//------------------------------// // I - Soviet Opener // Story: Cold War II // by MajorFluffy //------------------------------// ''Soviet Opener" I     It was a cold winter night in the Soviet land. At the heart of the land, laid its capital, Moosekow. Snow blanketed the ground - a soft yellow hue given to the snow from the streetlamps - dimpled with the hoofprints of ponies as they made their ways around the city. One peculiar tourist found herself in the middle of the 'Red Square'. Taking in the frost-bitten buildings and snow covered monuments, she soon found her gazed locked onto the silhouette of a large castle. "Must be the capitol! Err.. I thought castles were out of style..." the mare muttered to herself as she shrugged. "Then again, this place is...primitive. Couldn't imagine actually having to actually live or work in one," she giggled out as she moved to continue her trek through the square.         The silhouette the mare saw was in fact a castle. The castle, also known as the Kremlin, housed the few political leaders and officers that held offices under the soviet queen. The most notorious resident of the castle is the queen, Sveta Kalashnikov. Most nights, the red-and-gold dyed alicorn often found herself entertaining guests, much to the dismay of her daughter, Sickle. The parties tended to start off civilised; however, Princess Sickle would often find herself laying upon her bed as the commotion of intoxicated dignitaries raged on into the night. “Oh why wouldn’t mother let me move to the other side of the castle,” the unicorn huffed out as she covered her head with a large pillow. The poor princess had the luxury of being housed next to a private study; now used as stomping ground for her mother’s guests. “Ugh,” the unicorn cried out as she rolled over to face her night stand. A deep groan escaped her as she read her digital clock. “It’s 3 a.m.! Do they not have jobs to prepare for?! It’s whatever, just gotta ignore it,” she reassured herself as she settled back onto her pillow. She had actually managed to drift off until a loud round of applause broke out, waking her. The mare laid there silently, wide-eyed as she chuckled manically to herself. “That’s it, I've had it.” With a quick flick of magic, she flung her sheets away and sat up; strands of her blond  mane flowing into her eyes. With the elegance of a lame swan she lept onto the floor; sighing as her hooves sunk into the plush carpet. As she began the trek to her chamber door, she passed her dressing mirror; catching a glimpse of herself. Such an appalling sight! Once delicately applied eyeliner now formed dark bags under her eyes, red eyes, disheveled mane; something you’d expect from a common mare, not a princess. Perfect. With a smug grin, she staggered to her door; resting her head against it as she gathered herself. A quick nudge sent the massive door swinging out, exposing her to the dimly lit hallway. Muffled sounds of immense laughter and conversation assaulted her. She stepped out lightly onto the tile floor, slowly making her way down the corridor. The study was a fairly large room, easily doubling the size of the princess' chambers. The death-walk to the study prolonged the trip as the princess fought with herself.  I have got to speak up about this - No! You don't want to disappoint your mother, do you? - I'm just going to ask her to have her guests knock it down a notch. Before she could further debate, she found herself at the study's door. From the loudness, Sickle estimated that there were at least 200 ponies inside. With a deep breath, she pulled the door back slowly, slinking through when there was an opening just her size. The odors of alcohol, smoke, and...skunks took the mare by surprise, causing her to gag. A stallion near her glanced over his shoulder and scoffed when he saw the slovenly mare. "If Sveta spent as much time grooming her daughter as she does giving gifts..." The stallion trailed off as he joined a few mares in laughter. With a grumble the mare pushed on through the crowd. Though, she didn't have much trouble getting through since ponies parted like the seas as she passed by; collecting a plethora of insults as she went. She was on the verge of tears as she made it to the back of the crowd. She stopped to collect herself as she scanned the crowd for her mother. She didn't have to look far. Her clue was the grey maned stallion sitting tall next to a red and gold mare. That's the guy that reports to mother on matters concerning the military... The marshal! I think his name is... Nester Aleksandrov. Better known as the 'Queen's Flank Kisser'. It wasn't unusual to find the queen surrounded by a her posse of "nobles"; mostly bankers, private investors, corrupt politicians, or hired thugs. As the mare approached the gathering, she began to be able to make decipher some of the ponies around the table. Across from her mother sat 'Adolfa', the Germane chancellor. Next to the chancellor sat a oddly familiar face; from where she recognized the stallion escaped her. As she stood in thought, Nester caught glimpse of the princess, causing his trademark scowl to tense. Curious the other stallion took a quick glance over his shoulder and upon seeing the mare, dropped his head. Nested quickly delivered a joke, causing the two mares to erupt into laughter as he turned attention back to Sickle. His glare sent a message: Fuck off and die. She shuddered a bit as she fathomed the bashing she was about to receive; though, she still pressed on. The queen's laughter waned as she watched the princess approach and find herself next to the chancellor. The chancellor, however, was unaware of the princess as she continued to cackle hysterically. They all sat awkwardly as they listened to the chancellor cachinnate. Eventually, Nester dropped a heavy hoof to the table, breaking mare from her laughing spell. The faces she found displayed a sharp change in attitude. "Vhat?," she asked as she raised a hoof to wipe her eyes, "Vas that not funny?" A quick flick of the hoof from Nester prompted her to glance behind her. The sight of the disheveled mare shocked her a bit. "Ohhh... Zhe Princess... Ummm..." An uncomfortable smile spread across the Germane's face as the Nester facehoofed." Guten morgen*, Princess!" Sickle stood silently as she eyed the chancellor. "Dobroye utro**, Miss Chancellor," she responded back deadpan; attempting to convey her annoyance. Her tired gaze then fell on Nester, causing his hateful glare to soften slightly. "Dobroye utro, Your Highness," the stallion droned out reluctantly. His gaze then shot over to the stallion across from him. "Your vocal chords broken!? Speak!" The stallion raised his head and gave Nester a look of nonchalance before turning to face the princess. "Dobroho ranku***, Your Highness." Sickle blinked slowly as she took in his response, though she gave a nod of acknowledgment to the stallions. Before she was able to dwell on the subject her thoughts were broken by a sharp ahem, causing her to look up. It had came from her mother. "Dobroye utro, Mother." The red mare sat silently, looking about the room as if she hadn't heard a thing. With a sigh, Sickle bowed. "Dobroye utro, Your Majesty." A smirk grew across the queen's muzzle at the child's submission. "Ah yes, my dear Sickle," her silken voice purred out as she watched her child rise. "Who must I pay for providing us with your lovely presence?" Nester huffed as he rolled his eyes. Sickle forced a smile as she fought the urge to scream. "You can pay all your lovely guests!" The Queen only quirked an eyebrow at her response. "Oh wah," Nester bellowed out. "Disturbed by the sound of a few ponies?" The chancellor quickly excused herself; she knew where this was going. Sickle chuckled at the stallion's statement. "Two hundred and eighteen guests...a few?” She paused, fighting to keep her tone down. “One hundred and thirty stallions to eighty-eight mares, if you want to be specific. You do understand numbers bring loudness, right?" Nester scoffed as he shook his head. "I understand completely." Sveta had placed a hoof to her face as she listened to the two argue. Sickle is as dense as osmium, but what business did she have disturbing the peace? "Sickle, darling," Sveta droned out on a whim of frustration, "What is the reason you decided to...visit?" A pang of confidence sprang through Sickle as she heard the question. "I was coming to ask if you would ask the guests to pipe down a bit... I want to go to bed." The anonymous stallion cringed at the statement, choosing to hang his head. Nester snorted. "Darling, I understand how you feel, but understand, most of Mommy's guests have just come back from deployment. Not to mention, some paid a hefty price to get passes to be inside the Kremlin." That didn't provide a definitive answer. "Whaaa...?" "She's saying that some of these patrons have dodged bullets before this celebration. Hell, most of the military personnel liberated Russia from the democracy." Sickle gave a 'No shit' look to the stallion. "Thanks, I got it the first time, сука****." The mare's glance then fell to her mother. "Mother... Please. I've been up since early this morning assisting with setup and logistics. Normally the noise  doesn't affect me, but please, just this once. Just a tiny bit quieter." The Queen was about to quickly dismiss the matter, her appeal changed as she saw the fatigue on her daughter's face. She gave Sickle a nod and a warm smile. "Okay, I'll do what I can." Nester gave the Queen a disappointed glance. He couldn't stand to see the brat get her way. "Thank you, Mother." With that, the blonde mare turned and made her way back through the crowd and to the door. The matronly facade quickly fell to one of disgust as Sveta watched her daughter trek through the the crowd. Her silken voice conveyed her spite. "I'll do her one better." As Sickle made her way out the door, she left it ajar, electing to sit and listen to see if her request would actually be fulfilled. "Vnimaniye*****, Vnimaniye, everypony!" A broad smile formed across Sicke's lips as the noise died down. "Regretfully, I must inform you all that the festivities must be brought to a halt." Disappointed groans erupted at the announcement. Sickle's smile receded as her mother continued. "My daughter, a very light sleeper, requested that I have you all tone it down a bit. Instead of hindering your various functions, I figured that it would be best to simply end the bash all together. No party is better than a dull party, correct?" The crowd fell silent, they wanted to scream dissatisfaction; however the crowd elected to stay silent. By this time, Sickle had fled to her room, locking and barricading the door. She then huddle up on her bed as the banter of disappointed ponies passed her bedroom. 'I went bankrupt trying to pay for admission!' 'I volunteered to get sent to Afrikkan Front for five years in exchange for admission.' 'Did you get a glimpse at that heathen? I've never seen a that disgusting of a pony before in my life! And I just came back from the Afrikkan Front.' Most ponies just let their annoyance known by simply banging her chamber doors as they walked by. Did mother send them by my door on purpose? No... Just a coincidence.  About an hour had passed since the rush of  ponies died down; she had slowly managed to doze off. She was then awoken by the sound of guards taking post outside her chamber. It's only 5 a.m... They are setting guard early... I'm sure it's just for the intoxicated patrons. Assured, she finally drifted back to sleep, in relative peace. It felt like she had just fallen asleep when Sickle was awoken by shouting. She bolted into a sitting position as she listened to the commotion outside her door. "Pull it from the door, Ryadovoy******," the Guard Sergeant ordered her unicorn subordinate. "Serzhant*******, it's just a pie, what harm could it do...A ticking pie? Oh shit." From around a corner, the unicorn enveloped the device in a blue aurora and started sliding it from the door. Suddenly, the pie began to tick quicker and louder; causing the sergeant to shriek. Instinctively, the private sprinted towards the pie, enveloping himself and the pie in a heavier shield. There was a click, then a bang. The after sight was appalling. After shaking her mind clear of the gore before her, the sergeant remembered her duty as a royal guard. "Princess, if yer awake and okay, throw one thing at the door." One heavy thump gave her the answer she needed. "Stay in bed, everything is under control." Typically, guards are more formal...she sounded scared...even the most hardened of warriors can be frightened? The mare turned and looked to her clock. It's only 5:21 a.m? I managed to get twenty-one minutes of sleep? Hopefully I'll die at this rate. As if she had collapsed , she flopped back to onto the bed, groaning as she tried to settle back in. She seemed to be on her way to dreamland when she heard a single clop against her door. With a sigh, she grabbed, with magic, and flung a tome at the door. The thud of the book was followed by more clopping. However, the clopping was in a pattern! She listened closely for a specific pattern, this was a way guardsmen were able to identify themselves if the castle was ever compromised. Serzhant...Leftofkov...Mare...Pegasus...Utro...Leningrad.  A female sergeant from Leningrad? Sounds about right. With a deep breath, the mare enveloped herself in a magic shield; could be an assassin. "E-enter!" Slowly the door crept open, the head of a lavender guardsmare quickly popped in. The guardsmare looked about the room, cringing when she saw the disheveled royal. "Your majesty, the castle has been put on lockdown. It is requested that you stay within your quarters. Your meals and other necessities will be brought to you by me, only me." The guardsmare glanced over her shoulder, noting the stallion behind her. "There is a stallion requesting to speak with you. He's of benevolent intent." Sickle raised a hoof to her muzzle as she covered a violent yawn. "Send him in." With a nod, the guardsmare stepped back, letting the stallion slide through. It was the mystery stallion from the party. He was a taller stallion, his age apparent by his slightly larger build and greying mane. The stallion bowed slowly, standing as the door was shut behind him. "Dobroho ranku, once more, Your Highness." He expected to be met with some sort of appreciation, only to find the mare's wavering gaze. "I was just stopping by to check on you. I noticed the Marshal and the Queen were particularly harsh on you. I'm sure the patrons were just as bad." The mare yawned as she raised a hoof to rub an eye. "Eh, thanks...It's a common....thing." She shrugged as she eyes the coal furred stallion. "I don't like it at all. I'd leave if I could. Otherwise, there's not much I can do about it." The stallion sighed softly at her response. "I suppose so... I just find it unsettling  for a grown stallion to degrade a young mare while her mother watches." Sickle's ears perked up at his statement. "I see. What part of this great land did you hail from?" "Why do you ask, Princess?" "The fact that you disagree with at least 95% of the Union." The stallion sighed deeply at her statement. In fact, where he hailed from, they denounced the Queen passionately. "Kiev is...was my home." The mare grunted softly as she took in the information she received. "Kiev as in the Ukraine," she asked as she struggled to comprehend. "Da*******." What Sickle couldn't understand was how a Ukrainian managed to make his way into Soviet territory. "Yes, your confusion is appropriate," the stallion commented as he sat on the floor. "Wait... Who are you exactly?" With a grin the stallion, reached and unzipped his black coat, revealing a dark green camouflage uniform turtle neck sweater. Once he had completely slipped out of his coat, he stood up and stepped closer to the princess. She gasped as she looked over the stallion. On his forearm rested the bars of Blue and Yellow. Upon his shoulders, white epaulets were embroidered with a large gold star and gold wreath. She blinked slowly as she took this all in. "W-Wait... You're General armii Ukrainy********?" The stallion shook his head. "No...well technically speaking, yes." The stallion sighed as he reached a hoof to rub his neck. "I'm the former president of the Ukraine." The mare's eyes widened at this revelation. "I still don't know who you are." "Oh," the stallion started off with a snort, "Gallium Forge. Your mother calls me 'Poroshenko'."   She was sitting in a room with the leader of the only successful state to remain separate from the Union. "Why Poroshenko," the mare asked; placing this question high on the priority list. The stallion shrugged. "Something about humans. Apparently there was some human-stallion named Poroshenko that lost a part of his country to some civil war." The mare blinked. Her mother had went about banishing 'Western' names for some time now...Sickle didn't think they had any connections to anthropology. Sickle...focus!  "There hasn't been any fighting with Ukraine... How did you lose it?" The stallion sighed heavily as he hoofed at the carpet. "Defection." The mare only furrowed her brow at the stallion. "Literally all of my staff either defected here or to Germaney, or fled to Poland, Romania, or Czechoslovakia." The mare nodded in understanding. "Did they leave unnoticed," the mare asked. "Yes, they left in the middle of the night. Woke up with only the standard-bearer left in the whole capital building. We decided to flee also. We made it to the city limits where we were met by Germane troops. They gave us three choices: Germaney, U.S.S.R., or death." Sickle was on the edge of her bed as she listened to the chain of events. "What did you both choose?" The stallion chuckled. "Twilight Gleaming, the flag-bearer, would have chosen death if I hadn't ordered her to Germaney. I would've made it to Germaney also..." The stallion trailed off as he watched the mare fall face first to the floor. The mare laid there for a second before rolling onto her side. "Why didn't you make it?" The stallion sighed in response. "The company commander recognized me. She informed me that she was to be sure that I defected to U.S.S.R... It seems that your mother had a bounty on me." The mare nodded as she took in what was being said. So many unanswered questions. "What did she want with you," the mare asked as she propped her chin on a hoof. "Since I'm not dead...yet, I assume she wants me as an example of 'Soviet Might'. That, or she wants me to split the cabbages on how Ukraine held on for so long." The mare shook her head slowly as she tried to comprehend his last phrase. Though, the one thing Sickle couldn't figure out is why the stallion was giving her this information. "What..." She trailed off with a yawn. "What does this have a to do with me?" The stallion chuckled at the question. "Just know, the union won't stand for much longer." The mare's ears twitched violently at that last statement. "What do you me-" "Get some rest, Princess," the stallion interrupted, "It all will be clear very soon." With that, the stallion bowed and turned away from the mare and nonchalantly sauntered to the door; leaving the mare sitting, confused. As the door clicked behind him, the princess flopped back to her bed; sighing in relief as she settled into her pillow. Finally, peace. The mare fought for sleep, her opponent being the plethora of thoughts that ran through her mind. Whatever it is, it can wait. With a yawn, she fell still; a snore building as she drifted to off sleep.