//------------------------------// // Calm before the Storm // Story: The Beginning of the End // by CyclicStoryWriter //------------------------------// The Beginning of the End Calm before the Storm Twilight Sparkle was trotting down to a nice little spot where she and her friends have their picnics. It lay right in a small meadow surrounded by a few trees and a small stream ran off to the side. She was accompanied by Spike, Anderson, and a box of cupcakes fresh from the Sugarcube Corner. The trip down had been complete silence as they moved through the pleasant scenery. This was fine with Twilight because she had a plan up her sleeve. If Sergi was able to make it she would finally break past the iron curtain that he always had around him. When she got back home yesterday she began searching for a spell or something of the like to be able to get past his defenses. All the spells she found were nowhere close to being inconspicuous as she needed them to be. She smiled to herself as they began to approach the spot. Everypony was in attendance except for Rainbow Dash and Sergi. "Good afternoon everypony!" Anderson said as he began to walk faster towards the group. "YAY! The cupcakes made it!" Pinkie Pie shouted out as she snatched the packages from Anderson. "Does anyone know where Rainbow Dash is?" Twilight Asked as she got closer to the group. "She was here earlier but left to take care of some business she forgot about, although she did seem a little off when she was here." Rarity said as she laid lounged on the picnic blanket with her large 'picnic' hat. "She seems like she’s had something else on her mind since the humans settled down in Ponyville, or at least most of them." Applejack commented. Twilight could easily take a guess as what Rainbow Dash was doing. Once things got somewhat settled down just before Winter Wrap up, Rainbow Dash had seemed preoccupied with the one-man army named Sergi. She even has been wearing the same weird necklace that he made as a gift for her. It just made her irritated that Rainbow Dash was able to get inside Sergi's iron curtain with ease and here she was trying to find some chink in his armor. All she wanted to know was what exactly he did back in the other world. It seriously can't be as bad as he makes it to be. "Sorry I'm a little late girls, I went to find Sergi and get him to come along but I couldn't find him anywhere." Rainbow Dash said as she landed next to the others followed by the clicking of the necklace that Sergi had given her. "Maybe he already left to work with the Royal Guards at Canterlot." Anderson said as he leaned against a tree nearby. "All of his stuff was still there; even his tent was still up. There was even this strange voice that talked to me." Rainbow Dash replied. "Ah, so it seems you have met his AI unit. He is the only person I know who has received his own personal AI. I have heard some rumors but I doubt any of them are true." Anderson said "He's not around at the moment so you'll be alright. Tell us some of the more realistic ones." Twilight Sparkle said willing to hear any information about Sergi. "I think the one that is most likely true is..." Anderson said before a voice interjected. "You shouldn't be talking about things beyond your comprehension or pay-grade Anderson. You shouldn't let these ponies get the better of you." Sergi's voice stated from out of nowhere, causing everyponies head to find where he was. "Ah Sergi, I knew you would surprise us all. Now appear to us so we can enjoy your company." Sir Henry said with a small smile. "Oh there is no trick to this one. I am sure that you will find me once you take a closer look around you." Sergi replied still hiding himself well from all the picnickers. "I'm sure that if a certain cyan pegasus didn't tire herself out looking for me, we’d be seeing eye to eye." Twilight watched as all traces of weariness disappear as she bolted up into the air. Rainbow Dash then began looking around from where she hovered before flying over to one of the trees. She slowly poked her head through the branches of the tree before pulling her head out with a large grin. Seconds later, a large mass fell from the tree and stood back up with an apple in his hand. Sergi had been there the whole time and no one bothered to look up into the trees. "Nice little area you have here girls. I have never seen anything like this in my whole life. The sight just makes you feel like there is nothing wrong in the world." Sergi said before taking a bit out of the apple he had. "Well Ah'm glad you made it here today. You have been very busy the last couple of weeks and a break could be good for you. Now how about you come over here and take a seat with us." Applejack said as she offered a spot next to her. "A break would be nice at the moment, especially since in a weeks’ time I will have more work than ever." Sergi replied as he knelt down next to the farm pony. "What’s happening in a week?" Rainbow Dash said as she lowered herself back down onto the ground. "I can't say much but what I can say that I will be heading up to Canterlot to better manage the griffon situation." Sergi said "How long do you think you will be gone?" Twilight asked trying to figure out how to play things out. "With the current situation it will probably be at least six months. It just depends how long they will want to keep persisting." Sergi answered simply as he shrugged his shoulders. "I might be seeing you from time to time for fashion shows. So you won’t be lonely all that time." Rarity said as if to cheer up Sergi in some way. "Don't worry about me my friends, with everything happening I don't think there will be any time to focus on something else let alone take a break." Sergi replied as he stretched his arms out. "Also I have a proposition for everyone here. That is, if you’re interested." "What's this deal you’re talking about?" Rainbow Dash asked as she squinted her eyes to somehow see what the deal was better. "I will accept any questions that you have about me or the other world as well as a special gift for everyone when I come back from Canterlot. The only catch is that any information about what I did in my past is off limits, did you catch that last part Twilight?" Sergi continued as he finished directing it towards her. They all agreed to the proposition as Twilight almost jumped out of her skin. 'A time allocated to getting answers from Sergi. This could not go any better!' she thought in her head. "What is a Cossack?" Twilight Sparkle asked to begin the deal. "It is a mercenary group that deals more with night-time undercover operations so that things might be easier for everyone." "Do you guys have a motto?" Rainbow Dash asked next "Infirmorum susceptor, Hunter magni ab ultimo ad ultimum spiritum, pugnabimus. It is roughly translated to The Protector of the Sick, from the Final End to the Last Breath of the Great Hunter, we will fight." "How many parties have you been too?" Pinkie Pie asked as she leaned in close. "All together, about 36 or 37. If you’re talking about ones that I have been officially invited to and not just for a contract; one." "What does that mean?" Applejack asked as she heard the answer. "I have been to a lot of parties uninvited to either get high valued information or to deal with a high valued target." "What were all those interesting ribbons on your uniform that we saw last at the Gala?" Rarity asked keeping to her area of expertise. "They were awards for performing beyond the call of duty and also awards for surviving through a certain string of battles or campaigns." "Are you always so aggressive and single-minded? If that is alright to ask." Fluttershy asked quietly. "It is alright to ask. No, I am only like this when something that is either good or close to me is being threatened in any way." "How did you get all those scars we saw on you yesterday?" Applejack asked as she moved to grab a cupcake. "When we went on missions I always stayed behind enemy lines so that everyone else could get to be able to live another day, sometimes I stayed back a little bit too long." Sergi said as he slowly felt one on his left arm. "What was it like in the old world? What had happened in it? Would you ever want to go back?" Twilight began asking as the questions just flowed out of her mouth. "It was nothing compared to this world to say the least. So many things happened to it that it only barely resembles this world. The only constant in that world was war and an endless cycle of vengeance. Right about now the planet should be a burning ruin of its former self. Anything that is still alive will not last for much longer. With all of that said I think that I would rather live here than under the thick nuclear-fallout clouds that block out the sun." Sergi answered before his eyes looked of somewhere in the distance and what little emotion was on his face dissolved away. Twilight Sparkle started to get angry because he had started to ignore her questions. This small fury burned for a little while until she noticed that he wasn't responding to anypony at the moment. He just sat there staring off into the distance as if something else was happening there. Twilight decided to use one of the spells she learned to see what exactly he was watching. "What are you doing Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked, watching Twilight Sparkle charge up the spell. "I just want to see if I can help him with what’s in his head." Twilight answered as she tried focusing on the spell. "Ah don't think that would be such a good idea Twilight." Applejack said. Twilight did not hear the last comment as she released the spell and went into Sergi's head. The inside of his mind was like a giant series of halls filled with doors. The hallways were made of something similar to rock in appearance but still very different; the doors looked to have been made out of solid metal with a large wheel in the middle. She went to every door she passed only to find them either locked or leading to rooms with little to nothing in them. Any books she found in there were mostly fictional or journals from random people. Down the hallway she went until she heard a unique sound coming somewhere close by. Following the noise lead her down to a door that looked similar to all the other doors. Loud pinging noises could be heard from the other side of the door. With her magic she began turning the wheel to open the door only to find it spinning out of her control and bursting open. A figure ran out into the hallway where she was standing in and hid behind the door. Other figures were further down the hallway making flashes from the center of their chests. Twilight began to slowly move forward to investigate the other figures until a sharp stinging pain sliced across her side. She screamed out in pain as the door slammed shut with a small thud came from the other side of the door. Looking at her side she could see blood spilling out of a line across her side. All the blood almost made her faint. The figure that came through the door stood towering over her with a dark green outfit that she had seen before except holes could be seen with dark blotches. The blood-red orbs stared down at her as fear and terror began to fill her thoughts. All of the questions she had evaporated as panic filled her mind. "TWILIGHT!" A voice shouted out, breaking apart the world she laid bleeding in. She opened her eyes to find herself lying down on the grass in a cold sweat. Across from her Sergi began to looking down at her with the same look as she received inside his mind. "Are you alright Twilight?" Fluttershy asked as everyponies eyes now laid on her. "I'm alright, everything is fine." She said as she brought herself back up onto her hooves. The picnic began to slowly slide back into its normal state but Twilight could still feel the gaze of the eyes staring straight into the mind. It was as if they watched her every thought.