> Operation: Homecoming
>  by RoadRunneR
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Disclaimer A.K.A. Readme.txt
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Operation: Homecoming


This story is a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. / My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic crossover which relies somewhat on the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. lore. There are spoilers, you’ve been warned. Constructive criticism and comments are appreciated and encouraged. After all, how can I improve if nobody points out my mistakes?

The events happen right as season three of FIM comes to a closure, and after S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat.

This story is a sequel to See the Zone and Survive. Reading it is highly recommended to know the characters and what the fuck is going on in general.

Most characters and locations, if not all, are based upon existing characters and places existing in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games and My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R., My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic and all other trademarks present in this story belong to their respective owners. This is a non-profit work of fiction, written out of boredom and the fact that there aren’t enough S.T.A.L.K.E.R./FIM crossovers, despite both franchises having amazing lore.

TL;DR: GO READ THE PREQUEL.


IMPORTANT NOTE


I wasn't happy with some details in STZAS, and will have them modified in the foreseeable future. That said, I will start this story as if these details have been changed. I'm talking about several things, namely

=> Celestia and Strider's relationship: in STZAS, it was rushed, and I didn't take time to fully develop it past the stage of 'awww, they're in love'. I plan to change that. It will be difficult though.

=> Vano's fabulousness: Fuck you guys I'm not changing that. What's manlier than a manly man who loves manly men?

=> Plot holes: Not these ones, get your minds out of the gutter. I'm talking about story discrepancies. I should have developed the Merc side more, explored each character more, and made the story more coherent. Also, put more S.T.A.L.K.E.R. lore in the story.

=> Guns: I like guns. I like guns so much I wished I lived in the US, healthcare be damned. That said, don't know jack shit about them other than they're cool, hence why I will change a few details about them in the original fic, change that will cascade on this sequel.

FOR INSTANCE:
- Vano's machine gun: the PKM is made to be used from a prone position, fired in controlled bursts, blah blah blah. Vano's a huge guy and he's cool enough to handle such a gun offhand, while moving, while bursting through a concrete wall in a powered exoskeleton.
- Strider's sniper rifle: Not changing any of that. He'll still have his big-ass BFG.
- Strider's other guns: He will still have two pistols, but different, and he will almost never use them. Pistol are highly impractical in combat. To fill the CQB niche, he'll have a lightweight carbine, a FN FAL 50.62 with shortened barrel.
- Celestia's DMR: Saiga rifles make poor DMR's. Hence why I'll give her a modified FN FAL 50.42 instead. Much more common in black market stockpiles, and they actually have milled receivers and heavy barrel comes standard, better for accuracy.
- Celestia's other guns: She'll keep the Predator, only it's a 4 gauge KS-23, not a 12 gauge Mossberg 88 now. She'll only use her FN Minimi at rare times. A shotgun makes more sense with her loadout. She'll keep her little Makarov, but it will keep its original caliber.

It is to be noted that while these guns will make an appearance, they most likely won't be part of the characters' primary loadout. I'll play around a bit with what's realistic and what's cool.
> Prologue: Long Tall Sally
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Prologue: Long tall Sally



Saying the Zone is a dangerous place would be like saying that shooting yourself in the foot would be itchy. It not only would be a gross understatement, but also a complete untruth. Every stalker knows that, and they are not the only ones. The Chernobyl exclusion Zone was world famous. The biggest operation to date was operation Fairway, which had been directed by the Ukrainian military. It had been executed with no real planning and its goal was to go straight to the center of the Zone using choppers and APCs, and of course resulted in a massive failure.

Choppers fell from the sky, either shot down by Monolith forces or hit by anomalies. Obsolete APCs got annihilated by radiation, rockets and grenades. Infantry got slaughtered by small arms fire and, to top it all off, a massive Blowout had wiped out nearly every living creature within the Chernobyl and Prypiat areas.

Suffice to say the Ukrainian military had been reluctant to send any more forces inside the Zone ever since.

So that’s why the brass laughed when a group of scientists came up to them, claiming they had discovered a portal to another world.

They stopped when they showed the documents.

Reports of anomaly measurements, concerning an anomalous space bubble.

Measurements mentioning ‘another Noosphere’ leaking through the bubble.

Reports, measurements and anatomy notes concerning a creature, who was designed as ‘Celestia’.

A photo of a buzzed stalker with a massive rifle on his back, clad in a lightened exosuit, crouching down next to a white, small equine with horns and wings. The equine was wearing what looked like Monolith armor and was armed to the teeth, like the stalker next to it. Its eyes were freakishly big, yet somehow they didn’t seem out of place, giving off an impression it was straight out of one  like in one of these old western cartoons. The stalker had an arm over the equine’s shoulders which in turn had extended one of its wing over the stalker’s back. And both of them were smiling.

When put in front of such proof, the Ukrainian brass deliberated for two long months, before putting together an extensive plan to assist a scientific expedition into this unknown land.

All of which went out the window when the Ukrainian government was overthrown and Russia invaded Crimea. Instead of a massive military support, SBU Colonel Alexander Degtyarev was assigned a squad of Spetsnaz and given the responsability of the mission to escort the scientists to the trip they wanted to make.

Of course, a squad was far less than enough, so the scientists turned towards this ‘Celestia’, who hadn’t lost her time.

During her year in the Zone, she had met an ex-Monolithian sniper, a giant bruiser, and so many others. Together, they mounted a new faction, based in the Jupiter factory, near the very center of the Zone. They started small, only a few dozen people… but after a year, they had more ordinance than both the local Duty and Freedom antennas, a fortified home base and nearly three hundred stalkers under their command, all well trained and armed to the teeth.

They called their faction, Dawn.

With their men, they formed most of the personnel and they owned most of the helicopters and ground vehicles that were on operation, named Homecoming. Of course, they didn’t do it out of kindness for the scientists. Celestia, the co-leader of the faction, had a very personal interest in the good execution of the trip.

Why?

They were going back to her world, hence the name.

She knew there was a 0.1% probability the scientists had been wrong and that the space bubble lead on a totally random world, but according to measurements, it had a Noosphere which signature’s was over 90% similar to her psychic powers’ energy signature, which meant there were sapient creatures similar to her there; the atmospheric conditions were identical to the Earth’s and the videos brought back by unmanned drones showed images of luscious green fields with a mountain in the distance -mountain which had been identified by Celestia as ‘Canterhorn’. That had elicited a good laugh from the scientists.

And so the Dawn faction offered its help to the scientists.

Of course, Hermann and Kruglov - the leaders of the main scientific teams- paid good price to ensure their safety on this trip.

And what a security detail did they get.

While the Ukrainian military only sent a squad of Spetsnaz with an outdated Mi-24 and a BTR to back up Colonel Degtyarev and the scientists, the Dawn guys came in with tanks, APCs, helicopters and personnel amounting to a small army.

When asked why they brought so much ordinance, the leaders of the Dawn factions each had answers of their own. Vano, the bearded hulk in power armour, had replied that ‘there is no such thing as overkill’. Strider, the co-leader, had just shrugged.

Celestia, the other co-leader, had insisted on how dangerous some creatures populating her world were and that the situation there was unknown.

After all, she was right. Maybe there had been an uprising following her disappearance, resulting in her sister being overthrown and the Elements of Harmony being killed or lost, rendering the country weak to outside attacks. Maybe there had been a war, set off by an opportunist country that didn’t like Equestria so much… who knew? Fourteen months is a long time.

And that was why a cluster of helicopters, all overburdened with troops, ordinance and sling loads, were soaring through the air, set on the massive space bubble suspended one hundred meters in the air that led to another world, the ruckus caused by their engines and their blades whacking the air beneath them disturbing the usual relative calm of the Cordon.



	

A face met a palm. “Oh you have got to be fucking kidding me.”

Vano shrugged his shoulders, holding up his hands. “What? It’s good music!” the massive stalker countered.

The whine of the modernized Mil MI-24 turbines and the roar or the rotor slicing the air, maintaining the gunship in the air would have been deafening if it wouldn’t have been for the music blasting full volume in the habitacle, forcing the passengers to yell to make themselves understood.

“Why do feel forced to keep making pop culture references?” Snag half-shouted half-asked, raising his face from behind his hands.

Vano leaned back in his seat, crossed his arms and pouted, raising an eyebrow and giving his boyfriend an air of ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about’.

Most of the six Dawn Rangers that accompanied them were observing the scene, sat in their seats, their rifles held vertically and pointed down. Most of them had amused expressions on their faces, except one who was leaned back and was staring at the ceiling.

“Why didn’t I enroll in the Spartans…?” he asked himself, sighing.



	

Most of the Dawn Spartans were in another helicopter, a bigger, heavier, more powerful Mi-26. The massive chopper was soaring through the skies of the Zone, cruising at nearly one hundred and sixty kilometers per hour, which was far from its top speed; but was not too shabby considering the troop carrier was full of… well, troops and ordinance and that to top it all of was carrying a sling loaded tank. 

Inside the chopper, a disciplined silence reigned. Not a word was uttered, the only noise coming from the friction of the air on the hull and the turbine engines overhead the big cabin. The only people having any kind of interaction were two men and… a white coated, horned, and winged equine.

Celestia is her name. She was fairly small compared to the humans, topping at 1.40 m at the base of her horn. Neither human nor mutant, she was an oddity, even by the Zone’s standards… and well, she was a she. Saying women are rare in the Zone is like saying the Zone is dangerous… you get the idea.

The man sitting across her was your run-of-the-mill Loner. A badge showing the typical Loner radiation symbol on his shoulder, badly shaven beard, hirsute hair, a questionable body odor and what would have been considered like medium-level gear, if it were not for his lightened armor and black sniper rifle laying next to him.

The other man, who was sitting next to her, was similar in appearance, except his hair was buzz cut, he didn’t smell as bad and he was wearing a lightened exoskeleton armor bearing the colors of the Dawn faction instead of a simpler, cheaper suit. The purpose of such a exosuit could have been questionable if it weren’t for the massive rifle sitting next to stalker.

“And so this is yours,” the Loner stated, examining the big, tarpaulin covered car secured in the middle of the cabin between him and the two others sitting in the seats in front of him. “Where in the Zone did you find it Strider?”

“In the very same vehicle yard we found our first BTRs,” replied the buzzed man, checking his big anti-material rifle again. "The engine and most mechanical parts were junk, but the shell was salvageable."

“Interesting. What is it? ”

“I cannot tell you," Strider smiled. "But rest assured that it is quite a unique piece.”

“Yes, it's got a lot of custom parts I made myself, and a few others we actually imported from the outside,” Celestia told the stalker in front of her, excitedly ruffling her wings. “I’m just happy we found it. It was nice, working together on getting it back into shape.”

Strider smiled warmly. “Yes. While I am not really a fan of mechanics, I immensely appreciated the time we spent together on it, even though it is not completely finished.”

“Just a few touches though,” Celestia chimed in. “I really look forwards to cruise in this thing together,” she added, nuzzling Strider’s neck.

Runner sighed longingly, looking at the happy couple in front of him. “I hate couples,” he muttered to himself, his gaze drooping to the ground.



	

The formation of helicopters approached the bubble, and one by one, entered it. Seconds after the first helicopter had hit the barrier, the last one - a big Mi-26 carrying a sling loaded T-72 - hit it too, disappearing in the shifting mass of energy. There was no drama, no explosion, no flash of light, only the massive bubble swallowing the thunderous flying machines one after another.

And like that, there was no more noise, only the occasional mutant scream or gunshot echoing in the distance, distant and anonymous witness of the dangers of the Zone.
> 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.”
> Chapter 2: First Contacts
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 2
First Contacts



Strider was a pragmatic and phlegmatic man, always calm and calculating in the face of the unexpected or immediate danger. Measured, focused accurate. He was a trained marksman and sniper after all, and knew how to keep his emotions in check. Well, most of the time.

Rare were his outbursts, but were they powerful when they happened, and they seemed to all have a thing in common, or rather, someone: Celestia. When she appeared in the Zone, he killed not one, but two Bloodsuckers singlehandedly to save her. When she had felt depressed, alone and sad, he had been there to care, comfort and provide for her. When she had been kidnapped by Bandits, he had rushed at her rescue, slaughtering, torturing and crippling dozens of the men who had been unfortunate enough to work for the Bandit who dared hurt his Princess - not that she actually needed his help to escape his clutches anyway. When she collapsed after blabbering an incoherent string of words, he had been the first to rush at her side and had carried her all the way to Canterlot Central, guided by no other than Luna.

Even she, Celestia’s sister, had left with the others half an hour after the white alicorn had been admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with severe thaumaturgic backlash aggravated by intense emotional stress. And so, the Dawn Colonel was sitting there at his alicorn’s bedside in that hospital room in Canterlot, worried sick about her health, alone with her immobile form laying on her side, holding one of her forelegs in a hand.

The room was spartan and void of any decoration, which initially surprised Strider, considering the usually overcomplicated pony architecture. To an extend, it seemed human in design. The walls were white, seemingly enlarging the small room smelling of caustic detergent and everything was designed with the ‘function over form’ mindset. Even the bed was made of metal, reminding Strider of the many beds that were in the barracks back at his faction base in Yanov.

Even the life support machinery was disturbingly reminiscent of human ones.

To Strider, It didn’t make sense. As far as he knew, Equestria’s technology level was way below Earth’s, as the ponies did not even master the basic concepts of electricity.

Huh. Maybe they use magic instead, he idly thought.

It had been nearly two hours now, Celestia hadn’t woken up yet and Strider was still as worried.

The stalker let out a sigh as and glanced at his weapons that were piled in a corner of the room, thinking about leaving too.

Celestia’s world was drowned in a blinding shade of white. Her whole body felt numb, she couldn’t see, hear, feel, smell or even taste a thing.

Then, she heard a faint, regular beeping in the back of her mind, like if a refrain was stuck in her head, only it seemed to grow louder and clearer.

As her hearing came back, so did her other senses: her vision cleared, revealing a white ceiling; her tongue felt dry and heavy, sign that she was dehydrated. She could feel bedsheets over her body, her nostrils revealed the caustic smell of a hospital, indicating her she was indeed laying in a hospital bed.

The alicorn let out a breath and looked around. On her right, there was a stand with life support machines. Then, she noticed something- no, someone was holding her hoof. She turned to her left, catching sight of a smiling and relieved Strider, gazing lovingly upon her.

“Hey there beautiful,” the alicorn began.

Strider let out a laugh. “Welcome back, solnyshko,” he replied, leaning over and kissing her on the lips. “How do you feel?”

It was Celestia’s turn to smile. “A bit dehydrated and my head aches slightly, but I’m fine.”

Her lover let out a relieved sigh. “I am glad you are feeling alright. The doctors said that exposure to normal thrauma… thaumatrug- magic levels is dangerous after a being in a deprived environment.”

“Ah. Thaumaturgic backlash. Should’ve thought of that.”

“Yeah, that,” Strider replied, awkwardly clearing his throat. “How about I get you some water?” he added, standing up.

Celestia nodded happily. “Good idea.”

Celestia gazed at her boyfriend as he stood up and went to the bathroom, only to emerge seconds later with a glass of water in hand. Instantly, Celestia lit up her horn, intending to grasp the glass, only to be met by Strider’s expression of disapproval.

“Tsk tsk, the doctor said you should avoid using magic for a day or two when you woke up,” he scolded, approaching his alicorn’s bed and sitting next to her. 

With a sigh, Celestia leaned towards the glass of water offered to her and took long gulps of the refreshing liquid, slowly downing it the glass as her boyfriend kept it level.

“There you go,” Strider said as she finished the glass, before he put it on the nightstand and sat back on the bed. 

Celestia sighed. “It’s so surreal.”

“What is?” Strider asked, petting her mane.

“Being here. I’ve always wanted to come back, ever since I ended up in the Zone, so much that now… I can’t believe it’s actually happening.”

Stride chuckled. “Hey, I made you a promise, did I not?”

“And you kept it. Thank you,” Celestia thanked, burying her face in her lover’s chest. “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me, you know.”

“I don’t care. Thank you.”

Strider chuckled as he kept stroking Celestia’s head.

The clock in a corner of the room kept ticking and the hospital equipment kept beeping, barely disturbing the peacefulness of the moment the two lovers shared.

“You know, I prefer your real mane, actually,” Strider admitted after a moment of silence.

“Really?”

“Yeah. This immaterial version is visually stunning, but… it is not as satisfying to the touch. It feels almost like water. Warm, soft water, yes, but I prefer the sensation of hair strands… and their smell, too.”

Celestia felt a pang of hurt at her lover’s blunt comment, but decided to humor him. Without a word, she lit up her horn. Instantly, her mane and tail returned to their depowered and regained their normal turquoise hue, turning into the physical, disheveled pack of hair Strider loved so much. “What do they smell like?”

Strider buried his face in his girlfriend’s mane and took a deep, long breath. “Sweat, 5w50 and gunpowder. I love that smell,” he replied, earning a giggle from Celestia.

“...”

“Want me to call the doctor?” Strider asked, his head still buried in Celestia’s mane.

The alicorn giggled. “Yes, please.”



	

Luna was impressed. These humans had arrived barely a few hours before and already they had a whole base running. Hundreds of men were running around, talking, shouting, carrying crates, weapons, parts… all of this was new and overwhelming even to the dark alicorn, despite being used to the life in Canterlot. To her, it looked like complete chaos, something she knew a certain recently reformed and self-proclaimed god wouldn’t mind.

After careful examination of her surroundings however, she noticed that every man who passed by was doing something: they all had a task, a purpose. It wasn’t chaos, no, it was… organized- better yet, disciplined chaos. The whole base was a hive, buzzing with activity and, despite lacking structure at first glance, relied on invisible chains of command. As a result, it kept running perfectly.

“We-I have to admit major, this is most impressive,” the night Princess commented. “We are afraid that such levels of logistics surpass even that of the Royal Guard.”

One of the guards surrounding the Lunar Princess harrumphed, gaining a glare from her.

Vano glanced at Luna. “You can say that again, Princess-”

Luna held up a hoof, interrupting the giant. “Please, call us Luna. Any friend of my sister is a friend of mine. Besides, we-I prefer being called by my actual name.”

“And with these ponies seeing you as a fucking goddess, that doesn’t happen very often I bet,” Snag chimed in.

“Sadly this is true,” Luna replied, unfazed by the hooded stalker’s profane language. “Although we try to partake in social events as not to alienate ourselves to our subjects.”

“The people’s ruler, eh?” Runner asked, eyebrow raised. “That’s cool.”

Vano cleared his throat, gaining the attention of the others. “As I was saying, Moony.”

“Moony?”

“He likes to give nicknames to everyone,” Snag explained. “He keeps calling your sister ‘Celly’ when off-duty.”

Luna threw her head back and let out a genuine mirthful laugh at the absurdly cute nickname the gruff, tall man had given his sister. “HAHAHAHAHAHAHA-”

“AS I WAS SAYING.”

Luna cleared her throat and turned her attention back to Vano, wiping a tear of laughter. “Yes. Quite.”

“This is only the beginning,” he continued as if nothing happened. “We only have two hundred personnel here, Halo actual went back to bring in even more hands and ordnance. Gotta put a supply line in place,” the giant explained, scanning the area as they walked towards the center of the camp, towards, the two big bunkers. “But as impressive as this is, it's all been possible thanks to your sister. She's the one with the talent for logistics and global command.”

Luna nodded silently, slightly taken aback by what the Ranger told her. "Is that true that she and you friend-"

"Strider?" Snag asked, turning towards the alicorn. "Yep. They're together."

The alicorn smiled. "Twas about time she found a partner; honestly she was worrying me, I had begun to think she was suffering of some manner of depression. Even I managed to reconnect with our subjects better than her after-"

She froze.

"We heard the story," Runner tactfully interrupted.

"-a thousand years abroad," Luna deadpanned, gazing at the ground.

The night Princess sighed before she noticed a big, four wheeled vehicle covered in tarpaulin sitting next to a BTR. “What's that?" she asked, decided on changing the subject of conversation.

The vehicle was taller than her, but smaller than any of the other vehicles she had seen so far, even the eight-wheeled ones with a turret on top - BTR, she remembered the humans calling it. It was boxy in design, longer than it was large and seemed to sport a manner of cabin that formed a bump in the tarpaulin roughly twice as high as the rest, while the back of it ended rather abruptly and was almost vertical.

"Hah! You'll have to wait until Strider and Celly drive it around!" came a new voice as Runner and Luna approached the vehicle.

The group turned around, noticing Rookie who was walking towards them, clad in his usual armored suit. The lieutenant was holding a notepad in one hand, a pen in the other, and his weapons were clanking against the big sniper rifle strapped to his back.

“Princess Luna, this is lieutenant Rookie from the Dawn Spartans, Strider’s second in command,” Vano announced

“Pleasured to make your acquaintance,” Luna said, extending a hoof in what she had learned was a proper human greeting.

Rookie walked up to the alicorn, grasped her hoof and leaned forwards. “The pleasure is mine,” he replied, kissing the appendage, leaving Luna confused and inexplicably flustered.

Once the stalker let go of her, the Princess gave Vano and Runner an interrogative glance, trying to grasp the meaning behind Rookie’s actions, only to receive a shrug and a wink in answer.

"It's a project these two have been working on for as long as we had vehicles in our faction," Rookie explained, turned towards the vehicle as if nothing happened. "We all know what it is, but we’ve been instructed to keep it a secret. All I can tell you is that it’s an old car they restored and modified, but that's about it," he added, before turning towards the covered car.

Runner clapped his hands together. "I can't wait!” he exclaimed, a huge smile on his face, eliciting strange stares from the others. “What? If it is what I think it is, the lines suggest it's been heavily modified and I've always been kind of a car nut," the free stalker admitted, scratching the back of his head while glancing at the tarpaulin covered car.

"Lieutenant! Major!" a new voice called, interrupting the free stalker's tirade.

"Yes what is it sargeant?" Vano asked, turning towards the power-armored newcomer.

"She's awake."

“Oh well. Hermann and Kruglov can wait.”

Luna gave Runner a sideways glance. “So what is that ‘car’?” she whispered

“Shh don’t wanna ruin the surprise,” the stalker replied with a smirk.

“BLAGH.”



	

“Well, your vitals are good Princess, and any traces of thaumaturgic backlash have already disappeared,” the glass wearing pony doctor stated, scrutinizing the screens on the life support machinery hooked to Celestia,“which disturbs me. Even with your alicorn resilience, I know for a fact that shouldn’t be possible.”

“Well Strider was holding my hoof the whole time,” Celestia stated.

The labcoat-wearing doctor stopped and stared at the day Princess as if she had declared breathing illegal. “How to put this… while moral support can be useful in some cases, I’m not sure that’s what cut your recovery time by a factor of nearly one thousand,” he snarked.

Strider cleared his throat. “You are mistaken doctor, you see, I-”

“Mistaken?” the doctor guffawed, offended. “I know my job, sir, and I will not let a hairless monkey-”

“Doctor?” Celestia interrupted calmly. “That’s enough.”

The doctor harrumphed and glared at Strider, but kept his mouth shut.

“Now, Strider,” Celestia told her boyfriend, a small smile adorning her lips.

The Dawn Colonel shook his head, smiling condescendly at the pony doctor. “As I was saying, I have a condition.”

“Condition?”

“Yes. I can heal wounds that would be fatal to anyone else in a matter of seconds and, via simple touch, heal others, albeit at a slower rate.”

“You’ll excuse me if I have trouble believing you. What you are saying suggests that your metabolism and your organism are capable of accelerating their activity at will, which is impossible,” the doctor explained, pacing around the room. “Even our most advanced healing spells cannot recreate such a phenomenon and- excuse me what are you doing?” he inquired, staring at Strider.

During the doctor’s tirade, the stalker had unclamped the power armor from his left forearm, letting its armature dangle from the joint at elbow level. Then, he had rolled up the sleeve of his anomaly-resistant jumpsuit, exposing his bare skin and his ‘S.T.A.L.K.E.R.’ tattoo and unsheathed his combat knife from its holster on his shoulder.

“Making a point,” he deadpanned, suddenly jerking the sharp polymer blade across his forearm.

The pony doctor could only stare in horror as the knife easily dug deep in the human’s flesh by his own doing, drawing blood that began trickling down his arm, only to be bewildered as the seemingly dreadful wound healed itself perfectly. The knife had barely left stalker’s flesh that the wound was already closing, only leaving a pale scar where it had been seconds ago.

“H-How is that possible?” the doctor stuttered.

Strider stopped as he took out a tissue to clean his knife, deciding that eluding would be the simplest course of action. “It is… a long story,” he simply said. “Even where I come from, it is considered impossible,”

“I… see. Point taken then,” the doctor stuttered, warily backing off from a laughing Strider. “Doesn’t it hurt?”

“Nah. I know my nerve endings are in perfect condition. Maybe my Thalamus or my frontal lobe that got damaged… either way, I do not feel pain. At all,” Strider shrugged.

“I see,” the doctor deadpanned, disturbed. “I’m gonna leave now, you’ve got a visitor.”

Celestia’s ears perked up. “Visitor?”

“Princess Twilight Sparkle, your highness.”

Celestia’s mind froze at the doctor’s words. Instantly, she was reminded of the last thing she remembered from before the blackout: Twilight Sparkle, her prized pupil, had come to meet her… as an alicorn.

The solar princess gulped. “Twilight… she’s an alicorn, now, isn’t she?”

The doctor gazed up from his notepad. “Yes! Her coronation was something to behold, really! She may be young, but she’s done a wonderful job in her duties of Princess of the Day!” he exclaimed, smiling brightly.

Celestia’s whole world shattered in this very instant. She knew she had been away a long time. She knew that things would certainly have changed and that she would have a lot of catching up to do.

But she never expected that she ever would be replaced.

Her bottom lip quivered as she tried to keep her composure. “P-p-p-princess of the d-day?” she stuttered, fighting to keep the storm of feelings that kicked up in her chest.

The doctor nodded, oblivious to Celestia’s distress. “Well actually, her official title is ‘Princess of Harmony’ but she did a very good job with taking care of the Sun and the day court,” he volubly continued. “She’s so wonderful...”

Celestia opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water, desperate to a thought to hold onto as she realized that her very purpose in her very own homeworld had been taken from her by none other than her dear student, the sweet and innocent Twilight Sparkle.

Her shoulders sagged, her ears dropped her gaze dropped to her bedsheets and a sigh escaped her lips. She flinched involuntarly when she felt a weight lean onto her bed and a hand gently press onto her chest.

Unlike the doctor who had continued droning on about how Twilight Sparkle was perfect and how she was a great princess, Strider had noticed Celestia’s distress. Giving his girlfriend a comforting smile, he sat on her bed and put a hand on her chest, gently ruffling her soft coat with his fingers. His calming gaze met hers, and, in this very moment, Celestia knew everything would be alright. She remembered that no matter what had and would happen, he had been and would be there for her, forever thanks to his ‘condition’.

The white alicorn sighed and leaned against her boyfriend, who in turn wrapped a comforting arm around her.

“Doctor?” Strider asked, interrupting the labcoat wearing pony’s praises about Twilight Sparkle. “You can let her in.”

The doctor shook his head and stared neutrally at Strider, before his gaze lit up. “Ah! yes.”

The glass-eyed pony went to the door, opened it and exited the room, letting in muffled sounds of conversation reverberating in the corridor.



	

Twilight Sparkle was happy. Tired, but happy. After over a chaotic year without her mentor, and several months ruling the country at Luna’s side, the lavender alicorn was glad to see again her beloved teacher and Princess and couldn’t wait hear all the wonderful stories about her adventures in -according to Luna- what was an actual alien world.

She was worried, though. For some reason she didn’t understand, Celestia had fainted promptly after her arrival.

I hope she’s okay, she thought, passing the door.



	

The light coming from the window on the opposite wall of the room revealed the lavender alicorn, tailed by the doctor who couldn’t pry his eyes away from her.

“Thank you. You can leave us now,” the lavender alicorn stated, oblivious to the doctor’s attitude.

The glass-eyed pony bowed deeply. “Yes Princess,” he replied, bowing respectfully.

Strider watched with incredulity as the glass-eyed pony backed out of the room, bowing all the way as if he was talking to royalty.

Well, technically he is, the Dawn colonel thought, but still. That is preposterous.

“You too,” Twilight said, snapping him off his thoughts.

Strider’s disbelief only grew as he looked at the lavender alicorn. She was staring at him, a frown on her face, obviously trying to look commanding - which she hilariously failing at, mainly because she was less than half as tall as him - but what troubled the scarred stalker was that she had been ordering him around, not inquiring as to who he was and even overlooking basic politeness rules.

The Dawn Colonel blinked twice, staring at the small princess with uncertainty. “I am afraid I cannot,” he stated in an even tone, eliciting a frown from Twilight.

Obviously, not the refusing to comply to Royal orders wasn’t common.

Twilight gave Celestia an interrogative glance.

“He’s staying,” the alabaster alicorn stated, wrapping a wing around her lover for emphasis. 

The young Princess groaned in exasperation. “Very well then.”

The little Princess took a step forwards, only to stop in shock as she finally took notice of her mentor’s features against the light. She gazed in horror at her depowered mane, numerous scars and half bitten off ear, mouth agape and eyes wide.

Her companion wasn’t faring any better, but she didn’t care.

“W-what happened to you?” she asked.

“It’s a long story,” Celestia sighed. “But it’s still me, I’m in one piece. I have Strider to thank for that,” she added with a smile, nuzzling his chest. “But enough of that,” she continued, smiling at her student. “Approach, Twilight,” she invited in a warm tone. “It’s been too long I haven’t seen you.”

Twilight smiled jumped at Celestia, not able to contain her excitement anymore. “Princess! You’re back! Oh I missed you! I missed you so much!... I-I-I even wrote you letters when you were g-gone… I needed it. I missed you so much,” she cried, wrapping her forelegs around her mentor, startling Strider in putting his hand on his holstered Beretta 92.

Celestia glared at him. “No need for that,” she scowled.

“Blyat'. Sorry,” the stalker apologized. “She startled me. You know how I am. Reflexes.”

Twilight dried her tears. “What’s that?” she asked, curiosity overcoming her emotions.

Strider shrugged. “A heavily modified Beretta 92, made to resemble physically and mechanically a 93R,” he explained, unholstering and unloading the pistol before showing it to the little alicorn. “The ‘R’ stands for ‘Raffica’, or ‘burst fire’ in English, but I like to call it ‘Replica’, because… well, that’s what it is,” he added with a laugh.

There was a moment of silence, where Twilight gazed at the little L-shaped piece of metal with incomprehension.

“And what is it exactly?”

“...”

“It’s a weapon.”

Twilight’s horn lit up. “I’ll let you know that weapons are forbidden in my city. Please relinquish it.”

Celestia frowned. “Your city?”

Strider gave the purple alicorn a deadpan look. “No can do, ma’am.”

The little Princess snorted and her magical aura surrounded the gun. Immediately, Strider’s left hand went to a small device on his belt, right next to his exoskeleton battery and pushed the red button on it.

Celestia reflexively dropped any magic she was using and covered her head with her hooves.

There was a whirr and a sound comparable to a discharge of static. To Twilight’s horror, she felt her magic failing and her telekinetic grip on the pistol vanished just as she felt a tremendous headache leaving her dizzy for several seconds, leaving Strider free to reload his gun and flick it into burst fire mode.

When Twilight came back to her senses, she was staring down the 9mm diameter barrel of the machine pistol.

“Strider? Lower your weapon,” Celestia ordered, still disorientated by the device’s effect.

The stalker took a deep breath and complied, slowly lowering his pistol but keeping it in hand.

“WHAT WAS THAT?!” Twilight shouted, hysteric.

“Psychotropic radiation disruptor. A little gadget put together by Hermann’s team,” Strider explained, his eyes still locked on the lavender Princess. “Harmless to humans but very effective against any and all creatures with a strong affinity to the Noosphere like Controllers, Burers, Poltergeists, Bloodsuckers... and ponies. Disables them for several seconds.”

“Why would you do that?! Why would you even invent such a thing?!”

Celestia held out a commanding hoof, silencing both parties. “There is something you must know about the world I have been, Twilight. It’s dangerous. Any and all means of survival are justified there. The humans needed a countermeasure to magic, and I willingly gave them the information they needed to create these devices,” she evenly told her former pupil, who suddenly felt very small in front of the authoritative alicorn. “Your reaction was understandable but disproportionate. While these weapons are dangerous if handled wrong, we are not letting anyone but trained professionals anywhere near them, which you aren’t,” she berated. “I trust the men under my command and I trust Strider with my life. While what Strider did was dumb,” she added, glaring at the now silent man, “what you did was even more idiotic. Surely as a Princess you must be aware that forcibly taking a weapon from anyone is an outright declaration of hostilities, aren’t you?”

The lavender alicorn opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came, she kept staring at Celestia, a look of incomprehension on her face.

“Now Strider, I want you to apologize to Twilight.”

“But-”

“That’s an order, colonel.”
The Dawn Colonel sighed and rubbed his brow, before he gave Twilight an apologetic look. “I’m sorry miss. I acted on instinct. Shouldn’t have pulled a gun on you.”

“Good! Now Twilight, apologize to Strider.”

Twilight’s expression changed from befuddlement to outrage and she opened her mouth to protest, but was silenced by the stern look Celestia was giving her. For several seconds, it looked like she was going to burst in flames, until she turned around and left without a word, angrily slamming the door shut behind her.



	

“That was… interesting,” Luna commented, jumping off the chopper.

“I’m surprised how well you’ve been taking this,” Runner commented, walking along with Vano and the Princess. “Can’t say the same of your guards.”

“We-I am used to flying and being flown. This is… new, but not overwhelming,” the midnight alicorn explained, glancing back at the chopper she, along with the group, had exited. “I cannot say the same of my guards,” she added, giving her five bodyguards a concerned look.

All of the golden-clad day guards had a sick look on their faces and leaning on their spears as they fought to keep their balance.

Luna sighed. “Uhh, you are dismissed,” she announced to the guards’ relief, who didn’t lose a second and bolted in the distance, probably to the nearest bathroom.

Vano raised an eyebrow at the spectacle. “I don’t get it, they are pegasi, eh? Aren’t they supposed to like flying?”

Runner shrugged. “Figures.”

“One thing is for sure though,” Luna sighed. “These guards are not as tough or as well trained as the ones from a thousand years ago. I will have to talk to my sister about this,” she added, taking off towards the main street of the city. “Follow me.”

“Just like that? No guard whatsoever?” Vano asked, surprised.

“I trust you. You are a friend of my sister’s, therefore thou art my friend.”

Runner raised an eyebrow. “Thou art?”

“Thou speaketh ye olde English?” Vano chuckled.

Luna blushed in embarrassment. “An old habit of mine. Even after all this time, I still slip in those antiquated mannerisms,” she explained with a sheepish smile. “Another reminder of my...”

The stalker nodded. “...Misadventures.”

The midnight alicorn nodded. “Yes, quite,” the midnight alicorn nodded, resuming her walk. “But I digress. Walking through the city without a squad of guards watching my every movement is a nice change from the usual routine. I like it.”

“Still though, why can’t we just teleport to the hospital?” Vano asked.

Runner’s eyebrows skyrocketed. “Teleport?”

“Yeah, you can teleport, right?”

“Yes, but-”

“I know you wanted to try the chopper,” he added, causing Luna to give him a sheepish grin, “but even though your subjects they must know that something is afoot - what with us flying over the city - but I doubt they would react very well to armored, armed bipedal beings three times as tall as them walking through the city and everything.”

“Oh for goodness’ sake fine,” Luna grumbled, her hirn lighting up. “We simply would have preferred walking.”

Runner’s vision was flooded in light just as his hearing was by a loud, annoying ringing and he felt a sensation of weightlessness come over him. Then, without warning, he felt something tugging at his chest and he fell forwards. Instinctively, he put his hands in front of himself to avoid hitting his head on the ground.

Suddenly, there was a popping sound and his vision returned  at once.

He was greeted by the sight of a paved road coming rushing at him and promptly faceplanted, despite his outstretched arms.

Vano landed heavily on his feet, his more than  two hundred kilos of muscle, steel and titanium easily maintained under control as he controlled his fall caused by teleportation. When he looked back up, his gaze met Luna’s who was staring at him, impressed.

“Th-you managed to keep your momentum under control,” she observed. “Impressive, coming from somepony who never teleported.”

Vano smiled. “Thanks, but it is not the first time I teleport,” he replied with a hint of smugness.

Luna raised an eyebrow. “I thought your world didn’t know magic,” she recalled.

“I walked into a few anomalies in my time,” Vano told the lunar Princess, helping Runner up. “I did fall flat on my face the first time I teleported,” he recalled, laughing.

“I see.”

“Thanks, man,” Runner breathed, leaning on Vano’s shoulder.

When the stalker looked up, he noticed they were in the hall of what looked like a modern-day hospital, except that one was populated not by people but by small, four legged ponies who were staring at them, which unsettled the stalker a great deal.

Runner swallowed nervously. “How about we go visit your sister, Princess?” he asked, trying not to stare back at the ponies present.

“Quite.”

With these words, Luna raised a hoof and signaled a nurse, who then proceeded to guide them to Celestia’s room.

“How is she?” Vano asked as he walked behind the pony nurse.

“...”

Luna raised an eyebrow. “How is she?” she repeated.

“Very well actually your Highness,” the blouse-wearing pony replied. “She’s with Princess Twilight in her room and hasn’t stopped speaking ever since she woke up.”

“That is most reassuring.”

“Yes. her vitals are normal,” the nurse pursued, leading the little group through the corridors of the hospital. “Which is worrying, considering that she shouldn’t have woken up before a few days considering the thaumaturgic trauma she sustained, but doctor Faircare dismissed the fact, saying your friend had a gift that explained the situation.”

“Oh yeah, he can lend his healing factor,” Vano commented. “It’s like he’s an artifact himself, quite peculiar actually.”

Luna nodded. “I see. Interesting,” she deadpanned, not quite sure what to make of what the stalker had just said.

“This is her room,” the nurse stated, stopping in front of a door and motioning towards it with a hoof. “Do you need anything else?”

“No, thank you, my little pony,” Luna told the nurse, “have a nice day.”

“You too, your highness,” the nurse replied, bowing deeply before she turned around and left the group in front of the door.

Before any of them could make a move, the door burst open, letting out an angry Twilight Sparkle. Without a word, the little alicorn walked past the two stalkers, Luna and stomped angrily down the corridor.

Vano scratched his head, watching the little alicorn disappear at the corner of the white corridor. “What was that about?” he asked, disrupting the silence.

Runner shrugged. “Dunno.”

“I have the feeling that we will find out,” Luna added, approaching the door to her sister’s room.

As she passed the door, Luna caught sight of her sister and another human - Strider if she remembered right - both sitting on the bed. Celestia was occupied sorting through a pile of equipment the midnight Princess assumed was hers, while the human was talking in a small, rectangular device attached to his shoulder.

“Dawn Actual, Dawn Actual this is Charlie Echo, do you read me?” he asked in the little device.

The others entered the room behind Luna, but she paid them no mind, fascinated by the conversation Strider was having with his device. Much to her surprise, the little black box replied.

“Cold Eyes, Dawn Actual. I read you, over,” it crackled.

“Advise all hands to prepare for eventual visit from Tango Sierra. If engaged, you are not cleared to use lethal force. Stun and subdue only, how copy?” Strider replied.

“Solid copy Cold Eyes, wilco. Actual.”

“Good. Issue the patrols and checkpoints with tasers and bean bags. Charlie Echo out.”

Strider released his radio and grunted in exasperation. That Twilight Sparkle was bad news. With a sigh of frustration, he turned around, finally noticing the new arrivants.

“Oh. You’re here Princess,” he stated, giving Luna a nod.

The lunar Princess rolled her eyes. “I told you already, just call me Luna.”

“Okay Princess,” Strider replied with a small smile, sitting down.

Luna amusedly shook her head, turning her attention to her sister who had already started to gear up. The alabaster alicorn was currently wearing a simple black bodysuit made of a stretchy material Luna had never seen before, making her figure stand out from the whiteness of the room. She also noticed that her sister’s mane and tail had regained their normal blue color and that both were neatly tied in short ponytails like a workerpony’s, instead of their ethereal multicolor state.

But what surprised the lunar Princess the most was her sister’s physique. While Celestia had been pudgy and showed some fat in the past, her body was much thinner and yet gave off an impression of power as her now well-defined muscles could be seen under her skin, coat and even bodysuit, the groups of myofibres visibly rolling and contracting as she moved .

“Dear goddesses, Tia, you’re actually in shape!” the lunar Princess exclaimed, giving her sister an appreciative glance.

The white alicorn chuckled. “Well, when you’re trekking, fighting and giving orders all day long every day while carrying half your weight in equipment and eating barely over the vital minimum, you tend to lose some fat and replace it with stuff more useful to your immediate survival,” she replied, giving her sister a mirthful smile. “Now you’re the fat one. Better start working out sister,” she added, blowing Luna a raspberry as she walked past her, the rest of her equipment held aloft in her telekinesis.

Luna laughed at her sister’s remark and followed her sister only to stop as the words sank in. With a hoof, the dark alicorn tentatively poked her belly.

I’m not fat, am I? she asked herself, giving her flank a glance.

Vano watched the exchange between the two alicorn sisters in amusement before reporting his attention to Strider, who was currently observing the sunlit inner hospital courtyard through the window.

“What was that with purple fury?” the bearded stalker asked, eyebrow raised. “She just stomped down the corridor and disappeared before we could say a thing. She looked angry, too.”

Strider sighed and turned around, leaning backwards on the window frame. “She tried to take my weapons away from me and I responded with the force I deemed necessary,” he explained. “But that is not what I think really upset her.”

Runner came up to the two. “Really?” he asked, sitting on the bed Celestia had previously occupied.

“Huh. You are here,” Strider observed, giving Runner a surprised stare.

The stalker shrugged. “I was done helping Hermann and had nothing better to do.”

“I think he wanted to stay with Luna,” Vano teased.

Runner rolled his eyes. “As if. Can we come back to the matter at hand?” he asked, eliciting a playful glance from Vano.

“Of course. So that Twilight... I think what surprised her was Celestia’s reaction. When she asked her to apologize to me, she had a strange reaction,” Strider recalled.

“She took it like a rejection,” Runner analyzed.

Strider nodded, scratching his stubble. “Maybe.” 

“I’ll go talk to her, head to head,” Celestia said, garnering the men’s attention. “Let’s go to the castle.”

The group walked out the room. After a nurse checked Celestia out, they exited the hospital. From the parvis of the hospital, they had a view down one of Canterlot biggest streets, giving Runner his first view of the city from the inside.

It city appeared to be built in a very ordonned way, the street was clean and he square angle intersections could be seen in the background. While the buildings themselves were simplistic in form and followed the rigid organization of the cityscape yet they were overly ornamented in a slightly chaotic way, he noted. Golden spires covered the towers, golden ornaments were inlaid in the pristine white façades around the doors and windows, and the roofs were made of strange blue/purple tiles.

The whiteness of it all reminded him of another city on a mountain, for some reason.

The shops, restaurants and other establishments were just as exuberant: they often used a lot of space on the street itself, causing the many ponies stroll around, examining the goods on sale or stopping at a terrace and order a drink.

Speaking of the ponies, most of them were wearing clothes, to Runner’s puzzlement. He just didn’t see the point, considering the Princesses he had seen went everywhere stark naked save for their regalia and that the clothes these ponies were wearing were anything but practical.

Probably a sign of social status, the stalker thought.

“So, where to?” Vano asked in the air, pulling Runner from his thoughts.

“The castle,” Celestia replied, lighting up her horn.

Once again, Runner’s vision was flooded in light just as his hearing was by a loud, annoying ringing and he felt a sensation of weightlessness come over him, only this time he knew what was coming. The moment the teleportation spell tug at his chest, he leaned backwards, letting his own weight cancel out the pull.

When his vision returned, he was propelled forwards and stumbled, but managed to keep his footing.

He victoriously threw his arms in the air. “Yeah!” he exclaimed looking up.

As he did so, he was greeted by the sight of two amused alicorns, a laughing Vano and a Strider who was laying on the ground flat on his face.

With a laugh, Runner approached Strider. “It happens to the best of us,” he chuckled, squatting down and offering the downed stalker a hand.

“I admire your modesty,” Vano snarked, mirrorring Runner’s actions.

“Yes, well we can’t be as perfect as you,” the stalker replied, helping Strider out with Vano’s assistance.

“I think you broke your nose,” Vano observed, giving Strider a concerned look as he helped him up. 

“Whatever. It will be healed in a few seconds,” Strider dismissed, resuming walking behind the two alicorns in front.

Runner and Vano looked at each other and shrugged, following their friend.

Celestia watched the exchange between the men and chuckled, shaking her head. “Boys...”

Luna smiled, trotting next to her sister. “We like these humans. They’re entertaining. Meeting new faces who don’t treat you like a literal living goddess is... nice.”

Celestia nodded. “I can only agree. Didn’t miss that one bit during my stay in the Zone.”

“Speaking of which, what have you been up to during your absence?” Luna asked. “Judging from the base camp the humans have established in the plains and how they listen to your every order, thou have been busy.”

“That I did, dear sister. When I first arrived in their world, I almost got killed by two mutants,” Celestia casually remembered. “From then on we had a few adventures and decided to create our own faction. Started small, a dozen or so people but the climate was favorable and we expanded faster than anything we had imagined. It was a hard, but I take pride in these achievements.”

Luna arched an eyebrow, having stopped at one word in particular. “Mutants?”

“Beasts which ancestors used to be human or animal. Too much exposure to radiation, chemicals, psychotropic radiation or anomalous formations transformed them in… things. Some pounce you from the shadows, others just charge you , alone or in packs.”

“That sounds… horrible.”

Celestia let out a cynical laugh. “And that’s not even the worst of it! Some can become invisible to approach you silently and suck you clean of your blood, others can tank so much punishment you’d think they’re made of solid steel, and-”

Luna blinked in incomprehension. “Steel?”

“An alloy humans discovered hundreds and hundreds of years ago. Slightly more brittle than iron, but much stronger, harder and somewhat lighter. By now there’s thousands of different alloys,” Celestia shrugged as she kept walking. “These humans are much, much more technologically advanced than Equestria.”

“Interesting… I wonder how a sword made of steel would hold up against an iron sword.”

This time, it was Vano’s time to enter the conversation.

“Steel wins, without even trying,” he laughed. “It’s much lighter and I doubt an iron sword could even leave an imprint on a steel one, not that two swords should ever make contact.”

Celestia nodded. “Against a standard, fresh-out-of-the-forge iron sword? No doubt. Now, if it were enchanted… I’d still take the steel sword though. Cheaper to produce. Master unicorn swordsmiths are too expensive to equip an army. Still, I’d rather have a gun and a knife than a sword.”

“You and me both,” Strider said, returning a Royal Guard’s stare as they walked through a big double door. “Why do they keep looking at me like that?”

Vano pursed his lips, eyebrows raised in a faked pensive expression. “What could it be… bipedal, almost three times as tall as them, armed to the teeth, and that big-ass scar across the side of your head, discounting the one that runs down your face?” he rhetorically asked, scratching his beard.

“Oh, fuck you.”

Runner frowned, concerned. “I think it’s got something to do with that other Princess of you ask me.”

Luna glanced at the stalker. “We shall see,” she said, before stopping in front of one of the several stained glass windows ornamenting the room the group was walking across.

The window portrayed a frontal view of an alicorn Twilight Sparkle wearing her trademark tiara as she was striking a regal pause. Her wings were extended and she was flying in the skies, the ground surface seemingly hundreds of meters beneath her, judging from the green hills in the background. The purple alicorn’s horn was alight in a way that called back to her cutie mark and behind her was a cloud partially hiding the Sun, which was surrounded by the alicorn’s purple magic.

Celestia stopped next to her sister and examined the window. “It’s well crafted, I’ll give that to whoever made it,” she commented in a neutral tone.

So she is in charge of the sun, the alabaster alicorn thought.

“How did she become an alicorn?” Strider asked.

Luna rubbed her forehead and sighed. “She finished one of Starswirl’s spells.”

“Who?”

“A skilled, wise and powerful unicorn mage of times long past,” the midnight blue alicorn replied. “He is the sole inventor of a myriad of spells and he contributed more to ponykind than anypony else in his time. A great stallion, if a bit of a rambling old mule once past his prime.”

“Then why isn’t he an alicorn?” Vano pointed out. “Seems like that guy invented a lot of magic, yet when this Twilight Sparkle tweaks out one of his spells-”

“I don’t know, and probably never will,” Luna interrupted. “All I know is that I had an alicorn on my hooves and had to train her to rule the country and-and-and” she stuttered, before bursting into tears. “I-I’m sorry, sister. I thought I had lost you forever and-d-d I couldn’t bear the weight of the whole country on my shoulders.”

“Shhh, shh. It’s alright sister, I understand,” Celestia soothed, nuzzling the midnight blue alicorn. “You did what you had to do,” she added, wrapping her in a comforting wing hug.

The humans present watched the scene unfold, glancing at each other and feeling more and more awkward as the hug lasted.

Finally, Luna’s sobs quietened and Celestia let go of her sister, who took a deep breath and wiped a tear with her hoof, laughing.

“At least she lightened my workload.”

Suddenly, Luna was swooped off her hooves and lifted in the air where she was restrained by an immutable force. Panicking, the alicorn didn’t even think on using her magic, instead opting to flap her wings and flail her hooves uselessly in the air.

“RELEASE US AT ONCE!” the lunar Princess boomed in the antiquated Royal Canterlot Voice.

“Can’t not hug something that cute when it’s crying!” she heard from her tormentor.

“Vano, put the Princess down,” Luna heard Strider say.

“No.”

“...That is an order.”

“Rah fine.”

With these words, Luna was delicately set down upon the castle floor, where she could only look around dumbfounded, blushing in embarrassment.

“Oh look, she’s blushing now!” Vano squealed, joining his hands under his chin. “She’s sooooooo adorable!”

“Stop it!” Luna ordered. “We are a Princess and thou shall address us as such!”

The giant folded his arms and raised an eyebrow. “What happened to ‘just call me Luna’?” he teased.

“Vano?” Celestia called before Luna could even stutter an answer.

“Yes?”

“Shut the fuck up.”

“Aye ma'am.”

“So! Stained glass huh? I guess that’s one way to embellish a castle,” Runner commented. “How come you aren’t on any of them Luna?” the stalker asked the Princess, pacing around the room, looking at the windows. “Or even you, Celestia? Oh wait, you’re both on that one,” he added, stopping in front of one that represented both alicorn sisters orbiting a white, glowing figure. “Who’s that guy? He’s on most the windows here.”

“Oh, yeah. Discord,” Celestia commented, stopping at the stalker’s side. “This scene represents his first imprisonment, a long time ago. Luna and I had to team up on his ass. Barely came out on top, too.”

“Why?”

“Art thou familiar with the concept of Eldritch abomination?” Luna asked, walking up to the two. “Discord is strikingly similar to what you would-”

“He’s just a lunatic sociopath with too much power than he knows what to do with,” Celestia interrupted.

“Sounds like you’d go well together, eh Strider?” Vano quipped, a shit eating grin on his face.

“Oh, fuck off,” the buzzed stalker grumbled, hitting his friend upside the head.

Celestia glared at the two. “So powerful, in fact, that he can quite literally will things in and out of existence,” she continued. “In hindsight, I think we’ve only been pawns in his game up to this point.”

Luna visibly flinched at her sister’s words. “Y-you think?” she asked, nervously pawing at the ground.

“Judging from his previous displays of power and his behavioral patterns, absolutely. He can will things in and out of existence, levitate entire cities upside down, radically alter one’s personality,” Celestia listed, “and don’t get me started on his favorite hobby: body alteration. I swear, if he does anything to my tail, wings or anything else, I’ll- screw that, if he ever breaks out again, I’ll fucking kill him, one way or another.”

Maybe we’ll finally find a use for these Bulgarian bombs, the alabaster alicorn thought.

Luna cleared her throat and gave her sister an awkward smile. “Eehhh, about that… we may have freed and reformed him.”

Celestia’s head whipped around, her face twisted in an expression of utter horror. “WHAT!?”
> Chapter 3: That Good
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 3
That Good



Celestia’s eye twitched again. “WHY? Why why why why why WHY? Why did the idea of freeing and ‘reforming’ Discord, possibly the most powerful, insane, sociopathic being on this planet seem like a good idea?”

Luna backed off a few steps, taken aback at her sister’s reaction. “I-I-I-I-” she stammered fearfully, eyes wide and wings pressed tightly against her sides. “I felt like he needed a second chance.”

Celestia grunted and facehoofed. “Look, sister. Do you remember what happened the three last times he managed to escape on his own power? He just followed his own agenda, wreaking havoc and not caring in the least about the people he hurt.”

“I’m sorry.”

Celestia let out a sigh of defeat, before coming to her sister’s side and wrapping the blue alicorn in a winghug. “It’s allright. I love you Luna.”

The last thing I want is to be separated from my sister because of that bubbling maniac again, the alabaster alicorn thought.

The stalkers present watched the scene unfold in silence, not wanting to intervene in the interaction between the two siblings.

“Who’s this ‘Discord’ anyway?” Vano asked Strider.

“I do not know,” the colonel replied, scratching his stubble. “But I know I do not want to face it alone and uninformed. I’ll send some of my Spartans to work on information gathering once we get green light on interacting with the locals.”

“What about air surveillance?” Vano asked. “We could keep a chopper in the air to keep an eye on the mountain.”

Strider nodded. “All in due time. We will get a cluster of our automated drones in the air and Kilo Three and my Anvils on standby as soon as logistically possible.”



	

Celestia looked at the massive double doors to the throne room and gulped, looking at what was before her. Before her stay in the Zone, she never noticed how big and threatening the doors were, imposing an aura of authority even before having to set foot in the throne room. To her these doors used to be like any other, just doors. Objects with only one purpose: separate two rooms.

With a sigh, the white alicorn lit up her horn and pushed the double doors open with a long, deep creaking sound troubling the silence of the palace. What she saw inside the throne room caused her to sigh mentally.

A lavender alicorn was sitting on her throne, her attention absorbed by a parchment she was reading.

Celestia approached the throne and cleared her throat. “Twilight?”

The other alicorn raised her gaze from her reading material. “Oh, Celestia.”

“...”

The two lone alicorns stared silently at each other, the silence of the throne room only broken by sounds coming from the outside.

“...”

After a while, Twilight went back to her piece of parchment.

Celestia facehoofed. “Oh come on! I came all the way over here and you have nothing to say?”

“I suppose you want me to apologise to the human,” Twilight stated, eyebrow raised. “You seriously want me to apologize to that brutish, short tempered primate?”

Celestia clenched her teeth, using of all her self-control not to bitch-slap the pretentious alicorn that was sitting on her throne right there and then. “There is something you must know about that man,” she began in a calm voice tainted by a shiver of anger. “He is... special to me.  He-”

“What’s your point?” Twilight interrupted.

Celestia’s muzzle twitched involuntarily. “Do not. Interrupt. Me,” the alicorn growled predatorily. “That primate ---as you say--- has given me everything. When I was injured, he tended to my wounds. When I was defenceless, he gave me his weapons and taught me how to use them. He supported me when I was on the verge of a mental breakdown, he gave me a place in his world, he made me feel alive, loved again, he gave me a purpose even, why do you think I of all people am in charge of a whole fucking faction!” the alabaster alicorn listed, her anger growing more and more noticeable by the second, before she took a deep, calming breath. “He is the kindest, most generous living being I have ever met in my very long life; and you, my student, the smart, adorable little unicorn I taught and loved like my daughter, you go and insult him and consider him lesser than you. Moreover, you treat me no better, a Prime Princess of Equestria, your mentor and teacher. I hate to say this Twilight, but you’re really trying my patience.”

“And you think you aren’t?” Twilight roared. “You come with your ‘friends’ through that bubble, you settle down at the foot of the mountain without authorization, and-”

“Authorization I provided,” Celestia interrupted. “Am I still a Princess of Equestria, or not?”

“I… you… but-”

Celestia sighed, interrupting her student’s stammering. “Twilight I’m sorry. I know you’ve been under a lot of stress lately and I know my own behavior is not the easiest to cope with,” she apologized, “We can talk about it if you want.”

The alabaster alicorn looked up expectantly to her pupil, who stayed silent and stared at her with a measuring gaze.

“That was the only way we had of coming here, Twilight. I-I… I needed this. To come back home I mean,” Celestia explained. “And I still expect you to apologize to Strider.”

At these words, the purple alicorn scoffed, but was interrupted by Celestia again.

“You have to understand Twilight, these people are different than ponies on nearly all levels,” she explained. “Their world is different, and the place they come from is even more violent, where any hesitation can cause death, where predators lurk at every corner, and...” Celestia trailed off, not wanting to mention the war between factions and the Bandits that still roamed the Zone, despite her and her faction’s best efforts. “All I’m trying to explain is that there is a cultural gap between our two species, and if we are to coexist, we must put our differences aside and at least tolerate each other.”

“All I did was uphold the law which states that civilians-”

“-are prohibited to openly carry long bladed weapons ---the exact measurements elude me--- of offensive design within the walls of Equestrian cities except if they have a permit which can only be delivered by us Princesses or the mayor’s office, I know,” Celestia interrupted with sigh. “Learn the law before enforcing it. Besides, Strider and my men only carry short blades of defensive purpose and they are not civilians either.”

“What?”

“Second article of the Equestrian Constitution. As a Princess of Equestria, I have the right to create a military unit on my own, be it for personal, civilian protection or belligerent purposes,” Celestia stated, calmly gazing at Twilight. “Therefore, they are no civilians by Equestrian law. Each of them swore to uphold the code of conduct I created and they know that breaking it has consequences.”

The lavender alicorn stared mouth agape at her mentor and sat down, her rump hitting the throne abruptly. Finally, she blinked and collected herself, rubbing her chin with a hoof. “That still does not excuse your friend from assaulting me.”

“That’s something else you must know about Strider, Twilight,” Celestia replied. “He has a… troubled past, to say the least. You remember how he reacted when you tried to take his weapon away?”

“How could I not,” Twilight sarcastically deadpanned.

“Well then, you’re lucky to be alive still,” Celestia admonished, eliciting a frown from Twilight. “You see, Strider is quite literally programmed to- no, that’s not right, you wouldn’t understand,” she mumbled, to her student’s incomprehension. “Imagine a clock. It does nothing but tell time, right? It is made to be that way and cannot do anything else. Well, Strider is like that- even if that’s not fair, he still is a living being but you get my point: anything hostile to him, anything threatening his well-being or those he cares for will meet its end, one way or another. He’s literally made that way, a remain of his… troubled past.”

“You mean that…?”

Celestia nodded. “He did not want to merely intimidate you. We’ve been trying our best to undo some of this ‘programming’, and we’ve been making good progress, too, but some things never go away. Were it a few months ago, you would have been dead.”

“How can you talk about such terrible things so casually?” Twilight asked, horrified.

“Habit, I suppose.”

“Habit?”

“Walk with me,” Celestia ordered her student, gesturing her with one of her giant wings.

Twilight hesitated for a second and followed the alabaster alicorn, unsure of where she wanted her to go.

“I told you the world we came from is different,” Celestia stated, glancing down to her student as they walked outside the throne room. “Like a giant Everfree forest. What we ponies deem unnatural ---like the weather changing on its own, plants growing wild or animals taking care of themselves--- is normal to them. Oh, and they don’t have any magic. At all.”

“Not even the magic of friendship? That’s horrible! How do they live in such a place?” Twilight asked, genuinely horrified by what her mentor’s words.

Celestia couldn’t help but let out a sarcastic chuckle. “By becoming the apex predators there. The humans, as their species are called, are pretty much the top of the food chain in their world.”

T-they’re carnivores? Twilight thought, unable to wrap her mind around the idea that an entire species not only survived, but thrived in an environment while deprived of what her world was built upon and was the very definition of her special talent.

“And then there’s the Zone,” Celestia continued, unfaltering as the two of them walked down the hallways of the Royal Castle. “You think the Everfree was bad? Well think again. While most of the monsters living in that forest are fierce, they’re just predatory animals.”

“You can’t be seriou-”

“I’d rather face down a hydra with nothing but my rifle rather than stumbling upon a Chimera or a Bloodsucker at night,” Celestia interrupted firmly, not even bothering to explain what those creatures were. “At least you can see a hydra.”

“Then why would anypony want to live there? Why would anypony risk their lives and-”

“Because it’s a place of adventure, with many unsolved mysteries and for some, it’s  a refuge,” Celestia listed, choosing her words carefully and giving her student a small smile. “If you live long enough to get used to the place, it grows on you. We have a saying for that: ‘Once a stalker, always a stalker’,” the alicorn quoted, looking at the blue sky as the duo exited the palace. “It’s also the key to incredible scientific advances,” she added, knowing that would get her attention. “Speaking of which...”

Twilight’s ears perked up. “Science?” she asked, earning a mirthful laugh from Celestia. “That’s what keeps these flying machines in the air?”

Hook, line and sinker, the alabaster alicorn couldn’t help but think. “Yes, Twilight. Humans are good with science. So good, in fact, that three of their scientists actually figured out how magic works in a few hours.”

“But everypony knows how it works! A unicorn’s uses his horn to call upon the great thaumaturgic field and shape the energy into a usable form through a spell.”

Celestia chuckled at Twilight’s iconic book smarts. “They figured what that field is made out of and where it comes from. Oh, and Earth pony and Pegasus magic, too; and don’t get me started on anatomy, biology, virology, and all these other words finishing in -ogy I never cared to remember. They wanted to study magic further, that’s part of why we’re here.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. A smile crept up on her face and she looked at her mentor, her gaze filled with stars. “I must meet them.”

There she is, Celestia thought, opening her wings. “Follow me then,” she said, hovering in place. I missed you, Twilight.



	

“So what are these?” Luna asked, quirking an eyebrow at the strange contraptions before her.

Said contraptions were… small, which surprised the princess, considering the size of the other machines the humans had with them. While most of the vehicles sitting outside were armored and designed to carry people or ordnance, the small machines on the table before her were made of fragile materials and were light as a feather. Each had four rotors that reminded the princess of the ‘Krokodils’ and ‘Halos’, as the humans called them; and their undersides were equipped with cameras, all of which seemed leagues ahead of what the better equipped Equestrian news reporters had. The only way she could tell these were cameras were the lenses.

“We call them surveillance drones, but they’re nothing more than glorified flying cameras,” the man working on one of them said, looking up from his work. “Name’s Splinter, I’m the technician here” the man added, offering his hand to the night Princess.

“Call me Luna,” the blue alicorn replied, shaking Splinter’s hand. “And this… is your workshop?” she dubiously asked, glancing around at the inside of the tent they were in.

Unpacked wood crates and tools thrown around constituted the scenery of the tent, giving off an impression of amateurism that contrasted starkly with the rest of the base that was being set up around them.

“Oh no, this is all temporary, I’m waiting on it,” Splinter replied, diving into his work again. “Remember the two mobile bunkers that are outside? My workshop -well, its mobile version- is just like that.”

“Oh I see. What’s-”

Runner’s head poked through the entrance of the tent, interrupting the night Princess. “Hey Luna!” he called. “What’s up?”

The alicorn raised an eyebrow and looked above her. “Some kind of rough and resistant tarpaulin, tan colored,” she replied in the most serious way possible.

The stalker raised an eyebrow and stared at the lunar Princess before collecting himself. “Nice one Luna,” he laughed.

“What art thou speaking about?” Luna asked, confused.

“Ehhh, forget it,” Runner sighed. “Can I borrow her for a while?” he asked Splinter.

“Hey! We are not an object!” Luna interrupted, shocked by the stalker’s words.

Splinter chuckled. “Figure of speech, my equine friend,” the balding scientist assured, glancing at the giant over his glasses. “Now go, I heard that Vano wants another hug.”

“You two are never gonna live that down,” Runner snickered, a grin on his face.

Splinter gave the stalker an amused glance. “I merely jest. You two have fun,” he added as Luna stood up and headed for the exit of the tent. “Say, anyone knows when my damn lab is supposed to arrive? I can’t work in these conditions.”

“Half an hour, the Colonel told me,” Runner informed the technician. “Don’t you worry, your toys are coming,” he added with a grin, before turning to Luna. “Follow me, your sister’s back.”

Luna followed the giant out of the tent and within the alleys of the newly established base. “Already? Where are we going?”

“Kruglov’s lab. Purple Fury calmed down and wants to meet the scientists.”

“Purple F- Twilight? ”

“Yeah, apparently there was a misunderstanding with Strider that made her angry or whatever,” the stalker shrugged. “Dunno much more.”

“I see,” Luna hummed. “Do you work for them?”

“No, not really… kind of. I’m not part of their faction, I’m a Loner-” Runner started, only to be interrupted by a power armored Dawn Ranger carrying a wooden crate almost colliding with him. “Hé, fais gaffe putain!” he angrily shouted, earning a middle finger by the soldier.

“Smotri kuda idesh, sleposhara!” came the equally angry reply as the infantryman walked away.

Runner grumbled. “Va t’faire foutre.”

Luna raised an eyebrow, ignoring the previous exchange between the two men. “A loner?”

Instantly, the stalker calmed down and shrugged. “A free stalker. I work alone basically. No ties with anyone. Dangerous, but lucrative. I occasionally form small groups with other Loners when we venture into dangerous territory.”

“Dangerous territory?” Luna asked as they approached the door to Kruglov’s bunker.

“The Zone is a perilous place, my friend. You don’t pay attention where you’re walking and you could be dead on your next step,” the stalker replied

Luna hmphed. “I doubt it could be worse than the battlefields of olden times, when Equestria had yet to exist.”

At this, the stalker let out a laugh and stopped next to a metal crate before putting a foot on it. “Take a look at this,” he added, rolling up the left leg of his jumpsuit.

What Luna saw made her gag in disgust: the stalker’s calf was disfigured to the point where almost no skin was untouched. A sickly white, spiderweb-like scar extended up from beneath his boot and most of his lower calf was covered in burn scars, giving the skin a wrinkled, leathery aspect; and what little remained of healthy skin showed a patchwork of messy short hairs.

“The fauna and flora aren’t the only danger there: the place itself wants to actively kill you,” Runner let out a bitter chuckle. “I stepped into many an anomaly, always made it though,” he said, re-adjusting his lower garments. “Can’t say the same of the numerous companions I’ve had over the years though.”

Luna took a deep breath and swallowed a lump in her throat. “What do you mean?”

The stalker shrugged, resuming his walk. “People die. I don’t, for some reason. My time will come, but it seems I am made of sterner stuff than the average human. That or I’m a lucky son of a bitch.”

“How can you be so… casual about such horrible things?”

“I’m a stalker. ‘Killer’ is in the job description. You get used to it.”

“That’s-”

“-Only the beginning. Trust me, you don’t wanna talk about it.”

Luna was speechless at the stalker’s propos, struck with a mix of fear, chagrin and utter horror as to what it implied had happened to her sister. It took her a good minute and Runner ruffling her mane between her ears to snap the Night Princess out of her stupor.

Involuntarily, the alicorn flinched away from the human’s hand. Immediately, she opened her mouth to apologize, but was interrupted.

“I’m sorry,” the stalker told her with a bittersweet smile. “I said too much,” he sighed. “I should have known.”

“No, don’t be. I just… wasn’t expecting that from somepony that young.”

Runner chuckled. “I’m not that young I’m… well shit, yeah, I am. Anyway, this is the bunker,” the stalker said, gesturing towards the open metal door. “I’ll see you around.”

“Are you not coming?”

“Nah, I’ve got errands to run,” Runner replied,  waving Luna goodbye and turning around to leave. “Have fun in there!”

The night Princess watched the stalker, his guns and equipment clanking against each other as he walked away, absent-mindedly whistling a tune unknown to the alicorn.

That boy is already too old for his own good, she thought, lifting a hoof to knock on the door.

Before she could do anything, the door opened itself with a creak, presenting her with a very small room where only a few ponies could fit standing, another door on the other side. The walls were made of metal and it was lit by a harsh white light of foreign design on the ceiling.

Hesitantly, Luna stepped inside the cramped room, unsure of what to expect.

She did not expect the door to close behind her, nor did she expect the hissing sound the sas made before the other door opened.

Glancing around warily, the alicorn stepped through the now opened door. There, the scenery was much the same: metal floor and walls with crude, alien lamps on the ceiling.

The Princess walked further in the building, only to stumble upon a human wearing a long, white coat and a pair of glasses.

“Oh, Princess Luna, is it?” the man inquired. “I am Professor Hermann, of the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and leader of this expedition,” he introduced himself. “An honor to finally meet you, I heard a lot about you from your sister.”

“Rest assured, the honor is mine, professor. It is not everyday Equestria receives guests from another world,” she replied, shaking the Hermann’s hand. “I thought your lab was in the other building.”

“Oh, you are not mistaken, your highness. This is the bunker of Kruglov’s team,” Hermann replied, adjusting his glasses. “I was simply passing by to check up on them. They are the leaders on the research on psi-fields and the Noosphere, without them we never would have been able to perfect our psychotropic radiation emitters.”

Luna flicked her ears in discomfort. “These anti-magic devices? We’ve heard of them. I have to say that we are not… comfortable with such devices.”

Hermann gave the princess an awkward smile. “Your sister herself gave us greenlight for mass production. She wanted a countermeasure to your species’ innate abilities, which is only fair in my opinion. Besides, she is in charge of security. While I am her client, it is not in my power to oversee her tactics,” he replied, scratching his goatee.

Luna frowned. “I suppose. So you are the leader of this expedition?”

The scientist nodded politely. “Yes indeed. It may surprise you but technically, your sister and her men are my employees. I needed a good security detail and suffice to say they provided it. Now if you excuse me, I have a busy schedule and the General must be waiting for you.”

“The General?”

Hermann shook his head. “Sorry. Your sister. She’s in the lab, second doorway to your left.”

“Fair enough. Thanks.”



	

Brigadier General Everfree, also known as Princess Celestia, the Herald of the Day, the Matron of the Sun and many other titles many will never remember, was not particularly happy. Not only did a few guards had made fools of themselves right as they arrived and Twilight had been surprisingly irritating, but now Kruglov wanted to mount an expedition in the Everfree forest while their base of operation wasn’t even up and running yet.

“Professor, I cannot allow this,” Celestia firmly stated, massaging her temple with a hoof. “Our base of operation is not even operational yet, we do not have the manpower to escort an expedition in the Everfree. That forest is too dangerous for a science team to go alone and some beasts there require heavy weaponry to be brought down. I understand your eagerness to learn about this world, but we have other priorities at the moment,” the General added, stomping down her hoof to emphasize her propos.

“We could always take Strelok and Degtyarev with us, these two are more than capable even alone,” Kruglov offered, leaning back on the metal counter behind him. “Them and the ISRIT would be enough for a small expedition, don’t you agree?”

Celestia frowned, rubbing her temple. “Fine. But whatever goes wrong is on you and you are not authorized to proceed with the expedition until we have made ourselves known to the world.”

“I see no issue in that, I’ll have a hard enough time convincing Hermann to lend me his investigation team,” Kruglov replied with a sigh. “On the other hand, Strelok and Degtyarev shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Speaking of Strelok,” Celestia grumbled. “He disappeared as soon as we arrived and is nowhere to be found. I’ve already diverted manpower to find the bastard and now we’re behind schedule,” Celestia grumbled. “I don’t want him wandering into any civvies and causing an incident; that would be bad for PR, wouldn’t it?”

“I agree. I’ll notify Hermann. If the man reappears, you’ll be the first to know.”

Celestia let out a sigh. “Thank you.”

The Princess turned General rubbed her temple once more and sat down on the cold steel floor of the lab. With her magic, she produced her PDA from a pouch on her armored vest and looked at the time.

She should be here any minute, she thought. Might as well get ready.

With a grunt, Celestia stood up and stretched her legs and wings, preparing to head out of the bunker and meet with her sister.

Hopefully we’ll be able to talk this time, the alabaster alicorn thought, stepping out of the lab.

 When she reached the doorway, the alicorn collided with someone else trying to enter the lab, causing both parties to stagger into a comical pile of limbs and swear words.

“WHO ARE YOU TO FORESTALL OUR WAY, PEASANT?” came a booming voice from under Celestia.

“Good to see you too, Lulu” the Dawn General deadpanned, standing up.

Luna stopped shouting and incredulously looked up. “Tia? Oh goodness we are sorry we didn’t-”

Celestia rolled her eyes, more in amusement than anything else. “S’allright. Let me help you,” she said, helping her sister up with a smile on her face. “There, all good,” she added, magically dusting off her sister, before she paused, looking at her in the eyes, a small smile on her face. “How are you?”

For a second, Luna wanted to answer that everything was perfect. After all, the country was running as smoothly as ever, she had unloaded many duties to Twilight who had taken her role as a Princess very seriously, proving herself to be up to the task and she herself was in good health.

But up until now, Luna hadn’t been happy. She was tired, stressed, lonely, and missed her sister greatly.

The night Princess sighed, looking at the floor. “Terrible, dear sister. For the longest time, we thought we had lost you, then you came back unannounced, you pass out from thaumaturgical shock, Twilight has her episode with your consort and I haven’t slept in two days.”

Upon hearing those words, Celestia took a step forwards and nuzzled her sister. “I’m sorry I put you through so much. But I’m back now, and Twilight… she’s calmed down. When I left her she was nerding out on an iPad in Kruglov’s lab.”

“Can I see her?”

Celestia chuckled. “Of course,” she replied, opening the door next to the one they were standing.

Upon entering the room behind her sister, Luna stopped from sheer amazement.

First, the room walls were covered in machines which purpose was lost to the night Princess, emitting a light humming that broke the otherwise complete silence of the room. What little free space there was on the walls was occupied with shelves over encumbered with papers, instruments and boxes with labels completely foreign to the navy alicorn.

A balding, bearded human wearing a long white coat was sitting at a table, leaning over what Luna observed to be a microscope. On the same table, a mouse was running in its wheel, a few test labelled tubes next to it; on the far side of the room, a certain purple alicorn was sitting on the floor, completely absorbed by a small rectangular and somewhat flat device she held in her magic.

Upon the two alicorns entering, the man of the room perked up, gazing at the source of the sound.

“Ah, Princess Luna I presume,” the man started, standing up from his seat and walking up to the pair of alicorns. “I am professor Andrei Sakharov, in charge of Noosphere studies.”

“A pleasure to meet you I am sure, professor,” Luna politely replied, shaking the man’s hand.

Sakharov smiled. “Oh believe me, the pleasure is all mine. I’ve heard a lot of you from your sister,” he told Luna. “Can I offer you anything?” he asked, opening a small cupboard containing a variety of bottles containing mostly transparent liquids. “Vladoff?”

“I don’t think offering chili pepper vodka as a casual drink to a non-drinker is a good idea,” Celestia interrupted.

Sakharov closed the cupboard. “Right, Hermann told me about your… first experience.”

Great to know, thanks professor, Celestia thought, rolling her eyes.

“What’s vodka?” Luna asked, tilting her head.

“Not something you should try out right now. The first time I tried the stuff, I passed out after the first shot,” Celestia replied.

“Princess?” Came Twilight’s voice from behind Sakharov. “Oh, you’re here!” A smiling Twilight Sparkle exclaimed, galloping towards Luna, the same rectangular device held aloft in her magic.

Well fortunately she missed the whole part about me getting shitfaced, Celestia thought, maintaining a straight face.

“Indeed I am,” Luna replied, smiling. “What have you got here?” she asked, nuzzling the smaller alicorn.

The little alicorn showed the tablet she had been studying to the night Princess. “You wouldn’t believe it, it’s amazing! This device holds a library’s worth of knowledge, hundreds upon hundreds of books and publications!” she exclaimed, shoving the device in Luna’s face.

Celestia leaned towards Sakharov. “What’s in that tablet?” she whispered through gritted teeth.

“Nothing too complicated. High-school level physics -mechanics, electricity, optics and such- chemistry, biology, mathematics, some lessons on Ukrainian, Spanish, Portuguese, French, English, Chinese and even Japanese,” the scientist listed. “There’s also most of our world’s history up until the beginning of the 21st century, basic geography atlases, a bit of psychology, philosophy, several novels ranging from classics, thrillers, to science fiction; tomes about medicine, agriculture, economy, sociology, arts, plans for basic industrial machinery and I’m afraid I forgot the rest.”

Celestia frowned. “Nothing about weapons, firearms, ICBMs and warfare?”

“Nothing about that except what’s in the history books, as agreed.”

Luna turned towards her sister, the tablet in her magical grasp. “This is astounding! Such advances, without the help of magic?” she asked. “Incredible. And look at this device!” she muttered to herself.

Celestia walked up to her sister’s side. “You know Luna, this tablet isn’t anything extraordinary,” she began. “Hell, everyone of us here has at least one similar device.”

“Surely you jest! Look at the craftsmanship!” she exclaimed. “It’s a solid slab of metal, both faces are perfectly flat, one is almost a mirror and the buttons poke out just enough and if you shake it, nothing rattle or moves! Whoever made it is very talented craftspony.”

Oh good. Underpaid Chinese children will be happy to hear that, Celestia thought with a mirthless chuckle. “You know Luna, this kind of device is usually made on assembly lines that make thousand of them a day.”

“Huh?”

Celestia turned towards Twilight. “Remember when I said that humans are a lot different than ponies? It’s true at nearly every level, from culture to warfare, and even economy. Most of their production comes from automated industrial complexes, not crafting,” she explained. “Even this mobile bunker and the vehicles outside come from production lines.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow, looking dubiously at her ex-teacher. “Care to explain?”

Celestia gave her a gentle smile. “Everything is explained in the tablet I gave you. I know how you like reading, and I’m afraid I’m not an expert on mankind’s production techniques,” she began, only to be interrupted by her radio crackling to life.

“General, we found Strelok.”

Celestia stopped and turned towards Twilight. “I’m sorry but I have other duties I have to attend, I’m afraid,” she told her former student. “Oh, and don’t forget to charge the tablet,” she added, walking out of the room.

“Wait up!” Luna called, trotting behind her sister.

Twilight frowned. “Well I could charge it of assault or tax evasion, but I don’t see what good it would make,” she muttered.

Sakharov gave the two leaving princesses a pleading look before returning his gaze to Twilight with a sigh.



	

Outside, another situation was developing. Strelok, the independent stalker with Kruglov’s team, had reappeared after being AWOL for hours, something a certain warrant officer wasn’t too happy with.

“I don’t fucking care!” Snag fumed. “You went fucking AWOL as soon as we arrived, the general had to dispatch several squads just to search for you and because of that, our settling efforts are set back several hours and now we have to go through the night with unfinished defenses! What do you have to say for yourself?”

In front of the warrant officer, a certain stalker named Strelok was standing, unsure as how to react. In hindsight, Snag was right. He had left without telling where he was going, but he didn’t expect it would have such an impact. 

Strelok opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, Celestia appeared behind Snag, accompanied by her sister Luna.

“Strelok. Where were you?” she abruptly ordered.

Snag saluted. “General.”

“At ease, officer,” Celestia replied with a wave of her wing. “So?” she asked sternly, turning towards Strelok.

The free stalker put on neutral face. “I’ve been scouting the surroundings, nothing to report.”

Celestia flicked an ear in irritation. “This is unacceptable, stalker. This is not the Zone and you are not a Free Stalker anymore,” she spat. “Hermann has been notified about this, don’t expect to get out scott free. Now get Degtyarev and go to Kruglov’s bunker, he wants to see you two.”

Strelok could only nod. “Yes ma’am,” he replied, before turning away and leaving.

“Free stalkers, I swear,” Snag muttered under his breath. “Was I ever like this?”

“You and Vano were worse,” Celestia stated matter-of-factly. “How’s the progress?”

“By my estimation, the camp is 90% done,” a new voice replied, causing everyone to look up.

There, atop a BTR, Rookie was sitting, scratching words on the notepad he was holding, occasionally glancing at the laptop sitting next to him.

“Splinter’s bunker is due to arrive any minute now and so are the officer’s quarters,” the lieutenant added, his eyes never leaving his notepad and laptop. “Speaking of the devil...”

The young stalker raised his gaze towards the space bubble, its faint glimmer ever present in the skies of the fields around the Canterhorn. From the anomaly, four large choppers emerged, each carrying a mobile bunker similar to the two already present on the ground. To the thumping sound of their blades slicing through the air, the aerial formation approached the base and expertly maneuvered to dump their cargo.

Rookie chuckled. “At least Splinter will stop pestering me,” he commented.

Luna couldn’t help but stare at the spectacle. “It’s fascinating… we didn’t know what this… anomaly was and then you and your men come through with the equivalent of a small army as if it was nothing,” she observed. “And once again, without magic...” she trailed off.

Snag smiled. “Yeah, we’re that good.”