private A Cultural Exchange 1x1 with Phosphorous

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

This thread has been closed by mutual agreement. The contents are preserved below.

 

OOC thread: https://mlpforums.co...tural-exchange/

@@Phosphorous

 

Carbon Copy was new to town, but felt he knew his way around fairly well. When he noticed the flier he saw the perfect opportunity to practice what he had learned about his new hometown. Besides, it wouldn't hurt to try and make a new friend. He took down the information on the flier and went home to write a letter, later that week he got a response saying that he had been accepted to the program and had been paired with another unicorn that was nearly twice as old as he was, but he didn't think that would be a problem. He was overjoyed at the news, and he was certain that this Soprano Allegro could very well be an interesting character. The notification he received instructed him to write a letter of introduction to this pony, so he rushed home immediately to write the first letter.  

 

Good evening Mr Allegro,

 

My name is Carbon Copy and I was selected to be your pairing in the cultural exchange. To tell you a bit about myself, I am an 18 year old unicorn living in Deltrot, Troy. I have a dark grey coat and a short coal black mane and tail. My mark is a black diamond which symbolizes my magical talent in manipulating coal and diamonds. I mostly work as a surveyor for coal and diamond mines as I can find such materials easily. It isn't all that fulfilling but it pays decently, I really enjoy when I get to work with a jeweler in shaping diamonds, I have a part time position now, but it could be full time soon enough. Enough about me, I look forward to hearing about you and I can't wait to show you around my town.

 

-Carbon Copy

 

With writing the letter taken care of he took it to his local post office where his cousin Swift Message assured him it would go out on the next mail run to Equestria. He then went back to his life, eagerly awaiting a response.

 

(You receive a notification from the Cultural Exchange program stating your acceptance and informing you that you have been paired with Carbon Copy, an 18 year old Unicorn in the neighboring nation of Troy, it instructs you to watch for a letter from him and to respond in kind when it arrives. You receive Copy's letter the very next day.)(Questions can be asked in quotations or in the OOC thread)

Edited January 25, 2016 by Illiad Easle

[Phosphorous 135]

Soprano Allegro reads the letter he received, and begins penning back a response.

 

 

Dear Carbon Copy,

 

Many ponies assume I'm a mare. Do I look like a mare to you? I usually do not correct them, since many ponies do not like geldings. It irritates me that only in the operahouse, can I be who I truly am.

I was gelded when I was only twelve years old, to preserve my marvelous soprano voice. Being cut hurt slightly more than being bit by a mosquito. That's when I had earned my cutie mark, a pair of scissors. Over the years, with training, my voice has developed into a unique sound. Despite being made fun of, especially when I was younger, I do not regret my choice. 

I'm a soprano singer at Canterlot Opera. Being an singer at Canterlot Opera is a good life, especially since I am on of their few "valuable gems".

 

I hope you can one day visit and hear the music.

 

Hear from You,

Soprano Allegro

 

 

 

He drops the letter with a photo of himself into a velvet envelope that was patterned with a faint floral motif.

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@@Phosphorous,

 

When Carbon noticed that he had actually received a letter in response to his own letter he went home to write a response as quickly as he could.

 

Evening Mr. Allegro

 

Let me first just say how thankful I am that you responded, the last pony I was paired with never responded to my first letter and I feared that I had scared them off with my letter.

 

A Gelding huh? I can't say I've met many like you or that I would have made the same choices, but your life is your life and if you're happy then I guess that's all that matters. Looking at your picture you do have a fairly mareish figure, you may even have kept your high voice without being gelded. But I suppose I don't really know much about that sort of thing.

 

At least you have a good idea of who you are, I often find myself questioning if the face I put forward is the right one for me. I don't often know if I'm really being true to myself when I'm in public.

 

Nonetheless, I would be glad to hear you sing if and when I do come to visit you. I've never been to Equestria, or even much outside of Deltrot, Troy. I'm sure it would be an impressive experience.

 

You live in Canterlot right? Were you there when that changeling hive attacked? What do you think of changelings as a result of that? I know that seems like an odd line of questioning, I'm just curious. There haven't been many major events here like Equestria seems to have every so often.

 

I look forward to possibly seeing Equestria and to show you around Troy in return.

 

I hope to hear from you soon,

~Carbon Copy

 

Satisfied with his letter yet anxious as to how it would be received, Carbon was tempted to not send the letter. In the end the letter was safely on its way to Equestria within the hour. 

[Phosphorous 135]

Dear Carbon Copy,

I'm so happy that I've found a new friend outside the opera house. Usually when anyone else in Canterlot recognizes me as a gelding, they become disgusted by me. Sometimes they make me feel less than pony. I've even been kicked out of restaurants before.

However my life is not as bad as a young gelding colt, around the same age as you, which I train. I see him with black eyes, but he shrugs them off. Once I caught him putting his horn into a pencil sharpener. Luckily, we could reach the hospital just in time. It’s those colts that got kicked out when their voices cracked. They are jealous that he was chosen to become one the “opera gems”. Hopefully things will improve for him when those mean colts run dry of their angry vigor.

As for your question about geldings, because we don’t have testosterone in our teen years, we do not develop a stallion figure or deep voice.

I have actually witnessed the changeling attack. It was scary. We actually have made an opera based on the events. In this opera, I play as Princess Cadence.

 

Ciao,

Soprano Allegro

 

The soprano placed a CD of the opera in the mail package.

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@@Phosphorous,

 

When Carbon got the second letter he was overjoyed, yet a bit confused. Chrysalis' attack wasn't even a full year ago and they already have an opera about it? I guess that isn't too short a time. He was more surprised by the included CD than anything else. CD's were a fairly new development and thus Carbon did not yet own a player, he didn't even have a record player in his relatively new abode. He set the CD in a safe place until such a time that he could play it properly.

 

Evening Allegro,

 

The events you describe surrounding the one you train with are, disturbing, to say the least. I had the impression that Equestria was all about acceptance and such, but I guess Illiad's experience was not unique in regards to those being different not being accepted.

 

I and the rest of my family have always had an impressive range of voice, some of my more distant relatives make a living doing impressions and such. I know that we are unique in this regard and I suppose that may be why I had difficulty really understanding your circumstances.

 

In regards to the changelings, I can see how it must have been a scary experience to be a part of, would you say that playing the role of Princess Cadence has affected your view of the event? Also, I heard that not all changelings are like the ones that attacked Canterlot. Do you think that could be true?

 

~Carbon Copy

[Phosphorous 135]

Dearest Carbon Copy,

Equestria is not at all a place of acceptance. You must have been watching too much Equestrian cinema, which portrays Equestria as a land of friendship and tolerance. In Canterlot, Earth ponies are only allowed to live in the outskirts. Since the opera house is in the heart of the city, earth pony singers have to shuttle back and forth everyday. Donkeys have it far worse. They are treated like scum, only given janitorial and waste management jobs that even earth ponies refuse to do. Just last week, a mule chef from Ponyville had her new Canterlot restaurant burned down.

I don’t know much about changelings, so I cannot answer your question about that. But since the attack, Canterlot has become crazed about making sure no changeling lurks between. Every time one enters official places, they have to be subject to magical spells that reveals whether they are a changeling or not. Sometimes when ponies get into quarrels, they report the other pony as a potential changeling. A team rushes to scan them, whether they are at home, in the bath, or anything. Overall, ponies have become cold since the changelings broke in. The true spell of Chrysalis was to make Canterlot ponies become too afraid to be friendly and bonding.

Playing as Princess Cadance hasn’t changed my view at all. I do not know whether all changelings are like those ones.

 

Your dearest penpal,

Allegro

 

 

He sealed the letter in a soft copper rose envelope, then handed it to the secretary to send off to the post office.

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@@Phosphorous,

 

He certainly has quite the variety of envelopes. 

 

Evening Allegro,

 

My views on Equestria, as you may have guessed, is entirely second hoof. I can see that the situation has become worse since Illiad was there, and he experienced some of Canterlot's fear of difference first hoof. Now that I mention it, you'd probably like him if you met him. Anyway, it is a much different situation here in Troy, racial diversity has always been a big part of our culture, especially after we declared our independence from Equestria back when Nightmare Moon first came around. I suppose that, and Canterlot's new culture, is a big part of our rise in immigration over the past year or so.

 

There are many discussions around here about the changelings since the attack, some fear them and some praise them for standing up to your princess. Personally I think Chrysalis could have found a peaceful solution. I think that not all changelings are bad, in fact I think the ones that attacked make up a small minority of them, but what would I know.

 

I hope the situation in Canterlot improves over time, despite the poor relationship between our nations I would hate to see Equestria fall apart.

 

~Carbon Copy

[Phosphorous 135]

Good evening Carbon Copy,

 

Sorry for the late reply. I was doing preparation for, and later attending the Sopranization Ceremony of an eleven year-old colt. The photo along with this letter is a photo of me, Soprano Cadenza (the 19-year old I’ve been telling you about), the opera master, three other mature opera geldings, and the new Soprano, Soprano Nocturne. Well, you must be wondering what a Sopranization Ceremony is. In the ceremony, a colt with a nice voice is carried to the front. As he’s being carried, songs are sung about the birth of a new soprano. At the front, a group of sopranos each sing a solo about how much they are joyful to have another blade-brother, and then take him and place him onto a white bed. A spell is cast upon him so he feels no pain. One of the sopranos then takes a blade and cauter with his magic. Unfortunately, even though I wielded the blade during Cadenza’s sopranization, I couldn’t wield it this time. After the new soprano has been gelded, he is taken upstairs to rest. Everybody else celebrates, and parties until the night.

 

Nocturne is a very dull colt. I’ve caught him playing video games instead of resting several times. He even walked downstairs once. I’m surprised that he didn’t earn a cutie mark for being an annoying brat tonight.

 

Troy seems like a good place. I may visit this summer with Cadenza. You guys would find a lot in common. Are there any clean beaches there? Cadenza always wanted to swim in the ocean.

 

As for changelings, I think that they only attacked Canterlot, not for being evil, but due to necessity. Queen Chrysalis was a motherly Queen, who wanted to only feed her subjects. It’s not their fault they are like this. It’s a curse they have, a curse that requires them to need to feed on emotional energy. Chrysalis is not evil; she’s merely performing her duty. Perhaps, maybe somewhere there are changelings that have been un-cursed or have found an alternative.

 

 

Hope to hear from you,

 

Soprano Allegro

 

 

 

Allegro grabbed a photo depicting the new soprano on the bed, covered by a teal surgical blanket with a dark spot, with the other six geldings standing around the bed, smiling. Nocturne looked pale in the photo, and was staring at the ceiling instead of at the camera. Allegro paced the letter and the photo into a shiny navy blue floral envelope.

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@@Phosphorous,

 

Will his collection of odd envelopes never end?

Whilst reading about the ceremony Carbon felt oddly ill, and the picture was not any better. The whole thing felt especially cult-like, and it made him quite uncomfortable to think about it.

 

Evening Allegro,

 

I would kindly ask that you never bring up the ceremony, or anything related to it, ever again. It's not a matter of condemning your choices, the process just makes me feel quite uncomfortable to think about, many images have been burned into my mind that I may never forget because of this.

 

That said, The oasis beaches are used for farming mostly, they want to keep the water in the oasis as pure as possible. I've heard that there are some decent beaches around North Port, but that's pretty far away from the next closest city and really far away from me in Deltrot. But if you want to swim in the ocean then North Port is the place to go.

 

On the changelings, I did hear that their spring had dried up, meaning they couldn't produce the crystals they needed to store energy and thus would have to feed directly. They must have been starving for some time for an assault to be their best option. Also, the need to feed on emotional energy is as much a curse as the fact that your voice would have gotten deeper. It's something wethey have to deal with. And besides, most ponies give off enough emotional energy just existing that aggressive absorption is usually unnecessary. That's what Illiad tells me anyway. He's Empathic, he can feel and affect the emotional energies of creatures, like a changeling but not. I suppose that may have something to do with why his kind, the Empathics, are so hated in Equestria, Canterlot especially.

 

Sorry, that got a bit rant-ish. 

 

~Carbon Copy

 

Carbon sighed as he closed his letter, he considered throwing it out and starting over but decided to send it anyway.

What's the worst that could happen? He might not even notice.

[Phosphorous 135]

Dear Carbon,

 

I am sorry for bringing up topics that have made you feel uncomfortable. It never occurred to me that moments of celebration can be irk-inducing in some colts.

 

I’ve never heard of Empathetics. What are they?

 

You seem to have a lot of interesting friends. I’m jealous. I don’t have many friends outside of the opera house.

 

By the way, I’ve fallen in love with a mare. She’s absolutely gorgeous, with a luscious burgundy mane, ivory fur, dark jade eyes, and a long horn. Guess who she is? She is Nocturne’s mom. The opera master says that I should go ahead and talk to her, but I’m nervous. The opera master told me that she’s been divorced for two years. How do you think I should approach her?

 

Hear from you,

Soprano Allegro

 

 

Allegro checked the floral pack of envelopes. There were no more envelopes left. He decided to slip the letter into a plain envelope. He then sent it off with the secretary, and relaxed in his room, thinking about Nocturne’s mom.

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@@Phosphorous,

 

Huh, so he didn't even notice my slip-up in my last letter. I suppose its safe to continue.

 

Evening Allegro,

 

It's not the celebration that's so... It's the nonchalance that you put towards it that makes it seem so much like a cult. That sort of procedure should be done by trained medical professionals not a bunch of singers. He could get a nasty infection from that. But enough about that, I'd rather think on it no longer.

 

First of all, it's Empathics. Empathetic just means you feel empathy for someone. Empathic is like Telepathic, just with emotions. It's like you're constantly aware of how those around you are feeling, the more powerful of Empathic you are the further you can feel and the greater detail. Introverts can influence the emotions of others by giving some of their emotional energy and/or taking some of the emotional energy of others. Extroverts draw in the emotional energy given off, and it sort of energizes them similar to a changeling, except they can survive without it. 

 

Without having met you or her I can't exactly offer the best relationship advice, but I suppose you should just go for it. Be honest to yourself and her and see if she's interested, then go from there. Given that it's only been two years after what must have been a long marriage she may not be ready to get back into a relationship yet. If that's the case you can still try being her friend.

 

Hope this helps,

 

~Carbon