-Prologue-
Equestria was once a peaceful place. There was no war, no Zone, no death. The two princesses, Celestia and Luna, ruled together in harmony, hoof in hoof. The eldest used her powers to raise the sun at dawn, while the younger brought out the moon to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance throughout their land.
But the younger sister became resentful, the subjects that she ruled over relished and played during the day, but shunned and slept throughout the night. One fateful day, the younger sister refused to lower the moon, to make way for the dawn. The elder sister tried to reason with the younger, but the bitterness in the young one’s heart had transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness, Nightmare Moon. She vowed that she would shrewed the world in eternal night. Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to Ponykind, the elements of harmony.
Using the elements of harmony, she attempted to defeat her sister, but to no avail. The harmony the two once shared was gone, leaving the elements powerless. Unable to defeat her sister, the princess of the sun fled to the centre of Equestria, where she hid for many years. Darkness reigned, and Nightmare Moon ruled over the land mercilessly, killing all those who dared to stand in her way.
The elder sister hid in fear of her sister’s powerful state, waiting for the appropriate time to strike. She built herself an army, one that could rival Nightmare Moon’s and launched an attack on the castle. The siege lasted decades, with neither pony gaining an advantage over the other. Nightmare Moon, tired of the war, left her castle and attacked the army that waited on her doorstep. She killed all, not sparing even those who had given up long ago.
The princess of the sun, defeated, turned towards the heavens for an answer. They complied, and sent her a message. They told her to go to the castle of the two sisters, located in the centre of the Everfree forest. There, she would find a weapon capable of ending her sister’s reign. They warned her about the implications of what might happen if used, but the princess was so desperate that she paid them no heed.
She confronted Nightmare Moon, and told her what she was about to do. Nightmare Moon laughed at the strange weapon, thinking that it was harmless. The elder sister cried, she knew what she must do. She detonated the weapon, and it exploded, sending a shock wave throughout Equestria.
The explosion wiped out almost all signs of life, aside from those who took shelter by using their magic. Equestria was now a wasteland, barren and empty, destroyed. Both the Pegasus ponies and the earth ponies had been wiped out, leaving only the unicorns.The two sisters had survived the explosion, but they were catapulted to opposite sides of Equestria.
Nightmare Moon was not happy, she had been stopped from taking over Equestria. But she had told herself that this land would do just as nicely. She founded a faction and invited as many of the remaining unicorns to join her, promising them a better tomorrow.
Once the elder sister found out about what her sister was doing, she had to retaliate. She invited the last of the unicorns to join her in her quest for good. The two factions, The Moonaliths and Duty, fought against each other for the rule of the new wasteland, which had been dubbed ‘The Zone’.
Decades passed as the two fought against each other, and some of the unicorns in the factions began to grow tired. They deserted the groups and moved out into the wilderness, searching for a better place. The groups of ‘deserters’ banded together, forming a thriving community. They built towns, and populated them. The group began to grow bigger as more and more ponies left the factions to join them.
The princesses realized what was happening, and set out to destroy the ‘deserters’. Afraid, they resorted to the only thing they had left, their knowledge of war. The strongest from each town banded together to make a group known as the S.T.A.L.K.E.R’s. These strong ponies were created to fend off any attack that the factions threw their way.
The S.T.A.L.K.E.R’s were becoming a threat to the factions, and so, in the dead of night, the factions attacked, wiping out almost all of those who dared to stand against them. The few who survived fled to separate villages, but were soon hunted down and killed. With nothing to protect them, the villages began to empty as more and more rebels headed for the center of the Zone. The center was said to contain an unaffected part of Equestria, were all could live in peace.
To reach the center, ponies had to dodge anomalies, mutants and what was left of the factions. Most failed, even the ones who made it through were never heard of again. The ponies had given up hope, and most had joined either the Moonaliths, run by princess Luna, or Duty, run by Celestia. The last of the rebels held on to their fractured lives with the hope that somepony would come to help.
Their hope was not in vain, because hope came to them. It came in the form of a pony, the last of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R’s. The ponies of the Zone had long since given up the names of their forefathers, so the last of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R’s was named: Artyom...
Author's page.
Hey there! Taranasaurus here, just got a few things to say regaurding my stories(including this one).
I need cover art. Anyone willing to draw something for me, send me a PM containing the image, or anything else you can provide.
Stuff to say about editing: Got a piece of prose that you think is worthy of becoming the next 'My little Dashie' but don't know if it's up to todays amazingly high writing standards? Then send that baby over to Taranasaurus' official reviews.
Aside from doing what I usually do, which is where I go around and edit/give advice on random fics, I'm going to be spending my hard-earned free time editing YOUR fics. Doesn't matter what it is; shipping, grimdark, clop, I'll review it.
Now, a bit of information about my services: They're not free. Whilst I won't be damanding money or other forms of payment (;D), I do want some form of recognition. After all, I did just slave away editing your fic, I want SOME kind of appreciation. All you have to do is add a little "Edited by Taranasaurus" at the bottom of your fic. It's that simple.
Another thing
I reserve the right to edit your fic when I feel like it, not when it fancies you. If, however, you feel that your fic deserves more attention then the others, you need to give me a legitament reason why, oh yeah, and your fic has to be good. E.g "Well, I just think that, because I wrote it, it has to be read first. After all, I am the most amazing writer in ALL of Equestria." WRONG! This is not something legitament (Shuddup, I can spell!).
"Well, I was planning on showing this to my friends before school starts again, so I was wondering if you could give it a little bit of attention." Well, okay then. I can do that. Also, don't lie. I can tell when you are lying, because I have the element of honesty right next to me.
'What in tarnation?' A voice called from the pocket of the writer. 'Are y'all talkin' 'bout me again?'
"Uh no, Applejack. I was, uh, talking about, er, the... the, other element of honesty! Yeah, that's it."
'Well, all right then. But don't y'all talk 'bout me behind ma back, ya hear?'
"Yes Applejack."
Okay, now that she's off of my tail, let me get to another order of business, the actual review.
Now, I have two types of service's.
One: The overlay.
Requirments: Your story needs to be in a google doc, with comments enabled.
Details: I will go through your story and point out errors and plot holes and the like. I won't physically edit your work, I'll just point out the errors of your ways. I will then send you a message saying that I have completed the edit, and pointed out other errors.
Two: Re-write.
Requirments: You have to give me permission to copy/paste your story. Just a simple "Sure thing, dude," is enough.
A back-up copy, for comparison.
Details: I take your story, and edit it ruthlessly. I go through and remove mistakes and add dialogue where needed. (If I believe what you have doesn't sound right, I will point it out.) I will edit loopholes and add punctuation where needed. I will also add in the basic rules of the English language. E.g:
"B-but I love you" Twilight's lower lip began to tremble. "i know Twi' and I though i loved you two, but these things change." "No, no! It's not true, you're lying!" twilight ran from the room, her loud sobs echoing down the hall as i watched her disappear.
Pretty bad, huh? Well, that's not a problem for Taranasaurus!
Fix:
"B-but I love you." Twilight's lower lip began to tremble.
"I know Twi', and I though I loved you to, but these things change."
"No, no! It's not true. you're lying!" Twilight ran from the room, her loud sobs echoing down the hall as I watched her disappear.
$smiley fixed! I added simple rules, and look how much better it is.
Okay, those are my two editing modes, why not tell me what you think in the comments?
Other things about editing: Listen to what I say. Don't just let it go in through one ear and out the other. Understand, learn from your mistakes. If I edit ten chapters for you, all with the same consistant errors, and then you go and make the same errors again in chapter eleven, I'm gonna be pissed.
Anyway, contact me by sending me a PM. Don't worry, I'll read it.
Okay, that was my editing ad, pretty cool, huh? (Nnnnope) Humph! Fine, be that way.
Don't worry, I still got a few things to say.
I know this sounds like sucking up, but, if you want to get updates on my stories, what I'm up to, and who's the 'next best thing', then check out my blog posts. I post everything that needs to be anything there, including story sneak-peaks.
Anyway, I believe that I have written enough. In fact, I think my notes are longer than the actual chapter, oops. BYE!
-Chapter 1-
The sky was smothered in grey clouds, blocking out the rays of the sun that hung so far above. Small drops of rain fell from the sky, pattering softly around the ground that surrounded Artyom’s hooves. The plains stretched on endlessly in front of him, disappearing over the horizon like a giant blanket gripping the ground. The plains where only broken by small trees and shrubs protruding from the sides of hills and mountains. Large cracks opened up in the side of the earth, scarring the landscape, but allowing for civilization to strive. Small towns were scattered on the edges of the gashes, thriving with life. One particular town caught Artyom’s eye, and he sighed with relief. He was almost there, soon, he could relax. He stepped forward, keeping his eyes on his destination as not to get lost. As he planted his first hoof down, a low growling sound emanated from behind him. Artyom whirled around to face the source of the noise, his horn glowing brightly in preparation.
Something pounced onto him, throwing him off balance and he toppled into the dirt with a small “oof.” The thing was still on top of him, pinning his forelegs against the ground with it’s own. Artyom struggled, flinging his hindlegs from side to side in a desperate attempt to break free of the creature’s grasp. His horn began to glow brightly, and he used his magic to pick the thing up and throw it a small distance away. He pulled himself shakily to his hooves, turning to view the monster, his horn glowing. The creature pulled itself up, while turning it’s head to look at him. Artyom glared at the thing, a small trickle of blood dripping down his lip and over his chin. The creature turned its entire body towards him, shaking violently.
Is it... laughing? Artyom asked himself. Suddenly the creature could not contain it’s composure any more, and it threw it’s head backwards, letting out a loud, booming laugh.
“Oh, Artyom,” it chuckled, it’s voice low and husky. “You... you should’ve seen your face.” These words sent the creature into another fit of laughter.
“Alexei?” Artyom asked, not sure if he recognized the monster before him. Alexei lifted himself to his full height, wiping some of the grime from his face with his forehoof. Without the dirt covering his features, Artyom could tell that it was Alexei who stood in front of him, beaming proudly at the prank he had just pulled.
“I gotcha good, didn’t I?” Alexei asked, holding out a hoof in front of him. Artyom raised his own hoof and brought it together with his friend’s in a sign of greeting.
“Ha, I guess you did,” Artyom told him, turning around to face his original destination. “C’mon, I’m almost to Yanov station. We can talk more on the way.”
He began to walk in the direction of Yanov station, with Alexei in tow right behind him. “So, how’ve things been going with you, ‘marked one’?”
Artyom turned his head to his friend, an annoyed smirk on his face, “I told you not to call me that. I’m just Artyom.”
“Sure, whatever you say, ‘marked one’.”
“Anyway, things have been great. In the entire time that I’ve been gone, only two emissions passed, both of which were low on the scale,” Artyom began, turning his eyes back to the path in front of them. “I traveled through the abandoned mines with a group of artifact hunters.”
“Did you find any?” Alexei asked.
“Any what?”
“Artifacts,” said Alexei, clipping Artyom in the back of the head with his hoof.
“Yeah, a few. But I sold them all at the Zaton markets,” Artyom said, rubbing the back of his head gingerly.
“What did you do with the bits?” asked Alexei.
The pair approached a crossroads, with a sign in the centre. It read: Pripyat, 19 miles north. The arrow pointed down another winding path that lead through the mountains. “Ah, you know, the usual. Got my vest repaired, brought some vodka, that kinda thing.”
“You... wouldn’t happen to have any of that vodka left, would you?” asked Alexei, a hopeful look in his eyes.
“Why, you thirsty?” Artyom reached behind him with his magic, rummaging in his saddlebags. After a few seconds of searching, a bottle emerged, surrounded in the white aura of Artyom’s magic. Artyom lost concentration as his hoof slid into a pot hole in the ground below him, causing the bottle to slip from his magical grasp. It clattered against the ground, but did not shatter.
“Huh. Good thing these bottles are made of sterner stuff these days,” Alexei said, picking the bottle up with his own magic.
Artyom smiled gratefully at his friend, “Thanks. You have no idea how much this cost me. I mean, fifty bits is a bit much, even for today’s standards.”
“Fifty bits?” Alexei almost exploded. “You paid fifty bits!” Alexei looked towards his friend, a look of anger on his face. “That’s nearly half of what I make in one raid.”
“Really? They don’t pay you enough, honestly.”
“Well, we better not let this bottle go to waste, huh?” The pair were approaching the large, rusty iron doors that separated Yanov station from the outside world. Alexei raised his hoof as they got closer, and banged against the giant doors. “C’mon already, let us in.”
“Who is it?” A muffled reply sounded from inside.
“Alexei, and Artyom.”
“Artyom? Really?” The gates swung open in a wide arc, and a brown unicorn stepped through the crack that had been created. “Wow, Artyom. Never thought I’d see you again.”
“Full of surprises, ain’t he?” Alexei remarked, stepping through the doors. He motioned for Artyom to follow, and the two headed inside, leaving the gate pony to close the giant doors alone.
****
“... and then I tore the beast off me, and blew it apart with my horn!” exclaimed Artyom.
The small crowd of children that were gathered around him cheered him on, with cries of “woah,” and “amazing.”
“Is that really true, mister Artyom?” one of the younger children asked, looking up towards Artyom.
“Well, maybe I slightly over exaggerated, but yes, it is mostly true,” Artyom told the young pony. “Now, if you will all excuse me, I have some things to attend to.”
The children ran off outside with a chorus of “thanks, mister.” Artyom stood up from were he had been sitting on the floor, and began his slow walk through the labyrinth of benches that made up the mess hall. Most of them were empty at the moment, as the stallions were out raiding for food and supplies. The only people that had stayed behind were either mares and foals, or ponies who were too old to fight. A bar stood alone in the far corner of the large hall, occupied by only two ponies, the bartender, and Alexei.
Noticing his friend, Alexei waved his hoof towards Artyom, inviting him over. “Hey, hey Artyom! Come over here, I’ve got something to discuss with you.” Artyom pulled a second stool out from under the bench with his magic, and hoisted himself up next to Alexei.
“Yes?”
“Well,” Alexei began, pausing only to take a drink from his glass. “The bartender here has a bit of a problem, and I’ve offered to lend him a hoof. Last week, some bandits,” Alexei took another swig of his vodka, “took his last order of supplies, meaning that the camp is low on food and water. He’s offered to pay big money if we can get his order back here in one piece.” Alexei took one final swig from his cup and slammed it down against the bar top. “But, I’m going to need your help.”
“Me? Why my help?” Artyom didn’t understand. Anything that he could do, Alexei could do as well.
“The group made off to their hideaway in the centre of the swamp. Now, I ain’t ever been in there before, but you’ve told me plenty of times that you have.”
“Yeah, but never to the bandits camp.”
“C’mon Artyom, you must’ve seen something.”
Alexei was right, Artyom had seen something. When he had been on one of his artifact hunts, he had caught a glimpse of the bandit’s camp between some trees. He hadn’t investigated, after all, he was on his own, and there were nearly twenty of them that stayed in the camp. “I may have seen something,” Artyom started. “But its not gonna be easy.”
“Huh, this is me we’re talkin’ about here, not some sissy artifact hunter. I can handle it,” Alexei said confidently.
Artyom sighed, “All right, I’ll go. But on one condition.” He looked his friend in the eyes as he said this, “I get half the pay, and half of whatever we find in the camp.”
“Deal,” the two banged their hooves together in a sign of agreement. “We leave first thing tomorrow morning.”
Artyom turned back to the bartender, who was smiling at him. “Two more vodkas,” he ordered, and the bartender hurried off into the back of his shop. He returned a few moments later with a bottle of vodka. He set it down in front of Artyom and Alexei.
“On the house,” he smiled at the two.
“Thanks,” they both said in unison, before turning back to each other and refilling their glasses.
****
Alright, now I know not many people like this, so I'm not gonna update very often. If, however, you do like it, then why not leave a comment?
Sorry for the short chapter, just had to get it out of my system.
