The Crystal Human

by PhoenixHorseGuy

The Homo Sapien, from the Perspective of the Crystal Ponies

(Clear Cut's POV)

As the human and alicorn made their way to the border, I could hardly believe some of the stuff I had heard today. A creature from another world with no magic surviving an encounter against Him? It sounded like a foals story or a poorly written adventure novel.

And yet…

"You okay, Clear?" Crystal Smith asked me from my right.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just… it's all so hard to believe."

"It is." Crystal responded. "I do feel bad for the guy." He added. "I mean, torn away from home. Separated from his friends and family."

"That unicorn who visited us yesterday… he said we were gone for a thousand years, right?" I asked

"He did." He confirmed. "I guess we've got some common ground with him, huh?"

"Yeah." I responded. We had family in Equestria before we disappeared. To think that they all died hundreds of years ago, while for us it was just last week…

"Let's head to my shop. I've got an idea." Crystal said suddenly, leading me towards the building in question.

"Oh? And what idea is that?" I questioned as we walked into his shop.

"Well, it's more like two different ideas." He clarified. We stepped into one of the backrooms, where his workbench was. "You remember that folding crossbow design Queen Amore commissioned me for? Before He came to power?" At the nod of my head, he continued. "I still have the schematics somewhere around here… I just need the right materials to make the parts… maybe make a few modifications so Mr. Brunner and carry it more comfortably…" He seemed to brighten up much more as he got 'in the zone' as he called it. "Yes, that's it!"

"And the other idea?" I asked before I lost him completely.

"Hm? Oh, yes." He turned fully to face me. "Princess Cadance said he didn't speak a word of Equish, right?"

"She did, yes."

"Well, you know that one foals story. The one about a griffon being gifted a magic necklace by a young pegasus which allowed him to speak our language?"

"You can't be serious."

"What? Do you not want to help him?"

"Of course I want to help him!" I nearly shouted. Taking a moment to calm myself down and recompose myself, I continued. "That's just an old foals tale. No enchantment like that exists."

"It didn't exist a thousand years ago, no. But it might exist now."

…

…

…

Dammit, he has a point. "But how do you expect to get out of the Empire to learn that enchantment? He's still out there, you know."

"That…" He seemed to finally realize the flaw in his second plan. "Alright. I see your point. No translation necklace, at least not for now. I'll just stick with the crossbow."

"Are you sure you'll be able to get everything for it?"

"First time I built it, I sourced everything from right here in the Empire." He responded confidently. "And I'm sure that I can do it again!"

"Alright. But I'm gonna help you."

"Clear, honey, I assure you that I can-"

"Nope. Your social skills are horrible. You'll need me to help you convince other ponies to give up their stock for this little plan of yours."

Crystal let out a heavy sigh. "And you're sure you don't mind helping me?"

"You're my husband. Of course I don't mind helping you!"

That got him to smile. "And that eagerness is one of the many reasons I fell in love with you." With those words, his coat seemed to regain the shine it had lost before Queen Amore's fall as he got the necessary tools to begin his work.

Author's Note:

The fourteenth chapter of the first story, this time focusing on two of the crystal ponies.

I always thought the possibility of some Crystal Ponies being caught outside the Empire right when it's banishment began was an interesting one, and something that isn't explored all that often. How do those ponies react when they realize that they will never be able to return home within their own lifetime? How do those ponies relatives in the Empire react when they learn that those loved ones caught outside of it's borders, their brothers and sisters and cousins and parents and aunts and uncles and children have been dead for hundreds of years?

I've never seen any other story focus on that idea and, while I don't plan on focusing on it much at this stage in the story, it's an idea that I do want to explore later on.

"My role in life is to give people hope, because if you run out of hope, we may as well give up." - Jane Goodall

Comments

[Theresa hall]

The ponies are finding hope again and courage to try to do something for their home. I always wonder how they could even with a chance to defeat their enemy they couldn't find the courage to try to do something, anything to win.

[Luckyfanisaac]

That was pretty short.

[PhoenixHorseGuy]

11702862
The short chapters always are. I have yet to write one that reaches a thousand words.

[Haver]

Super good nice I love it more

[f0st3r21]

They don’t have their memories back yet; otherwise, passing around some aphrodisiacs might be a better option, but cool crossbow is a nice secondary.

[PhoenixHorseGuy]

11702876
Um, uh... um... magic bullshit! That’s how these two suddenly have their memories!

In all seriousness, I somehow managed to forget that. Might need to rewrite this chapter a bit lmao.

... eh, I'll do it later.

[f0st3r21]

11702880
Idk, I think it works. New twist is added to the story, so some elements are bound to be affected in unexpected ways. They heard his story and their emotions reacted. Then they remembered their love for each other and the cycle began to self-perpetuate.

But in a place where “love” is the key component to their national defense, figuring out how to make lots of love happen would be my go-to weapon of choice supposing I remember how important it is. Maybe it’ll take a bit for the city-wide adults-only party to kick off and fuel the Crystal Heart?

[PhoenixHorseGuy]

11702886
That would be one hell of a way to beat Sombra, wouldn't it?

"Alright everypony! I know I'm literally an alien interfering in your civil war, but I need you all to start fucking each oth- wait, no! Hear me out!"

[f0st3r21]

11702890
Lol anything could sound crazy if you say it with that attitude.

[RandomCommentor]

11702890
Maybe it can be played off as psychological.

Like, they pretend to not remember anything because they are repressing the memories.

[PhoenixHorseGuy]

11702986
That was one of Shining’s theories for their collective amnesia back in Chapter Eight when he was speaking to the Crystal Ponies...

[D-F]

you ever going to add coverart for this story?

[PhoenixHorseGuy]

11703131
At some point.

[Hexanova]

Guh, that must be very awful to think that you've just been awoken a thousand years in the future, when it was just last Tuesday for you... I cannot even imagine that. But they are starting to have hope again! Hurrah!

[Totally Not A Pony]

11703254
Well, it must help to still have your town and your neighbors just the same as last Tuesday in that sort of situation. Most folk running afoul of Rip Van Winkle plots are just lone individuals who find themselves in a strange new world without that sort of physical and mental security blanket, but the crystal ponies as a whole should find it within themselves to pull through.

[Lunar Strike]

I think the story “Life Finds a Way” had crystal ponies who were caught outside the spell and every now and then one would pop up before the Empires return. At least one of the MC’s friends is a crystal pony descendant as she has a light shimmer effect on her wings.

[PhoenixHorseGuy]

11703698
I haven't gotten around to reading "Life Finds a Way" just yet, so I didn't know that.

I really need to get around to reading that and the fifty other stories on my read later list lmao.

[MurderP0n7]

11703397
Now I want to read it... but I doubt I remember it at the time I read this, it's already quite late

[Pr1deM0rn1ngstar]

Well well well it looks like unintentional or not some of the sparks of the crystal heart are starting to leak through to the crystal ponies. Interesting

[redandready45]

It warms my heart for these poor creatures to find hope and strive to help another creature in need of hope.