Genesis Program

"There are so many problems to solve on this planet first before we begin to trash other worlds."
--E.A. Bucchianeri

“No, try to pronounce á éntoni.”

“Á-Á-á like this?”

“Close, try to fall hatla rise famh.”

“Ǎ-ǎ-ǎ-ǎ this?”

She nodded happily, I sighed wearily. I am certain that at least two weeks have passed since I first arrived on the planet. Our conversations have greatly improved, and I am proud to say that I already understand certain phrases in their language, although I still have a lot to learn. Several of my doubts turned out to be correct, the language is linked especially with Greek, although it uses intonations in what seems to be a developed form of Arabic.

With the little I know, I would say that it’s a monosyllabic and fusional language with a moderate degree of inflexion. I suspect that it also has grammatical genders, as such, many words can be derived from the same root. Some tones are very difficult to pronounce, but I think this is thanks to the different anatomy between our two mouths and throats.

I have asked many questions, but the main one was about the location of the Intrepid. Unfortunately, she had no idea, since she supposedly was not able to leave this room since I arrived at this place. She also told me that the ship was heading to a land called 'Ippasía,' although it is difficult for me to pronounce it, it’s more or less translated into "Ekustria."

I also tried to learn more about her past, but she always ignored those questions, including the reason why she is a prisoner on this ship. Food has been very scarce, and there's almost no water for both of us, which made us interspersed between days in who eats more and who eats less.

God may answer my problems, because of these moments when I simply don't know what to do. Crystal Rose has comforted me several times when anxiety made me lose control of me, as I’ve tried to do actions that can harm me a lot.

"So, learning time over now," she quickly closed a scroll where the alphabet of her language, 'Ponish' was written.

"What- but if I."

"Nananananana," she interrupted excitedly, "I want you to keep talking to me about your world."

"I think you wanted to know more you would be helping more."

"I'm helping you," Crystal began nonchalantly, "it’s just that…. when does somepony has the opportunity to speak with beings from another planet."

I replied with an amused face, shifting my legs to a more comfortable position, "Okay, just this time now, I need to improve language."

"Yes yes yes whatever," she sat on her haunches and took out a small notebook with her 'magic', "you were telling me about Chia 10."

I paused, scrutinising the transparency in her energy. I wasn’t able to gain much information about this supposed 'magic.’ I named it this way not only because of its similarity but also because ironically she is a unicorn.

And unicorns in mythology were famous for using magic, and for being violent and untamed animals.

I shook my head, and let a smile appear, "Let me remind myself," I tapped my chin, "I already told you about lunar landing part right?"

She nodded slowly, "I think so."

Sighing, I retold the story, "then there was Jorge Murillo if you member’ him right?"

Nodding, she motioned for me to continue.

"Jorge Murillo was the first ... ehmm what is word?"

"Epivítlkhay."

"The first epivítlkhay to get off lander space, and said something 'one small step for men, one giant leap for mankind'"

She looked at me confused, "which means..."

"Emmm I don't think I know words in you language, but it a phrase that supposed evoke emmmm emotion in ancestors."

Her eyes lit up, she groused and looked up, "And did they meet Princess Luna?"

I jolted back, "Princess Luna, what that, an item or martem"

She giggled a bit, "a martem," her ears pinned against her head, and for some reason,she saddened, "so you don't know who Princess Luna is?"

"No, I-I don't know," I replied leisurely, "but you can tell me emmmm it is, you understand me right."

She smiled a little, "Sure, Princess Luna is," she paused for a second, thinking about what to say next, "Princess Luna is one of Ekustria's umm rulers with Princess Celestia."

"Princessa Celestia?" I asked, raising an eyebrow, "that's Latin if I'm not wrong."

"What is Latin?"

"One language but that not important," I moved closer to the bars, "tell me who these are?"

She giggled, "As I said, they rule Ekustria, and they have the task of moving the sun and the moon."

"Move sun and moon?" I did not understand much, but my curiosity made me push the issue further, "who has that job?"

"The Princesses, Princess Celestia moves the sun and Princess Luna moves the moon."

My smile fell a little. With this little information, I think it showed that these creatures still believe in pagan beliefs, like for an example, terrestrial beings that can control celestial objects.

I was going to point out she was wrong, but who am I to criticise their culture?

"Hey, can you go back to your planet?"
They cut my mind out of my trance. That question was unexpected to me and even surprised me, after all this time, I wonder why she asked that now?

"What do mean?" try to change the question.

"I mean, well," she looked at me awkwardly, "can you go back to your planet right? Y-you won't be stuck here."

I lowered my head and blinked owlishly, "I'm on my planet.."

"What was that."

"Nothing," I answered quickly, "yes, I can return my planet, but I need to know if capsule safe, it is very important to me and my martems."

She smiled apologetically, "don't worry, I'm sure your ship was not left behind."

"And how can you be falísamanre of that?"

"Look, are these guys in no way going to leave a thing as radiant as emmm you say?"

"Capsule."

"Yes, ca-p-psule back."

I nodded ploddingly, "maybe you right, but suppose I Faith is the only thing helping me now."

"Mrhbana ilaaoioin milásdath!"

"Oh no," Crystal quickly stood up and hid the papers that we originally used to communicate. I moved to the other end of my cell while putting the FPP in one of my pockets.

The door blew open, followed by the entrance of a feathered beast which Crystal said, they call themselves gryphems, another word close to Latin.

This word means griffons in English if I’m not wrong, so I concluded these beasts are actual griffons or it’s just the name someone gave to them.

"Ti káadha kunt taneis!"

"I-I was just tahaloquar mafsina."

His frown deepened when his eyes fell on me, "We are edó, eínai dikieatiqik maswuwliatsas this ape."

He drew a sword and pointed it at me. At that moment I felt my life was about to end, my entire career ended here. I closed my eyes when the doors of my cage opened and waited for the impact...... which never came.

I opened one eye, meeting Crystal Rose who was looking at me sadly. She leaned closer to my ear, "we need to abadhh."

She gently pulled my chains, and I slowly stood up. She pointed to the door of the room, and hesitantly started walking with me following her from behind. I didn't have much of a choice anyway; I was being pulled like a dog on a collar.

The sun temporarily blinded me. I raised my hands to cover my eyes as they focused. The heat was hellish, even the cage was better than this, at least the temperature was colder.

The griffons were threatening me with their weapons, while one of them pushed me from behind. We made it to the main deck where a griffon Crystal Rose abruptly stopped and yelled at her.

"Hey what are you doing!" I shouted in my native language, and because of a wicked streak, my vocabulary was too crude to even answer something in their language.

Suddenly, her magic ceased around my chains. I tilted my head while looking at my surroundings. Crystal screamed in pain when a beast slapped her.

My fists clenched, and my gaze filled with hatred, "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!"

Without hesitation, I started running towards that animal that slapped Crystal. Just as I was about to lunge towards him, someone pulled my chains from behind, causing me to stumble on the ground.

I tried to move, but everything seemed in vain. They forced me to stand up again straight.

"You guys are going to pay for that! I promise!"

They pulled my chains forcibly and made me walk off the deck onto a small bridge that separated the harbour from the ship. I looked back and gave Crystal a last glance.

"I'll be back! You'll see! Just wait, I'll call all the starcruisers, an army, I'll do it!"

They pushed me again and made me get off the boat over the bridge. I jolted back a bit, my eyes widening, and adrenaline pushed itself throughout my blood when my eyes fell on the other thing that I needed to see at that moment.

"The Intrepid...."

It found it tied by a rope behind the boat. The surface looked severely scratched. The flag of my country and the logo of the United Nations were barely visible on the metal surface.

I deduced they tried to open it using spears and swords. I chuckled a bit, the idiocy of them amusing me a lot.

With another push, I forcefully walked forwards. For a few seconds I was almost panting from the pain in my legs, they felt almost as if I lost them for a moment.

We entered what appeared to be a town. Creatures of all kinds were screaming from the entrances of various establishments and windows. The architecture is medieval, combined with aspects of the renaissance. We turned the corner and entered a jammed street, filled with beasts and animals alike. Every time they saw me they looked with contempt or curiosity, perhaps because I am the beast for them.

We reached a giant plaza. Vendors were yelling and advertising their wares, while several beings came up to offer us jewellery and other precious gems. The smell was terrible as if an animal had just rotted in that same place.

"What the," I stood still for a second, and started looking around me. I think I saw a human ...

Na…… my head had to be playing tricks on me.

The griffon yelled, making me move immediately. I glared at him and spat on the floor.

Thank God he didn't realise that because if they are going to do something bad to me, I hope I don't get to a state where I can't even tell the story for a future.

In front of me, a platform made of wood was located, where one of these, martems seemed to announce something. They pulled my chains again, a dizzy feeling crawled its way to my back as I struggled to breathe.

I stayed quiet while these griffons were discussing something with what appeared to be a winged horse.

I remembered something about this, there is also a representation in the mythology of horses with wings, I think they call them .... pegasi?

"I, damn," I coughed several times into my fist, as my throat was very parched, "Jesus please help me....."

"Shut up!"

A smile appeared on my sweaty face. I understood those words perfectly. So many times that Crystal Rose said it, I could define it without even asking her for the definition.

"Take him to alminasat alrayiysia!"

The pegasi shouted as the griffons handed him golden coins.

"Great, just what I need," I mumbled.

A unicorn approached me and pulled me with its magic. They were sneaking me ahead of the others in the line. I could see several creatures in it, mainly zebras and some bipedal animals that had the structure of a feline, all tied up by ropes.

What should I have even expected at that point, the world seemed to have been written by a fantasy author, it seemed too fictional to be real.

But reality is not constant, it was not my position, and I believed in it.

I got on the platform. I could see a crowd watching me curiously. They made me stand next to a unicorn. He looked at me in surprise, examining me slowly while poking me much to my annoyance.

He took a step back, and turned to the crowd, "here we eéchoume éna interesting lilaihtimam!"

I heard mumbles among the crowd, interrupted again by the unicorn, "sayakun lilaihtimam is eínai Sígoura a megalos helper and sklávos!"

"What?!"

The entire crowd fell abruptly silent, absolutely everyone staring at me startled. I shifted uncomfortably while clearing my throat.

The unicorn was the first to recover, as he slowly spoke again, "loipón ... échoume price in 200 bits."

"Somepony...."

Suddenly a hoof was raised, "I'll give you 150 bits."

"170 bits!"

"165!"

I coughed again as the usual sounds of this town rang out again.

"300! Bits" someone yelled from behind

"300 bits at one, at two, at three...." the unicorn paused for a second. I gulped when he stomped his hoof on the ground.

"Sold for 300 bits!"

With a push, I walked forward. Going down the stairs, a unicorn with a blue fur and a white mane was waiting for me next to a griffon.

"Efcharistoúme agorá purchase Miss Lulamoon."

"It's the great and powerful Trixie!"

I could only think of one thing, they just sold me for 300 coins?!

Great, I was just sold into slavery without even realizing it.