S.T.A.L.K.E.R AiE Chapter 2

>Status report?

>Current status: Unconscious

>Restart bodily functions.

>Heartbeat, breath and neural systems normal.

>Subject ready for wakeup.

>Starting wakeup.exe

>Welcome back, No Name.

>You wake up with a groan, and try to open your eyes.

>Oh sweet lord it burns.

>It’s like someone is showing a fucking flashlight in your eyes.

>You force your eyes open.

>And you see the light blue sky.

>Okay, what the fuck.

>You raise yourself from the ground, and take a look at your surroundings.

>Scorched earth and burned trees.

>And normal, healthy looking big oak trees.

>And grass.

>Not the brown Zone grass, but the green, awesome looking variant.

“What the shit?”

>You get yourself into a sitting position, and stare at the trees.

>You scratch at your head, and look at the spot you were laying in.

>Holy shit it’s all fucked up.

>The land is badly burned and dead.

>It’s like that part in Terminator 2 when they come from the future.

>You stand up.

>Shit, your muscles are sore.

>Okay, a quick rerun of what happened.

>You raise your hand up, and clench it shut.

“Meet mercs”, you raise one finger.

“They recruit me into a suicide mission of sorts”, you raise another finger.

“Get attacked by bloodsuckers”, you raise a third finger.

“They force us into a school building while shit’s blowing up all around us”, you raise a fourth finger.

“And then get sucked into an anomaly”.

>Now with an open palm, you slap yourself in the face.

“DREAMING, TIME TO WAKE UP”, you shout.

>Okay, that hurt.

>So scratch the sleeping part.

>Okay, other things that might’ve fucked you up?

>Transdimensional portals?

>Wormholes?

>Warpdrive?

“Sheesh...”, you sigh, and collapse to the ground.

>Okay, you’re in a forest that’s green and shit, what now?

>What would a real stalker do?

>Or now, what would a merc do?

>Are you a merc?

“Time to merc this up”, you whisper, and raise yourself from the ground once again.

>You remove your backpack, and empty it to the ground.

>Mags, a first aid kit, several bandages and Hunter’s sausages.

>And sweet lord, energy drinks, water and an anomaly detector.

>You look at your gear, and then realize that you are missing your AK.

>You still have your sidearm though.

>You stand up, and look around.

>You see a gun’s barrel sticking out of the scorched earth.

>You walk to it, and try to pull it out.

>It doesn’t budge.

>Is this how King Arthur felt like?

>But instead of a sword you are trying to pull a gun.

>And out of the earth, not a rock.

>You grip the barrel with both of your arms, and pull.

>It shoots up from the ground, and you fall flat on your ass.

“The shit I’m put through...”, you curse.

>Okay, the AK looks fine, a bit dirty, but other than that, it’s fine.

>You throw the AK to your pile of gear.

>Okay, time to check vest.

>You remove your vest, and place it on the ground.

>Shit has like ten pockets.

>You open all of them, and start pulling out mags and grenades.

>And a ball of pure light.

“Huh, a moonthing... Moonlight?”

>Hunter gave it to you for... Controllers?

>Must protect from psychic things, then.

>You place the thing back into one of the vest’s pockets, and you re-equip it again.

>Okay, so you have food, ammo and grenades.

>You’ll be okay, you hope.

>You stuff your gear back where it was, and look around once again.

>The forest around you doesn’t look thick at all, the ground being littered with only grass and small flowers.

>So, probably outskirts of a forest?

>Just a wild guess.

>You shrug, and start walking towards one of the trees.

>As you reach it, you look at the trunk.

>It’s not as thick as some of the trees you’ve seen outside of the Zone, back at home.

>And the tree looks rather easy to climb.

>You drop your backpack, and jump up.

>You grab one of the branches, and lift yourself up.

>The tree isn’t thick at all, and your flight up is easy.

>As you break the canopy, you can see the surrounding area in whole.

>Fuckhuge mountains, tons of trees...

>And a town.

>A candy coloured town.

>With small houses.

>You start climbing down.

>As you get back down, you take your backpack, and turn towards the town.

>Or the general direction of it.

“Kay, town, time for you to meet a merc without a name”, you whisper, and start walking.

>As you walk, your mind starts wandering.

>So, you’re in a forest, walking towards a candy town.

>Beats getting buttfucked by bloodsuckers.

>Your thoughts get to your comrades, the Death Guard.

>What happened to them?

>Did they die?

>Are they here?

>But if they were near you, why didn’t they help you?

>Your train of thoughts is broken as you feel a gentle tug on your legs.

>You look down and see a sea of blue.

>Apparently you walked into a field full of blue flowers.

>Even the leaves are blue.

>You scratch at your head, and continue forwards, walking straight through the flower field.

“Either this is real, or someone spiked my food with LSD”, you grumble.

>You step out of the field, and continue forward.

>You notice that there are less trees than before.

>The edge must be near.

>And there it is, you see a field, just outside of the forest.

>Huh, looks like farmland.

>You look around, and spot the town.

>It’s a bit to the left of you.

>Hell, navigating in a forest is hard.

>You walk out of the forest, and turn towards the town.

>As you get closer to the town, you notice how quiet it is.

>There is no sound.

>It’s like Limansk just before shit hit the fan.

>You stop, and stare at the buildings.

>Ghost towns... You don’t like them.

>You almost died in one.

>You pull out your AK, and flip the safety off.

>You pull your the scarf you have been wearing, and conveniently pull it, effectively covering your mouth and nose.

>You give it a gentle tug to determine if it holds.

>Seems like it will.

>Then you pull up your hood, covering your whole head with it.

>Then you take careful steps towards the town, eyeing everywhere.

>Don’t want to get ambushed by anything, not after... That...

>As you get into the town’s outskirts, you decide to take the more... Stalkerish way in.

>Climb over a tall fence.

>You hoist yourself over it, and tumble forwards once you hit the ground, quickly taking aim forwards.

>You bolt forwards, and check both left and right from the alley you are in.

>Quiet and empty.

>Just like Limansk, but...

>Looks like someone lives here.

>Or something, judging by how everything’s so small.

>Either you just stepped into a town with a population of midgets, or they are not humans.

>The first thought that crosses your mind are mutants.

>But what mutant could be in a such place?

>Everything looks clean, innocent even.

>But you’re not.

>Not anymore.

>You’re a Stalker, and after that... Thing, you’d call yourself a merc.

>You jump out to the street from your hiding spot, and move in quick steps.

>Constantly eyeing the windows, listening for a sound.

>The only sounds you hear are your heartbeat and the sound of a mixture of gravel and dirt, quietly crunching below your feet.

>You stop near an edge of a block, the main road connecting with several others, forming an open area, probably a market place judging by all the carts...

>...But something’s off, very, very off.

>You have an odd feeling about  the carts.

>You can’t help but bolt from your current position towards the carts.

>As you run, you take a few quick glances at every direction something could come from, or could see you from.

>As you reach the carts, you notice that this place is indeed a marketplace.

>All the carts have vegetables and some sort of devices and things in them.

>But there’s one thing.

>You can’t read the text conveniently placed over the carts.

>That’s where the shop’s name would be, but instead of text, you see symbols.

>They don’t resemble anything you’ve seen.

>Oval shapes, common objects, all placed next to each other, forming words and sentences.

>So, monsters or mutants, you’d better get out.

>But better not leave empty handed, you grab a few carrots and apples from a nearby cart, and stuff them inside your vest.

>You turn around, and start running towards your original position, deciding to backtrace your steps and get out of the town.

>A feeling of dread starts to rise.

>It’s the feeling when you’ve seen something, but only your senses have registered it.

>You turn to your left, and instantly as you do, something shouts.

>You instinctively press your finger on the trigger, and shoot.

>The gunshot echoes throughout the village.

>Then you see what you shot at.

>Two miniature horses, one purple and one cyan.

>You barely hit the purple one’s front hoof, but even if you’d have hit, the hoof would have been torn off.

>Confusion hits you like a brick, and you stop right there, and stare at the two horses.

>Still not lowering your weapon though, you aim at the two things, trying to determine if they are a threat.

>The cyan one, who’s standing right next to the purple one, has a set of wings, stiff in the air, and it’s kneeling down a bit, like it’s ready to pounce forwards.

>The purple one is sporting a small horn, and looks terrified, you can clearly see the fear on its face.

>It’s like looking at a human, but something’s off.

>You can’t quite place it, but it’s fear alright.

>Your aim shifts towards the cyan pegasus, who looks angry, a small grin revealing all of its teeth.

>Common herbivorous teeth, you’ve seen them earlier.

>Quite different from the canines you have.

>The pegasus takes a step forwards, and you harden yourself, ready to kill the thing in one fast motion.

>The bullet would penetrate its forehead, instantly killing the thing.

>Instead of jumping forwards, the pegasus slams its wings downards, sending itself into the air.

>Now that your aim is off, you quickly pull the gun upwards, and fire once.

>A miss, but it stopped.

>And this time, the look on its face is that of the purple one’s.

>Fear.

>Fear and confusion.

>It drops back to the ground, and looks at the purple one.

>The purple one, an unicorn, looks even more horrified.

>But tries to hide it, probably realizing that you’re only a threat if they give you a reason to be.

>Clever things, so, probably mutants.

>The unicorn tries to take a step forwards, but you quickly aim at the thing, halting its movement.

>Must’ve realized that the thing you’re carrying is deadly.

>The unicorn closes its eyes, and clearly tries to focus on something.

>Then its horn starts to glow faintly.

>Then...

>Nothing.

>Nothing happens.

>And the pegasus next to it looks even more confused, and more horrified than before.

>Even the unicorn looks confused.

>It leans towards its companion, and clearly whispers something.

>You can hear a faint feminine voice, but can’t quite catch what language it is.

>Sounds damn familiar though.

>The cyan pegasus looks even more horrified than before, and gasps.

>Then the unicorn turns towards you again, and looks you in the eyes.

>It’s like its trying to ask for something.

>To let you go?

>This is not a hostage situation.

>Then it opens its mouth, and speaks.

>It speaks english.

>Holy mother of God, it speaks.

>”Please... Don’t hurt us”, it says in a hushed down voice.

>Your eyes flare open in confusion, and the purple one sees your confusion.

>And a tiny flash of fear.

>It... She, backs away a bit, and you stiffen yourself, aiming at her even harder, the gun starting to shake a bit.

>”Please..?”, She says louder than before.

>The cyan pegasus takes a step forwards, and she speaks too.

>”Look, just let us go, ‘kay?”

>Your aim shifts to her.

>She stops, and folds her wings, and takes a step back.

>Okay, time up.

>So, forest, field of blue flowers, a ghost town with two mythical creatures in it, both being small horses.

>Not to add that they can talk.

>And you are currently aiming your gun at them.

>They must be terrified, and you’re confused as hell.

>”Dash, I’m not sure if it can understand us... Can you understand?”, the unicorn asks.

>So they have names.

>You nod hastily, still aiming at Dash, the pegasus.

>Interesting name, but fitting.

>”We are not a threat, you understand?”, she continues.

>Her friend, the pegasus, looks stunned.

>A small involuntary smile creeps on your face, hidden by your scarf.

>Yes, they are not, but one swift motion and they can be a threat again.

>You lower your gun a bit, still aiming at their general direction though.

>The unicorn smiles a bit, and steps forwards.

>You react, and bring the gun up again, aiming at her.

>But then lower it again a bit.

>”Twi, I don’t think this is a good idea...”, Dash whispers.

>It’s barely audible, but you can hear it, thanks to fear and stress sharpening your senses.

>You lower your AK, and free one of your arms, and pull your hood off, revealing your face.

>You then kneel down a bit, making yourself a bit smaller, but still standing taller than the ponies.

>It would take you one swift motion to end their lives.

>It would be over in a heartbeat.

>You clear your throat, and speak.

“No funny business, one wrong move and you’re dead.”

>The pegasus grins, and the unicorn nods slowly.

>You aim the AK at ground, and balance yourself properly.

>This is the position where you are hard to knock down, and can bolt up and sprint fast.

>You are in charge, and the ponies know it.

>The unicorn takes a few steps forwards, and stops a good six meters in front of you.

>Still, if you’d want to kill her without a weapon, you could. Easily.

>You raise a finger, and place it over your mouth.

>The unicorn looks confused, but you are quick to clear things up.

“I ask the questions now, you answer, then we’ll see what happens.”

>She nods.

“First, where am I, what are you, who is she, and who are you.”

>She takes a quick glance at her friend, Dash, and then turns to you.

>She clears her throat, and speaks.

>”This is the village of Ponyville, in the land of Equestria, near the capital city, that’s Canterlot. And as of who, what, we are, I’m an unicorn called Twilight Sparkle, the element of Magic, and she”, she points at Dash with her forehoof, “Is the element of loyalty, Rainbow Dash, a pegasus, hope that cleared a few things up.”

>She smiles weakly, and bows down apologetically.

>You nod slowly.

>Well chucks, take it you’re not in the Zone anymore, huh?

>And probably not in the universe you originate from.

>Fuck.

>You sigh.

>You fall into silence, trying to take it all in, and preferably logically.

>But no matter how you look at things, they don’t make any sense.

>But logic was shattered the moment you entered the Zone.

>Laws of physics, distorted and broken.

>And even then, there was some sense beneath all of it.

>You could explain the anomalies, the artifacts, the reason why Zone was created, even that was a well known thing.

>”Uh... Excuse me? Can I ask you something..?”, A voice breaks your thoughts.

>It’s the small unicorn, Twilight Sparkle.

>And she’s only a few centimetres away from you.

>You raise your hand, and her eyes follow it.

>You pull your scarf, revealing your mouth.

>You smile.

>The smile revealing your canines.

>Her eyes widen a bit, a mixture of fear and realization filling them.

“I’m a Human, an omnivorous being that’s violent in nature, a trained soldier, hereby called, Stalker, and as you saw, I possess devices that are... Deadly”, you whisper, and can’t help but smile.

>Some twisted thought made you say it. But why?

>To scare her even more?

>Your smile widens, and you chuckle a bit.

>So this is what it must feel to be a predator, the one who calls the shots.

>The ultimate being.

“Violent only if you give me a reason to be...”, Your voice drifts into silence.

>She backs down, returning to her original position not far from you.

>She’s not stupid, and must have understood your terminology well enough.

>But the big question is, what now?

>You almost killed two mythical beings, and now you’ve scared them.

>And you’re lost.

>And you’re not in a position to ask things... But you could always... Demand them.

>You shake your head, quickly dispelling such thoughts.

>Time to be more yourself, less like a bandit, more like a Loner.

>You slowly put the AK on the ground, not breaking the stare between you two.

>Her eyes are following your AK, and once it hits the ground and your hands leave it, she smiles.

>It’s almost cute.

>”Thank you”, she says.

>You pull the scarf back up, once again covering your mouth.

>You move a bit, shifting the balance on your right leg, and form a squatting position.

>So, what now, you’re in a bad spot, easy to knock down, but... You feel okay.

>Yeah, don’t see the tiny unicorn being a threat.

>The only thing she could do is to stab you, but you have enough time to react.

>”Say, are you from the Everfree forest?”, The unicorn kneels down in front of you, and smiles warmly.

>You think for a moment, and then nod.

“Could say that, yeah, guess I kinda am.”

>”What do you mean?”, She asks, and gives you a puzzled look.

>You take a deep breath, and sit down, crossing your legs on the progress.

“Well, you see, I did come from the forest, yeah, if you mean the one outside of this town”, you say, and point towards the way you came from, “technically, but not really.”

>She tilts her head sideways in slight confusion.

>”What do you mean?”

>You look at her in the eyes, and shake your head.

“See, if this is real, and I’m afraid it is, then I’m not from here... Bigger possibility that it is real...”, Your voice drifts into silence, and you look at the ground.

>You look up, and your eyes meet.

“I got sucked into an anomaly.”

>She raises an eyebrow, “What do you mean?”

>Rainbow joins you, and sits next to Twilight, eyeing you carefully.

>She hasn’t seen your face yet, not completely at least.

>Twilight looks at her friend, and sighs, then turns back to you and repeats her question.

>”Are you implying that you’re not native to Equestria? Do you come from another country then?”

>You shake your head.

“What I mean is that I’m not from this... Land, as in whole, I woke up in the forest.”

>Rainbow raises an eyebrow, and joins your discussion.

>”What do you mean by that? You’re not from Equestria that’s for sure... Never seen anything like you.”

>You chuckle.

“But I’ve seen you, as in, I’ve seen Unicorns and Pegasi in my world.”

>”So, Equestria”, Rainbow triumphs.

>You look at her, and remove your scarf.

“As in books, and even then they looked far bigger and less... Human.”

>Rainbow looks confused, but Twilight nods.

>”Human?”, Rainbow asks with a confused tone, “Are you..?”

“Yes, that’s my species, Homo Sapiens in Latin.”

>”What, your species is gay?”

>”Rainbow, I think he meant the scientific name, not sexual attraction.”

>”That’s still a bit homo.”

>You chuckle, and Twilight sighs.

“She’s silly”, you laugh, and uncross your legs.

>Twilight looks at you, and stands up.

>”Anyways, it’s good to know that you’re not here to... Y’know, eat us or anything... Even though you have the... Equipment to do it...”

>You smile,pull down your scarf, revealing your teeth yet again.

>Rainbow is quick to jump into the air, and she hovers closer to you, eyeing your teeth.

>”Huh, whadday know, they look kinda sharp.”

>She tries to poke your face, but you are quick to lean backwards, dodging the poke.

>Even if you wouldn’t hate being poked, thanks to Baz, you would have dodged it anyways.

>She pulls her hoof back, and smiles a bit.

>”You don’t look so tough, without that mask of yours.”

>You grin. It’s true, a human does not look that intimidating, not without a mask.

“You should see my friends”, you chuckle, “Too bad I have no idea where they are... Anyways, they look pretty scary, but that’s the mask again.”

>”Whadday mean you don’t know where they are?”

>You frown a bit.

“See, I’m not native to this land, and I think I got here through a portal of sort. That anomaly expanded and well... We kinda got sucked inside it.”

>Twilight jumps upwards, and her face is that of joy and enlightement.

>”An Extraequestrial being! Amazing!”

>She jumps towards you, and you stumble backwards.

>Rainbow is quick to block her friend, and gives her an annoyed glare.

>”Twilight, this thing almost killed you, stay back a bit.”

>”But it’s friendly!”

>Are you friendly?

>Well, now to think of it, you kinda are.

>Hunter would have killed these two, not sure about Visor and Baz.

>Hell, think any other Stalker but you would have done just that.

“Yeah... I guess I am, really... Compared to some other guys, that is.”

>Twilight’s smile widens, and her eyes blink.

>Looks like they are filled with stars.

>She rubs her forehooves together, and giggles.

>”I want to know everything, EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU!”

>”Twi, give him some space, seriously.”

>Twilight looks at Rainbow, and nods.

>”We’ll be going to my house, for... Public safety and... Your safety, yes!”

“I can take care of myself, you know.”

>”Nononono, I mean... To ask questions, yes!”, She giggles.

>”I already know something of you, but but, I want to know everything!”

>Well, this is going to be a mouthful.

>Magical unicorns that can talk?

>And they want to ask you questions about everything?

>Well, at least you know the answer to all and everything, so that’s good.

>You sigh, and raise yourself from the ground, once again towering over the two ponies.

>They barely reach your waist, small creatures.

“Sure... I guess, so, lead the way?”

>She jumps in the air, and starts bouncing around, slowly drifting away from you and Rainbow, constantly yelling “Yesyesyesyesyes”.

>And thus the Rookie ventured forth with his newfound companions.