A Roaring Thunder
The day was supposed to be partly cloudy.
Crystal stared at the view outside through her bedroom window, the overcast skies wrapping the city in a grey haze. The weather team had lost control of the clouds—it was as if nature was in mourning.
With a sigh, she turned away and walked across the room. Melancholy filled her chest with a cold, aching sensation; anxiety and uncertainty nipped at her hooves. She stopped at the threshold into the bathroom when her gaze locked with her own in the mirror.
Who was that mare who looked so tired and worn, with her sagging eyelids and mane wrapped up in a messy bun? She sat in front of the vanity and touched her own face, seeking the warm and shiny coat she had in her youth.
A soft laugh escaped her. In her youth? When had she become an old mare? She was still young, though it hardly felt like it lately. The past year weighed heavily on not just her mind, but her body, as well.
Her horn lit up and set to work on her face, first pampering it with a light moisturizing foundation to try to rejuvenate the color and quality. Then came makeup—today, she would focus on eyeliner and mascara. Adorning her eyes would cover up how tired they looked.
Last, but most of all, she put her mane together. All of her blonde and pink locks were pulled back into a single braid and tied off with a yellow ribbon. It was going to be a long day, and she needed her mane out of the way. If it were down, she'd feel inclined to hide behind it.
But this was not the time to be hiding, as much as she wanted to.
"Are you ready, Crystal?" came Winterspear's voice from behind her, somehow neutral and full of emotion at the same time.
Crystal breathed in and turned around with a carefully placed smile. "Almost."
What a picture-perfect moment she beheld. Winterspear stood tall—tall enough to escape the tension that clung to her tightly clasped wings—in her ceremonial Guard uniform. Each button was highly polished and there wasn't a single wrinkle to be found. Silent would have been impressed with her, what was it called? Perfectly dress right dress.
Speaking of dress, Iridescence wore a modest one that, on her, looked gorgeous on her elegant frame. Crystal didn't know why Iridescence had foregone her own uniform, but then it seemed all too obvious. She was going not as a member of the Guard, but as Winterspear's fiancée and support. It was a sweet unspoken gesture that told volumes.
Between them stood Dot, who seemed to grow more and more with each passing day. In the last month, she had begun experimenting with makeup in bright colors and wild styles, but today her eyes were adorned with only a bit of eyeliner. Though she didn't have Iridescence's body quite yet, her yellow sundress gave her a youthful beauty of her own.
And then there was Crystal herself, sitting in the bathroom with only her mane and makeup done. They were three beautiful ponies ready to face the day while she felt like an old mare who wanted to sit in a rocking chair all alone.
"Okay." Winterspear bobbed her head. "We're going to head on to the memorial. You'll be with your support group, right?"
"Yes, I'll go straight there. I promise not to dawdle." Crystal giggled as she pulled herself off the stool to walk over and embrace each of them. "Please see me after the speech," she whispered into Winterspear's ear.
Winterspear only nodded and squeezed her tight, then turned to walk with Dot to the door. Iridescence, on the other hoof, lingered where she stood, her gaze full of soft and gentle concern.
"Are you sure you'll be all right today?" Iridescence put a hoof on Crystal's shoulder. "You've loaded yourself up with a lot of responsibilities. It's okay to let the volunteers handle the Foundation, you know."
Crystal shook her head. "I'll be fine. It gives me purpose and focus. Surely you understand that."
Iridescence gave a soft laugh and squeezed the shoulder before retracting her hoof. "I guess I do. We'll see you tonight, then."
"Absolutely." Crystal hesitated and, just as Iridescence started to turn away, she reached out and grabbed her foreleg. "Wait, Iridescence, I—I'm sorry."
"Sorry?" Iridescence blinked. "Why? What for?"
Crystal heaved a small sigh. "You are important to Silent and to Winterspear—but you're also my friend, regardless of them. I haven't been very open or depended upon you. I know you don't mind, but I feel as though I'm not including you in my life as much as I should."
"Oh, is that all?" Iridescence waved the hoof away. "Don't be sorry. You've been pulling yourself in a hundred different directions, and I've been focused on Dot and Winterspear. It's not like I've really made myself available to you." She paused, then added, "Not because I don't care, but because, well, you didn't need me to be there, so I wasn't. If you do, though, I will be. You know that, right?"
After a pause, Crystal offered a weak smile. "I suppose I didn't, but I do now. Thank you."
Crystal watched her leave with Winterspear and Dot—and then slumped once she was alone. Such a strange feeling swelled in her chest. She certainly held no animosity or jealousy toward Iridescence; she didn't even regard her as 'Silent's ex-marefriend'. The problem, for lack of a better word, was that they followed parallel but different paths, so that the time they spent together was little even though their lives intersected.
A part of her wanted to make more of an effort to grow closer to Iridescence, but was there a need to force it? She didn't resent Iridescence, and Iridescence didn't seem to resent her. Perhaps that was enough.
All of this could be debated later, however; she needed to finish getting ready. She had her dress sitting out on the bed, waiting to be slipped into. It was both simple and extravagant in design, form-fitting along her sides and hindlegs only to flare out around her knees for a short but gently pleated skirt.
The designer had named it after its inspiration, the primrose—the symbol of eternal love.
Her heart swelled as she looked in the mirror at the pale yellow gown against her creamy white coat and, with a smile, thought of Silent. Could she have a picture taken and sent to him? Would that be too vain, or would it only distract him from his duty? She shook her head and pulled herself back to the present.
Finally ready, she trotted out the front door and headed straight for the Harmony Memorial. Princess Celestia had announced it as the location for her address instead of balcony at the palace. It was an honor, certainly, but she knew it was nothing personal. The princess simply selected the most apt place to speak on the anniversary of the fall of the Harmony.
Canterlot was quiet, held in the familiar dissonance of mourning and hope. Ponies walked the streets in solemn silence, the only sounds the shuffling of hooves and the brushing of dresses against pavement. She was a part of the crowd; they were all as one as they made their way to the memorial grounds, at different speeds and apart yet together in harmony.
There was a beauty in that: the Harmony had fallen, and yet harmony still stood strong. Nothing, not a war nor anything else, could take that away from Equestria.
At the edge of the crowd that filled the memorial grounds and surrounding space stood her support group. Dawn Walker noticed her first and smiled, her lips moving to speak quiet words Crystal couldn't hear at the distance. The other ponies around her did hear, of course, and turned to greet Crystal with the mere comfort of their existence.
Golden, of course, was never one to be 'merely' anything. She tossed her mane and strode forward to meet Crystal halfway. "Well, that's certainly unfair."
"Huh?" Crystal blinked, glancing over her shoulder before looking back at Golden. "I'm sorry?"
"I thought it an unsuitable occasion to look too beautiful." A smile graced Golden's otherwise poised composure. "And then you show up."
Crystal raised a hoof to smother her own smile. "Oh, well, you know how it is. I have the Flower Foundation to represent after this."
Golden turned to walk back to the waiting support group, her tail swishing with her long black-and-gold dress. "I don't see why you can't simply take the day off."
"Of all days, this is the last I should skip," Crystal replied in a soft whisper before redoubling her smiling efforts. "Hello, everypony."
Dawn trotted forward and nuzzled her cheek to Crystal's. She was such a sweet, affectionate mare—a perfect care companion for Toffee, who looked like he might break into tears at any moment. Quickly, she returned to his side, her shoulder to his for both physical and emotional support.
"He hasn't received a letter from his wife recently," Golden explained with her head turned so that her muzzle was directly by Crystal's ear.
Crystal's heart clenched and her gaze fell. To Tartarus with this war and its Celestia-forsaken grip on those she cared about.
Bastion moved over to stand by her side, a looming presence she couldn't ignore. He wore no suit, not even a tie; his mane was unkempt and falling in curled locks down to his eyes; and his eyes were sullen and dark. Not a word was spoken, but he at least acknowledged her looking at him with a bob of his head.
"Him, I can't say," Golden continued, voice even lower. "I think he's just always like this."
No, he wasn't. Crystal's brow furrowed as she tried to search his face for something deeper. Bastion was a stallion of much emotion. He simply buried it so far out of sight that even she forgot sometimes. "Bastion?" she asked in a tentative whisper.
His ear flicked toward her.
"Your wife—?"
His ear faced forward again. "Wrote to me last week."
"Then—?"
"She lost three comrades in one night." His jaw clenched. "I'm not sure how much more I can take of this bloody war."
Crystal reached out to set her hoof against his, giving it a small squeeze. Whether it brought him comfort or not, his expression didn't show either way, but his hoof did move to hold hers.
A hush fell over the crowd as the golden-clad House Guard moved in formation to make way for Princess Celestia, who walked with three guards in front of her and two behind. Sunny Day was at the head of the group, her armor polished brighter than any other’s.
In the same formation behind them was Princess Luna and her House Guard. Crystal couldn't explain why, but she was momentarily confused when the lieutenant leading Luna wasn't Silent. That was where he was supposed to be, not overseas fighting in a war. There shouldn't have been a war at all.
Where Crystal had made her speech once before, Princess Celestia now stood with Luna at her side. Even at such a distance, Crystal could feel the weight bearing down on both princesses: the pressure of the war, the expectations of their kingdom, the consequences of every decision they made.
Finally, Princess Celestia held her head high and began in her soft, soothing, and carrying voice. "My little ponies," she began, and paused to allow her gaze to wander the crowd before her.
The city was silent. Nopony so much as even breathed.
"It is with a heavy heart but steely resolve that I come before you today at this most revered of locations." She turned her head to look up at the monolith that towered even above her. "The monument that you built to honor those you've loved that have departed this world before their time."
Her mane moved in an ethereal breeze, for even the wind itself stood still as she spoke.
"On this spot we are surely reminded of both who we have lost and of those that we may yet lose. I am also reminded of something else: the strength that is shared by all ponies to carry on no matter what adversity we face."
Crystal swallowed. It had been a whole year, and what progress had they made? How much had been accomplished since the speech the princess gave a year ago? The answer lurking in the back of her mind hurt more than how tightly Bastion was gripping her hoof.
"These are not easy times, my ponies. I will not pretend that the burden will lift soon." Celestia shook her head, her mane shifting and billowing about her face. "We are here again a year after the loss of the Harmony, and our loved ones are no closer to coming home now than they were then."
A tear slipped down Crystal's cheek at hearing her fears spoken aloud and she dropped her head, unable to watch the princess continue to speak. Her ear twitched at the sound of something humming in the air, and her aching heart dropped.
She knew that sound.
"We must honor those that we have lost," Celestia continued, her voice rising as the crowd began to murmur in confusion, "by staying the course and ensuring that what they died for is work that is not left undone."
From behind the spires of the palace, an airship born of nightmares slid into view. She was a feral beast, dark and imposing against a backdrop of grey clouds—a terrifying reality of the blueprints Crystal had seen but not fully understood. Weapons clawed at her sides and gnashed at the air with jagged teeth of bolts ready to launch at any moment.
As the Knight Class battleship loomed over the crowd with its gruesome might that meant to destroy anything in its path, two more moved to join her. And at the head of it all, Celestia stood with an expression of hardened determination: she truly and wholeheartedly meant war.
It wasn't right. Celestia should never make such a face. The sky should never be filled with such horrors. The world started to sway and Crystal felt lightheaded and nauseated all at once.
"We must double our efforts to protect our soldiers and ensure they come home safely." The words echoed in the momentary silence that was soon filled with a mix of cheers and fear.
This wasn't the Equestria that she knew. It certainly wasn't the one she loved.
"The Dread Knight," Bastion said in a low voice, startling her out of her thoughts.
"What?" she asked in a raspy voice.
Before Bastion could answer, Golden hissed, "Shut your mouth."
Crystal glanced between them to see anger in Golden's eyes and irritation in Bastion's. "What is the Dread Knight?"
Bastion ripped his hoof away from hers and shook his head. "You wouldn't know, would you?" A smirk tore across his muzzle. "What a pity. You should be proud to know."
"Bastion!" Golden pushed herself between them.
"Ask your dear sister-in-law," Bastion spat. "She thought to keep your own husband a secret from you."
"Most of all," Celestia's voice rang out, "we must send our love to those ponies that still remain in harm's way."
Crystal barely heard the rest of Celestia's speech as she took a step back. Golden turned to her with soft eyes—ones she never had. Why was she looking at her like that?
Winterspear. Crystal's gaze darted as she searched the crowd, her mind spinning. Dread Knight? Her husband? No, her husband was Silent Knight.
Through the haze of colors blurring together, she spotted a blob that came into focus when she saw the familiar white and bright blue. "Excuse me," she whispered, pushing her way past Bastion, past Dawn and Toffee, past Weather Front and the others.
"Crystal, wait," Golden called after her. "Hold on! Let me explain!"
Crystal came to a sudden stop, though the world continued to move around her. "Explain what? I don't even know what's going on!"
Golden's face came into view, and she was able to focus on those big blue eyes filled with concern. "Some things have been happening overseas, and Winterspear didn't want you to find out from anypony but Silent himself."
Celestia's voice drifted through the tense moment. "Until that time, let us honor the fallen and safeguard the living. Keep them and today in your hearts."
Silent. Crystal struggled to breathe and her gaze darted over to Winterspear's distant form, then back at Golden. "What about him?" she breathed more than asked.
Golden sucked in a breath. She turned her head away and shook it, her ears folded flat against her mane. "I don't know for absolute certain that it's him. It could be a coincidence. The newspapers keep it vague, and you don't even read those anyway. That's why we didn't want you to know."
"Know what?!" Crystal finally shouted. The sound of her voice was nearly lost even to her own ears in the cheers that followed Celestia's departure from the podium.
The world came into focus and Crystal stepped toward Golden, breathing gone ragged and shallow. "Golden, please, tell me! You're scaring me! What are you hiding? What happened?"
"Dread Knight."
Crystal's brow furrowed. "You and Bastion keep saying that name! Who is Dread Knight?"
"Your husband," Bastion's voice came from behind her. "How you've avoided reading about it in the papers is baffling. The hero of the war, slaughtering those bloodthirsty savages singlehoofedly at Dreyri River." She heard him snort and felt the air stir from his breath. "They should be proud to know him, and you should be proud to be his wife."
Slaughtering?
Crystal rapidly blinked as the word sunk in, confusing at first, then heavy and suffocating. The words of his last letter began to bubble up in her mind with a sickly darkness to them.
[indent[Little by little, death by death, I will prosecute this war to the bitter end so that I will hold your hoof as I did on our anniversary.She had given it so little thought before—death by death. Death at his hooves. The hoof that would hold hers would be the same hoof that had ended the lives of others.
All at once, Crystal felt her stomach tighten and she lurched forward. Golden jumped back, then quickly hurried around to wrap her foreleg over Crystal's back.
"Wonderful job, Bastion," Golden seethed. "This is exactly how she should have found out."
Barely able to hold herself upright, Crystal managed in a broken whisper, "Please—home."
Without a word, Golden nodded and guided her away from the crowd. The noise began to fade behind them, but the buzzing in her skull only grew louder.
We will do what is necessary to make it through. Unfortunately, that comes at the cost of many of our enemy’s lives and it leaves a great deal of blood on my hooves.
He had told her. There was no dishonesty on his part. She merely had accepted it as a fact of war, brushed it aside in favor of joy from receiving his letters, and moved on without allowing the awful notion a moment to settle in.
Her hooves scuffed the pavement as she stumbled at Golden's side. No words were exchanged; she couldn't speak, and Golden seemed devoted to the task of taking her home.
I will do whatever is necessary to reach you. I promise that. I will come home.
The words of her beloved clashed with the image Bastion had painted. A pony slaughtering gryphons left and right, tearing them down and ending their lives. Just thinking about it made her stomach twist in knots again, but she held her composure as best she could.
A single question burned in her mind, and all she knew was that she had to know the answer.
Who was Dread Knight?
And just like a roaring thunder
We'll wake them up with our teeth
If you have enjoyed this story so far, please consider taking a look at Anzel and my's website QuillnBlade.com for extra content such as mini stories, an Ask Us form to submit questions, responses to said questions, and special rewards for the awesome folks who support our Patreon.
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Oh. I should have waited until tomorrow. Forgot what today is.
Alas and alack, this is not an April Fools joke chapter. :<
Aaaaah..... I've been waiting for this moment.
Shit.
8065597 I'm glad it's not an April Fools chapter. I hate those, and now I know to stop reading or looking at the world for the rest of the day.
That's a pretty nice affirmation of the work that the Flower Foundation has been doing.
Oh wow, so the first of the modern warframe airships were introduced at this event. That is a statement.
Huh, I guess it hadn't occurred to me that Crystal wasn't yet fully, consciously aware of the Dread Knight business going on over in the war.
8065597
You say alas and alack, meanwhile, I'm excited about this new chapter!
Oh my... Man, it just keeps piling up, doesn't it? The difference in how Crystal sees the airships, and how Celestia talks about them is so striking.
I wanna mention Golden more, I loved the genuine concern she showed here. I just love her character arc throughout Hopes, great stuff.
That was sublime. Good job.
Great job Bastion, no really, I almost thought Golden would smack you right there.
Heh, one hellva boat ride. Somedays are just like that.
Mmmm, again, another tide of darkness that comes to Crystal's life. What rejuvenating emotional torment...
:drinks deeply from this glass:
As much as I enjoy golden's development, I can't help but ask... Where's Velvet?
Well the war continues.
Are we sure that Bastion actually HAS a wife? He seems like a complete asshole to the point where his own parents probably never loved him, so I can't imagine a single mare who could fall for him either.
8065602 Shiznickles indeed.
8065648 Haha yeah, I realized that I posted on the wrong day... oh well.
8065662 Yeah. It'll be made more clear in the next chapter, but it was alluded to in this one that Crystal isn't reading the newspapers. Basically, after the "War Declared" headline, she's found herself rather unable to read them.
Without internet or television, and that her circle is rather small and Winterspear could (with good intentions) interfere, she's pretty much entirely out of the loop.
8065685 Yes, I really wanted to capture the opposing views all over the place. Celestia's speech vs. Crystal's eyes. Bastion vs. Golden. The crowd was (at least, I intended for it to seem) divided in opinion on the warships.
8065705 Thank you!!
8065715 Haha yeah. Bastion is a tough character to write, mostly because it's got a lot going on in his head.
8065740 They are indeed
Especially in times of war and strife
8065772 Oh, you!
8065981 Golden is by no means replacing Velvet; Crystal was with her support group, which Golden is a part of, and Velvet is with... well, she's doing her own thing right now.
8066021 Yep. Onward and onward.
8066143 Haha, yeah, he does.
Bastion is a hit-or-miss kind of character. He isn't being a jerk for the sake of it; he sincerely thinks Crystal should be proud.
Oh my... Crystal has been secluded in her flowery palace for too long,...
but I get it... the joy of Knowing
Silver QuillSilent Knight is alive and writing her overrides her ability to do what her mother painstakingly worked to shove into her...btw.... nice April fools avatar...
Wow... What a chapter. I had wondered how she wound find out about Dread Knight. This chapter is brilliantly writen, switching between what's happening and what Crystal is feeling.
As you said
I think you nailed it.
That moment when somepony out-assholes Golden, and she ends up legit being the better one. On the one hoof, at least it means she's turned around nicely. On the other...Bastion.
Dread Knight...That's a pretty bad ass nick name for a soldier.
Wow. That speech got dark! Your description of the battleship as it flew overhead was vivid and terrifying.
It almost feels like I'm re-experiencing chapter 27 of Trials. I wonder if Crystal even remembers Madame Ouija's warning after all this time.
*is scrolling down the page to comment when i reach about the middle of the comments*
THERE'S the tears. I knew they'd show up eventually. A bit of a delayed reaction this time, but you still got some tears.
"Who was Dread Knight?"
Carefull Crystal, when you ask like that.
You might learn more than you bargained for.
He's a helmet by the way.
8065772
Ah, my good man, and if you're an avid reader of Anzels,
You are already aquaintanced with the sea poor Crystal, shall nose dive in.
Poor Crystal, leading a sheltered life of her own making. Welcome to reality!
8071055
Oh, yes... and I revel in the thought...
Oh damn. late to this one, but reading it now, I have to say, Bastion is a blunt one, But... I cant really blame him for his actions. as for Winterspear... I cant blame her for her actions either. Such a revelation about someone close is a heavy hitting burden. A great chapter!
There's a word for this chapter, and that word is creamy.
I was wondering why Crystal seemed to have no idea what was actually happening in the war. I guess I missed the part where she stopped reading the news. It was driving me a little crazy, honestly, wondering if Equestria had implemented some kind of media blackout or something.
So, I've enjoyed the second installment of this story quite a bit, but I have to say the last six or so chapters have been... Exquisite. Not only have they moved me emotionally, but they've sent me into fits of inarticulate rage as well. Honestly, that's always been my parameters for a great story.
And now I'm all caught up... Damn it. On what amounts to a pivotal point in the plot.
... Damn it.
8090373 Haha! I am happy you're enjoying the story so far. ^^
Yes, I need to go back and make it clearer that she's not reading the newspapers, which is the only way news is conveyed (no internet or TV). Her social circle is fairly small in scope these days, so if they don't talk about it, she won't hear about it.
that is a very powerful bit. Probably more than you intended it to be. It really puts war in perspective
Damn.... just... Damn.
Bastion, you fuck, I want to like you, but you just make it so hard! Why are you like this??