Time is Racing Toward Us
There was tension in the air. It buzzed inside Crystal's skull, nipped at her ears, and pinched her nerves. She didn't want to be, but she found herself extremely irritated with Silent.
Not because he had left to take care of his job; she had signed up for that. Not because he sent one of his guards to inform her he wouldn't come home; she had signed up for that, too. No, her mood was foul because she had found out where he was going.
Canterlot. He had been summoned to Canterlot.
Oh, yes, it was bound to happen at some point. Something was going to call him home sooner or later. But she would have liked for it to have either happened much sooner, before she could become attached to the Empire—or much later, after the glimmering appeal had lost its luster.
She knew exactly how things were going to play out. He would be a good guard and not leave Cadence's side until Princess Luna asked for a moment alone with him. It wouldn't even take a full conversation for Silent to miss being her guard. Luna could put in a transfer for him to return to her with no issue. After all, who would deny a princess?
Crystal glared at the room around her and flopped onto the couch. Her magic brought over the box of candies, grabbed one at random, and tossed it in her mouth. The life of the wife of a soldier was troubling. How often would she have to move? She had gotten the towers of boxes down to a single stack! The house was feeling like a home!
She had told herself to not get attached to the Empire and want to stay. She had warned herself that he would miss Luna and they would be back in Canterlot. Well, she hadn't listened, and now she was bemoaning moving again.
After a few more pieces of candy, she sighed and rolled onto her back to stare at the ceiling. It wasn't that she didn't want to go move back to Canterlot… it was just that she didn't want to move back to Canterlot. The Empire was such a happy place. The ponies were so friendly! Yes, she missed Luna, Raven, Painted, Sunbeam, Pepper, Red, and—most of all—Velvet. How could she not?
But the Crystal Empire was like living in a wonderland of bright colors and genuine smiles. Ponies didn't care about how much they made or what they owned. It was a veritable utopia, especially after a life lived in the ruthless high society of Canterlot!
She glared at the suddenly empty box of candies. "I wasn't finished eating," she whined, dropped it onto the floor, and rolled again to face her back to the door. Her tail flicked in agitation.
There was no doubt that she would follow him to the ends of Equestria and beyond if that was what it took. But did that have to mean she accepted uprooting her life, settling in, and uprooting it again with a smile? Couldn't she have some time to be petulant about it?
A long sigh escaped her and she finally sat up, shaking her head. No, no, she had agreed to the oath. She swore to commit herself to a pony whose life was not in his control. She swore to respect the oaths he had taken before marrying her.
Repacking everything, however, was not high on her list of things she wanted to do. After all, there was always the possibility that he would remain dedicated to Cadence. It was small and improbable, especially if he saw Winterspear, Iridescence, Runic, and Miley while he was there.
What she did want to do was get more candy, and so she started toward the door just as a knock resounded. She blinked and, when she answered, she saw Runic standing just outside.
"Runic?" She smiled. "What are you doing here?"
He jumped forward and hugged her tight. "I came to see you! And Silent!" He tilted his head to look past her and into the room. "Oh, is he at work?"
After returning the hug, she pulled away to meet his gaze. "You just missed him, I'm afraid. Ironically, he is likely already in Canterlot by now, or should be soon."
"Canterlot? Really! It would be especially ironic if he was going there to see me. Is he? I can fly back and meet him there! Oh, but first, I have some science to conduct."
She shook her head. "He was summoned on official business, but I'm sure he was looking forward to seeing you while he was there…" She trailed, noticing the crystal stallion standing behind Runic. "Oh, hello?"
"Hi!" The stallion beamed at her. "I'm a science experiment!"
Crystal's ears folded back as she glanced between them. "Runic, what is this about?"
"Science!" He clapped his hooves together. "I'm going to discover what makes crystal ponies crystal!"
"Isn't that great?" the stallion chimed.
Crystal put a hoof on Runic's shoulder, her expression going neutral. "And how do you plan to do that?"
"Well, first, of course, I have to determine if they're actually made of crystal or if it's just a quality of their coat. So I'll need a sample. Do you have a chisel? Or perhaps a scalpel? I can settle for scissors, but that will be less precise."
Crystal gawked. The crystal pony just kept smiling, as did Runic. She shook her head. "No, no, no. I—"
"Hmm, that's unfortunate." Runic tapped his chin. "Perhaps we can ask your neighbors. I'm sure they won't mind!"
"No!" Crystal grabbed him by the collar of his vest. "Nopony is going to conduct science on anypony!"
The crystal pony's ears drooped. "Aww, but I wanted to contribute to science…"
Crystal waved at him. "No, no, I don't believe you do. Why don't you run along now, and be more careful of what you agree to?" Her gaze returned to Runic while the crystal pony walked off, both stallions looking dejected. "Runic, you can't just go around taking a chisel to ponies. How would you feel if they did that to you?"
Runic seemed to ponder this a moment, then smiled. "It would probably hurt. But—but! I'm not potentially, theoretically made of a crystalline material!"
With a sigh and a shake of her head, Crystal led Runic inside and sat him down on the couch. "I am fairly certain crystal ponies feel pain just like everypony else. Now, why don't I make you some tea while you tell me how things are with you?"
"Well, I can't complain, other than missing Silent. Maybe I can still make it home before he leaves Canterlot." He leaned back into the couch, swinging his hindlegs like a foal. "Miley misses him a lot, but she said there was important stuff she had to do so she couldn't come with me to visit. I guess she'll be surprised!"
Crystal nodded, idly filling up the kettle and prepping the teacups. "And how is business?"
He shrugged. "Business is business. It's not as much fun as game nights. We haven't had one of those in a while…"
She flicked the stove on and set the kettle down, then walked back into the living room. "On his next day off, I'm sure it won't be too terribly hard to convince Silent to come to Canterlot for a game night."
"Speaking of—" He sat upright, clapping one hoof against the other. "I almost forgot! When do you two want me to bring the gaming table? Or the dinner table. I guess for you it's a dinner table."
Crystal paused to let her gaze wander the room. "Oh, dear. I didn't think about that. I'll have to do some rearranging… Does next week work for you?"
Runic shrugged. "As long as the trains are still running! I thought about trying to bring it for this trip, but Miley said she doesn't trust the strength potion I'm working on to not stop working halfway through. Something about unpredictable results and the reward not being worth the risk." His bright smile returned. "She worries too much, but it just means she cares!"
"Then next week—by train, please, because I do agree with Miley—I will have the place ready for the table." She smiled and sat beside him. "But don't book the tickets just yet. Between you and me, I'm sure that once he sets hoof in Canterlot, he'll grow homesick and we'll likely move back."
His ears perked straight up and his eyes widened. "Really? Do you really think that? Because that'd be great!"
Crystal raised her hoof to her lips. "I obviously won't know anything until he comes back, but that is what my intuition tells me." Her ear flicked as the kettle started to hiss and she stood to tend to the rest of the tea-making process. "He hasn't really made any friends here, so it won't be too difficult for him to say goodbye."
"Aww…" His wings drooped slightly and he looked genuinely sympathetic, what with the way his brow knitted and his lips pursed. "That's sad. Why hasn't he made any friends?"
"Oh, you know how he is," she said in a teasing tone as she brought over the tray.
He tilted his head. "A loyal friend and a great cousin who takes time to do science with me? Why wouldn't everypony be friends with him?"
"Well—" She laughed. "Well, yes, but he is also not always the most socially inclined." Her magic offered him a teacup and took one for herself. "There's a part of me that thinks he is doing it on purpose, though. That he doesn't want to get attached to this place."
There was a pause while Runic sipped the tea, then finally he said, "But Silent is very social. He and I talk all the time, you know."
She looked at him with a soft smile. For all of his eccentricities, Runic was truly and wholly a good pony with a good heart. She reached out and patted his hoof. "I know."
It wouldn't be so bad to move back to Canterlot. Silent really was more social with the friends he had. In time, he probably would have made new ones, but the friends he had were hard to replace.
♡
Sunlight filtered in through the curtains, rousing Crystal from her slumber. After yawning, stretching, and getting her bearings, she looked to the side to see the pillow beside hers. Empty. As it had been for the past week.
There were rumors that something was happening, but very little was known for certain. The grapevine whispered that every leader—from the mayors of small towns to the governor of the Crystal Empire—had gathered for some secret assembly, and that Canterlot was swarmed with royal guards everywhere.
While two days turned into three, and three into four, and so on until a week had passed by, Crystal felt more and more unsettled. Nopony knew anything, but everypony had something to say about it.
Some believed it was a conference about the economic state of the Empire since its return. But why would that involve ponies from the opposite side of the land? Crystal chalked that theory up to the fact she was surrounded by crystal ponies concerned with the state of their home.
If Crystal had to take a guess, however, she would hazard that it had something to do with the mysterious nox ponies. She knew very little about them, only that Silent had gone on several missions to find them for Luna, and that they lived in nigh complete seclusion. The meeting was likely in regards to the matter of reintroducing a long-lost civilization to the modern world.
She rolled out of bed and went through the steps of making it. Tucking the sheets, fluffing the pillows… She had heard that the best way to start one's day was with a victory, and what better victory was there than a freshly made bed?
Her thoughts wandered while her magic did most of the actual work. It wasn't all that surprising that ponies would be wary of the unknown, but the various leaders would work it out. She was certain the princesses would guide the matter in the right direction. If the nox ponies wanted to return, then why deny them?
With a pleased nod when she finished folding the comforter over, she turned and left the bedroom to head toward the kitchen. Her next victory would be breakfast. Then she'd do some dusting. There wasn't much to clean as, for the most part, she had spent the days sitting in one spot and working on her next novel. Velvet may have been skeptical, but Crystal was confident.
The plot was worked out, more or less, and she had several pages of notes on the characters. There were still some components up in the air—the setting being the most important, of course. Her overarching goal for the day would be to determine where the story would take place, and she had just the collection of inspiration sources for that.
A writer by the name of Sure Stroke had penned several guidebooks that covered various societies within and outside of Equestria's borders. The most wonderful part of all were the illustrations that accompanied the guides. With them, Crystal could translate the vivid drawings into the detailed landscapes in which her characters lived.
Crystal's horn lit up and levitated her collection of those books in front of her. She pursed her lips while her gaze darted between the covers. A setting… a setting… a setting… "Aha!" One moved closer to her and the others returned to their shelf. "Perfect."
Saddle Arabia: Secrets Among the Shifting Sands. She didn't know much about that particular land across the sea, but she could already see her leading lady as a beautiful but dangerous desert rose.
"Oh!" Crystal nearly dropped the book as her focus switched to her quill and she scribbled that down across the top of the open page. "The Desert Rose. Ooh, that is a perfect name." She smiled at the guidebook as she started flipping through it. "Now, let's see—"
The kettle whistled, demanding her attention and forcing her away from the couch. With a huff, she set everything down and hurried over to achieve the victory of breakfast: a nice, fresh cup of tea, a bagel with strawberry cream cheese, and an apple. "Good job, me," she congratulated herself as she settled back down.
Where was she? Ah, yes. Saddle Arabia. Crystal found the section of inhabitants and blinked. There was a scale showing the size difference between the average Equestrian pony and the average Arabian horse. "They're so tall!" she mused under her breath and made a note of that.
She had already written several pages of thoughts, interesting facts, and ideas when her stomach grumbled and she realized her breakfast was completely untouched. Lifting her gaze to the cup of room temperature tea, she frowned. How long had she been caught up in exploring the land of Saddle Arabia?
After closing her notebook and setting aside her research, she levitated the apple from the plate and slid off the couch. Given how her joints ached, the answer of how long was: too long. She groaned and walked with an extra-long stride to stretch out her suddenly sore muscles as she made her way toward the door. A light jog would do her some good. Fresh air, too.
She winced when she stepped out from under the shade of the building and out into the main street of the base. The sun was close to its highest point in the sky, but on the wrong side of it—was it already past noon?
Commotion filled the air and through the squint her eyes were temporarily stuck in, she saw guards going everywhere. Another silly drill. They had drills all the time, or so it seemed to her. She did have to commend them on their dedication, however; each and every one of them had determined expressions on their faces, as though something were really happening.
Crystal waited patiently, finishing off her apple and tossing the core in a bin. When she saw an opening in the stream of guards, she did her best to match their pacing to avoid being trampled on her way to the main gate.
All of the guards seemed to be going to the left, so she hung a right and slowed her pace to a light, casual trot. The further she got from the base and the further she got into the city proper, however, she noticed something very strange.
There wasn't a single pony in sight. Was there a festival going on that she had forgotten? Her gaze darted about as her hooves started to move faster. Perhaps Cadence had returned and everypony was at the train station to greet her.
The sound of the base and the marching guards faded into the distance. Everything aside from her own hoofsteps was silent. Perfectly silent. Too silent.
She approached the town center and didn't hear any fanfare at all: no sounds of a festival nor the governor's return. The pounding of her heart filled the void in her ears. Had all the crystal ponies disappeared again? But why hadn't she disappeared with them? And why was the Empire still there? Was it not a drill at all, but the Guard mobilizing to deal with the situation?
She came to a halt at a four-way intersection and glanced down all the streets. When she spotted a colt standing on a corner with a stack of newspapers, relief spread throughout her chest, calming and cool like the gust of wintry air that tore across her coat.
"Ma'am!" he called, waving a hoof in the air. "Special edition! Free of charge! Important news!"
Crystal tried to smile as she walked over. "Oh, thank you." She took the newspaper offered and paused at the look in the colt's eyes before he turned his head away from her. It was one of trepidation, of uncertainty. But why?
Slowly, her gaze lowered to the page in front of her. A sudden chill froze her blood and stopped her heart. The newspaper dropped out of her magic and trembled in her hooves as she read the headline over and over, as though it might change if she blinked and tried again.
Two words dominated the page. Two words stole the warmth from her.
War Declared
With all the strength of a raging fire
Mysterious as the dark side of the moon
Time is racing toward us
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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6972066 So let it be written, so let it be done.
So, then. To sum up:
GASP
DUN DUN DUN!
If Crystal is going to make a habit of scarfing 25 bit boxes of candy she had better kick it into high gear on that next book.
Well, this does not bode well.
Don't miss our next drama-filled chapter entitled: "Shattered Wishes" or "Hi Ho, Slient, Away!"
War with who?
And with those two little words, a whole new dimension of being a guard's wife revealed itself to Crystal.
...talk about a mood killer...this doesn't bode well...
7060555 And another reason I like ya as an author. You sometimes take readers suggestions lol
This was a interesting chapter. YAY RUNIC! and other science crystal pony who needs a name cause he amuses me too lol. But that ending was a damn Boot dropper.. I can only imagin the fear in poor crystal's heart. I cant wait for the next chapter.
Ooh! I can hardly wait to read her half of what comes next!
7060596 The southern griffon empire, Well Crystal now I believe your greatest fears are coming true, how will you cope?
7060677 7060664 Tsk, tsk, spoilers for those that haven't read the other side of the verse!
Not huge spoiler, mind you, but clearly given the question, some spoiler!
...and I'm DONE!
The whole coffee shop is staring at me, certain that I've done gone and lost my mind!
Now that Silent is going away indefinitely, I wonder if Crystal will be looking into getting Runic to fashion a nicely-sized vibrating crystal with well-rounded edges to help ease her tensions and pass the time through those long, lonely nights? After all, he doesn't have a project anymore, and he's going to be coming back soon...
7060682
Really? I could swear you told me that the upcoming mini-conflict was going to be between Crystal Wishes and Carbon Copy. A rather dashing stallion who unfortunately for Crystal has set his sight on copying and re-branding the works of C.W. Step with only very minor alterations. The majority of passages are actually copied word for word aside from a few names.
Crystal being optimistic at least at first thinking it was something with the Nox ponies
7060682 Good point, sorry, wasn't thinking.
I deleted my comment.
It's just hard for me to think that somebody would read one story and not the other.
7060711 Oh, no! I didn't mean you had to delete it, just spoiler tag for the folks who don't read Trials. I do know a confirmed few don't! But, ah, well, sorry.
*Insert witticism here*
Can't say I'm happy the two series are roughly concurrent, but oh well, had to happen.
Poor Crystal.
Excuse me, I need to go cry for all my feels you just destroyed.
No, they're not. Their magic manifests as their shinyness, and dims and brightens as their mood goes. With enough concentration though they can even bend light around them creating near perfect camouflage.
I for one cannot imagine a less terrifying prospect then Equestria marching on my borders. KEWPIE DOLL CUTE EQUINES ARE ON THE MOVE, AND ARE COMIN WITH THE BITCH SLAP OF YOUR LIFE DOO DOO HEADS!
Conversely, lets watch as the Japanese SDF conducts themselves in lieau of some mean mother hubbards trying to muscle in
Or if you'd rather keep things within the real world
Colonel: HEY KING SOMBRA! KNOCK KNOCK!
Sombra: Who's there?
Colonel: USMC
Sombra: USM... OH BROWNIES!
7060715 Crystal? how do you put those black things over text?
Uh oh, war means rationing. You should have saved those candies, Crystal! It's bread and water from now on!
No, but seriously, I'm curious to see how much this war actually affects the civilian population.
7060807
Over this line, you see that smiley face? Next to that is that is that rectangle with Sp in it. Thats it. Thats for the spoiler bar, you use it like you do when you quote in comments
7060813 Ah got it thank you.
7060817
thats what I'm here for
And you have made the Crystal Ponies PRICELESS!!!
Some griffon bad guy somewhere: Whoops, did I accidentally a war?
Joking aside, I guess this is the chapter where stuff hits the fan. I am extremely curious to see how Crystal's gonna cope with that feeling.
(And that means more Onion Ninja. Aaah, damn it.)
I shall read them now!
That's not really a little rain cloud, so much as a tornado dropping on your house.
Woah...her day just went from Good to Holy shit in zero . zero seconds with that Headline.
I do have a question, if you don't mind.
How come, Princess Cadence is being referred to as a Governor for the Crystal Empire? when, in the show, the Crystal Ponies recognize her as their princess and ruler.
7061160
There used to be a forum post about this which no longer exists. Here is a link which notes some of the things that make Quill & Blade an AU, among them is Cadence.
7061343
Ah OK then.
OK makes a lot more sense now. It's just when I read Cadence I always saw her as an Alicorn. So that's my bad
I'm very much looking forward to how Crystal deals with the war and how it affects her story writing.
the feels hit me real hard there
"For glory's sake! For vengeance sake! War!"
Oh, makes me giddy. Looking forward to experience the dreadful perturbations in Crystal's mind and heart.
... I am an awful man, am I not?
............................................................................................................................................................
I...
Um...
Nope! I'm done with emotional stuff for this weekend. I'm gonna go eat Sour Gummi Worms, Doughnut Holes, Hot Cheetos, and a bunch of other stuff that probably isn't healthy for me.
Crystal great chapter as always, you never disappoint.
Runic no! You can't chisel a crystal pony for a sample!
The least life threatening sample you can get is cutting their manes and tails.
Battle is the most magnificent competition in which a human being can indulge. It brings out all that is best; it removes all that is base. All men are afraid in battle. The coward is the one who lets his fear overcome his sense of duty. Duty is the essence of manhood."
"Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men."
- George S. Patton
So now Crystal is showing signs of gluttony along with compulsive buying and house decoration.
Oh dear, you're going down a shady road, darling, and that while the most trying times are just ahead.
Going back to sleep in said bed because you realized that you have a free day?
i.imgur.com/hLugi27.png
We are going into dark times...
Ayyy, the war happened
As a gentle reminder to folks, there are readers who haven't or don't read Anzel's side of the verse, so let's keep spoilers under the spoiler tag for their sake!
7060564 GASP indeed!
7060572 Indeed!
7060585 That is a definite fact!
7060590 It doesn't bode well at all.
7060591
7060596 A very good question! I'm sure we'll find out once Crystal gets up the courage to read more than the headline...
7060642 She talked the talk, so now it's time to see if she can walk the walk.
7060645 Hahah. If it aligns with what I was going to do anyway and doesn't change the plot I've got planned, I don't mind making minor tweaks and adjustments if it'll make someone happy!
It's always fun to include Runic. And it made for a good laugh before the fall.
7060676 Soon! Next week is Mask week, then back to Hopes!
7060677 We can only hope she'll cope well...
7060689 Hahah! Glad to make you laugh! And... uh... oh my!
I don't know if that's Runic's, err, area of work!
7060698 Shhh! That was a secret! Jerk!
7060707 War is just such a foreign concept to her. It'd never be her first thought!
7060751 I, uh, I'm sorry?
7060781 It's okay! They'll grow back just in time for me to break 'em again.
7060791 Is that actually canon? Well, either way, Runic had to confirm these things for science!
7060810 Hopefully the story doesn't disappoint in that regard! And if it does, well... I tried!
7060901 It should be fine... She's a strong mare that definitely isn't prone to emotional downswings!
7061052 But "Giant Angry Tornado" doesn't sounds as nice! of a chapter title!
7061160 As Posted pointed out, Cadence is not an alicorn nor a princess in this AU. The governor thing was brought up in Wishes's "A Glimmering Stone":
She's only been referred to as Lady Cadence, not Princess Cadence, and her unicorn status is mentioned in Wishes as well as Silent Knight's stories, but I understand that it's hard to not see her as an alicorn.
7061446 We shall see!
7061483 Mission accomplished!
7061570 You are awful indeed! But at least I know you'll be a happy camper while some other readers might not be for some of the parts to come.
7061628 Sorry about the emotional damage!
Hopefully the bout of unhealthy food (but not too much unhealthy food) will mend the wounds.
7061644 Runic says, how do you know that for sure? Have you tried to chisel a crystal pony? SCIENCE!
7061886 Hopefully she'll get some help from a friend or something before things get too bad...
7061895 Dark times indeed.
That line was so hilarious my sides still hurt from laughing
!
The tension is so thick here, it is visibile and I could slice through it with scissors
.
Oooooo, so it was the Canterlot trip.
It's darkly funny to me that what Crystal is worrying about here is specifically being uprooted and moved back to Canterlot. It certainly makes sense that a military spouse would be speculating about potential transfers, but if only that's all it was.
Runic? Now there's a convenient distraction.
Runic, no.
That would be a good plan. If only.
Ooooo. The Velvet inspired story, perhaps? Sounds like it should be a Thriller.
Welp, there we go. The griffons have come home to roost, and Crystal's life gets to go sideways as a result.
7062011 Yeah, sorry. I know that last part of my comment got a bit risque... I couldn't help but remember that Crystal was left wanting at Silent's sudden recall to duty that night. And Runic does specialize in products for mares... Maybe not all of his products are chemical, as he has a strong attraction to rocks, and now crystals. And crystals can be tuned to harmonize with certain frequencies. Hmmm... I can do math that isn't in textbooks. And that is what added up.
7062011
Ohoho, come now, surely they know that love is not all sunshine and rainbows! And, well, if they do not, it is better they learn it from somebody. It might as well be a writer whose works are as engaging and satisfying to experience as yours.
I like how she's trying to settle into her new life but there are still shadows over it. And I enjoyed her perspective leading up to the Interruption (because that's what it was besides embarrassing for her).
I think I mentioned this on Trials but I would be tickled to see the occasion random Runic side story (self-contained oneshots they are written whenever you/Anzel are in the mood).
7062011 I'm glad that you understood the jocundity of that comment.
Well, Crystal's anxiety went up quite a bit. With the right friends to help her, she will be able to prevail over her worries, and welcome Silent Knight upon his return home.
7062378
Kinda sorta. The military loves to mythologize itself, and if you spend much time in the military, you get bombarded with sometimes-sanctimonious messages about how difficult life is for military spouses and how the military couldn't work without them. It's all great and wonderful and true, but it gets to be a bit much, and the reaction takes the form of snarky observations that some military spouses don't seem to be putting as much effort into the project as others.