//------------------------------// // Chapter XII: Cultural Differences. // Story: Lightning Bolt of Rome // by CrackedInkWell //------------------------------// At a moment like this when Bolt was confronted with something he couldn’t understand -- he wasn’t even sure how something like these bloodsports could be allowed -- a friend to talk to always tended to help. This is why as soon as he returned to the temple he was residing in, the pegasus asked the High Priest if he could see Fortunata. The High Priest asked why, but Bolt only gave a vague response. “I need someone to bring me down to Earth.” Not wanting to anger the God of the Skies, the priests summoned the enslaved musician to the temple. When she stepped through the bronze doors, he could see that she brought her instrument. “You wished to see me?” Sighing on his enormous pillow, he let his head flop to the soft surface. “Yes. As far as this insane place goes, I really need a friend right now.” “What troubles you?” “Come here, please.” She did. When she approached and knelt down to him, Bolt covered his head. “I just don’t get this place.” “What? The temple?” “No, I mean Rome in general.” Bolt took a deep breath. “Your Emperor and this other guy wanted to treat me to their entertainment. I know they’re trying to get on my good side and all, but… no. Just no.” “Why? Where did you go?” “Some huge arena. The Circus… something.” “Maximus? You mean you went to the Circus Maximus?” “That’s it.” “My, you’re quite lucky to see those races.” “Oh c’mon, you too?” The captain raised his neck. “Don’t tell me that entertainment to you means being in a race in which you could seriously get hurt or fighting other racers with real weapons?” Fortunata tilted her head. “You saw their races and the gladiators, too? I fail to see where the problem lies.” Lightning Bolt groaned. “That’s just it. Nopony around here seems to care. I’m sorry, but the idea of amusement to you Romans is too… barbaric for me.” “What?” the slave girl asked in surprise. “You found our games too barbaric?” “To me, sure. Where I come from, everypony races at one point or another. We Pegasi dodge clouds while we try to outfly the other, or the Unicorns and Earth Ponies in some parts of my country will race on foot at the end of autumn to make the leaves fall from the trees. And sure, we race for fun, too, but they don’t include fighting life and limb to win. I think a couple of mares in Ponyville did that once and they pretty much cheated all throughout the race.” “It sounds to me like you are shocked at all of the violence in our sports.” Bolt snorted. “Even our wrestling training in the Royal Guard isn’t as bloody as what I’ve just seen.” Fortunata began playing her lyre. “You remind me of my first impression of Rome. You see, from the part of the Empire I was born in, a province of Egypt, it was always very hot, especially during the Inundation period of July through September where the sun’s light makes walking outside feel like walking into an inferno. My home has miles of sand, whose dunes make it seem like an endless sea, and long stretches of land that house life along the Nile River. There are monuments that predate both Rome and Greece by several thousand years. “Before my family became indentured slaves, my husband had studied that ancient temples of Egypt’s gods to unlock new secrets for his designs. Sometimes I was asked to go with him, and I saw carvings of the gods and pharaohs that stood strong against time. “But after we were sold and I came here, Rome was such a big shock to me. Suddenly, I saw more green and water than I had ever seen in my life! Everywhere I looked, I saw marble, mosaics, and sculptures that look so real that I thought they could come to life at any moment. Not only that but each day, I saw food such as spices and fruits that were impossible to find in Egypt. “And yes, there were the games which, I confess, are a little too much for my tastes. Of course, I had seen a gladiatorial fight every once in a while back home, but here, it is every day!” “Every day?” the pegasus asked in disbelief. “Are you dead serious?” “I am. But as surprising as it is to see their want for blood, I must admit, I was impressed to see that those who fight in the games receive the best doctors for healing so that they may fight again another day.” “How does that make it all better?” Bolt questioned. “Why would you want to participate in a game where not performing well enough could mean your death as the hands of the spectators?” Fortunata stopped playing. “What I’m trying to say is that in all parts of the world, one custom that is seen as normal could be seen as shocking to another. Perhaps you view our games as barbaric, yet we see them as the most reasonable way of dealing with criminals and other hostile people.” “It’s wrong for another life to suffer and be forced to inflict that cruelty onto others.” “Even when they, at one point, have done the exact same thing?” she questioned. For a while, Bolt didn’t say anything. As he was stretching one of his wings, Fortunata started playing again. When he finished stretching both of his wings, he folded them back to his sides. “Could we talk about something else?” “You may.” Bolt put a hoof under his chin in thought. “I have some good news for you.” “Oh?” “I’ve just had a little talk with the Emperor, and I was able to convince him to pay your debt.” Fortunata stopped playing. “He said that it’s now a priority of his to make sure that you are freed because I, Jupiter,” Bolt mocked, “have declared that your slavery shall be no more.” He chuckled. “You should have seen his face when I reminded him that they still think I’m their god.” “You mean, I’m really going to go home?” “For you, yes,” the Solar Guard gave her a sad smile, “but for me, I’m still stuck here.” “Come now, you said so yourself. We are friends, are we not?” the musician pointed out. “And loyalty towards friends extends beyond seas and mountains.” “That’s kind of you, but as soon as you’re free, I can’t make you stay because you’re my friend. You said so yourself, you have a family to look for.” The white pegasus put a hoof under his chin. “Unless I specifically asked that your family be found, of course.” “And that, Lightning Bolt of Cloudsdale, is very kind of you.” The stallion straightened up from his pillow. “What did you call me?” “You wished to be called Lightning Bolt, did you not? Even if I worship you, would it not be best to call a god by the name that he addresses himself with?” Before the Solar Captain could say anything, he started to notice something odd about the air. Not only was the smell strange, but he could tell that the air around the lamps gave off smoky halos. “Do you smell that?” he asked getting up. Fortunata sniffed the air. “Is that smoke?” “Is something burning?” Bolt asked as he flew over to the door that still had a crack in it. His hooves pulled on the frame while he flapped his wings, widening the door. There, both pony and slave girl saw that the roofs of Rome were on fire.