Outside Tenochtitlan, U.R of Tzinacatlia, SUE, March 16th, Year 1.
“Stop, military police! We have you in our sights!”
Indeed, they do. Eight ponies aim their rifles at three others. The soldiers are blended into the jungle, while the 3 others are standing in a new clearing, made for the new railroad.
The three look like tribals, earth ponies dressed in their loincloths and cloaks, wearing makeup on their faces. Two wear helmets - recovered Changeling ones. They don’t look like they carry guns, one of them has a huge mallet, one a bow, and another a spear. They’re shocked and scared, unsure of what to do.
“You have been caught conducting sabotage on Union property. We are not internal affairs and you will be given clemency if you lay down your arms and surrender! We promise none of you will be harmed!”
Captain Endless Glow isn’t sure if they actually understand what he’s saying. Dialects of the tribals’ language vary wildly across the Southeast. Many are similar to Ayacachtlian, which is what Endless had been speaking, but the further from the mountains you go, the dialects become more and more distant.
The tribals didn’t move. Is it the shock, or could they not understand him?
Again, he barks his demands but in standard Ponish.
This isn’t Tenochtitlan, where most tribals are conservational in the main tongue, but it is worth a shot.
Luckily, after a moment, the tribals get the message, dropping their weapons in fear. They raise their hooves in the air, standing on their hind legs. The captain is beyond relieved.
Good, they aren’t stupid.
First, he needed to check something.
“Which language is better for you!?”
After a moment of confusion, one tribal shouts back:
“The first one!”
“Ok, I’m coming over, stay where you are.”
Endless signals for two members of his squad to follow. He also signals the squad’s sharpshooter to have his sights raised, just in case.
The three ponies emerge from the jungle. Clad in dark green camo, they are suited for the jungle. They tuck their AK-17C’s in while pulling out hoof cuffs.
They walk over to the surrendered tribals. Endless collects the three weapons and throws them aside, those will be collected later.
One by one, the tribals are cuffed, placed with their bellies flat on the ground. Endless and his men pat them down making sure they don’t have anything hidden. They're clearly bitter and angry, but don’t resist too much.
Satisfied at secure operation, Endless turns to his men.
“Maple, radio back to headquarters and tell them our location.”
“Yes sir.” The pony trots back into the jungle with the rest of the squad.
Endless turns to the other soldier with him.
“Ribbon, read these tribals their rights.”
The junior corporal grimaces at the prospect.
“But sir, I can’t speak what these ponies speak.”
“You have that pamphlet don’t you? Besides, these tribals won’t know half the words in that thing.”
As the private struggles through the excessively long, poorly translated speech, Endless walks back into cover. Carefully, he makes his way back to his second in command, still perfectly camouflaged behind vines.
“I think it's safe now, Lieutenant.”
Endless hears a sigh before Lieutenant Lily Remnant reveals herself. The unicorn wears more camo makeup than anyone else in the corps, Endless can barely tell she has light pink fur and a blue mane. Like Endless, she’s a veteran of the Southern campaign, having fought the Changelings in the thick of the jungle. A pony with a solid combat record and a party member, she’d been a natural fit for this unit. However, she's …stiff, even by military standards.
“You’re too lax, Captain.” She says gruffly.
“We’re not in the open are we, and look at them,” he points to the captives, “does that look like a professional operation? There's no danger, just some idiots who bust up railways and harass workers.”
Remnant still doesn’t concede.
“Terrorists could be using them as bait, sir.”
“If they did, they would have shot me when I came up, my uniform looks different to the others.”
Endless’s second rubs her temples with her hoof, exasperated by her superior’s statement.
“Which is why I insist on you not revealing yourself, even in these situations… sir.”
“Give me a break, I’m the only one who can talk to them. What if they have a question?”
“Tsk, sir these primitives don’t need words, just need to bark at them until they do as they’re told.”
“Tha- not-” Endless decides to drop the issue. There probably isn’t any way to convince Remnant to act differently. It’s like she’d spent her entire life as a soldier. When they’d first spotted the three saboteurs, she’d suggested just shooting the saboteurs to incapacitate them.
The Thestral captain pulls out a cigarette to take the edge off. A truck’s probably coming to pick up these prisoners, which wouldn’t be for at least 30 minutes considering the roads here. A pony on patrol is more likely to die of boredom here than by guerillas.
Surprisingly, Remnant decides to join Endless, she pulls out her own cigarette and lights it up. Well, that’s reassuring. Endless figures if he can smoke with someone, he can work with them.
“I have to ask, captain; you’re a Southerner, correct?”
Endless doesn’t know where she’s going with this but responds anyway.
“Well, yes, I’m from Ayacachtli. Didn’t you read my file?”
Surely, she knew, she seemed like the type to obsessively read over someone’s history. Hell, she probably knows the birthplaces, professional history, and morning routine of everyone in the regiment.
“That was over a month ago sir. I don’t have the keen memory that you think I do.”
Keen memory? That’s one way to put it.
“Anyways sir, I’m just asking because you might know more about tribals than me,” She takes another whiff, “Tearing up railways - it just doesn’t make sense - why do these primitives do such a thing?”
She’s frustrated; afterall, their unit had been in the jungle for 3 months now, mostly going after tribals trying to tear down new railways heading into Tenochtitlan. It isn’t exciting work, hell, it’s barely necessary. Without explosives, the tribals used tools to leave dents in the railway. The railway workers would find them the next day and quickly fix it up. At most, it’d caused small delays.
Remnant is a logical pony. In Endless’s opinion, too much so.
“You’re from Manehatten right? Things down here don’t change as fast as up north. A lot of ponies here hate change.”
From what Endless had seen, tribal ponies preferred to live like non-sentient animals. Villages with no electricity, thatch roofs, and the like. Well, it is more complicated, some villages, the bigger ones, have more modern tools than the rest - trade goods mostly. Still though, even the biggest tribal settlements are far behind even ancient Ayacachtli.
Endless sighs. He likes tribals he really does; he’d met so many nice ones in Ayacachtli and they’d fought together in the war. However, the Southern tribes are naive. Convinced by their leaders and their culture to live primitively, they did so. Worse, they're willing to fight to protect their backwardness.
“You gotta understand, Lieutenant, these ponies didn’t live under capitalism - not even feudalism, not really. They don't have the class consciousness needed to understand what needs to happen,” Endless threw away his used-up cigarette, “When we give them work, make them productive, then they’ll understand.”
Remnant sighs, still looking glum.
“That won't be for a while. We’ll have to clear this blasted jungle first.”
She’s probably right. The region’s lack of development is a major hurdle, and the jungle leaves little room for industry.
“Chin up Remnant, believe in the revolution! This place will be just like up north before we know it.” A bit overzealous, even to himself, but Endless had seen the progress up north and even in Mixieland. If it can happen there, it can happen here.
Amused, Remnant smiles.
“Sometimes you're more dedicated than me, Captain.”
“I’m a party member too, you know. By the way do you have another cigarette? I’m out.”
Surprisingly, though begrudgingly, Remnant gives him one. She really isn’t a bad pony.
Tenochtitlan, U.R of Tzinacatlia, SUE, March 30th, Year 1
Tenochtitlan is not how it had been before the war. Despite being initially occupied by Severyanan troops in the Great War, it’d been given to the Changelings in the 1012 land swaps. The Neighua tribe had fought back hard and Crystalis had responded tenfold.
The city had long been destroyed by the time SRE soldiers had finally liberated the city. The huts - gone. The floating gardens, reduced to rubble. Pyramid of the Sun? Utterly and completely decimated, not even a stone left. Even the overgrown vegetation had been destroyed; in fact, there was hardly a plant within a 5-mile radius of the city.
It is one of the great tragedies of the war. One of many Changeling acts that convinced Equestrians to accept the new Republic.
In other ways, the destruction presented an opportunity for modernization. The center is now completely remade. Roads are now in grid pattern, paved instead of dirt. However, the buildings still left much to be desired. Most were large wooden dormitories, and some plots were completely empty. Despite the wishes of local officials, some plots are being used to host traditional marketplaces.
The Council of Tzincatlia in Baltimare and the All-Union government had hoped for much out of a “new” Tenochtitlan. However, progress had been much slower than expected.
“Hey boss, what’s taking so…”
Case in point, having barely made it into the city, the car Endless had been driving had been stopped by a huge mob of protesters.
Ugh, what a horrible way to start my vacation- well, leave.
“Junior Corporal Ribbon, properly address your superiors.”
“Oh, hehe sorry ma'am.”
Right next Endless is Lieutenant Remnant, in the jeep’s backseat are junior corporals Ribbon and Spark. All of them are headed to the same spot, so Endless had decided to give them a ride to headquarters.
The protesters in front of them wear a mish mash of tribal and modern clothing. They carry signs fastened from whatever they could find: wood, metal, even plastic. The words read express the same sentiment: “More Autonomy”, “Rebuild the Pyramid”, and “End to Military Control”. They march as a blob in the street perpendicular to Endless’s car.
Remnant snarls at them.
“Three months of doing nothing in the jungle when we should have been here,” She points at the protesters, “reeducating these fuckers.”
She looks angry enough to jump out of the car and at the protesters. Personally, Endless is quite happy with how little action he’d seen. By the time his unit got to the Southeast, organized resistance had seemingly disappeared. Most trouble they ever saw had been lone bands of tribals - no guns and explosives either. Even then, those had been few and far between.
Well, better to leave her be. Not even Remnant is headstrong enough to confront a crowd all by herself.
“Captain, what’s this pyramid the locals keep talking about?”
The question came from junior corporal Spark. He’s a quiet pony, a Pegasus from Bales with dark brown fur and a yellow mane. He’s also bookish, the type of pony who would have demobilized, but for whatever reason, didn't.
“What, Spark you don’t know? I thought you knew everything.”
The pegasus is quite flustered by the remark.
“P-please just answer the question, sir”
Endless laughs, “Ok, ok, there used to be a big pyramid here where the tribals would worship Princess Celestia - very important to them.”
The pegasus is surprised.
“T-that’s treason then!” He shouts, “We can’t have people suggesting we resurrect monuments to the old regime!”
Endless shrugs. “Well, the tribals claim they just want it back because it's a big part of their history. They promise they won’t worship in it. It might not be a horrible idea, if they follow through.”
Remnant clicks her tongue.
“Fat chance of that happening. You can almost thank Crystalis for destroying the Pyramid for us, that place would have been bound to attract monarchists from all over.”
Everyone else in the car is a little unnerved by that statement.
“You know lieutenant, if there was some part of the Pyramid left, we probably would be trying to restore it by now- like what we’re doing in Canterlot.”
Remnant doesn’t flinch.
“I disagree with that notion, all monuments of the old regime should be torn down.”
“Have you met a pony from the Canterlot? They love their city too much for that. It’ll just cause unnecessary problems. It’s like… I don’t know - do we tear down the Crystaller building because some plutocrat made it.``
Endless hopes the comparison will strike a cord with native Manehattenite. Instead, a proud smile comes across Remnant’s face.
“Last time I was home, I actually organized a petition to completely remodel the building's exterior - would not have looked like the same building, sir.”
“Wh- you go too far Lieutenant. Do you realize how mad some ponies would get? Did the petition even pass?”
Remnant doesn’t respond at first. She just looks out the window to the city around her. After a while she speaks again.
“Well, the vote didn’t pass in the City Council, I have to admit. But don’t you agree with the premise Captain?” She looks Endless in the eye, “Everything about the old regime - it has to go.”
“What are you an internal affairs agent? If I say “everything”, then that’s bad because it shows I don’t carefully read the party line which clearly states that we must carefully examine the social, economic, and historic relations that continue from the old regime and critically examine what aspects can be used to further and bolster the the revolution and what exists to continue pre existing structures of oppression. Furthermore-”
“Good answer sir.” Remnant had cut Endless off. She looks amused. Had she been messing with him?
“Re-”
“Back to the original topic,” She’s now completely serious, “I do understand now in materially developed places like Canterlot or Manehatten, it’s more trouble than it's worth to remove remnants of the old regime. However, in a place so underdeveloped like the Southeast, it’s imperative that we destroy any symbol that ties to the old regime as not doing so will only hold back the region. More social stability in the short term cannot be valued over social and economic development. Do you disagree with this assessment, sir?”
“Well, when you put it like that-”
ZAP.
ZAP ZAP.
ZAP ZAP ZAP ZAP ZAP ZAP…. These sounds continue.
Endless sighs in relief.
“Finally.”
Spark, who had been languishing in the back, raised his hoof in agreement.
“You said it sir…”
Endless sits patiently as the mass of protesters stops in terror. Then after overcoming their shock, they panic, running in the opposite direction of the laser sounds. As they run, streams of green magical energy zoom overhead. It’s not long after that the passengers of the car can see the end of the crowd. The ponies run, get hit in the back with a light of energy, stop due to the extreme pain, and then get back up and run.
That’s the beauty of the Emerald Gun. It was a crystal powered gun guaranteed to fire only non-lethal bursts of energy. The pain from the blasts is extreme but lasts only for a moment. The perfect crowd control weapon.
Soon after, the MPs firing the gun come into view, still firing at the crowd. They briefly look in Endless’s direction before moving ahead.
Endless rolls down the window and waves at the soldiers as they pass through.
South Tenochtitlan feels like a different world to the rest of the city. There’s a big food processing plant, newly built and then a little down the road is the residential district, filled with austere but modern apartment buildings. Finally, a walking distance from the apartments was the military headquarters for the entire region. A former office building of a now defunct Equestrian trading company, surrounded by rows of sandbags of course.
Captain Endless Glow is now arising from the old building. He had turned in his vehicle, signed his paperwork, and bid his colleagues adieu.
Instead of trotting directly to the train station, Endless goes the other way, towards the residential district. He has something to pick up.
As he walks to the residential district, he sees more and more civilians, food processing plant workers and their families. When they see him, they pause for a bit, barely a second, before saluting him. Endless salutes back, he doesn’t mind the stares. Most of these ponies are from up north, where there aren’t many Thestrals. In addition, Endless knew these ponies didn’t go outside their little community much, so he's probably the only Thestral they’d seen in weeks. As long as they’re trying, Endless is content.
Soon, Endless reaches the residential district. The apartment buildings form a wall around the district, with green space and various buildings in the center. There’s a primary school, secondary school, and crucially, a commercial building:
Most of the building is the state commissary with basic goods but on its side there are a few small businesses. Endless can smell the one he’s going to a mile away. It's a little bakery, doesn’t even have a name, but it’s the only place to get a good apple pie in Tenochtitlan.
Endless opens the custom made curved wooden door. The interior is much like the exterior, lined with brightly colored wooden panels over the base concrete. All in all, it looks like a typical Equestrian bakery. It wasn’t something Endless is nostalgic for, but he’s sure the residents of the district appreciate it.
The owner of the bakery, Fruit Blossom, is an earth pony with yellow fur and a poofy red mane. She looks up from the counter when Block enters and greets the Thestral:
“Hello Captain! Back from the jungle?”
She has a Mixielander accent, though, Endless doesn’t know where she’s from.
“Yeah, just on leave though.”
“Well I did get your letter, let bring me your custom pie.”
The store owner goes into the back to bring out the Captain’s pie, leaving him in the bakery alone. She’s chipper as always, for Endless it's a nice change from the distrustful tribals he met on deployment. Sure she's technically a petite bourgeoisie, but no one could deny the mare worked hard. The store is always spotless, customs commissions are always made on time and all by herself as well. With small business owners like her, Endless hoped full Communism wouldn’t come for a while.
After a bit, Fruit Blossom emerges from the back with a cardboard container. She puts it on the counter.
“Well Captain, that’ll be 5 bits please.”
Urk, that’s pricey.
Well, it’s for his parents and it's a good pie so Endless just pays for it.
“Thanks for your business Captain Glow. What’s the occasion for such a big pie?”
“I forgot to write to my parents for 2 months and their letters wouldn’t get through to me.”
He picks up the pie.
“This is my way of saying sorry.”
“Oh… well good on you. I hope they forgive you.”
Blossom smiles awkwardly at Endless. He just bids her farewell and turns to leave.
Just as he’s about to open the door, he hears a shout from Fruit Blossom.
“Wait! Captain!”
Endless turns to find Blossom looking frantic, eyes wide. She’s breathing hard, as if she’s been hit with a sudden realization. After a long silence, she calms down.
“...”
“...”
“...Th-that might be the wrong pie.”
That-that’s it!?
“Don’t scare me like that…”
“Sorry Captain, let me get you the right one.”
Blossom goes into the back to retrieve the right pie, leaving Endless in his thoughts again.
That was loud… guess she’s just really dedicated.
If Endless Glow had known the truth, he would have arrested her right there and then.