A Different Kind of STALKER

by WTF_Am_I_Doing

Paranormal Abduction

Princess Luna was almost crying. She had failed, became reckless and now her loyal guards had paid the price. All of them were injured in some way, two in critical conditions. The worst part was she had got it wrong. The two ‘captives’ were far from prisoners. Fluttershy, with pinkamena’s help, explained that she had been injured by something else and that the ‘monsters’ had saved her from it and then healed her injuries, only to be assaulted by twilight and her friends. In self defence they had hurt Rainbow Dash and then scared the others away. Less than 12 hours later Luna and her soldiers had attacked them, causing serious injury to both before they responded with near-lethal force. Dusk Watcher was going to be in recovery for a year at least, as his underside had been sliced open. Swift Wing would be lucky if he could walk properly again, he currently had no control of his injured leg. And it was her fault. She had told them to do this, and they had paid the price. She didn't even try to negotiate, only terrifying one of the two monsters and causing it to become violent. So many things that she could've done to ensure nobody was harmed, but she didn't. Princess Celestia had listened to her story and looked at her with sadness and disappointment.

“Luna, I understand that you have failed, but there is no need to cry. We can fix this.

“H-How are we going to do that?” Sniffled Luna.

Celestia frowned. “I don't want to have to subdue them with force, but that is the only way now. Leaving them in the midst of ponies would be disastrous, perhaps fatal for our subjects. We need to teleport them to a secure room until we can properly communicate. Obviously, I will need your help with the summoning, but our magic will be enough once your horn has recovered. I expect it to be done long before midnight, which is when I hope to teleport them. They should be sleeping then, and will come easier, less alert.”

Luna nodded. It would be a few hours or so before her horn had fully regrown, the hard bone-like material took slightly longer to recover than flesh and blood, which had already healed by this morning. Celestia had only just awoke when she had been informed. Celestia couldn't summon them by herself, only she could sense their residual magic imprint, or more specifically, their lack of it. She had informed Celestia that part of the reason she felt so confident was that the creatures had no magic. None. They simply showed up as a void, like an air bubble in an ocean. Almost impossible to find, but made easier once you know what to look for. The tracking runes in the saddlebags had been moving towards the badlands of the east. If they continued on, they would soon meet the local changelings. It was imperative that they were retrieved before they got harmed. Luna mentally sighed. It was more likely these creatures would wipe out the changelings. They were much weaker than they once were, supposedly running out of love to feed on. Little was known about their current condition but she was certain she would find out, as they would no doubt discover the aliens.

“Well then, go and rest up. I will inform twilight of the plan and prepare an area to hold them. We will be ready to summon them at midnight tonight. Get well, this is far from over.” Celestia then left Luna standing in the corridor, she had much more important things to do than stand around chatting. On top of the aliens, animals in the Everfree forest have been reportedly found drained of blood, and the carcasses were getting closer towards Ponyville…

-

“Wake up Zakhar, it is time to move.”

Zakhar grumbled in response. Ever since he left his suit behind he had began to sleep a lot easier, possibly due to the constant fresh air instead of the stale environment the suit provided. He felt a lot more rested and he fell asleep much easier, and actually looked forward to it. He stretched, yawned and eventually stood up. It was the second night of their expedition and it was about two hours from midnight, time to travel. The hadn't seen much on the first night, but large rocky outcroppings similar to steep mountains were in a cluster maybe three miles away when they had stopped to sleep. The plan was to investigate them as they travelled past. He picked up his shotgun and slung his backpack on, then followed Grygoriy who had already set off at a brisk pace. “What do you think we will find there?”

“Trouble.” Was the deadpan response.

“This whole place is multicoloured trouble, what else?”

“I don't have the slightest fucking clue, there could be anything. Hopefully not ponies or pony-related things.”

Zakhar silently agreed. He had reached his limit of equine tolerance and would happily never see one again. The rest of the walk occurred in silence, only the slight wind and sandy footfalls making any sound. It took almost an hour an a half to make it to the first rock. It was tall, five or six stories and was riddled with holes. Dark, foreboding holes of misery. They both looked like holes that snorks would leap from, which really put them on edge. Zakhar was fascinated by them. What had caused them? Were they natural? Perhaps old mines from the ponies? Maybe another race made them? Maybe they we-

“Shit, what's that!?” The Stalker yelled.

Zakhar turned to look. In a tunnel entrance above them a pair of green eyes widened in surprise as it was spotted. A dark figure, vaguely pony shaped stepped backwards when suddenly it dashed back to the shadows and made an odd chittering noise.

“I don't know, but it’s probably bad news. The thing looked surprised though, no hostility or fear on its face. Looked like a pony though, so that's pretty crap.”

“Well if it’s a pony we can keep going. No sense in going around as we will be even more exposed, and it will take longer. Let's just pick up the pace.”

And so they did, for a few minutes. They rounded the next corner to see a large crowd of the things. There must have been a few hundred, the small canyon was packed with them. In the moonlight they both saw that they resembled the ponies but mixed with ants or beetles. Their exterior looked hard and vaguely shiny, and resembled Swiss cheese. Their eyes glowed a faint green, their actual eyes barely visible due to the light source. Most had wings or a horn, very few without either. The one at the front dropped two pendants, and then the whole crowd lowered themselves to the ground.

“Are they… bowing?” Asked Grygoriy.

“Er, I guess. And what are these?”

“Look like necklaces. Maybe they think we are their gods or something?” He joked.

“Maybe.”

Zakhar had picked up the pendants and analysed one of them. The whole thing was gold and had a heavy weight to it. In the centre was a green gem of some kind, and written below was crudely written ‘Freedom’ and then a series of random numbers. “It has Russian Cyrillic on it”

“What does it say?”

“It just says ‘Freedom’ and then some numbers”

“Freedom? As in the faction?”

“Hey, yeah. What the hell is this all about?” He asked, rhetorically. He put the pendants over his head for safe keeping. “I wonder why they gave us these.”

“They allow us to communicate despite our large linguistic barrier.” Spoke the leading bug-horse, still bowing. It's wings buzzed slightly, and it generally seemed excited.

“Whatthefuck!?” Snapped Zakhar who stumbled backwards at the sudden voice.

“Ah, it wasn't that scary.” Spoke the Stalker.

“But i-it spoke! You don't seem too surprised!”

“Uh, no it didn't. It just buzzed a little. Maybe you hit your head harder than I thought…”

Zakhar was puzzled, until he reflected on what had just happened. “Wait, put this on.” He handed him one of the pendants.

“Is it gonna make me crazy like you?” He asked sarcastically.

“Maybe. Hopefully you will hear them too.” He waited for his comrade to put on the pendant. Once they both wore them, he spoke to the creature. “Can you say that again for my companion?”

“Certainly. They, the pendants, allow us to communicate flawlessly despite our linguistic barrier.”

“Woah. Didn't see that coming.” Grygoriy spoke, surprised.

“I told you it spoke! Now, why did you give us these? And why were you bowing?”

“You, strange creature, are a member of a great, powerful and merciful race. Our Queen, having lost a battle and being launched into the horizon, crashed and was severely wounded. She lay there for several hours before a bright flash blinded her. She spoke, begging for mercy as she feared her nemesis had come to finish her off. When she regained her vision, four of your kind stood before her. They were fascinated by her, and helped her recover. She owed her life to these strange visitors, but they left not long after she was able to walk. They left only a piece of impossibly smooth, torn parchment with strange scribbles on it. She tried to create a translation amulet, and this conversation proves it works.”

“Where are they now!? Are they the only ones? Where did they appear?” Asked the Russian frantically.

“Come, our queen is expecting you. I'm sure she will be able to answer your questions.” With that, the horse-bug began walking and the sea of them that filled the canyon parted to let the three pass. “She has dedicated a small part of the hive to investigate sightings and appearances of you and your kind, she could answer any questions you have.”

Zakhar suddenly flinched. “Did you just flick me?” He asked the Stalker.

“No. what's up?”

“I just felt.. Again! Something flicked my head! It felt wired though, like it was inside me.”

“What? Are you OK?”

“I'm a little warm… Ohhhh fuck this doesn't feel good. It like I'm pressured up… I think I'm gon-

FLASH

Grygoriy blinked. “Zakhar? Zakhar! What the fuck? Where did he go!?” He turned to face their guide. “What did you do with him!?”

“M-me? I d-didn't do anything!”

“He is telling the truth.” A new voice spoke, louder and more confident than it should be. It belonged to a taller bug-horse, including horn it came up to the stalkers nose.

“Oh yeah? Then where the fuck is my friend!?” He practically shouted, pulling his weapon up to aim it at the new arrival. He guessed that height somehow equated to authority in this world.

“He was taken by the combined efforts of the princesses. I can sense the aura of Celestia’s, Luna’s and Sparkle’s magic here. It still seeks you, but it cannot find you. How… peculiar.” It finished, sounding very interested.

“So, where do I find these ‘Princesses’ then?” He said, determination filling his voice. He couldn't lose his companion, no matter what.

“I admire your bravery, but marching in will do you no good. Their city is well fortified, even though your weapon’s technology far outclasses their own. Even with your magic suppression it would take only a single sword thrust to kill you.”

“Who says I'm gonna give them chance to do that?” He snapped challengingly.

The newcomer smiled, amused at the sheer bravery of this creature. “Never mind. I am Queen Chrysalis, leader of the changelings. And you are?

“Grygoriy, a humble stalker. If you will excuse me I have a city to invade.” He turned and began to walk off.

“Wouldn't you want some help?” The Queen asked, confident of his eventual answer.

“No. you can offer me nothing.” He said, dismissive of the ‘aid’.

“Are you sure? We have quite a collection of your species belongings.”

“You do?” He said, stopping to consider this offer.

“Oh yes. Ever since I discovered your kind I have been investigating any and all appearances. I can sense the forces that pull you between worlds. Most arrivals are in… gruesome conditions, dead or bordering death. You are the fifth, or sixth, arrival to this world that has arrived and not died instantly.”

The Stalker thought for a while. If she did have some things from earth – or more likely the zone – then it would be worth looking at. But at the same time he needed to rescue his friend. “All right, let's go take a look at your collection. I may need to borrow some stuff if it is actually from the Zone.”

“I'm sure we can come to some arrangement.” The Queen said, an excited grin on her face.

-

“Uhhh...” Zakhar did not feel good. He couldn't remember what had happened in the last few hours, and his whole body ached. It was as if he had fallen through another hundred anomalies. He kept his eyes closed and tried to return to unconsciousness. A neigh denied him of such bliss, the sound causing him to shoot up to his feet and grab his gun. Except he had none of his gear on him. Before him stood two multiponys, a white one whose horn slightly topped his own height by a few inches, and the dreaded mind invader who looked as sinister as ever, lacking all harm he had previously dealt.

“You fucking bastards! What do you want from me!?” He screamed at them, causing their horns to glow and the blue one shifted to a defensive stance. The white one neighed something at him, the meaning and purpose lost. He only feared the blue one and he took a boxing stance and faced it, ready to punch its face off. His hands began to glow gold and a familiar sensation of numbness and pain began to come from his hands. He screamed in anger and frustration, kicking the white one in its chest. The glow faded along with the sensation and he shook his hands a little before running towards a door between the horses. They stepped back in shock and let out a startled neigh. He was almost at the door when he collapsed, his whole body felt the numbness and pain now and a blue glow obscured his vision. He screamed in agony, then passed out from shock. His body was released from its psionic grip, and his vision turned to blackness.

-

“Jesus. How long have you been collecting this stuff?”

“Over the past year and a half I have gathered these items and brought them here. I would catalog them, but I know not their names nor their function.”

“What you have here is technically known as ‘A shitload of weapons’.” He grinned at the royal big-horse, who nodded with a smile.

“I have no problem with you taking anything you need, but on two conditions.”

“Name them.”

“You must not harm me or my subjects under any circumstances.”

“Guaranteed.”

“And secondly, your assault must be loud, but minimise deaths.”

“Hmm. That may be a bad combination of criteria. They will attempt to stop me, maybe kill me if I pose even non-lethal harm. I can't risk that. Why do you need such odd assurances anyway?”

“I plan to infiltrate their kingdom to feed on them. I can't have you killing my food sources, and I need a distraction to get my drones to intergrate properly.”

“Feed? You're a carnivore?” He asked, surprised. Sure, they had pointy fangs but he didn't expect horses to be meat-eaters.”

“Hah, not quite.” The Queen scoffed, looking a little greener. “We feed on their emotions, like love and happiness.”

“… I can't even be surprised at this world anymore.”

The Queen didn't understand and merely mumbled at him.

“how long will it take to reach this canterlot city then?”

“About a day. I suggest you gather required gear and rest. You can travel with my army as they move through the tunnel to canterlot. You will rest after nine hours for eight hours, then complete the journey. They set off tomorrow morning. I will wake you an hour before you are due to leave.” Chrysalis then left the room, leaving Grygoriy alone in the dim light.

“Fuck yeah!” He shouted, punching the air. All around him were hundreds of weapons, backpacks and clothes. He took off his helmet, and took in every item, determining his plan of attack. He started by replacing batteries and charging his UDP, it was near empty from the use over the last couple of days. He then pulled out two AKMs and stripped them both, assembling a new gun from the best of the parts. He would have to test it to be sure, but it should work. He grabbed the backpacks and searched through the contents, setting aside grenades, food, water, ammunition and some finer tools. He replaced his own gear with better quality or less worn items until he was sure he had the best possible pack. He then collected all the 7.62mm ammunition he could find, including the appropriate magazines. He found 139 bullets in good condition, an assortment of bullet types. He wasn't picky though, he needed what he could get. He also took a brick of explosives, likely C4, and the detonator. Checking it wasn't armed, he put it in his pack. He also put several F1 frags on his belt. He also removed his suit, now able to fully repair it thanks to the ample supplies. His years in the zone had allows him plenty of practice, and he could fully reinforce and cover up the damage and make it tougher than before. It took almost an hour to do the suit, but it was well with it in his opinion. Before he put it back on he grabbed a few Kevlar plates from the other suits and put them in the internal armour pockets. He usually avoided this as he didn't like the extra weight, but since he was going to be getting up close and personal he didn't think it such a bad idea. Satisfied, he reattached his helmet and laid down to sleep. He thought over his plan again and refined it in his head based on the reactions the ponies had to him, their combat abilities, as well as morale and durability. He smiled, it would be simple enough. Simple and effective, and would hopefully keep casualties to a minimum like the Queen had requested. His smile faded, thinking about Zakhar and the possible pain and fear he felt right now. He was a determined person though, and doubted anything too bad would happen to him. He was mostly worried about the ‘teleport’ that the princesses performed on him. He was unprotected from the effects of the Psi, and it could easily zombify him permanently. On these unsure thoughts he fell asleep, a frown still etched onto his face.

Author's Note:

Had this one on here for a while, forgot to publish it...

Thanks to those who rated! Really motivates me to improve and continue. Need some help on that part though, exams are really cutting into my life :/

Comments

[D_ p1 0m _7]

Terribly underrated story, friendo. Its really good!

[WTF_Am_I_Doing]

8400476
You really think so? Is it worth continuing?

[D_ p1 0m _7]

9030513
Heck yeah friendo!

Its awesome

[WTF_Am_I_Doing]

9031085
Fuck it then, I'll try to finish and upload the next chapter then. Thanks for the support!