//------------------------------//
// To Stalliongrad! 
// Story: Twilight Gets her Own Student 
// by Mr Anomalous 
//------------------------------//


To Stalliongrad!



[/hr]

It was night time by the time the Princess, Spike and her Guard had left Equestrian borders. Spike was asleep and snored heavily, a thin stream of green smoke drifting from his nostrils. Princess Twilight Sparkle was currently engaged in a conversation with Captain Ironhoof with Private Golden Justice.

Twilight told a joke and the two guards erupted into laughter, disturbing Spike a bit in his sleep, causing him to turn over. Nopony else was in the car with them, so they didn't have to worry about suppressing any of their noise
.
Twilight, crying a bit and having trouble breathing from how hard she laughed, asked the guards, "...hehe...I always thought that the Royal Guard was a sort of no-nonsense type deal..."

The guards, smiling, exchanged a look and Ironhoof answered, "Well, in public, we are, we're trained to be. Buuut not in private. You should see the kind of shenanigans that happen with the Night and Day guard when Celestia and Luna get involved. Those two have been locked into a prank war ever since they came into power and the guard was created to do the brunt of the fighting. Neither side has gained any leverage since Luna's come back."

Twilight found the thought very amusing and broke out into another fit of giggles and laughter.

Golden Justice then began to tell a story involving Luna's dream-creeping and a massive amount of eggs, which ended in Ironhoof's blushing and much more laughter around the car.

Soon, it was dawn and the coffee-fueled ponies ended their conversation in favor of a little rest and silence. Twilight watched the scenery flit by. The train had gone through the Frozen North in order to stop by at the Crystal Empire and re-stock the trains supplies, including coffee - and it was now coming into an area that had less snow and ice, and a lot of brown and gray rocks. Not much scenery.

Suddenly, the gray landscape began to flit by slower, and it eventually hauled over to a stop.
"We are coming up to a small border town near the entrance of Stalliongrad. Here we will hitch off and take another train to Marescow." Ironhoof explained.

Twilight attempted to wake Spike by shaking him, but eventually ended up having to use magic and a bucket of water. The quartet then filed off of the train and the two guards went back into their no nonsense mode.

The station was similarly-built to the ones that she had seen before in her life only a lot...darker. The station in Ponyville was bright and colorful, whereas, here, it was only dark, aged wood. There was the large, main platform, and two buildings. One was simply a small kiosk in which travelers purchased their tickets, and the other was what seemed to be a tavern. The building was sagging, but the chimney was billowing smoke. A bright, yellow light was bursting forth from the windows, and hearty - though somewhat drunk and slurred - voices could be heard from within.

Twilight approached the kiosk, her guards and a sleepy Spike following. She reached the small window and peered inside.

There were two unicorn ponies, both male, and both sporting dirty shades. One was a dim gray while the other was an equally dim brown. They both wore worn uniforms and beat-up helmets. The brown pony was closest, though passed out, and drooling rather revoltingly on the desk in front of him. A dead cigarette hung from his mouth.

The other pony sat on a stool, his elbows propped back against his own desk. In his hooves he gripped an ancient issue of Playcolt. His face was obstructed by the raunchy literature.

"Um...excuse me?" Twilight asked.

The Stalliongradi guard jumped a bit, but remained in his position. An audible sigh was heard and he began to grumble.

"дерьмо...not a single traveler all month and now some stupid bitch decides to show up while I'm-"

At this point the magazine was closed and the guard saw who it was that he was insulting. His sunken eyes widened and his jaw dropped, a big, fat cigar falling out onto the wooden floor.

He scrambled off of his stool and began to straighten himself up. He brushed of some ash and dust, extinguished his cigar, and adjusted his helmet.

He stood rigid and at attention. It was silent for a few moments while his slumbering partner snored. The gray guard reached over under his table and grabbed...something. Twilight wasn't sure what it was, but the gray-colored guard used the narrow end of it to violently prod the dozing stallion in the ribs.

"Gah! Что за хрень!? What the hay was that fo-"

Gray pony cuffed Brown over the head, knocking his helmet off balance.

"Look!" Gray hissed.

The brown pony eyed Twilight, then, "дерьмо!"

Another cuff.

"Language!"

Eventually, both ponies stood at attention, slightly cleaned up. Both of them gripped their own device. Twilight examined them for a bit. They quite frankly looked like sticks with bits of metal melded into them.

Gray cleared his throat and said, "Greetings, your majesty. How may I help you?"

Twilight, instead of being angry at the insults and the Stalliongradi ponies un-preparedness, was quite amused, and giggled.

Both of the Stalliongradi stallions blushed heavily.

Ironhoof spoke up, "We are here to get a train into Marescow. I have a letter from Princess Celestia with the details."

Ironhoof's magic grabbed the paper from somewhere underneath his armor and hovered it up to the window where Gray pony's magic snatched it and brought it closer to him. While he read, Brown pony looked over Gray's shoulder, trying to get a glimpse at the letter. This merited a rather violent elbow from Gray, and more profane mumbling from Brown. Eventually, there was a grunt and Gray said, "Appears Legitimate. I am Sergeant Resnov, and this is Private Chernov. We welcome you to the first checkpoint into Stalliongrad. As for now, we regret to say that the only other place to wait for the train that isn't in the tit nipping cold is the tavern. Not particularly fit for a Princess such as yourself, but it will have to do. We will be your guides during your stay in Stalliongrad."

Chernov's eyes widened, "But-"

Another violent elbow to the gut and Chernov was mumbling curses once again.

"Chernov! Go fetch Dimitri and Yosef! They will be replacing us."

"Uh-yes sir!"

He slung his device over his should and was off. Resnov turned and said, "Now, any questions, complaints or suggestions?"

Twilight answered, "Well, to tell you the truth, I was wondering what those devices are. I've never seen anything like them before." Twilight gestured to the device that Resnov held.

Resnov looked confused for a moment, but his eyes widened in remembrance.

"Ah, that is right. Princess Celestia does not like such weapons of war in her peaceful land."

"What?"

Resnov looked back and answered, "This here is a Mosin Neighgant. It's a gun."

"...gun...?"

Resnov smirked, "Care for a demonstration? Well, as long as these two don't mind," he said, referring to Ironhoof and Justice. Ironhoof nodded Resnov gestured to follow. He went out of the back and around to the other side of the kiosk. Twilight, Spike, and the guards followed.

Resnov's aura lit up and the gun lifted from his grasp and into his magic.

It drifted into his shoulder, where he took aim.

"You may want to cover your ears."

Twilight and Spike did so, but the Guards did not move.

Even after covering her ears, the following crack made her jump.

A split-second of flame and smoke flew from the end of the gun and there was a rather annoying high pitched zooming noise as a small rock several meters away exploded
.
"Whoa," Spike muttered.

Resnov looked back and asked, "See how that works?"

Twilight nodded. She was a smart filly, and had already been able to figure out what the weapon did. Based on the small, empty container that had been ejected into a patch of snow, the smoke, crack, flames...it really was not that hard.

Twilight heard hoofsteps and turned around to see Chernov return with two other ponies. The new pair were Earth Ponies, and were both a dirty white. They were dressed in  uniforms similar Resnov's and Chernov's, but, instead of helmets, they wore giant, fuzzy caps.

"Resnov! I apologize! Dmitri was ready to go, but Yosef was drunk. So, instead, I got Mendeleev. Is that alright sir?"

"Bah! That is fine. Get them into the kiosk!"

Chernov did as he was ordered and Twilight noticed something: her guards were missing. Spike noticed it too.

"Hey...where are Iron and Golden?"

Twilight eventually found them cowering and shivering under the elevated platform; they had been frightened by the gunshot.

There was much laughter and blushing, and the next train the Marescow rolled in.