A Hell
Eyup, it's a crossover from Metro: 2023.
The station where I lived most of the time was named Komsomolskaya; it was the closest thing to a home I had. Everypony knew me and I knew them. My Mother was killed in a mutant attack one day, leaving me only with my Father; all we had was each other after that. In my late teens I was trained by my station guard Captain, Dimitri, how to shoot and defend myself. Dimitri was once a Canterlot Special Forces soldier, so he made every drop of sweat count and made it a challenge to earn it.
When Dimitri saw it fit for me to be sent into the dark abyssal tunnels he gave his old Kalash assault rifle to me and assigned me as one of the station's protectors and Stalkers. One day I was returning from a journey to Polis where I had political and social matters to attend to. I was glad to smell the familiar scents of gunpowder, onions, and dirt of Komsomolskaya and was glad to be there. That is where our story begins.
"Mikhail! I know those strong steps anywhere," cried out Andrei who was a young Stallion guard full of youth and dreams like a young Colt.
I continued to walk, my hooves aching, along the old, all-knowing tracks nonchalantly toward Komsomolskaya's guarded entrance. I could already savor the tenderness and the spiced aroma of the roasted pork waiting for me.
"How was Polis? You suck up to those pompous Rangers yet," remarked Andrei with a small chuckle.
"You know I would never do that Andrei, those sleeze bags take more shots of vodka than taking real shots at Dark Ones."
Andrei laughs, "You surely haven't lost your sense of humor, Mikhail. Come on in, your Father and Dimitri will be glad to see you."
I walked up to the entrance guard post where Andrei was at his duty of manning the old machine gun, which would overheat or jam during almost every attack due to the Metro gunsmiths lack of skill. The guard post was lit by a feeble lamp, which only partially brightened the area. There was a rotting, moth eaten table and chair that was covered over by a dirty, prewar beach tent. The table was littered with empty rifle and machine gun rounds along with ammo boxes full of fresh rounds and cartridges.
The Komsomolskaya tunnel entrance gate was merely a rusted chain linked fence covered with sheets of metal. The gate was a sliding sheet covered fence with at least a dozen locks on the inside. In the gate there was a small, crudely shaped, hole that was covered over with barbed wire where the guards could see through.
I stepped towards the gate as Andrei cried out, "Grigori! Open the gate would ya! Mikhail has returned!"
A muffled answer then came from beyond the sealed gate, "Mikhail! Can't be! He hasn't been mauled by a mutant or killed by bandits yet? Alright, I guess I can let him in. Just as long as he's scavenged some more vodka and hashish for us to enjoy."
Grigori laughed in amusement at his own joke.
The gate then let out a series of metallic clangs as each lock was slowly undone.
Komsomolskaya was just as I had remembered it. Fillies and Colts rushed around causing mischief, Mothers tended to new born young or mended clothing, the Stallions gathered around the fire smoking hashish and speaking of rumors and tales spread throughout the Metro.
I was just soaking in all the old remembrances of home when a booming voice called out to me, "Mikhail oh, Mikhail I trained you well!"
I searched for the location of the voice when I caught sight of the speaker, it was Dimitri, my old friend and mentor. Dimitri was a bulky, muscular stallion with an air of authority and leadership about him. Probably one of the best Ranger I have ever had the honor to know.
"What is this…. your 13th run into the tunnels alone? I'm starting to think your going to surpass my skills, Mikhail."
"I could never surpass you, Dimitri," I replied, "I let a Dark One take a hit at me during my journey, it was merely a scratch but still it was shameful of me to have let it happen. Right after it attacked me I unleashed at least 10 bullets into its ugly damn snout!"
Dimitri chuckled, "So how was Polis? Any news?"
I waved my hoof in dismissal, "Polis is the same as it's always been. Drunken Rangers, so called "politicians" who act like they give a crap about the rest of the Metro's needs. You know…. Same old."
Dimitri then guffaws with laughter and claps me on the shoulder, "Come, Mikhail. I'll take you to your Father. Also, remember that young mare? Oh what's her name….. Oh yes! Vera! The mare was was asking an awful lot about you, always asking where you are, what your doing, when your com—"
Dimitri was cut off by a guard, rushing into the area. The guard shouted out, "Dimitri! There has been an attack on the tunnel guard post! Come quick!"
Dimitri snatched up his homemade triple barreled shotgun and motioned for me to follow along with him. I grabbed my Kalash assault rifle and darted along side Dimitri.
As we neared the entrance gate Grigori was seen sitting at his post with his hooves covering his face. Faint moans and sobs could be heard echoing throughout the tunnel. The gate was widely opened with at least three gray, bloodsoaked mutant corpses littered at the entrance. Dimitri and I kicked aside the corpses as we went through the gate. The guard post was demolished; sand bags torn apart, and even the table flipped over.
I felt an eerie chill go down my spine as I thought, "Dark Ones aren't that stupid to attack a post guarded by only one Stallion."
Dimitri said as if reading my mind, "They must be desperate…. Poor bastards. Starving perhaps? Can't fill that ever-lasting hunger of theirs?"
I was scanning the area when I found a dark red streak of blood stretching to a dark, ominous corner. I followed the streak all the way to that dismal corner and found an undistinguishable figure lying there against the wall. I fumbled for my match box and struck a match to light my view. The figures stomach was gorged through as if by an animal with his guts and bowels hanging out. The stallion was obviously dead but his face was stricken with a terrible look of fear it made it seem he was still alive. I was then struck with a wave fear and anger as I realized who that stallion was. It was Andrei, the young, naïve and cheerful stallion that had greeted upon my arrival to Komsomolskaya.
We fixed up the entrance to the Station and mended the widened gate. I didn't have time to stop and mourn at the death of Andrei; as I've seen many deaths in my time, from my Mother, to that stallion who fell on his own knife after a bottle of vodka being shoved down his throat.
Usually, I would spend time with the fellow Rangers poisoning ourselves with hashish and drink, but seeing I hadn't seen my father in five days, I figured he was lonely, so I went to spend some time with him. Since Komsomolskaya was the biggest station in the Metro, I paid a colt a bullet to take me where my Father was; everypony had their job in the Metro.
After strolling though the Metro, I came across my fathers dorm. It was empty, and a large stallion with a AK-74 by his side stopped me and explained that he was outside the hospital, since he was seeing my Uncle, who had been wounded in a Dark One attack. I sighed, as I knew I had to endure the waiting line, of the victims relatives or friends, to get to the other side. I gave the colt who guided me killing glare, but I let him keep the Military Grade round.
I walked by homeless ponies, drug addicts and drunks before I reached the hospital. There was a huge amount of ponies waiting outside the hospitals door, whelping and whingeing. The hatch on the metal door opened and the stallion who answered was about to say "next," but was interrupted when his eyes met mine.
"Mikhail!" The voice familiar voice said. He unlocked the door and I greeted him whilst scanning the interior. "How long has it been? You are looking for your father no?" I stepped inside and shook his hand.
"Indeed Alexae, never knew you worked as a limb remover, I thought you were a Ranger?" I smiled and chuckled a bit.
"Well, after my partner was wounded, I used my talent to stitch his claw mark up and stop the blood spilling over my boots." We walked around the hospital, looking at the patients."I reckoned they'd need stallions like me back at the station." I nodded my head at his decision.
"So, how are the patients doing?" I asked with a questioning expression plastered on my face.
"Some of them are recovering from the mutant attacks, but most of them are suffering from a mental illness, waking up and asking the doctors stupid questions. Hopefully they will recover so we can put them on tunnel trash hunts again." Alexae said reluctantly.
Alexae took me to the other side of the hospital, my father was waiting outside, near one of unused gates. We exchanged greetings, and he told me about the peculiar things happening in Komsomolskaya.
"A new type of..."thing" has appeared in the tunnels," Father stuttered. "a, um, "anomaly", as the stalkers who had to face it ca-," There was a long rattle on the gate, the Rangers guarding it were the first to respond.
"No ever knocks here... It must be Hunter! Open it!" There were clanks and clinks from the old gate before it was fully open.
In came a fully suited up black ranger. Black rangers were the best of the best, for their skill in knowing the enemy, and not just fighting it. He flared his hooves in the air, stepped in and took off his gas mask.
"Hunter, where's Pavlo?...Alright, later, but did you find it?" Father said, while looking out the gate to see the stairs leading up to the wasteland.
"....No... God dammit! Cut me slack! I nearly got fucked by a demon, lost my partner and I'm left with three rounds in my Kalash! It was the last fucking thing on my mind!" He said, with rage and sorrow in his voice. Rather than anger after him shouting at my dad, I felt sympathy.
Father hung his head in disappointment, but he was cut off from growling and stamping from the vents in each corner.
"Shit."
"Mikhail," Hunter passed me his revolver, "if it's hostile, you kill it."
### ### ### ### ###
Sorry for the short chapter! It's hard, I've never played Metro 2033. :(
