Chapter 3: That Good
Chapter 3
That Good
Celestia’s eye twitched again. “WHY? Why why why why why WHY? Why did the idea of freeing and ‘reforming’ Discord, possibly the most powerful, insane, sociopathic being on this planet seem like a good idea?”
Luna backed off a few steps, taken aback at her sister’s reaction. “I-I-I-I-” she stammered fearfully, eyes wide and wings pressed tightly against her sides. “I felt like he needed a second chance.”
Celestia grunted and facehoofed. “Look, sister. Do you remember what happened the three last times he managed to escape on his own power? He just followed his own agenda, wreaking havoc and not caring in the least about the people he hurt.”
“I’m sorry.”
Celestia let out a sigh of defeat, before coming to her sister’s side and wrapping the blue alicorn in a winghug. “It’s allright. I love you Luna.”
The last thing I want is to be separated from my sister because of that bubbling maniac again, the alabaster alicorn thought.
The stalkers present watched the scene unfold in silence, not wanting to intervene in the interaction between the two siblings.
“Who’s this ‘Discord’ anyway?” Vano asked Strider.
“I do not know,” the colonel replied, scratching his stubble. “But I know I do not want to face it alone and uninformed. I’ll send some of my Spartans to work on information gathering once we get green light on interacting with the locals.”
“What about air surveillance?” Vano asked. “We could keep a chopper in the air to keep an eye on the mountain.”
Strider nodded. “All in due time. We will get a cluster of our automated drones in the air and Kilo Three and my Anvils on standby as soon as logistically possible.”
Celestia looked at the massive double doors to the throne room and gulped, looking at what was before her. Before her stay in the Zone, she never noticed how big and threatening the doors were, imposing an aura of authority even before having to set foot in the throne room. To her these doors used to be like any other, just doors. Objects with only one purpose: separate two rooms.
With a sigh, the white alicorn lit up her horn and pushed the double doors open with a long, deep creaking sound troubling the silence of the palace. What she saw inside the throne room caused her to sigh mentally.
A lavender alicorn was sitting on her throne, her attention absorbed by a parchment she was reading.
Celestia approached the throne and cleared her throat. “Twilight?”
The other alicorn raised her gaze from her reading material. “Oh, Celestia.”
“...”
The two lone alicorns stared silently at each other, the silence of the throne room only broken by sounds coming from the outside.
“...”
After a while, Twilight went back to her piece of parchment.
Celestia facehoofed. “Oh come on! I came all the way over here and you have nothing to say?”
“I suppose you want me to apologise to the human,” Twilight stated, eyebrow raised. “You seriously want me to apologize to that brutish, short tempered primate?”
Celestia clenched her teeth, using of all her self-control not to bitch-slap the pretentious alicorn that was sitting on her throne right there and then. “There is something you must know about that man,” she began in a calm voice tainted by a shiver of anger. “He is... special to me. He-”
“What’s your point?” Twilight interrupted.
Celestia’s muzzle twitched involuntarily. “Do not. Interrupt. Me,” the alicorn growled predatorily. “That primate ---as you say--- has given me everything. When I was injured, he tended to my wounds. When I was defenceless, he gave me his weapons and taught me how to use them. He supported me when I was on the verge of a mental breakdown, he gave me a place in his world, he made me feel alive, loved again, he gave me a purpose even, why do you think I of all people am in charge of a whole fucking faction!” the alabaster alicorn listed, her anger growing more and more noticeable by the second, before she took a deep, calming breath. “He is the kindest, most generous living being I have ever met in my very long life; and you, my student, the smart, adorable little unicorn I taught and loved like my daughter, you go and insult him and consider him lesser than you. Moreover, you treat me no better, a Prime Princess of Equestria, your mentor and teacher. I hate to say this Twilight, but you’re really trying my patience.”
“And you think you aren’t?” Twilight roared. “You come with your ‘friends’ through that bubble, you settle down at the foot of the mountain without authorization, and-”
“Authorization I provided,” Celestia interrupted. “Am I still a Princess of Equestria, or not?”
“I… you… but-”
Celestia sighed, interrupting her student’s stammering. “Twilight I’m sorry. I know you’ve been under a lot of stress lately and I know my own behavior is not the easiest to cope with,” she apologized, “We can talk about it if you want.”
The alabaster alicorn looked up expectantly to her pupil, who stayed silent and stared at her with a measuring gaze.
“That was the only way we had of coming here, Twilight. I-I… I needed this. To come back home I mean,” Celestia explained. “And I still expect you to apologize to Strider.”
At these words, the purple alicorn scoffed, but was interrupted by Celestia again.
“You have to understand Twilight, these people are different than ponies on nearly all levels,” she explained. “Their world is different, and the place they come from is even more violent, where any hesitation can cause death, where predators lurk at every corner, and...” Celestia trailed off, not wanting to mention the war between factions and the Bandits that still roamed the Zone, despite her and her faction’s best efforts. “All I’m trying to explain is that there is a cultural gap between our two species, and if we are to coexist, we must put our differences aside and at least tolerate each other.”
“All I did was uphold the law which states that civilians-”
“-are prohibited to openly carry long bladed weapons ---the exact measurements elude me--- of offensive design within the walls of Equestrian cities except if they have a permit which can only be delivered by us Princesses or the mayor’s office, I know,” Celestia interrupted with sigh. “Learn the law before enforcing it. Besides, Strider and my men only carry short blades of defensive purpose and they are not civilians either.”
“What?”
“Second article of the Equestrian Constitution. As a Princess of Equestria, I have the right to create a military unit on my own, be it for personal, civilian protection or belligerent purposes,” Celestia stated, calmly gazing at Twilight. “Therefore, they are no civilians by Equestrian law. Each of them swore to uphold the code of conduct I created and they know that breaking it has consequences.”
The lavender alicorn stared mouth agape at her mentor and sat down, her rump hitting the throne abruptly. Finally, she blinked and collected herself, rubbing her chin with a hoof. “That still does not excuse your friend from assaulting me.”
“That’s something else you must know about Strider, Twilight,” Celestia replied. “He has a… troubled past, to say the least. You remember how he reacted when you tried to take his weapon away?”
“How could I not,” Twilight sarcastically deadpanned.
“Well then, you’re lucky to be alive still,” Celestia admonished, eliciting a frown from Twilight. “You see, Strider is quite literally programmed to- no, that’s not right, you wouldn’t understand,” she mumbled, to her student’s incomprehension. “Imagine a clock. It does nothing but tell time, right? It is made to be that way and cannot do anything else. Well, Strider is like that- even if that’s not fair, he still is a living being but you get my point: anything hostile to him, anything threatening his well-being or those he cares for will meet its end, one way or another. He’s literally made that way, a remain of his… troubled past.”
“You mean that…?”
Celestia nodded. “He did not want to merely intimidate you. We’ve been trying our best to undo some of this ‘programming’, and we’ve been making good progress, too, but some things never go away. Were it a few months ago, you would have been dead.”
“How can you talk about such terrible things so casually?” Twilight asked, horrified.
“Habit, I suppose.”
“Habit?”
“Walk with me,” Celestia ordered her student, gesturing her with one of her giant wings.
Twilight hesitated for a second and followed the alabaster alicorn, unsure of where she wanted her to go.
“I told you the world we came from is different,” Celestia stated, glancing down to her student as they walked outside the throne room. “Like a giant Everfree forest. What we ponies deem unnatural ---like the weather changing on its own, plants growing wild or animals taking care of themselves--- is normal to them. Oh, and they don’t have any magic. At all.”
“Not even the magic of friendship? That’s horrible! How do they live in such a place?” Twilight asked, genuinely horrified by what her mentor’s words.
Celestia couldn’t help but let out a sarcastic chuckle. “By becoming the apex predators there. The humans, as their species are called, are pretty much the top of the food chain in their world.”
T-they’re carnivores? Twilight thought, unable to wrap her mind around the idea that an entire species not only survived, but thrived in an environment while deprived of what her world was built upon and was the very definition of her special talent.
“And then there’s the Zone,” Celestia continued, unfaltering as the two of them walked down the hallways of the Royal Castle. “You think the Everfree was bad? Well think again. While most of the monsters living in that forest are fierce, they’re just predatory animals.”
“You can’t be seriou-”
“I’d rather face down a hydra with nothing but my rifle rather than stumbling upon a Chimera or a Bloodsucker at night,” Celestia interrupted firmly, not even bothering to explain what those creatures were. “At least you can see a hydra.”
“Then why would anypony want to live there? Why would anypony risk their lives and-”
“Because it’s a place of adventure, with many unsolved mysteries and for some, it’s a refuge,” Celestia listed, choosing her words carefully and giving her student a small smile. “If you live long enough to get used to the place, it grows on you. We have a saying for that: ‘Once a stalker, always a stalker’,” the alicorn quoted, looking at the blue sky as the duo exited the palace. “It’s also the key to incredible scientific advances,” she added, knowing that would get her attention. “Speaking of which...”
Twilight’s ears perked up. “Science?” she asked, earning a mirthful laugh from Celestia. “That’s what keeps these flying machines in the air?”
Hook, line and sinker, the alabaster alicorn couldn’t help but think. “Yes, Twilight. Humans are good with science. So good, in fact, that three of their scientists actually figured out how magic works in a few hours.”
“But everypony knows how it works! A unicorn’s uses his horn to call upon the great thaumaturgic field and shape the energy into a usable form through a spell.”
Celestia chuckled at Twilight’s iconic book smarts. “They figured what that field is made out of and where it comes from. Oh, and Earth pony and Pegasus magic, too; and don’t get me started on anatomy, biology, virology, and all these other words finishing in -ogy I never cared to remember. They wanted to study magic further, that’s part of why we’re here.”
Twilight’s eyes widened. A smile crept up on her face and she looked at her mentor, her gaze filled with stars. “I must meet them.”
There she is, Celestia thought, opening her wings. “Follow me then,” she said, hovering in place. I missed you, Twilight.
“So what are these?” Luna asked, quirking an eyebrow at the strange contraptions before her.
Said contraptions were… small, which surprised the princess, considering the size of the other machines the humans had with them. While most of the vehicles sitting outside were armored and designed to carry people or ordnance, the small machines on the table before her were made of fragile materials and were light as a feather. Each had four rotors that reminded the princess of the ‘Krokodils’ and ‘Halos’, as the humans called them; and their undersides were equipped with cameras, all of which seemed leagues ahead of what the better equipped Equestrian news reporters had. The only way she could tell these were cameras were the lenses.
“We call them surveillance drones, but they’re nothing more than glorified flying cameras,” the man working on one of them said, looking up from his work. “Name’s Splinter, I’m the technician here” the man added, offering his hand to the night Princess.
“Call me Luna,” the blue alicorn replied, shaking Splinter’s hand. “And this… is your workshop?” she dubiously asked, glancing around at the inside of the tent they were in.
Unpacked wood crates and tools thrown around constituted the scenery of the tent, giving off an impression of amateurism that contrasted starkly with the rest of the base that was being set up around them.
“Oh no, this is all temporary, I’m waiting on it,” Splinter replied, diving into his work again. “Remember the two mobile bunkers that are outside? My workshop -well, its mobile version- is just like that.”
“Oh I see. What’s-”
Runner’s head poked through the entrance of the tent, interrupting the night Princess. “Hey Luna!” he called. “What’s up?”
The alicorn raised an eyebrow and looked above her. “Some kind of rough and resistant tarpaulin, tan colored,” she replied in the most serious way possible.
The stalker raised an eyebrow and stared at the lunar Princess before collecting himself. “Nice one Luna,” he laughed.
“What art thou speaking about?” Luna asked, confused.
“Ehhh, forget it,” Runner sighed. “Can I borrow her for a while?” he asked Splinter.
“Hey! We are not an object!” Luna interrupted, shocked by the stalker’s words.
Splinter chuckled. “Figure of speech, my equine friend,” the balding scientist assured, glancing at the giant over his glasses. “Now go, I heard that Vano wants another hug.”
“You two are never gonna live that down,” Runner snickered, a grin on his face.
Splinter gave the stalker an amused glance. “I merely jest. You two have fun,” he added as Luna stood up and headed for the exit of the tent. “Say, anyone knows when my damn lab is supposed to arrive? I can’t work in these conditions.”
“Half an hour, the Colonel told me,” Runner informed the technician. “Don’t you worry, your toys are coming,” he added with a grin, before turning to Luna. “Follow me, your sister’s back.”
Luna followed the giant out of the tent and within the alleys of the newly established base. “Already? Where are we going?”
“Kruglov’s lab. Purple Fury calmed down and wants to meet the scientists.”
“Purple F- Twilight? ”
“Yeah, apparently there was a misunderstanding with Strider that made her angry or whatever,” the stalker shrugged. “Dunno much more.”
“I see,” Luna hummed. “Do you work for them?”
“No, not really… kind of. I’m not part of their faction, I’m a Loner-” Runner started, only to be interrupted by a power armored Dawn Ranger carrying a wooden crate almost colliding with him. “Hé, fais gaffe putain!” he angrily shouted, earning a middle finger by the soldier.
“Smotri kuda idesh, sleposhara!” came the equally angry reply as the infantryman walked away.
Runner grumbled. “Va t’faire foutre.”
Luna raised an eyebrow, ignoring the previous exchange between the two men. “A loner?”
Instantly, the stalker calmed down and shrugged. “A free stalker. I work alone basically. No ties with anyone. Dangerous, but lucrative. I occasionally form small groups with other Loners when we venture into dangerous territory.”
“Dangerous territory?” Luna asked as they approached the door to Kruglov’s bunker.
“The Zone is a perilous place, my friend. You don’t pay attention where you’re walking and you could be dead on your next step,” the stalker replied
Luna hmphed. “I doubt it could be worse than the battlefields of olden times, when Equestria had yet to exist.”
At this, the stalker let out a laugh and stopped next to a metal crate before putting a foot on it. “Take a look at this,” he added, rolling up the left leg of his jumpsuit.
What Luna saw made her gag in disgust: the stalker’s calf was disfigured to the point where almost no skin was untouched. A sickly white, spiderweb-like scar extended up from beneath his boot and most of his lower calf was covered in burn scars, giving the skin a wrinkled, leathery aspect; and what little remained of healthy skin showed a patchwork of messy short hairs.
“The fauna and flora aren’t the only danger there: the place itself wants to actively kill you,” Runner let out a bitter chuckle. “I stepped into many an anomaly, always made it though,” he said, re-adjusting his lower garments. “Can’t say the same of the numerous companions I’ve had over the years though.”
Luna took a deep breath and swallowed a lump in her throat. “What do you mean?”
The stalker shrugged, resuming his walk. “People die. I don’t, for some reason. My time will come, but it seems I am made of sterner stuff than the average human. That or I’m a lucky son of a bitch.”
“How can you be so… casual about such horrible things?”
“I’m a stalker. ‘Killer’ is in the job description. You get used to it.”
“That’s-”
“-Only the beginning. Trust me, you don’t wanna talk about it.”
Luna was speechless at the stalker’s propos, struck with a mix of fear, chagrin and utter horror as to what it implied had happened to her sister. It took her a good minute and Runner ruffling her mane between her ears to snap the Night Princess out of her stupor.
Involuntarily, the alicorn flinched away from the human’s hand. Immediately, she opened her mouth to apologize, but was interrupted.
“I’m sorry,” the stalker told her with a bittersweet smile. “I said too much,” he sighed. “I should have known.”
“No, don’t be. I just… wasn’t expecting that from somepony that young.”
Runner chuckled. “I’m not that young I’m… well shit, yeah, I am. Anyway, this is the bunker,” the stalker said, gesturing towards the open metal door. “I’ll see you around.”
“Are you not coming?”
“Nah, I’ve got errands to run,” Runner replied, waving Luna goodbye and turning around to leave. “Have fun in there!”
The night Princess watched the stalker, his guns and equipment clanking against each other as he walked away, absent-mindedly whistling a tune unknown to the alicorn.
That boy is already too old for his own good, she thought, lifting a hoof to knock on the door.
Before she could do anything, the door opened itself with a creak, presenting her with a very small room where only a few ponies could fit standing, another door on the other side. The walls were made of metal and it was lit by a harsh white light of foreign design on the ceiling.
Hesitantly, Luna stepped inside the cramped room, unsure of what to expect.
She did not expect the door to close behind her, nor did she expect the hissing sound the sas made before the other door opened.
Glancing around warily, the alicorn stepped through the now opened door. There, the scenery was much the same: metal floor and walls with crude, alien lamps on the ceiling.
The Princess walked further in the building, only to stumble upon a human wearing a long, white coat and a pair of glasses.
“Oh, Princess Luna, is it?” the man inquired. “I am Professor Hermann, of the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and leader of this expedition,” he introduced himself. “An honor to finally meet you, I heard a lot about you from your sister.”
“Rest assured, the honor is mine, professor. It is not everyday Equestria receives guests from another world,” she replied, shaking the Hermann’s hand. “I thought your lab was in the other building.”
“Oh, you are not mistaken, your highness. This is the bunker of Kruglov’s team,” Hermann replied, adjusting his glasses. “I was simply passing by to check up on them. They are the leaders on the research on psi-fields and the Noosphere, without them we never would have been able to perfect our psychotropic radiation emitters.”
Luna flicked her ears in discomfort. “These anti-magic devices? We’ve heard of them. I have to say that we are not… comfortable with such devices.”
Hermann gave the princess an awkward smile. “Your sister herself gave us greenlight for mass production. She wanted a countermeasure to your species’ innate abilities, which is only fair in my opinion. Besides, she is in charge of security. While I am her client, it is not in my power to oversee her tactics,” he replied, scratching his goatee.
Luna frowned. “I suppose. So you are the leader of this expedition?”
The scientist nodded politely. “Yes indeed. It may surprise you but technically, your sister and her men are my employees. I needed a good security detail and suffice to say they provided it. Now if you excuse me, I have a busy schedule and the General must be waiting for you.”
“The General?”
Hermann shook his head. “Sorry. Your sister. She’s in the lab, second doorway to your left.”
“Fair enough. Thanks.”
Brigadier General Everfree, also known as Princess Celestia, the Herald of the Day, the Matron of the Sun and many other titles many will never remember, was not particularly happy. Not only did a few guards had made fools of themselves right as they arrived and Twilight had been surprisingly irritating, but now Kruglov wanted to mount an expedition in the Everfree forest while their base of operation wasn’t even up and running yet.
“Professor, I cannot allow this,” Celestia firmly stated, massaging her temple with a hoof. “Our base of operation is not even operational yet, we do not have the manpower to escort an expedition in the Everfree. That forest is too dangerous for a science team to go alone and some beasts there require heavy weaponry to be brought down. I understand your eagerness to learn about this world, but we have other priorities at the moment,” the General added, stomping down her hoof to emphasize her propos.
“We could always take Strelok and Degtyarev with us, these two are more than capable even alone,” Kruglov offered, leaning back on the metal counter behind him. “Them and the ISRIT would be enough for a small expedition, don’t you agree?”
Celestia frowned, rubbing her temple. “Fine. But whatever goes wrong is on you and you are not authorized to proceed with the expedition until we have made ourselves known to the world.”
“I see no issue in that, I’ll have a hard enough time convincing Hermann to lend me his investigation team,” Kruglov replied with a sigh. “On the other hand, Strelok and Degtyarev shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Speaking of Strelok,” Celestia grumbled. “He disappeared as soon as we arrived and is nowhere to be found. I’ve already diverted manpower to find the bastard and now we’re behind schedule,” Celestia grumbled. “I don’t want him wandering into any civvies and causing an incident; that would be bad for PR, wouldn’t it?”
“I agree. I’ll notify Hermann. If the man reappears, you’ll be the first to know.”
Celestia let out a sigh. “Thank you.”
The Princess turned General rubbed her temple once more and sat down on the cold steel floor of the lab. With her magic, she produced her PDA from a pouch on her armored vest and looked at the time.
She should be here any minute, she thought. Might as well get ready.
With a grunt, Celestia stood up and stretched her legs and wings, preparing to head out of the bunker and meet with her sister.
Hopefully we’ll be able to talk this time, the alabaster alicorn thought, stepping out of the lab.
When she reached the doorway, the alicorn collided with someone else trying to enter the lab, causing both parties to stagger into a comical pile of limbs and swear words.
“WHO ARE YOU TO FORESTALL OUR WAY, PEASANT?” came a booming voice from under Celestia.
“Good to see you too, Lulu” the Dawn General deadpanned, standing up.
Luna stopped shouting and incredulously looked up. “Tia? Oh goodness we are sorry we didn’t-”
Celestia rolled her eyes, more in amusement than anything else. “S’allright. Let me help you,” she said, helping her sister up with a smile on her face. “There, all good,” she added, magically dusting off her sister, before she paused, looking at her in the eyes, a small smile on her face. “How are you?”
For a second, Luna wanted to answer that everything was perfect. After all, the country was running as smoothly as ever, she had unloaded many duties to Twilight who had taken her role as a Princess very seriously, proving herself to be up to the task and she herself was in good health.
But up until now, Luna hadn’t been happy. She was tired, stressed, lonely, and missed her sister greatly.
The night Princess sighed, looking at the floor. “Terrible, dear sister. For the longest time, we thought we had lost you, then you came back unannounced, you pass out from thaumaturgical shock, Twilight has her episode with your consort and I haven’t slept in two days.”
Upon hearing those words, Celestia took a step forwards and nuzzled her sister. “I’m sorry I put you through so much. But I’m back now, and Twilight… she’s calmed down. When I left her she was nerding out on an iPad in Kruglov’s lab.”
“Can I see her?”
Celestia chuckled. “Of course,” she replied, opening the door next to the one they were standing.
Upon entering the room behind her sister, Luna stopped from sheer amazement.
First, the room walls were covered in machines which purpose was lost to the night Princess, emitting a light humming that broke the otherwise complete silence of the room. What little free space there was on the walls was occupied with shelves over encumbered with papers, instruments and boxes with labels completely foreign to the navy alicorn.
A balding, bearded human wearing a long white coat was sitting at a table, leaning over what Luna observed to be a microscope. On the same table, a mouse was running in its wheel, a few test labelled tubes next to it; on the far side of the room, a certain purple alicorn was sitting on the floor, completely absorbed by a small rectangular and somewhat flat device she held in her magic.
Upon the two alicorns entering, the man of the room perked up, gazing at the source of the sound.
“Ah, Princess Luna I presume,” the man started, standing up from his seat and walking up to the pair of alicorns. “I am professor Andrei Sakharov, in charge of Noosphere studies.”
“A pleasure to meet you I am sure, professor,” Luna politely replied, shaking the man’s hand.
Sakharov smiled. “Oh believe me, the pleasure is all mine. I’ve heard a lot of you from your sister,” he told Luna. “Can I offer you anything?” he asked, opening a small cupboard containing a variety of bottles containing mostly transparent liquids. “Vladoff?”
“I don’t think offering chili pepper vodka as a casual drink to a non-drinker is a good idea,” Celestia interrupted.
Sakharov closed the cupboard. “Right, Hermann told me about your… first experience.”
Great to know, thanks professor, Celestia thought, rolling her eyes.
“What’s vodka?” Luna asked, tilting her head.
“Not something you should try out right now. The first time I tried the stuff, I passed out after the first shot,” Celestia replied.
“Princess?” Came Twilight’s voice from behind Sakharov. “Oh, you’re here!” A smiling Twilight Sparkle exclaimed, galloping towards Luna, the same rectangular device held aloft in her magic.
Well fortunately she missed the whole part about me getting shitfaced, Celestia thought, maintaining a straight face.
“Indeed I am,” Luna replied, smiling. “What have you got here?” she asked, nuzzling the smaller alicorn.
The little alicorn showed the tablet she had been studying to the night Princess. “You wouldn’t believe it, it’s amazing! This device holds a library’s worth of knowledge, hundreds upon hundreds of books and publications!” she exclaimed, shoving the device in Luna’s face.
Celestia leaned towards Sakharov. “What’s in that tablet?” she whispered through gritted teeth.
“Nothing too complicated. High-school level physics -mechanics, electricity, optics and such- chemistry, biology, mathematics, some lessons on Ukrainian, Spanish, Portuguese, French, English, Chinese and even Japanese,” the scientist listed. “There’s also most of our world’s history up until the beginning of the 21st century, basic geography atlases, a bit of psychology, philosophy, several novels ranging from classics, thrillers, to science fiction; tomes about medicine, agriculture, economy, sociology, arts, plans for basic industrial machinery and I’m afraid I forgot the rest.”
Celestia frowned. “Nothing about weapons, firearms, ICBMs and warfare?”
“Nothing about that except what’s in the history books, as agreed.”
Luna turned towards her sister, the tablet in her magical grasp. “This is astounding! Such advances, without the help of magic?” she asked. “Incredible. And look at this device!” she muttered to herself.
Celestia walked up to her sister’s side. “You know Luna, this tablet isn’t anything extraordinary,” she began. “Hell, everyone of us here has at least one similar device.”
“Surely you jest! Look at the craftsmanship!” she exclaimed. “It’s a solid slab of metal, both faces are perfectly flat, one is almost a mirror and the buttons poke out just enough and if you shake it, nothing rattle or moves! Whoever made it is very talented craftspony.”
Oh good. Underpaid Chinese children will be happy to hear that, Celestia thought with a mirthless chuckle. “You know Luna, this kind of device is usually made on assembly lines that make thousand of them a day.”
“Huh?”
Celestia turned towards Twilight. “Remember when I said that humans are a lot different than ponies? It’s true at nearly every level, from culture to warfare, and even economy. Most of their production comes from automated industrial complexes, not crafting,” she explained. “Even this mobile bunker and the vehicles outside come from production lines.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow, looking dubiously at her ex-teacher. “Care to explain?”
Celestia gave her a gentle smile. “Everything is explained in the tablet I gave you. I know how you like reading, and I’m afraid I’m not an expert on mankind’s production techniques,” she began, only to be interrupted by her radio crackling to life.
“General, we found Strelok.”
Celestia stopped and turned towards Twilight. “I’m sorry but I have other duties I have to attend, I’m afraid,” she told her former student. “Oh, and don’t forget to charge the tablet,” she added, walking out of the room.
“Wait up!” Luna called, trotting behind her sister.
Twilight frowned. “Well I could charge it of assault or tax evasion, but I don’t see what good it would make,” she muttered.
Sakharov gave the two leaving princesses a pleading look before returning his gaze to Twilight with a sigh.
Outside, another situation was developing. Strelok, the independent stalker with Kruglov’s team, had reappeared after being AWOL for hours, something a certain warrant officer wasn’t too happy with.
“I don’t fucking care!” Snag fumed. “You went fucking AWOL as soon as we arrived, the general had to dispatch several squads just to search for you and because of that, our settling efforts are set back several hours and now we have to go through the night with unfinished defenses! What do you have to say for yourself?”
In front of the warrant officer, a certain stalker named Strelok was standing, unsure as how to react. In hindsight, Snag was right. He had left without telling where he was going, but he didn’t expect it would have such an impact.
Strelok opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, Celestia appeared behind Snag, accompanied by her sister Luna.
“Strelok. Where were you?” she abruptly ordered.
Snag saluted. “General.”
“At ease, officer,” Celestia replied with a wave of her wing. “So?” she asked sternly, turning towards Strelok.
The free stalker put on neutral face. “I’ve been scouting the surroundings, nothing to report.”
Celestia flicked an ear in irritation. “This is unacceptable, stalker. This is not the Zone and you are not a Free Stalker anymore,” she spat. “Hermann has been notified about this, don’t expect to get out scott free. Now get Degtyarev and go to Kruglov’s bunker, he wants to see you two.”
Strelok could only nod. “Yes ma’am,” he replied, before turning away and leaving.
“Free stalkers, I swear,” Snag muttered under his breath. “Was I ever like this?”
“You and Vano were worse,” Celestia stated matter-of-factly. “How’s the progress?”
“By my estimation, the camp is 90% done,” a new voice replied, causing everyone to look up.
There, atop a BTR, Rookie was sitting, scratching words on the notepad he was holding, occasionally glancing at the laptop sitting next to him.
“Splinter’s bunker is due to arrive any minute now and so are the officer’s quarters,” the lieutenant added, his eyes never leaving his notepad and laptop. “Speaking of the devil...”
The young stalker raised his gaze towards the space bubble, its faint glimmer ever present in the skies of the fields around the Canterhorn. From the anomaly, four large choppers emerged, each carrying a mobile bunker similar to the two already present on the ground. To the thumping sound of their blades slicing through the air, the aerial formation approached the base and expertly maneuvered to dump their cargo.
Rookie chuckled. “At least Splinter will stop pestering me,” he commented.
Luna couldn’t help but stare at the spectacle. “It’s fascinating… we didn’t know what this… anomaly was and then you and your men come through with the equivalent of a small army as if it was nothing,” she observed. “And once again, without magic...” she trailed off.
Snag smiled. “Yeah, we’re that good.”
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Check it out! This guy made some fanart! Or more like, colored some of my shit.
fc09.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2014/260/f/6/the_zone_changes_everyone_by_warking76-d7zjplq.png
5068829
Nice!
So, does that mean that the cover is about to receive an upgrade?
5068961
nope!
I prefer muh pencils
5068965
Eh, fair enough. Just curious.
Nice colors on the new one, but the original shading is better.
Nice chapter! I'm glad its finally come out!
Yessssssssss
It Updated!
...
and I'm done reading said update.
...
...More please.
Step One: make good story
Step two: Make sequel
Step three: Have Noah appear
Step four: ???
Step Five:
IT UPDATED!?!
i.imgur.com/anWrV.gif
So griffons are vegetarian as well? Or is Twilight just ignorant?
Awesome as always, keep up the great work.
And thats why old Celly is da best. She always knows how to subtily manipulate others for the common good.
Also, Strelok, good ol' Strelok...
I would think the laws about making military units etc. would not apply for Princesses who are out of contact.
5069347
someone's genre savvy.
*sees new chapter*
YES! *reads it, then reaches the end* Well, time to play the waiting game...
5069410
so this is how it feels like to have a fanboy/girl...
5069410
Wouldn't say she's a bitch, she's been pretty spot on for an illegal military unit that Celestia is funding anti-magic devices for that could potential be hostiles..Which some of them have proven to be from her prospective.
I thought I should mention this, but thanks for creating such an amazing story! The prequel to this is actually what got me into the STALKER series!
5070001
Excellent points. Celestia should be more worried about her new boyfriend and co and how they behave to Equestrians than the other way around. Right now she is clearly representing them more than her homeland
It updated... Yes. I desire more! Please, sir, can I have some more of this amazing fic?
Hello Cheeki Breeki!
*is generating liquid joy*
Also, is Vladof vodka in any way related to Borderlands weapons manufacturer?
5073140
No.
It's a real brand.
5073144
Well, sorry, I only know our Russian vodka brands >_>
5070822
well celestia is totally following the equestrian laws, seeing as she is still a princess, by law she is entitled to have a military unit of her own for whatever purpose she deems fit, so they arent an illegal army by equestrian law, about her caring more about the humans than her ponies is quite simple, the human expedition is the same a diplomatic group which is also a first contact situation between the equestrian government and humanity, after her time on the zone she knows perfectly how screwed up are the ponies in case things go wrong, twilight and the guards reaction being a prime example of how bad/fast thing can go wrong, she is is taking the stalkers side because is easier to keep em on line as brigadier general everfree, than keeping the ponies at bay as princess celestia after being away for so long
5071309 More?! Never before has a boy wanted more! Though I must agree.
dude you got fan in me.
cant wait to see next chapter. {says in russian accent}
Wow, Celestia's got a lot more patience than I do.
If it were me, it probably would have ended with Celestia losing her patience, going all Canterlot voice on twilight, while reminding her just who's actually in charge, ("You little CUNT! You DARE to lecture ME on what is and isn't against the law? Do you know where the law even comes from? Do you?! Let me tell you: it comes right out from my FUCKING FLANK-HOLE!! You think you can sit here, bitching about "authorization?!" I gave MYSELF authorization.
So don't talk to me about what the law is or isn't, you little pretentious shit! I don't break the law, I AM THE FUCKING LAW!"
You think that just because some fucking poetry book gave you a pair of wings that it fucking entitles you to the right to talk down to ME?! Well? DOES IT? I've been running this goddamn show by my fucking self for 1000 fucking years, and you fucking think that just because I'm gone for ONE means you can come in, take MY job, sit on MY throne, and treat ME like some dirtbag noble?! After all I've done for you, after all I've taught you, after all I've given you, this is the way you act towards me?! Well, let me familiarize you with a phrase from the human world: "for I giveth, and I TAKETH AWAY!!!")
Then her removing Twilight's wings and horn (with that same mouse cursor spell Trixie used on pinkie, not... The other much more painful way), then telling her that she can have them back after she's pulled whatever stick she has shoved up her ass out and write a 9 page apology report.
"But until then..." Celestia points to the door "GET THE HELL OUT OF MY THRONE ROOM!"
... Of course, that probably would have just made twilight hate the humans all the more.
5220961 And fuck you too, asshole. You talk about this kind of thing as if we don't know that? You don't know jack shit about those of us in arms, and everything you have just said, even if it was a month ago, is most likely the kind of bullshit spawned from bigoted news sources and people with nothing to complain about. Yes, way too many politicians do shit they shouldn't because of the money, or just don't do what they should because they got paid. However, the brass running things in the military ain't at all like that, and if we catch one of our higher ups accepting a bribe or any other dishonorable thing, it's an immediate Court-Martial for them. We take care of our own, and don't you dare ever suggest that we are corrupt assholes only in it to get a quick buck. That's disrespectful to almost 250 million or so veterans in the modern world today.
You may have the freedom of speech here, but check your mouth before it lands you in a position you'd rather not be in, because a lot of the things you've said in your post would land you in the hospital in a heartbeat, if said in front of the wrong people in real life. You don't know what we have been through to serve our nation in the best way we know how. Sure, our government does things that are quite fringy, and us soldiers, sailors and airmen always take the shit for their decisions. Why? History has made it so, starting with the war of 1812, believe it or not. Ask me for a history lesson later, I'd be glad to teach. In the mean time, bugger off of calling those who have served "entitled holier-than-thou nation-wanks," and we'll be just peachy, hmm?
5073985 ya but if she just say that than it would not ending up something bad.
If anything see need to find a fine bleach of 50 50
I would also like to say that if she don't fine that right than things are going to get alot worst from there.
Also a law is made by people if the agged of a sample trem like killing someone, a Loner and everyone of them if you killed one of them they know you did a bad thing by killing someone is not an asshole and most would agged with that but if i say well kill a bandit than no one would give no shit about it becasue i remove one shit head already.
Laes is werid like weed everyone say it sould be langal but the fedle lvl say its not
5389187
i.imgur.com/eATeG.gif
you what
5390240 Look if she keep on showing she no longer there princess than the ponies want her gone out.
If she can't find that right balance of being her old self and her new stalker self, if she can't than why even come back home because now they don't even know who she is now.
If anything they would want her gone now because the so call law can't be made by her only it have to be made by more than one person that have a neturl aggment of that law, if she keep on making laws to give her new frds what they can do than there we be trobler real soon than.
5390861
Well that's the point of the story.
But she hasn't created any law here. Just followed them. Loosely? Perhaps.
5070441
KICKED
OUT.
Besides, no. Just no.
5220961
5355399
Behave.
5392990 just remeber if she can't keep the ponies happy and her man happy than she have to pick one side really.
If anything ( sorry its how i always start out ) if she piss them off to a ponit where they want her gone there be a rioting soon or worst want her dead or less worst gone.
like this type of riot. just say
5392995 Fine, but if he steps in a fruit punch, it's not my fault.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmoooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrr
Somehow I still expect an MH-6 Littlebird somewhere in this.I don't know why, it just seems fun.
So how is it going?
Right. Lovin the story so far. I need to know what year the apocalypse took plase so I can make a few suggestions on vehicles, missiles, weapons, ships, and worn tech.
5781719
No apocalypse in the stalkerverse sir, only a regional fallout. Vehicles are modernized MI-24s, BTR-70s, BMP-2s, a couple MI-26s and tanks, which will more than likely be T-80s -my tankfu, it wasn't your fault shhh baby it's okay- of some sort
5776219
I'm having issues writing Vano, that's why the hangup.
5782523 I just want you to know a few things. This fic, even with it being a crossover that heavily relies on stalker lore, is well made, just as the previous one. The fact that deserves praise is the fact that even with absolutely no stalker knowledge, I manage to understand what is currently happening. It is also one of the rare few fics that (in my opinion) accurately portray the character of Celestia and Twilight. Good job. Although I hope that the Vano oriented hangup doesn't prevent you from further updates, since I have really enjoyed this story as a whole.
I would like to know when you might add a chapter plz.
If that question wasn't asked and answered.
What's the holdup, Stalker?
I love how she said that. By becoming the apex predators. We didn't grow into it. We weren't born this way. We chose to claw our way to the top. We are that badass.
This is why I mostly (though not entirely) believe in the something a philosopher (or writer, can't remember who) once said. "Every country has exactly the government it deserves." Basially, if you aren't willing to fight for better, then you don't deserve better.
6029949
IRL hangups, writing and rewriting lots of backstory, having yet to determine where the story will go and at times lack of motivation
6164096 Shame to hear. But at least it's not dead.
More Please. :)