Chapter 11: When in Rome…

2138

This is it, there’s no other way. After everything I did, all my hard work and sweat, I still couldn’t escape from this. I guess it was inevitable, there’s just no way to just ignore what we’re going through and try to have a normal life. I looked ahead, locking eyes with my old friend. His expression was of cold surprise, still not able to comprehend my actions. I felt shame and frustration, mixing in a strange sense of exhaustion. I small part of me almost wished to just give up.

He attempted to speak, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly. “Are you… are you sure about this?” He said. He kept a tight grip at the piece of paper I had given him, reading those words over and over. “Alexander, you can’t be serious!”

I looked away, unable to face him. “I wish I was…” I replied, letting out a sigh. “You know this is the only way”. I didn’t like this, not one bit.

“No!” He said, almost shouting. His face twisted in anger, his fists closed. “What about the other job offers?” Barin argued. “You’ve to at least try!”

“I have been without a job for almost a year now!” I replied. “I already went into countless interviews, this week alone, and they all refused!” It felt wrong to be having this argument with my friend, but he had to understand. I knew what it would mean to join the military, especially with the rising tensions with the EU, but I didn’t have a choice. "You know my parents depend on me, I can't keep going without an income!"

I had spent the last two years trying to have a normal life. However, my efforts were useless, no matter how hard I tried, the economy was simply too chaotic for me to secure a stable job. I can’t remain like this forever, I need to have some sort of income, not just for me, but also for the rest of my family. My only choice is the military, the only place where I can be sure to have a long-term job. “You know very well how hard things are,” I kept saying, “Have you had any luck?”

His lack of response was enough to answer me. Barin took a deep breath; he placed his hands on his face in an attempt to calm down. “You’re right…” He began, “I’m also with no luck, have been for almost six months now”. We remained silent for a few moments, contemplating our lack of fortune. Finally, after a few minutes, he rose his head, locking eyes with me. “I’m going with you”.

“…What?” I moved back, my eyes widening in confusion. “N-no, you don’t have to do this!” I said. My words had zero effect on him; his face was now showing clear determination. “Look, this is my choice; I don’t want to drag you into this”.

“It’s better this way…” He replied. “I already said I’m doing just as bad as you are, at least there I could watch your back”.

“I can take care of myself!” I argued. “We don’t even know if a war is really-“

“Of course it’s going to happen, Alex!” He shouted, making me jump a little on my spot. “You saw the news, you know what’s happening along the border, it’s only a matter of time”. I couldn’t argue with that, for months now our forces have been in a tense stand-off with the EU along the Egyptian border, everything pointed to war. At first, it didn't look serious, at least not in comparison to everything else we're facing. For years we have seen riots and small scale conflicts popping up all over the globe, so a small surge of tension with the EU wasn't really anything new. However, this time things got bigger; speeches from both sides became more and more extreme, while all attempts of negotiation broke down. The reality of a war has turned very real, and I suppose it might be only a matter of time before it turns hot.

I looked away. I couldn't say no to him, for I knew, deep down, that he had a point. In addition, I could see in his eyes he was fully determinated to do this. “Alright… you have a point,” I said, “If you want to come with me, I won’t stop you, we’ll get through this together”.

He nodded. “Good, let’s go then.”

-x-

Ministry Square. The place looked pretty big from here, and very well protected. The inside was composed of six buildings, all of them standing taller than everything else in the city. From what Snowdrop had told me, each one was a pre-war ministry, now taken over by the three major factions of that place. Despite the state of despair, the settlement still looked impressive.

After we managed to escape the subway, the four of us decided to rest for a few minutes. We sat down by the doors of the old station, staring at the river (which looked a lot better than the stream near the outpost) and the city beyond. “Fuck, that was way too close…” I heard my friend Barin saying. “I really wish we could just use one of the transport ships”.

At his words, Snowdrop’s ears stood up in attention. She turned her head and regarded him with a cold gaze. “Buck no, I’m not going into those metal freaks again…” Oh dear, what have you done….

Barin turned towards her with a big grin in his face. “Oh, look at that, you mean the little pony here can’t handle heights?” Her eyes narrowed at that.

She looked away for a second, focusing on wrapping her wounds with some bandages. “I’m not a pegasus, I prefer to stay on the ground…” My friend let out a chuckle at that, which Snow didn’t like one bit. I shook my head at that, turning once again to the city beyond and bringing a water bottle to my lips. It felt good to see my goal so close, hopefully this’ll mean a new step in our search for answers.

From the corner of my vision, I noticed Bronze approaching me. I gave him a little nod, which he nodded back. He sat down next to me, bringing his own drink to his lips (It looked vaguely like a whisky bottle). “So, guess we’re finally here,” He nodded, “What’re you doing once we get there?”

He thought for a while, staring at the city. “Ah have some deliveries to make, after that I’ll keep heading north, back home”.

I raised an eyebrow “Are you a courier or something?”

“On occasion, yes,” He replied. “It pays well if you know who to work for”.

We remained there for a few more minutes, resting, patching wounds and checking our stuff. Eventually, we had everything done. All of us stood up, ready to move on into the city. The first step would be to cross the river; luckily, the exit we had arrived from was right next to a big bridge, looking well preserved and safe to cross. With all set and ready, I turned towards my comrades.

“Alright, what’s the next step?” I asked Snowdrop.

She took a moment to answer. “Well, we need to get across the river and the suburbs”.

Bronze Mirage looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “What about the militia?” He asked, to which Snow looked away with a worried expression.

“Uh… I don’t really know, I could probably get across since I’m from the Square, but they…”

Bronze rolled his eyes. “Bucking great…”

I decided to step in, lifting one of my hands in a gesture to hold on. “Wait, what are you guys talking about? Who’s this militia?”

Snowdrop shifted a little. “It’s… it’s complicated,” She began, “You see, the there’s a large community that lives in the suburbs around Ministry Square, and the place is currently ruled by a self-proclaimed popular militia”.

My face twisted in confusion. “Alright… then what’s the problem?” I questioned. “Are they aggressive?”

“Kind off,” Snow replied with a shrug. Great… we just can’t have it easy, can we? God… There has to be a way around this…

“Who are these guys exactly?” Maybe if I have more information I would be able to think of something.

Letting out a quiet sigh, Snow looked at me and began to explain. “A few months ago, this whole area was under control of the Blackwatch Company. These guys are a griffin mercenary company that controls part of the Square. However, they also provided security to the suburbs and most of the surrounding regions, in exchange of a small tax, almost like a police force. The problem is that when the Confederacy expanded, many of their enemies ran away south, towards here. This sudden surge of refugees, slavers and armed groups caught Blackwatch by surprised, and they ended up suffering huge casualties while trying to hold their territory. The defeat forced them to pull all of their forces back inside Ministry Square, leaving all those outside unprotected…”

“And so this militia came up to fill the gap?” I suggested.

“Exactly,” The mare said with a nod. So this place is facing a local power struggle? Interesting, this could prove useful to us in the future. However, right now that’ll only delay our mission, and also risk our safety. The question now is how we’re going to get through…

I lowered my head a little, thinking about the situation. However, no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t think of a safe way to do this. “Anyone has an idea how we’re going to solve this?” I asked, looking around. Nobody had an answer.

After a few minutes in silence, Bronze spoke up. “I… I might be able to convince them to let you through…” I raised an eyebrow at that.

“You sure of it?” I asked. I can’t help but to feel a little skeptical about this, but well, from what I could gather, this guy is probably smarter than he looks. “I don’t think any of us is in the mood to get into a fight again.”

He rolled his eyes. “I know that, but it’s not like we have much of a choice,” He replied. “You want to try sneaking inside?”

I shifted a little. “Well… of course not, but still…” I would give my kingdom for a clear path…

“Then I guess it’s the only way.”

I didn’t like this. I looked towards Snow and Barin for help, but they both shrugged, unable to disagree. Oh well, I guess there isn’t another way… if we get into another fight I’m going to kick his ass…

“Alright then, lead the way,” I said, gesturing with my arm. Without further discussion, we moved forward, getting closer to the old, and quite big, metal bridge crossing the river. There were multiple destroyed vehicles abandoned there. Despite the sight, the calm sound of the river passing bellow us gave me a sudden surge of relief. How I wished I could just sit down and rest…

Halfway across, the other side became clearer. I could now distinguish the multiple ruined buildings, which varied from residential and commercial to industrial. It also became easy to notice details on them, like a few recently built paths and bridges between the structures. Once we were close to the other side, Barin and me stopped, letting Snow and Bronze go on alone to… negotiate with this militia.

“You know, Snow has been quite useful to us,” My friend commented, turning to look at me as we waited behind an overturned chariot. I gave him a small glance.

“Yea, hard to think that she agreed to help us right away…” throughout these last few days, she had become somewhat of an acquaintance to me. I decided to keep some company to her, it was the least I could do after what we went through. “I just wish she wouldn’t make so many questions…”

Every time we would sit down to rest or eat, she would come with questions about Earth or Humanity. I did enjoy the occasional cultural exchange, but honestly, this could get really annoying sometimes. Eh, what can I expect, the girl is some sort of scholar/scientist after all. Well, I’m sure glad for that, or else we would still be stuck on the language barrier.

Barin raised an eyebrow. “Wait, what about Christine? She was also a scientist.”

That question brought old memories up. I had met her a few years ago, a little before I got my degree on economy. She was one of my first serious relationships (most of what I had before were just a few intense but meaningless affairs). Indeed, she was a scientist, working on the field of biology, specifically on genetics of certain plants. We dated for about two years, until the pressure from everything going on, and my own frustrations finally shattered our relationship. A sad, but not unusual end for something like that.

“Well yes, you’re right,” I replied to him. “However, Christine usually didn’t speak about her job every minute of the day, Snow on the other hand…”

“Really? Well, you do act almost naturally with her, almost as if she wasn’t a pony.”

I shrugged. “She’s a nice person, I guess, perhaps after we get this whole thing figured we could keep in touch.”

My friend nodded. “Yeah, that would be pretty cool.”

The two of us remained there for a few more minutes, silently contemplating the ruins around us. I thought a little bit about Snow, despite a few annoyances, I guess I could look at her as a friend. That would surely be an interesting tale to bring home. “Hey people, remember that time I became BFF with a fucking unicorn?” I couldn’t help but to crack a smile at that.

Our waiting was interrupted by Bronze. “Hey, you two,” He announced, approaching us. “We managed to convince them to let you through.”

We both raised an eyebrow at that. “Really? No problem with two big and heavily armed aliens?” My friend questioned. I’ve to admit, that was… easier than I expected; Better not question good fortune.

I pushed myself up to my feet. “Alright then, you sure they won’t shoot?”

His expression turned slightly into worry. “I... I think not,” He said, looking away for a second. “Just don’t make any sudden moves… and maybe you should stay close to cover… just in case.”

Barin rolled his eyes. “I knew it couldn’t be that good.”

Bronze was not amused by that answer. “Well, it’s either that or crawling through the underground”. I shrouded at the mere thought of having to face nasalizes or other abominations again.

“Alright, I get it; let’s get this over quickly…”

The three of us moved towards the other side of the bridge. Barin and me stood a little bit behind Bronze, paying close attention to the buildings across the river and keeping close to any vehicles or piles of rubble we passed by. As we approached the other side, I began to notice some sort of barricade… a checkpoint I suppose, blocking the entrance to the outskirts of the settlement. On that post were about five ponies, four standing close to the defenses, pointing their weapons in our way, and another deeper inside, looking at Snowdrop.

The ones guarding the barricade seemed to jump a little when they spotted us. Their grip on their guns also shifted a little, becoming tense, accompanying every single step we took. Once we were close enough, I took notice of their expression, one of surprise mixed with worry. I couldn’t help but to feel uncomfortable, with my hands subconsciously resting in my assault rifle. I suppose nobody would enjoy being at gunpoint.

The ponies were wearing a mix of military and civilian clothes, while bearing a variety of weapons. Two were pointing pistols; one had a shotgun and the last an assault rifle. The only equal trait they had were green armbands with a white star. A few steps away from the checkpoint, the other pony, the one closer to Snow, shouted.

“Alright, that’s close enough!” He said. His voice was steady and carried some authority with it. Unlike the other guards, this pony didn’t look slightly affected by our presence. I guess he must be the one in charge. He raised an eyebrow as he looked at us. “I guess the news are true, after all.”

He turned to Snowdrop. “And I guess you were also speaking the truth”. The mare shifted a little on her spot.

The pony then locked eyes with us. “State your intentions.”

“We are trying to get inside the settlement ahead,” I explained. “We’re not looking for trouble; our mission is to investigate this place for information”. I attempted to sound neutral, avoiding unnecessary attrition. There was also no point in keeping our mission and objective a secret, after all, as far as we know these people have nothing to do with it.

The “commander”, as I choose to nickname him, narrowed his eyes and regarded us with a skeptical look. “What kind of information?” He asked.

“Anything regarding our arrival in this place.”

We stood there, in silence, as the commander made his judgment. “How do I know you’re not going to do something, once inside?”

I rolled my eyes at that. This whole interrogation is starting to annoy me, not just because of the uncomfortable position we’re in, but also by the fact that this guy is clearly toying with us. “If we were hoping to attack this place, the two of us wouldn’t be having this conversation,” I replied. “Besides,” I added, “I would surely come with more people and we wouldn’t be knocking in your front door.”

Finally, the pony let out a sigh, looking away and dropping the skeptical behavior. “Alright, that sounds good enough to me”. Before we could move forward, he quickly added, “However…” he said, “I want you to pay a small tax”. What? That fucker…

Snow and Bronze were clearly taken aback by that. I looked at Barin; beneath the helmet, I could notice his expression was the same as mine, of hidden anger. I searched my mind for some sort of solution. I was too dammed proud to just allow this guy to blackmail us like that. However, the more I looked, nothing would come up, and there was no other way to get a straight and quiet way there.

“How much…” I asked, fighting to contain my internal rage.

The bastard thought for a second. “How about… 100 caps,” he said, “…per head.”

“Alright…” I said, grinding my teeth as I searched my pouches for the caps. My hand shook as I retrieved the small bag where I kept the currency. After a quick check, I gave him the caps and he allowed us through.

-x-

How can I describe this place? The area around Ministry Square wasn’t a slum, like the other settlements we had seen in our journey, but more of a… city under siege? That’s the best way I can describe it, a place that, while clearly having some infrastructure and organization, is also in dire need of help. The air smelled like shit, indicating the lack of access to proper sanitation. The old buildings, both residential and industrial, appeared to be occupied, despite the precarious state of them (I had to wonder how some of them were still standing). Overall, this place definitely wasn’t on a very high spot in HDI.

As the four of us silently walked through this place, a small but significant sense of worry began to rise inside me. The atmosphere of this place was already negative, and the looks we were receiving by the locals sent a chill down my spine. I wasn’t afraid of them (who the fuck would be afraid of a bunch of colorful ponies glaring at you), but given the fact that we were outnumbered and in plain sight, I couldn’t help but to worry.

Unlike the previous encounters we’ve had, this time, there was no fear or surprise in the face of the ponies around us, but a silent and cold glare. The street was also strangely quiet, as if these people wanted to show us we weren’t welcome. All of us quickly acknowledged that and moved with haste. They were all somewhat dirty and malnourished, not as much as the “raiders”, but enough to show just how bad the current situation is.

Soon, however, my analysis was put aside as I spotted something else. If that’s what I think it is, I guess Snowdrop wasn’t exaggerating when she said her home was well defended. About two hundred meters ahead of us was a massive wall, almost as big as a castle wall, like the ones in Istanbul and Jerusalem. It looked new, and very well built, with multiple small towers and defensive positions spread along. Behind it, I could see the massive buildings that made up Ministry Square, each one with a particular design.

“So that’s the place?” I heard my friend asking.

Snowdrop, who was walking ahead of us, gave a quick glance in our direction, her ears standing up in attention. “Oh… yes it is, we just need to get across the gate”.

“Should we do the same thing as before?” I asked.

The mare pondered for a moment. “Probably, the Blackwatch may be better trained, but I still wouldn’t risk it”.

Once again, we stopped by the nearest cover and waited. Barin and I stood there, in a small dark alley, carefully watching the locals and hoping that Snow could get us a green light soon enough. Some of the ponies wondering the streets would occasionally give a glance in our direction, sometimes they would look surprised, but for the most part, they just moved quickly and tried to stay away from us.

I can’t help but to be a little doubtful, about our chances of figuring this whole thing out. The truth is, we have almost no clues of what might be behind all this, hell, we don’t even know enough about this “magic” to properly analyze evidence we come across. I know I shouldn’t be pessimist, but still… what if there’s nothing here for us? What if there simply isn’t any sort of information?

Well, it doesn’t matter, I must keep going. We’ve been through much, even before our arrival, and I’m not about to give up. It’s my job to get my comrades home, whatever the cost. I have no idea how difficult this might be, but I know for sure there must be something behind this, people don’t just pop up in different worlds out of nowhere.

A few minutes later Snow and Bronze came back to us, telling us we were allowed to go inside. For the second time, Barin and I walked towards a checkpoint, praying that we wouldn’t be shot in the way. However, this time things went much smoother.

These Blackwatch were much different from what we had seen previously. They were all wearing black, a few also with gasmasks covering their faces. Most of them had plate-carrier vests and lamellar armor protecting their bodies. Their weapons were all military grade, as well as a few heavier things like rocket launchers and flamethrowers. Everything looked either brand new or very well maintained. In addition to all that, their behavior was unusually calm; they had zero issues with us. It’s clear these guys are a professional group.

However, what really got my attention was what they were. A few of them were ponies, but the majority were fucking griffins… or would it be gryphons? I don’t fucking know. They were big, probably because of their feline side. They didn’t look as big as the lions from home, but they still made an imposing sight. I can guess they’re likely heavier than us and also a little bit taller (if they stood on their hind legs).

Before I could continue my observations, Snow nudged me forward with a hoof. “Come on, lets get inside”. I nodded and began walking, quickly catching up with the others. The metal gate in front of us opened slightly, only enough to allow us through, and with that, we stepped into Ministry Square. I’ve to admit, what I saw on the other side was the first good surprise I had on this place.

-x-

An actual city… that’s the first thing that came to me as I saw the place for the first time. Streets well maintained and more or less clean, with lots of people wondering about. In the buildings surrounding me, I could also see working lights illuminating some of the floors and the surrounding areas of each, indicating a large surplus of electricity. At the center of the square I could see what looked like a market, similar to the trade post we had seen our way here, but much bigger.

On another note, as soon as we stepped inside, everyone walking close to us stopped, staring at us with wide eyes. All conversations around us went silent and each second we stood, seemed to draw more attention. As it was proving common, these reactions brought some worry, but I pushed those feelings aside.

“Well, this is quite a sight,” I commented.

“Indeed,” Snow replied, standing besides me. “Never cease to impress me”.

I looked up, trying to figure just how tall these ministries were. “It kind of reminds me of home”.

Those words sparkled some attention from her. “You never really told me about it...”

I rolled my eyes and let out a small chuckle. “I’ll tell you about it once we get some free time”. Just as Snow was about to answer, we were interrupted by Bronze.

“Alright, I guess this is where we part ways”.

I raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?” He nodded, “Well, goodbye then, hopefully we can meet up again in a calmer time”.

He didn’t say a word, he just tipped his hat to us and walked away. I didn’t really mind losing his company, for he wasn’t really a very interesting person, but I suppose I wouldn’t mind seeing him again in the future. Not desiring to draw more attention to us, (I even saw some ponies looking at us from the windows of the buildings closer to us) the three of us moved on.

Later I would learn Snowdrops’ home was actually in the “Ministry of Arcane Science”. It turns out her family controlled both that one and the “Ministry of Peace”. The first one looked like a normal office building, with a classic style of architecture. The second, on the other hand, looked more like something out of the renaissance, with bright colors (slightly faded from the time), lots of details and even a small garden around it. Each one had a particular insignia on the entrance.

Quickly passing through the center of the square, we approached the entrance to the MoAS. There was a single guard at the set of doors and another in a large balcony, a few meters above. They both grabbed their weapons as we approached, but they didn’t aim at us. Just as we got near, I could see the eyes of the first widening in recognition.

“S-Snow?” He said in a uneasy tone. The pony was wearing lamellar metal armor, similar to those gryphons, but not as bulky. He had a white coat, similar to Snow (I guess that could explain the name of her gang) but a sky blue and slightly long mane with a few streaks of white.

“Blizzard!” The mare said with a squeal, rushing towards the Unicorn. She wrapped her front legs around his neck, pulling him in a tight embrace. Barin and I stood behind her, awkwardly waiting.

The so-called Blizzard kept looking surprised, with wide eyes, even as he returned the hug. “You… you’re back!” He said, “But… I thought… everyone thought you were dead!” He slowly pushed her away and locked eyes with her. “Snow, you have to tell me, what happened and…” He gave a quick glance towards us, “Who are these people?”

Getting a little bit calmer, the mare replied. “Oh, don’t worry, I’ll answer everything. To make it quick, the caravan got ambushed but these guys saved me and helped me get back here”.

The earth pony nodded. “Alright, that’s good…”

“I’ll tell you all the details later, but right now I need to see dad”.

That final word made me think a little. Was he a part of her family? They seemed rather close, their coats and names follow a similar pattern but I guess I can’t really know for sure. It’s not like I’m an expert in pony genetics. However, the sight still brought a wave of happiness to me, it’s nice to know that, even after the mistake I did, she’s still able to come here, back to her home.

“He’s… he’s inside,” Blizzard said. “I’ll bring you to him”. With that, he took out a small radio. “Hey, Far Sight, I need you to cover my post for a few minutes, it’s urgent”. Without wasting a moment, all of us went inside. We came to a large hall, fairly well cleaned and maintained, with multiple stairways and elevator doors. In the left side was a reception table with two ponies, both mares. There were about half a dozen other people in here, all of them slowed down and watched us with a mix of curiosity and worry.

“Is… is that Snowdrop?” I heard one them say. “What’s she doing here?”

“Who are these creatures?”

“Are they aliens?”

I paid no mind to those whispers. My sense of duty and eagerness to find answers suppressed any feeling I might have towards the attention we were drawing. Just as we passed the table, Blizzard said to one of the mares “Hey, I’m bringing these guys to Frost”. The mare nodded, eyeing Snow and us. We went upstairs; to the third floor, this building seemed to have about twenty or so. We arrived in what appeared to be an office of some sort, with many tables spread around, each one with a variety of books, electronic devices and blueprints on them.

At the end of the room, standing alone near one of the tables was a unicorn. He looked somewhat older than Snow (it was hard to tell with all that fur), light gray mane, with a white coat… now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure most, if not all the ponies I’ve seen inside this place had white coats. His ears stood in attention as he heard us. He turned around, and as he saw us, or more specifically, Snow, his eyes went wide.

The Unicorn rushed towards her. They both met in a tight hug. “Snowdrop! By Celestia, I thought I had lost you!” He sounded both surprise and sad at the same time. “Tell me what happened and…” He looked at us, “…Who are these creatures?”

Snow loosened her grip on him. “Oh, these are the people who saved me!” She said in an excited tone. “This one is Alex and that one is…”

“Barin,” My friend answered, making the ponies (except for Snow) jump a little. I couldn’t help but to roll my eyes.

“You…” Frost began, “Are you aliens or something?”

I let out a small chuckle. Despite everything, this is an amusing situation. Who could guess I would find myself as an alien ambassador to a bunch of sapient ponies. “More or less,” I replied.

“And did you help my daughter like she said?”

“Well… yes,” I said, “But she has also helped us just as much.”

Frost looked down at Snow with a vague smile. “In that case, you have my thanks, if there’s anything I can do to repay, just ask”.

“Actually, you can begin by answering some questions we have…”

Footnote: 50% to next level

Author's Note

This chapter was supposed to be much longer, but I've decided to split it into two in order to give you guys something. I'm really sorry for the long wait and I'll begin working on the next right away. There has been simply too much going on during the last few months to allow me to write, however, I now will have quite a lot of free time, so I'll try to speed up.

Also, If you're interested on what lamellar armor is or look like, check this.