Just get out of my sight." Without another word, he turned away and continued toward his home. Crystal stood there, dumbfounded for a moment, her mind a swirling mess of confusion. He was wrong. She wasn't any of those things! She loved her husband just as much as he loved his wife. She wasn't to blame for the Harmony. She hadn't had anything to do with it other than by blood! Something gripped her deep inside and that blood she shared with her father started to boil. Bastion was right about one thing—the Harmony should have never been there. Jet Set should have known better than anypony that it wasn't battle-ready. How did it end up there? How could her father have allowed it? There was only one pony who could answer that, and her hooves were already taking her there to him. His pointless, useless airship that boasted luxury and decadence and everything wrong with Canterlot had gone too far. Hot tears ran down Crystal's cheeks as she marched down the road that would lead her to her parents' home. Had suggesting she divorce Silent not been enough for them? When she arrived, she didn't bother to knock. They hadn't changed the lock since as far back as she could remember. Her magic wrapped around the knob and turned it effortlessly. "Mother! Father!" she yelled as she stormed inside, gaze darting about. The recliner was empty, but her mother was where she always was: stretched out on the couch with some awful beauty magazine. "Where's Father?!" Upper Crust jolted and jerked her head up, staring at Crystal with wide eyes. "Darling, what—" "I want to talk to him! I don't care that you couldn't be bothered to go to the emergency speech, I—" "Now, see here!" Upper Crust sat up and stepped off the couch. "I don't know what's gotten into you, but you do not raise your voice at me. What are you talking about, couldn't be bothered? We just got home from it. I've not yet read even one page of my magazine before you barged in here, yelling like an uncivilized filly." She frowned. "As for your father, he's upstairs, getting ready for work." "Work?" Crystal frowned. "Dad doesn't have a job to go to!" "He does now. He is going to go speak to his father about working at Jet Ventures." The blood-boiling sensation was quelled by ice. "What?" "Yes," her father's voice cut in as he descended the stairs. "I'm on my way right now. What do you need, dear?" "You're going to work there?" Crystal stared at him, her lips parted as she panted lightly, exhaustion from all the running catching up to the anger-fueled adrenaline. "What are you thinking?! Was one airship destroyed not enough for you?!" His ears snapped forward and his eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?" "You heard me, Father! Your airship! The Harmony!" She stomped a hoof. "Your airship is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of ponies, and you're going to go make more?!" Upper Crust opened her mouth to speak, but Jet Set's magic flared and snapped it shut as he strode across the distance between him and Crystal. "No, I'll deal with this," he said, glaring at his wife. "Go back to your magazine." With a soft huff, Upper Crust snubbed her nose in the air and returned to the couch, stealing a glance over her shoulder at them while Jet Set returned his narrowed gaze to Crystal. "Young lady, I have heard a lot of absurd things from you," he said, his teeth clenched shut, "but this is by far the most absurd. I understand you're upset, but to come into my home and accuse me of murder? Are you out of your mind?" He snorted. "You may have your differences with us, but this is too far. I designed that airship for luxury, not for war. It should have never been there! You think I'm going crawling to my father for the job I've never wanted because I suddenly now want to? No, Crystal, I'm going because I need to! I can't let this happen again. I can't let this ever happen again." Agitation showing in his twitching muscles, he pointed a hoof at the door. "I love you as my daughter, but right now, I don't want to look at you, so please, get out of my house. I can't believe you would say such things to my face at a time like this." Crystal blinked back tears as shame filled every inch of her soul. Shame and guilt. She opened her mouth, but the tingle of magic around her muzzle silenced her. "Go." She had no choice. Slowly, she turned away from him and walked back out of the home. She winced when the door slammed shut behind her. How could she have said such awful things? A lump formed in her throat and she stared down at the cobblestone beneath her hooves. Something had gotten in her head... She frowned. Or somepony. Bastion had planted that horrible thought in her mind, along with all the other cruel things he had said. She wasn't a spoiled mare. She knew about sacrifice. Silent wasn't her trophy husband! Bastion was wrong about her. He was wrong about everything! She started walking forward, then trotting. She was going to give him a piece of her mind. He could have the venom back; she wanted nothing to do with it. Yelling at others wasn't a healthy way to grieve. She needed to find and be surrounded by her friends again, but not before she settled the score. The streets were becoming busy once again as ponies were dispersing from the castle and back into the city. Faces were gaunt, eyes were puffy, and cheeks were stained with tears. How could Bastion be so cold and callous during such a tragic time? His house stood tall and proud, goading her to come closer. The curtains were closed to shut out the world. Well, he couldn't hide from it forever. Not everything was going to go his stubborn way. She marched up to the door and attempted to knock, but the moment her hoof touched the wood, the door creaked open. Light poured into a dark room, her shadow stretching over a few discarded long-necked bottles and her nose scrunching up at the pungent smell of hard cider in the air. "Starlit?" she called into the eerie stillness. Something stirred past where she could see. "Bastion, is that you?" A groan was the only response. Cautiously, she stepped forward. The further she got to the darkness, the more her eyes started to adjust to the lack of light and sought out any recognizable forms. Something was not far in front of her, but was it a loveseat or a sprawled stallion? "Bastion?" she repeated with a small, uncertain quiver in her voice. The form shifted and a pair of eyes caught the light before they quickly shut. "Wha—?" Her hind leg stretched out and found the door behind her, gently kicking it shut. "Bastion, it's me. Crystal Wishes. Are you okay?" He groaned and shifted again. She could just barely see his dark form moving against an even darker background and watched as he tried to push himself up, then slumped back down. "Wha'you want?" "I'm here to..." She trailed off. What could she say? She couldn't kick a pony who was down—literally. "I'm here to make sure you're okay." Bastion snorted. "Sure." She frowned and sat down beside him, squeaking when her rump landed on a bottle that nearly sent her sprawling. "How much did you have to drink?" After a pause, he said, "Bought the store out. So..." She heard a sound that she gathered was his shoulder sliding across the floor in a shrug. Well, that explained the overburdened satchel. She sighed and shook her head. "You could have just said something instead of lashing out at me, you know. Surely you didn't want to sit here in the dark, drinking alone." "I did, so I did." The more distinct features of his form started to come into view. She could make out his head not just from the direction of his voice, but because she could see the curves of his ears. Crystal sighed. "I didn't want to be your care companion, you know." He didn't reply. "I find you utterly obnoxious. You're rude and cold. You always have this air about you that pushes ponies away." Her tone started to soften the more she spoke. "Military spouses or not, we're still ponies. We can be weak. You can be weak." There was nothing but the sound of his labored breathing for a while until he said, "I married into this. I knew what I was getting into." Crystal reached out a tentative hoof to gently touch his mane. He recoiled and snapped his head to stare at her, what little light there was catching in his eyes so she could feel their weight. "I knew what I was getting into, as well. I've nearly lost him to gryphons once before." "Right. I know about that." He settled back down, keeping a safe distance between them. "How long was he in a coma for?" Her gaze wandered the room, though she couldn't see very much of it. There was something against one wall. A bookshelf, perhaps? "A little over a month. I feared every day that he would never wake up." He groaned, shifted, and rolled onto his side to face away from her. "My wife has never been in danger. I thought I was ready for anything, but I wasn't. Not for this." "I know," she said softly, reaching out again. This time, he didn't recoil and allowed her to stroke his mane. "Nopony could be ready for this." Silence settled between them and both were content to say nothing more. The darkness surrounded them, an all-consuming gloom lurking in the shadows, but at least they weren't alone. At least they weren't alone.