At the Gala — First Dance
The door to Crystal's bedroom abruptly opened, sending a wave of rushing air through the room and scattering the papers she had strewn about.
"What the hay?!" Crystal jerked her head up to frown at Velvet, who was standing in the doorway. "You could have knocked! Or—"
"Crystal, I'm sorry, but this is getting way beyond ridiculous," Velvet interrupted, stomping one hoof to accentuate her point. "You've been cooped up in this room for weeks! I thought you were going to go out more? How many times do we have to have this fight?"
"Fight?" Crystal scowled, though it was a reaction more of shock than anger. "When have we fought? We've debated! You have one opinion and I have another. What's wrong with that?"
Velvet shook her head with a frustrated jerkiness, as if a fly were in her ear. "Fight, debate, whatever! Either way, you know it's not healthy for you to do this. I'm amazed you still go to classes, honestly, because we haven't hung out since you got back from Manehattan."
"Well, I don't know what you want from me! I have to finish this novel, find a cover artist, make whatever edits I have to, and prepare for a convention in an almost impossibly short amount of time." Crystal dropped her gaze down to her working manuscript. "I'm under a lot of stress, and finding time to get some social exposure isn't a priority right now. I'll get to talk to a lot of ponies at the Equestrian Writers Convention; isn't that good enough?"
Velvet waited for the silence to grow heavy between them before she finally relented with a grunt. "Fine. But you can't agree to another crazy deadline like this again, okay? You look terrible."
Crystal blinked. "I'll keep that in mind. Anyway, I've still got a lot of work left, so if you don't mind—?"
Velvet snorted and started to shut the door, backing out of the room. "I'll have dinner ready in an hour. Please try find a spare moment to join me this time, okay? I didn't ask you to be my roommate so I could eat alone."
The door clicked shut, giving Crystal no chance to respond. She tried to return her attention to her writing, but she was already out of the zone. She sighed and got up, releasing a pained sound that almost rivaled the groaning of her stiff joints. How long had she been curled up on the floor? It felt like she hadn't moved in days.
She winced. Perhaps she hadn't. Though she knew she went to classes each day of the week, it certainly didn't feel like it. The obligation of attending school was a blur washed away by the storm of writing, so much so that it was hard to remember when she had last stood up. With a tight limp in her gait, she hobbled over to the vanity and tentatively peeked at her reflection. It was almost comical how tired the mare in the mirror looked! Her lids were dark and droopy, her eyes were bloodshot, and her mane was a frizzy mess.
Velvet was right. She looked downright awful. Her gaze returned to her papers and a small pang of guilt gripped her chest. The manuscript absolutely had to be finished. All of the effort had to be worth the lost time, otherwise she'd really be letting Velvet down.
For that evening, however, she would have a proper dinner with her friend rather than absentmindedly eating while the quill worked furiously under the pressure of her magic. She washed her face and put herself together: foundation, mascara, and beauty mark were all carefully applied. Once her mane had been brushed into silky submission, she walked out into the main area.
Velvet looked up from the stove and over at her with a bit of surprise. "Oh, hey!" The surprise lifted into a sheepish grin. "Look, Crystal, I'm sorry for yelling at you. I know you're working really hard." She rubbed the back of her neck and returned her attention to the pan cooking on the burner. "I was just feeling crabby and took it out on you."
Crystal blinked. She walked over and hopped up to sit on the empty counter space beside the stove. "What's wrong?"
Velvet idly stirred the vegetables that were in the pan. "Some of the girls in the company have tickets to the Gala and have been talking about it nonstop. I'm downright sick of hearing about it."
"The Gala?" Crystal's ears fell and her eyes widened. "Oh, sweet Celestia, is that soon?"
"Yeah?" Velvet snorted. "It's less than a week away. Are you really not paying attention to anything at all outside of your room?" She offered a weak but playful smirk. "How do you plan to even pass your exams for school if you don't even know the Gala is next week?"
Crystal waved the question away. "Forget exams! This is worse!" She slid off the counter and started to pace just outside the kitchen. "My parents will expect me to go, but I have no time for that!" She stopped pacing to frown at Velvet. "They're going to show up any day now to pester me. You have to tell them I'm sick. Or dead. Whichever lie is easier to tell."
Velvet laughed softly. She transferred the sautéed vegetables to a plate and took the pan to the sink. "Oh, yeah, because the second one'll go over real well. I'll just tell them you're busy; I'm sure they'll understand." She paused for comedic effect, then said dryly, "Wait, this is your parents we're talking about. I don't think you being dead would stop them from dragging you to the Gala."
"You're right, of course, but—" Crystal slumped against the wall. "But I really, really have no time."
Velvet paused, this time out of sincere hesitancy. "It's just one evening, isn't it?"
Crystal shot her a withering stare.
Velvet offered her hooves in a peaceful gesture. "I'm just saying! It's one evening. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to get out and cut loose."
The withering stare intensified. "Velvet, what do I say every year when you ask me how the Gala was?"
Velvet raised her voice in a playful mimicry of Crystal's. "How would you feel about being surrounded by all the worst examples of Canterlot society for hours?”
“Exactly.” Crystal crossed her front legs over her chest. “So, when my parents come over, and they will soon, you’re going to say what?”
♡
“Don't worry, Mrs. Crust and Mr. Set!” Velvet chirped excitedly, shoving her shoulder against Crystal’s and knocking her off-balance as a distraction from the off-script response. “She’ll definitely be there!”
Upper Crust smiled. “Thank you for your reassurance, Velvet Step.” She levitated the envelope containing the golden ticket over and onto the table. “I see you understand that the Gala, of all events, is the most important to Crystal’s well-being.”
Jet Set cleared his throat and put his wife’s hat back on her head. “We have somewhere to be, don’t we, dear?”
“Quite right.” Upper Crust straightened the drooping sleeves of the sweater tied around her neck. “We should do lunch sometime, darling.” She paused, then added cordially, “And Velvet Step, too.”
As Upper Crust let herself out, Jet Set lingered behind. He turned his gaze on Crystal and smiled softly. "Your mother and I are very proud of your accomplishments, Crystal."
Crystal ducked her head. His tone and words sounded sincere, but she could only believe half of his statement. "Thanks." She shuffled her forehooves. "It's working out pretty well for us."
Jet Set nodded slowly. He seemed to hesitate, but instead shook his head and started for the door. "We'll see you at the Gala, then, dear. Always a pleasure, Miss Step."
"Yup! Have a great night!" Velvet waved him off.
When the door shut, Velvet continued waving, purposefully not looking at Crystal.
Crystal, on the other hoof, was looking directly at her. "Velvet."
"Yes?" Velvet responded, still waving, though the motion was slowing down.
"I thought we had an agreement." Crystal tapped a hoof against the floor. "You realize that if I don't go, they'll blame you."
"Exactly!" Velvet turned to face her with a sly grin. "Which, in turn, means you're now obligated to go for my sake. And I'm doing this for your sake, so really, you're doing it for you."
Crystal made a few unintelligible sounds of irritation before she finally settled on groaning, "Velvet, I swear to Celestia—"
"Hear me out." Velvet put a hoof on Crystal's shoulder. "You're pretty far along with the manuscript already, right?"
Crystal eyed her warily. "Yes, but—"
"And you're probably going to make the deadline, right? Don't respond just yet. Think about it seriously."
Crystal did and, after a moment, she gave a small nod. "Probably."
Velvet smiled, moved closer to Crystal and nuzzling her cheek. "Plus," she whispered in her ear in a playfully coy voice, "you might run into Princess Luna there." Velvet jumped back, laughing while Crystal gasped with realization.
"I didn't even think about that!" Crystal started to trot in place as excitement overtook her. "Oh my gosh, I need a dress! And what am I going to do with my mane and tail?"
Velvet laughed even harder. "That's the spirit!" Her laughter calmed down to intermittent giggles. "Why don't we go shopping? You just got your royalty check for this month, right?"
Crystal's excitement faltered, her eyes closing halfway as she did the math. They were cooking with fresh produce now, and she certainly wasn't going back to eating Hungry Mares. If she took out the usual cost of groceries, how much did that leave for a dress? What about accessories, if she didn't already have shoes or jewelry that matched?
Her lips moved to silently mouth the numbers zipping through her head. "Yeah. As long as we don't go over budget, it'll be fine."
"Then let's go shopping!"
♡
It was a beautiful night. Crystal stood on the road that led to the castle, which was lined with red rope held up by silver stands. The blue-purple hues of the sky above were glittering with stars. The night sky was more wonderfully and carefully arranged than Crystal had ever seen it before Princess Luna's return. She truly was a Princess of the Night.
"At the Gala!" several voices suddenly cried out in unison, nearly startling her right out of the silver shoes on her hooves. Just as the sky was filled with stars, the space around her was filled with ponies marching together and singing.
The Gala was notorious for repeating the same traditions every year with no surprises or deviations from the established norms. The ponies of high class society knew what to expect and reveled in that constancy, as it guaranteed their idea of a great event.
The refined mares and stallions, who were all dressed to the nines, marched past her in step and in song. She rolled her eyes, counted the beat, and joined in.
"At the Gala!"
Then, for the first time that she could remember, a voice sang out of place.
"At the Gala, in the garden, I'm going to see them all! All the creatures, I'll befriend them at the Gala!"
She glanced at the mare to her left and was met with a look of confusion that matched her own. Enough ponies chimed in with another "At the Gala!" exclamation, so Crystal shrugged and continued with the synchronized marching. By the time a third voice had broken out into its own song, they had found a rhythm of carrying on without losing tempo. In total, there were six unexpected verses, but they seemed to at least try to match the song's cadence, more or less. The song finally drew to a close.
"And we'll have the best night ever, at the Gala!"
After the melodious parade to the castle, they all formed a line to shake hooves with the princess before entering the Gala proper. Of course, every year prior that Crystal had attended, it was only one princess. Perhaps this year it would be plural! She could barely keep from bouncing up and down before the line moved forward one pony.
Her excitement deflated when the queue progressed enough that she was inside the main hall and could see up the grand staircase. At the top of the stairs stood Princess Celestia with a purple unicorn at her side that was distinctly not Princess Luna. Crystal sighed and tried to occupy her time by looking around the hall.
It wasn't as magical as it had been before she had started working with Raven. Now, all she could see was the hidden truths behind everything. The stained glass windows, for example, were cleaned three times a day to ensure that they always caught the light as perfectly as possible. Instead of admiring the way the stars could be seen shimmering behind the semi-translucent colored glass, she wondered how recently a castle servant had been by to wash them.
She stifled a yawn. There was more shuffling forward, waiting, then shuffling again. Finally, she had reached her turn at the top of the stairs.
"Good evening," Princess Celestia said and bowed her head, just as she did every year to everypony. "Welcome to the Gala."
"Thank you, Princess." Crystal bowed in return before proceeding past her, but not before stealing a quick glance at the purple unicorn. She felt like she knew her face from somewhere, but where? Being at the princess's side was a prestigious spot only for a special pony.
She made a note to ask Raven about it when she ran into her. The Gala was an opportunity for Raven to relax and enjoy the party, as Princess Celestia had a well-practiced schedule that never changed and didn't require an aide keeping her to it. For the time being, however, Crystal just wished she could see Princess Luna, even if only from a distance.
Unfortunately, the Princess of the Night was nowhere to be found. Crystal had searched all of the areas accessible to her, leaving only the VIP section. Standing just on the standard attendees' side of the rope, she did her very best to nonchalantly peruse the crowd of very important ponies, which consisted of Wonderbolts and their esteemed guests.
Just as she gave up and started to walk away, a rainbow-colored blur shot past her, sending a gust of wind through her mane and the ruffles of her dress. She gasped and threw a hoof to her carefully tiered braids to ensure they were still in place before she looked around to discover the disturbance.
A mare with a rainbow mane and dress seemed to be the most likely culprit. Just like the unicorn at Princess Celestia's side, this mare seemed distantly familiar somehow. From what Crystal could gather from the scene, the mare had dashed as quickly as she could to catch a pie before it hit the ground.
One of the Wonderbolts that stood near the mare exclaimed, "My pie! You saved it! Thanks!"
Crystal rolled her eyes and sighed, then did a double take at the stallion. He was furiously devouring the supposedly rescued pie with no sense of decorum or shame. She had been so determined to find Princess Luna that she had nearly forgotten there were eligible stallions attending the Gala! A flush started to crawl up her neck and to her cheeks as she glanced around, suddenly very aware of the several stallions in the crowd.
As if on cue, her mother's voice rang out sharply against her own thoughts. "Crystal, darling! There you are!"
Crystal looked over to see Upper Crust walking toward her with an unfamiliar blue mare. "Good evening, Mother." She glanced between the two, smiling pleasantly. "Would you care to introduce me to your friend?"
Upper Crust laughed in that awful, goose-like manner. "Oh, darling, I hope she'll be your friend. This is Four Step. She's a dance teacher. Isn't that nice?"
Crystal turned her forced smile on the mare and offered a hoof. "Nice to meet you."
"No, no, the pleasure's all mine!" Four Step beamed at her and accepted the offer with a solid shake. "Your mother mentioned you have a friend in the Canterlot Ballet. Velvet Step, right? How funny, another Step who's a dancer! I wonder if she and I are related?"
This lifted Crystal's smile into sincerity. "Yes, she—"
Upper Crust cleared her throat, interrupting, "She is, but I'm sure you're more interested in talking about how you are also a dancer yourself."
Four Step giggled. "Oh, I don't—"
"She knows all the latest trends in dance so that her students are always the best," Upper Crust interrupted again. "In fact, I dare say she knows the trends before they become trends."
The smile fell into a barely lifted line. "Mother—" Crystal tried to regain her practiced composure, but her emotions were showing too much. "May I speak with you for a moment in private?"
"I'll go get some punch," Four Step suggested before trotting away to give them space.
Upper Crust looked down her nose at her daughter. "What's wrong, dear?"
"What are you trying to do?" Crystal returned the look with a frown. There was no pretense of civility as she continued in a seething voice, "You're scheming something. I thought you were through with this?"
"Nothing of the sort, darling! I'm simply trying to expand your little social circle. After all, you prefer having dancer—" She paused, then finished in an oddly lilting tone, "friends, don't you?"
For a moment, Crystal simply had no response. She finally shook her head to clear her head. "What? Are you—Do you—" Her brow furrowed. "Do you really not like Velvet that much?"
Upper Crust waved a hoof. "That's not it at all! I promise, darling, I am not trying to force anything on you; I'm simply showing you options."
Crystal sighed through her teeth and turned away. "I'm fine, Mother. I can make my own friends without your meddling."
Upper Crust didn't say anything further, nor did she try to stop Crystal from leaving. Instead, she simply stood there, watching her daughter's retreating form with a neutral expression.
Crystal groaned as she wound her way through the sparse crowd to the private gardens. She had learned several years ago that most ponies stayed away from there. While beautiful and well-maintained, they provided too much risk of stray leaves in one's mane or a mischievous branch to snag one's dress.
As they were every year, the gardens were a tranquil scene of magnificent flora and exotic fauna. Every once in a while, she could hear a distant bird in the trees and, when she was lucky enough, would actually catch a glimpse of a bright color moving among the foliage. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted something large and red.
Hoping to sneak up on a bird, she walked as quietly as she could across the grass, nearing the red figure. When she was close enough, she froze. The figure was definitely not a bird.
An earth stallion sat in a small clearing off the main path, his head lifted so his gaze could drift across the branches above. Crystal carefully moved to get a better look at him from the side and spotted a sketchbook resting in one hoof, a pencil in the other.
An amused smile played across her lips as she watched him for a few moments. He was a big, strong example of a stallion, with black fetlocks and a white mane and tail. He also clearly didn't belong at the Gala. His features were much more suited to labor with his muscles and hooves which—judging by a quick glance at his cutie mark—had something to do with carts. However, there he was, somehow in the Gala and sketching birds.
Finally, she stepped forward, careful to make just enough noise with her movement to alert him without startling him too much. He tensed and pulled the sketchbook in toward him to hide his work, turning his head to look at her.
"Hello!" she said in a quiet voice. "My name is Crystal Wishes. Who are you?"
He eyed her with nervous suspicion. When she simply smiled back, he said low and cautiously, "Axel."
She waved a hoof to try to dismiss his concerns, but a mere gesture was hardly enough for that. "I saw that you were sketching the birds." She tilted her head. "I've been attending the Gala for years and hardly see any of them. How many have you seen?"
Axel clutched the sketchbook tighter. "Not a lot. I've only been sitting here a little while. This is—" His mouth clamped shut and he visibly tensed.
"Your first time 'at the Gala'?" She giggled. "How did you get in? No offense, but I don't believe you received a ticket." When he glanced away from her and hesitated, she added, "It's honestly all right. I know you have no reason to trust me, but I'm not going to turn you in."
He rubbed the back of his neck and relented. "I came to repair a cart that broke down, and, well—with all of the Gala preparations and distractions, nopony was really keeping an eye on me, so I just didn't leave."
"Really! Oh, gosh." She shook her head. "That's a little lax on security's part. When I just want to have a lunch date at the castle, I have to jump through so many hoops! But good for you, I guess?" She glanced at his sketchbook.
He looked between her and the book before he slowly held it out. "I'm not very good at it, but if you really want to see—"
"I do!" Her magic took the sketchbook from him with utmost care and gingerly flipped through it. Some of the sketches were rougher than others, likely having been based on a brief glimpse at a passing bird. One, however, gave her pause.
He took note of her stillness and asked nervously, "What's wrong?"
"Huh?" She blinked up at him. "Nothing's wrong, it's just—" Her gaze returned to the drawing. It was of some kind of parrot that, in black and white, would seem ordinary, but the amount of varying shades of grey the stallion had sketched in alluded to at least a few different colors. "I've never seen the bird this is of."
A smile broke out across his face. "Oh, that one was amazing! They're rainbow lorikeets. They're actually very friendly if you sit still long enough."
"Rainbow lorikeet? So it really is all sorts of colors!" She tapped a hoof to the page. "Anyway, these are really good. I like this one the most, but I guess that's just because you had more time to finish it." After closing the sketchbook, she held it out to him.
Just as Axel took it, a delicate voice chimed from somewhere nearby, "I'm so sorry to have scared you, my friends! But I'm leaving now, so you can all come out!"
Axel looked around, startled. Crystal stood, brushed off the dirt on her dress, and glanced at him with a smile.
"I'll make sure whoever that was heads in a different direction so you can enjoy your evening, Axel." She waved. "Good luck bird watching!"
"Thanks." He returned both the wave and the smile. "It was nice meeting you."
"You, too!" she called over her shoulder as she headed off in the direction of the voice.
Stats
Page generated in 0.029 seconds
Total duration
987 users online
1,456,495 hits today, 1,822,946 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
As I was reading this, I had to constantly clean out my ears. I could have sworn I kept hearing the tell-tale hiss of a lit fuse. I must be hearin- is that Fluttershy about t- *CHAOS!*
Of course the snarky response to this is: "No you asked me to be your roommate to get half of your bills paid!"
Velvet jumped back with a... what exactly?
Ahhh! Wonderful melding of the show with your story. It didn't cover so much of the show that it felt like a dry retelling. And the parts you did retell had Crystal's unique perspective on it that kept it feeling fresh. And knowing that it was Crystal doing the observing, I couldn't help but think that after this:
...Was Crystal at the precise angle to admire Soarin's ass-ets as he bent down to eat his pie?
5718195 ...
She jumped back with a space. It was a metaphor for the space she put between them.
*quickly edits*
*passes Crystal and Axel helmets and flackvest* RUN CRYSTAL RUN! anyway. I like how the chapter went, and it was beautifully written as usual, I remember reading this part from Silent Knights perspective.. Anyway i love how the stories tie in together and cant wait to see this from Crystals point of view. Also, Welcome back from vacation I hope you had a wonderful time.
Bad Upper Crust!!! No shipping for you!
Love the tie-ins, especially the song!
5713961 Belated, but I wanted to thank you for your comment. I'm sorry for aiding in the downfall of your exam, and that you had to overcome the Firefox trouble... Nonetheless, your words are very much appreciated! I hope your exams went well despite the distractions from Anzel and myself.
5718264 As you know from reading Memoirs, it won't be long before there is a lot of crossing over between the two stories. I'm excited to share Crystal's take on everything!
5718911 Heehee... I'm glad someone caught that.
Oh hey there's Axel! Woot! Thanks for putting him in your story. That made my day.
I can totally see myself doing that if someone is hesitant upon taking something I offer them lol
You described Axel's phyisical and social traits spot on. That is always how I envisioned him. Always a little shut in at first, but once he finds common grounds with others, he is more open. When you mentioned the type of bird I guessed what kind and one Google search later proved my guess correct.
Those birds really are really social type birds. They are usually seen in pairs or sizeable groups. Great chapter by the way! I shall wait for more! Hopefully you thoroughly enjoyed your vacation yes?
5719637 its no problem. I felt spoiled to have have both stories update along with 2 of my other favorites on this site all in one day. Anyway I didnt think her mom was trying to set her up till I read some of the other comments here. I already have the Shipping im betting on soooo. yeah. Anywho cant wait for next chapter
Another great chapter! I love the way Crystal's story interweaves with the season one story arc!
Also, very nice, calling out the Gala musical number!
5719706 I'm glad you liked the cameo! I had a pretty solid image in my head of him after we had talked about him, so I'm glad that image was correct! And yess! I love lorikeets. They're so colorful and adorable. Some zoos have little lorikeet feeding areas where you get a little cup of nectar. They'll just hop right onto your hand and nom that nectar down!
5719759 Don't worry! It's not a major subplot. It's not even really a minor subplot. Honestly, it's just more of a representation of how despite their progress as mother and daughter, they're still not connecting.
5720263 Thanks! I actually really enjoy giving a different perspective on canon events. The next chapter should hopefully be very interesting, since we all know what's going to happen!
--
To whom it may concern, I'm going to be aiming for a Tuesday/Thursday update schedule (not including today). I have a small buffer for once, but with some other projects on my plate I want to take it slow so I don't catch up to myself!
5720821 Hmmm yeah its understandable why her and her mom dont get along. It always seemed that most of the time she seen her daughter as an accessory than as a child. Most of the time anyway... A part of me sees them keeping like that, while another part of me sees the possibility of them finally connecting and understanding each other before it ends up going further south than the south pole.
Oh my gosh! LOVED this chapter. You have such a way with your writing. It always makes me happy to read! Especially related to Crystal's cooping up in her room to write. He he, I have the feeling I'm going to end up like her next week while I try to finish TCARW. Also, really adorable cameo! He seems like such a sweetie.
Can't wait to see what happens next!
5724741
i don't recall it, but i'm glad you brought her over. otherwise we would never have known the sweetness that is high horse.
i love getting a peek behind the scenes, so to speak. 
it does interest me quite a lot. wow, it really went back a ways, didn't it?
that thing about horsey's mother thinking she needs to lose weight still bothers me. not from a writing perspective, but from an in-story perspective. she looks perfectly adorable just the way she is, thank you very much. seriously, your own daughter. have you no soul?!
5726121 Yeah, poor Horsey has had a lot of trouble with that.
I imagine her kind of like a Mrs. Cake kind of chubby... but still so cute! Just since it's been a while, you may or may not remember Velvet's birthday party, where Crystal went on the defensive and lashed out at Horsey about her weight, making her cry. That was the moment when I realized I really wanted to save Horsey from Canterlot society, because I felt soo bad for writing that scene. 
Pick your battles, Crystal. Sometimes it's easier to just go to a dance every once in a while than continually have every possible fight with your parents.
Pretty amusing that even the song at the start of the Gala was interrupted by the mane six.
See, there you go, Crystal, could be worth attending after all.
Am I misinterpreting things, or had Upper Crust decided that her daughter is interested in mares and has simply shifted her high status matchmaking efforts over to them instead of stallions? If so, that's a pretty big way to miss the mark.
Axel, eh? If I was fairly sure that I haven't seen him in future chapters of Silent Knight's story, my shipping senses would be tingling.
Uh oh.
5722989
From what I've seen, and keeping in mind this is a bit out of date and I haven't yet read beyond this chapter, I see Upper Crust's actions as a genuine, if extremely misguided, attempt to make her daughter happy. From her perspective she was miserable during her "plain" years, and didn't become happy until she became a wealthy socialite. She's making the rather common parental mistake of thinking that the things that made her happy are the things that will make her daughter happy.
6354877 I certainly won't take sides in the Great Upper Crust Debate, but I will say I very much enjoyed your thoughts on the subject, so thank you for sharing them.
It is fascinating to me how very differently people perceive her.
If you haven't read them yet, I did write a three-part minific, two of the parts being from Upper Crust's point of view that give some insight into her mindset. You can read it here if you're at all interested!
Anyway, thank you for reading and commenting!
In regards to Axel's penchant for drawing, I wouldn't be surprised if he makes another appearance as her cover artist for her novel.
I take it on faith that flash-mobbing is something ponies can naturally do, no questions asked. Also, is... Upper Crust... shipping? But, CW and Velvet aren't... they're not...? I'm going to leave that point alone
Velvet was right - she manouvered Crystal - against her express wishes, no less - to put her where she'd be happier. It seems we really do need a degree of hostility in our environments, or else why do?
On an unrelated note, how will Silent Knight react to Crystal's novel? I can't imagine the resulting accusations would be good for his career...
Oh wow, just a few weeks ago i started making a griffon lass themed after a rainbow lorikeet! She ain't got a name yet, but the timing is kinda cool.
Rereading this, I'm actually quite impressed with Upper Crust's behavior. With the later reveal that everypony thought Crystal and Velvet were in a romantic relationship, including Crystal's parents, in mind, what she did with Four Step can appear from a different perspective can appear downright kind. That Upper Crust did eventually come to terms with the imagined homogeneous relationship between her daughter and Velvet, but not only accepted accepted her daughters (imagined) preferences in romantic partners but sought out and attempted to set up Crystal with the best choice (as appearing to Upper Crust) is quite progressive, moreso when remembering that Upper Crust attempted to put a stop to such a relationship only 5 chapters ago. That's a supportive parent right there, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Overcoming her own beliefs and opinions for the sake of supporting her daughter and the choices she makes. At least unless I am reading far too much into this which is certainly possible.
If you ever do want to post more Upper Crust and Jet Set on your website, i'll be sure to read it.
8273891 hehe. You are reading exactly what I intended!! >3<