Chapter 1: Sweet Home Equestria
Chapter 1: Sweet Home Equestria
Equestria is a peaceful land. The country had not known war for over a thousand years and the worst villains it had to face since then were either incompetent fools, too predictable or easy enough to manipulate. Strange sightings and dangerous beasts were rare, even. Well, other than in the Everfree forest.
That was why princess Celestia went with the scientific team dispatched to investigate the even stranger sightings that had been reported in the Everfree forest… we all know how that one ended.
That was also why when an odd, shimmering energy bubble the size of several hoofball fields appeared out of the blue over the plains surrounding the Canterhorn, Princess Luna assigned several teams of guards to keep an eye on what had been dubbed the ‘Anomaly’, and a resident team of mages had been put in charge of studying it. They had built a platform to allow ground pounders to approach it and had started to work.
And that was when everything went to shit.
The first mage who tried to scan the Anomaly disappeared in a flash of light, as if he teleported. A second one tried to cast a spell to know where his colleague went disappeared too. A guard then approached the Anomaly, his spear firmly held in his telekinesis.
He too disappeared in a flash of light.
From that day on, all access to the Anomaly had been prohibited and it was kept under armed guard at all times. The fate of all three unicorns who disappeared was unknown and it had been decided to cut the losses.
Two weeks later, something happened. A guard spotted a series of small black dots coming from the anomaly, before they returned to it.
The guard force had been reinforced as a result.
Unbeknownst to the ponies, there was something on the other side of that anomaly.
Then one day, no less than twelve flying machines came through the Anomaly, each carrying a heavy load under their bellies. Four machines were bigger than the others, and all were roaring in fury as they soared through the air so fast that no pegasus short of Rainbow Dash could follow them.
It was terrifying. The machines flew in formation with precision unmatched even by the best pegasus squads. The sound they were making was deafening, as if they were chopping the air as they advanced. Their dark and tern camouflage ironically contrasted with the colorful environment, as if they were sending a threat.
And they were headed straight for Canterlot.
From the city on the mountain, alarms blared.
The choppers flew in a tight formation over the Equestrian skies, no more than a hundred meters above ground, as they all were overloaded and couldn’t climb much higher anyways.
In the distance, there was a mountain. On this mountain, there was what looked like a plateau that extended outwards screaming ‘fuck you’ to Newton and all famous physicists. On this plateau was a city, with a big castle clearly distinguishable from the rest of the buildings, its spires and towers taller than anything around it except the mountain itself.
The passengers of the helicopters watched in wonder through the viewports while the physics-defying city came into view as the formation circled around the mountain, trying to find a spot to land.
“This is your captain speaking,” came a voice in the intercom system of Halo One, the Mi-26 at the head of the formation. “No LZ spotted. General Everfree, your assistance is required in the cockpit.”
Strider gently shook the alicorn that was resting in his embrace. “Wakey wakey, my little snowball,” he whispered in her ear.
Celestia cracked an eyelid open. “We’ve arrived already?” she asked.
“Yes, and the pilot asked for your help finding a landing zone,” replied the buzzed stalker.
“I see.” The alicorn jumped out of her seat, stretching her legs the best she could in the overpopulated space of the transport helicopter. “I’ll be back,” she added, planting a quick kiss on her lover’s lips.
As she walked towards the cockpit of the massive helicopter, Brigadier General Celestia Everfree gave examining glances at the men sat in their seats. All of them were Spartans, stalkers-soldiers directly under Strider’s orders. Of course, she too had authority over them, as she was technically THE big boss of the faction.
All the men were sitting upright, their rifles set vertically between their legs, all pointed towards the floor. All of them either were silent and bore neutral expressions or were quietly talking with their neighbours.
Curious, thought Celestia. Not a hint of apprehension.
Dismissing the thought, she entered the cockpit
In front of the helicopter squadron, Halo One, the lead Mi-26, banked right and began to slowly descend towards the ground.
“Krokodil group, Halo group, this is Halo one, report,” the radioman of Halo One, spoke in his radio.
Seconds later, his radio crackled to life. “One, this is Two,” replied the radioman of the second Mi-26. “We’re here.”
“This is Three, reporting in,”
“Four, present.”
“This is Kilo One,” replied the pilot of the lead Mi-24. “Kilo One, Two, Three, Fower, Five, Six and Seven present.”
“Krokodil, Halo, this is Halo One. Stand by for instructions.”
At that moment, Celestia arrived in the cockpit on Halo One. The crew greeted their General, who asked for a status report.
“So how are we, gentlemen?”
“If the information we’ve been provided is exact, this is the Canterhorn. We circled it twice already, and haven't found a LZ in the city. What are your orders General?”
Celestia glanced at the scenery through the cockpit windscreen. Thankfully, it was a calm and sunny day in Equestria, else flying and landing with such heavy loads would have been suicide.
“Land in the plains at the base of the mountain, to…” she stopped to look at the onboard instruments, “...the East. You pick the best spot. We’ll establish an ATC and a temporary camp there.”
“Yes, General,” nodded the co-pilot. “Pilot, bring us down.”
“Halo, Krokodil, turn right to a heading of 090 and initiate soft descent to LZ, standby for coordinates. Hotel One.”
“Coordinates received. Wilco. Kilo One.”
“Two, roger that.”
“Three, wilco.”
“Four, descending to 090.”
With that, the pilot of Halo One gently pushed his stick forwards and initiated a slow descent towards the ground.
The choppers approached the ground, slowing down as they began the final phase of their approach, sending whirlwind-like squalls, flattening the grass below them and kicking up clouds of dust in the big blue sky.
They approached the ground in a large circle-like formation, before setting their sling-loaded cargo on the firm ground. The slings detached themselves from the choppers, who then leaned towards the outside of the circle now formed by the armored vehicles they dropped while the two civilian Mi-26’s each dropped a large steel bunker in the middle.
Then the last two choppers joined the others and landed almost at the same time before they stopped their engines, the high-pitched whine of their turbines lowering both in pitch and intensity.
Instantaneously, the cargo doors of the Mi-26’s and the side doors to the Mi-24’s opened, letting out a flood of shouting soldiers, ordinance and workers.
Out of Halo One came Strider, Celestia and their impromptu passenger, a stalker named Runner.
“Attention all Dawn personnel, this is Colonel Strider speaking,” the buzzed stalker spoke in the radio on his shoulder. “Our priorities are establishing a secure outpost and scouting the area to establish maps for our airborne units. All exosuit crews, get on building the camp. I need two squads helping the Hermann’s and Kruglov’s teams to get their bunkers in operational order. I need three squads of three Rangers each accompanied with two Spartan sharpshooters to patrol the perimeter of the camp. Pilots, get your armored vehicles moving. We never know when we will need them. Move it people!”
Celestia turned towards Runner. “Go help the scientists,” she ordered.
The stalker wordlessly nodded before he walked into the frenetic crowd, headed for the bunkers.
Vano and Snag emerged nearly at the same time from the opposite direction Runner had left, accompanied with several of their Rangers, who saluted at the sight.
“So, what’s the plan?” asked Vano, greeting Strider and Celestia with a short salute.
Celestia turned towards the newcomers. “Warrant Officer Snag, take your men and coordinate the scouting operations. Major Novovich, you’re with us. Something tells me we’re gonna have my little ponies on our arms sooner than we’d want.”
Snag nodded. “Yes Ma’am,” nodded Snag, before he turned around, taking the Rangers with him.
That was when the alicorn general looked around, obviously searching for something. “Now, where’s Rookie?”
“He went in Halo 2,” replied Vano, scratching his beard as he looked around too. Of course, his tall stature made it easier for him to spot someone in a crowd. “He’s coming.”
“Perfect,” said Celestia. “Notify Kilo One, we’re going up.”
“Right away.”
It’s been long enough I haven’t seen you, sister, thought the alicorn as she walked with Strider behind Vano’ massive form who was leading them to the waiting Mi-24.
“I need to do something,” Celestia, told the others, “don’t freak out.”
Strider warily scratched his stubby beard. “What do you mean? You are not leav-”
The Dawn colonel was interrupted as Celestia was engulfed in magical flames, sending a shockwave in all directions that caused all the nearby people standing to stumble or trip.
There was a flash of light.
When everyone’s vision recovered, Celestia had changed. Her coat was an even more pristine shade of white, she was several centimeters taller than before, and her mane and tail had lost her normal blue appearance, replaced by ethereal figments radiating power as they floated in a non existent breeze.
The alicorn let out a long sigh. “Feels good to be back.”
The nearby crowd of soldiers stared for a just a moment, before they went back to their duties, no doubt commenting about what had just transpired.
Celestia turned towards Strider. “What do you think?” she asked her lover, pressing her chest against him..
“I did not think you could be even more beautiful than before,” commented the stunned colonel, wrapping his arms around the alicorn’s neck. “This is so surreal,” he added, combing his fingers through her immaterial mane.
“Trust me, I can do even better than that,” Celestia giggled, before stealing a kiss from her soulmate. “Oh, just a detail.”
The alicorn’s horn lit up, and almost instantly, its glow stopped.
“What was that about?” Vano asked.
Celestia said nothing and smirked, revealing a set of teeth that was definitely not herbivorous anymore.
Strider’s eyebrows shot up. “Huh. I knew you developed a taste for meat but this is… concerning.”
“You go ahead and try chewing a piece of one of these crappy diet sausages with my old teeth,” his marefriend replied, licking her newly acquired canines. “You can’t believe how infuriating that is. And it’s not like I’m a particular case, Luna’s guards get a similar dentition on enlistment… an old tradition, I believe.”
“Well... if you prefer them like that, I have no reason to object, I suppose.”
“Whoa,” was Vano’s only reaction.
It was at that moment that Rookie joined the group, busy surveilling papers while giving orders in a walkie talkie. He was wearing his usual heavy Sunrise suit, composed a hooded, olive colored jumpsuit, slight padding on the limbs and and a heavy armored vest.
“- and I need you to stay available to them,” he finished.
“Something wrong lieutenant?” Celestia asked the young officer.
“No ma’am, delegating orders.”
“Good. How’s the status on Degtyarev’s men?” asked Strider.
“They’re already busy setting up camp with the scientists, and we’ve begun mounting our own temporary quarters. We’re still missing Strelok though.”
“Knowing his reputation, he’s probably already exploring the area and killing everything that does so much as looking at him funny,” Vano deadpanned. “He’ll be fine. I can’t guarantee the same for whatever he encounters though.”
Corporal Flash Sentry had never seen anything like the metal beasts that had come right through the Anomaly barely a few minutes ago. They were big, far bigger than any pony built contraption, barring airships. They were loud, too; they sounded like they were chopping the air, literally. But most of all, they were fast, faster than any pegasus in the Guard.
Well, they were faster than him, at least.
Sentry and the squad of pegasus guards he was a part of observed as the group of machines came to a stop above an empty field, jettisoned their cargo and landed. His astonishment only grew as hundreds of beings instantly exited the vehicles as they hit the ground.
These beings were nothing like anything the young guard has ever seen. They walked on two legs and curiously had no tail to balance themselves. They were covered in garments - mostly green, maybe a uniform - and most of them carried an elongated object on their backs or in their… claws?
The agitation reigned on the ground, and Flash was wondering whether they should report this to the higher ups or not when one of the flying machines started again. Only then did Sentry notice the blades on top of the contraptions, which seemed to produce the lift necessary for the machine to fly.
Of course, he didn’t know how heavy a fully loaded Mil Mi-24 really is, so he was quick to dismiss the thought and went back to curiously observing.
Well, he would have, if his superior hadn’t disturbed their silence.
“Corporal Sentry! We’re investigating these things!”
Flash was taken aback at the radicalness of the order. “Investigating, sir? Why don’t we simply report this event?” he asked with uncertainty.
“Excellent idea, private, you’ve just volunteered to warn the Princesses!”
“Th-the Princesses, sir?”
“Move your flank soldier, I gave you an order!”
At that, Sentry snapped a salute. “Yes, Sergeant!” he obediently replied, before taking off in a hurry.
The squad leader watched as his corporal flew off, before he turned towards the others. “Alright boys, the lackey’s gone. Let’s show’em who they’re dealing with, Royal Guard style!”
In the Canterlot Castle throne room, an alicorn was sitting down, listening to the countless pleads of the petitioners. Ever since her sister had disappeared, Luna had been forced to take over her duties. She was tenser than ever, after those reports of strange machines coming from the Anomaly. As it stood, she couldn’t do a thing. The Guard had been prepared and the patrols around the city had been doubled, but that was it.
These… things were the only thing on her mind at the moment.
Imagine the Night Princess’s surprise when out of the blue, she suddenly sensed her sister’s magical aura in the plains near the Canterhorn.
Is this possible? she asked herself. She disappeared a year ago, her aura vanished… and is this…? Yes, yes it is!
Luna had to use all her self-control to avoid taking flight and immediately investigating the aura herself. She was boiling with doubt, happiness and anticipation inside. Instead, she managed to reduce her outside reaction to a single eye twitch and a flick of her left ear.
“The Court is dismissed,” she announced firmly, to the great disappointment of the assistance.
Reluctantly, the line of petitioners -mostly composed of self-absorber nobles, to Luna’s dismay- exited the room, under the ever watchful eye of the Royal Guards, their expression as unreadable as always.
As the crowd slowly left the room, the Night Princess did something she hadn’t done in over a year, something she missed dearly: she opened her mental connection with her sister. The process used next to no magic, but was fairly complicated, as only ponies with a total and complete control over their body and mind could hope to perform the basics of such a feat.
The alicorn closed her eyes, let out a breath, and, as she emptied her mind, began searching for her sister’s aura. Once she had a good lock on it, she pulled gently, opening up a small connection between the aura and hers.
“Sister, are you there?” she asked over the link.
There was a moment of silence, both in the physical and the mental realms, as the throne room was devoid of anypony except for the Guards and there was no response.
Luna waited eagerly for a response, head raised and ears twitching, the silence only perturbed by the noises of ponies going on about their business in the streets of Canterlot below.
After several minutes of waiting, the blue alicorn lowered her head and her ears drooped in defeat.
Of course she isn’t back. Our tired senses are playing tricks with us.
Gloomy thoughts in mind, Luna stood from her throne and headed for the exit of the room, intending to return to her chambers where she could vent her frustration, anger, sadness and loneliness.
She didn’t even reach the door when the telepathic link flared to life.
“Luna? Luna are you there? I’m back, sister! I’m back!” came Celestia’s mental hoofprint. “Sorry I wasn’t able to answer right away, I’m not used to telepathy anymore.”
“Tia? You… you really are back? This isn’t one of these hallucinations caused by our tired mind?”asked Luna, unsure of what she was hearing.
“Yes, dearest sister,” replied Celestia. “We will be together very soon.”
“Really?”
“Yes. In fact, I am flying to you as we speak.”
“When will you arrive?” Luna pleaded.
“Oh, believe me, you will know,” her sister answered, a hint of smugness in her voice. “I’m coming from the East. See you soon Lulu.”
With that, the mental link was cut off
“Princess!” a voice interrupted.
Luna turned her head towards the source of the disturbance. A Royal Guard was there, and a new one, judging by his appearance. He didn’t even have one of these enchanted armors that gave the guardsponies their uniform appearance.
“Yes? What is the matter?” Luna inquired.
“First Class Flash Sentry your Highness, reporting for duty,” the guardspony began. “There have been strange sightings of strange flying machines to the East of the Canterhorn, from which strange bipedal beings emerged. My squad leader ordered me to report to you and princess Twilight Sparkle while they investigated.”
Strange flying machines? Strange bipedal beings? To the East? Sister, what have you been up to during your absence? Luna pondered.
“Very well, We’ll tell Princess Sparkle of the news,” Luna announced, maintaining her composure. “You are dismissed.”
Krokodil One was nearly prepped to take off again, its armament had been attached under its wings and its turbines were already spooling up, their whining steadily increasing in pitch. Celestia and the others were already aboard, while Strider was busy giving orders to his second in command.
“Order the Spartans to help the Rangers scout the area. We do not want anything hostile to have the jump on us!” yelled the buzzed Colonel above the noise of the chopper behind him. “The rest are to help Kruglov and Hermann setting up shop. The mechanics should already be working on the heavy armor, and I want my Anvils here in two minutes, we are paying the city a visit!”
“Yes, sir!” saluted Rookie, Strider’s Lieutenant.
Once the young Spartan had turned around, Strider headed for the helicopter, whose blades had started spinning, slowly but surely taking up speed.
“Pilot, are we ready?” he asked in the intercom system of the gunship, securing himself a headset.
“Pochti, polkovnik! Check list almost complete, systems are a go. Ready to leave whenever you want, sir,” came the reply through the speakers of his headset.
“Good. Stay put,” he finished, before turning towards the others.
“So what are we waiting for?” asked Vano in his own headset.
Strider sat in a seat. “I asked Rookie to get me my team,” he began.
Vano scratched his beard, a pensive frown on his face. “Your Anvils eh? Aren’t they five of them?” asked the giant.
“That is right,” replied Strider. “I knew we could all fit in one chopper, do not worry,” he added with a laugh.
Celestia entered the cabin, getting herself a headset. “I could have flown on my own if necessary you know,” she shrugged, installing herself in the seat next to Strider’s, who wrapped an arm around his princess.
Vano grinned. “But it wouldn’t have the same effect on the local population. Their long lost princess, coming back riding on a metal beast armed to the teeth, soaring through the air at incredible speeds!” he laughed. “Must have one hell of an effect on the locals.”
Celestia chuckled. “That sounds indeed impressive, but why riding a chopper when I could drop from the skies at supersonic speeds, shattering the ground as I impact it?”
Strider leaned away from Celestia, who was still in his embrace. “You could do that?” he asked, giving his marefriend a surprised look.
The alicorn let out an amused laugh. “Now that I have full access to my magic, of course I could!”
“That is most impressive,” Strider commented, readjusting his microphone. “I wonder what else you can do.”
Celestia grinned. “Oh, you have no idea,” she teased, giving Strider a sultry look.
The buzzed stalker actually blushed at the alicorn’s remark.
Vano observed the scene unfold, a grin on his face. The giant was about to make a witty remark when he was interrupted by a voice coming from outside the helicopter.
“General! We have a problem! We got a group of locals at the West gates,” a Ranger shouted over the noise of the helicopter engines idling.
Celestia extracter herself of Strider’s embrace with an annoyed grunt. “Thank you corporal. Major Novovich, with me,” she ordered, looking at Vano, before she turned to Strider. “Stay here and deal with your team when they arrive.”
Strider nodded. “Aye.”
Vano took off his headset. “Yes ma’am,” he replied, standing up from his seat and dropping out of the chopper.
Although the camp was still buzzing with activity, it was less chaotic and more ordered now. The vehicles were lined up in neat rows, the two big bunkers had deployed their antennas and solar panels, the mobile fuel tanks had been installed next to them, and the space had been divided by alleys most of the stalkers took instead of cutting through the tents in construction.
The barriers were even beginning to be constructed, the exosuit units working double time to finish the job before nightfall.
All in all, the camp was taking form. Everything was running smoothly… save for the checkpoint at the newly constructed West gates.
“Release me you monster!” came a male yet high-pitched voice. “You’re gonna regret this!”
“What’s going on here?” asked Vano, coming up on the scene.
It was an interesting sight to say the least. Three Dawn Rangers had subdued a pegasus each, forcefully restrained under a boot and kept under the constant menace of a rifle; while two other power-armored Rangers wear carrying one of them under each arm. All of the pegasi were clad in the exact same armor and had the exact same physical appearance, as if they were clones.
They also were much, much smaller compared to the humans.
The ponies were struggling under the Rangers’ restraining grasp, trying to escape as they clearly didn't understand the threat the guns pointed at them represented.
“In the name of the Princesses, I order you to release me!” the same pegasus -their squad leader- barked again. “You’re gonna regret it!”
“That's nice. I thought I told you to shut up,” growled the ranger restraining him, a corporal wearing a lightened Bulat armor.
“Der’mo they are tiny,” Vano commented at the sight of the pegasi, arriving on the scene, Celestia in tow. “I see you have the situation under control. What happened?”
“Sir, two of us were guarding the perimeter. The others were occupied building the barrier, when these five,” he began, pointing respectively at his men and the pegasi, “dropped from the sky, demanding that we relinquish our belongings and that we follow them to their ‘Canterlot’ for examination and interrogation. Upon our refusal, they attacked without sommation. They were easily subdued with zero casualties and we called you in for further instructions. We received no directives as to how to deal with the locals before first contact.”
Vano nodded, pensively patting his beard. “I see. Having appeared that close to a major population center forced us to accelerate our plans anyway. Good job Ranger,” he replied, before kneeling next to the pegasus commander. “Did you have any orders concerning us?” he asked in a neutral tone, locking his gaze with the pony’s.
The Guardspony’s eyes widened at the sight before him: even crouched, the power armored stalker towered over him, his massive form blocking away the Sun and casting a massive shadow over him. His facial features were angular, pronounced, and he was sporting a massive beard that gave his face an even more imposant appearance. The other bipedal creatures were much more taller than him and his ponies, but that specimen was particularly large.
“I’m not telling you anything, monster!” the guardspony yelled at Vano, recovering from his first shock. “You’ve entered Equestrian territory illegally and you will stand down at once!”
Vano raised his eyebrows and let out a long, disappointed sigh. “You're one hell of a meathead, but you make a point,” he commented. “General, I’m gonna need your help.”
“General?” wondered the pony.
“That’s quite alright Major,” came a feminine voice the guards couldn’t see who it belonged to. “Go back to Kilo One.”
Vano stood up and saluted. “Yes ma’am,” the giant replied, before turning around and leaving the premises.
“I am disappointed, my little ponies,” the same female sounding voice continued in a stern tone. “You just made fools of yourselves and the entire Royal Guard as well.”
The pegasus squad leader frowned. “Who are you to question the might of the Royal Guard?! I swear on the name of the princesses, you will be punished for your insolence!” he barked.
Celestia took a step forward, walking out from behind the Ranger, laughing out loud at the that held the pegasi immobile. “And here I thought you would recognize my voice. I have been missing for only a year, after all,” she stated with a disappointed frown.
The pegasus’s eyes widened. “P-p-p-p-princess Celestia!” he stuttered.
Celestia huffed, before turning towards the Rangers. “Corporal! Release them. we have lost enough time as it is.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The vice grip on the ponies was released, and they immediately jumped to their hooves, only to bow to the utterly disappointed alicorn in front of them.
The Guard leader looked back up. “Princess, you’re back! You have no idea how-”
“I thought the corporal right there told you to shut up,” Celestia coldly interrupted.
That stopped the Guard’s stuttering excuse. The stallion opened and closed his mouth repeatedly like a fish out of the water as he stared at the alicorn in quiet surprise, his eyes literally wide as saucers.
“I knew the Royal Guard was out of shape and in a desperate need of restructuring ever since the Changeling invasion. I learned then that it didn’t have what it takes to repel an enemy attack, in the goddamn capital of our own country,” she began, angry but controlled, pacing back and forth in front of the terrified Guards, before suddenly pausing, seemingly calming down. “But attacking unknown beings obviously minding their own business unprovoked? What image of the Guard did you intend to give out, you pathetic excuse for a soldier!?” she yelled.
The Guardsponies in front of the alicorn were trembling now.
Celestia took a deep breath, letting the effects of her outburst settle. “But I digress,” she continued. “Name and rank, guard.”
“L-lieutenant High Winds, your highness!” the lead guardspony stuttered.
“It’s General Everfree to you, private High Winds. Now return to the castle, I’ve lost enough time here,” Celestia snapped. “We shall be arriving shortly, Princess Luna has already been notified.”
Without a word, the pegasi nervously saluted and took flight, their airborne shapes shrinking in the blue sky of the Equestrian afternoon.
“Alright people,” Celestia shouted to the crowd that had amassed around them during their exchange, “what the fuck are you doing, go back to your posts! I want this camp up and running smoothly by sundown!”
Kilo One was flying above the Equestrian plains, constantly gaining altitude as it was headed for the city on the mountain, Canterlot. Aboard were eight people, not counting the crew of three: Celestia, Vano, Strider, and Foma, Armor, Sickle, Walrus and Meeker, Strider’s companions of old.
Armor readjusted his headset, his exoskeleton helmet secured on under his arm as his heavy power armor was so bulky it prevent him from sitting down. “So… we go to this ‘Canterlot’ place?” the Anvil operative asked in a monotone voice.
“Yes,” Celestia answered. “It’s been too long.”
Princess Luna watched in bewilderment as the flying machine approached the palace gardens. It was huge, many times bigger than any of her official chariots. It seemed to fly through the air effortlessly, slowly decelerating as it approached her position in the gardens near a big clearing, but there weren’t any pegasi pulling it, and the only magical aura the Night Princess could sense coming from it was her sister’s.
The machine looked... alien, it looked the exact opposite of pony craftsmanship. It completely lacked the carvings, colors and symbols ponies like to ornament their machines, devices and architecture with. Instead, it was painted a plain olive green, except for its belly that was sky blue.
Is that sister’s cutie mark? Luna pondered as she noticed the emblem painted on each side of the machine.
That’s when it hit her: the machine was actually a vehicle. It made perfect sense: it had a bigger part, probably a cabin of sorts, and a tail, to help it fly straight, perhaps. From the cabin part, a wing protruded on each side, each of them carrying an array of tubes and devices whose purpose was lost on the ponies. There was a similar contraption under the nose of the vehicle, shaped like single tube, except that one was constantly directed at her and her group.
She didn’t know why, but that sole fact made her uneasy.
While the sheer alien appearance of the machine puzzled the minds of the princess and the guards who were around her, what shocked them the most was the deafening noise it was making. From afar, it sounded like a fast paced thumping, but from up close, an irritating whirr could be heard over the thumping, which had increased in volume so much it made the ponies could feel feel the noise rather than hear it.
For some reason, the flying vehicle produced a massive downdraft, kicking up a lot of dust and debris when it as it closed to the ground and causing the ponies’ manes to float in the air.
Not unlike my own, the Night Princess mused.
One of the Guards, Lieutenant High Winds as she recalled, stepped forward and leaned closer to Luna.
“I assure you, your highness, these beings did something to princess Celestia!” he yelled over the infernal noise of the flying machine
Luna stayed silent but frowned. ‘Something?’ What do you mean, ‘something?’
The flying machine was on the ground now, and its whining was receding both in tone and intensity, as was the thumping sound, and long black blades seemed to appear above it, spinning around an axle on top of the machine, constantly decelerating.
Maybe these blades were spinning too fast to be seen… maybe they were keeping the machine afloat, Luna thought, her eyes riveted to the mechanical display of power.
Aboard Kilo One, the mood was tense. Celestia was boiling with impatience, awaiting eagerly the reunion with her sister, Luna. Strider and his men were fairly apprehensive, going through nearly all the different scenarios that could happen, good or bad.
Vano was just bored.
“Pilot, how is the situation outside?” Strider asked in the chopper’s audio system.
“Everything’s peaceful, colonel,” came the immediate reply. “The little horses seem nervous, but none have moved. Seems like our entrance had quite the impact on them.”
Strider nodded. “Good. Gunner?”
“I’ve got my thirty Mike Mike trained on them. If they do anything aggressive, they’ll regret it.”
“Perfect. Let’s go,” the colonel finished, standing up from his seat. “Anvil group goes first.”
“Roger.”
Luna’s gaze had not left the machine the entire time. Its noise had been receding slowly, to finally come to a stop with a final whine, its blades stopping.
The silence was broken by the sound of a mechanical lock coming from the chopper, and the side door to the cabin opened, letting out several bipedal beings who slowly exited the vehicle one by one, carefully sweeping the area with the elongated devices they cradled in their… claws.
Are these... weapons? Luna pondered.
The first ones to disembark from Kilo One were Strider’s companions of old, Anvil group. With them, the Dawn colonel had survived for weeks before they encountered Degtyarev - still major at the time - who put them in contact with the local Jupiter Duty antenna, effectively giving them a place they had called home for a few months.
To Luna and the ponies, the five beings before them were utterly alien in appearance. They were huge, bulky, they stood effortlessly on only two legs without a tail to balance them and they barely emitted any magical aura. The garments they were wearing puzzled them to no end: neither did it look like armor or conventional clothes, save for the two biggest ones who were sporting something that looked more like conventional platemail armor, only the design was once more completely alien to the ponies. It was extremely bulky and seemed that somepony had mixed a plate armor with some sort of complicated machinery.
The ponies had just gotten their first look at heavy power armor. Suffice to say, they were impressed.
Then, Vano exited the chopper.
A spear clattered on the ground. Luna turned her head towards the source of the sound, only to find one of her Royal Guards booking it, not even looking behind him. As she faced the helicopter again, she understood why.
While the first five men to exit the helicopter - Anvil group - were impressive to the ponies, especially the two - Armor and Sickle - who were bulky and impressive with their suits of heavy power armor, Vano… was another matter.
See, the man towered at 2.20m (7ft.2) and weighted 130 kilograms (286lbs). His tallness, along with his large, muscular frame made him outsized, even by humans standards. Imagine now how the ponies would feel, knowing that the tallest stallions reached barely up to 1.10m.
He was a fucking giant, and his power armor, even though it wasn’t the heaviest model, didn’t help in reducing his frame.
His angular facial features, his mustache and his beard didn’t help making him look engaging… to the ponies, that is. To anyone else, his wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and mouth gave away his true nature: a jovial, outspoken man, always ready to mingle and have a laugh.
At Vano’s appearance, princess Luna repressed an instinctive nervous gulp and hurried to pry her eyes away from the giant, expecting her sister to come to view next. Alas, she was disappointed yet again. The next being to come out of Kilo One was once again one of the bipedal beings.
How many can fit in that thing? pondered the Night Princess, observing the newcomer.
In her eyes, that one wasn’t exceptional compared to the others, especially the giant. He was even the shortest one of the group, although he still towered over her. His mane was… non existent, cut so short his skin was showing underneath, he was sporting a messy stubby beard and he too seemed to be wearing one of these mechanical armors, although his version seemed lighter and more compact than any of the others’. His only peculiar features were his numerous apparent scars and the oversized… weapon strapped to his back.
Luna quickly disinterested herself from the short man, instead giving all her attention to the silent flying machine.
Celestia emerged from Kilo One, her radiant coat seemingly illuminating her surroundings and her ethereal mane and tail flowing in the air. The alicorn took a good look at her surroundings before she noticed her sister.
Immediately, her face lit up. “Luna!”
Celestia galloped towards her sister, her equipment clanking on her ballistic vest.
Luna froze in a mix of surprise and horror upon catching sight of Celestia. Her coat and mane seemed just as pristine as always, but beyond that, she could barely recognize her sister. She was wearing a set of equipment that looked startlingly like what the bipedal beings were sporting, down to the long barrelled devices she assumed were weapons.
What shocked the blue alicorn was her sister’s physical appearance. A chunk of her left ear was missing, she had several scars under her left eye, as if a wild creature had clawed at her face, and there was… a little, round hole in her other ear. Her posture was different too: instead of a regal, measured, calm step, Celestia was now moving faster, more heavily, more efficiently, less carefully, like the battle-hardened soldiers of ancient times when Equestria was not a peaceful place.
Yet, the very same aura of calm and authority emanated from her, Luna could feel it.
It was like someone had taken Celestia’s her mask of serene princess, broken it to pieces and glued it together into another mask, one of a powerful military commander.
“Luna!” Celestia cried again, tears of joy streaming down her face as she hugged her long lost only family. “I’ve missed you so much, little sister!”
Luna, taken aback at her sister’s carefree reaction, broke the hug and looked away. “You can leave,” she ordered the Guards.
“But Princess, the beasts clearly are-” Lieutenant High Winds tried.
“Don’t discuss our orders, Lieutenant,” Luna interrupted.
I’ll have a talk with Luna about her choices in officers, thought Celestia.
The Guard begrudgingly bowed and slowly headed for the castle, followed by the others.
When they coudn’t be seen anymore, a radical change of mood could be felt from the humans. All of them tensed down, some of them even releasing their weapons, letting them dangle from their slings.
“Fuck, I don’t know if I could have kept the serious face any longer,” Vano began. “I mean, they are so cute!” He added with a grin, hugging his machine gun with both arms. “My first instinct was to snatch one up and hug him till the fluff goes away!... or not. That wouldn’t be good.”
Strider chuckled. “I have to admit, they are smaller than I expected,” he admitted with a grin, before he grabbed his radio. “Kilo One, this is Cold Eye, you are cleared to return to base, how copy?”
“This is Kilo One, I copy. Returning to base, out,” came the answer through the radio.
The Mil Mi-24 engines started with a whine, its rotor started spinning and picked up speed, once again creating a violent downdraft until the chopper eventually took off, shrinking in the distance, its deafening noise receding gradually.
Strider’s Anvils receded back, deploying in a wide pattern along the edge of the gardens, discretely keeping an eye on the surrounding area.
A voice troubled the silence.
“What happened to you?” Luna asked her sister. “You… changed.”
“The Zone happened,” Celestia replied, wrapping her in a loving hug. “Indeed, I changed. For better or worse, I don’t know. I’m just glad to be back,” she added, bursting into tears.
A tear ran down Luna’s cheek. “We… I missed you so much, big sister.”
The two alicorns stayed in each other’s embrace for a moment, once again sharing the bond between the two of them that had been severed for over a year.
When Celestia pulled away, there was a hand on her withers. The white alicorn looked up, only to find Strider giving her a soft look.
“You see, I told you you would see her again.”
Celestia let out a long breath and turned towards her lover, pressing her chest against him. “You did promise,” she added, craning her neck up and pressing her lips against his.
The two of them quickly parted, interrupted by Luna’s voice.
“You… you… you what,” muttered the blue alicorn, eye twitching.
That did not just happen, she thought.
Before Celestia or Strider could say anything, a new voice made itself heard.
“Princess Celestia! Princess where are you?”
Celestia leaned from behind Strider, taking a good look at the source of the voice.
A purple alicorn ran down the stairs leading to the gardens our group was reunited in.
“Twilight?”
Celestia’s face lit up, happy at the realization that her student, the sweet, clever and socially awkward unicorn that was almost a daughter to her and soon to be her royal advisor had come all the way from Ponyville to greet her upon her return.
Then she frowned. Hold on, there is no way she travelled that fast.
Then she noticed her student’s wings.
Celestia’s body tensed up. Her ears perked on her head. Her wings flared open in shock. Her eyes narrowed to the point her irises were figuratively as small as pinpricks. Her jaw slacked open, and even her ethereal mane and tail stopped flowing in the air, frozen in place as if someone had hit their ‘pause’ button.
The white alicorn’s left eye twitched. “Aggggaagaa. Aguaaaaaa what. Waht wat howhat.”
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4051473
No, You think?
A few issues with capitalization, mostly forgetting to capitalize Princess when used as part of their name. Other than that, so far so good. Celestia is still Celestia, even if she has issues, and congratulations Luna you've done something that not even Discord can do, you dun broke your sister's brain.
Let's get this show on the road!Faved.
But... Wasn't Alicorn Twilight Celestia plan?
I have waited a long time for this... and so far, it is FUCKING AWESOME! This made my day.
4051786
Not in my headcanon.
Why? because it doesn't make sense in the slightest.
4051869 So, basically Celestia from another universe just have been trolled.
I saw 2 Mistakes but can only find one. May way to re-read quickly
Repeat of words
4051968
You may want to too my friend.
4051973
goddamn it. I just contradicted myself didn't I?
Can't wait to hear he reaction to twilicorn!
Dude, do you have a pre-reader? There were a few errors in there. Not major ones, but they just annoyed me really, as they kinda broke the flow of the story.
Selectia let out a long breath and turned towards her lover, pressing her chest against him. “You did promise,” she added, craning her neck up and pressing her lips against his.
OK who is Selectia and is she half as sexy as Celestia?
CHOOSE YOUR ALICORN.
YES! Two chapters in one day this gun be good!
4052397
Heh it remind me of this
I LOVE the Cover...
I LOVE the Story...
What else is to say?
Third person is always the way to go.
You don't have to limit yourself to the perspective of your characters.
4051930
The problem is they actually do have the right to deal with them, if they had did that in any nation here they would have received the same treatment as they would have run through air space, looking like they are ready for war.
Not to mention Princess Twilight is Best.
Awesome great chapter highly amusing and damn compared to her ponies you really do see how she changed into one of a more military commander then a princess. She chewed out that officer with no hesitation, much different then what Celestia would originally have done.
Its true when they say the Zone changes you, now I'm extremely curious if Celestia will take on a more hooves on approach to refixing the complacent soldiers known as the Royal Guards...
Compared to the no nonsense human stalkers shes been working with the royal guards are no more then foals wielding pointing sticks and crying really loudly to get what they want done. I LOVE IT!
Oh yes dat cover picture I love it!
4052715
But it's too easy!
4052574
DAYUM you're fast. Also celly ain't a four star. She be Brigadier at most.
4052397
4052336
4052271
4051968
4052218
I KNOW. Tomorrow.
4051930
I like you, but damn. Calm down.
Favorited and liked without having read a single word of this story. If the prequel is anything to go by, I should likely fall in love with this story, and stalk it until we get married, have a bunch of mutated-word-babies, and then lock 'em in a cage and prod them endlessly with sticks and other blunt objects.
Greetings, those who give a shit, I am the wisest, and most deranged, part of Aleks' mind, and I find his prior comment to be seriously disturbing, so I have placed the offending piece underneath a spoiler bar. Read it at your own risk.
I think I speak for most readers who haven't said it yet, but... I WANT MORE!!! This story is just pure awesome and more is required ASAP!
4053110
The Real World writes better plots than fiction.
(I think it's fine but accents are always tricky to use)
He nodded twice, apparently.
Also, you instantly demoted Flash Sentry by two paygrades in one conversation! How!?
I prefer first person, but whatever you want is fine.
I don't mean to ruin your parade but. . .
This sounds more like an American call signs and use. People say that our military is made up of idiots and gun nuts but actually we are the most organized and strongest military in the world. China only out ranks us in numbers but they lack in tech. So I would suggest you at least get some Americans involved or get different call signs.
As for getting the U.S. involved they would be interested in new resources and allies, and even if you have a small army with you I would see if I could get the U.S. involve since they have a strong military and help out.
4052894
By the way, congratulations, this made front page!
You mean Celestia =P
Interesting start. I dropped the prequel because of the very rushed romance, but I'll this a shot.
I'm kinda hoping the Ponies arent stomped flat in everything. I mean, yeah, their military could probably use some intense training, but they do live on a sort-of death world. They're hardly helpless.
4053698
What do you mean?
4053698
Also, read the damn prequel, it's worth a read. The romance is barely present other than in a few scenes.
4053710
From what I recall, Ponies have Manticore, Cockatrice, giant land worms, Chimera, Shape shifting parasitic emotion draining insects, Dragons, Gryphon, Quarry Eels, respawning wooden wolves, what roughly amounts to a trickster god, small bugs whose reproduction make locust look like sloths, spite-feeding wind monsters that can freeze you to death, and plants that can change anything from your voice to your entire body.
That's not even including the possibility of more dungeons and dragons-type monsters the creators simply havent gotten to yet.
Any one of these creatures would not be out of place in the Zone. They all have the possibility of decimating humans to one extent or another. So as I see it, the world is out to kill Ponies just as much as the Zone, and they are hardcore in their own way.
Edit: 4053712
Alright, I'll give it another shot.
CELESTIA IS GOING TO BE PISSED!
4053844
The only things that scare me in all this bestiary are the Parasprites... imagine if these things mutate...
All these being are very different to the mutants of the Zone. They can be beaten, reasoned with, tamed, destroyed in some way. Not the mutants. These... things are out there to kill you, and only kill you. They don't even feel pain and won't stop trying to kill you until they're dead. Some can even disappear, others can control your fucking brain and fry it without even touching you.
Even then, the Zone itself is out to kill you. Radiation pockets, anomalies, blowouts, psi storms... the Zone is a genius loci and it doesn't want its secrets revealed.
The ponies have the Elements, and the Princesses. The humans have their ingenuity, and their guts.
To each their own style.
tl;dr: humanity fuck yeah.
4053934
Well, because I like playing the devil's advocate.
I'm pretty sure all mutants are rather mundane in most things. The only reason most of them aren't exterminated is because the zone itself works against stalkers. Granted, the invisibility and mind control are rather mystical. The Zone itself I agree is a genus loci, but humans in the know can change it's behavior and even predict it with some degree of accuracy.
As far as abilities, Changelings can control your mind (heck, they're basically Equestrian controllers), and Pseudo dogs can be tamed. I'd love to see humans get along well enough to drive off windigos, and the Everfree is very much a genus loci to the Ponies. It doesn't reveal it's mysteries and has presumably held off civilization since the beginning.
Well, thats one way to make an entrance.
I'm usually pro-Royal Guard and consider them to be a competent unit. However we are dealing with Stalkers here. In this case getting curbstoped but NOT killed can be considered an act of honor.
And then there are the feels, tow sisters reuniting.
4051869 Im risking this in fear of unleashing a headcanon debate.
Have my two bits (and POV) on this matter.
Grand ruler discovers pwerful magic user. Ruler puts said magic user under their tutelage to become a means to free a long lost and corrupted sibling. The student grows well under guidence and starts to develope traits that hint for a higher purpose, including but not limited to above average talent in magic, incredible problem solving abilities, working under pressure, leadership personality etc.
The orignial plan works out but the student continues to grow and even settles, with minor help, a situation that wasn't planned in advance. Ruler/Mentor sees the potential of succession unfolding and decides to push the student to the next level where they, unsuprisingly, succeed. Ascension is the result.
I'm sorry but whenever I read something like this I feel compelled to share my POV with them. Its almost like a neurosis.
4053934 You forgot the guy with the pet mutant chimera.
4054012 Except the pony sisters castle in the everfree.
AW YEAH NIGGA
4054012 1 thing for sure is humans are more adapted to wars, conflicts, fighting while the ponies spent around 1000 years of peace (if we're talking about ponies of the old days then yeah, they are bucking hardcore). the only thing that is interesting are monsters which rarely come out of their habitats.
As for changeling...they got defeated by 1 alicorn princess of love and her lover a unicorn who is the guard's captain...the royal guards didn't quite put up much of a fight for someone guarding the leaders of the nation. and said couple are lucky the situation turn out to be the way they were....if only 1 thing didn't happened in their favor, things could have ended badly
Fangirling So Hard Right Now
This sequel is gonna be awesome. Ever since I saw the first story I hoped 'warlike human society/equestria culture clash would happen.
Selectia to menu, come in menu
this is menu over
begin the selection of the start button
copy
Vanoooo youre sooo awesome!!!!!
and i dont know why but i always have the feeling when someone put flash sentry he is going to get hurt in something. XD
GOD DAMN IT! WHERE ARE THE REST OF THE CHAPTERS!
4054012
While I know that Equestria ain't the least dangerous place ever, the Zone is... on another level.
Mutants are anything but mundane. A large pack of dogs could destroy the Bar if they happened to stumble there. For information, the bar is the largest stalker settlement, guarded by and home to the Duty headquarters.
That could happen because in the stalker games, anyone can die. Even you, the player, and anyone who played stalker died countless times to the magnificent Alife system.
Some other mutants are pretty scary, too. Pseudogiants weight two tons, tower at two meters, can run faster than any stalker (in the lore, not the games) and anything short of an antitank weapon or an anti material rifle won't do so much as scratch them. Bloodsuckers are so sneaky they had to add a breathing effect in the game so the player coul stand a chance against ONE of them.
And the list goes on. The ponies hold their survival solely to the fact that nothing ever comes out of the Everfree forest... mostly.
4054012
In my headcanon Twilight's power level slipped out of Celestia's control who decided to play along with it. But fair enough, your headcanon makes sense.
4053221
Fair enough. Now do your research and link me to a detailed document referencing Russian/Eastern callsigns and protocols and then we'll talk.
You can't imagine the amounts of reading I went through to make these radio transmissions believable.
The Americans will not get involved. They are way too overused. Stop your propaganda.
Also, fuck you. North Korea > America
4055023
Someone's gay for Vano. Like everyone else
4055334
These are mistakes I made, not ones the characters made.
But now that you mention it, I'll slip some more mistakes here and there in the dialogue.