Wipe my bro and sweat my dust.
“Ponyville.”
Once the name of a small farming village right smack dab in the heart of equestria. Until the Turn of the industrial age Ponyville’s habitants were just like their founders, Simple, Robust Earth Ponies that made their living by the till of the soil.
That was until a newcomer arrived in town one day. Princess Twilight Sparkle.
That Rang a bell didn’t? Of course it did. But back then she wasn't a Princess, But a simple unicorn studying under Princess Celestia. That Changed real quick. Over the next Decade Little Miss bookworm would achieve ascension, and form a group of ponies that would become the most influential images in History.
But Princess Twilight is not the main protagonist of this story, She is merely a catalyst to serve as the beginning and that end of this story. This story does not begin in the height of Princess Twilight’s life, but years after her disappearance. Princess Twilight sparkle lived her life, saving all of equestria countless times with the help of her six friends.
As Twilight and her friends got older, new heros came to rise. A new generation came to defend the land. Leaving the old to bask in their Lives. Princess Twilight Dived into her studies of the magic of friendship.
It was from then that Equestria was swept with a wave of new technologies. Quickly Magic was harness, Huge Factories and plants where build, and no where better to build them than right in the homes town of there discoverer.
Quickly Ponyville grew and grew, From a simple town into a bustling metropolis, a beacon of new advances, and leading the helm was Princess Twilight herself. Industry, Electricity, mass transport. All of it Developed within the Castle turned Laboratory/Magic plant. Twilight herself developed the first Magic reactor and insisted that it be build in her own Castle. Soon after it proved to be a reliable and ever ending source of electricity, Three more were added and all were used to distribute energy to all of equestria.
Now when something good come up to you and decides to shake hooves, something bad usually had a knife right over your back.
Such as life back then, as in the zone. Nopony could have predicted it, and few still can’t believe it happened.
Years after the Alterations to Twilight Castle had been completed and life had adjusted to the slew of new advances in life. All of equestria woke to a bright and sunny day, and just as quickly, were plunged into utter darkness.
Two reactors in The Castle detonated, Quickly the raw Magical power ignited, and soon the whole Crystal Castle was engulfed in a transparent blue flame. Ash from the inferno blanketed Ponyville and surrounding area in mere moments. The ash was found to cantial high level of taint.
Taint it self is the byproduct of magical use, in small situations like when one spell is cast the pony body usually absorbs it and disposes of it through natural means. But On the day of the Ponyville incident and estimated 6 Million Twis (Twis being a unit of magical energy developed by the Princess herself) Were released into the air. A comparison would be about one billion unicorns lifting an apple with a simple Telekinesis spell. Taint levels that high are very poisonous, even with proper counter measures.
The taint Infected the towns ponies, the water, the soil, Many ponies died. Those who were lucky died immediately due to high doses. Those who were not lucky contracted horrible diseases, growths on their bodies, foal defects.
It was truly a horrible disaster. Equestria’s bright and shiny beacon of the future fell in tainted fire. Among those who were lost stood Princess Twilight Herself, She and all six of her Friends were never heard from again of the incident. Some believe they all died. Some believe they went into hiding, looking for a way to clean up after Princess Twilight. But Whatever the case, life soon returned to the 2.600 sq kilometers around Ponyville known as the the Tainted Zone.
But not in the way you think.
Magic is a fickle thing, one can never understand it. Soon extraction teams were sent into the zone, Searching for answers, survivors, and in the prays of the common ponies, there Princess. Many of the teams died, claimed by the zone and its horrible and twisted ways. Those who came back alive had either broken minds or broken souls. Reports of Some of Celestia's highest guard meeting at rendezvous points, Babbling like mad ponies. With horrific injuries, Speaking in twisted tongues about the loss of Princess Twilight Sparkle.
The leader of the first team was a giant of a Stallion named Ironsides. He was sent into the zone with a team of twenty ponies, all elite veteran of Celestia's highest guard and armed with the latest weapons and armor of the new age. There were sent on a mission meant to last 3 days. After 10 hours Ironsides called for a forced Evac on the edge of the zone claiming he had secured Princess Twilight Sparkle, When he was picked up he was found alone completely naked in the middle of field clutching a tiny pebble in his hooves. He was contained and Princess Celestia and Princess Luna demanded to see him. He was put in front of the whole royal court to give a report on the mission. Ironsides, Wide eyed and jittery simply put the pebble on the high desk of Princess Celestia. Then took his own life in front of the royal court by savagely chewing his own hooves open and bleeding to death on the ground in front of the Princess of the Sun herself.
The pebble itself was examined, to the astonishment of the science and magic beru (a research group formed by Celestia in the wake of the disaster By Princess Luna, Made of the top scientists and researchers that served under Twilight) The pebble was found to have intense levels of healing magic it had absorbed from the taint in the air. But caused adverse effects on the mind. An Autopsy on Ironsides had found that he had many scars that looked weeks old on his abdomen, Yet his military health records only said he had one.
Public new of the small pebble spread quickly. Soon P.M.Cs where contracting mercenaries to venture into the Zone to procure more, those who came back sold for very large sums of money. Soon Freelance ponies ventured into the zone. No pony knows exactly what goes on in the zone, those to venture in rarely venture out, and those who do come back won’t talk about it unless you get them really drunk.
Over the next few years those who venture into the zone, looking for adventure and profit would be called S.T.A.L.K.E.Rs.
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A Storm had fallen over the dim morning that blanketed the Zone. Thunder and lightning erupted through the sky has heavy, gray raindrops pounded the ground. Over the storm and different thundering broke through the chaos of the storm. The thundering to hooves erupted from an asphalt road. A long wagon being pulled by a single lone pony cut through the thick sheet of rain and lighting. The wagon was cover in canvas hiding its contents, the pony pulling it was also hidden with the same amount of effort. The pony wore a thick burlap clock that trailed behind it like the wings of a giant bird, appropriately so as the wagon flew along the wet stretch of tarmac. Then all at once a giant blu bolt of lightning stuck the cart, the cart was thrown skywards by a pillar of fire, sending its driver and contends flying through the air, the cart itself flipped on its canvas top, shattering against the black road top. The wagons contents toppled upon the driver who was flung a few forward, sparing the pony from a fate under the wagons crushing weight.
Bodies, eleven mangled bodies of other ponies toppled onto the road and came to rest in the rain among the still body of the wagon driver. The rain pattered against the grotesque seen as all the bodies and that of the driver laid still among the grass of the surrounding field.
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The morning found Bits and Pieces well, Bits and Pieces was a dark yellow, similar to the color of a unbrushed tooth. Bits a Pieces was also completely bald, along with his tail, Years ago taint has caused his mane and tail hair to fall out. Luckily in the 20 years since this happened he hadn't felt any other adverse effects. Bit and Pieces wore crude barding made from bit of old metal and leather, both from local wild life and from the armor of other ponies that had wronged him. All over his body he wore bits and pieces of scrap, parts and everything else he traded on his travels, so he clanged while he walked, this made it difficult to hide from bandits, But due to Bits, and Pieces reputation and slightly diseased appearance, most ponies left him alone, worst comes to worst he had a button on the straps to his chest that would instantly drop everything but this battered but well maintained AKM, his ammo, and medical supplies.
Right now Bits and Pieces was changing and jingling like a thirty churches had service all at once. The sound scarred all the mutant hounds and hoppers to their dens he galloped towards the fresh pile of frese debris. Bits and Pieces poked through the remains of the cart, He picked up a leaf spring the survived the crash but didn't find much else, a few feet of the road he found a pile of 12 pony corpses. Bits shifted through the pile still not finding much, the bodies had been picked clean save for their clothes.
Eventually Bits pulled up the hood of a dead mare, the mare was quite old, she had a graying blonde mane, and a dim orange coat, the wrinkles on her face told bits she was a spiteful one, Which explained why she was in the zone at such a old age.
Bits began to search the mare’s pockets until he felt a breath on the old pony's chest. Bits lifted a eyebrow.
“Alive are we? Lucky one. Well lets see what barkeep will give me for you.”
Bits then lifted the mare on his back, she was much heavier than expected, But a lifetime of trading had given Bits a pretty strong back.
“Hmmm,..find Twilight” The mare sighed.
Bits looked back to the mare.
“No, no. those are just the dreams old one, there is no Twilight. Do not listen to the dream lest you want to go crazy. Then you would be useless to me and barkeep.”
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Bits descended at set of cement stairs. The earth pony stallion was much lighter packed, having left all his wares at his came just on the surface. Bits still had the older mare slung over his back, every once in a while the mare would rasp about apples or Twilight or The zone to the point where bits began to believe the mare had gone insane.
Hopefully Barkeep wouldn’t notice.
Bits carried the mare down a flight of concrete stairs, deep into a basement whose house had fallen down years ago and the basement itself was now home to Bits and Pieces’s biggest contractor.
Barkeep.
Barkeep was a large dark blue Diamond dog. His business was work, he would give many Ponies jobs and trade and keep a little for himself. He had made a good living off it as told by his fat body and long flabby jowls. As Bits descended the last of the stairs Barkeep was eating a baked turkey, He had forgone all thought of eating utensils and just ripped the bird's flesh off its bones and stuffed between his flabby jowls. Barkeep didn't own a bar, his basement was just a office with a patch of moss on the corner for sleeping. Barkeep meant something else in Doggo (native language of the Diamond Dog.) but Bits never bothered to remember what it was, its was just funny that a dog have “bark” in its name.
As Bits’s hoof clopped against the last step Barkeep’s ears perked, he turned to and took a look at Bits. Barkeep always had a look on his face like he was very disappointed in the world and right now he was looking at Bits with a great amount of disappointment. Barkeep turned back in his meal.
“What had you brought me today?” Barkeep growled out, stuffing another bit of turkey into his mouth as if he didn't really care to hear Bits’s answer.
“I got another body, it came from a death wagon,......she's got the mark.”
Barkeep swallowed, he didn't entertained.
“Well you know the drill just-” Barkeep began.
“This one's a live one.” Bits interrupted.
Barkeep dropped the turkey leg bone he had been eating on in surprise.
“Bullshit!” Barkeep barked. “You are lying!”
Bits squinted his eyes and looked into Barkeeps small red eyes.
“Let the old Princess take me if I am.”
Barkeep stood up swept a paw over his desk, clearing it of his papers.
“Put her here.” Barkeep barked. Pointing to the desk.
Bits laid the mare on her back on Barkeep’s desk. Barkeep began pawing the mare pockets. Barkeep pulled the mares clock back and took a look at her cutiemark. Three bight red shiny apples.
“What are those?” Bits asked.
‘Apples.” Barkeep answered. “This area was farmed to farm apples, this old one was probably from the before times.”
“Those aren't apples.” Bits argued.
“Those were what apple's looked like before the taint go to them, now you just have those back bitter ones, and then you have the zap trees.” Barkeep returned.
Barkeep then reached into the mares hip pocket, he found a P.D.A., standard issue for those who have the mark. Barkeep pushed the power button and the message tab of the P.D.A. opened, a message popped up reading
KILL APPLEJACK.
Suddenly the mare awoke and snatched the P.D.A. from Barkeeps paws, The mare tensed and convulsed on the desk before slipping back in unconsciousness. He front hoof lying accross her chest revealing a plain black ink tattoo accross her hoof the read.
“S.T.A.L.K.E.R.”