#askcrescentcrescendo

(Thanks for reading! And if you enjoyed, please reblog! Thanks in advance!)

Send an ask or request!

Featuring: Crescent Crescendo from @ask-crescent-crescendo Midnight Spell from @askmidnightspell and @vaderssolace

Read the other parts here: Thoughts & Hopes: Part 1 Thoughts & Hopes: Part 2 Thoughts & Hopes: Part 3 Thoughts & Hopes: Part 4 Thoughts & Hopes: Part 5

(It's been another little while, but in short, I moved to my partner and we managed to get everything necessary on this PC upgraded, so I'm able to continue writing. I hope you enjoy this episode, it was nice to write more on it again! ^^)

(I still have one more part in mind that I hope will round up the story neatly, after which I'll make a masterpost with links to all the previous entries. And as I mentioned before, I'll also try to combine the entire story into one post, but I'll check if this works later.)

(Thanks for reading! And if you enjoyed, please reblog! Thanks in advance!)

Send an ask or request!

Featuring: Crescent Crescendo from @ask-crescent-crescendo Midnight Spell from @askmidnightspell and @vaderssolace

Read the other parts here: Thoughts & Hopes: Part 1 Thoughts & Hopes: Part 2 Thoughts & Hopes: Part 3 Thoughts & Hopes: Part 4 Thoughts & Hopes: Part 5 Thoughts & Hopes: Part 6

(Looking for jobs, looking after my partner and his dog, and still getting used to the rhythm of living here, all of that caused a bit of time to slip away again. But after helping a friend move yesterday, my body is sore, and writing was a nice way to calm down ^^)

(I've got the entire story in one document that I've been copying and pasting these different parts from, so I'll try to upload the whole story in one go within the next few days. If that doesn't work, as I mentioned before, I'll make a big post with links to every part, and maybe I'll upload it to a separate site.)

(Thanks for reading! And if you enjoyed, please reblog! Thanks in advance!)

Send an ask or request!

Featuring: Crescent Crescendo from @ask-crescent-crescendo Midnight Spell from @askmidnightspell

Read the other parts here: Thoughts & Hopes: Part 1 Thoughts & Hopes: Part 2

(It's been really fun writing about these two! I'm still writing part 4 and I know approximately where I want the story to end. I hope you've enjoyed reading this silly little story ^^)

(Thanks for reading! And if you enjoyed, please reblog! Thanks in advance!)

Send an ask or request!

Featuring: Crescent Crescendo from @ask-crescent-crescendo Midnight Spell from @askmidnightspell and @vaderssolace

Read the other parts here: Thoughts & Hopes: Part 1 Thoughts & Hopes: Part 2 Thoughts & Hopes: Part 3 Thoughts & Hopes: Part 4

(Whoopsie, life and mind kinda got in the way for a few days there. I couldn't take much time but I finished this part yesterday (when I'm writing this versus when you're most likely reading this) and I promise I'm still working on it.)

(Thanks for reading! And if you enjoyed, please reblog! Thanks in advance!)

Send an ask or request!

Featuring: Crescent Crescendo from @ask-crescent-crescendo Midnight Spell from @askmidnightspell and @vaderssolace

Read the other parts here: Thoughts & Hopes: Part 1 Thoughts & Hopes: Part 2 Thoughts & Hopes: Part 3

(We're steadily getting closer to the end, I reckon by Sunday evening of the start of the next week I'll have the whole thing finished. I've mentioned it before, but I will repeat that it's been really nice writing again ^^)

(After it's finished, I'm considering taking the whole story and uploading it to another website or making one big post with every part included, but I'm not sure if Tumblr can handle it. Might instead change it to be the story in a chain of reblogs, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.)

(Thanks for reading! And if you enjoyed, please reblog! Thanks in advance!)

Send an ask or request!

Featuring: Midnight Spell from @askmidnightspell and @vaderssolace

(First part of a new short story per request of @mewskylar. It's been… what, over a year since I last published a new part to my story? Or any story for that matter? Well, I'll be resigning from my current position after January, and moving in with my partner at the start of February, and we're looking for another position for me in his area in Germany. I'll be able to write a bit more when I don't have to keep an eye on the screen all day! Wait…)

“It’s only a little longer before you get there,” the drained Colt told himself, “just keep your eyes open and the coffees will surely kick in soon… hopefully.”

Countless worries flooded his already weary mind.

Does my mane look alright? What about my bow tie? I’m thirsty… I still have a bit of water, right?

“Wait, I didn’t forget to bring it, did I?” He whispered. “Please don’t tell me I forgot to pack it…”

It had taken the Colt the better part of a day to travel to the furthest reaches of the North, and he absolutely did not want to show up empty-hooved.

He dug through his satchel with great care. The Colt stifled his shortened breaths and ignored his quickening heartbeat, praying that he did not leave it on his desk or wherever he might have forgott-

“Oh, thank the Stars and Skies above…” he audibly sighed, which was met with a cacophony of shushing sounds from everypony around him. He quietly apologised, yet discreetly rolled his eyes.

Taking the train this weekend might have made a mistake, but Midnight Spell had made a promise. Fortunately, he boarded and had found a seat long before Canterlot, and almost exclusively looked out the window, pondering over and over again how today and tomorrow would go.

Maybe the quiet coach wasn’t the best place to sit, though… But as long as the doors stayed closed, he was glad he didn’t have to hear every so-called ‘Noble’ bragging about the gifts they were given this year.

A new dress from the fanciest boutique in the city. Gems stolen from the hoard of a Great Dragon, that sort of ridiculous thing.

Priceless, yet pointless. No true meaning. Given with little love nor care nor much thought, if any at all.

The boutique has dozens of dresses for every creature of every size, the gems were worth and traded for their weight in gold.

Money can buy a lot of things, something these rich Ponies knew all about.

Not this gift. Not for his friend. Or that’s what he hoped. But he would know soon enough.

As the train left the last station before the terminus at the Empire, Midnight gently set his satchel on his lap and closed his eyes. If he was lucky, he would feel a little rested before meeting his friend.

His worries faded as he fell asleep, clutching his bag, and his gift inside.

And for the first time in a while, his sleep was blissful.

Meanwhile, at his destination, a young Filly approached the designated platform, wearing a bright yet curious smile, looking around at every pony nearby, who politely smiled and stepped back.

Admittedly, it was a challenge to overlook the pair of Praetorian Guards that followed her, wearing armour far more colourful than that of the usual Guard. They kept unwanted folks away, or at least, that’s what she figured her parents believed.

But despite their many watchful eyes and attempts at raising her properly, there was much they did not know.

It took a lot of time mixed with trial and error. She studied patrol routes, learnt spells to muffle her hoofsteps on the icy cold crystal floor, found alleys and shops to hop into when she miscalculated, and every new precaution her parents implemented added days of practice on top of that.

Luckily, it paid off. Sneaking out of the Palace had become a common occurrence.

Wandering through her hometown by herself had become her favourite thing to do, and Ponies in the city respected Crescent Crescendo for it.

She could walk out the front door, get what she wanted at the shops, say hi to a few friends, and stop for a cup of tea and a piece of cake before anyone critical ever realised she was gone.

Often, she spent more time planning her next day out than practising magic. Before a big event, she feigned studying for weeks, just to get out on a day that brought more Creatures to the city, which in turn meant more Guards patrolling the streets.

But today was different. The result of hours of discussions over such a simple thing on one day of the whole year.

One would think a Princess like her Mum would understand and support her. To her surprise, her Dad was the calmer one—even if only marginally so.

After a whole week of bickering with her parents, eventually, Crescent was forced to compromise. Even then, she had to sit through another morning filled with warnings and advice that she appreciated, yet did not need.

In the end, she was just glad to be out of the Palace with her satchel, even if escorted by the best of the best that the Empire had to offer.

All of this over meeting a friend. A friend who nothing of her plan. Fortunately, neither did her parents, nor her current entourage.

This weekend would be one to remember.

With a little patience, the train came into view. Alongside it, Crescent heard a loud whistle and the whining of brakes in the distance, and a moment later, as the steam escaped from the boiler on the engine, the train came to a complete standstill, and visitors poured out in droves.

One of the last to leave the train was the Colt she had been waiting for.

As Midnight slowly put his satchel on his back and looked around with a yawn, Crescent nearly tackled him to the ground with a hug that rivalled that of her Aunt’s energetic friend.

“Midnight!” Crescent excitedly shouted, “I’m so super-duper glad you made it!”

Before he had even come to his senses, Crescent lifted him to his hooves using only one of her own and very little effort. In his eyes, she could tell that Midnight was tired, but ecstatic to meet her, but she knew it wasn’t the best time or place.

“H-Hey, Crescent,” Midnight shyly replied. “Nice to, uh, see you too.”

Not only was he meeting a Princess of the Crystal Empire, but she was accompanied by two of the largest Guards he had ever seen, who stepped closer towards them, and looked upset.

He didn’t know whether they were upset at him, or Crescent, or both of them, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to know.

Instead, he cleared his throat, and politely asked “It’s… been a while, huh? How have you been?”

In response, Crescent asked her friend countless questions in rapid succession:

“How was your trip? Did you have a good time? What do you wanna do? Do you want to eat something first? I know this a-ma-zing cafe that we could fly by on the way…”

But Crescent had deceived everyone. Everyone, save for Midnight.

For while others, including the duo of Praetorian Guards, could only hear an excited Filly, Crescent had prepared a spell.

And as she retied and adjusted Midnight’s bow tie with her magic, he heard her voice, but not in front of him. Instead, he felt it, as it almost musically echoed inside his head and calmed his mind: “Don’t worry, trust me, just follow my lead, okay?”

When her magic lifted, her voice faded from Midnight’s mind, and he heard the same thing as everypony else:

“Tell me everything! Ooh, we’re gonna have so much fun! Come on, let’s go!” And with her hoof squeezing his, the two Foals were off, followed at their heels by the pair of brightly coloured Guards.

Her studies had served her well, indeed.

“Wha- O-Oh, okay… Lead the way, Crescent…” Midnight quietly said, completely oblivious to any schemes she had in mind.

The fewer Ponies who knew her plans, the better. Not that she planned on getting in trouble, of course—that wouldn’t be any fun. No, she knew exactly what she was doing.

She would lead their two accompanying Guards on a wild goose chase through town, while neither Middy nor her would even be at risk of getting caught.

Besides, she didn’t want to exhaust him even further, nor risk her gift getting damaged during the chase. She spent a long time looking for the perfect thing to purchase for him, after all—behind her parents’ back, too.

Midnight, meanwhile, felt his heart beating out of his chest.

Following his friend, a Princess of the Crystal Empire, at the heels, chased by two Guards, while she dragged him wherever she wanted, did not feel entirely right.

But he knew Crescent well enough that she wouldn’t get him in trouble—or at least, he hopes so.

The only clue as to where they were going was the great crowd of Ponies, Dragons, Gryphons, and various other beings on the streets up ahead, which was decorated from top to bottom with hearts and flowers.

Perfect for this weekend, not so great for trying to outrun the Princess’ personal Guard.

To his surprise, Crescent managed to lead the way past other beings many times her size without issue.

When the scent of tea and baked goods filled the air, Crescent made a sharp turn, and mere moments later, the two friends found themselves at the doorstep of a cafe.

The two Guards, however, could not follow them as easily. Instead, they slowly made their way through the crowds, never noticing that the two had gone inside already.

With a polite smile and a wave, Crescent greeted the owner of the cafe, who warmly welcomed the duo inside. Immediately, she led them to a reserved table in the corner, away from the windows, and asked them what they would like.

Still weary from his sleep, Midnight figured that his consumption of caffeine had been enough for the day, and ordered some tea, and a slice of apple pie, which was copied by Crescent.

Before the duo even took their satchels off, the owner returned with their order, told them to enjoy, and wished them a happy Hearts and Hooves Day.

In response, the duo blushed, albeit for two wildly different reasons.

As his face turned from a deep red to a softer shade, Midnight slowly started to eat his slice of pie, albeit nervously. For every bite he took, he repeatedly looked out of the window to make sure that the Guards they lost hadn’t found them again.

“I don’t understand how you can be so… so calm about any of this”, he quietly muttered. He never expected that they would be hiding from the Crystal Empire’s Guards so soon after he arrived here.

“Out of sight”, Crescent shrugged, “out of mind.”

“Besides, those Guards? They wouldn’t dare report that they lost track of us. We’ll just appear out of nowhere once we’re done here. We’ll be doing them a favour.” “And with their armour, they won’t be hard to find again, either.”

“As long as nopony else notices them running around without us…”, Mid night replied, as he looked out of the window once more.

In response, Crescent just smiled and rolled her eyes. “Come on, Middy, it’ll be fiiine”, she answered, as she finished the last bits of her pie. “Besides”, she continued, “at least now I have time to give you…”

Her words trailed off as she dug into her satchel, until she pulled out a neatly wrapped box.

“…this!”, she happily exclaimed. “Go ahead, open it!”, she told him, as she pushed it across the table.

With a weary sigh and a warm smile, Midnight took a sip of his tea–and almost scalded his tongue–before he, too, grabbed a package from his satchel, to the surprise of Crescent.

“S-Sorry, Crescent…”, he apologised, and shyly looked away as he pushed what looked like a ball of crumpled paper across the table, “…I didn’t have much time or energy to wrap it.”

“B-But hey!”, he awkwardly stammered, “i-it’s what inside that counts… right?”

Crescent chuckled at her friend and bade him to open her gift, which he did with a steady hoof.

Inside, he found a bright blue quill that glistened in even the dimmest lights of the cafe.

“When it’s bound to someone”, she explained, “it can write down your without having to focus your magic on it. It even does so when you’re dreaming!”

“You can still use it like a regular quill, of course”, she continued, “but even then, it won’t run out of ink, and only you can read it, unless you sign a rune onto the page. Just think about who you want to allow to read it, and they can read it too!”

“It’s so perfect for writing to each other!”, she squealed.

With a slow and solemn nod, Middy smiled at Crescent’s excitement over the gift he got, and gently put the quill back in its box. Then, he gestured at his shoddily packed gift in response, and told her:

“I wanted to make it memorable… so it’s kind of… the main reason, why I’m so… tired.”

With a sweet mix of amusement and awe over how much effort Midnight had put into his gift, Crescent delicately unwrapped what little wrapping paper was present, and opened the box. Inside, she found a bracelet of gems in a hue that matched her eyes.

“Aw, Middy, I love it! Thank you so much!” she said earnestly, as she put the bracelet on her wrist. Nothing curious happened, which didn’t bother Crescent, yet worried Midnight.

Just as his expression started to falter, however, the bracelet hummed on her wrist, and he felt his energy restored. Crescent, meanwhile, was surprised, and was worried she had done something wrong.

“Wh- huh? What… What’s happening?” Crescent asked, confused, as the bracelet steadily changed hue to every colour of the rainbow, before it returned to match her eyes. Midnight just quietly cheered and sighed in relief.

“What you just saw,” Midnight explained, “and what took me so much time to perfect, was the bracelet attuning to you.”

Crescent leaned closer over the table as Midnight took a sip of his tea—and fortunately did not scald himself this time.

“The spell I infused into these gems,” he continued, “is remarkably difficult to bind equally to more than one artefact. Gems are especially finicky to work with. But I’m just… so incredibly pleased that it worked…!”

“What spell do you mean Middy? What does it do?” Crescent excitedly asked her friend.

“Well, in essence, it’s like a memory spell. It can store the energy and emotions that your memories produced, but instead of actual thoughts, each gem stores a different feeling, or experience.”

“Oh, uh, m-may I?” he sheepishly asked, as he gestured to her wrist. Crescent did not bat an eye as she reached out her hoof, which Midnight then gently held.

With his focus on the bracelet, however, Midnight did not notice the faint blush on Crescent’s face.

“You see,” he started again, “if there is ever a moment that you don’t feel well, or you need some extra encouragement, or maybe even need an extra push to get your bottled up emotions out, you can take your other hoof…”

Crescent shyly looked down as Midnight softly took her other hoof, trying to hide her flushed face.

“…and feel the emotions bound within as you move your hoof across.” “If you allow them to,” he added, “others can feel those same emotions as well.”

“Here, you should be able to try it now. I can’t do it for you, after all!” Midnight chuckled with a satisfied smile. Crescent, in turn, started placing her hoof on every gem.

From embarrassment to frustration, Crescent eventually found the gem that beamed with joy, and the two friends smiled at their successful gifts—and time spent with each other.

For a couple of hours after they had exchanged their gifts, the duo spent time in the cafe, talking about a variety of silly topics and plans for the next time they met.

Eventually, even Midnight stopped peering at the doorway every few moments to keep an eye out for the Guards that were still meant to watch over them. But as the hour grew late and the two still had not found, Crescent figured that it was time to go.

With her bracelet now glowing even brighter after such a long and joyous time with her friend, she gave a bag of bits to the owner, thanked her for hosting them, and politely said goodbye. Midnight followed suit, and smiled and waved as he and Crescent left.

The massive crowds outside had dispersed and the streets were clear once again, and the sun that hit the spire on top of the Crystal Castle illuminated the city below. Midnight looked in awe at the sight of countless colours, and did not even notice Crescent flying into the sky.

Fortunately, by the time he realised she was no longer standing next to him, she had landed behind him already, and whispered “I found the Guards, let’s surprise them.”

Before he could even take a step, however, Midnight felt his hooves leave the ground, and Crescent flew them both to the other side of the city.

The Guards, meanwhile, had spent the better part of the day checking every nook and cranny of the Empire to find the Princess and her friend. But exhaustion and fear of the Royals had claimed them.

With their helmets next to them, one Guard whispered to the other that “We should just leave, and hide from the Royals somewhere else. If they realised we had lost their Daughter…”

“…then there’s nothing we can do, you fool!”, the other Guard snapped. “Don’t you understand? Nowhere is safe from the Lord and Lady of the Empire. They’d find us, and punish us for daring to fail them.”

“If we had any honour, we would report our failure, and maybe, just maybe, they would not execu-”

“What do you mean?” a quiet, yet familiar voice suddenly asked them.

Standing right behind them, a shy Colt and a happy Filly had appeared out of nowhere, and the Guards felt a weight lift off their chests.

“Exe-cuse you! My Mom and Dad would totally reward you,” Crescent continued, “you’ve been looking after us while we had fun and ate snacks and gave gifts and visited the faire, remember?”

The Guards looked at the Princess with their mouths agape, then at each other, and back again.

“Y-You… We- When… Huh?” the Guards stuttered, pointing at the two Foals and each other.

Crescent just rolled her eyes in response. “Come on, you doofuses”, she proudly said, “let’s just get back to the Castle.”

She gently brushed her hoof over her bracelet, before she grabbed the hooves of Midnight and the Guards, who felt more courageous and brave than before, yet only Midnight understood how.

(Thanks for reading! And if you enjoyed, please reblog! Thanks in advance!)

Send an ask or request!

Featuring: Crescent Crescendo from @ask-crescent-crescendo

Read the other parts here: Thoughts & Hopes: Part 1

(I had a significant part of the story written by the time I posted the first part just now, so I'm writing this post scriptum shortly after part 1 went live. As of right now, I don't know how long the story will be at the end, but it's looking like 4 to 5 parts at least, all of similar sizes. It's been really nice to get back into the swing of things ^^)