Chapter 2/USA: Diploma in Diplomacy
War breeds mistrust, and mistrust undermines diplomacy. Without diplomacy, peace is nothing but a distant hope, forever out of reach.
Manehattan Bay, August 6th, 2045. 08:44 PM
"Coastals, back to ships! Royal Guard wants us out of the way, clear out."
Jameson broke his handshake to see a winged pony with a fancy white jacket and cap barking orders to nearby ponies.
New Horizons grinned apologetically at the Lieutenant Colonel, tossed yet another incredibly lazy salute, and walked- no, 'trotted'- back to her Coast Guard ship, along with the rest of the Coast Guard personnel.
Jameson realised what this meant.
"Wait!"
The winged pony turned his head, piercing Jameson with his icy stare. Jameson persisted, "Hey, our wounded need treatment!"
The pony shrugged, but his expression softened with sympathy. "Sorry, kid, can't argue with the Royal Guard. Don't worry, they're not monsters. Your ponies will get help."
Jameson didn't bother to correct the pony's slip of the tongue. As the Coast Guard ships began backing away, he motioned to Lee to come closer.
"Have the Rangers stand by on the top deck. See if you can get some drones up there too. If these... creatures... have ulterior motives, we may be able to intimidate them long enough to negotiate," he whispered. Lee saluted firmly and left the boarding deck. Most of the crew on the deck took this as a sign they were dismissed, and headed back up as well.
Left alone with two soldiers setting up a TOW missile and some floodlights, Jameson realised he had no way of getting up to the top deck by the stairs.
One quick delivery later, and the Lieutenant Commander was hobbling along the top edge's deck with a crutch in his right hand. It meant he couldn't hold anything else, and was quite undignified, but anything was better than the wheelchair. While the humans around him had towered over the ponies on the boarding deck, he'd been eye-to-eye with them- an unpleasant experience after being taller than most people for his life.
Quietly he observed the approaching warship and smaller military craft encircling the ship, lit up by the carrier's spotlights, while he collected his thoughts.
A posh-looking, bronze-coated unicorn in high-ranking Naval uniform stood on an observatory deck on the warship, next to a regular pony holding binoculars.
Lee's efficient, loyal, and young. He could be ambitious, though, and I need to make sure he's not grabbing power behind my back.
Winged ponies darted around the pony military craft, warily beating back recon drones with large flaps of their wings.
Captain Emma seems to be doing fine so far, but Lee reports she has no experience with the Airforce and was only put in charge because of the purge of the ship command. Another person to keep an eye on.
A group of various young-looking ponies stood on the deck of one of the smaller military craft, wearing gleaming white armor and sheathed swords along their flanks. Laughing, smiling, and pointing as they shone a strong light into the faces of the annoyed Rangers lining the top deck.
Staff Sergeant Henry. He's been distant and cold today, ever since we arrived at... this world. I haven't seen Sergeant Teddy around either, not since the explosion on the bridge. They both command Gamma Squad, the youngest squad on the ship. The wild card, incorrectly selected for such a serious mission to the Antarctic. I wonder how they're doing.
Something was being shouted between the two soldiers on the boarding deck and the closest military craft, a simple rubber boat. The words were lost before they reached Jameson.
How am I supposed to take care of the crew? Here we are, a broken unit on an aircraft carrier in an unknown land, led by a cripple with only two limbs. From the looks of the pony military force, we have no chance of surviving if they decide to attack. And even if we survive this, what n-
His thoughts were interrupted by a crewmember shaking him by the shoulder.
"Sir? A small group of horses is waiting on the boarding deck, they wanted to speak to our commander. I suppose that'll have to be you."
Jameson ignored the subtle insult at the end; the Navy would need some time to get used to an unqualified Army officer in charge of the ship. At a snail's pace he hobbled back down the stairs to the flat, mostly empty deck where the military party waited.
It was nothing like the peaceful, almost-friendly scene just a few minutes before.
A row of grim, tan-uniformed soldiers with rifles slung over their shoulders faced an equally tense group of five ponies: three white-armored, unarmed unicorns which reminded Jameson of medieval knights, a regular pony in the same armor, and strange-looking pony in pitch-black armor, with small, leathery wings. The whites of his eyes shone like lamps, but the pupils felt like an endless void, as if no light reflected off of them.
Jameson tore his eyes away from the odd pony and turned to the regular one in white armor. He seemed to be in charge; his helmet was more decorative than those of the other knights, and he radiated an air of confidence and authority. His right front hoof held a rolled up scroll.
Jameson stepped past the row of soldiers, who saluted at him. He relished the look of surprise on the pony officer's face. He must not have expected such a physically damaged person to be in charge.
The pony officer saluted with his left front hoof without losing his balance. After a moment's hesitation, Jameson saluted back.
"Are you in charge here?" the pony asked. Jameson chuckled lightly for no discernible reason as the ridiculousness of the situation hit him.
"Indeed I am. Lieutenant Colonel Jameson of the American military. And you are?"
The pony smiled drily. "That is irrelevant but to humor you, I am Major Steady Front of the Royal Guard. Now, to business." He unrolled the scroll with no apparent difficulty and began reading it aloud.
"By order of the Royal Sisters, seated in Canterlot:
"Greetings, creatures, and welcome to the nation of Equestria, in the land of Equus. I am Princess Celestia, the ruling monarch of the nation. I ask on behalf of all the ponies of Equestria that, although you have no reason to do so, you please trust us so we can do the same for you. Please ensure your people remain on the ship, and do not attempt to attack us in any way or we will have to react. Otherwise, you face no harm from us.
"In a few minutes, the esteemed Royal Guard will escort you to Manehattan's City Hall, where you will meet a diplomatic representative to discuss our future. Do not carry weapons if possible, and bring no more than fourteen members. Please cooperate with Major Steady Front, the captain of Manehattan's Royal Guard. Thank you for understanding, and well wishes."
The Major turned the scroll around to show an official looking seal. Jameson frowned, trying to absorb all of this. Equestria, monarchs, and diplomacy... he'd have to deal with all of this. Sighing, he nodded to the Major to put away the scroll.
"Two questions and a demand, Major."
Steady Front nodded and motioned for him to go on.
"Firstly, what's up with the horns and wings and-" he glanced over at the black-armored pony, lowering his voice, "-that?"
The Major stared at him blankly for a second before realising what he meant. "Oh well, there are different races and subspecies of ponies. The three races are earthponies which are much stronger and faster on their hooves, unicorns which have a horn they can use to perform magic with, and pegasi who have wings they use to fly. 'That'-" the pony waved his forelegs mildly in what Jameson took to be disdainful airquotes "-is a thestral, or batpony. They are incredibly similar to pegasi in most aspects, except for their facial features and darker coat colors. There's also a few others, but it would take too much of my limited time to explain them to you."
The Lieutenant Colonel nodded in understanding. He'd heard of pegasi and thestrals before, but hadn't connected the labels with the ponies.
"Don't worry, I'm not one to waste time either. Second question, why do all your soldiers use medieval weaponry?"
The Major raised his front hoof in indignation, "I'll have you know, Lieutenant Colonel, that our arsenal is perfectly modern and effective at fighting off any threat. Although your armaments may seem superior, they're quite similar to that of the griffons; we've won against them repeatedly before. Swords, lances, and shields are simply better for our style of fighting."
Jameson bit the inside of his cheek. Now that his questions were answered, it was time for the demand. Could he risk it?
"Right then, thank you for answering my queries, Major. The letter instructed us not to carry weapons. However, I insist that our delegation be allowed to carry small arms. If we have to defend ourse-"
"You are being protected by the Royal Guard! No harm would befall-"
"Sorry, Major, but I don't entirely trust your 'Royal Guard' just yet. Anything could happen on the way, and I don't want to rely on unknown soldiers from an unknown faction to save us."
The Major glared at Jameson with barely contained frustration.
"Fine, you may arm your delegation. Anything else before we proceed?"
Jameson shook his head. He hadn't really believed his own argument for bringing weapons; he had simply wanted to show the ponies that they weren't pushovers. And, who knew, maybe they actually would have to use the guns.
"Alright then. Lieutenant Colonel, we will be escorting your ship to the military port just south of Manehattan," he glanced at the huge aircraft carrier. "Is your ship capable of docking?"
"I'll need to ask the sonar experts and engineers if the ship can fit in what I assume will be a smaller dock, but we should manage."
"Unless you have anything else to say, we'll proceed to the port. Get your pon- people ready, we leave as soon as you signal us," Steady Front stated with a salute.
Jameson simply watched as the Equestrian party readied their rubber boat and sped off into the darkness. He turned to one of the now-dispersed soldiers.
"Tell the Lieutenant Commander Lee to meet me at the aircraft apron, urgently. And the rest of you lot, get back to your stations."
The soldiers saluted and sped off.
Jameson checked the watch conveniently fastened to the top of his crutch. 9:37 PM.
The carrier was slowly approaching a tiny dock surrounded by a fence, with two large military warehouses, guided by the Equestrian naval fleet. So far they had been guided a distance away from the Manehattan coast, but now they were close enough to easily make out the pedestrians enjoying an early-night walk in the park lining the coast.
The military base looked incredibly out-of-place, especially with the high-rise apartment buildings crowding just behind it, electric lights shining out of the windows. Jameson grinned at the familiar sight, incredibly similar to New York City. If he didn't look at the pony-shaped pedestrians and the utter lack of motorised ground vehicles, he could almost believe they were still in America.
Almost.
The carrier's top deck was a flurry of activity as it slid smoothly between the two piers. Jameson could hear the groan of metal as the starboard ramp on one of the lower decks lowered open, and peered over the side to see soldiers fastening it to the pier.
A squad of Equestrian soldiers formed a loose circle around them, all dressed in the shining white armor of the Royal Guard. The Lieutenant Colonel remembered with a start that he was supposed to bring fourteen people to the diplomatic meeting.
"Lieutenant Commander," he said to Lee, who was standing right next to him, "bring Gamma squad, a trusted Navy officer, and a sentry drone to the ramp. Oh, and order the vehicle department to prepare one of the Humvees." Lee nodded and strode away.
Jameson decided to take the small cargo elevator down to the vehicle bay. He certainly wasn't in the mood to struggle down the stairs with his crutch, and the elevator was more direct than the endless maze of corridors and stairways of the USS Discord.
As he entered the bay he received salutes and occasionally subtle glares from the assorted crewmembers and soldiers. It seemed the news of him now being in charge of the ship had spread, and some Navy crew didn't appreciate an unknown Army officer leading the carrier.
The vehicle bay was a large, cavern-like room filled with repair equipment, huge snaking cables, scattered shelves on wheels, and of course vehicles. The bay was also used for maintaining and repairing aircraft parts as well as storing drones.
Along one end sat the idle vehicles: four Humvees armed with heavy mounted machineguns, several pitch-black rubber boats on wheeled pallets, and even a Crusader tank, the main light tank of the American military. With them were rows of deactivated drones. Small anti-tank 'spider' drones hung on rows of hooks, with Sentries and Guardians (machinegun and cannon drones respectively) lining the floorspace below as well as a few scattered ground Recon drones.
Set into the other end was the huge vehicle bay ramp, the same one Jameson had watched opening from the top deck. It seemed Lee had called his orders ahead, because a Humvee stood, fueled and gleaming in the floodlights, just next to the ramp.
Sentries and Rangers guarded the bottom of the ramp along with a javelin team, strangely enough.
"Lieutenant Colonel sir!"
Jameson turned his head to see Gamma squad jogging towards him, a less fit Navy officer trailing behind them. Gamma squad had 11 members; with the Navy officer and Jameson that totaled 13 people. Jameson glanced around, wondering who could fill the 14th spot, and his eyes came to a rest on one of the active Sentries at the base of the ramp.
"Sir, Sergeant Richard!" said a Sergeant of Gamma Squad, saluting. "Staff Sergeant Henry was unable to attend. However, the rest of Gamma is here."
Jameson narrowed his eyes as he returned the salute. Gamma squad hadn't had any assigned duties, so he didn't see why Henry would be too busy to see to such a vital mission. Sergeant Teddy wasn't there either, strangely. With a sigh, he motioned for the squad members to follow him.
"Captain," he tapped the shoulder of an officer with a Drone department insignia, who he recognised as Captain John Hunt, "can we borrow two of the Sentry drones?"
The Captain saluted at him, "Of course, sir. You can take 'A-3459' and 'G-6492'. They'll only respond to their own designations, but you may shorten them to 'A-3' and 'G-6'."
Jameson thanked the Captain and called for 'A-3' and 'G-6' to follow him. Two of the Sentry drones gathered around him along with Gamma squad and the Navy officer, motors whirring.
"Alright, listen up people." He raised his voice so all the soldiers on the pier could hear. "We're going to be meeting with the fine representatives of the 'Equestrian military' here. If we're not back by dawn, get the hell out of here as fast as possible. Keep your wits about you, stay calm, and be on guard. See you all in a few hours."
His miniature speech was met by a strong cheer from the gathered soldiers. Jameson noticed the Royal Guard knights looking slightly nervous.
With some difficulty, he climbed into the passenger seat of the Humvee. A Gamma squad Corporal- Owen Cooper, he remembered- took the driver's seat, while another soldier manned the gun. The rest formed a loose circle around the armored vehicle as it moved slowly past the American soldier line.
The Royal Guard soldiers led the group to the end of the pier where a larger force waited. Jameson recognised Major Steady Front amongst them.
"What's this sound-making monster, soldiers?" he said, pointing at the Humvee which towered over the heads of the much shorter ponies. Jameson stuck his head out of the window.
"This right here is a marvel of American engineering, the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, or Hmmmmvuw," Jameson stated, grinning.
The Major nodded in understanding. "Ah, it's like a mix between a train and a boat.... interesting. As long as it isn't dangerous" -his eyes drifted over the huge shielded gun on top of the Humvee, where Jameson imagined the soldier was trying to look as innocent as possible- "we'll allow you to use it. After all, it would be boring watching a cripple hobbling along slowly for a few hours," he sneered.
Jameson burned with rage inside, but outwardly he kept his cool.
"Just keep inside the Royal Guard escort. Try anything funny, and you'll be dead before you can count your hooves," continued the Major.
Jameson nodded, and the Major motioned for the base's tiny fence gate to be opened.
The strange procession spilled out onto the street, which was made of cobbled stone rather than the asphalt Jameson had expected. The three dozen or so Royal Guards formed a tight circle around the American delegation, forcing the soldiers to nearly hug the Humvee. They did however give a wide berth to the two Sentry drones trailing just behind the Humvee.
Jameson, leaning out of the window, noted a couple of Royal Guard pegasi circling above the procession, protecting against attacks from above.
Right, we'll have to worry about pegasi and thestrals too if we ever fight the ponies. And I don't even want to consider what their unicorns are capable of with 'magic'.
The street they were on was completely deserted, but as they moved farther away from the military dock they began to pass stunned, gawking civilian ponies. Finally they turned onto a much larger, busier main road.
The road was a bustle of activity, although the ponies were forced to the sides by Royal Guards keeping the center of the road clear. It seemed that, like New York, the city was busy in the night as people enjoyed the entertainment options after a long day of work.
However, as the escorted Americans came into view, the road fell nearly completely silent. Ponies stared, nudging and whispering to the others next to them. There was utter silence as they tried to comprehend this alien sight.
The Royal Guards moved a lot faster now, and the Rangers struggled to keep up with their much faster speed. Ponies had to dart out of the way of the Humvee as they moved down a side road which hadn't been cleared by Royal Guards yet. Jameson wondered what they must have been thinking of the strange procession.
After a few minutes of moving through a maze of streets and roads, receiving mostly the same reaction from ponies on the way, their escorts finally stopped them outside a large, official building with a tall staircase and Roman-like pillars which Jameson assumed was the City Hall. It was awkwardly slotted between several much taller apartment buildings, although they were shorter than those of most of the city.
A soldier of Gamma squad helped him out of the Humvee. Jameson recognised him as Specialist Todd, the lazy drone specialist from earlier that day. Hooking his crutch under his right arm, Jameson allowed himself and the rest of the American delegation to be escorted into the City Hall.
Aside from the sleepy, quiet reception room, the building was almost entirely deserted. Most of the Royal Guard soldiers waited there, while half a dozen remained to escort the humans. Major Steady Front led the group.
After a short trip down the narrow corridors of the building, they reached an official-looking wooden door set into the wall. The Major opened the door and ushered the soldiers inside, then closed the door behind them.
It was a large conference room with a glass table occupying the very center, able to seat over 20 people. At the opposite end, a midnight-black, extremely tall female pony with both a horn and wings sat, flanked by two of the same black-armored type of pony- thestrals- that the pony representatives on the boarding deck had had with them. Another black-armored pony had taken the chair next to the tall pony.
A banner hung behind the ponies on the wall. It displayed a blue-purple shield with a crescent moon lining the edge of the sun, yellow rays touching the edge of the shield. A white laurel wrapped around the sun, and four tiny stars evenly dotted the top of the shield. The moon and stars almost seem to glow.
Jameson took in the flowing, ethereal mane and tail of the tall pony which seemed to be filled with dim, tiny stars, the chestplate adorned with an official-looking crescent insignia, and the crown which was tucked in just behind her horn. Some sort of royalty, perhaps?
To stay on the safe side, Jameson bowed as best as he could with the crutch. His soldiers took the hint and did the same.
The royal pony led out a melodious laugh.
"We appreciate your manners when treating royalty but please, be at ease. You may sit."
Jameson took the chair at the head of the table opposite the royal pony, relieved to find that they were almost exactly like human chairs. After realising how awkward it would be to converse by shouting across the conference room, he moved to a seat closer to her.
The rest of his team did the same, until they were all seated around the table.
The royal pony motioned to one of the thestrals, who picked up a pen and official-looking notebook. She cleared her throat delicately.
"ahem. Princess Luna, presiding over the first official meeting between the Equestrian government and..." she looked at the Navy officer expectantly.
Jameson realised the Princess had mistaken the Navy officer for the leader of the American delegation. The officer shot him a sheepish grin as he corrected the Princess.
"Er, we represent the armed forces of the United States of America. I am Lieutenant Colonel Jameson, de facto commander of the USS Discord and, for the time being, of all American personnel in the area."
The thestral furiously scribbled down his statement as the Princess nodded, acknowledging that he was the actual leader of the American delegation, and proceeded with the formalities.
"Comprising the Equestrian delegation are Nightguard Commander Gleaming Fangs-" she motioned to the thestral sitting at the table "-and Nightguard Corporals Swift Blade and Eclipsed Range. Making up the... American delegation are..."
"Lieutenant Colonel Jameson Kayran, Sergeant Richard Hull, Sergeant Tiana Sampson..." He listed off all the members of Gamma squad, using their name badges to confirm he properly remembered their names. "...Sentry drones A-3459 and G-6492, and Navy-" He glanced at the Navy officer as he realised he didn't know the officer's name or even his rank.
"Lieutenant Red Roberts," whispered the Navy officer without taking his eyes off Princess Luna.
"-Navy Lieutenant Red Roberts."
The Princess nodded, "Let us begin the meeting. Lieutenant Colonel, We request that you answer all of the following questions to the best of your ability, as truthfully as you can. Do you understand?" Jameson simply nodded.
"Very well. Is there any term for your species?"
"Humans, Princess. We're humans, singular 'human'."
"Are the Americans or any other humans a threat to Equestria?"
"Well, I don't know ou-"
Luna cut him off. "Answer 'yes' or 'no, please, Lieutenant Colonel."
Jameson considered the question. From what he'd seen so far, the Equestrian military consisted mostly of sword-wielding ponies. Despite what the Major had said, he was sure a single Ranger could easily take on several earthponies from a distance.
Then there was the matter of technology. Although the ponies had electricity, water, modern warships, trains, and plenty of modern inventions from what Jameson had gathered, they were lagging far behind in technology which was useful in combat. He wasn't even sure if they had wireless communication or radar yet, and the only aircraft he had spotted had been a blimp floating over one of the main roads in Manehattan.
If the USS Discord, let alone the entire American military or even all of humanity, were to launch a sudden attack on the ponies, at least a couple dozen thousand would die from the initial aircraft bombings alone.
All-in-all, they were definitely a threat to Equestria. However, stating that you could, at any moment, commit genocide to a country's citizens during the first meeting with said country did not seem very diplomatic.
"No," he answered firmly.
The Princess looked him up and down, raising her eyebrows. With a shrug, she continued.
Weird. Did she catch on to my lie or did I just answer the question strangely?
"Do you mean any harm to any creature of Equestria?" Finally, a question he could answer truthfully.
"No."
The Princess nodded her head appreciatively. "How long have you been in Equestria, or the area surrounding it? Have you met anypony outside of Manehattan?"
Jameson thought about this. Had the strange industrial city they had seen in the morning been part of Equestria, or Russia? He decided that after their engagement with the attack force in the Antarctic, they had been teleported to Equestria.
"Just over 12 hours, your Majesty."
"'Your Highness'," corrected Gleaming Fangs, ", is the proper term for addressing a Princess." He had a smooth voice, like one you would expect of a singer rather than the veteran commander of a military department.
Jameson apologised for his error. "As for your second question, no. We kept our distance from the coast on our way here, and the first time we even saw a pony was in the Manehattan bay."
The Princess raised her hoof to her chin thoughtfully. "We would love to hear the story of the USS... Discord, you said?"
Jameson nodded and launched into his explanation: they had mysteriously appeared in a tropical sea, located and headed towards an industrial city- "That would be Stalliongrad, the production capital of Equestria." -but gone south instead because they had spotted a group of aircraft they recognised and wished to avoid- "Aircraft?" "Essentially flying ships." -and sailed straight south along the coast till they reached Manehattan and were intercepted by the Coast Guard.
Stalliongrad, not Stalingrad- and part of Equestria too. Is this an unknown land or something worse? Are we in an alternate dimension?
"That is not the entire story, We think," hmm-ed Luna, interrupting Jameson's thoughts. "What happened before the USS Discord appeared in Equestria? Why were you requesting medical aid from the Coast Guard?"
Jameson considered telling Princess Luna the whole story. He didn't trust them yet, especially because they were a monarchy. For all he knew, the populace was suppressed by a brutal royal dictatorship.
He exchanged glances with each of the Americans. Lieutenant Red Roberts gave him an encouraging smile and a nod.
Jameson made his decision. Taking a deep breath, he spilled the entire story to Princess Luna.
He explained the state of the human world; global war, with superpowers fighting for control after the sudden Russian invasion of the European Continental Alliance. He told the Princess about the Global Liberation Army, a terrorist organisation, against which the Americans and Chinese had banded and formed a close bond after its defeat two decades prior, and about how the USA, ECA, and China were currently allied together to push the Russians out of Europe and hopefully restore peace to the world.
Jameson related the USS Discord's mission in the Antarctic. They were part of the elite Quick Reaction Force and thus had been deployed almost immediately after the American military had detected a strange, unknown signal originating from there. Fearing another faction was finally attempting to conquer the frozen wasteland and take advantage of its proximity to South America, southern Africa, and Australia, the military had sent them out with little preparation to scout the area and report back.
They had been ambushed by a large fleet of Russian planes: fighter jets, cargo carriers, long-distance attack planes, the whole arsenal. The Russian planes had caused severe casualties, especially decimating the ship's entire Navy command corps in a single strike, and launched a huge, unstoppable missile at the ship. Before it had hit, the ship had suddenly appeared in Equestria.
The Princess made the appropriate sympathetic noises and understanding nods as she listened to the tale. Jameson felt his voice breaking when he talked about the wounded and the dozens of bodies, slowly rotting away on the top deck of the ship, with their loved ones and family and friends never to see again, perhaps not even ever knowing what happened to anyone on the USS Discord, as they were trapped here in-
A heavy, midnight blue hoof took him by the shoulder. Jameson turned to look into the soft, understanding gaze of the Princess, as he realised he had been rambling hysterically.
"Calm down, young one," she stated calmly.
Jameson felt his face grow hot with embarrassment. He had probably ruined the entire meeting. A quick scan of his fellow Americans' faces showed a mixture of pity, worry, and disgust.
The Princess Luna took in all of them and smiled comfortingly. "You are troubled by what you have seen. Our words can only offer minor relief, but know that you are not alone in this world.
"Others like you showed up in Canterlot, our capital, today. As we speak, my sister is conversing with them. I will not offer you more information, however. We do not want a conflict to begin here in Equestria, if they turn out to be your adversaries."
Jameson's heart lifted, then fell as he listened to her statement. It was most probably the Russians- and in the capital of the country! They were probably working to gain political influence at this very moment, while Jameson was breaking down in front of a Princess.
Not for the first time, he wished someone more capable had been there to take over the Discord.
"Now that we have been acquainted, it is time to move on to more important matters. Commander Gleaming Fangs will locate a pony to serve as your ambassador by dawn, who can answer the questions you must be having about ponykind."
The Princess pulled a pair of official-looking documents seemingly from nowhere. "This was drawn up while we were processing the citizenship of a warship defecting from the Imperial Griffon Legion, but we've modified it for your purposes." Jameson took one of the papers in his hands and began scanning it as Luna explained its contents.
"The USS Discord will be considered American territory; no Equestrian ponies will board the ship without your permission. Everyone on the Discord may freely walk around, get a job, start a business, and is entitled to every other right of an Equestrian citizen, but you may not leave Manehattan and each person must pass Equestrian immigration. The Royal Treasury will pay for your essential supplies and equipment. However, bear in mind-"
She drew herself up to full height. Most ponies had been just over half the height of humans, but Princess Luna easily towered over their heads, especially since they were sitting down. The cold gaze, slitted pupils, dark regalia, and ethereal mane and tail which were somehow flowing despite them being indoors, all combined to cast an intimidating image of an experienced and tough ruler.
Jameson could see why Princess Luna was royalty.
Lightning flashed through the window, thunder could be heard from far off- despite it being a clear night- and the electric lights in the room flickered dramatically.
"If you break Equestrian law," she boomed in a terrifying voice that forced the Americans and even the Nightguards to cover their ears, "you shall suffer the consequences. If any of you dare to even think about laying a hand on my little ponies, We shall personally ensure you are brought to justice."
The Princess smiled, sitting down, and the lights came back on. "Do you have any questions, Americans?" Her voice was normal again.
One of the Gamma squad soldiers nervously raised a finger.
"Uhhhh, you said we could, uhhh, get a job? What kind of, uhhhh, work can we do? And what's uhhh the currency used in Equestria?"
"The entirety of Equus- the name of this world, or land- uses 'bits' or a barter system. Don't worry, your ambassador can answer any other questions.
Jameson finished reading the paper. It was a standard, international-treaty-like document which outlined the rights and restrictions on both parties. It was mostly everything the Princess had described, so after a quick glance/nonverbal discussion with the rest of the American delegation, Jameson picked up a nearby pen to sign the paper.
The 'Equestrian Head of State' line was already filled, leaving only the '(blank) Head of State' line. Jameson wrote 'American' in the blank and, after a moment of hesitation, signed his own name.
The Princess smiled widely and shook Jameson's hand. Yet another monumental moment in both the parties' histories.
They exchanged a few more pleasantries- from which the Lieutenant Colonel learnt the Princess' species was called an 'alicorn' and was rare- before the Princess dismissed them. As Commander Gleaming Fangs escorted them down the corridor, past the suspicious Royal Guards, Jameson could faintly hear what was being said in the conference room.
"Oh, Corporal, please do fetch Us a cup of tea. The teleport spell really is tiring."
Oh Lord, they're just the British in disguise.
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You know, I actually hope that Equis/Equestria didn't become so war-scarred like Earth was.
But that's just wishful thinking. Considering how wacky and chaotic Command and Conquer is.
My honest reaction:
I don't like the tone of those ponies
BROOO WHY IS THAT SO DAMN FUNNY
Humans likely lose because they had no nation. An army needed a nation to survice. The lack of the supply chain. No repair parts, no fuel, and only means of food supply is by pillage from locals. Manned by mostly low education crews.
Even then in the long run, they have no choice but to beg from Equss’s superpowers to reverse engineer their stuff and manufacture part for them in order to even maintain their tech.
The story was going strong, until the last quarter of this chapter 2. Every word at that point felt like it was rushed.
I know you are eager to get the culture shock on the ponies, based off your Humvee 'strutting' through Manehatten's roads and the sense of human greatness waiting to be unleashed, but the execution and emotional cohesiveness feels off.
This is the first oddity. This is suppose to be one of the crucial dialogues, I dare say, in the whole fic. This sets the tone and what to expect from the story going forward: our protagonist's character.
Communication plays a humongous part of all stories, spoken or otherwise. The issue is that Jameson's line became a throwaway. This footnote essentially just deconstructed his personality and gives us nothing in return. The fact that he HAS a dialogue just after he invisibly apologised is even worst.
If he had to choose to apologise, it gives Jameson depth. It tells us that Jameson may or may not have diplomatic experience while attempting to keep up the charade of show of force, regardless if he broke down later.
Since he chose to apologise, there are many ways to go about it:
"Sorry. Your Highness."
"... apologies."
"... your Highness."
Then there is the non verbal aspect too. We could have Jameson either nonchalantly roll his eyes, remain stoic, forrow his brows in anger, bow his head in courtesy, or even have his body perform a twitch like we hit his pet peeves.
In the end, all we got is 'Jameson apologised for his error' instead of, 'Jameson softly gasped at the faux pas, "my mistake, your Highness."'
A lot of information gets compact in such a short sentence. If you are trying to rush to something, like all the shocks you ever want, I recommend a proper dialogue rather than brief descriptions. It allows the readers to build a connection or understanding of anyone.
I find it odd that he apologise without context. Imagine my face when he sudden spill everything for no reason. He could have said something about his recent encounter in the antarctic, but rather, he apparently went to great lengths about history which he apparently had the time to do this.
He just recently lost a leg. His bandage would have been leaking already and he is moving about as if the injury was from months/years ago.
Basically, you've missed the opportunity to get the readers really invested into the story, but instead, turned it into an info dump. This culture shock dialogue is one of the major point but it has been regaled to "Jameson explained about..."
We would love to see what shockingly human topic would be have brought up, especially since you are doing it as an info dump. Info dumps are boring until you dress them up; I skipped the history since it doesn't seem relevant or interesting.
He's my example of what could have been: