Civilization
Chapter 5: Civilization
The whole way back, Twilight drilled James with questions about himself, taking all his answers down on a piece of parchment and quill being levitated in front of her.
"So, James. What exactly do humans eat?"
"Everything."
"We can eat both plants and animals. I usually stick to chicken and beef myself, but I eat a lot of greens too."
He noticed horrified looks on their faces.
"I won't eat you. Or any other ponies. Humans don't usually eat ponies. In fact, I can survive entirely on a diet of fruits and vegetables," he quickly replied.
He left out that on one particular mission he HAD eaten horse. Their supplies had been lost during the jump and they had to survive in the desert somehow.
"Er, well, that's..... relieving to know. Ok, next. Why are you wearing those strange colored clothes?"
"This is my work uniform. The pattern allows me to blend in with a certain environment, this one being for a desert in particular. Which is actually where I came from recently."
"Oh yeah! How DID you end up here, by the way?"
"I honestly couldn't tell you. First thing, I was in a hot stifling desert, the next..... I don't know. I just kinda blacked out and when I came to, I was in that cave."
He left out the part about the firefight and the explosion. They seemed friendly enough and he didn't want to give them a reason to fear him. He DID need their help after all.
"Hmmmm, that's unusual. All right then, what about that strange equipment you're carrying? I've never seen anypony with those things before."
James had been dreading this question. They didn't seem to know what firearms were and he didn't really want to explain to them that they were tools of death or the fact that he was a trained killer. He didn't really like to tell anybody that. He wasn't all that proud of it and it tended to make things...... awkward.
"It's just tools I use for my job. Nobody should ever touch these," he said, motioning to his rifle and pistol, "they're very dangerous and someone could get hurt."
"And what is your job exactly?"
'Crap, think of something.'
"I was..... something like a guard, yeah I protected people."
"Oh, so then just like our Royal Guard here."
"Royal Guard? You have royalty here?"
"Yes, Equestria is ruled by two Princesses. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. They raise and lower the sun and moon, respectively, every morning and evening."
"You mean the sun and moon don't do it on their own? How is that even possible?"
"Magic of course. Don't you have magic where you're from?"
"No. I mean, we describe certain things as magical, like the northern lights and stuff. And there are still things in my world that science hasn't been able to explain yet. So I guess we have the concept of magic, but actual magic has never been observed. This is the first time I've ever seen it," James explained.
"I'm sorry to here that."
"Honestly, it's probably for the best."
"What do you mean?"
Before he could think of a suitable answer, Applejack interrupted his thoughts, "Hey gang, we're almost home!"
They soon passed over the edge of the forest, much closer to the town. It was a charming little hamlet, viewed from the air. James could see a large building in the center that he assumed to be a town hall, many charming looking houses surrounding it. He even saw one building that looked as if it was made of candy and frosting.
"That down there is Ponyville. Maybe tomorrow or the next day, we can take you on a proper tour."
"Sounds good," James replied.
"Well it was very nice meeting you, James. I'm sure everything will be just fine. I have to go now, we're flying by my house. Goodbye everypony."
"Ok, see you soon."
"Yeah, see you later 'Shy," the rest said.
With that, she carefully climbed out over the side, spreading her wings and gliding down towards a cozy little cottage that almost appeared to be half house, half tree.
"Next stop, Sweet Apple Acres," Rainbow Dash called from the front.
Out in front of them was a large and wide open apple orchard. A small homestead rested near the middle and close to the road. The balloon gently touched down in front of the house. As soon as it did, James, Applejack and Twilight climbed out onto the ground, Rainbow Dash joined them from the other side.
"Thanks for bringing me into town," James said, "with what I had, I could only have stayed out there for another few days."
"No problem," said Twilight, "after finding out about you, we couldn't let you stay out there on good conscience. Honestly, I'm surprised you were even out there that long without being hassled by some of the more dangerous creatures. That forest really isn't all that safe."
"Yeah, and it's th' least we could do fer the fella that saved mah sister and her friends," Applejack chimed in. "Lemme bring ya over ta where you'll be stayin' at, at least fer now."
"Thanks, I appreciate what you're doing for me, I'm still practically just a stranger."
"Aw shucks, darlin'. Think nuthin' of it."
As they started down the fence separating the orchard from the road, Twilight and Rainbow Dash wave their goodbyes' while taking off again. James and Applejack soon came to a dilapidated barn with faded red paint, enshrouded in trees and bushes. Applejack strolled forward and opened the large wooden doors.
"It's not much, but it's th' best we can do."
James peered inside and saw that it was mostly empty except for a few rusty old farming tools. In the back it had a small loft with a couple of stacks of hay and double doors for hoisting large equipment into the loft.
"It's perfect," he said simply, "waaaay better than the forest."
"That's good ta hear. Now if ya need water, there's a water pump around the side. It ain't warm fer bathin', but it's perfect fer drinkin'."
"Shouldn't be a problem. I'm pretty low maintenance as it is. This'll be just fine."
"Ok then. Now Ah'm goin' ta head back and let the rest of the family know about our new guest. Ah'll see you tomorrow."
"Alright, see you tomorrow Applejack."
After she left, James climbed up into the loft. There was plenty of room. He set down his rifle and rucksack in the corner and opened the double doors. What awaited him was a beatiful view of the country side in the lateness of the evening. Green rolling foothills with a few trees here and there.
He sighed, finally being able to relax a bit. He may still be in an unfamiliar place, very strange and alien too, but at least the locals were friendly and very hospitable as well.
'I should do something to repay them. They went out of their way just to help me. The only other people who would've done that are my teammates.'
That last thought brought him back down a bit. He had no idea if the rest of his team had made it out. Or if that family had made it to safety. He hoped everything worked out all right, but he had no way of knowing for sure.
James really needed a bath and now he had the opportunity to take one. Searching around the old barn, he found a couple of large buckets and filled them both up using the pump by the side of the barn. First, after dragging both buckets back into the barn, he undressed everything and started washing his clothes against an old washboard he found. He then hung them up to dry under the loft before beginning to wash himself, carefully stripping his bandages. He was especially careful around his sides where his ribs had cracked. There was a large discolored bruise where the rounds had struck. Fortunately they didn't feel like they were as damaged as he thought and his shoulder wound hadn't gotten infected. However, both were still pretty sore. It had been a few days since his last wash, and it felt real good when he finished. James was about to start drying himself off when the barn doors started to open again. In walked Applejack with a bucket full of apples.
"Hey James, I thought I'd bring you some food for the night--" She froze as he dove for his rain poncho.
"What seems ta be th' matter? Is there somethin' wrong?"
"Uh.... my species isn't exactly down with the nudity," he said, quickly wrapping the rain poncho around his waist.
"Beg pardon?"
"We don't like putting our jewels on display?"
"Huh?"
"Our genitals hang loose externally, so we try to cover up," James said bluntly, he never did like repeating himself.
Processing this new information, Applejack's face turned a crimson red.
"Oh, uh. Heh, uh, A-Ah'll just, uh, wait out side 'til you're decent. Uh, sorry 'bout that," said a flustered cowpony, back peddling out the door.
'Well, that was a bit of awkwardness I could have done without.' James thought with an exasperated sigh.
James quickly wiped the water off himself with his hands. It didn't get him completely dry, but it was good enough. Then he threw on a pair of his dry boxers, socks and his pants before finishing with his boots.
"Alright, I'm good," he called out.
"Heh, sorry about that darlin'. Ah didn't mean ta sneak a peak on ya."
*sigh* "It's fine, it was just..... awkward. Just, where I'm from, it's considered rude to...... expose yourself to others."
"Well, that sure is strange. Nopony else around here--" she stopped as she noticed his injuries. "What in the hay happened ta you?! When did ya even get those, ya didn't seem hurt when we found ya, are you ok?" she said as she gawked at the bruise and the hole in his shoulder.
"I'm fine, it was just a stupid accident."
"That weren't no accident, sugarcube. It looks like ya got bucked in th' side and a bull ran ya through with one of his horns!" she exclaimed.
"Look, I don't really want to talk about it. It's all healing now. I'm sorry, but could we just drop it?" he said as politely as possible.
"Well, ok then. But tomorrow I'm gonna ask Fluttershy ta have a look at that, jus' ta make sure. And that ain't up fer discussion," she stated.
"Alright then," James replied, a little bit annoyed.
After the stubborn mare left, James went back out to the water pump and refilled his canteen before quaffing down a few cups strait from the spigot. As he returned to the barn, he snatched up one of the apples from the bucket and took a bite.
'Damn, this is delicious. Probably one of the best I've had...... maybe ever.'
He quickly chomped it down to the core before demolishing two more. Content, he climbed up to the loft and threw on an under shirt. He grabbed a bunch of hay and spread it around in a pile about the length of his body before covering it with an old blanket he found in the corner. Even though the sun was going down, it was still quite warm and since we was now sheltered from the elements he didn't even need to use his poncho as a blanket. So he just stretched out on his makeshift bed and took in the scenery out the back of the barn in the dying light.
'This still just feels too unreal. This must all be in my head or something. I'll probably wake up in the morning in an Afghan village or a field hospital somewhere.'
He lay there and watched the moon slowly rise over the horizon. He still couldn't believe that some 'magical pony princesses' were responsible for it.
'I'll believe it when I see it.'
Still, he couldn't help admiring the beautiful crescent moon and the surrounding stars. He couldn't really see any of the constellations he did on earth. It had bothered him at first, but he had come to accept it. He made one final check to make sure hit pistol was in easy reach before finally succumbing to his weariness.
He went out like a light.
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Appels...
IT!
No problem with that spelling error!
I have problems with seplling too...
Like that
So far this story hasn't ceased to amuse me.
I
Somewhat annoyed that he agreed to an all veggie diet so fast seeing as i pictured him more willful but i guess its to be expected. Don't want to alienate the locals after all not to mention that all or most of the creatures in equestria seem to be semi sentient at the very least. (kinda makes u wonder about those squirrels he ate.)
1049021
I can't agree more.
i wanna see the looks on their faces when he has to explain everything to them
Awesome story but you have a problem with saying thier alot.
1072280
I just wish he would mention the need for some eggs or cheese or something. Vegan diets don't work well without some very specific nuts and beans from different ends of the earth.
we cannot live off of entirely fruits and veggies its impossible
1072280
Agreed. Besides that, why is a USN SEAL even caring about what they'd think about him eating meat? Sure, he doesn't want to offend them, but at the same time a healthy human diet (let's not even start with what's necessary for a healthy human warrior) requires meat, or more specifically a high amount of calories and a few different types of protein. So there's no point in apologizing about it, it's just a basic fact of life.
Several small errors that keep breaking my immersion - for instance, peak ≠ peek, and here ≠ hear.
1898314
Pfft, you're scared of 70?
I have over 300!!
Another HiE story, another protagonist willing to give up meat. I'm waiting for one to tell the ponies "Fuck you, I'll eat whatever the hell I want, and if you don't stop bothering me about it, I'll add you on the menu!"
2714375 well he has the means to add a whole town to the menu
2478715
300! This is insane! This is MADNESS!!!
3110327 BEFORE I HAD 315 witch i didn't know about the notify becuase i was new
mmmmmm
I like how remarkably blunt the protagonist is. If he doesn't think something should be talked about, he just doesn't talk about it. If he thinks it's worth saying, he'll just go out and say like "It's rude to be naked in the presence of others, cuz' my genitals hang out."
No dancing around it, he just says exactly what he means and why.
3221389 Ha! That's nothing! I currently have 348 chapters unread in my favorites! I had 500 yesterday! (I read like RD flies)
Having two quotes with only one indication to who it's from is jarring.
He left out that on one particular mission he HAD eaten horse. Their supplies had been lost during the jump and they had to survive in the desert somehow.
Because you know there are horses all over deserts
3527514 ... I have 986 unread favs....
He's from Brooklyn, if I remember correctly Jiopaba
1236193 Well, it would be difficult to make sure you get all necessary nutrients, but it can be done. It a lot easier to just eat meat, seeing as how it has every necessary nutrients required to sustain animals (and humans), otherwise the animal it came from would have died from malnutrition. This is not the same case with vegetables and fruits. They do not require all the same things as us to survive and grow, but they occasionally require SOME of them, which varies from each species of fruit/vegetable. In conclusion, for a human being to survive COMPLETELY on fruits and vegetables, you would have to know what all necessary nutrients it contains, and consume multiple different ones that all together, cover these needs.
So your argument is invalid
4553334
Spot on.
The only issue I know of with this is that without a decent rundown by a skilled dietitian, you're likely to have problems later in life if you eat a diet of nothing but vegetation.
There are just so few protein based plants that possesses the needed nutrients. It can't just be protein, but has to contain the right kind of proteins to ensure it has the right nourishment, and in a manner in which your stomach is capable of extracting it.
As well, it nearly impossible to have a wide enough variety of things like beans, peanuts, and other high protein plants that an equine society would have little use for without importing said foods. (So living off just the small variety of locally grown fruits and vegies isn't viable).
Bulk Biceps might be able to hook him up with a vegetarian high protein supply, but all-in-all it would be a thousand times easier and safer to just eat chicken eggs and fish for the protein portion of his meals).
Vegetarian diets for omnivores are really not well suited to life outside the extremely unique situation we find ourselves in, being a large scale civilization designed around sustaining ourselves on a wide variety of foods, even in environments where said foods cannot be grown, or obtained. Keeping an omnivore such as a human alive on only the minority side of it's usual dietary feeding requirements is tough. If it weren't for our current ability to import exotic foods to where they cannot be obtained otherwise, and store many of said foods en mass so that it lasts past the season it generally grows, a vegetarian diet would be impossible without mild to severe detriments to such a dietary intake.
At best, you'll just suffer from extremely weakened bones in your later years if you eat an imbalanced diet of vegetation for a significant portion of your lifetime.
At worst, you'll literally starve to death with a full belly (Bad way to go, by the way. Personally, I'd say it would be more pleasant to drown or even burn to death in a fire. Dying via emaciation over a period of months is a terrible fate.) Luckily this takes a while, and you've got plenty enough time to take a look at that choice and say "Ya know what, this is really a bad idea out in the wild. I need some source of animal-based protein".
4163308 ...let the bragging commence, who will win? To be seen in the next episode of my little pony Z
5768500
There’s a certain helicopter in the air and it goes soi soi soi.
4163308
Srly? Try 4022 unread favorites, THEN you can talk.