//------------------------------//
// Crystal Pony Complex 
// Story: A War 
// by Comma Typer 
//------------------------------//

A retinue of rich ponies—since they were garbed in suits and dresses—surrounded Fancy Pants as he trotted down the sidewalk under the streetlights, under the night sky. Passing by trees whose leaves were turning dry and orange, being passed by speeding carriages kicking up dust and making a pony or two cough—then, they finally reached their destination.
The Crystal Pony Complex, located at the corner of a large junction which had a statute of an historical stallion in the middle, was a fine structure for its purpose. While it borrowed from the medieval style of the other buildings there, the complex had an up-to-date design overall: long and flat lines, a single dominant color (in this case, yellow) accented and supported by little flecks of two or three other colors, thinner and taller windows which gave a sleek appearance to the edifice, and plethora of flowers and bushes integrated into its layout. The outcome was a modern and contemporary home that could accommodate more than fifty plus the staff needed to feed and entertain them.
The gathering walked up the stairs and were greeted by smiling security guards wearing the same yellow armor and helmets.
A floral whiff pervaded the whole foyer. At the end of it, a receptionist's desk where several clerks and attendants catered to short lines of curious Equestrians and inquisitive Crystals. On the sides, sofas and easy chairs where some more Crystal ponies nested and talked amongst themselves—there was one holding on to a newspaper as he talked, grumpy yet considerate to his young counterpart across the glass table.
Cash Heeled observed several of them, those ponies with their polygonal, many-sided sparkles in their eyes. Most of them were Earth ponies, yet there was a smattering of pegasi. No unicorns were with them.
Some looked up, to speak in hushed and quiet volumes, studying their wealthy visitors.
Then, they reached the desk where next pony in line just went out.
"How may I help you?" a lanky pegasus asked from behind the desk. On his nametag: "Steer Straight".
"Say," Fancy began, being at the front of the group, "aren't you that ambassador to the griffons?"
"Yes, I still am," he said. "But, who's there to talk to? Griffonstone's been out for months and they still haven't elected or even chosen anyone. Job's been a dead end, so I'm here to make up for lost time."
"Getting along with the ponies at your new occupation, aren't you?" Fancy asked further, smiling.
"Why wouldn't I?" he replied. "It opens up your eyes to a whole new perspective on things. Talking to them—it feels surreal, knowing that they've been alive for a thousand years...well, kind of, but you get the point. They're also the only Crystal ponies we'll be able to talk to for a long time if the war drags on a while."
Fancy frowned a bit. "Well, we hope that it won't be long and that it won't be a while." He swung a hoof across the air. "To Equestrian victory?"
"And Crystal freedom," Steer Straight finished. "By the way, dinner begins at seven-half. Would you like to take your seats in the dining area?"
"That would depend on our individual opinions," Fancy said, eyeing his retinue. Speaking to them: "Now, be pleasant and kind. You can stroll around the complex, engage in lively discussion with the Crystals. But, be at the table at seven-thirty sharp."
His escort nodded to each other, blabbing a few words to each other, and walked to and fro. Some went to the designated "living areas" where the foyer's Crystals were relaxing and unwinding, being received warmly as they joined whatever conversations were there seamlessly. Others ambled out of sight, seeing the rest of the facilities this complex had to offer.
Only Cash Heeled and Fancy Pants stayed at the desk.
"I, for one, will go straight to the dining area for an early appetizer," Fancy said. "I could already feel my stomach rumbling!"
Steer Straight laughed at that. "And, how about you...mister...?"
He was staring at a distracted Cash Heeled who was inspecting, from afar, the guards patrolling the place—two at the balcony, three at the foyer proper, two at each end of each staircase, and one at the second floor's main door.
"May I ask what you are doing?" Steer Straight asked.
"I'm no connoisseur at architecture or on how to shelter innocent ponies who don't like having a tyrant for a leader, but I have to say that security is lousy."
Fancy and Steer turned their head round at him.
"Whatever do you mean?" Steer went on, rising up from his chair. "We didn't hire professional contractors. These are straight from the presitigious E.U.P. Guard!"
Cash Heeled groaned, avoiding his face. "This is a refuge for Crystal ponies who want to get away from the enemy—even though that enemy is their very own king. What happens if a spy or an infiltrator enters this place? Nopony can tell because the guards at the door just stand there and look at him. There's no frisking if he has any conspicious bags, no magical counterspells to disable any offensive spell he might have ready, and there's no proper checkpoints—I could tell since I have a suit with pockets here—" pointing at his black suit "—but nopony bothered to check my pockets. I'm a unicorn yet they didn't even ask if I have any special spells on me. Finally, checkpoints...eh, it's your best bet so far."
"But, you're talking about the guard—"
"And, the guard should patrol, yes?" Cash Heeled interjected. "If you have guards who stand all the time, at least order other guards to walk around every five minutes—do they just patrol when everypony's sleeping? That beats probably half of the thieves and spies out there, but what about those who decide to hide in plain sight, under daylight? Another thing: They don't have weapons. Unless they're wielding invisible spears and arrows, I don't see how these guards are supposed to defend the place if it gets attacked. Can't trust everything to Earth pony strength if you ask me."
"You didn't even give me—"
"Look, buddy," Cash Heeled chimed in, knocking the desk with a strong hoof, giving the receptionist a mean stare. "This is Guard Duty 101. A rookie's supposed to know this the moment training ends. You're not the boss here, but what about you tell whoever controls this complex to write down those little tips from me and put them up on every wall so that those guards have no excuse on slacking at the job?"
Steer Straight quavered, about to hide under the desk.
"Got it?"
"Eep!"
Fancy placed a hoof on his shoulder, facing Steer. "He's a pony with a firm conviction when it comes to protecting the refugees. He does have good points."
Steer nodded, still shaking.
"I must say," Fancy said to Cash, "your sense of security is uncanny for a pony like you. Have you ever held a post in the guard before? You do have it in you to become next in line for Head of Patrol, if not Captain after Prince Shining Armor!"
"I've done some patrolling myself where I come from," Cash answered. "Hard, sweaty work. It paid off in huge dividends, though."
Fancy Pants chuckled a fancy chuckle, adjusting his monocle. "Well, I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I must go off at once. I am quite famished!"



The dining area was a fantastic room. It held paintings of the Crystal Empire in its golden days, in its golden age: a sparkling city circled by snow-peaked mountains; houses and stores of pure crystal, as if they themselves were habitable chunks of crystal jutting out of the ground; the grass, greener here, reflected the light of every crystal there, including the Crystal Castle—a blue skyscraper reaching to the sky, windows taller than entire buildings.
The ponies in those paintings were depicted with sheens of crystalline—like they, too, were made of crystals.
A hodgepodge of culinary perfumes and colognes traced throughout the room, emanating from the variety of foods available for all to eat and consume: flower sandwiches, fresh and dressed salads, whole pizzas, chilly ice cream tubs, fried fritters, chocolate mousse cakes, and apple pies. The drinks were not lacking in variety, too: besides water, there was tea, coffee, juice, and energy drinks, each sporting different blends or flavors.
The diners themselves were not only eating. They were also chatting with each other, exchanging stories and ideas with smiles for the most part. There was one Crystal pony who juggled three sandwiches at once, garnering the attention of everyone at the long table—before he slipped and was punished by a sandwich splat on the face.
There was only one empty chair.
The doors swung open.
A few looked to Cash Heeled galloping his way to his chair; everyone else was busy with how to juggle sandwiches in a way that would eliminate such accidents from happening again.
He pulled his chair, sat, and pushed himself closer to the table. Looked at this pair of ponies chatting, looked at that pair of ponies gabbing. Then, he turned his face to the Crystal pony who sat beside him. "Good evening!" he greeted in his usual coarse accent. "I'm Cash Heeled. Already enjoying the food, huh?"
That pony flinched, shrinking back a bit while he wiped his lips clean from food stains. "Uh, y-yes. I'm enjoying it very much."
"What's your name? Didn't catch it first time around—of course, this is the first time." He grabbed several leaves from the one of the salad bowls.
"C-Crystal Hoof," he replied.
Cash Heeled furrowed his brows. "You know? Don't wanna comment on you or anything—I don't want to cause an incident that would ruin our relationship with you Crystals—but you sound awfully a lot like my long-lost brother."
"You have a br-brother?" Crystal Hoof said back, sounding terrified as he mindlessly shoved a lettuce leaf to his mouth and chewed on it.
"Lost touch not too long ago," he said. "I miss him. I really want him back—but, that's personal stuff." Went back to smiling. "So, how are you feeling?"
He gulped down his leaf. "Uh, g-great! I am cared for by lots of caring ponies who want to take care of me and my kind who want to be cared for! Why would I not feel great?"
"There you go," Cash Heeled said, patting him on the back. "Remember: we got you covered, so don't you worry about us deserting you when the going gets tough!"
"Th-thanks!" Crystal Hoof stuttered out. "We really need all the encouragement we could muster!"
And Cash chomped down his salad in a matter of seconds.



"How is it possible?!" Thorax muttered, pacing his half-empty bedroom and eyeing the door. "How did they track me down? How did Pharynx, of all changelings, get this close to me? Does Chrysalis have a clue?"
He wrapped his head in his forehooves.
"I don't have a good back-up plan at all! If I move away, the locals here will start connecting the dots and think I'm a Crystal spy—that's the best-case scenario! Worst-case...they'll discover I'm a changeling, they'll discover another changeling was in Canterlot recently, and they'll think that I'm a double traitor! Betraying Chrysalis and then the Princesses—neither pony nor changeling would ever want to trust me!"
Knock on the door.
"Agh!" He jumped up, covering himself in a flashy glow and disguising himself as Crystal Hoof. "Wh-Who's that?!"
"Could you keep it down?" the librarian said from behind the door. "I'm trying to read here and it's midnight!"
"Um, shouldn't you be sleeping? When did you get here?"
"Just got here. Talked with some of the soldiers about reinforcing security here in Canterlot. There've been widespread fears about an imminent pegasus raid because we found out there are some Crystal camps scattered around Northern Equestria. I was able to talk them out of setting up shop here because who wants to read a book if you feel claustrophobic?"
Crystal Hoof heard her guffaw at her own thought.
"Anyway, stop rambling to yourself about changelings and weird conjectures. You probably had too much coffee—it's making you think you're a changeling! Hah! Listen to my advice: Take a break from your coffee breaks, OK?"
A pause, the Crystal pony's legs shivering and almost giving way.
"OK. Now sleep or be quiet—I'm reading."
He heard hoofsteps falling away.
Crystal Hoof bit his lip. "That was super close!" he whispered.
Walked toward his bed and leapt to it.
And fast asleep.