Chapter 6: Cultural Exchange

Figuring out their written language was simple. The structure of this “Equestrian” wasn’t far from English. Sadly, Snowdrop was no expert in grammar or linguistics, but we were still successful in achieving some basic translations. Within time, we could definitely solve this.

I enjoyed solving this puzzle. Learning foreign languages is a personal hobby; I know Russian (from my family), English, Persian (from my home, in Persia) and I intended to study Romanian, before the war.

"So, what can you tell me about this world?" I asked Snow. "It would be better if you began on a larger scale, and then went to specific themes."

"Well, this world has many names, but ponies call it “Equis”…"

It was the morning of a new day. The two of us were in a small interrogation room, discussing the second subject of our meeting, geography. Snowdrop explained everything from the major continents and oceans, to islands and peninsulas. We also spoke about the weather and various types of environment like forests and deserts, finishing it with seasons and the local geography.

From what I understood, this place was a big island, close to the continent of “Equestria”. Our outpost was located in the Southern part of it, and our canyon was but a small part of a much larger region, called “The Golden Valley”. The name came after the river that cut through it, heading east (and the small river I had seen earlier was a stream from it). To the North, beyond this valley, were the “Northern plains” and to the west, a group of mountains. There were also a few smaller islands nearby, but they are not important.

"What's the name of this island?" I asked her.

"There are two names; ponies call it 'Fillylands' and the zebras 'Marevinas'”.

Zebra and pony names? This is a fucked up children cartoon… like a post-apocalyptical fantasy world.

"I can give you a map, if you need" Snow said.

"Oh, that would be excellent" I replied.

Why didn’t I asked for a map earlier? The one she provided it made things a lot easier. It had lots of details, scale and even topographic lines. I made a five minutes pause to analyze the map, easily finding our location and taking a few pictures and notes on it. After sending everything away to further study, we continued to the third subject, the inhabitants.

"You mentioned the existence of zebras," I began. "I assume they're also sentient."

"Yes, they are, despite how some ponies treat them..." I noticed a small hint of anger on those words. Maybe she knew one, and that also indicates the existance of racism between the two kinds. Not surprising, but interesting.

"How many sentient species exist on total?" I felt conflicted at the concept of having multiple sentient species in the same world, but knowing that I only have Earh as an example explains my confusion. Besides, I remenber that humans were not the only race of hominids which inhabited the Earth, during pre-historic times.

"Just the island, or the whole world?" That many?

"Begin with those here, in the island."

"Well, the most common are ponies and zebras, but there is also a large group of gryphons." Great, another mythological creature...

"What about the rest of the planet?"

"Back in Equestria, there is also the buffalos and diamond dogs, I also heard once about some creatures called “changelings”, but I think they're extinct."

Impressive, how is it even possible that so many sentient creatures exist? Eh, I think it’s better if I stop making unnecessary questions. I wouldn’t be surprised if this place had even more things that defy my knowledge on science. I can questions these facts once I get home.

Snow spend a few more minutes explaining what each of them were. Part of me wanted to tell her that we knew what gryphons, buffalos and dogs were, but I figured that would only make her curious about such knowledge.

"Can you tell me about non-sentient creatures? The ones that might pose a threat to us," I continued.

"Like those back at the underground base?"

"Exactly."

"Okay, I’ll make it simple for you, stay the buck away from the underground, for it’s filled with those critters."

Sounds simple enough. Can’t help but to wonder why. Was this place always this deadly, or is this a concequence of the war?

"What about your kind? We've seen ponies with and without horns around here," This is a topic I was very curious about. The two races we had seen where quite different, not just on the... magical abilities, but also on weight and body build.

"Ah, that’s because there are three races of ponies: Earth ponies, Pegasi and Unicorns," Pegasi, seriously? I'm honestly not sure if this shit is real or just an insane acid trip. If I hadn't been here for more than a day I would be trying to wake myself up.

"Well, you call yourself a unicorn, so I assume Earth ponies are the ones without horns, correct?" I assumed.

"Yes, and Pegasi are ponies with wings," You don't say...

"Interesting, we haven’t seen any of them yet."

"They're not very common."

"Is there anything else we should know about your race?" I wouldn't be surprised if they could fire lasers out of their eyes. Maybe they can also resuscitate multiple times and change their limbs for synthetics. Okay, hold on, now I'm just exaggerating.

"Well… there are two other groups called Bat ponies and Alicorns."

"Elaborate."

"The first are like Pegasi, but they have batwings, fangs and cat-like eyes," Snow explained. She didn't seem very sure of her own words, I assume she isn't very familiar with the topic. "Alicorns are big ponies with both wings and horns, they are strong as earth ponies, can fly and manipulate clouds like Pegasi, and use magic".

"Why did you hesitate to mention them?"

"Because Bat ponies are extremely rare, even more than Pegasi and Alicorns are supposedly extinct."

"Supposedly?"

"They should be, but some ponies from mainland Equestria say they have Alicorns there."

"How come?"

"Nopony knows, but apparently they're aggressive, especially against unicorns…" Interesting, a powerful race dissapearing and then coming back two centuries later, maybe they could be usefull to us...

I decided to ask more about recent events, that is, why everything was destroyed. The answer is… complicated, to say the least, but I’ll try to make it simple. Somewhere around 200 years ago, tensions rose over two nations, the Principality of Equestria and the Zebra Empire. Those tensions, over the growing demand of coal, eventually exploded into general war. The conflict lasted for decades, with no side gaining the upper hand (hoof?), and ended at the mutual launch of “Megaspells”, the local version of nukes, destroying the whole planet.

I’ll be honest, there was something very wrong about that story. How did a civilization using coal as an energy source, barely into the industrial era, created modern things like terminals and robots? All that in a few decades? The nuclear war itself was weird, why would they do it over coal? I’m well aware of the tensions between the NATO and the Warsaw Pact after WWII, but even then, nobody ever had the balls to go with it, because we all knew the consequences (sure, we came pretty close, but we still never did it). There is something missing, I’m sure of it. No fucking way they annihilated each other because of an energy source. Yet I must leave my curiosity aside, for I’m still a soldier. I’m not about to go wandering old buildings for missing files and recordings, I must first make sure we get back home, all of us.

The war I was supposed to be fighting was over something much more vital and had our very survival at risk, and there was still no threat of mutual destruction. I suppose that after almost a century without nuclear weapons, there is simply too much political and social pressure against the creation of such weapons.

"So, the Equestrians built these “Stables” to survive?" I asked.

"Yes," Snow answered.

"Did they work?"

"A few did..." A few? That doesn't sound very good. Then again, how can you prepare for a nuclear war? My own world was having enough problems dealing with climate changes (sure, the ice age was a huge change, but small when compared with a MAD situation).

"What about the people here?" She did told me that these Stables were built in Equestria, for Equestrians, and no one else.

"This place was not a major target; we only got hit by a few, plus some chemical weapons," I suppose they could have survived in deep tunnels, subways (If they have any) and other underground instalations. Maybe that facility we saw was part of a local attempt to create something similar to these Stables. It makes sense, that place looked new, despite being there for over two centuries. Nothing but some rust and dust in a few spots.

"So that stuff back at the lab…" I suggested.

"Yep, there are still pockets of that stuff spread all over the island," Snowdrop answered with a nod. "especially on the underground".

"How deadly is it?" By rule, we always try to stay away from any kind of biological or chemical threat, but I suppose it's always good to know.

"Depends on how much and what exactly you take, but usually they all kill you, eventually."

"And people have been living like this ever since the war?"

"Until a few months ago, yes."

"What do you mean?"

"There has been talk about somepony called “The Stable Dweller” and some other ponies changing things in Equestria."

"Some sort of local hero?"

"I think so, they say she was able to open the skies there in something call “Day of Sunshine and Rainbows”..." Open the skies? Oh right, some of them can manipulate the weather… does that mean this “Stable Dweller” is a Pegasus?

We stopped, once again, taking a break to eat something. I kept her company in the small room. Snow seemed to be surprisingly okay with me and the rest of my comrades, even though we had only met a day ago. I wonder if this is some sort of herd mentality, or just a trait of her personality. I decided to make use of that behavior, hence why I stayed with her. If she saw me as a friend, I could have better chances on getting useful information out of her.

During our meal, she questioned me about my world. I provided the best answers I could, while eating my MRE (this one had some bacon in it, quite nice). I kept some things, like the war and the crisis, away. While most of her questions focused on technology, there was also desire to know more about the coalition and our languages.

"So, why are these other po-people dressing differently?" Snowdrop asked.

"Because they are from a different military" I answered casually.

"Another military?" She looked a little confused at my answer, even raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, from another coalition called “European Union”."

Her curiosity became stronger and she asked "How many of those are there, in your world?"

"Well, there is us, the Pan-Asian Coalition, and also the European Union, the North American Defense Treaty, the Union of South American Nations and the African Union" I explained

"Anyone else?"

"Well… there are a few smaller states, who are not part of any coalition, but they are not important."

I would’ve enjoyed to spend some time with my unit, and also to check on Barin, but my current task is a priority. As soon as we finished eating, we were back to questions and answers. I must admit, I’m impressed at her will to keep going.

The local factions were the next topic in line. Three major factions controlled the island. Closer to us, in the higher valley, was “Ministry Square”, a small city-state where Snowdrop was from. The entire northern section of the island (the northern plains, that is) were under the banner of the “Confederacy”, a union of three cities and several smaller settlements. Finally, to the east, at the lower valley, another city-state controlled the ruins of “Phoenix Harbor” (a pre-war naval base).

Separating Ministry Square from the Confederacy was a small group nicknamed “Dust Dwellers” in the small desert area that served as a border between the Golden Valley and the Northern Plains. I desired to learn more about them, but Snow didn’t know much.

"About slavery, how common is it?" This time, I tried to sound less... agressive.

"Well, the ponies you saw at the coast have been there for decades," Snow looked away for a seconds, as if contemplating something. "They have been a problem to all villages nearby ever since..." she said, looking at me once again. Her big golden eyes filled with some sadness and a hint of anger. I can relate to that, the image of the execution I had witnessed was still stuck in my head.

"What about the rest of the region?" I continued. There would be time to deal with them later...

"There are some groups controlling the farms along the Golden River, but they arrived recently."

"Where did they come from?"

"Bucked off from the Northern Plains by the Confederacy when they took over."

"So, I assume that faction is against slavery."

"Correct."

"What about Ministry Square?" I asked, trying to sound neutral.

"We used to be firmly against it, but with slavers controlling those farms, we have to trade with them," Her expression indicated she was clearly against it.

"Why not trade with other factions?" Sure, it probably wasn't easy to change trade routes and negotiate trading agreements in a ruined world, but for me it sounded better than dealing with slavers. I suppose I shouldn't condem her entire home for that. When I was younger, back at the camps, my family and I did our share of illegal acts to survive, mostly to acquire extra food and medication whenever one of us got sick. It wasn't right, by any means, but when faced with death and starvation, people tend not to care about such things.

"Most folks, back home, wants to stay away from the big factions," She explained. "They give a lot of value to our independence."

I felt a little bit confused at that statement. "If those farms are so vital, why don’t you retake them?"

"We tried."

I continued to ask more about the economic and social aspects of each faction. The currency being used is… bottle-caps…, which explains a lot. Snowdrop told me a little about the relations between species, how there’s still some tension between Equestrians and Zebras. Eventually, we reached the final subject, technology and magic. Despite clearly tired of this whole affair, Snow carefully explained both things.

Their kind did not possess electronic devices, as I had originally guessed, but “Arcane” variations. Instead of normal batteries and electronic components, they use “Spark Batteries” and “Talismans” with “Spell Matrixes”. Those gems and talismans could also build “Energy Weapons” like the ones employed by the robots I had encountered earlier.

Snow explained the two devices she acquired, back at the underground facility. One of them being a “Targeting Talisman” (I suppose the name already explains itself) and a “PipBuck” (which she was wearing). That last device got me impressed, it provided a minimap, kept tag on all items carried, monitored the user’s health, detected nearby living beings (and whether or not they were hostiles), could store files and recordings, had a radio receiver and something called S.A.T.S that aided the user’s aim.

Very similar to our “NetBat” devices. Impressive, for a civilization without transistors. But I guess after seeing advanced combat robots this shouldn't be that surprising.

In regards to magic, I’ll be honest, I could barely understand what she told me. To make it simple, there are basic spells, like levitation, which most unicorns can do, and more complex ones, like the “Memory Spell” she previously used, which only trained unicorns can create.

"Forgive me if this sounds offensive, but you are well educated for someone who lives in a wasteland" I told her.

"My family put a lot of emphasis on education."

"Still, how common is it for someone to know this much?"

"Not much, I’m lucky to live in a place that could provide it," She responded, letting out a sigh. "Anywhere else, and I would be too busy struggling for survival."

"So your home has a superior infrastructure?"

"Yes, place is filled with pre-war technology, so we got an edge on that."

"Is there another place that matches that?"

"Well, Phoenix Harbor comes close, and there is Equestrian bay, the capital of the Confederacy."

"Do you know why these places have the upper hand?" My choice of words confused her, but after a moment, she understood. I mentally slapped myself for that.

"I think it has to do with the pre-war history of each" Snow explained. "I know my home was the industrial center of the island, Equestrian bay a trading center and Phoenix harbor a naval base."

Within minutes, there were no more questions to ask. We covered everything, from geography to technology and magic (or “Arcane Arts”, as Snow insisted in calling). After all cruelty I witnessed, her effort to provide information make me rethink my judgment about the natives. I guess they are not so different from us.

"Snowdrop, I have a final request for you" My sudden request surprised her.

"Yes?"

"That memory spell you used on me."

"What about it?"

"Can you do it again, on other humans?"

"Why?" She seemed confused at my question.

"I can’t be the only one capable to understand you and the rest of your kind" I explained.

"Alright, I understand, I guess I could do it again," She answered. "But not several times, it’s a really complicated spell."

"You sure about it?"

"Yes."

After thanking her for the cooperation, I wrote down my final reports and sent them away. I made my way through the outpost, hoping to find Captain Nicolay. The sky was clear, with the sun shining above me as I walked, a few soldiers moving around as well, doing their daily duties. I met Nicolay at the hangar, overseeing the repairs of a gunship. The place was noisy as hell, plus the smell coming from the repairs was quite annoying.

With the interrogation over, there’s a new task for us. It’s time to act, to make a real first contact, and to get rid of certain threats.

"Ah, sergeant Terenti, have you completed your assignment?" The captain greeted me, as I stepped inside the hangar.

"Yes sir, I have already send a full report" I answered, almost shouting, because of all the noise around us.

"Good, did she agree with our proposal?"

"Yes."

"Alright, anything else?"

"Do you have any information on the European lieutenant?" My question surprised him.

"Yes… he’s still on medical, but should be on his feet in a few days," Nicolay answered. "Why do you want to know?"

"I believe there is something else we take care of."

"Something that requires the Europeans getting involved? What is it?"

"The Slavers."

Eventually, we would have to deal with them. While I could give other groups the benefit of doubt, this one had proven itself a threat. As much as I don’t desire to get involved with the locals, I can’t stand idly by at the face of atrocities and slavery. In addition, if what Snow said is true, getting rid of them might put us on the good side of some local factions. Sure, it would be at the cost of making more enemies, but that was a small price to pay.

We dedicated the rest of the day on getting other soldiers into speaking Equestrian, successfully getting the higher ranking people of both coalitions acquired with the language (except Edward, as the European lieutenant was called). The looked on their faces whenever Snow finished the spell was priceless. We set up a meeting, to the next day, to discuss the issue of the slavers. I went to sleep soon after.

By the morning of the next day, after eating breakfast, I decided to check on Barin. Hopefully, we can find more of these healing potions for all those recovering. I suppose our medic teams could learn a thing or two from them. I made my way to the medical area of the Titan, soon finding my old friend in his bed, reading a book.

Taking a deep breath and making sure to look cheerful, I steped inside. "Hey, Barin, how are you feeling?" I greeted him.

"Oh, hey Alex, good to see you!" He replied. "I’m feeling a lot better, actually."

"That’s good to hear."

"So, I heard you made a new friend" What? He knew about that, already?

"More or less, she agreed to help us."

"Yes, I heard that too, you can speak their language now?"

"Yes, and don’t ask me how, I still don’t understand how she did it."

There was a small pause. After a few seconds, with none of us speaking a word, Barin reacted.

"Alright… what's your true reason for coming here?" He said, eyes narrowing a little.

Those sudden words surprised me a little. He always had a good ability to pick these things up. "What? Can’t I just be here to check on a dear friend?" I tried to convince him.

"It’s never that simple with you, Alexander."

"We are going into action."

"Against who?"

"One of the groups we spotted earlier" I explained. "A group of slavers.

"They have slavery here?" He asked a bit surprised.

"Yes, but it seems it’s not very common."

"You got that from the pony?"

"She was clearly offended when I asked if she supported it".

"You always had a talent with the ladies, Alex" He told me with a chuckle.

"Fuck you" I replied. "Point is, we might be gone for a while."

"Okay, sorry for the comment and good luck with your mission."

With that taken care of, I left the room and went to the meeting. My mind filled with determination as I moved, happy to be doing something good, to make that bastard pay for what he did to that foal. Yet a small part of me questioned the whole thing. I felt a sudden epiphany.

Sure, they are slavers and they have committed acts of cruelty, but does that mean that we should take down every single one of them? What about those who are too young or too old? Should we punish those who do normal things, like cooking and cleaning too? Moreover, if we did spare them, how would they survive in this wasteland without those who protected them?

How can we ask people who live in such horrible conditions, for over two centuries, to not turn into these kinds of activities? I know how low people can go when they have to struggle for survival. I spend most of my childhood in a refugee camp, where gangs preying on the weak and corrupted officials were a common thing. Yet I know that most of those people did it because they were desperate, not because they were monsters.

Now that I think about it, how are we going to deal with the slaves? It’s very possible they will get caught in the crossfire, plus, we are low in supplies, so we can’t afford to share food, water and medication. I’ll have to address all these issues in the meeting.

Steeping inside the meeting room, I spotted Snowdrop, Nicolay, the EU captain a PAC sergeant from another squad. Well, I guess now is the time to decide if we are saviors or conquerors. This meeting felt quite awkward, I could notice that on Snowdrop and some of the soldiers. Discussing a military action with former enemies and ponies... now that's something I didn't expect.

"Alright, now that everyone is here, we can begin," Nicolay said, this time speaking in Equestrian. "First, I would like to thank our guest, Ms. Snowdrop, for cooperating."

"Oh, it’s nothing, really," She replied, waving a hoof dismissingly. "And please, just call me Snow,"

"As you wish, Snow. Now, as you all know, we are here to discuss our next step, more specifically, against the slavers nearby…"

The biggest question of the meeting was how to save the slaves and keep civilian casualties to a minimum. Having this discussion in Equestrian was… interesting, to say the least. Snowdrop did her best to explain what she knew about the slavers. Now that I think about it, she has a tendency to do that, almost like a teacher.

"Do you know how to disarm these explosive collars?" The EU captain asked to Snow.

"Nope, I don’t know much about explosives."

"One of my squad mates is a demolition expert" The other PAC sergeant said. "What about your unit, Sergeant Terenti?"

"The only one, who knows something, is wounded" I replied

It took us over an hour and half to figure the first steps of the operation. We decided to split our force in two groups, the distraction team and the infiltration team. The first group, led by the EU captain, would strike the main building from a distance, creating a distraction. The second group, led by myself, with the addition of Snowdrop and the demolitions expert from the other squad, would infiltrate the opposite side of the complex and secure the slaves.

The big problems were the lack of active camouflage devices (we had less than twenty of those) and the explosive collars. Our hopes are that the mechanism isn’t very complex, since the device was created after the war. My greatest concern was to find the pony who murdered the foal, and make him pay. The whole thing sounded very simple, draw their attention, secure the slaves and, if possible, infiltrate the main building.

"So, how are we getting out of there?" I asked. "Last thing we need is someone following us back here."

"One of our transport aircrafts is already operational," Nicolay answered. "Once the area is secured, we’ll send them in."

With everything decided, all of us set out to make preparations. Within time, we organized the men, put our gear on, and explained the mission. By nightfall, we had the plan in motion.

Footnote: 50% to next level.

Author's Note

Note: Thanks to everyone, once again. Please point out any mistakes. I understand if this chapter is quite boring and cliché, but this is a necessary part. With this taken care of, expect the story to take a faster pace. And yes, I took the names from the Malvinas/Falklands islands.

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