Fallout Equestria: S.T.A.L.K.E.R

by aegishailstorm

Chapter 29: The Trees Are Moving

Chapter 29: The Trees Are Moving

"Nikolai?"

"Yes Willow, I see them."

Following their ever so brisk departure from the failed endeavor that had been the town of Fortunes Keep, Nikolai had decided to make for the Everfree Forest in the hopes that it would be less dangerous and less time consuming to take a shorter route through the uncharted magical wilderness rather than take a longer cross country route back to the main highway. Three hours had passed since Nikolai had raised a middle finger to the Steel Ranger at the front gates of a repurposed castle. Three hours of more uncomfortable silence between the three. The sight of a few shambling equine shapes had broken that silence, and turned it to wariness.

"Who are they?"

"Ghouls, to be certain. But... They do not look feral. Ragged, yes. But not feral, their movements are too decisive."

"We should steer clear of them." Flashpoint informed him. " We don't know for sure, and the sun still isn't up yet." Willow shrugged. "Well... They don't like dangerous, and I can't see any obvious weapons from this distance. No blades, large protrusions, or gun barrels to be seen. Wait-" Nikolai and Willow both stopped. Flashpoint's eyes wandered from The Stalker to the Thestral.

"What is it? I don't have an illuminated scope, and I don't have Willow's eyesight either. What is it?"

"... Nevermind- Wait!" Nikolai held out a steady clenched fist, beckoning his friends to stop as he took a knee.

"What is it?" The Stalker hurried over to a row of rusted cars which had crashed into an embankment on the eastern side of the road. "They have escort." Flashpoint edged closer to him, and Willow followed. " What kind of an escort?" Nikolai looked again. And finally, after a few moment, Willow answered with, "The Raider-Mercenary kind. Though, I can't make out any distinguishing markings. Three, four ponies with... I cannot make out profile in darkness, one with obvious gun on saddle, one with obvious edged weapon. And, one with... I cannot tell from here. It is dark, and... Everfree forest is not much further. Get past raiders, get past magic forest, get past rest of Wasteland, get more Vodka... Boom! Canterlot!" He imitated a midair explosion with his fingers.

"Well," Flashpoint continued. "We better find a way around them or we're.... As you put it- Boom." Nikolai dismissed his statement, "Ah... Just need little bit of Slavic charm is all!"

"What do you mean by- And... He's walking away without taking our advice again." Flashpoint facehoofed as his friend enthusiastically marched his way off towards the ghouls.

The crowd of three ponies and six ghouls marched along the road headed southbound. Thee earth ponies, one charged with moving the cart, another with a shotgun, the other with a spear, and a unicorn. All male. They had decidedly taken up a contract in escorting a group of zealous ghouls. Untrusting as they might have been of them. They claimed they had 'no need for mortal possessions' And were paying handsomely for safe transit through a desolate and historically unpopulated section of the Wasteland. Word of Raider activity at the last trading post some 6 hours walk behind them meant that they'd have to travel without torch or lamplight for the time being. Leaving only the asphalt and moonlight to guide them. They'd be blind, sure. But so would the raiders. And so, at this late hour, the last thing any of them expected was for a tall figure to appear out of nowhere, followed by the blinding glare of The Stalker's rifle mounted weapon light.

"Hey... Who are you!?"

"Stop right there! Don't come any closer!"

"Huh?" A ghoul called.

"Oh, hello! Name is Nikolai! I am try to make friend, yes?" The bright glare of his light subsided, revealing Nikolai's masked and hooded bipedal form to the caravan. "Who- What are you!?" The lead earth pony demanded. "Name is Nikolai, I am human! I come with other friends, I am try to get to Everfree forest before sunrise. How do you do? What is names?"

"How can we trust you? How do we know you aren't hiding a bunch of Raiders back behind you?"

"No, no! Only friends! I take it you are not Raiders then?"

"Wha- No, of course not!" The lead pony spat again, one of the ghouls trotted up past him, Nikolai kept still, unsure of what to do, though, given the creatures calm and seemingly measured approach. The Stalker could tell that she wasn't hostile.

"Hello Nikolai, you're an odd one." The ghoul bore neither a horn nor wings. And wore a simple brown coat, abounding with pockets. Her voice was raspy, as though she was fighting a cold, but her tone of voice hinted at curiosity rather than contempt or anger. Nikolai took a knee to bring himself down to eye level, lowering his gun in the process. As he did,
a flash from his light let to him catching sight of the large Radiation trefoil sigil painted in white across the ghouls cloak shoulder. The distinct calling card of the foals of Balefire. As the mare approached him, she caught sight of the Loner Insignia on his shoulder, and the two paused in place.

" A fellow Foal of Balefire?" Her tone brightened with enthusiasm. The Stalker laughed, and shook his head. "No, no! Is different group! But... I suppose you could call me friend! I come from place far, far from here! And.. I am trying to get to Everfree forest. Eh... How are you?"

"Oh, just splendid!" She exclaimed, tapping her hooves on the asphalt in what he took to be celebration. At this, the other ghouls began to trot up ahead of the convoy... Taking quick interest in Nikolai, who greeted them with more uncertain chuckles. "Ohoho! Hello! I.. Eh... Thank you for attention but- I need to go! Make new friends, yes?" They all nodded in almost robotic unison.

"Hey... Pal," One of the mercenaries spoke up. "Are you going to keep holding us up? Or are you going to go on your merry fucking way?" The ghoul held up her hoof.

"Now now." She said, " Perhaps we could do Nikolai here a favor and take him to the Everfree forest." The Stalker raised an eyebrow. "This... Isn't a trick? You have not even seen my face yet- And I have two friends back there. Are you sure? I... Just want make new friend. But, ok!" The Mercenary in lead rolled his eyes. " Oh, whatever. As long as you pay us a bit extra. And no crazy detours, to the outer limits of the forest edge, and that's it! No amount of caps will convince me to go any further."

"Alright." The ghoul replied, turning and smiling as the two forms of Willow and Flashpoint came up behind the Stalker. "Nikolai... I hesitate to ask but- What did you do? But why are all these ghouls smiling at you, and-" Nikolai held up his gloved hand in a gesture for Flashpoint to stop.

"Don't worry! I told you! I make new friend, and... They even offer to give free ride to Everfree by cart!" He turned back to the ghoul. "This is Flashpoint and... Hooded guy is named Willow." The Stalker rose back to his full height and gestured to each of his very confused friends.

"There's no need to worry, we won't shun a zebra, or anypony else. There is no need to hide. But you may if you wish to."

The lead mercenary rolled his eyes again, "Yeah yeah, whatever. Just cause us any trouble. Now, are you gonna help us turn the wagon around?"

The sudden apathy and discomfort which the leader had begun to exhibit towards Nikolai and his two friends seemed to not extend two his two associates. And they soon struck up a conversation with The Stalker, throughout it, they seemed to be nothing if not open about their journey. A 'pilgrimage' as they described it, to a supposed safe haven for ghouls down south in a place named, 'Salt Cube City'. Nikolai wisely withheld the fact that he had taken a chunk of said magic radioactive salt cube with him. But, was otherwise happy to share details about the Glow with his new friends. As the Night went on, and the moon rose higher the faint and foreboding treeline and crags of the Everfree forest came ever more into view. As the moon once more disappeared beyond the cloud layer, and the Waste grew dimmer in the early, early morning, the caravan finally reached it's destination. At about a kilometer from the forest, the pavement underhoof turned to dirt. A broken and rusted road sign half covered in graffiti was the only telltale sign of what was to come.

"Everfree Wilderness boundary marker, magical Perils ahead: Proceed at own Risk!" The Stalker took humorous note of the sign, while Flashpoint, Willow, and even a few of the Caravan occupants seemed to worry at it.

"Yeah..." The burly earth pony whole was hauling the cart began. "Mah reading skills ain't the goodest, but there's no way in hell that I'm going in there." The Stalker dismounted from the cart and rolled his shoulder blades, resulting in an audible crackle. As he cheerfully walked up and examined the sign beneath a defunct telephone pole.

"Well, Willow, Flashpoint! We are here. The mythical forest that you told me so much about!"

He drew his PDA, and examined the digital map again. "Fast way between two places is straight Should help with time! We go! слідуй за мною! follow me!" He paused himself, and turned back to the ghouls. "Thank you for your help, I really do appreciate it." The Stalker tapped his boot against the ground.

"Ma'am, what is your name?" The mares dull, yellowed, and slightly glowing eyes widened. "Gosh, it's been a while. Let me think... Rose... Rose Mary!" The Stalker laughed, "You should make better work of remembering who you are. Who knows? Perhaps it could still have use?" He laughed again, gave Rose Mary a thumbs up, and began walking off.

"Good luck on journey!" He called back. "You too Nikolai!" The ghouls resonated in unison. Flashpoint shuddered. "That's a... Bit odd, wouldn't you say so?" The Stalker shrugged. "Nyet. Seems perfectly fine."

"You were the one who was perfectly at ease around a hovel of cultists yesterday." Willow pointed out, bounding ahead just a little ways until he was standing parallel with Nikolai.

"That was different." Flashpoint grumbled to himself. "I was surrounded by friendly-"

"Creepy, is a better word for it." Willow responded as the dark, lush green boundary of the Everfree grew ever closer. "And I'm a Thestral! If anything, I would be the one to give you the meaning of the word." He lowered his cowl just enough to stick his little fangs off in a show of mock force, cracking a little grin as he did.

As the Stalker approached the misty treeline, a flurry of memories passed through his mind. His brain harkened back to the moments before he had been transported to the Equestrian Wasteland, walking through the anomalous Ukrainian Forests of the Exclusion Zone, sitting around a campfire and sharing stories with fellow Stalkers, running from the bloodsucker, getting ambushed by Monolith in the Truck Cemetery. In a way, the Everfree, even just beyond it's borders, seemed to emit a strange feeling of uneasiness and mystery. It was that same old feeling of foreboding that he had felt when he had first crossed into the Zone.

"Well, we're here. Officially here."

"Nikolai... Are you sure about this?" Willow asked, "I mean, there's still time to turn back, maybe we could just follow along the edge of the forest? W-we don't actually have to go in there!" The bat pony stammered suddenly. Nikolai raised his left index finger, and pointed off into the depths of the woodland.

"It has been like two week since I see actual normal looking green thing! We go! Onward!" The Stalker furrowed his brow, and, like the true Stalker he was, took one great big boot stride into the woodland, setting it down on the soft grass with as much preplanned grandeur as he could possibly amass. He took another step, bringing his full self into the foggy wild of the Everfree. He took his rifle off safe, and snapped his neck back around to look at Willow and Flashpoint, who seemed all the more hesitant to follow in Nikolai's footsteps. It was Flashpoint who tapped on his green tail and nudged him forward.

"Wow." The Stalker removed his mask and took a deep breath.

"Ohoho!" Oh... That smells good! The morning dew on the trees! How is this place still like this? I don't see anything to be scared about, both my Geiger counter and Anomaly detector read nothing out of ordinary. And... Let's see- Neither does Gas Analyzer! Is like paradise!" He held back the almost overwhelming desire to hug a live tree. Instead, he set his rucksack off to one side, and simply fell back onto the cool dirt and opting to lay down for a few moments in the wet grass.

"Ah... Is like I am back on Babushkas farm in early summer morning! Sunrise, Kompot, apples, help out in field... Spend time down by creek, try and skip rocks across... Laugh about no school..." He breathed a sigh of relief as Flashpoint and Willow both stared down at him in confusion. " Hey, Nikolai?" Flashpoint asked him. "Didn't you say this route was supposed to... Um... Save time?"

"Ah, take time and enjoy Flashpoint! Tell me, when is next time you will get chance to see and touch actual green grass? Is momentous occasion! Be careful, this forest brings back feelings of time in other foggy forest I traveled in. Is peaceful now but- I have strange feeling in stomach."

"Probably because you haven't eaten in over half a day."

His zebra companion replied humorously. "Fine!" The Stalker sat back up and threw his arms up in sarcasm as he snatched up his rucksack. "I suppose I will eat because I need to keep functioning! And... Other stuff! Big early breakfast, and then we go off through forest- And... Do stuff. According to map! That turn in the road back there... If we were to go straight north, could cut up to full day and a half off of travel time! Is excellent idea! Plus, look at scenery! I get to eat pleasant breakfast on giant root of lush green mossy tree!" He quickly glanced around and added.

"In really, really creepy forest! Blyat! Magic ruined fun again!"

He neglected to even think twice about the absurdity of the situation. He figured that he was past the normal instances of 'creepy'. Given the things he had witnessed in the brief period of his life that he had spent making his way through the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and the Equestrian Wasteland. Within 10 minutes, he had finished his brisk meal, the same MRE assortment of prepackaged rations as always, he crumbled and stuffed his trash into his rucksack, and once more beckoned Willow and Flashpoint to follow him.

Willow, having taken a long look at the environment ahead of then, went ask his friend something out of the ordinary.

"Nikolai? Can I lead this time?"

The Stalker turned his head as he pulled his jacket up over his mouth and nose like a primitive ski mask and stuffing his GP-5 gas mask back into it's pouch accordingly.

"Why?" Nikolai cracked his knuckles and hefted his rifle, rolling his thumb back over the flashlight which he had duct tapped to the AK 101's left side. "Well, take a look. It's the same as with Fortune's Keep. Only, instead of night time, there's fog and a thick tree canopy. I'd be able to discern Danger faster and further away then you ever could out here." He raised his glasses, baring his catlike glowing eyes for all to see.

"Alright!" Nikolai clasped his hands together, "Lead way! This should only take about half day, then... Straight shot to Canterlot!" Willow took his place, and the group was off again. Bushwhacking like Nikolai was back in the woodland of Northern Ukraine. The Stalker made an effort to tread as carefully as possible, taking slow, determined steps that left only shallow footsteps, if any at all in the lush grass. Every once and a while, at intervals varying from seconds to minutes, he would begin spouting random bits of wisdom and information. Most, if not all of which, both equines committed to memory as fast as they possibly could.

"Take a look out behind you every while, memorize way in. Just in case we need to backtrack."

While Willow may have flown over the Forest before, Nikolai was the only one among them with any sort of woodland related knowledge. And all the while, the trio was on edge. Superstitions and longstanding myths of the wild magical danger which the Everfree contained still lingered in all minds but Nikolai's. Though skeptical and worried himself, he liked to have a full account of something before he took it to heart.

"Trust, but verify." The proverb went.

Any chance of the later half of that statement was crushed the instant they came to a small clearing with a little stream, and were met with a distinctly agressive low growling from the bushes on the far side. From within them came a strange, doglike creature with glowing green eyes, not abnormal for the Wasteland. But what was odd, and glaringly stood out, was the fact that it seemed to be made entirely of tree bark and twigs. Wasting no time, the aberration made a mad dash for the creek. The Stalker snapped out of his blissful state and opened fire on the creature, dumping six whole shots into it before it collapsed in a heap of wood on the ground, the green glow fading from it's eyes soon afterwards.

"що на землі? What on Earth? The Stalker mumbled. "Willow?" His voice grew more attentive. "What was that thing? Wood dog?"

"No... A Timberwolf. " He clarified. "In the most literal sense of the name." Flashpoint added. "I've got a bad feeling about all of this Nikolai. There's a reason why no one-" Time seemed to stop around The Stalker as he took his finger off the trigger of his gun and slowly moved to set his deadpan expression on the Zerba.

"What?"

"You never say stuff like that! Is bad luck, you not know? Well, I teach now! I not really believe in luck... But I have plenty of experience!" He patted his friend on the head, leaning over as he did. For a moment, his mind found it partly absurd that these two little creatures could be capable of being anything more than glorified petting zoo exhibits, but... Here they were regardless, reasoning back and forth with him and carrying weapons, armor, and ideas of their own. That part of him wondered weather such company could keep him safe the same way a group of similarly armed humans could. He just found it a bit hard to put faith in something so small. But then again, he put his faith into bullets all the time.

"You might actually be right about that Nikolai." The Stalker grinned wildly as he judiciously redonned his mask. "Why of course I am."

"No, no... The other thing. Bad luck, and all that-" The Stalker whipped around and wildly surveyed the treeline back and forth, stepping right up to the bank of the shallow creek as he did.

"Give me your empty canteens, I can fill them up while you're watching my back." The Stalker unzipped his rucksack and passed him his, Willow did the same.

"We cannot stay here long. Is dangerous, something could have heard crack of gunshot. From here, we are silent. Anything makes noise in forest, we shoot- Ok?"

Ten minutes passed after the fact with nothing to note. With his rifle raised at a passive-aggressive low ready in case another wooden wolf decided to pick a fight with him. The Stalker's Geiger counter never read odd, though, his anomaly detector did beep, but only for a brief moment from time to time, the ticking would grow louder, and then fade off as if some invisible force was rushing back and forth past him, playing the same tricks on his devices that the state of the still foggy forest was on the imaginations of his friends. He was still a bit shaken up- If a Stalker like him could even be so after the things he had witnessed in Splendid Valley. All of a sudden, a noise sounded from deep in the forest, like bird cry, but deeper, and more distorted.

"Is that... A dragon?"

"It could be." Willow responded. "Let's keep on going, I'd say our chance to relax has long passed." Nikolai tucked his rifle's stock under his shoulder as he tapped a finger on his mask's filter.

"Shh."

The Thestral gave his compact battle saddle-stock hybrid a tug, nudging his carbine around as he did, and gesturing ahead. "There is a clearing just up ahead, and... It's occupied."

"By what? The Stalker asked in a hushed whisper. "Bodies, and ruined carts- A lot of them. Let's get closer." Flashpoint galloped up to Nikolai and Willow, until he was almost back to back with them. The three made their way forwards through the thick underbrush. As they walked by a particularly thick grove of trees, Nikolai almost swore he saw something blue and black move in the canopy, almost snake like. Either way, it had passed by too fast for him to get any good look at it, despite Flashpoint also seeing it. They kept on ahead, taking cover behind some tree trunks to examine the scene ahead of them.

"Well... That's horrifying." Willow murmured bluntly.

It was a wagon train, or at least, whatever was left of one. Crushed wheels and axels lay strew across the ground, torn to splinters. Rubber wheels and chunks of metal lay strew about the meadow, a little trail down the center being the only indication that civilization had carved it's way through the forest some long, long time ago. The half dozen wagons themselves had been strewn about the clearing, broken and torn. With splatters of dried blood and strange stains here and there that didn't look natural. Both smashed skeletons and heavily decayed corpses lay torn apart all around. At least 15 of them, from initial observations alone, and perhaps most concerning of all was the torn cages, bullet casings, and and defunct firearms lain about, most still in the grasp of the pony who had been using it in their last moments.

"Господи вище..." The Stalker reached down and cautiously pried a pistol from a skull that looked to have been cracked in half. Examining it, he found the magazine release, which gave with some effort, and then racking the slide, revealing an rusted 9 millimeter cartridge jammed in the action, with a firm rack, it came loose and rattled out onto the dirt.

"Caught right in middle of action. Judging by cages and... Mediocre state of armor and weapons, I would assume that this is old Slaver Caravan, perhaps they got lost?" Willow shook his head.

"A caravan this size? Check this out." The Thestral guided his friend over to a broken metal lockbox which had broken off a wagon when it had been overturned, he reached for a piece of yellowed paper, and unfolded it.

"A map of their route. Still think they were lost? They were after something deeper in the forest. But, it seems like the forest got to them first." The Stalker picked up what papers still remained from the lockbox, inviting Willow to take the map while hoarding the rest for himself.

"There's something moving in the trees again!" Flashpoint called back to his friends. The Stalker and Thestral halted their rummaging through the caravans neglected goods and took up a central spot in the center of the meadow.

"Shh... Get behind wagon! Don't do any-"

Nikolai had seen a lot in his life, but... When a modest oak about 40 meters away uprooted itself, and began maneuvering forwards on it's larger roots, he was almost certain that he had somehow taken some very, very dicey drugs without knowing. But more than likely it was just the same life that he had grown accustomed to in the past two weeks.

Willow crept right up to the corner of The Stalker's hood and said in a hushed, almost angry whisper; "That tree is walking around. Nikolai- That fu-" He pushed Willow away and ducked out.

"Flashpoint!" He waved at the Zebra. "Flashpoint! Over here!" The zebra turned his head, and caught sight of the uprooted tree.

"What the-" Something crept over a wagon on the far side of the clearing. A mass of tangled black vines with bluish thorns that twitched and snapped as they swarmed across the ground like an overturned tub of snakes.

"Ah-!" One of them shot forwards and just barely missed Flashpoints leg. The Zebra buckled upwards and turned his submachine gun on the vine, tearing it to shreds with a panicked five round burst of shoddy ammunition. He landed on all fours and bolted over to Nikolai, who unpinned and tossed an apple shaped grenade right into the middle of the pile of twisting vines, ushering his friends to take off running an instant before the explosive went off, sending glowing slime every which way.

"We go! I think I know what kill Slavers!"

The sound of shallow hoofsteps galloping towards them quickly resounded in the form of an equine shaped abomination that looked like it had been pulled out of a petri dish. Hardly paying attention the Stalker dipped down under his scope, and, not wasting any time to line up his iron sights, dumped half a magazine into the creatures right side, sending it splattering to the ground in a disgusting heap of what looked like fungal spores the size of ping pong balls that drifted away on the cool breeze like terrifying dandelions.

"And now we run!" Another set of hostile vines unfurled itself from a nearby tree, and then another.

Nikolai was already gone, back to his favorite, and perhaps most essential past time next to basic human functions- food, water, sleep, shelter, reason, Vodka, and so on and so forth. Not any of those, but the one which had kept generations of his ancestors from being bear food.

Running.

The Stalker and his two companions wisely made the decision to have 'none of it'. And take off in a mad, hardly coordinated dash through the woods as fast as their own respective legs could carry them. Their frantic dead sprint took them about a full kilometer before Nikolai brought them all to an abrupt, wheezing stop.

"Do you still think it was worth the time we're 'saving' going through this forsaken place, and instead using it to fight off whatever those things were?"

Something moved off to their left, and then their right. The almost petrifying noise of rustling leaves filled the narrow animal trail they were on. Another tree, this one about 50 meters east distant, swarmed with more thorny vines. And, off to the west. A large, cougar like thing with a barbed tail and bat wings seemed to have taken a sudden interest in them.

Nikolai reached into a pouch on his vest and swapped magazines, "Leave it! We go, stop for nothing." The giant cat thing bounded up into the air with it's claws outstretched, the only meal it got was a mouthful of copper jacketed 5.56 rounds directed at it's upper thorax, followed by a burst of submachine gun fire from Flashpoint for good measure, and an execution shot from Willow's carbine.

Nikolai's radio crackled to life again, static ridden, but, it was broadcasting from the same Zone FM that he seemed to be perpetually tuned into. At the same time, his PDA beeped. Something he didn't realize at the moment, being that he was too busy running from the flurry of aberrations intending to make him and his friends into a human-equine salad.

"What now Nikolai?" Flashpoint shouted as a tree came in between them.

"We go until we find the other side! Is shortcut!" He paused to catch his breath. "Remember! Is not that far! Dangerous, not far!"

Another thorny bramble reached down from a tree, making a grab for Nikolai. But the Stalker was just a little bit quicker, he, in his infinite wisdom, decided to grab the carnivorous vine, ripping it down from the tree like a wild python and tearing it in apart with his knife in a blind rage, taking it to the ground and wrestling with it, repeatedly stabbing at it and pounding it into the dirt until it stopped moving. The Stalker arose and wiped the green and blue pulp from his gloves and pants.

"What? I had enough." The Stalker took off again at a slight jog, prompting Willow and Flashpoint to hurry after him.

"Note to self, consult Wasteland Survival guide next time! This was less than ideal!"

About ten minutes later, the persistent sounds of things in the trees, along with the ever present growling coming from the bushes, which receded almost as fast as it had appeared.

"You know," Nikolai began. "Back in the Zone, a mutant's body parts and pelts could be sold for quite a profit to the right people. Crazy Ecologists, I never really got it but- They did pay well. The only problem was that in the zone, almost the whole food chain was turned up on it's head. And humans were at the very bottom. The only good thing?" He flexed his left hand, raising his rifle with his trigger hand as he did, "Guns, and alcohol. Two things that I have, that those creatures do not."

Willow laughed enthusiastically. "Clearly you've never seen a Hellhound wield a shotgun before. The Stalker's eyes widened.

"Those things can use tools? You can't be serious." Willow chuckled uncomfortably, shifting his hood a bit to itch a spot on his neck. As he shifted his head off to one side and raised his right leg to rub up against it, he spotted Nikolai's hands, and an idea popped into his mind.

"Hey, Nikolai. I know this might sound... Odd, but would you mind scratching behind my right ear? Just down my neck, it's just been bugging me the past 5 minutes, and I can't stand it any longer." The Stalker slowly swiveled his head to take a look at the bat pony, though his face was obscured by his mask. Willow was almost certain that he was contemplating laughing. What he wasn't expecting was for him to walk on over and oblige his request.

"Ohh..." The Thestral's left ear drooped. "That feels much better-" His hand tugged on Willow's dark green mane, pulling at the roots. The suddenness of the feeling caught him unprepared. "Oww! What was that!?" The bat pony yelped, and pulled himself away from Nikolai's hand

. The Stalker held out his gloved palm to reveal a blue thorn.

"You had this lodged in your mane, it was scraping up against fur. Any deeper and you might have had великий проблема. Big problem." He brushed Willow's mane aside and examined the same spot. "Well... It looks fine-" A loud roar echoed through the forest, shaking trees and causing birds and all manner of other strange flying creatures to bolt off into the sky. Some strangely falling to the ground as soon as they had taken flight, a few more turned to stone.

"Welcome to jungle!" Nikolai murmured sarcastically, letting Willow resume his place at the head of the group. Another roar resonated through the forest, this one quite a bit closer. It came from right behind them.

"And that..." Willow said, trying very hard not to loose any measure of calm which he still had left. "Is a dragon. And from the sounds of it, it's heading right for us!" Nikolai's pace quickened again as a massive shadow swept overhead.

"I am starting to dislike this place again."

"Avoid that blue flower!"

"Why!?" The Stalker shouted.

"That's Killing Joke, it will quite literally use practical jokes to try and kill you!" Nikolai decided that the potential money he could make from such a thing wouldn't be worth dying to an overtly sarcastic plant, so he steered clear of it. Just as quickly as the draconic shadow had appeared above them, it disappeared. The trio kept on sprinting until Nikolai was fuming with pain, and his mouth tasted like bile. Eventually, the ground underfoot turned from grass, back into coarse and lifeless dirt. He couldn't take it anymore, and almost fell flat on his face when he went to take a knee, tearing off his mask and setting the palms of his gloved hands in the dirt, spitting and cursing under his breath.

"Ну це була марна трата часу та боєприпасів!" He breathed a heavy sigh as the suppressor on the end of his rifle brushed up against the cold ground. "Nikolai? Nikolai! Are you ok?" The Stalker coughed again. "Yes, I am fine. Just fine, that was a complete waste of time and bullets, I need a drink- And were are we?"

He felt Flashpoint's hoof on his shoulder, "Look up Nikolai, your shortcut worked." The Stalker wiped the bile from his mouth with his jacket sleeve and smiled grimly.

"Sorry, I've never run for that long, that was what? Seven, maybe eight kilometers?"

Willow shrugged. "I don't know, but it worked. Take a look."

The Stalker shifted his gaze up from the ground. The vibrant myriad of green shades that had made up the boundaries of the Everfree were now gone. Ahead of him lay nothing but the dull browns of the Wasteland. Off in the distance, he could see what looked like wooden power line poles, and a road. The ground directly ahead of him sloped down a bit, and then up gradually. The rotting skyscrapers that had potmarked the horizon for the entire past week were gone, replaced by rolling hills and thousands upon thousands of burnt tree stags. What few ruins lay here and there seemed much more humble, radio towers, small brick and wooden buildings, rusted out cars. It was much more rural, even compared to the open plains that he had just gone through. The empty sound of wind was all that remained. Off to the north west was a modestly sized town, just barely visible among the atmospheric interference.

But most important of all to Nikolai, was the cluster of towering mountains off to the north. And the Monolithic castle ruins atop it, still surrounded in the pinkish haze which made it shine like a lighthouse floodlamp in a storm. And now, thanks to their shortcut, even closer than before.

"Yes, it did work! I was right! And it only took two full magazines and a bit of temporary discomfort! It was actually more pleasant then Splendid Valley!" His PDA beeped again, but this time, he actually noticed it, and pulled it out to examine it's map.

"I think I know where that caravan we found back in forest was going. There was a Stable out there. One of those giant bunkers I have heard so much about, remember? Oh well, is too late now. I no go back in there for anything. We go, this is poor spot to rest." And, just like that, he was up again as his radio played a faint upbeat tune called, "Bringing Back the Sunshine."

He found it's tone of enthusiasm fitting, given what had just happened, and what he still had ahead of him before he could reach Canterlot, and, hopefully, be able to solely declare himself:

"Nikolai, Supreme Cap Emperor of The Equestrian Wasteland!"

Though, if need be, he would also settle for a lifetime supply of good, tasty food, and a nice little farm with his friends. But either way, he intended to make his almost Napoleonic Dreams of Grandeur a reality, he'd just have to work a little harder to achieve them.

Comments

[Madmadmad123]

👍 great chapter