Up north was the Duchy of Maretonia. A good neighbor and, as far as she knows, one that’ll fight alongside them when time came to it. She considers their nation an ally and they even engage in trade. Already, her council was drafting up another trade agreement that would further strengthen their relations. It’d be nice.
To their east laid the Ice Dragon Tribes. She didn’t have much knowledge about their lands, but from what she heard, they were more on the… violent side of things, often prioritizing strength above all else. As long as they don’t bother her, she won’t bother them.
To the west was Karkadannistan. They were more hostile towards her nation than any other country on Zebrica. She never knew the true reason behind such hostilities. Was it conquest? Materials? Domination? It wasn’t exactly clear with each letter sent towards her palace. It gave her weary feelings, and it wasn’t something she was gonna take lightly. She made sure to ask her generals about a defense contingency should the need arise.
So… yeah, she was a good leader amongst the very few found on Zebrica. Her nation thrived and all was well in her part of the world.
Apparently, that was enough for a new nation called the “United States of the Americas” to visit her country from all the way in Griffonia. She had heard of the humans when news spread about them. Three nations, two of which were former allies, but no longer. And the other? The opposition. They called themselves the United States of the Americas, the Union of European Nations, and the Soviet Union. All three of these new nations were battered and broken, having escaped their dying world through a rushed breakthrough in portals. That, and they were also now the most advanced nations on Equis.
Anywho, when she first received the message, she brushed it off as a joke. No one, and absolutely no one, would come to their nation to establish diplomatic relations. There just wasn’t really any reason to. They were far down south, away from all the chaos and drama that happened up north. Well, she used to think that before a so-called “helicopter” landed just outside her palace on the open snowy field. Her guardsponies had surrounded the vehicle, guns at the ready as the “humans,” as they call themselves, came out and finally began talks.
After weeks of conversation, she could finally go back to walking outside in the calm, but chilly outside. However, this time, she wasn’t alone.
“So, Corporal Reginald Starr, was it?” she eyed the man walking beside her.
He was a human of “african-american” descent, having been born in the long gone state of Alaska. He was a national guardsman, and usually, being on diplomatic missions wasn’t a job for a guardsman like himself, but with the current state of their armed forces? They had to call him up and hundreds of others to this certain mission. She had brought him along simply because she can, and the human was in no position to deny a princess such as herself.
Oh, the powers of a monarch.
The corporal straightened himself up. “Yes, Your Highness?”
“Oh, you can drop the fancy title,” she smiled softly, waving her hoof, “I’m not really fond of it. When we’re alone, you can call me ‘Zaida.’ How does that sound?”
The corporal blinked. “Uh… yes, Your High- I mean, of course, Zaida.”
“Хороший! And I shall call you Reginald from here on out whilst we’re alone. Is that fine by you?”
Reginald nodded. “I’m fine with it, Zaida.”
“That is… hmm… замечательный, Reginald.” The leader of Aestlonia grinned. “Come! We still have many lengths to go.”
“You mean-? Ah, fuck me…”
Zaida paused. “What was that?”
“Nothing.” Reginald cleared his throat, adjusting the strap of his rifle. “Just, uh… forgot how much you ponies like to walk. Back home, if it’s more than a block away, we usually just drive.”
Zaida let out a melodic laugh. “Drive? In this snow? Your little ‘humvees’ are impressive, Reginald, but they don’t beat walking. Besides, the cold is good for the soul. It keeps the mind sharp.”
“Sharp my ass, I’m freezing my dick off here…” Reginald grumbled.
They trekked further into the woods bordering the palace, the crunch of snow under Zaida’s hooves and Reginald’s boots rhythmic and steady. Reginald, with all his heavy cold-weather gear, was definitely feeling the burn in his legs. Perhaps he should’ve left his rig, but it was too late. No point in returning to the palace and dropping it off. He’ll have to keep on walking with it.
“So,” Zaida started, glancing at him with genuine curiosity, “Alaska. You mentioned it was cold there. Is it like this? Cold and snowy? Does the sky dance with green lights at night?”
Reginald cracked a small smile, the first real one she’d seen all day. “Yes to both of those. It was cold since we were up north, and we had the Aurora Borealis. We called ’em the Northern Lights. My old man used to take me out on the ice to watch ’em. It’s… well, it’s one of the few things I actually miss about Earth. That, and a decent cheeseburger.”
“A ‘cheese-burger’?” Zaida tilted her head. “I assume that involves dairy. We have plenty of that. As for the lights, you’ll find Aestlonia quite hospitable. We have our own spirits in the sky.”
She stopped by a frozen stream, the ice so clear it looked like a sheet of fallen glass. She looked at her reflection, then at Reginald’s. The difference was almost comical. A literal princess of frozen lands standing next to a guy in camouflage and kevlar.
“Tell me the truth, Reginald.” she said, her voice dropping the playful edge as she turned to him. “You humans… the Americans. You come from a world that ended. If what the diplomat said is true, you have machines that fly without magic and weapons that can level cities. Why bother with us? We’re just a speck on the map compared to the empires up north. You get more benefit from interacting with them than us.”
Reginald stopped. He looked tired. Not just ‘long walk’ tired, but the kind of tired that comes from seeing your world turn to ash.
“Honestly? I’m not even sure.” he itted quietly. “Back on Earth, my country was an… aggressive one, you know? We were everywhere. We had military bases on every continent, eyes in the sky, and we made other countries fear us. Aside from the Soviets, we were basically a superpower. We claim to fight for freedom, democracy, and all that good shit, but when World War 3 broke out? The junta took over and we became what our forefathers fought against. We became tyrants.”
He let out a long, drawn out sigh. “We conquered an entire continent during it. South America, it was called. They didn’t even know we were going to invade before it was too late. Even the Canadians weren’t spared. We invaded them for resources. We fought the Soviets in Europe, in Africa, and in the seas and skies above… and we lost our world because of it.”
“But,” he continued, gazing into the eyes of the mare by his side, “I believe… I believe we changed for the better. Not just us Americans, but humanity as a whole. If you read whatever global news this planet has, you might’ve read about the Europeans sharing technology that’d help millions, and the Soviets creating a ‘human history program’ to teach this world what to avoid. We’re trying to be better here, to keep this planet safe and to avoid what happened back on Earth to happen here as well.”
The man offered her a small, tentative smile. “I don’t know the ‘why’ of us being here, Zaida. We still have our motives, sure, but… it’s nice to have friends.”
The man stopped there, having said what was on his mind. It felt refreshing, but as he looked at Zaida, he began to grow nervous. Her expression was unreadable. Granted, he was never good with telling emotions, but this was obvious. How did she feel about it? Knowing that his country, his species, had a dark past. They killed billions and an entire world had been destroyed. She must’ve felt disgusted at the very least.
To his surprise, Zaida moved closer, resting a hoof against his leg. It was a gesture that made Reginald stiffen for a heartbeat before he relaxed.
“Well,” she whispered, “as long as you’re here, you’ll find yourself a friend. You humans may have a dark past, but if you change, change for the better. Don’t let the past hold you down, but don’t forget about it.”
“Now, come on, мой друг.” she returned to her cheerful self, a smile on her muzzle. “We still have a while before we reach the spot I told you about, and I’d hate for you to have walked out here for nothing.”
Reginald groaned softly, but his steps were lighter as he followed. “Lead the way, Zaida.”
Hi! I got this done, like, a day or two ago? Yeah, and I am very tired. My university has been going well and in 3 days, I’ll be taking final exams before the break. After that? I GET TO DRAW MORE! It’ll be very exciting, but I have to overcome the challenge that I’ll soon face.
With that said and done, have a good day and take care of yourself.
