Author's Note
This'll be a complete rewrite from the original concept since I had difficulty with what to do with the original characters but the main characters will still be the same.
Anyway, NATO and the WTO are only present in the first chapters so don't get too attached. They'll all die anyway.
Planning
A cool, gentle breeze ran through the snowy countryside of Ukraine. It wasn’t snowing currently but the snow that lay on the ground like white grass contradicted this thought and was as subtle as a slap to the face. Many spent the winter at home, spending time with their family, drinking warm cocoa and having an amazing time. The same couldn’t be said for the soldiers currently situated at the town of Bila Tserkva. But they were not exactly displeased with this. Many chose to spend the time playing sports while others played board games. Some chose to spend their time performing hobbies and other crafts while there were also some who just simply sat there and kept maintenance of their munitions. Of course, there are also those who spent their time getting drunk and engaging in bouts of arm wrestling like real Russians do. These men were here for the same reason as why all military personnel in Ukraine are in a combat-ready status.
In the middle of the city of Bila Tserkva lies the HQ of the 73rd ground forces division of the Armed Forces of Ukraine where the situation is currently being discussed among the officers there. The current situation is dire with the city of Kiev under the control of a NATO-allied country. The Soviet Union had sent a group of four of its most competent officers. However that was not the problem but rather, a lack of any idea of what to do was.
“So, any ideas on how to take Kiev back from the French?” An officer of the Red Army asked to the crowd of nearly a dozen officers. “General Zhukov had given the green light on this operation but he did not really mention how…” He trailed off.
“I’ve got a question, umm, Alexander, right?” A Polish officer asked. “Is this undertaking done only by the French or was this a NATO backed operation? They managed to take the capital and clear a path rather easily which makes me question if it is just the French.”
Alexander put a hand on his hat and proceeded to remove it, thinking about what to respond. The officer had made a very good point but a more important question popped in his head. What if this wasn’t backed by NATO? It would certainly make things a whole lot easier but it meant that the French had superior equipment if they were able to punch through and reach Kiev without NATO support. “I understand what you mean Rocco but the Americans haven’t mentioned even a word of it so there are two conclusions here. One is that this undertaking was done only by the French themselves or this is secretly a NATO-backed operation. An attack on Ukraine is a clear declaration of war and the Americans know that a declaration of war would mean that nuclear weaponry would come to light. But let’s say that this is a NATO backed operation, what should we do?”
A Soviet officer raised his hand, showing off the name tag on the left part of his chest that had the name ‘PLEKANOV’ stitched on to it. “We could always nuke them.” It was meant to be a joke and it worked, drawing out guffaws and a hearty chuckle from most. The suggestion was plausible if the end result that both sides wanted was total devastation of the world, considering what would result from the decision to drop an A-bomb on any country, whether part of NATO or just neutral, would most likely be a nuclear war.
“Ha ha ha, hilarious. Thank you for the suggestion, Lieutenant but we don’t have much time for shenanigans.” chided Alexander. “From the Intelligence Command had gathered, we have less than three days to take Kiev back before reinforcements arrive to reinforce their positions. We need to accomplish our objective now that the French forces defending Kiev are severely weakened from their push. So, are there any serious suggestions?”
Another officer raised his hand, this time belonging to Armed forces of Ukraine. “Sir, my name is Yaroslav and I have a question. I do not wish to offend but why did General Zhukov send you here without a clear plan?”
Alexander was taken aback upon realizing that he was correct until someone else stood up and began addressing the question. “Corporal Yaroslav, I really hope that you do not think so lowly of us. Do you not remember that we are one of the more competent officers in the field? The French broke through the Iron Curtain and reached Kiev in a matter of days. No one expected them to do such a surprise move, which is exactly why you Ukrainians got your ass kicked so hard. If you think that we would be ready for them to do that, perhaps we would have told you that in advance but we didn’t, so you got your ass kicked and that’s your fault for being so fucking incompetent in protecting the Motherland!” His voice grew along with his anger the more he spoke. His face becoming more and more red, the more he berated the junior officer. Afraid of the situation growing into something more than he could control, Alexander asserted his command.
“Ivan! Hold your tongue! We are trying to defeat the French, not ourselves. Creating conflicts is our specialty but please, not on our allies. Hektor, come here.” Plekanov rose and hurried over. “Formulate a plan here while we ourselves will ready up the men. Make the best of our current firepower. We will attack by sunset, which is when they will have decreased visibility. Do not disappoint me. I will have a word with Ivan and you, in the meantime, will cooperate with the Polish, Ukrainian officers and create a viable strategy that will have the highest chance of success and have the least collateral damage. I will not prevent you from using anything but have some consideration for the Ukrainians so decrease use of artillery as much as possible. Understood?”
Hektor was quick to respond. He saluted “Understood sir.” and hurried off to do his task.
Meanwhile, in the city of Kiev, the French forces are currently asking for help in defending their position.
Soldiers were everywhere. To the average citizen, their number seemed limitless but to the French commanders, they knew that they were screwed beyond who knows what. Pilots were refilling aircraft, soldiers were cleaning their rifles, and engineers were fortifying defenses and machine gun nests. Everyone was doing their part to the best of their ability but all of this was futile unless reinforcements arrived to fortify their position from any serious assault on the city. Amidst all the chaos, two soldiers walked up to the closest bar and sat down. One of them ordered a pint of beer and only then did they begin talking. They discussed about the current situation before they switched their topics to a more classified one.
“Ames, have you heard?” the one on the left began.
Ames looked around before beginning to talk. He spoke in a low voice, cautious about anyone overhearing. “Serge, shut it. We’re not supposed to talk about what we discussed in the meeting. You know, since the walls have ears now. Let’s just talk about family instead.”
Serge shook his head. “But it’s urgent. We need to discuss about it. NOW. ”
Ames sighed in irritation. “Alright, fine. Follow me, let’s talk in some unoccupied corner of the room. But remember, high command must not know that we discussed this… matter. Follow me.”
They stood up, grabbed their drinks and moved to a table at the back of the bar where there weren’t that many people. Ames noticed the nervousness in Serge’s eyes. He also noticed how much his hands moved across his side of the table. “Serge, what’s up with you? You seem… tense. What is up?” Serge’s eyes focused onto his and he himself began to feel uncomfortable. Finally, after a while, he began to talk.
“Have you heard? The combined forces of the Polish, Ukrainians and the Soviets are going to attack us. I felt fine with that until I heard that our reinforcements were delayed by an attack on the convoy. It’ll be nearly five days before they get here. No doubt we’ll be destroyed when they attack.” Unbeknownst to them, one of the waiters ‘attending’ a table nearby wasn’t busy cleaning a table but rather, he was busier eavesdropping.
Ames waved the statement away like it was nothing. “They don’t know that. They won’t risk attacking hastily without artillery support and aerial dominance. We’ll have a few days to fortify before we even get attacked. Only thing we have to worry about are scouting parties and artillery shelling. We are fine for now.” The attendant silently slipped away without them noticing. He walked through the streets of Kiev until he came by a railway station. He entered the underground tunnel and blended in with the people that were currently there. He casted a glance around to see if anyone was looking before entering a part of the tunnel that was off limits to the public. Upon getting past the many eyes of the people, he walked through the tunnel until he found a service door. He entered it and turned on the lights, revealing a radio on top of a table and a few crates containing food and water. He hurried over to the radio and turned it on. All that was left to do was waiting until the Soviets contacted him
A few hours later
An audio transmission began playing through the radio. ‘Took them long enough’ he thought to himself as he walked over from the little mat on the floor. “Transmission, transmission, transmission” It repeated over and over again. He spoke into the mike situated beside it.
“Hello? Commander, are you there?” The radio stopped repeating and a masculine voice spoke. “Timur, have you anything to report?”
“I have important news to tell you.” The sound of people talking in the background could be heard as he waited for a confirmation that his transmission was heard. Finally, a response came. “Continue, we are listening.”
“So an assault must be made on this position here to create a distraction. While the baguette boys are busy rushing to defend that front, we attack from their rear. When they inevitably rush to defend their flank, we’ll push with everything we got. No, wait. We assault their flanks then push as fast as we could through the city and then take cover upon first contact. So when these flanks receive enemy fire, our boys here in the original fronts are going to push forward with our armor and knock out key enemy positions. Aerial support will be at it, knocking out enemy positions before we engage but before that we have to knock any enemy fighters and bombers out of the skies to avoid heavy casualties but I think once we’re in the city, we should be in the clear. They won’t risk hitting their own guys so let’s use that to our advantage. However, if we’re going to take advantage of that, we’re going to need some serious coordination if we don’t want to hit our own. Any questions?” Asked Plekanov upon finishing his explanation of the plan that he had made. A single hand rose up from the crowd and it belonged to an officer by the name of Sergey.
“What about the artillery in the city? What can we do about that? If we don’t eliminate them, they’ll prove to be a nuisance to our men.” He put a finger to his chin in thought. He was right, those artillery shells would be deadly but unfortunately, there was nothing they could do about that.
“I don’t know what to do about that. Only air support and explosives could take it out. It would be difficult to take out those guns without losing bombers from anti-aircraft and plus, we don’t have anyone in the city who could possibly sabotage them.” The whole crowd began talking with each other, discussing about this possible problem. “So, does everyone agree?”
The crowd slowly began raising their hands in agreement. “So this will be our plan for the assault on-.“ A private burst into the headquarters and bowed in respect before he began speaking. “Sir, we have received a transmission from the Colonel at the city of Zhytomyr. A spy has contacted the high command of something that may be of importance to you. “ Alexander rose and walked over.
The private whispered something in his ear and he nodded. “I’ll see to it. Everyone else, prepare yourselves for the operation ahead. I will be back soon.” He abruptly left to deal with whatever was going on. Everyone else stood up and left as well to rally the men and check the equipment. Hektor remained behind and sat down on one of the chairs. Someone else remained as well and sat down on the chair beside him. Without even looking, Hektor began speaking.
“Gavrie, how confident are you of my decisions? This is the first time I have come up with a plan that involves a military force that reaches to nearly a. The most I’ve had under my command was just a small squad of less than thirty men.” Gavrie just sat there, pondering on his question. After just a bit of thought, he gave him his truthful answer.
“It doesn’t matter if the plan is good.” His answer stunned him.
“What?”
“Like I said, any plan will work but its success lies on the leadership of the officers in charge. If a leader makes bad decisions, his battles would not last long but a good leader can pull through with his men, no matter how awful the plan.” He gave him a pat on the back and a friendly smile. “And I know you make a great leader. You have a lot of potential. I’m proud of how far you’ve gone.”
“Thanks Petrov. You’ve been a great friend to me ever since childhood. You’ve been there for me and I am greatly thankful to you.” They both smiled as nostalgia began to slowly creep into their minds.
“No need to thank me Hektor. Come on, we need to lead our brothers to victory. Remember, a battle has not yet been won until our objectives have been completed and we have a daunting one on our hands. Remember the Somme. They relaxed and they died for it but we… are different. We will show the world why we are different and they’ll suffer from it.” He extended out his hand to Hektor, who took it and stood up.
They both walked out of the tent, feeling renewed and determined in their aspirations. ‘Yes, they will suffer for every step they take in our homeland.
Meanwhile, in another continent. Nineteen hours after Kiev fell to the French.
America was not happy with what the French had done. Their policy was of containment, not extermination. It had always been that way and now they ruined whatever goodwill they had earned from the Soviets. But it could be salvaged, everything was. With this in mind, the president of the United States of America called for an emergency meeting to discuss what to do next. But first… perhaps a message to the French that… for once, America will not intervene in European matters.
Near the border of Ukraine and Romania
Soldiers milled around the temporary camp set up at the city of Vinnytsia, just over one hundred and twenty miles southwest from Kiev. Many unloaded and dragged the bodies of their dead comrades from the various transport trucks to the inner parts of the city where they were less exposed, in fear of losing morale. Still, the ambush failed and the counter attack, with help from the neutral yet influenced Romania, succeeded and gave the men ample breathing space now that they were safely no longer out in the open and being aided with supplies from. But there was no time to waste as Kiev was still on the line.
Elsewhere, soldiers from both French and Romanian loyalties chatted with each other, coming to the understanding that it was truly a harrowing experience for both sides. Soldiers of lesser ranking were ushered away from the communications room set up in one of the tall houses. Officers, COs, and Armed guards stood at attention as they tried their luck in getting in touch with French high command at best and German radio communications at least. After a while of fiddling with the radio equipment, the radio operators stood back and marveled at their handiwork. The radio crackled to life as the static began to clear. One of the radio men came closer and spoke into the mike some random words. Eventually, a voice with a thick French accent answered back with a single question. “The French embassy at Berlin speaking.”
At this point, the officers milled around the radio and began to talk among themselves. Would the embassy be able to reach the Paris?’ Was the question that in one way or another everyone was asking. One of the more senior officers stepped a bit closer and leaned into the mike. “Sergeant-major Matthieu Lambert here. Could you perhaps link us to Army General Elroy Bernard in an encrypted channel?”
There was a bit of silence, as the man on the radio left his post to go inform a superior. They waited impatiently, knowing there was probably a chance this guy was probably a intern or something like that which meant that this guy would probably take forever. But you know, they could wait… It’s not like the lives of many soldiers are on the line. Certainly not. Lambert sighed in annoyance. It took quite awhile but the operator came back eventually with no so good news.
“Sorry sir, We could connect you but it would take a while to encrypt it.” Lambert face-palmed as he realized that an embassy shouldn’t have an encrypted connection. He could probably get in touch but it meant that anyone with the knowhow could probably listen in on the conversation. He looked at the others and realized that none of them were even near him. ‘Fuck it.’
He leaned in closer to the microphone “Connect me to Army General Bernard now. I don’t care about the encryption bullshit. Just patch me up.”
“Alright sir.” The radio went silent and he waited for him to finish linking. Static began to emanate until it slowly went away when a gruff and authoritative voice suddenly spoke. “Sergeant-major Matthieu Lambert. You’ve neglected to encrypt your communications and instead opted to use the embassy in Berlin as a route for your communications. Care to explain?”
He cleared his throat “Well sir, we are currently in the city of Vinnytsia and we’re asking if there would be a change of plans because now that we have been intercepted and delayed, we won’t be able to reach Kiev in time to have a formidable defense for a reasonable assault that the Russians might have prepared while we’re still getting there.”
There was silence.
“How… are you in the city of Vinnytsia?” Befuddlement riddled his voice.
“Sir… we had some help from the Romanians.”
“Help?” His confusion was at an all time high.
“Well, more like them saving us from losing half the battalion to air superiority and artillery.”
“Did they declare an alliance with NATO?”
“No, they didn’t. They simply came by and smashed into them. They did send us some infantry after with some supplies so I guess they might be on our side.”
“I would be wary if I were you. They are still neutral after the Azure revolution. They could turn on you.”
“What about our current orders? It’d still take us longer to get to Kiev.”
There was a slight pause on the other side. “Lambert, ditch your current orders and listen up. I have a new objective for you. Reconnaissance from the air has noticed a large build-up of WTO infantry and some artillery pieces in the nearby city of Bila Tserva. Just less than an hour ago, majority of the infantry there have left in the direction of Kiev. This is a good opportunity to flank them. If you make haste, you could take the remaining, much weaker force there and take the dispatched force by surprise, eliminating majority of the assault force and could lead to their surrender, dooming the remaining force situated at Kiev. Understood?” Matthieu only had one answer.
“Understood sir.”
Several hours later
Gavrie lazed on the rooftops of the one of the high towers of the city of Bila Tserkva. His eyes gazed around the countryside looking for any potential threats. Not like there would be any. They only have infantry and light armor while the remaining force here was mainly composed of some NCOs and artillery because it would take too long to move it and could be intercepted by bombers and aircraft. Well, truth is… they were all fucked if even an aircraft saw them. Artillery would be a pain in the arse but… as long as they got inside the perimeters of the city, they’d be fine since they’re no longer out in the open. Seems like a sure… wait, what’s that thing out there? His mind couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Aircraft! And they weren’t from any country part of the WTO. His mind screamed at him to get up and warn the others and his body obliged. He sprinted down the stairs and onto the ground level. He began screaming to the others “Aircraft! Get to your positions! Artillery and anti-aircraft are vulnerable! Hurry!”
Men began to sprint everywhere. It was all mayhem and chaos as everyone rushed to get to their positions. Anti-air crewmen got to their positions but it was too late. Bomber aircrafts and their escorts were now visible to everyone in the camp and their hatches began to open. Sergey screamed to all who heard “Everyone, forget about it! Get to cover NOW! We’ll be alright without Anti-aircraft and artillery but we won’t be if there is no one to help defend this city!” Many heard his command and ditched their positions, opting to hide under heavily built buildings. However, not all heard. Too busy with their current objective, others didn’t hear or did not even care to heed the command. AA guns began firing and artillery pieces began to open fire in the general direction of the planes but it was too late. Their payloads were falling.
Hektor was one of the few who did not hear Sergey’s command. He rushed to help the artillery reload faster when an explosion rocked him off his feet and sent everyone to the ground in various directions. He pushed himself off the ground, only to be pulled up by the shoulder and dragged to the protection underneath a roof of a building. The ground shook as dust fell from the roof. He coughed from the dust and looked up to see who dragged him here. He was surprised to see Sergey hide underneath a table. He stood up to leave the house and help those caught outside when the ground shook again, causing him to lose his balance and fall forward. He grabbed onto the door knob as he fell, catching himself from falling. He opened the door, only to be blown backward as the front part of the building collapsed under the explosion of a well-placed payload. He rolled onto his back and leaned on a wall to support himself. He began to walk to what was left of the door when he felt something wet on his side. He placed a hand there and realized he was bleeding. He took a closer look at where he was bleeding and didn’t think much of it. He made a beeline for the outside and made use of cover as he dashed from his location to where most of the remaining survivors were staying. He was halfway there when the explosions stopped all of a sudden and he hesitated when suddenly the wooden beam beside him cracked into splinters and small arms fire began to concentrate his position. He ducked behind a concrete wall, keeping his head low to keep his head firmly attached to his neck. Gavrie spotted him and began to command the remainder of the force to open fire “Everyone, concentrate your fire there!” Small arms fire began to crackle from both sides and grenades were thrown. Both sides huddled behind their cover, with the occasional exchange of rifle fire.
Hektor took advantage of this distraction and he picked up a Kalashnikov off the body of a dead soldier. He began to search the corpse for extra magazines, finding three of them. He rose to a crouching position, took aim and open fired. Taken by surprise, the French took cover and ceased firing. This gave Gavrie and everyone else breathing room and they began to take various positions. Hektor caught on to the sound of buzzing from somewhere and tried to pinpoint the location. He moved to a more covered location when the small arms fire ceased. But all of a sudden, while he was moving there, he took a round to the side. He groaned in pain as he collapsed to the ground, just barely behind cover.
Gavrie called for a medic and a medic came forward. Two privates tried to approach Hektor but they were cut off by suppressing fire, forcing them to back down. Sergey called for suppressive fire on the enemy positions and it came but the enemy’s suppressive fire was more suppressive than theirs, making theirs more sporadic as the majority of them were too afraid to fire lest they get hit by a stray round from the hell storm that was being shoved into their faces. They began to chuck grenades to force them to move so that they could pick up Plekanov from the ground. The French did move but just as they began to move to drag Hektor off the crossfire when a familiar buzzing sound. “Bombers! Duck!”
They tried to drag Hektor faster but the French at this point had changed positions and had got themselves set up. They began to open fire, forcing the two dragging him to abandon him and take cover under a building as bombs began to fall from the sky. Gavrie Petrov watched as his closest friend, his childhood best friend and his comrade… disappeared into a cloud of dust, filled with shrapnel that would no doubt shred anyone in it. He stood there in shock as the cloud of dust began to dissipate and explosions shake the ground below him. When the cloud of dust dissipated, his body was gone. Nothing was left. Just a crater. He fell to his knees as his morale collapsed.
A black mist began to form in the frozen wastelands. It began to take the shape of a unicorn wearing a crown. Its eyes opened, revealing eyes with a green sclera and red irises. Its mouth formed into a wide grin, revealing it’s sharp, white teeth. It made a deep, guttural laugh that sounded demonic to an average person. Its voice sounded raspy, like it had a lung disease. “Good. This… creature shall help me bring down the Solar Empire and the Two Sisters. I shall reclaim my throne and Equestria shall fall. I will let him be… let him get in touch with these future slaves and gain their trust. He is the perfect creature for this. His race is violent… even more than I can imagine. He will fall under my influence… and he will help me defeat Celestia, the whorse who could barely beat me and her little slut, that damn Luna. She betrayed me for her sister and I’ll personally end her myself.” He coughed as his lungs began to give out.
“This will be enough for now. I shall soon have my revenge and I would like it… cold.”
A day in Ponyville(Preview)
Author's Note
Hey there, the few people who actually read my stories. How are you? The first part is missing but it's not that important. It's not exactly a PREVIEW but more like I'm already done but I dont have the first part. I still plan on putting it back when I get back from the U.S to the Phillipines. I wasn't allowed to bring my laptop and the first part was in that laptop. So it's either wait for a whole month and publish this thing complete or publish this now and tell everyone I'm still here writing and I'm not dead. I mean, I laugh at holocaust memes so I must have no soul. Anyway, I would like to thank the people who upvoted because you were my inspiration to continue this story. Uh just to let everyone know, I didn't spend my time playing Fortnite or Roblox. No, I spent it on My Little Pony: Magic Princess. It's a better game than both of them. What am I saying? Nobody cares about what I say. Anyway, have fun reading, I guess. Does it make it worse if I typed this on my phone?
A day in Ponyville(Preview)
Hektor steadied his breathing before peering in to his scope. There, just over a hundred yards away and barely covered by the dense forest of the Everfree, was a small group of changelings wandering ‘aimlessly’. They were easy to see with their black chitin and their obvious lack of any knowledge about stealth but once they got inside the Everfree, he would often lose them. He wished that he could engage, kill them all, slaughter any of them who tried to come near, make them lose interest and flee in terror but no. He wanted to know what they were up to and this is what has to happen if he wanted to. And even if he didn’t, majority of the populace would condemn him of cold-blooded murder, even if they were the enemy. Because this was Equestria, where the rules of engagement are simple yet punishing at times: Fire only if fired upon. While he particularly disliked this, he had to follow. In just a week, these ponies had done things that made him question what would have happened if he had attacked them instead of helping. He sighed, neglecting these thoughts and instead focusing back to what he was doing previously.
“Damnit, where did you bugs go?” He scanned the dense greenery for any movement but came up empty. “Blast it. And here I am, thinking I could know of their plan but I let them get away again.” With a sound of frustration and slight agitation, he began packing his things so he could go back to Ponyville. He wished he could continue but the last three days of wandering the outskirts of the Everfree forest felt like a big waste of time and if he were being honest, it probably was. He picked up his crudely made Mosin Nagant and holstered it on his shoulder. He began to put everything else in his bags but stopped. One of his rations was missing. He cursed under his breath and began to take inventory of everything else he had. He found everything to be in good order but noticed a gash in one of the satchels. The tear was pretty new and couldn’t have been more than a day since it was there.He sighed and proceeded to grab his belongings. He hoped to get this fixed by Rarity at a low cost. Rarity might be a talented designer but most of her clients were rich to a degree and unfortunately, he came nowhere near the amount of wealth they had. After all, being a member of the Royal Guard doesn't pay very well and Rarity usually makes and creates but not exactly to fix. The fashionista is very creative and all but she costs more than usual if you want something custom made. The same could be applied to his satchel, which he had designed to stand against severe weather conditions.
He could amount the price to about seventy bits to get his satchel patched up. He only earned about fifty bits a week doing this guard stuff which was a bummer. Even more so is the fact that sooner or later he was going to have to get his own necessities. Spike had been generous enough in waking up very early and cooking him some food. He assumed that Twilight woke up early as well so he usually finished early and leave by the time she woke up. Adding the lack of bits and his desire not to be a dead weight to those around him, it meant that he was a bag down. He sighed to himself and picked up his belongings. He strapped on his bags and camping equipment before walking off into the direction of Ponyville, the sounds of his boots stepping on wet soil being his only companion. He just wished it didn't rain last night. It not only dampened his surroundings, it also dampened his spirit.
Back in Ponyville, things were still the usual. Mares bought their grocery, the few stallions that were there were constanly being watched over. There was the constant threat of something crazy happening in Ponyville. You know, the usual. However, things were slightly a bit off in The Crystal Castle.
Twilight yawned as she tried to keep awake. She and her friends had been debating about what to do with that Starlight mare and it had been going on all night. Normally, she was used to being up all night but that was on an activity she enjoyed doing which was reading. She loved her friends and all but combining that and their very extreme sense of politics... well, things aren't exactly fun.
"Girls, please. No need to shout. I know that this is serious but we need to keep a level head. As a Princess of Equestria, I need to have an unbiased and sound judgement. If I am to keep that up, I atleast need my loyal friends and advisors to be that as well."
Majority of the occupants in the Crystal Castle's Map room nodded but Rainbow Dash slammed a hoof onto the table/map."I get what you mean Twi but we can't just let her get off scot free. You hear what she did, actually scratch that. You SAW what she did. There is no way you're saying that you're gonna let her get away with it simply because she was reformed. And how do we know she truly changed?!"
"Now now, Rainbow Dash. No need to get antsy. I'm sure she regretted her actions, right? Heh heh he." Rarity looked at the other elements and saw the unconvinced look on their faces. "I can't believe I managed to say that with a straight face." She muttered to herself, embarrassed. Applejack took this opportunity to voice her agreement with Rainbow.
"Now, listen here. In the very least, we punished Discord by taking away somepony that he cared about for atleast a little while. Ah don't see why it's fair not to give this gal what she deserves. It'll be like.. well, actually ah can't think of something." Everypony groaned as they realized this was being stretched for far too long. Even Fluttershy was unusually bored and silent when normally she'd try to be respectful and listen whenever somepony spoke.
"Fine," Twilight confessed." This is getting us nowhere. If we can't reach an agreement that Starlight Glimmer should not receive punishment, I'll have to bring this up to Celestia and this will be brought up to court where she won't have the same amount of leniency that we are currently giving her. It's obvious she's guilty as can be but she's changed. If we try, we can shape her up like we did to Discord. Who agrees with me that she shouldn't receive punishment?" Twilight herself raised her own hoof and she was accompanied by Rarity.
"I personally believe anypony could change, no matter how much of a brute they might act."
"Okay, who doesn't agree?" Both Applejack and Rainbow Dash's hooves rose up. Only Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy didn't, with the former confused by who to listen and is currently undergoing a mental breakdown and the latter who was afraid to upset anypony and decided to abstain. Twilight sighed.
"If that's the case, I have no choice but to bring her to court. Whatever happens to her, it'll be the fault of the parties responsible." Upon hearing this, Rainbow Dash and Applejack both gulped upon realization that this pony's blood was on their hooves if she got executed and this terrified them. But before anypony could say anything, Spike showed up.
"What about Hektor? His opinion could be valuable. After all, his opinion is heard by Celestia himself." Spike objected.
"Yes, I know that his opinion is very valuable as Princess Celestia takes his words into consideration but I have not met him long enough to trust him. The few encounters I had with him was during the search, the few moments I got to talk with him and our quick encounters with each other. I wanted to ask him questions about what he knows so I could learn about him and get a quick gist of his true nature. He somehow managed to evade all my attempts on this and adding the fact that I don't trust him, I don't really want to hear his opinion."
"But Twilight-" Slike was quickly cut off.
"No buts Spike. His opinion might be of some importance to Celestia but it doesn't matter for me. The only time his opinion would matter in this case is when this reaches court and seeing how we are at a stalemate, I will unfortunately have to send Starlight Glimmer to Canterlot and be judged by Celestia herself. I declare this meeting adjourned."
Starlight Glimmer was currently seated in one of the lounge areas, waiting for what the outcome would be. She had thought about what she had done and realized that leniency was a pipe dream. She had gone back in time with the purpose to prevent an important event from happening, resulting in the destruction of Equestria. If she even got away from this, she would be thanking Twilight til the end of her days. If she didn't, she would stand no chance with Celestia. She sighed, wondering why did she even think setting up a village was even a smart idea.
Her ears perked up as she noticed the sound of hoofsteps got closer and much more louder. She got up from her seat and waited for them at the door. When the door opened, she was greeted by Twilight, who didn't look very happy, Dash and Applejack, who refused to look her in the eye and Rarity, Pinkie and Fluttershy, who tried to give her an encouraging smile. Twilight approached her with a face that only meant bad news.
"Starlight... I'm sorry. I tried my best but..." From that alone, she knew. Her head drooped down to the ground as she knew she had no chance with Celestia. If even Twilight couldn't get her friends to be convinced, how was Celestia going to give her any leniency when even the Princess of friendship couldn't get her closest friends to forgive her. In the end, she was grateful Twilight even tried. She didn't deserve to be forgiven. Not after what she did.
"It's okay Twilight. I understand."
"It's really great to see you acting postively even after such bad news. I promise I'll make it up to you in court. Celestia was my mentor so I hope she can lessen your punishment if I declare that I will make you my pupil."
Starlight smiled at her, knowing somepony believed in her, even if she didn't even believe in herself. "It's okay Twilight. Atleast you tried. In truth, I don't deserve any of this. What I've done-"
"Is in the past." Twilight interrupted. "I have seen the new you. I know that you have changed. I believe in you." Twilight flashed her a smile.
Starlight smiled back. "Thank you Twilight. You're going through so much effort just for me." Starlight yawned, as she hadn't gotten much sleep throughout the night. Twilight noticed this.
"Starlight, if you're tired, you can follow Spike. He'll lead you to Hektor's room. It's the only room that's maintained and outfitted with furniture. I'm sure he wouldn't mind." Twilight suggested, secretly using Starlight as a test subject to see what Hektor was like if he was alone with a mare. 'Sorry Starlight but I might as well since I did everything for you and all that.'
Starlight, being too tired to question who Hektor was, simply nodded and began to follow Spike, looking forward to taking a rest now that she could finally sleep free from the fears that plagued her the night before.
As Hektor entered the Town Square, he looked immediately for Blitz, knowing that he had to report back to high command, even though the only thing high about them was probably the stick up their ass. He didn't trust the female guards because he knew stallions were looked down upon as weak and helpless and some took this to the extreme, making things as simple as asking questions more difficult than not asking and winging it. He scoured the marketplace, looking for him. He wasn't hard to spot, since his gray coat and blue eyes stuck out among the brightly colored ponies there, not to mention his shiny as fuck golden armor. He saw a glimpse of him near Sugarcube corner but lost him when he got close. He gave up and decided to head to the Crystal Castle, wanting to take a rest after the long trek that he had managed.
He opened the door and found it to be dead silent. He thought to himself that they must be asleep but It's nearly noon so Twilight must have done an all-nighter. He wandered through the castle, eventually stumbling into the kitchen and inevitably, Spike. He greeted Spike with a casual wave.
"Hey Spike. Where is everyone else?"
Spike shrugged. "They're back in their homes, asleep. Twilight is in her room, currently asleep as well. She hadn't gotten much sleep last night. In fact, she only got in bed just a few hours ago." He waltzed on over to one of the refrigerators and opened, grabbing a cheese sandwich and popping it into a microwave. For a very unadvanced society concerning technology, microwaves really seemed out of place. Then again, they were powered by magic, not electricity, so it was all significantly easier.
He waited for his sandwich to be heated up as he prepared a glass of cold lemonade. The microwave made a 'ding' sound and he knew it was done. He grabbed it and ate it in silence, occasionally taking sips from his lemonade. When he was nearly finished, Spike came through the door.
"Hey Hektor. There's a mare in your room by the way." Hektor nearly choked on his sandwich at this. When he could finally speak, he grabbed his lemonade and drank it before finally responding.
"What the hell Spike? For the last time, I. Don't. Need. A. Mare. Thank you but no thank you. I am not a typical stallion. I can take care of myself just fine." By this point, Spike had backed up quite a considerable amount.
"Woah woah there big guy. I didn't do it! I swear! Pinkie promise! It was Twilight! She told me to bring her to your room."
He groaned at the prospect with dealing with a mare who thinks that she's some hot stuff. "Why Spike. Why my room? What about yours?"
Spike had blushed considerably. "Twilight probably would have but the thing is... Heat's coming up and Twilight knows what I'm like when I get overpowered by any desire." Hektor didn't know what heat was. So like every curious idiot, he just had to ask.
"What's heat?"
Spike blushed even more profusely, embarrassed to speak about such a topic, even if it was a fully grown adult. "It's... basically mating season. Except mares get a bit... too close and aggressive in my opinion. They're very possesive with stallions, seeing as how they have a mindset that they took care of the stallion, they should get their turn. Unfortunately, the mares might be relieved by the end of it but I'm not sure about the stallion's well-being."
"Oof, that sounds real bad." He winced at the prospect of getting fucked until you're practically dead. "But what about what you said about desires?"
Spike stammered at the question. "U-um.. I o-often don't get asked the question but.. basically what I said is that Twilight's afraid I'll fuck the mare until she's walking funny. This is why I often wear face masks to avoid smelling pheromones." Oh.
"Alright then, Spike. Take care. I'll go up to my room after I finish this sandwich." Spike nodded in understanding.
"Alright, I'll get going now." He said as he left the room. Hektor, all alone, knew exactly why Twilight did this. It was a test. He hadn't got a chance to speak with her yet so she probably doesn't trust him. She was testing him if he would take advantage of a sleeping mare who was all alone and exhausted. Of course, he wouldn't. There was a big difference from commiting war crimes to practically molesting someone. While he did find some mares as beautiful, he doubted he'd be having sex with any of them anytime since most of them don't think that much of him. Of course, there was no way he was taking advantage of anyone but when the heat strikes them, he wasn't sure if these mares wouldn't take advantage of him.
He shrugged it off and left the kitchen after cleaning up his mess. He climbed up the stairs and made a beeline for his room. He wasn't sure who was in his room so he slowly opened the door. The first thing he noticed was the soft sound of someone snoring. It sounded so heavenly to his ears. The soft snores struck a chord in his heart. It sounded so peaceful, melodic, which contrasted to what his ears had often heard back on Earth. The second thing he noticed was the faint smell of something odd in the air. He couldn't place what it was so he just ignored it.
He entered the room completely and saw her. Spike wasn't kidding when he said there was a mare in his room. The mare was splayed out across his bed, deep in slumber. He slowly stepped forward, acknowledging the possibility that Twilight was watching him or in the very least recording this room. Slowly but surely, he made it across the room and stood there by the edge of the bed. He wanted to take a rest but he didn't want to disturb her. He picked her up slowly by her shoulders, noticing how soft her coat felt on his hands. He moved her across the bed and tucked her into bed and draped her with his blanket, making sure she stayed asleep. He watched her sleep and found her to be almost angelic. The rise and fall of her chest was hypnotizing and the way her flank was covered up by her tail, covering her-
'Woah woah there. Didn't I just say that this was probably a test. I look really creepy just standing there, watching her sleep. I just met her, there is no way I am going to be checking her out in such a compromising position.' He thought to himself. He couldn't help it, he's a male and this was all programmed into him. He was born with the natural instinct to look at a female and check her features out.
He shook his head, trying to keep himself from looking at her in such light. She was probably a really kind mare and here he was looking at her without even a single ounce of respect for her privacy. He sat down by the edge of the bed and proceeded to take off his shoes. He placed them by the side of the bed and lied down. He tried to keep himself from her but couldn't help casting a glance at her every now and then. He closed his eyes in frustration and attempted to fall asleep. However, everytime he was about to fall asleep, his thoughts would wake him up. His mind went to multiple areas, from her face and onto her rump. She was really pretty, that he couldn't deny. Her pink coat and her purple mane with a teal stripe that resembled Twilight's stripe, it was all really mesmerising. She slept so peacefully that he couldn't stop thinking about her. And then it happened. His mind began to wonder towards more... revealing thoughts. His mind began to wonder how good it must be to have his cock inside her. Images began to appear in his mind and they involved her in very compromising positions.
His eyes opened and he closed them again. He didn't want to look at her once more lest his imagination run even wilder that it already has. He began thinking of other things to keep his mind from her. He thought back on the war that he had left behind. He thought about his old life there. He thought about his old friend, Gavrie Sertuv. Then he thought about the first World War, then the second. He remembered the Holocaust, Stalingrad, and finally, Afghanistan. With all of these dark thoughts, he began to forget about the mare beside him. Finally, his mind calmed down and he finally got the rest and mental peace that he had wanted. There was something about this mare that made her different from the others. He didn't know why but he didn't particularly care for now. He was tired and it was more important than anything else.
Luna smiled to herself. He must have known somepony was watching him. Clever, if it wasn't obvious he was trained to act cautiously. She watched him sleep, knowing that she had caught a glimpse of how he acted. While it was invasive to look into his thoughts, she was suprised by how dirty his thoughts had been. What blew her away were what he had been thinking to keep himself from thinking about her. Two World wars, a Cold war and millions of dead people. This was the sort of world he lived in? It brought her discomfort that her sister let somepony like him stay in Equestria but she digressed. He had been a valuable asset in the army, considering he had done more than any member of the Royal Guard. The changelings were on the rise, that she had no doubt but to see them already in Equestria is honestly astounding. She was pleased with his work yet she knew he didn't do it out of his generosity. No, he had done so to get away from the mares in Ponyville who were a constant annoyance.
Luna liked the idea of a trained military but she found the Royal Guard to be more of a... dissapointment. She watched his actions in both public and private and noted how militaristic he acted. He only answered when spoken to, knew how to keep his mouth shut, did a great job and most importantly of all, was competent in his job. He outclassed every mare in the Royal Guard except for herself yet he was treated like dirt. She had an outward appreciation for Guards who acted with discipline and respect. He was well-trained, respectful, disciplined, skilled, dangerous and competent. These were adjectives that Luna found invaluable in her soldiers yet had never found in any of them.
Majority of the guards who were stallions were very respectful when they were in front of royalty but she knew how they acted when no one was watching them. They spoke lewdly of the princesses they were meant to protect. Even more so of Twilight, since she had no actual fighting skill. She hated stallions with a burning passion. She had seen what they have done, more so those in the royal guard. The few that were there often harassed Twilight, often while she was asleep and defenseless. Those in important positions treated her poorly when no one was watching with some of them even asking for sexual favors or hinting at innuendos. She disapproved of them but she could do nothing since they were in high ranking positions and there was no solid proof against them except for what she often sees in Twilight's dreams. Luna frowned, saddened by the fact that one of her peers were being treated so badly. She thought back to Hektor and saw him as perhaps the perfect guard to Twilight. It was clear he took his job seriously. He was a stark contrast from the few guardsponies who were stallions. She saw the stallions who were supposed to protect Twilight, one of the more weaker princesses of Equestria, often make lewd comments about her. There were only three stallions Luna saw as trustworthy: Blitz Krieg, Big Mac and Hektor Plekanov. She saw no other need for any other military presence than them. Blitz and Hektor were excellent in their profession and Big Mac was a strong and independent stallion who would do anything to protect his siblings. This made them a deadly trio. All that was needed was to convince Celestia to remove every other guard from the little town. Well, perhaps replace them with batponies. After all, terror comes during the night, not in the morning where it was slightly safer.
Blitz Krieg wandered through the streets of Ponyville, avoiding eye contact the whole time. He had been looking for Hektor, who was supposed to be back by this time. He hadn't been able to find him which was a bummer. He then realized that maybe Hektor would probably take a rest first. He walked around looking for the Crystal Castle, which in all honesty wasn't the hardest thing to do. He knocked on the massive doors and stood there, waiting for an answer. After a few moments, the door opened and he was greeted by Spike's smiling face. Blitz had met Spike not long ago, having only been transferred to Ponyville this week when Hektor came.
"Hey Spike. Have you seen Hektor? I've been looking for him all morning. He was supposed to return just this morning but it's almost noon." He asked.
"Hektor? Yeah, he came here." Spike answered. "He's in his room. I think he's asleep though. If you want, you could check if he's awake. I'm not really sure if he's asleep and I can't be bothered to because I'm still fixing the library."
"Oh thanks Spike. So uh, where do I go again?" Spike sighed, wondering why ponies had difficulty getting around the place. It was real simple if he was being honest.
"So you go up the stairs by the left and go straight ahead. It's the room with the yellow hammer and sickle on the door. Hektor himself placed it there because he gets lost looking for his room as well. Why do ponies find it so difficult? It's so easy!" Blitz giggled at his reaction. Perhaps he hadn't realized yet that he had lived his whole life organizing everything.
"Thanks Spike. Nopony really knows how much hard work you do remembering where every room in this castle is." He was halfway up the stairs before he heard him shout. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!"
He smiled to himself. It was fun messing with the little guy. He knew how much hard work the guy put out everyday but it became a recurring joke between him, Hektor and Spike that nopony really notices him unless they were purposely looking for him or accidentally ran into him. He frowned at the thought. Spike was a good colt, he worked hard and was loyal yet nopony really cared. It was such a sad thing. By the time he had finished discussing it with himself, he was alreay infront of the door. A golden hammer and sickle adorned the front of the door. He had always wondered what it meant. It was clear it meant a great deal to Hektor but he never really understood why.
Slowly, he pushed open the door and found him to be asleep. He was about to turn when he noticed something. There were two snoring sounds. One of them was Hektor's snoring but there was a slightly softer, more feminine snoring. He turned back at him and noticed the tuft of mane sticking out. He inched closer to the bed and saw a pink mare beside him. Embarrassed to intrude on their privacy, he turned around to leave when he accidentally bumped into Hektor's weapon and it fell. It made a horribly loud sound and it made even more noise when it hit the desk. Afraid of being seen inside his room for fear of being caught invading his privacy, he panicked and ran outside. He hastily shut the door, his quick action making a lot more noise than he realized. He ran down the stairs, knowing he had woken them up. He passed Spike down the stairs and he gave him a heads up.
"Hi Spike! HewasasleepbutImighthavewokenhimup! Ifhecomesaskingifanyonecamebydon'ttellhimIwashere! See ya!" With that, he burst out the door and ran into Ponyville square, heading for Sweet Apple acres. Spike was left in utter confusion.
"Uh what?"
Hektor woke with a start. Someone had slammed the door shut and it made a hell of a lot of noise. He groaned because he knew it was probably Blitz looking for him. He sat on the edge of the bed and began tying his shoes on. He was nearly done when he heard some grunts coming from behind him. He froze. She was waking up. He didn't want to be caught by her. It'd be really difficult to explain. He hurried with his tying and bolted, grabbing his Kalashnikov and his helmet on the way out. He ran out of the room and carefully shut the door. He breathed a sigh of relief knowing he had narrowly avoided dealing with a tense situation. He began fixing his uniform as he walked down the hallway and down the stairs. He passed by the kitched where he found Twilight. He decided not to be rude and give a warm greeting.
"Good afternoon, Princess Twilight." He greeted as he bowed. He was careful not to set her off as he knew she was not a morning pony and was often grumpy when awoken unless given a cup of joe. She looked at him in suprise before smiling at him.
"Oh. Hi Hektor. Where are you going?" Now, Twilight wasn't stupid. She was suspicious of Hektor but she knew to keep her suspicions unfounded unless they were either proven or debunk. She gave him a friendly wave before taking a sip of her coffee. Coffee made her life slightly easier with all these stallions roaming around acting like she was a toy and had little authority. They were cared for and given everything they wanted but they acted like ungrateful pieces of shit. If she could, she would have blasted them to the moon but she couldn't. She'd get scolded by Celestia and that was the last thing she wanted. Still though, she respected Hektor because he was disciplined and respectful. But she knew it was mostly from his training since he was a soldier so she didn't know how much of it was staged or how much of it was genuine.
"I'm fine. I'm looking for Blitz. Think he went in my room looking for me." Upon hearing the name Blitz, Twilight's mood almost soured. She despised stallions who worked in the Royal Guard. They were abusive, lazy, and straight up incompetent. What's more, they have the gall to make inappropriate remarks and innuendos at her. Like did they really think she couldn't see through everything they said? She might not be a thousand years old but she knew well enough when somepony was giving her the bird. Still, she kept her cool, knowing that Blitz was Hektor's friend and he didn't go out choosing anypony as his friend.
"Oh okay. Is Starlight awake?" He turned towards her in slight confusion.
"Who?"
At this point, Twilight realized that she had forgotten to tell Spike to inform him of who Starlight was. She mentally face palmed. "Starlight Glimmer. You know? The sleeping exhausted mare that is weak and defenseless in your room?" She wasn't being very subtle but she had chosen those specific adjectives to see if she would get a reaction.
"Oh, her? I think she's still asleep. I had to move her in the bed because she took up most of the space." She was stunned. There was nothing in his voice that implied he took advantage of her. It was either that or he was very good at masking his lies. After all, he was a soldier. He was probably trained on how to deal with interrogations. 'We'll see about that Hektor Plekanov. I know you're up to something and I'm not gonna stop until I find out.' She silently said to herself as she looked at him. 'Mark my words.' His smile might fool everyone but not her.
"Alright. See you around." She said as she bade goodbye. Hektor waved back and waltzed out of the kitchen. She sighed. There was no reason to suspect him but she still was. He could be like Discord, ready to betray them at any moment. She brushed away these thoughts as she enjoyed the peace and quiet she deserved. Still, this coffee was a bit too dark for her tastes.
He knew it. Hektor recognized the subtle suspicion Twilight had. He was correct in his assumption that Twilight had puposely placed the mare there as a test. He was glad that he didn't arouse suspicion. He wanted to be in everyone's good books since he relied on them to get off on the right foot in his new life. He wasn't suprised that she was suspicious but he was suprised that she was stil suspicious for nearly a week now. Most mares only saw him as every other stallion. Celestia, Luna and Cadance saw him as a potential ally. Shining Armor saw him as someone he could rely on in having a good time. Twilight's friends saw him as a nice guy all-around. Although to be fair, they were a bit overbearing and really concerned about his well-being even though he could take care of himself. He appreciated the concern nevertheless. Twilight was a much different case. She saw him as a potential threat and good for her. She was thinking like a leader and he couldn't blame her. But to see her still suspicious of him even when everyone else had given up was a bit much. He relied on her for a lot of things like contacting the princesses, knowledge, and most importantly, a place to stay. The only way he was going to make her give up was if he gained her trust and showed her he was an okay guy. It was fine with him but it meant that it'll be awhile before any conversations with her stop being a paranoia-fest.
He shrugged it all off. He was gonna do it all someday. But for now, Krieg was more inportant. He wandered the streets of Ponyville, looking straight ahead and only responding with a wave when a filly got curious and began pointing at him. There was no need for a conversation. He was not gonna respond to a mare because there is no doubt that they're gonna ask "Where is your mare?" and he could honestly wish that he could say to them to go fuck themselves. But he couldn't because he had promised Celestia he wouldn't assault them, whether verbal or physical. Well, what if they were a assaulting him? Well, of course he wouldn't let them beat the shit out of him. Like they could even do that. The only thing they could beat the shit out of was a cock.
As he pondered on such things, he subconsciously unholstered his rifle and checked it if it was loaded. He checked to see if a round was chambered in before holstering it back on shoulders and then he realized. He didn't just load his rifle just because he got pissed off by how annoying these mares are, did he? He took a deep breath and calmed himself. He really did have an anger problem. He was the type of guy who was very difficult to anger but goes on like a pyschopath when he does. The guy who patiently deals with your yammering but will patiently cut your throat once he gets sick of you. He tried to think of happy thoughts but couldn't find anything. The only thoughts he had were of war, war and Afghanistan. He shuddered, as flashbacks of his time in Afghanistan began to resurface. He decided that enough was enough and paid attention back onto where he was headed. Somehow, when his attention went back to where he was going, he was somehow at Sweet Apple Acres.
He thought about it and decided to first check it out. After all, this was where he, Blitz and Big Mac first met. They had enjoyed a cup of apple cider and he enjoyed Big Mac's hospitality. It had been awahile, almost a week since he had last visited. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to say hi to a friend. He entered the orchard and remarked on how nice it looked. It had only been a week so it should have been expected.
He walked around, gazing at the apple trees in the distance as the wonderful scent of apples entered his nostrils. In his mind, he remembered the various confections he had tasted. Apple pie, apple fritter and apple sauce. He remembered who had greeted him so warmly. Applejack and her family. From what he could tell, Applejack was a stereotypical southerner, if her accent, love for the life on the farm and her close bonds with her family was a sign. Speaking of Applejack... there she was by the distance, bucking apples. He chuckled, remembering his reaction when he first heard it. It sounded so inappropriate yet in truth, it was just kicking apples down.
He slowly walked over to her in a leisurely pace. He liked Applejack, for she had a more open mind. Despite how stubborn she might be, he liked her because she didn't think of him as weak and something to be treated like a baby. She saw everything and judged it by it's efficiency and usefulness in work, not by it's gender. He got quite close to her before she even noticed him.
"Hey Applejack. How are you doing?" He greeted. Applejack turned and smiled at him.
"Hektor!" She exclaimed, taking a break from her bucking. "Glad to see you here! It's been so long since I last see you." No, it wasn't.
"Applejack, it hasn't even been a week." She rubbed the back of her head, embarrassed.
"Really now? Heh, the days just pass so slowly that I didn't realize. Anyway, what are you doing here? Weren't you out of town?"
"Yeah, I was. Just got back here. I'm looking for Blitz. But before that, have you seen Big Mac, AJ?" She gave him this weird look before chuckling.
"Ho ho ho. Now now, you're not telling me you've already given me a nickname. Listen here pardner, AJ is a nickname used by ponies who are close to me so unless you're gonna propose, I'd say you start calling me Applejack." Hektor feigned shock and sadness.
"Applejack! Are you saying that I am not a close friend?! Oh my stars, how could you say such a thing?" Applejack rolled her eyes.
"Come on now. Of course you are. But I find it weird to hear somepony else aside from my friends to call me AJ." Hektor internally shrugged.
"Whatever you say, Apples. Anyway, like I said, you know where Big Mac is."
"Consarnit, Hektor. My name is not Apples. But whatever, if you say so. I think Big Mac is in the barn. Now I don't know why. I'll bet it's probably because he's spending time with his doll." Hektor was about to ask what she meant by doll but decided not to even ask. Fetishes are meant to be a secret.
"Okay thanks Applejack." He bade as he turned around and began walking over to the barn.
"You're welcome Sugarcube! If you need anything, come by me! If you could, could you help me with the upcoming apple bucking season? I'd appreciate it!" He thought to himself about what she said. Anything? Why, that sounds like something a mare in heat would probably say. Althought it was tempting, he liked the idea of helping her out with the Apple bucking season. She paid well if you were a hard worker and he really needed some bits to patch up his stachel. It was tempting. Certainly not an opportunity he would let pass. He'd like to think that she meant something else when she said apple bucking season. Why, it didn't sound so bad. After all, bucking an apple wouldn't be so bad. He didn't know why he was making up innuendos on the spot. He cleared his mind and tried to concentrate on where he was going.
After a while of boring walking, he reached the barn. It looked as drab as ever. He pushed the doors open and was greeted by the sight of Big Mac and Blitz drinking apple cider. They stopped what they were doing when caught sight of him however and Blitz visibly froze. He immediately went on his hind legs and placed his forehoof on his forhead, effectively recreating Hektor's salute. He smiled, knowing how much Blitz tried to be him. He had told him from time to time that he would never be comparable to a member of the Red Army but it was nice to see him trying so hard despite it. It was probably gonna get him nowhere but atleast he was slightly better than the average guard.
"No need to salute Blitz. I don't need a pompous entrance. I may be a higher rank than you but I work this job for a living. Cut the BS and lower your hoof down. If you had to salute me everytime I was around, you would be wasting your time." Now he was grateful to Luna for giving him the rank of lieutenant because she must have thought it more fitting to simply give him his old rank. Those who heard about it criticised her for doing so but she knew why she did it. Ranks were hard earned back on Earth and often required a long time of service in the field to even ascend. It should be like that here too. Those serving the throne should be ranked by the competency and skill, not by how privileged and rich they were. He despised the current commander-in-chief, Blueblood. He could tell straight ahead that he had never fought in a single battle and merely used the title as a way to bedazzle his name even more. Now Shining Armor on the other hand was more fitting but was stuck in the rank of captain when he served in the Royal Guard.
Blitz went back on all fours and sat back down. Hektor grabbed a spare mug and filled it up with apple cider. While he waited for it to fill, he decided to have a little chat with his friends.
"How have you been, Macintosh? Haven't seen you in nearly a week. Got anything good happening round here?"In typical Big Mac fashion, he had only one thing to say.
"Nope." Hektor rolled his eyes. How could anybody live their whole lives saying one or two words?
"Good." He said as he took a sip of apple cider. It was just as good as he remembered. He remembered to keep himself from finishing his cup, knowing that making this cider was hard work and he probably shouldn't drink any more. If he wanted more, he probably should pay for it.
As he was pondering on feeling guilty, he noticed a bright flash in his peripheral vision and heard the two of them gasp. He turned around and nearly dropped his mug. Standing in front of him was Princess Luna, princess of the night. He quickly went to bow, remembering to keep his eyes on her face.
"There is no need to bow to us, for as long as we are just going about our day, there is not a need to bow to us. You may rise." Hektor was really confused by the use of plural verbs even though it was only her but he brushed it off as old royal etiquette. He stood straight and smiled at her. She returned the smile.
"Ah, Hektor Plekanov. Perhaps the single most competent member of the royal guard, we bid thee a hello." He rolled his eyes.
"I'm not used to such speech Luna." She gave her own eyeroll.
"Please, it's hard enough to talk 'normal' but if you insist, then we shall comply. Am I speaking fine now? Is this okay?"
"Yeah, it's alright. Atleast it's understandable. So why did you come here Luna? Without even a single guard with you?" She waved the question away with a hoof.
"Please, I am not weak. I've dealt with my fair share of thirsty stallions. I can deal with unwanted advances quite fine." What?
"Whatever Luna. So like I said, why did you come here?" Luna looked at him suddenly and looked around, noticing the stallions behind her.
"Oh. I see you have Blitz Krieg and Big Mac as your companions. Perfect, now that you're all here, I might as well continue."
"Continue with what?" She looked at him again with a serious look.
"Listen very carefully, Hektor and company. I have a very important proposition to all of you. That is, if you accept?" From how serious she was speaking, this must be really important. He looked at the two and called out to them to come close.
"Blitz! Big Mac! Come here! Stop staring at the princess's rear end and come here." The two visibly blushed and trotted towards him, avoiding eye contact with the lunar princess, the latter furling her eyebrows and giving them a look that told them to quit it.
"We're here. What's up?" Blitz asked, acting as Big Mac's spokesperson.
"Princess Luna is asking us of something. I'm asking you two if you're up for it. You two up for it?"
"Of course! Why not?"
"Nope." They turned to look at Big Mac.
"What? Why?"
"Nope." Hektor turned to princess Luna.
"Princess, how many do you need?"
"Just the two of you would be fine. I only asked Big Mac as an act of courtesy. If he doesn't want to, it's fine by me." He sighed in relief. He turned to Big Mac and gave him a look that said 'What the fuck mate?'.
"Alright Big Mac. If you don't want to, it's fine but please, get out. This is important and it has to be kept confidential. Am I clear?" Now Big Mac didn't like being bossed around but he saw that look Hektor sent him and he was more than eager to get of out of his view. So without a second more, he left the barn. Now that there were only two of them, they turned towards Luna, who watched them.
"I must say," She commented. "For a pony who came from a nation who embraced equality and fairness, that was a bit harsh, don't you think?"
"Insubordination... is very frowned upon and is not tolerated. If you disobeyed, you could get court-martialed." Luna nodded solemnly.
"I see. Very well then. Seeing as how you two are willing, I shall explain to you my predicament. So come close." They stepped forward until they were an arm's length away.
"Listen. This is very important and I came to you two specifically." She cleared her throat before continuing.
"Long ago, during Discord's short reign, stallions and mares were equal. But when he was defeated, he unleashed a curse that changed society forever. Many stallions were unwillingly changed into mares. It was his final prank, his last laugh. But it was not funny in the slightest. Not long after, it was clear that mares were superior in number. Under the guise of pretending to be concerned about birth rates, mares who saw themselves as the supreme gender, passed a law mandating that all stallions be taken care of, be kept at home and mares should be doing the stallion's work. It was a good ploy but they failed to realize one thing. Stallions were patriotic at the time. The one thing they cared for more than us was freedom. They took the new law and ripped it apart. They staged a revolution and fought for their freedom. It was violently suppressed, with many on both sides dead or injured. The stallions who survived fled and vanished into the frozen north. At the time, we thought that they had all died from the cold and we concerned ourselves with the ones who did not flee and remained for we thought they were the last ones. Then a few years later after we banished Sombra, an expedition team we had sent out to navigate the cold wastelands in the north stumbled upon a town. It was cold but life seemed to bustling in the little town. They returned and by that time, I was already banished to the moon. By this point, all of my knowledge concerning this subject I had gained from Celestia. She told me that after that expedition, she sent out an expeditionary force to conquer that town, for she knew about the stallions. Back then, she isn't the Celestia we know today. She was an inexperienced amateur when it came to leadership and she was foolish. She had sent out a great deal of soldiers out, but she lost many of them. They were inexperienced when it came to dealing with the cold and any attempts to assault the town failed. Despite this, they managed to capture some, which they saw as a victory. I do not know how many but if I am correct, about as little as fifty. When they were interrogating one of them, they managed to learn the Town's name. Stallionrad, he said. After this, Celestia came to her senses and was saddened by the amount of bloodshed she had caused and I know it still traumatizes her today. She stopped any attempts concerning the city and the city grew over time. Eventually ponies forgot about it and it became a myth." It was very fascinating but...
"This is very nice and all but what does this have anything to do with what you're asking of us?"
"Hold yourself there Hektor. I'm just getting to it. Just this morning, I received a letter from Princess Cadance and Shining Armor. They told me that the leader of the city of Stallionrad, King Vladmir, had approached them, asking for help. They did not specify what it was but they asked us if we would be willing to have a conversation about this. We accepted but the king had a certain condition. He would not come unless he was accompanied by a guard who was a stallion. There were two options, he would bring his own or Equestria supplied him one. This is where you come in. You will act as his guards and as an ambassador as well. If you agree to this, you must promise not to do anything to rouse his suspicion. There is no doubt that he will be testing you for any discrepancies with your loyalty. So act normal and courteous. The air and general feel surrounding this event would be based on how well you act towards him. Am I understood?" They only had one answer to that.
"Yes, your highness."
"I shall carry with me the honor of serving you as a member of the Red Army, the first communist of Russian origins to serve Royalty."
Contact! White horse thing! Wait, What? What the Fu-
Celestia sipped on her chamomile tea as she enjoyed the feeling of the rising sun’s rays on her coat. She sat on a soft cushion on a balcony overlooking majority of the city of Canterlot and Ponyville that was much farther away. She sighed in content, enjoying the little time she had to herself before she began on her royal duties. It was all so peaceful, quiet and relaxing to her, her ears listening on the sound of the birds chirping was a big improvement from the bickering she would often hear while trying to get two parties to compromise. Truly, things couldn’t get any better. Or so she thought.
As she sipped on the last of her tea, she began to wonder perhaps what else she should do to maximize this moment of relative peace. As she sat there thinking of what to do during her free time, an explosion blew a sizeable chunk of the outer part of the Everfree forest. The explosion was of some size and its shock wave made the castle ,and Canterlot as a whole, shake from the sheer magnitude. She kept herself steady with her magic, keeping her from toppling over and more importantly, allowing her to finish the cup of tea in her grasp without having it spill all over her pristine white coat. She made no inclination to move, instead slowly sipping on her tea. Nothing was going to ruin the few minutes she had all to herself. Not even bureaucrats.
As she finished her tea, she decided that perhaps it was time to investigate the random explosion that probably hurt no one and would probably result in mass hysteria which would probably hurt somepony. With relative ease, she charged a teleportation spell and disappeared into a white flash. She reappeared into the center of Ponyville, where despite the fact she was in the middle of town and was quite tall, no pony paid her any attention except for one which frankly, was enough. Surprise surprise, the one pony who noticed her was Twilight Sparkle which probably shouldn’t surprise anypony seeing as how the two share a special bond. They shared a hug before she voiced her concern. “Twilight, do you have anything to do with what that was?”
“No! Of course not. I was just making breakfast for both me and Spike when suddenly the whole town shook so much that a lot of the things that we put on high places actually fell! Spike was going to send you a letter for help but when he went to get some parchment at Quill Ink’s ink and parchment shop, a lot of the ink spilled on the parchments rendering them useless. So I told myself not to panic and I was looking for another alternative when- “
Celestia smiled and brushed her former pupil’s mane. “It’s alright Twilight. Atleast you know what to do when anything happens. If this wasn’t made by you, then it obviously means somepony with unknown capabilities is doing this. Quite dangerous as well, might I add, from the sheer size of that explosion. I’ll call the Royal Guard and we’ll investigate. Twilight, while I’m gone, I want you to set up a shield spell around the area of the explosion. I want to prevent the thing that caused that to escape to continue whatever it is that it is doing. Am I clear Twilight?”
Twilight nodded “Crystal, Princess.”
Celestia smiled. “Splendid. Now I want you to take care of things while I’m gone. Don’t let anypony stray too close to the area lest they get hurt.” With that, her horn flared a sunny yellow aura before blinding everyone nearby with a flash of light as she teleported back to Canterlot.
Hektor groaned in pain as his body refused to listen to him and did nothing but remind him how much pain he was currently in. He tried to push himself up but failed miserably. He began to scan the area looking for something he could use as leverage to get himself up. He found a rock which was barely up his waist in height but was suitable enough. Moving was a painstaking operation as every movement was rewarded with a jolt of pain, causing him to make frequent stops as he tried to limit the pain to as little as possible. His slow and painful journey was rewarded by a new vantage point and a slightly defensible position. The first thing he noticed was his environment. Aside from the fact that his surroundings looked like utter hell, he noted how little snow there was. It made no sense since Ukraine wasn’t exactly known for having a tropical climate and oak trees. He presumed they were oak trees anyway, or were they Pine trees? He shrugged to himself, wondering why the hell he was even thinking about the type of tree it was. It was just science which, unfortunately, wasn’t exactly a subject he himself excelled or cared about. He also noted how there are buildings but they looked like they were from the medieval ages. He checked for his satchel if he had anything to dull the pain but was disappointed to only find rifle magazines and rations. He did however find a compass but for some strange reason, it was going nuts and was just spinning wildly. He placed it back and looked for something he could use as a crutch to help him stand up.
Twilight stayed close to her older brother as they trekked to the outskirts of the Everfree forest, fearful of anything lurking in the shadows. Everypony was on guard, their eyes were on full alert and those with spears kept them close to their reach in case things went south. Celestia led the group, her presence alone keeping those with weaker wills from running away in fear. Cadence stayed close to Shining Armor while Luna was absent, currently knocked out in her bedroom. They stay in a tight formation lest something comes bursting through the forest.
As they neared the blast site, they realized just how large it was, its radius nearing the size of Ponyville’s center. Shining Armor began to issue orders to the other guards. “Everypony, split up and stay close. Stick with your group and if you see something, call us instead of investigating it yourself. Glimmering Shield, you’re with Blitz Krieg. Everyone else, stick with your partner.” With this, they all split up in search for something that could explain this occurrence. Unbeknownst to them, a still figure watched them from the cover of the shadows.
Hektor could not believe his eyes even though it was right in front of him. Talking. Horses… What. The. Fuck. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply before exhaling it back out. He opened his eyes and they were still there. He realized that this was no gimmick and he was really seeing talking horses. He tried to move his leg up closer to his body to keep them from seeing him but somehow, they noticed.
“Your highness, I saw something over there by the bushes.” He heard one of the horses yell.
“What did it look like?” He heard the white horse ask. They had seen him! Unless they only noticed the rustling the bushes. What was he going to do. He was left defenseless and at a disadvantage in this state. He had no idea if he even had the Kalashnikov with him in this place and even if it was somewhere nearby, it was already quite difficult to move, let alone move stealthily without being noticed. He sighed, resigning himself to whatever these would do to him if they found him, which was going to be quite soon. As he moved his hand to his side, he felt his hand brush on something metallic on his side. He pulled it out and realized he still had his Makarov with him. He checked his pockets for any clips for the pistol, only finding two clips and three magazines for the AK. He was ecstatic. He could defend himself if the situation warranted it. He examined the making to see if it still works.
While he was busy checking out the parts of the pistol to see if it was still functional, the main group had centered in on his location and were watching him. They had hidden behind a particularly large tree log that had fallen and are currently busy talking to each other quietly.
“Princess, what is that thing?” Twilight silently whispered to her mentor’s ear.
“I… don’t know,” Celestia responded, trying to get a clear view of the creature without attracting its attention. “If my memory stands clear, back when I was young, this is what they called a primate. It certainly has the same appearance but it looks… different. I know for a fact that they didn’t wear clothing that is that… unique back then.” Twilight’s eyes widened.
“Primates? Didn’t they go extinct nearly hundreds of years ago?” She asked.
“They did but it seems like they didn’t.” They began to move forward, trying to get as close as possible for a much closer view of the... thing. But as they were moving even closer, they heard a branch snap. They froze, knowing that had given them away. The creature looked up, no longer concerned with the little thing in his hand. It put something in it that looked like a metal ruler before yelling “Who’s there?”
The voice sounded masculine and Glimmering Shield smiled. This was male, a stallion, and knowing this made it all the more easier. A similar thought process came throughout the group except for Celestia and Cadence. They knew that even though it sounded like a stallion, looks could be deceiving. They watched its actions carefully, trying to get an idea of its intents. In the very least, they now know it could speak Equestrian.
Hektor’s eyes were on red alert. That tree branch snapping was them moving, it just had to be. They were moving in to their positions. They were coordinated, that he could say. But powerful? No. They only had spears while he had something more modern. An uncivilized weapon for a civilized age. He knew he had to get to a more defensive stance so using the rock behind him as something to lean on; he rose to a standing position. He winced as his side stung from the pain of having a bullet to the side. He aimed down the sights, finding his aim to be satisfactory, despite the fatigue that he felt in his arms. He tried walking forward and that went well. He tried to power walk and that went less well. He tried to keep an eye out in their general direction which went really badly, accidentally tripping and nearly falling if he hadn’t caught on to a tree.
He stabilized himself but just as he began to walk, something large sprinted out of the tree line and to where he knew the horses were watching him. He heard them scream and he thought about making a run for it but he knew that they would eventually just catch up to him. He sighed and he made a bee line to their location. The first thing he noted was that the beast looked like a mixture of a lion, a scorpion, and a dragon’s wings. He remembered reading something that looked similar to what he was seeing but he forgot its name. He saw it pin down a grey stallion wearing some Romanesque gold armor. He aimed for its head but his aim was way too wobbly, causing him to miss and hit its body instead. The hybrid grunted in pain and everything stopped. It turned away from its nervous prey and turned towards him. It snarled in anger and began to sprint at him. He moved to the side just in time, causing the lion to barely miss him. It stopped, turned around and charged right at him.
He steadied his aim and inhaled and exhaled. Time slowed to a halt and he aimed for its head. He fired once, twice and thrice before it crashed in to him. He strained to keep the thing off from his face as it tried biting him. He kept it off his face as he tried to reach for his Makarov. He felt the fatigue on his hand as the weight of the lion began to take a toll on his arm. As he grabbed the gun, his arm gave out on him and he knew he was dead. Something screamed as it drove a sword onto the lion’s side. It gave a shriek of pain and Hektor took this opportunity to stick the pistol onto its head and fired. He kept firing and firing and firing until his brain registered that his gun was making clicking noises. Its body fell limply and he breathed out a sigh of relief.
He noticed something approach and he looked up. It was the stallion he had saved earlier. He noticed how nervous it was and he sighed. It began to talk to him and he noted how much it stuttered. “I-I w-would like to t-thank y-y-you for saving m-me.”
“It’s alright. Might as well be on your good side right? Anyway, I helped and you helped me. What’s your name?”
“M-My n-name is B-Blitz Krieg. What’s y-y-yours?”
“Hektor Plekanov. Blitz, I don’t suppose you could help me get this thing off? What’s it called anyway?”
He acted like he hadn’t seen that he was currently underneath a massive beast. He began to push it to the side and Hektor began to push as well. When he got it off his chest, he sat up and he noticed the white horse approach him. He stood up and he faced her, based on how feminine her features are, he presumed that the horse was a female. She stood in front of him and he began to feel uncomfortable. There was something up with her. So when she smiled and began to speak to him, he sighed in relief.
“Greetings. My name is Princess Celestia and I would like to thank you for saving one of my guards although you used… excessive force. Perhaps we can work on having a productive relationship. If you want, perhaps you could even reside here in Ponyville on one condition.”
“Hmmm.” It was tempting, it was like living another life. He must have died. Might as well try to live. But what if… “What if I say no?”
Upon hearing this, Celestia’s smile dropped. “If you say no, well… I don’t really like anything that could hurt my little ponies be just wandering around. I’ll have no choice but to…” She trailed off. His eyes squinted as she tried to read her face.
“Was that a threat that I heard?” He asked her. Celestia smiled at him.
“Only if you say no. “ He sighed and he holstered his Makarov. He crossed his arms. “Alright, I accept but first, what is the condition?”
“Simple. You promise not to hurt any of my citizens or exploit them or do anything against them unless I allowed you to. Simple, yes?” He found it palpable in the least. It wasn’t that demanding. “Oh and another thing. You also keep watch of the town of Ponyville along with the Royal Guard stationed there.”
“Are you asking me to basically be part of your military?”
“Yes. Ponyville seems to be the focus of a lot of things in the past so having you there might lessen hysteria if something happens. I also wish for you to join me in a meeting with the other world leaders so that they may know about you and judge your intents.”
“Anything else?” Hektor asked, already overburdened by the amount of things she was asking of him.
She sported a slight blush “I’m sorry for basically telling you what to do. I’m just really concerned for my citizens. So I know my former pupil would ask you a lot of things so I also hope you could satisfy her curiosity.”
“As long as she doesn’t ask me how humans have sex.” Celestia laughed.
“Don’t worry, um, excuse me but I never really asked for your name.”
“Ah, yes. My name is Lt. Hektor Plekanov of the Armed forces of the Soviet Union.”
“Soviet… Anyway, Twilight knows what her limits are.”
“Perhaps we could continue this conversation somewhere else. Somewhere with proper arrangements perhaps?”
“I’m sorry,” Celestia apologized “But I have my duties and I can’t let them be. My student and Princess Cadance can continue this in Ponyville. Is that alright with you?”
Hektor smiled. “Splendid. Я понимаю. Тебе повезло, что я был серьезно ранен, потому что было бы плохой идеей драться со мной. Ну, по крайней мере, это решено.Если бы только мои родители могли видеть меня прямо сейчас, они бы думали, что я сумасшедший”
Celestia looked at him weirdly. “What did you say?”
“Nothing. Just something in my own language.”
