It all started with that repeated ringing, then some shuffling under the blankets, and eventually, an uncontrollable yawn... that’s how I awoke today.
I stretched a bit as I awoke from my slumber, looking around and rubbing my eyes as I reached for my glasses by the side of my bed. Like a greased gear, I wore it so many times before, and my blurry vision cleared to reveal a mundane-looking room.
Covered with white paint for most of the walls, it didn’t strike as anything special nor inspiring, and there wasn’t much to liven up the atmosphere. Reluctantly, I groaned as I stood up from my position, about to do the usual morning routine I find myself in…
---
After finishing a nice hot bath and getting myself dressed, I made something to eat on the fly. Something simple like toasted bread and a hot drink. As I made my way through the small complex I had grown to call home for the last semesters or so, I found myself opening a window by the balcony side of my apartment. The cold gushing breeze that entered, as a result, was unpleasant as it rushed into my room. Giving off a spiky feeling that wasn’t unbearable, but was most unwelcomed.
Pushing past that, I looked outside, seeing the white snow that piled up last night, frowning from my apartment balcony. Slowly, I began to sip the hot cup of cocoa in my hand, on the other, my phone vibrated and rang to life to notify me of a notification.
With a much reluctant sigh, I opened it to see the news, which wasn’t anything good from the looks of it. From what I could care to read, the flight schedule and plan of the plane I would board were on display.
New York City was by no means a lifeless city… but by god‘s will did it drain the life out of you, with rent and other miscellanies. At least it was winter, and the university break had just arrived. A good opportunity to get away from city life, if it even presented itself.
As it would turn out, as I scrolled through the flight schedule on my phone, I saw my flight was canceled for the day.
“Well piss,” I mumbled to myself. Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself for the unfortunate fact. As I scrolled and looked for alternative flights outside the city, my hope slowly dwindled to nonexistent, as it seemed most flights going out of New York were either canceled or grounded until further notice, likely due to the weather.
Of course, my salty frown wouldn’t last long as I wasn’t about to let this setback affect the rest of my day. Uncaring for this highly irregular event of air traffic control, I try to make up alternatives.
Nothing came, at least for the long term. The best I could think of using my break was going on a road trip through America to arrive in California and maybe take a cruise ship to Hawaii and be back here in NY by January or so.
Regardless, I seemed to have time to kill on my hands. My bags are already prepared and ready to go, and my apartment is thoroughly cleaned for my absence.
“Fine, I’ll find another pass time.”
As it turned out, in a city full of street corners and public roads so rigid in format, snow wasn’t exactly the city life’s best friend. There were little to no cars that could be seen driving around thanks to the thicker layer of snow on the road, still, an odd fact considering this was NYC, but I didn’t question it. And as I walk through such conditions with a subpar set of winter gear, I could only mumble in regret at my decision to go out. Having not a care for what other pedestrians or the like thought of me.
“Fuck’in winter…” but of course, apart from killing some time, I also had to think about the bills and rent.
A deep breath in, “It’s ok,” and a deep exhale as I said reluctantly, the tone of reassurance repeating itself as I thought of the money I would save. “Think about the bills that the heater would add up… I can save some several hundred just by keeping it off…”
My sad mumbling was, fortunately, or not, suddenly interrupted as the ground violently shook, like an earthquake comparable to that with a magnitude of six on the Richter scale. It made me drop to the ground kneeling, fortunately not face first as I could see that’s what happened with my contemporaries.
Panic of course began to arise as quickly as this sudden life-changing event happened. With screams of terror out of nowhere simply being shouted. It was no fun, and I did feel my heart sink when I visibly saw these tall skyscrapers move in the direction of the earthquake.
By that’s how I felt, as I realized this was a particularly fucked up scenario, being in NYC and all. As I tried to keep my composure, I thought god was playing with me today, first the flight and now the strongest earthquake I’d likely feel for the rest of my life.
“Well, this is just pleasant,” I mumbled once more, looking around amidst the panicked streets of New York City. Suddenly realizing I had somehow stumbled into the middle of Fifth Avenue.
Instinctively, as I look around to try and make a run for it, something halted me in my tracks.
The sudden and apparent uneven crackling suddenly cut through the air, silencing the crowd as a rippling sound pierced the crowd. What followed was the formation of a jagged line suddenly appearing out of thin air, and with a ripping effect, tore itself open as if it was… a portal?
With disbelief, I reached for my glasses and cleaned them, blinking several times in the process to make sure my eyes were simply playing tricks on me. As I saw what seemed like another world beyond that created… portal, a bit like ours, but full of crystals.
It seemed as though I wasn’t the only one who was being delusional in the moments, as I saw several others also rub their eyes in confusion and disbelief.
Of course, with the adrenaline and the mystery factors into account, I was in disbelief when someone from the crowd stood up and walked towards whatever this new hole was.
Here I watch in disbelief as everything unfolded as quickly as it did, with this seeming nobody’s advances being met with shouts of opposition concerning his safety. Something I’d never expect to hear here in the streets of NYC.
And a slip of the tongue “What the –” but before I could finish my sentence, something new stepped out of it…
It’s like walking through a foreign city, a city of crystals; a start, better than naught, that’s for sure.
The first thing that hits me as I got off the train was the surprisingly cold autumn-ish breeze that didn’t match the scenery of summer. I was one of the many first to come, but I sure as hell won’t be the last one to step foot into this strange new world.
Accompanying me as I stood there on the station platform was… no one. I was completely alone with no partner to accompany me on this journey. Not to say there were no humans, I saw a few dozen going on here and there, but despite towering over the creatures (mostly ponies) that boarded and disembarked on the train, sticking out like a sore thumb, I still felt dumbfounded as I was frozen in place.
Fortunately for my dumb ass brain, in my moment of paralysis, I was rescued from further dumbfound stillness by two particular ponies.
“Heyiiieee!” a high-pitched voice greeted me, coming from the crowd belonging to a particularly jovial pink pony.
Turning my head to the left, I was surprised to see two (allegedly) high-profile ponies, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, coming my way.
“Well hello there,” I greeted back, crouching down to greet them at their eye level. “Pleasure to meet you, Madam Pinkamena and Ms. Shy.”
“Hihi,” Pinkie chuckled, much to my initial surprise. “No need for the formalities, silly. Just call me Pinkie and have fun! We’re here to welcome you to Equestria after all, if only we weren’t on a timetable, I would’ve made you a ‘Welcome to Equestria’ party!”
“I’m sure you would’ve,” I responded, shaking her hoof as I then greeted the next pony. “And you must be Ms. Shy.”
“Oh please… Ms. Shy is my mother, just Fluttery would do” she timidly replied. My little mistake giving to chuckle as she further tried to reassure me “No need to be so formal, besides, I’m sure you’ll adjust just fine with us.”
‘Damn, the papers said she was shy, but I didn’t expect her to be shyer than shy…’ I thought, making it a mission for the rest of the journey to try and accommodate these two. “Any particular reason why the both of you are here? I mean, no offense, but I’m sure your friend group, or even the Princesses, had other things you could’ve attended to…”
“Call it a little excursion,” Fluttershy said, earning a raised brow from me, one she timidly shrieked in fear of insulting me. “I- I mean, the Cutie Map summoned us here, and it just so happened that Princess Celestia needed some pony to be a tour guide of sorts.”
Making the connections, I filled out the rest of their reasons. “So you’re here to be my tour guide?”
“Call it that,” Pinkie said, hopping off the platform and towards the direction of the Crystal Empire. “Now c'mon! We’ve got a city to explore!”
As the pink mare wandered off, I could only shake my head at the likely trivial experience I’m about to get myself. Fluttershy was initially reluctant with the fast pace pinkie had but eventually followed suit the both of us.
And here I thought these two oddballs would’ve made my afternoon trivial at best. In truth, they’ve been nothing but splendid! Taking me to the sights of the Crystal Empire, which was mostly just crystals, but still!
They gave me a splendid tour around the city, gave me some history trivia, and they were even thoughtful enough to hook me up with some neat little treats, like a massage, sauna, and some (surprisingly) tasty dishes for a city that is primarily themed with crystal.
Speaking of crystals, speak of the devil, we had just arrived at the heart of the city, the TALL Palace of the Crystal Empire. It seemed like it shot up until it pierced the very clouds of the horizon. Of course, if one was to level out from simply staring up, they would see two things in particular: a HUGE statue of a lizard by the side of the palace and a spinning crystal heart.
Between those two things, I found the statue to be much more intriguing. “Say, what do both of you think of that lizard statue over there?” I asked, pointing to the statue to direct Fluttershy and Pinkie’s attention.
To my intrigue, both initially gasped at what I said, Pinkie’s much more exaggerated than Fluttershy. But fortunately, it seemed to quickly pass as before I could question my own mistake, Fluttershy promptly asked me a rhetorical question. “I, um, I don’t mean to offend, but has your kind ever seen dragons?”
My mouth went agape as realization dawned, it didn’t take a genius to connect the dots, but I humored her with an answer nonetheless. “No, unfortunately. But I could make a guess that that statue has some significance to that fact, yes?”
“Not just significant for the crystal ponies, silly!” Pinkie exclaimed, hopping in the direction of the statue for a closer look. “He’s Spike! Our dear dragon friend, who helped save the Crystal Empire from King Sombra’s tyrannical rule.”
“Not only that, but Spike’s also the dragon lands ambassador,” Fluttershy added as she came by my side.
It only took a few words from these two, but I could already tell that they both took him with high regard and respect. “And all that… was he gifted that position or not?”
I was kind of afraid to know the answer, maybe it was the knowledge he could just be another spoiled brat. Fortunately, these two proved my fears wrong, and only adding to it, they gave me something that I could use to actually base my respect for the guy.
“He's actually Twilight's adoptive son –” but before Fluttershy could finish, I had other plans.
“Wait, WHAT!?” I exclaimed in shock, my outburst earning me the eye of several ponies.
I shrink in embarrassment but nonetheless, I did not skip a beat. “No way, you're tripping me right now…”
“Well, not quite.” She responded, letting the jovial mare, Pinkie, take the metaphorical stage.
“Well, you see now…” and Pinkie went on a spree, explaining to me the nooks and crannies of the things I needed to know.
From Spike’s history with the Elements of Harmony Bearers to his relationship with his family and friends, to even his achievements and the like. All around, they make him seem like a likable guy, at least when compared to the dragons he’s often compared to, come to think of it, I think Fluttershy said he was more pony than dragon in that regard.
Nevertheless, the lecture had to eventually come to an end, and give or take half an hour of back and forth, I found myself exhausted from listening in.
“Ah, so this he’s national hero, I see now,” I said, simply accepting the basic fact of the matter. “And that spinning orb must be the Crystal Heart, literally the so-called ‘Heart’ of the city...”
Both nodded at my astute observation, letting me have the moment as my mind processed all the information I needed whilst admiring the levitated crystal orb.
Despite my genuine curiosity for this new world, there was something that nagged at the back of my mind, no matter how hard I tried to sideline it. However, I wasn’t about to make my opinion known to a city I had just visited for a day. No, I’d save that for after the fact, for now, the Crystal Empire will only serve to both intrigue and frighten me deep down, for reasons I won’t tell these two, it was a disturbance that both Pinkie and Fluttershy could tell I had; something they wisely choose not to push.
I was finally alone…
Or at least as alone as I could be for the night ahead.
I had feigned ignorance earlier, but I knew full well someone was listening in… watching me.
Who wouldn’t? Not when the public image of any entity plays such an important part in gaining and remaining favorable and legitimate.
Fortunately, I’ve been informed of such an arrangement by none other than Fluttershy, the last pony I would expect to stand up to such secrecy.
“So why are you willing to tell me in the first place again?” I questioned. “You stand nothing to gain from helping me remain ‘unbiased’, if anything, this very meeting could at the very least stand as some form of scandal that would have harsh effects, especially for you.”
“Won’t you also be affected by this?” she asked, truly caring for the well-being of others before her own. “I mean, I only want what’s best; as the element of Kindness, it isn’t only my job to be fair and kind in words, but also in action.”
I only repeated what I told her earlier, “As I said, you stand to gain nothing. My say is second after the fact, don’t you think?”
She frowned at my response, clearly believing the contrary. “Pinkie always told all of us to be optimistic, to always look at the bright side of things.”
“And how exactly does that connect to the facts?” I asked intriguingly, finding it humorous to an extent that a pony like Fluttershy would dare stand up to a situation that placed her at a disadvantage.
If I was in her position (heck, any human for that matter), I would’ve remained silent in order to best observe and change the situation to present a better picture. Some might call it a lie of omission, but that’s the grey space that has always plagued humanity, an abuse of the grey scale despite our best efforts to make things straight and simple, like the mixing of black and white all over again.
“That means to treat anything and everything with a level of decency.” She said with a straight face, a face that made me falter as she spoke from her heart. “As the elements of harmony, we stand as Equestria’s symbol, and although we don’t control everything, we do truly believe in the path for the better. Small steps to something good; to strive for a better world.” As she said this, I immediately realized that she had something going for her.
And it seemed like my subtle reaction to what she said was something she noticed. If I had to make a guess, my already strained jovial expression simply dropped at the realization, as Fluttershy immediately tried to make amends with me.
“I- I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you or anything…
On the contrary, I wasn’t offended, more so simply taken aback by the facts of what she said.
“And what makes you believe that the elements of harmony are above imperfection?” I asked. “I mean, let’s say, puppeteering under a false guise of autonomy, is it justifiable in any sense of the word to you?” genuinely curious at what would make her think that way.
“Oh, we don’t!” she enthusiastically said. Truth be told, it was much to my surprise. “In fact, Twilight is very open to the fact she wants to build a better, much more independent world.”
“And what exactly is stopping her from doing it here and now?” I asked that very same question the question of voice that the youth of my world asked our leaders.
But instead of hearing the same bullshit answer with all the technicalities and side-tracking, I was instead given a hard-hitting answer by the sudden arrival of the pink party mare that was Pinkie Pie. “Because the world isn’t ready for that kind of radical change.”
But there was something off, instead of the curly hair the pink mare usually sported, she had a wave-like hair that was a bridge between the full-on straight and curly manes that I had seen thus far.
And it wasn’t just the fact that her answer was simple and straight to the point was hard-hitting, it was the fact that she was right. I could very well see that Equestria wasn’t ready for the radical change that had propelled humanity to the modern age in less than two thousand years. HELL! It took humanity around four times longer to switch from copper swords to steel swords than it took to switch from steel swords to nuclear bombs. I think that should put into perspective just how quickly we rose in terms of advancements.
Compared to Equestrian history alone, the radical changes in human history could be seen as monumental to them, not to mention the societal level of maturity in the advent of such advancements. And to think, there are other nations apart from Equestria that probably have longer and much more complicated histories AND YET are at best still experiencing either the twilight of their middle ages or the dawn of their equivalent of a renaissance. Who’s to say that they literally had a long-lost civilization before them?
“W-well…” I let that thought sink in.
Despite having said nothing to them, both Pinkie and Fluttershy could tell I had a moment of realization. Initially, they thought it was for the worse, but more so did Pinkie felt a bit sorrier as her mane began to deflate more.
Before anything else though, I spoke my peace to them. “Well, then it truly is unfortunate you’d have to wait.”
“Wait, just like that?” Pinkie asked in disbelief, expecting more from me, given my moment of deep thought. “You aren’t going to argue on what’s right and wrong about us? What should we do moving forwards? Or even just criticizing our entire existence! None of that?”
“What’s there to criticize?” I asked in turn, “As far as I should be concerned, I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Sure, I’ve got my thoughts on the matter, but the simple fact that, well, to put it bluntly, Equis is likely a world of conservatives… I guess all I could say is that any step to introducing some change is a step worthwhile, don’t you think?”
In disbelief, I could see that despite what I told them, they were entirely sold on what I said, yet, I could also tell that there was a sense of relief for them.
So I inquired about it, “Why? Did you expect a grand speech of innovation or change?”
Both didn’t know how to answer my question, so they confide in each other for a moment to gather their thoughts.
Eventually, Pinkie spoke for both of them. “Well, most of the humans we had spoken with usually had it extremely bad or well. They weren’t really… ignorant, but they were stubborn as a mule.”
“Hmph,” I could only imagine, “Well, regardless of my say, the simple fact that you took the time to even be accommodating in a friendly manner is reason enough to thank you both, not to mention the integrity you both have to even speak of about the matter.”
“So… you’re not mad at us?” Pinkie asked once more, making sure they didn’t read the situation in the wrong light.
“Why would I? Both of you have been nothing but great to me!” I then paused as I thought about something, “Although I can’t deny the facts of my observations. There are faults, there are pros, but it is all weighed.”
“Faults? Pros? What are you even trying to observe?” Pinkie asked, suddenly gasping exaggeratedly as if she realized something. “Are you humans planning on a ‘Welcome Party’ for us?? Then you should’ve just asked me, Pinkie!”
“Ah, hehe…” I chuckled, as cute and heartwarming as that could be, “No, that’s not the reason. Humanity has… had a mixed history. So I, like many before and would come after, am trying to outline and highlight aspects of Equestria for the better understanding of everyone. The same process is due when we would interact with other nations here.”
“Hmm…” there was a moment of thought until Fluttershy spoke up again. “So you’re trying to gain an understanding of Equestrian culture? Why?”
That… wasn’t something I’m supposed to answer, yet I wasn’t about to deny her the simple fact of the matter, so a half-truth would suffice. “To… avoid a repetition of sorts...”
Of course, my hesitation by the last note was pretty obvious, much more was made obnoxiously clear by Pinkie making a questioning face. “A repeat? A repeat of what, dummy? You couldn’t repeat anything until you’ve experienced it! And I think making a friendship with another world counts as a ‘once in a lifetime’ experience! A first for everyone here even!”
I wasn’t quite keen on agreeing with that notion, but I nonetheless nodded my head to end the notion there and then. “Even if it’s a first, can’t hurt to be safe, right?”
“Point taken,” Pinkie said, “so where are you going after? It is a wide world out there.”
“Two other places: Canterlot and Ponyville.”
“Oh, then I’m sure you'll meet with our other friends once you arrive there,” Fluttershy remarked. “I'm sure you'll know them when you see them, they'll tell a story and some history tell them we said hi.”
“Well, if you're ever going to visit my world, you better get a ride to New York City, one of the most ludicrous city’s in our side of the world, I tell you,” I suggest, before promptly realizing I've been holding off my work table for the time being. “Well, destinations aside, I’ve got some things to finish up, so I better get to it then… See you around, and safe travels.” I said, waving them goodbye.
Both were surprisingly understanding, they must’ve realized I still had a paper to make. And they didn’t hold me back nor give any insensitive remarks. Between the two of them, I thought Pinkie handled it better than I expected, seemingly being unbothered as she gave her final remark to my suggestion, “Ohhh, I see now. Well, I'll make sure to visit when I can!”
“Stay safe,” Fluttershy said to me before both had promptly exited my room.
Much to my surprise, I could feel myself growing a smile after that encounter.
…
The moment slowly passed. From seconds, it became minutes, from minutes it probably became hours.
I wasn’t sure, the sensations only seemed to worsen the brewing dizziness I had. It wasn’t an unbearable one, it seemed more of an indecisive stress than a delirious moment of conflict.
“Decency…” I mumbled under my breath.
There was something that nagged in me like I simply lacked a broader viewpoint of my conundrum. I was tempted even to dismiss the conversation I had earlier because it mixed with the facts I had. Besides, what could’ve been a plain and simple view of what I saw in the Crystal Empire, and by extension, Equestria’s conscience, was further complicated by a viewpoint of an agent of change.
I really did want to give them the benefit of doubt, I wanted to know more, but from the recent reports made by my fellow contemporaries back home, the subject really couldn’t be avoided. Equestria is imperialistic, whether they realize it or not, it is beyond questioning. The simple evidence that the Royal Family that rules the Crystal Empire is the niece of Equestria’s alicorn ruler shows the practice of indirect rule.
On that note, I also couldn’t deny the fact that the Crystal Empire ISNT EVEN AN EMPIRE! It’s more of a prefecture, a city if anything else.
And yet as I thought over it, with a pen and paper to write my thoughts, the simple word still rang through.
“Decency…”
Regardless of that little tantrum inside my head, I was divided on the topic itself. On one hand, Equestria’s imperialistic signs would mean bad for foreign policies and interactions, on the other, change is clearly welcomed but is a question of time, time that I knew Humanity wasn’t willing to gamble with.
I was here writing a paper of thought, and it was clear that until I was convinced otherwise, sufficient change is the only way to conceive the masses back home.
So as it stands, as much as I enjoyed it here, that did not mean it was of their own volition. For a “nation” bearing the title of an empire, it is one in only name and nothing else.
The Crystal Empire represents Equestria’s subconscious: A show of imperialistic indirect rule.
Something that, if I so chose to publicize, would hamper diplomatic building.
