Chapter 5: First impressions

This is it; I can finally understand them. On a single day, I made first contact and eliminated the language barrier. I should be happy, perhaps even celebrate this. Yet I can’t help but to feel fucking annoyed.

I didn’t mind her voice, it was soft and nice. What I did mind, however, was the barrage of questions she was making. This pony is a scholar, I’m sure of it. I had a lot of experience dealing with this kind of people, since the place where I studied, back at the university (I was doing economics), had a research institute next it. Along the years I met quite a lot of people with similar atitude. So yes, they were easy to identify.

I was totally confused, this whole situation was almost silly and I couldn't help but to frown a little, did she forget I almost killed her twice? The mare continued to speak, asking question after question. Despite some hesitation, she didn't mind to keep talking, not even a little concerned about possible threats or my bored expression. "...A-and h-how does this even w-work-".

"Stop" I said, interrupting her.

"Oh…"

Alright, what now? Once again, I don’t know how to proceed. I’m really not good with this first contact thing, I bet Barin and even Dima could do a better job. Guess I should try to remain objective, make a basic introduction and then see if I can convince her to come with me, back to the outpost. If I’m right about her being a scholar or a scientist, I might be able to use her curiosity in my favor, she's the best shot we have at gaining information about this land (aside from keep trying to figure everything ourselves). Yes, I suppose that is the best course of action, I can even provide some non-sensitive information if necessary.

"One question at a time" I said. I still felt quite dizzy from the previous things. Plus, by body is not 100% healed, so I'm not in the best mood.

"W-who… what are you?" Her eyes were filled with curiousity and little bit of fear. Well, I do look pretty alien to her.

"Human" I stated, using a neutral tone. "And you are?"

"A unicorn."

What? Hold on, is this what they truly call themselves or is it just the way I'm translating? Thinking through the information she provided, the word wasn't really unique, it matched the human version precisely. Strange, one would expect something different, but I suppose it doesn't matter, I can wonder about this once I'm back at the outpost.

While part of me urged to just stand up and get the hell out of this place, I decided to get a few more answers. "How… did you do this?" I asked, carefully.

"D-do what?" She replied. Her face was surprisingly expressive and it was easy to notice the confusion.

"The language thing."

"I used a memory spell."

Spell? As in... magic? While I had already seen enough to assume these people used some sort of energy that could be described as magic, to hear that said out loud is still strange.

I narrowed my eyes, afraid of what she might have done. "Elaborate."

"W-well, I used a spell to connect our minds and then I transmitted my knowledge on the language to you."

That explanation was pretty simple, but also raised even more questions. Deciding to not dwell further into that, I asked something else, "What about that substance you made me drink?"

It was her time to raise an eyebrow, as if I had asked a stupid question. "That was a healing potion."

Healing potions and spells… what a load of bullshit. I'll be honest, I'm really close to just saying fuck this and walking away, but I guess this pony could still be useful somewhat. Besides, she has been friendly so far and I do own her for helping me.

"Are you… an alien?" Of course she's going to ask that. Can't she see this isn't the time and place for introductions?

"Well… kind of," I answered, trying to get away from this conversation.

'What do you mean by “kind of”?" Just drop it already, we got bigger problems...

"It’s complicated."

"Can’t you try to explain?" She said with pleading eyes.

Yep, she’s most definitely a scholar.

"I suppose I can" I said, the mare opened her mouth to speak but I quickly added. "After we get out of this place."

"Okay… that makes sense…" She said slowly. "I’m pretty sure there is a set of stairs leading to an exit, that way."

Looking to where she was pointing, I spotted a half-open door with a sign above it. It probably meant “exit” or “stairway”, but I didn’t know their written language yet. I would have to deal with that later.

"Alright, let’s go then" I said, while picking up my helmet.

We made our way out. First, up the stairs, and then through a tunnel, finally getting out after a few minutes. The journey was uneventful. We didn’t spoke on the way, this was still very awkward. Yet I couldn’t help but to be a little excited. Seeing the way out brought a wave of relief to me. I briefly wondered about my comrades and the EU guy... who was probably dead, fucking great.

It was night already, that was the first thing I noticed when we got out. It didn’t surprised me, we had spent a long time in there.

The mare stopped and shifted her hooves a little, refusing to make eye contact. "So… what's your name?" She asked.

Not missing a moment, I answered, "Call me Alex."

"I’m Snowdrop."

Now that's a… Interesting name.

She looked at me once again. "Can you explain now… please?"

Letting out a quiet sigh, I turned my head to her, trying to figure an easy way to explain the insane series of events that got me here."I suppose I can give you a quick version" I started. "Yes, we are not from this land, but we ended up here by accident, or at least we think it was an accident."

She raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

I stopped for a moment, trying to find the right words. "It means… we don’t really know what brought us here."

Her eyes widened for second. "Wait, you said “we”, does that mean there is more of you?" She said in joyful tone, this girl is way too excited about this…

Okay, how do I proceed here? Should I bring her to the outpost? I suppose that's a good idea, but I still have to get a few things nailed down. Where did she came from, what was she doing in there, what does she think about slavery (I’m not about to ask help to a slaver) and if she was willing to go with me.

"Yes, there is more of us, but look, I have to ask you a few questions" I told... Snowdrop.

She shifted a little at that, probably not expecting a question so soon. "Alright, just ask."

"Where are you from?"

"Ministry square," She stated. Ministry square… I’ll have to ask about this later. Not only she gave me a name to another settlement, but that name also implies the existance of a goverment, or at least something close. This kind of information could prove very valuable.

"What were you doing in that building?" I continued. However, my question seemed to hit her somehow. She looked away, scratching the dirt below her with a hoof.

"It’s… a long story…" She finally answered in a somewhat sad tone.

"Well, I told you mine, didn’t I?" I pressed on, not really concerned about her unusual reaction.

"Alright, I suppose it’s only fair," Snowdrop begun. "I was travelling with a merchant caravan…" Good, that explains how she got to this area. Wait; did she said 'merchant caravan'? Oh shit, that sounds familiar. "…But raiders ambushed us," Snow continued with a sigh. "They had us pinned down for a long time, but I was able to slip away; I can only guess what happened to the others."

Fucking great, the dammed European was right. We should have gone there and helped, it would have saved us a lot of trouble. Now he’s probably dead.

"Within time, I reached that place; kind of ironic, since getting there was the original plan" Her eyes were looking down and her ears were low. "But the raiders followed me, and I had no weapons or ammunition, forcing me to activate the security system."

So she is the reason why I had to fight my… wait, calm down, Alex. She had no choice and you could've prevented that. I suppose I should go to the final questions.

"That’s enough" I interrupted her. "I have another question.'

"What is it?"

Time for the big question. So far, she doesn't seem to be related to those guys I faced earlier, but I must be sure. "What do you think of slavery?" I asked in a calm tone.

She took a step back, her eyes widening slightly and her eyebrows going up in a shocked and confused expression. Her mouth hang open for a few moments, as if trying to comprehend what I had just said. "What… why are you even asking that?!" Snow almost shouted at me, bearing an angry frown. "Do I look like a bucking raider to you?"

I quickly raised both arms in a defensive gesture. "Calm down! I’m sorry, I just had to be sure…" I apologized.

My sudden words stoped her growing rage. blinking a few times, she said, "Oh… alright… so you have seen slavers before?"

"Yes, right before I got to that building." I answered as a flash of the dead foal passed through my mind.

I think she’s being honest. It wasn’t easy to read her facial expressions, but she was clearly angry at my question. Good, now I can move to the big question. However, she began to talk before I could continue.

"Hey, Alex…"

"What?" I asked, slightly confused.

"Why did you killed those ponies?" She asked, bearing a neutral expression as she stared at me.

I frowned a little. "Because they were a threat. You said it yourself they were raiders."

"But they were attacking me, not you, and how could you have known they were raiders before?"

Because I saw them ambushing your caravan, but instead of helping, I decided to just let you die.

"Would you believe me if I told you that, you are the first person from here that didn’t shoot me on sight?"

"Actually… yes, I can believe that, still… You killed them in cold blood…"

"I didn’t have a choice" I tried to explain. "I couldn’t take any chances, they were a threat."

"Then why didn’t you shoot me? Back in the underground, I had a shotgun pointed at you."

"I almost did."

That answer shut her up. I wasn’t a nice thing to say, she was clearly taken aback by it, but it was the truth. Hopefully I can salvage this and convince her to come with me.

I looked down and shook my head a little. For gods sake, I'm a soldier, not a negotiator. "Look, I know this is far from ideal," I tried to explain. "But what matters is that right now, we can understand each other, and so I have a final question."

"What is it?"

"Would you be willing to follow me to where the rest of my comrades are?"

My question surprised her. I had to wait a few moments before she got an answer out.

"To do what?" Snow asked, with a hint of suspicion.

"We need help" I responded. "To know where we are and discover what brought us here."

"Why me?"

"Because, as I said earlier, you're the only person who hasn’t tried to kill me yet."

"And if I refuse…"

"Then, we'll go our separate ways, and I will try to find someone else."

It took a long time for her to respond. I understand her hesitation, for I was, after all, asking a lot from her. Her conflicting emotions were easy to spot, curiosity and determination fighting fear and hesitation. I wonder if all ponies have such strong personalities.

"Alright… I’ll do it" She said, with some hesitation.

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay, I’ll radio my comrades about this," I explained. "Then we’ll head there."

The radio call was quite amusing; turns out, they assumed I was probably dead. I was surprised to know the European was, actually, alive (despite heavily wounded).The captain was setting up a search party when I called. After giving a quick explanation of what happened, I told him about Snowdrop. He was skeptical at first (understandable after all reports we had sent him), but eventually he agreed. Knowing this mission was not a complete loss gave me some hope.

With that taken care of, we set out to the outpost. Snowdrop had (thankfully) agreed to give my rifle back. It was very dark, but we were still able to move around without many problems, and continue our journey. I suppose this was a good thing, since this would aid us in remaining undetected to any hostiles nearby. Despite the ugly state of this land, the light of the moon gave this place a nice look. Staring at that huge white orb with all those stars around it almost made me forget my current situation.

"So, do you know what that building was?" I asked, trying to break the awkward silence.

She gave me a small glance, one of her ears shifting a little as she heard me. "It was a pre-war research facility."

Pre-war? Another thing I will have to ask her later, once we get to the outpost. I guess this is the final piece of the puzzle. A war… not surprising, I’m curious to what drove this people into it.

I stopped for a moment. "Wait, you said earlier that your original plan was to go there" The mare nodded. "Why?"

"Well, I was hoping to get my hooves on anything useful, especially pre-war technology."

"Hoping to sell it for a good price?"

"What? No, I was hoping to understand it."

"So you are a scientist of some sort."

"More or less, cracking spells and spell matrixes is my special talent." Snow told me, while taking a glance at her flank.

A tattoo of a purple six-pointed star with a magnifying glass above it. So that is what those tattoos mean, they indicate the job or profession of each individual.

"Do you he-humans have something like a special talent?"

"You mean like, a profession?"

"I… guess…"

Great, how do I explain jobs and educational system of the P.A.C? I’m a soldier, not a fucking teacher.

"Well, that is a very complex question," I began. "To make it simple for you, I’ll have to explain how our jobs, professions and educational systems work…"

And so I explained the whole thing, trying to keep it really simple to avoid confusion.

"Ok, so some jobs require people to have a document proving they have learned the skills necessary to work or research on that?"

"Well, having extra skill and experience is always good, but some things, like medicine or engineering always require a degree, usually from a university or other educational institutions."

"And any human can learn to do those things?"

"If they spend the necessary time and dedication on it, yes, they will probably succeed."

"That’s… complicated…"

"It’s not complicated, it’s efficient."

We spend the rest of the journey discussing how education and professions worked in our respective worlds. Doing our best to explain and understand both systems. It was silly, the two of us making a cultural exchange in a war-torn hostile land, but I enjoyed, and I could tell the mare did too. I guess that silly conversation finally broke the ice. Hopefully we can get to the outpost without any issues, and I can get some good hours of sleep.

"What exactly am I going to do there?" Snow asked.

"Pretty much anything you are willing to," I explained. "We don’t know shit about this place, so anything you can provide could be useful."

"Alright, that’s easy enough."

"Do you have your own food supplies?"

"Why you want to know?"

"It would be best if you ate your own until we can be sure ours won’t harm you."

"If we can breathe the same air, we can probably eat the same things."

"I know, but it’s better to be safe."

After a long time walking, we finally spotted the outpost. The lights of the titan and the surrounding buildings serving as a shining beacon for us, easily noticeable in the darkness of the night. Before we got close, I decided to get a few things clear with Snowdrop.

"Snow, I have to ask you something."

"What now, Alex?"

"When we get inside, I need you to do exactly what I say."

"You said I had a free choice on this," She said, looking confused. "Are you saying I won’t be able to leave, once inside?

"Look, if you didn’t notice yet, we are a military force," – I explained. "That means some places only allow authorized people and

that we have a strict set of rules regarding transit inside and outside the outpost."

"And that means…"

"You can leave if you want, but you need to tell me first so I can get everything right with the rest of comrades."

"Okay, I think I understand now."

"Are you still up to it?"

"Yes."

"Alright, let’s go then."

After warning my comrades of our imminent arrival, we went inside. All soldiers, P.A.C and E.U alike, were staring at us, more specifically, at Snow. I spotted Dima among them, but he didn’t approached me, probably noticing how uncomfortable the mare was. Snow clearly wasn’t enjoying all the stares. Eventually we reached Nevesky and the EU captain, both waiting outside the same building we had previously decided our course of action.

I guess this whole mess is actually paying off, I just hope this lead us to some progress the next time we face the natives. Maybe now we can have a true first contact, something that doesn’t follow the steps of the Aztecs or the Incas. Eh, I’ll worry about that tomorrow, I’m fucking tired.

"Sergeant Terenti, it appears you were telling the truth, after all" Nevesky said, as we approached.

"Yes, sir, I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s true."

"So you can speak their language?" The E.U captain asked.

"Yes, and before you ask, I really don’t know how the pony did it."

Meanwhile, Snowdrop looked really out of place, looking around with a confused expression. Expected, for we were speaking in English and she didn't know anything about this place. We continued to talk for about five minutes, were I gave them a quick report on everything that happened so far.

Eventually we decided on what we needed to know from Snow. First the language, then geography (hopefully she could provide us a map) and finally the inhabitants. If she was willing, we could also try to have a better understanding of their technology and… magic…

"Good, it’s decided," Captain Nevesky concluded. "Alexander, I want you to escort our guest to the barracks, I’ll arrange something with the rest of the soldiers to provide more privacy."

"Is there any specific place I should be looking for?"

"Try to place her not far from your unit, in case she requires assistance."

With that decided, I turned my attention to Snowdrop.

"Alright Snow, follow me, I’ll guide you to your quarters," I said, gesturing her to move along with my hand.

However, my words had no reaction from her. I noticed she was starring at the Titan with wide eyes. "Hey, Alex," She asked me. "What is that thing?"

"That’s a Titan."

"It’s really big, what do you use it for?"

"It’s an airborne carrier, we use it as an assault and support vessel."

"That thing flies?"

"Yes."

"Wow, that’s impressive."

We made our way across the outpost. After it was clear she wasn’t a threat, the soldiers were a lot more calm, only giving her an occasional look. We didn’t spoke much on the way, with me providing some tips on what each building was and where she was allowed to go.

"Okay Snow, you can stay here," I told her, as we entered one of the rooms of the barracks. "I’m sorry if it’s not very comfortable."

"Oh, don’t worry, this place is in a better state than much of what I have back home."

"That’s good to know, if you need anything, my unit is staying on the next building, ground floor."

"Alright, good night, Alex."

"Good night."

I went to my quarters. Despite having room for large numbers of people, sharing this outpost with our former enemies forced us to relocate all units. The crew and more sensitive personnel now occupied our previous quarters, inside the titan.

"So you made a new friend?" Dima asked, as I got inside, in a sarcastic tone. "Barin will be proud.

"Not now, Dima."

"Going to sleep, already?"

"I had a rough day, and tomorrow will be a busy one, at least for me."

I didn’t bothered to take my stuff back to the armory, I just let the whole thing near my bed. I’ll take it there tomorrow. I practically collapsed in my bed, closing my eyes and letting sleep take me.

Footnote: 20% to next level.

Author's Note

Note: Again thank you everyone reading the story and all people from the “Fallout: Equestria” universe. Sorry if this is a short chapter, but I decided it was best to have a separate chapter entirely dedicated to the first contact.

EDIT: Sorry for the inconvenience, please point out anything I might have missed.