Dead in the Snow

Luna wanted to know more about Earth, and I wanted to know more about Equestria. We decided to settle down in the tent to talk about our two different worlds.
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“So, what do you want to know Luna?” I was lying down on my tent’s cot in the corner by the lantern. It was late, so everyone was settling in for the night, so my tent flap was shut tight against the cold. Luna was lying on the ground next to my cot and was casting a warming spell in the tent for us, which I greatly appreciated.

“We wish to know why you are fighting, and what your species eats and its technology.”

I thought for a moment on how best to word my response.

“I'm fighting because I was drafted against my will and stuck in this hell of a world. I never wanted to fight, but because of my nation's politicians and insane leader, here I am. I actually wanted to open a bakery and help people with cakes and charity. As for my diet; I can eat fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and meat.”

After I said meat, Luna looked as if she had seen a ghost.

“You eat meat?!” I swear I have never before heard a voice go from calm to shrill that quickly.

I had to roll my eyes before replying. “I'm not going to eat you Luna. Come on, I won't eat an intelligent creature. I eat meat from cows, pigs, chickens, and the like. Are you ok?”

Though somewhat shaken, Luna quickly recovered and nodded. I could tell that she was afraid that I would eat her, so I fished some chocolate from my pack.

“Have some chocolate, I didn't mean to scare you Luna.”

“Thank you Max, we aren't used to meat eaters where we're from

I pondered the thought of there being little to no meat eaters on Equestria, which didn't make much sense. How could a world evolve without predators? I decided to ask Luna.

“So Luna, are there no predators on Equestria? On Earth there are thousands of them.”

Luna once again looked pale. “Thousands, you must be joking!” At my serious no bullshit look, she continued. “There are predators on Equestria yes, but nowhere near the number of your planet. The Griffins and Dragons are the two major ones, but treaties prevent the hunting of herbivores of nations. Minor sub predators exist, but the total is only around 15 predator species. Would you tell us of your worlds technology now?”

After thinking of where to start and where to go from
there, I began.

“First I'll start with guns. My rifle, the Kar98K, is a gun. The projectile it fires is made of a lead casing and tungsten core, which is in turn propelled by a self contained charge of smokeless gunpowder. The gunpowder allows the bullet to reach speeds of 760 meters a second.”

Luna looked absolutely adorable just looking up at me while I explained my rifle to her. She looked like a child learning how to use a new toy or something, watching the adult with hawk like attention. I moved on to tanks.

“On to tanks. The tank you'll see the most, is the Panzer III. It has a front armor of 50mm, a side armor of 20mm, and a rear armor of 15mm. It has 50mm gun, which fires a shell about twice the size of your hoof. The shell works like my bullets, but on a bigger scale. It's uses a petrol engine and caterpillar tracks to move around. The tracks, allow the tank to negotiate almost any terrain it may encounter.”

“To close it all off with a bow, planes. A plane is a machine designed to fly at high altitude and attack ground targets. They take air in through an intake on the propeller housing, which allows the engine to burn fuel for flight. Weapons are mounted on the wings and propeller housing, such as machine guns and cannons. Dive bombers are designed for ground attack, fighters for air superiority, and bombers for city raids and infrastructure attacks. So, what technology do you have on your world Luna?”

I looked down and saw Luna stammering to herself about how advanced humans were, which was fairly adorable. I decided to snap her out of it and ask the question again.

“Luna *snap* are you ok?”

“What?! Oh sorry Max, we didn't know humans were so advanced technologically. What your species has achieved is nothing short of amazing! My people can only dream of what humans have.”

“Well, humans don't have magic so we focused on scientific advancement. Unfortunately, that technology is also used for war and destruction, which saddens me deeply. So, how does magic work anyway?”

Luna smiled and began her explanation.

“Well, my horn is like a sort of muscle. Magic that is generated in my body, is focused through my horn. This magic is in turn released as a spell. Depending on what I wish to do, the magic will take shape before being released.”

I was absolutely fascinated by her explanation, and had an idea and request.

“May I touch your wings?”

At my question, Luna's cheeks turned a much darker violet color at my question. I felt like I had crossed a boundary, but her response dispelled that notion.

“Of course Max, but be careful as they're sensitive.”

I slowly moved my hand down to the tip of her left wing and touched it. It was amazingly soft, and felt like a pillowcase made of cloud. As I felt more of Luna’s wing, I heard a tiny squeak, because I must have hit a sensitive spot. I immediately withdrew my hand and apologized to Luna, who simply said it was fine and not to worry. I yawned heavily and realized how I tired I was, which must have caused Luna to as well.

“Goodnight Luna, sweet dreams”

“To you as well Max, goodnight.”

As I drifted off, I noticed a faint odor in the tent. It was very faint, but there, and smelled like vanilla. I shrugged it off and went to sleep.