Serving Equestria in (your second) life

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.”