//------------------------------// // "Празда" // Story: General Winter // by SONBoomer //------------------------------// The elevator stopped. "This thing is small..." Spike stated, for the umpteenth time. "No manure, Share Lock." Sunset growled, as they stepped out from the cramped cab (and did a relieving cat-stretch on their way out). The hallway was dimly lit, green linoleum covered the floor, and dark wood planks covering the wall up to two thirds of it's height from the floor. The actual wall was whitewashed... White... Trixie stepped forward baldly, and glanced around. It didn't took long for her to spot the door that read: Центральный Офис - "Head Office". "Onwards!" she cried, galloping forward the door. The orange unicorn sighed "Not this schoolfilly crud again..." Then, with a wry smile, she galloped after her. Twilight giggled, and lowered her back slightly, allowing Spike to jump on. He was growing a tad bit heavier every now and then, but at his current size, he was still easy to carry. ...Though... It probably won't be long before he grows too heavy to be carried. As he grows older. Into a mature dragon. Roughly a century before he was supposed to do... "You OK, Twilight?" Spike asked. The mare shook her head, successfully getting the forming tears out of her eyes. With a sigh, she turned back to look at her assistant. "Yeah." she said, softly and quickly, before trotting off after her friends. The three of them were basically classmates, colleagues, allies, rivals and friends, all in one... Three... Personal students of the three princesses, they practiced the three major castes of magic, along with other useful and necessary subjects, and hanged out with the three most powerful beings in... Well, the mortal world... Yeah, that seemed just about right... 'Twas a safe assumption. "Head Office" was a ponies' office. And by that, I mean it was used by many, many ponies. Wooden bureaus everywhere, with chinovniks hunchbacked over them, as they clopped furiously... ...On their typewriters... Just what did you expect? Young apparatchiks were running about, pushing carts filled with papers, magnet tapes, film, and other mcguffins... Secretaries, male and female (mostly mares, to compensate the musky young paperboys and the middle-aged paper-pushers) roamed around, delivering certain documents personally. Through a doorway that lacked it's namesake, another room could be seen, filled with ponies and griffons wearing white lab coats, whilst they roamed around huge, brass-ornamented computers. Looking around, as they stood in the opening left between four bureau-battalions, the very center of the cart-highway, standing at the central point of the wooden floor (with embedded green carpets), the four of them looked around. "There!" Spike yelled, pointing ahead. There, on the wall opposite to the one which through they came in (not literally THROUGH it, of course), was a padded door with a simple iron plate on it, reading Верховный Комитет. "Supreme Committee." said Trixie, reading it "This is it!" "Let's enter then, shall we?" Twilight asked, smiling, as they began to trot towards the door. "You know..." Trixie began "I presumed that they will be among the other clerks..." "They're not bureaucrats, Trixie..." Twilight replied "They're politicians. Well, political leaders would be a better term - they do more work than any of their colleagues from the south..." "Apart from the Princesses..." "Apart from the Princesses, of course." the mare added "Besides, the Supreme Committee is the legislating tier of the Supreme Council, whilst the Commissariat of the State is the executing tier. The official "Supreme Council" room with the round table, computers and large screens with maps and other miscellany is in Mosscow, but the titles "Commissariat of the State" and "Supreme Council" wander from city to city, depending on which is the elected capital." "Huh... Why is that?" Spike asked, as they arrived to the door. "That's because the Supreme Council has a veto right above all councils, and has the authority to commence action and make legislation. During war, the Commissariat of the State can give out "Alpha orders" that are both legislative and executing commands. The Supreme Committee can do the same in case of a sudden economic depression. But the Supreme Council is takes absolute control in case of an emergency greater than any war and economic collapse. So far, it took over only once... The two other mares flinched... "The war..." Sunset exhaled. "Indeed..." the lavender unicorn replied, knocking on the door... Which was about as effective as trying to bust down the door the Equestrian National Vault with a toothpick. The soft padding absorbed the knocks... "Huh..." Twilight muttered, bemused... "Try the doorbell, genius!" her fiery compatriot hissed, pressing the button herself. "Hey... Girls... Hasn't it gotten... Quiet, all of a sudden?" Spike asked. "Quiet?" the azure mare asked back "Yeah, sorta..." "Girls..." Twilight whispered. She sounded quite nervous "They're all... Looking at us..." "What?!" "You heard the mare..." Spike nodded, swallowing hard. Having been sitting backwards on equine step-sister, he got a clear view of the eerily quiet office. All ponies, clerks, secretaries and typers, paused their work, and were now staring at them, incredulously. They have been waiting for a mere two minutes... The silence was growing intense... "Umm..." Sunset croaked, trying in vain to end to unnerving tacet of the office. There was a quiet 'click'. The door began to open. "Well... Let's head inside..." Trixie murmured, entering not-as-boldly as she did before. The others followed suit. Twilight was the last, and on her back, still facing the office, Spike was relieved to see the white collar mass return to their work, as if nothing had happened. "At least they weren't petrified..." he thought to himself, shuddering when a memory came to his mind "That was blood-curdling..." "Ах, добро пожаловать!" The three mares stopped in a line, and Spike jumped off Twilight's back to join them. The room was spacious... It expanded left and right, while the wall opposite to the door was surprisingly close. Before them, an oblong shape could be seen in the middle of the room, taking up most of the floor. In the left-hoof corner, there were chairs stacked upon each other. The large desk was right in front of them, and behind it, a huge window dominated the wall, giving a clear view of... Well, the cloudy sky, from this angle. The office building was not the tallest in the city (that would've been the "Tall House", a 20-story prefab high-rise that has been left abandoned for the last 28 years because of a cheap insulating gel that eroded with time, rendering the building dangerous to use. The City Council and the Architectural Commissariat was absolutely furious because of it at the time, whilst the Infrastructure Commissariat was laughing it's flanks off). But in the area where it was located, it was the tallest building, overlooking the vast majority of the city, with the factories and covered farmlands in the distance, and the mountain to the northeast. The behind the desk stood three indistinct equines - the faint light coming from the window was enough to make them seem nothing more than pony-shaped silhouettes. Cautiously, they walked forward, mentally readying themselves for every possible thing. It was unwise, but they couldn't help it: they remembered the visage of leaders - Supreme Secretaries, Premieres, Head Commissars, Generalissimuses, and other former key figures of the Union. Most of them ruthless with an almost mechanical mind lacking emotions other than the triumph of victory or the paranoia that blossomed in all supreme leaders, For the sake of their country, they were willing to sacrifice their people, more than anything. For the sake of their own security, they were willing to sacrifice their reputation. If it was war - "Not one step back!" If it was a diplomatic meeting with other countries - "We will bury you!" They were dictators, among the worst, with more blood on their hooves than any other pony's, griffon's, or even dragon's. The three figures came into full view. They were... Smiling? "Добрый день!" one said. He sounded... Young, surprisingly... His tone was welcoming. As their eyes got used to the backlight, they could make out the three ponies. One of them was a deep crimson stallion with a dark green-and-gold peaked cap, with a crossed hammer and wrench icon on it's front. He was a pegasus, with a blackish brown mane and tail. His cutie mark was a metalworking hammer in front of what appeared to be a factory silhouette. The one the right was - to their surprise - a unicorn mare with a beige coat, and sandy crest and tail, while she had a peaked similar to that of her comrade's, but blue, white and red, with the peak's corners folded upwards, and a groove in it that fit around her horn. Her mane was tightly braided, and her cutie mark was scythe with it's blade around a bundle of wheat. She smiled at them. "Привет!" her voice was soft, and cheery. The other stallion in the middle was light gray with brown crest, tail and facial hair - a prominent mustache fused with an even more prominent beard. He didn't looked old, though. He had his hat off - a black fur ushanka laid in front of him on the table, a stainless steel five-pointed star on it's front. He was an earth pony, and his cutie mark was the silhouette of a hoof holding up a cogwheel, with tools sticking out from between it's teeth - a hammer, a pickaxe, a scythe, a paintbrush, a calipers, and a torch. "Welcome!" he said. His accent was almost unnoticeable. Almost. Trixie, feeling relieved that they survived the "Office of Stares", and by the fact that the Committee leaders seemed to be more friendly than any of them had presumed, seemed almost tipsy with ellation. So, she merely waltzed up to the table, got on her hind legs, propped her chin up on the table, and gazed at the three (now rather perplexed) ponies, before exhaling the phrase (sensually): "'вуй!" A long, awkward pause followed that, before Twilight broke the silence (frantically): "TRIXIE!" "Too much?" "Well, э-э, welcome, anyways..." The bearded stallion greeted them "You're the representatives of the Princesses, right?" Suddenly, the three mares (and the dragon) snapped into a line. A soldierlike one. "Sunset Shimmer." Sunset declared "Disciple of Princess Opscura. Practitioner of Arcane, Dark and Battle magic. Substudies include: History, both universal and Equestrian, Martial arts, Tactic, and Etiquette..." "What was that?" Sunset sighed... "...Etiquette..." "Oh." The azure mare stepped forward. "I am..." she began, standing up onto her hind legs "THE GRRRREAT AND POWERFUL..." Elbow to the ribs. "Oof!" she got back on all four "I mean... Beatrix Lulamoon. Apprentice of Princess Luna. Practitioner of Adeptian, Shadow and Decoy magic. Substudies include: Technology, Fine arts, Arts, Rhetoric... And pyrotechnics..." "Pyrotechnics?" "I come from a family of entertainment magicians." "Ah." "Twilight Sparkle." the purple mare said, stepping forward "Student of Princess Celestia. Practitioner of Elemental, Light and Defensive magic. Substudies include: Literature, Chemistry, Genealogy, and Athenaemy." "Really?" "Yep!" "O-К..." they then turned towards the dragon "And you?" "Uhhh..." Spike straightened his back "Spike. Assistant of Twilight Sparkle. Practitioner of... Drake and Auxiliary magic, I guess? Substudies: uhhh... Athenaemy aaaand... Gemology!" "Seems fitting." the pegasus nodded "You are a dragon, after all." "What was that supposed to mean?" Twilight asked, sharply. "Well..." the stallion replied "Dragons do have a fixation to gemstones, given that they eat them, so proves him all the more intelligent - he wants to study then, and not just eat them..." "Because dragons NEED to be proven intelligent, right?" the lavender unicorn questioned, eyes narrowing. Spike felt himself shrink with embarrassment. Trixie considered a test of her latest displacement spell. Sunset suppressed the urge to whack the lilac unicorn across the withers. "Not necessarily..." the pegasus replied, unwavering "But they usually rely on their instincts, well, apart from the teenage dragons, who behave like... Well, teenagers..." After being bombarded by a cool demeanor and information, Twilight successfully calmed down. "I'm Стальной Молот." the pegasus introduced himself "Главный инспектор of all industries in Stalliongrad. Рад познакомиться с вами!" "My name's Золотая Коса." the unicorn mare continued "Ponies' Commissar of health and welfare within Stalliongrad and it's agglomerations. Добро пожаловать в Сталлионград!" "And I am Сложный Механизм." the earth pony finished "Chaircolt of the Stalliongrad City Committee." "Sooo... We're not meeting the Supreme Committee?" Trixie asked, sounding a bit disappointed. "О, небеса, нет!" the Chaircolt replied "They're far too busy with national matters. Like the festival, for example." "Right, well..." Twilight muttered "The Princesses have ordered us to see, and perhaps, help with the preparations. I understand that the grand scheme is that all regions of the Union contribute to something to the event." "Indeed." Молот replied "A large crowd is expected, from both around the Union, and from Equestria. Stalliongrad was chosen to be the host city, because of... Well... I think you can guess." Silence. They all duked out their respective facial reactions. "Are there any specific locations you want us to visit?" Sunset asked, after some time. "Here's a the list." Механизм replied, hoofing over a sheet of paper "These are the only places you need to visit. Of course, you can go elsewhere, if you wish. You'll be given a two-week pass for the whole of the Union Railways, plus one more if you want to bring somepony, like a guide, with you." As they read up the list, the three mares looked up. "Ummm... Not that it bothers us, but these locations are basically tourist destinations..." Twilight muttered, glancing back down at the page "Linengrad, Komkolzgrad, Mosscow, Minx, Kyiv, Artake..." "Well..." Коса began, but Молот interrupted: "Aw, come on! We know how it is!" he chortled "We've been students ourselves - travelling abroad was one of the best things about it!" "Yes. But this is the Northern Region..." Sunset reminded them "And it's the middle of bucking winter!" "Sunset!" "It's inconvenient, I know." Механизм nodded "But the task these places have been given require Equestrian overseers." "Right." Twilight muttered, studying the list once more "And the festival is...?" "In a week. And it lasts roughly another week." "Anything else we should know about?" The three leaders exchanged looks. "Watch out for General Winter." "...Seriously?" "...Yes. Like you said, it's winter." They left the office in stunned silence. Well, actually, Sunset was just too bored to speak... *** "I just realized..." "What? You mean here, in the elevator?" "Yes..." "OK... What?" "What 'what'?" "You realized... What?" "Празда is the shortening of 'Правительственный здание', or 'Governmental building'." "..." "You're not impressed." "Speak fluid Northern, remember?" "Princess Opscura has always spoken highly of my logical deduction skills." "Oh." "Sooo... Yeah... No surprise there, Twilight..." "...It also means 'idle'..." "Huh?" "The word Празда... It means 'idle'." "No, it doesn't...! Were you using that cheap-flank translator spell again?" "...Maybe..." "Twilight, please, leave the translations to me."