"Happy birthday!" Crystal cheered as soon as Velvet walked through the door of Sweet and Smooth, a small café that specialized in smoothie flavors that couldn't be found anywhere else. It was a quaint little shop that boasted a whole rainbow of colors on the walls and furniture, and the whole place just felt happy.
Velvet laughed, trotting over with her tail perked and swishing. "Aww, you remembered! And here I thought this was just going to be a lunch I'd have to awkwardly sit through."
Crystal's ears wiggled and she drummed her hooves on the table while Velvet sat down. "Of course I remembered, silly! It's not as if the date changes each year. Now, I've ordered something fun, so settle in."
"Fun?" Velvet arched her brow. "What are you up to?"
Crystal just grinned. Only a moment later, the owner of the shop, Tropical Smoothie, pranced over with a tray balanced on her back. Her wings held it securely in place, which was especially important given what it carried: twenty shot glasses, all filled with smoothie samples as colorful as the shop itself.
"Here you go!" Tropical chirped, one wing stretching out to expertly slide the tray onto the table. "The 'Mares Just Wanna Have Fun' special!" She winked before turning away. "Enjoy, ladies!"
Velvet stared at the glasses with a curious quirk in her smile. "I've never heard of that special before."
"It's a secret menu item," Crystal practically purred. "Go on! Try one. They're all unique, and you can't get these any other way."
Tentatively, Velvet picked up an orange-filled glass and lifted it up to sniff. "Oh!" Her ears perked upright and her lips curled into a grin. "Oh, I know that smell. These are special. Bottom's up!" She raised the glass before tossing it back.
Each shot was, more or less, from the section of Sweet and Smooth's menu titled Gourmet Smoothies. There were blends of fruits, vegetables, nuts, spices, and herbs all mixed together to create unique and wonderful flavors. The 'more or less' part came in with the special addition: vodka.
Velvet smacked her lips and gave a contented sigh. "You did order something fun." She pushed the tray closer to Crystal. "You try one! It is called Mares Just Wanna Have Fun, after all. Mares! Plural!"
"All right, all right." Crystal giggled, pink magic wrapping around a matching pink glass. Strawberries, she hoped—and was right. The silky texture of the smoothie complemented the burn of the alcohol perfectly.
"So how did your meeting go?" Velvet asked, selecting a purple one for herself. "You had one today, right?"
Crystal's ears flicked back and she rolled her eyes. "Don't remind me."
Velvet frowned. "Wow, that bad, huh?"
"Oh, no, no, don't get me wrong." Crystal waved a hoof, sighing. "I'm grateful for the get-togethers. It's nice to sit and talk to ponies who understand. There is just a stallion who grates my nerves, and, well." Another sigh was dragged out of her. "Today, Bonnie suggested an idea of 'care companions'."
Velvet tossed back an orange-and-green smoothie shot. "Whassat?"
"With the recent news that Nordanver forces are moving, the war is going to be starting in earnest soon. Or, rather, it likely has already, given how slowly news travels across the ocean." The muscles along Crystal's sides and flanks twitched with nervous agitation that she tried to ignore. "In the event that something happens, we have a designated pony to go to. To ensure that everypony has somepony and doesn't face bad news alone."
Her brow furrowed, Velvet idly poked a hoof at one of the remaining glasses. "Uhh... Okay? That sounds like a good thing?"
Crystal quickly nodded. "Oh, it is! It's a wonderful idea. The only problem is that there is one pony with whom nopony wanted to be paired, so I foolishly volunteered to be his care companion." She rolled her eyes again. "Starlit Bastion. He's rude and callous. He was marginally more respectful toward me this time, but that doesn't mean he grates my nerves any less."
Velvet slowly pushed the tray toward Crystal. "Sounds like you're going to need this more than me."
With a snort and a giggle, Crystal took another shot. Banana, kiwi, and... thyme? She ran her tongue over her teeth, pausing a moment to decide how she felt about the flavor combination, then shrugged. The alcohol warmed her from the inside, and that was what really mattered. "He's like... He's like... Oh, he's just such a pompous stallion." She huffed. "But I will be his care companion. I will be the best care companion!" Another shot went down. Raspberry, lime, and mint. Ooh, she liked that one.
"I'm sure you will," Velvet said in a teasingly airy tone, reaching across to pat Crystal's hoof. "You're like Horsey that way." She hesitated, then said in a softer tone, "You're both going to be great mothers..." Her ears folded back and she averted her gaze.
"Huh?" Crystal blinked. "Are you all right?"
Velvet bobbed her head in a light nod. "Uh, yeah. I am. I've just been thinking. You know... A while back, we talked about foals. For me. And how I couldn't have one because I didn't want to settle down. And you said I could adopt. Do you remember that?"
Crystal offered a weak shrug. "I remember as much as you've just said, yes. What about it?" Her eyes widened. "Wait, Velvet, are you preg—"
"No!" Velvet hurriedly interrupted and shook her head. "I'm not! I just. Well, Red's kind of grown out of his Si-Si phase, you know?" She sighed, rubbing the back of her neck and slumping in her seat. "He's getting bigger. He's turning two this year. Two! He doesn't laugh at my silly faces anymore and he is more interested in watching Dad bake or Mom decorate."
Crystal did her best to smother a giggle. "Well, he is their son and your brother, after all."
Velvet shot her a dirty look and crossed her forelegs over her chest. "So?! I'm supposed to be there for him. I am there for him. Forever! Except, he doesn't..." The fire was snuffed and she slumped again. "He doesn't need me anymore. And I miss that bond."
The lightbulb flickered on and Crystal leaned in with interest in her wide eyes. "Wait, Velvet, are you saying you want to adopt a foal?"
After scrunching her nose and looking anywhere but at Crystal, Velvet muttered, "Kinda, yeah... I think so. I miss that bond with him, and I'm jealous of Horsey... They're planning on having a second foal. Because I guess one just isn't enough for them."
"Velvet, that's so exciting!" Crystal practically bounced in her seat. "How long do you think it will take? Do you get to pick a foal, or will it be a surprise? When do you start the process?"
"I don't know, I don't know, and I don't know!" Velvet tried to glare again, but a grin on her lips kept the look playful. "Jeeze, I've only, like, just started seriously thinking about it, okay? I don't know any details! I just—I just kinda wanted to know what you thought. If you thought it was a good idea. For me."
Crystal nodded as quickly as she could. "Oh, absolutely! Velvet, I've seen the way you handle Red. If you loved another foal half as much as you love Red, they'd never want for anything! You should start right away. The sooner the better!"
Pausing to take another shot, then another, and then a third, Velvet finally sighed. "What about my career, though? I don't know if I can raise a foal and do ballet at the same time."
"Surely you are not the first pony to become a parent and a ballerina at the same time." Crystal waved a hoof. "Don't worry! You can leave the foal with your parents and Little Uncle Red while you work. I can't imagine your parents minding having to foalsit in the least."
"Yeah, maybe." Velvet leaned her head back to look up at the ceiling. "Maybe." She rubbed the back of her hoof against her cheek and straightened up. "Come on! We've still got, like, half of these left. Forget foals and care companions. Let's drink these as fast as possible, order another, and get totally smashed!"
♡
Crystal giggled.
"Shhh," Velvet hissed, bumping their shoulders together. "Be cool! Stay cool. Gerds around. Be cool."
"Of course there's a guard around," Crystal whispered back loudly. "We're in the castle!"
"Shhh!" Velvet bumped her again. Their shoulders bumped together a lot. Were they walking, or just playing bumper carts? No, they were supporting each other, one wobbly step at a time. "Be cool."
The guards standing post by the door kept an eye on them. They didn't intervene, however. That was probably because they were being kept in a room with only one door. Because they had gotten caught trying to sneak into the palace.
Well, emphasis on trying. They had barely made it to the front gates before they were stopped, asked what they were doing, and Velvet brilliantly invoked the name of Princess Luna. Crystal had backed her up, reminding them that she was a friend of the princess. Luckily for them, the guard who had stopped them recognized her.
Unluckily for them, they were clearly and utterly drunk, which landed them in a guarded room while they waited for somepony to come take them home. Velvet had no interest in partaking in any of that, so now they were working on their escape.
"We're just gonna go out the windur," Velvet said in a wholly casual tone. "Don't mind us."
One of the two guards left his post to step in their way. "If you'd just sit down, ma'ams, somepony will be in as soon as she can."
"She?" Velvet straightened up to her full height, head still tilted back to look up at the stallion. "She! Who is she? Hmm? She who?"
The guard glanced at the other, who shrugged. "We've contacted Mrs. Wishes's husband's sister."
Crystal gasped. "Winterspear? Nooo, no." She shoved her face near Velvet's ear. "I don't want her to see me like this. She'll tell Silent."
"You bet your flank I'm going to tell him."
"Nooo," Crystal whined, her ears going flat against her mane as she turned to see Winterspear standing in the doorway, a big grin on her face. "You can't!"
Winterspear waved a hoof to gesture them to her. Crystal made it one step, squeaked when the room spun around her, and looked to Velvet. Velvet staggered forward, pressed her shoulder to Crystal's, and nodded. Together, they wobbled their way over to the waiting, grinning mare.
"What in Equestria did the two of you do to end up this way?" Winterspear looked down at the two of them, shaking her head. "I don't think I've ever seen you drink like this before, Crystal!"
Crystal stuck out her tongue and tried to blow a raspberry. It didn't quite work, but her point was made. "Velvet's birthday! Had to celebrate!"
"Uh-huh. Well, looks like you definitely succeeded at that." Winterspear lifted her gaze to look at the guards standing on either side of Crystal and Velvet. "I'm sorry for the trouble they caused. I'll take them straight home and send them to their room without any dinner."
"Aww..." Velvet's ears drooped.
"It's quite all right, ma'am," one of the guards said. "We're just doing our job."
Crystal jerked her head to the side to look up at him and, once her head didn't feel so fuzzy, she huffed. "Your job is to arrest mares? Is that so?"
"Ma'am, you weren't under arrest, just supervision." He bobbed his head. "Have a nice day."
Winterspear stretched out a wing and gently pressed it to the back of their necks, pushing them forward and walking along beside them. "Come on, fillies. Let's get both of you home. Velvet, you're coming with us so you can sleep off all the alcohol. Crystal, since it was for Velvet's birthday, I won't tattle on you... this time."
"Yay!" Crystal's legs wobbled as she tried to prance unsuccessfully. "Thank you! You are the best! The literal best!"
Velvet flicked her tail. "Best birfday ever. Shotses, breaking into the caystle, and arrested by gerds."
Winterspear just laughed. "Oh, you two..."
They had hardly made their slow, giggling way out of the palace before a shadow landed on them and a voice called, "Mrs. Wishes! Found you! Hello!"
"Huh?" Crystal looked down at the vaguely pony-shaped shadow. "Oh, hello there. Who are you?"
"Me!" A white pegasus mare landed in front of them, startling a squeak of surprise from Crystal. "Snowy Haze, reporting for duty!"
"You stepped on it! Her! Them!" Crystal batted at the shadowpony beneath the mare's hooves. "Rude!"
Snowy blinked and brushed her windswept, blue bangs out of her eyes. "Huh? Uh... um? Are you okay?"
Winterspear stepped forward, putting a hoof on Crystal's shoulder. "Somepony just had a little too much to drink, that's all. I'll take her letter and give it to her when she's sobered up."
Snowy glanced between Crystal and Winterspear with confusion clear in her knitted brow. "Oh, but, um—"
"Letter?" Crystal tilted her head one way, then the other. "A letter for me?"
"Yes, ma'am!" Snowy reached into her satchel. "It came in just this morning. I've been looking everywhere for you. Glad I found you finally!"
Crystal looked at the envelope that was held out to her. Her gaze meandered at first, trying to meet Snowy's for polite eye contact, but lingering on the simple piece of paper.
A letter for her.
Delivered by courier.
A courier she recognized.
Wait, why did she recognize her?
Something clicked into place and adrenaline surged through her blood, replacing the fuzzy feelings of alcohol with an icy burn. All at once, her senses returned and she had to brace herself from the impact of a sudden, aching headache. She had more important things to think about than how awful she felt, however.
"I—" Her mouth was dry and her throat hurt. How much had she had to drink? She had never felt so dehydrated before. Or was that from the nerves? "I'll take it. Please. Now."
Snowy nodded and let go of the envelope when pink magic sparked to life around it. "Have a great day, Mrs. Wishes! Hope you feel better!"
Crystal heard nothing else. She saw nothing else. All of her attention was focused on opening the envelope and removing the letter. If magic could tremble, hers certainly was.
There it was: Silent's hoofwriting.
To the Rose Princess
The smell of your letter has reminded me more of what I’ve left behind and what I now fight to return to. Each day will be easier now, however, knowing that when I get through it I will be rewarded. I can look up at the stars and share a moment alone with you.
It will be our moment. Our peace and harmony. With you at my side I know I can persevere.
I am lonely this evening. Princess Luna paid us a surprise visit on the eve of what is going to be an experience I'm certain I'll never forget. We are to follow the gryphons to battle and observe from a distance. That is not why I am lonely, however.
My former guards rallied around me and for a mere few hours it was as if I was back home in the role I never should have left. I spoke quietly with the Princess and she offered me the chance to leave the general's command but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I am safe enough here and making a difference.
We head south tomorrow. Toward the battle I romanticized as a foal. How foolish. Soon countless lives will be lost while we sit upon our airships watching.
Fear not for me though. I'll be aboard the general's flagship surrounded by the Army's best archers... and of course you are aware I'm pretty good in a fight still. Not that I'm expecting a fight.
I've dispatched Iridescence and Winterspear to your side. I don't know if they'll arrive before this letter but I wanted you to have them nearby.
Tomorrow my love, it all begins tomorrow. Look to the heavens and know that I will be looking back because I will get through tomorrow. For you.
Your Knight
Her chest tightened from the emotions surging and swirling. They headed south... tomorrow. The day after his letter. Letters took so long to travel. He had already gone south. He had already been there. What happened? Was he okay?
Crystal gave a quick shake of her head to clear it. Focus on the positive. Her love in the stars had reached him. It hadn't been a silly, foalish gesture... It had, even if only in a small way, helped. She had actually done something.
And he, her Knight, was protecting her, even from afar. Despite what he was going through, he still took the time to take care of her. Of course, he didn't need to know that she had already sought out Iridescence and Winterspear on her own. As far as he would know, he had sent them to her.
Tilting her head back, Crystal gazed up at the sky. The sun still dominated it and would for several more hours, but the heavens still looked down on the both of them at the same time. They were together, even if they were so far apart. Somewhere out there under the same sun was her Silent Knight, and she would continue to send him all her love each and every night.
Oh nooooooooo
She's going to be crushed
Aw.
So much to laugh at and enjoy... Then you pull out the rug.
Why must you be an ambush author?
If only Crystal also knew of how much of a cataclysm that battle would become.
Will Hopes and Trials ever sync up, or will Hopes always be a couple chapters behind? Not that I mind, but it sometimes ruins the suspense
Ermagerd, it's the gerds! Cheese it!
Y'know what goes well with a blonde unicorn, a frisky pink birthday mare, and a plate full of shots? An Azurite!
"I'm not drnk, 'm shhhort!"
P.S. Ah HAH! I suspect my predictions were wrong. Crystal, you sneaky devil, slipping the hint in after Anzel's teaser.
I spent ten minutes laughing after I read this. Seriously! It was just too much
Anyway, Poor Crystal is going to be crushed when she hears what happens next. Why must you create such mood whiplash? Why?
7387772 Hopes is a lot more than a few chapters behind; the timelines are way out of sync, and probably always will be unless Hopes does some kind of time skip as well.
7387772 I also think it would be cool for them to sync up at some point but I don't really mind all that much either.
If this will be like the first book in crystals life then I think this is fine. (what I mean by that is that it explains everything that happened in between while silent jumped forward to the crazy intense bits. This reminds me of a reality TV show somewhat in the sense it follows her almsot day after day. Pretty cool I think)
Oh dear Rose princess, This is the calm before the storm. Let us hope you have the string to weather the anxiety whirlwind that is about to occur for you. This was a nice chapter. Started out light hearted, then we got alot of Humor, cause crystal sauced off her ass is hilarious, and then a serious note. I am curious to see if Velvet does adopt... I believe I have an inclination on if she does or not from reading silents story. I cant wait for the next chapter.
7387739 Like the stuff crushed on the Hydraulic press channel on youtube.
While this is a great idea, without phones, I'm not sure how well a pony would do trying to drag themselves across town after just receiving bad news. Do the Guard liaisons have a list with this on it so that they could collect this second pony before delivering the news?
PS The odds of Star's military pony dying or getting injured jumped an order of magnitude or two now that Crystal is his partner.
If I was drinking something while reading this I might have snorted it. Whether or not Velvet physically has a kid, her life is basically over and a totally new one would begin. Unless she treats the kid like baggage and drags it along with her doing whatever she does.
On silent wings Death's herald has arrived.
:giggles:
Oh, this will be so good! The anticipation is wonderful!
OhMygosh drunk language is the FUNNIEST.
7387772
I'm sure there will be time skips in Hopes as well, however, at the current time, Trials is over two years ahead of Hopes.
Drunk pony is best pony!
Oddly apropos. (What I was listening to when reading this)
And after.
Does Cyndi Lauper even exist in this universe? and *gasp* Snowy cameo! Velvet's birthday and the letter of doom? what a chapter. And Posted I'm not Death's herald!
Also, was this chapter named after a famous song from Mary Poppins?
7388668 The "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" was referenced in Wishes, so I wanted to bring it back just because it made people groan the first time.
7388744 All of the titles—save for the first chapter—are lyric snippets from Disney songs. So, yup!
The next chapter us going to be rough... I must buy tissues... lots of them
A tray full of vodka smoothies? This really should be fun.
Well, now my suspicions about who will be getting bad news from the Harmony disaster are a little more finely focused.
Oh my god they crashed the castle while drunk.
Snowy killed the nice shadow pony!
Oh man, that letter. Things are about to hit other things.
Oh, I need more. How am I supposed to go back to my normal, boring life after reading this? Looking forward to more! A fav and a thumb up to you today
Oh yay! Tropical Smoothie! Thanks for that Crystal! Nice name choice for the smoothie shop!
I know exactly how that feels. Smashed the last of it after that long toad trip and then went to bed.
Always glad to see a new chapter from you.
When I saw the new chapter I actually, and totally involuntarily went "Oooh New chapter"
Loved the drunk scene. when Crystan and Velvet were talking in the Smoothie place I imagined their speech getting just a bit more slurred with each shot they took LOL
s31.postimg.org/gcztp55nf/1422991512206.png
Oooh!! Oohhh! I know what happens next!
I wish I didn't though....
That was Awesome to see Crystal drunk
Hope you had fun writing that.
Omg you're killing me with this cliff hanger. I'm glad Crystal had a good time with Velvet, she needed some 'up' to counter the less up. X_X
7387739 It's definitely not going to be sunshine and rainbows...
7387746
7387762 Anzel likes cliffhangers. I like gut punches by luring you in close with sugar.
7387766 Well... she will find out... one way or another?
7387772 It's super duper unlikely that I'll catch up to Trials. I have a timeskip planned, but it won't sync up the stories. There are going to be some spoilers, but Anzel and I are actively working to make sure some of the plots I have planned remain a secret nonetheless. There will be some surprises still in store! Plus, journey vs. destination, and all that! Yeah, Trials readers know what's going to happen, but not how she reacts, so there's still some mystery there!
7387797 Not the gerds! The gerds in the caystle!
Hahahaha. Azurite would be the cutest little drunk.
P.S.
7387812 Noooo... hhahaheheh. I love the mental image of Winterspear's face.
Because! Because that's my thing. Anzel has cliffhangers. I have mood whiplash! I gotta lift you up so it hurts harder when I drop you.
7387815 There is a timeskip planned, but it doesn't align with the Trials one, and definitely won't be enough to catch the stories up. Oh well! It is what it is
7387839 There is definitely that aspect, as well! Trials will touch on the more intense things. Hopes is going to show a lot of what happens at home, which Trials never sees. Trials is the earthquake, and Hopes is the documentary about the homes that were damaged...
7387889 Glad you liked it! Super duper fun to write. Had to get the wiggles out before I get serious, yanno? And... teehee.
7388104 Good questions! Ones I hope to answer soon with the next chapter!
Oh, she meant... settle down in the wife/husband sense. Yeah, having a kid is definitely its own kind of settling down, but that kind I think she's okay with!
7388128
7388129 I love drunk language!!
7388472 I absolutely agree! I love writing drunk Crystal.
7388882 Imagine how I feel! I have to write it!
7388936 Vodka smoothies seem like the perfect idea for our totally-never-gets-into-trouble-when-drunk duo. They are the best drunks.
Oh, whoops, castle shenanigans!
They are still the best drunks.
7389552 Aww, thanks!! So glad you enjoyed it!! I try to update Hopes at least once a week, and if I'm lucky, you'll have an update today or tomorrow. So you won't have to wait long!
7390394 Hahaha, RIGHT after we talked about it, too! I sat down for this chapter and was like, ahh! I have it!! And it worked out perfect! Happy you liked it!!
7390626 Tehehe I always enjoy writing Crystal and Velvet drunk. It doesn't come up a ton in Crystal's side of things, but oh when it does, I love it.
I'll never forget the Mare Contraire chapter and she went bardiving.
7390797 ;_; It'll be fine... *rocks back and forth*
7391108 I had SO much fun writing it! Oodles. Tons! I was giggling to myself a lot.
7391525 Yis, that was the plan... give Crystal and the readers a happy before WHAPOW, right in the feels!
7391539 that's true!
7391539
"Want some candy, little reader?"
Author Crystal confirms that her Cutie mark should be an Angler fish with a quill
https://youtu.be/xtgWo6h99Zg?t=108
7391539 We need more drunk Crystal then!
Moons above, this chapter reminds me of when my grandma and her sister get drunk. They act almost the exact same way when in the early stages of inebriation. So while i liked this chapter a lot, it does nothing to make it feel less awkward to think of my grandma in the same situation.
Ok, drunk velvet must have been fun to right. She talks like that one guy on South Park, "they terk are jerbs!"
Cyka Blayt