Fallout Metro at Dark

Roaming around the tunnels we had sort of become the local pest exterminators clearing out rooms of web and mutant spiders that grew in the deepest and darkest parts of the metro. They looked to be a hybrid between a scorpion and a spider. They had six legs with a fifth acting as a tail-like stinger. Known throughout the metro as Spiderbugs.

I hated hearing the monsters scuttle listening as their pointed stick-like feet tapped the ground like an incoming jumpscare. Luckily for us their weakness was light. The brighter the light the greater the effect.

Using my headlamp I caused the creature's skin to darken as the light burned them alive. They would swiftly retreat to the shadows afraid only to attack moments later as they jumped out at a different angle.

Blaze did what he could watching our back while Bombshell kept us safe with her horn now alight. Bonesaw stuck close beside the other Nazi. We felt untouchable with how smooth things were going when we were working as a team.

I felt like we were going to make it.

On the ceiling were ponies wearing gear and looked to have been recently killed wrapped by webbing, “More bodies.” I called out as I moved to a body near a corner. We moved over as a unit to loot. Both Blaze and I covered the mares as Bombshell sliced open the webbing, cringing as baby spiders emerged. Once they were done crawling away Bonesaw went to work grabbing any bits of ammo off the body.

“We got a pipe bomb~” Bonesaw sang cheerfully holding the cylinder shaped bomb like a trophy to which I swiftly snatch.

“Thanks.”

“Hey!” She growled. “Forgetting something?!” She pointedly tapped a hoof on the ground aggressively to which I eased her anger giving her a quick scratch behind the ears to which she lovingly purred appreciatively. If I knew it was this easy to please a lady back home I would have had a family.

“Nice job.”

“I don’t get it.” Blaze looked confused why the mare liked it so much.

“Don’t think too hard about it. They’re like dogs.”

“Bitches huh.”

“We are not!” The nurse exclaimed, upset at Blaze.

“Don’t blame me, he said it first!” He pointed an accusatory talon my way.

I could only laugh at his comment: ‘Bitches’.

“Quiet all of you!” Bombshell shushed us as she raised her pistol in her aura. “Do you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Bonesaw asked as we listened in. It was then we heard it behind the wall we were beside. It was a deep rumbling of something large moving around pushing past furniture by the sounds of it. Heavy thuds striking the floor and walls.

“That can’t be good.” Blaze laughed nervously.

“Said quiet.” Bombshell hissed, punching the griffon in the gutt making the air leave his lungs.

Wheezing the griffon glared at the mare as he held up a talon in a ‘give me a moment’ gesture.

Together we remained quiet waiting until the sound had passed.

“Any idea what it could be?” I asked.

“Maybe a ‘big’ spiderbug?” Bombshell whispered.

“What, you all can talk but not me?” Blaze was annoyed.

“Now that the danger has passed for the moment.” The blond nazi stated. “We should kill it while we’re down here. Before it can fester and grow larger whatever it is and that's to say if it is even a creature.”

“Or get out of here while we still can!” Bonesaw whined. “We can’t fight a creature like that!”

“We won’t always have a choice. If there is a chance of getting out of here then we’re taking it. Our mission is to stop Jäger.” Blaze reminded the group. “That old bastard didn’t pay up. Going back on his word is a big no-no when it comes to hired guns.”

As much as I wanted to focus on the mission I couldn’t help but wonder if leaving the unknown creature to the people was wrong. If I would be ignoring my code of honor. Us Rangers would put a stop to the monster and continue the mission all at the same time. It would be going against my moral code if I didn’t exterminate the hostile creatures that were targeting the people.

“We’ll see.” I answered. We would continue onward and find out if we have a choice or not.

Together our group moved in formation. Taking point I led the way holding my rifle up attentively. Shining my headlamp ahead pushing a door open with my shoulder peering into another darkened room.

Inside were more tunnels finding an underground bunker that was created in case of a nuclear attack. Yet the bunker was not in the least bit intact as some rock and concrete were in ruins with a few doorways caved in with debri.

Webs of ponies stuck to the walls and ceilings were unnerving making my skin crawl yet I not once moved my hands away from my gun. Stone faced as I heard my group mutter their dismay.

“Such monsters.” Bonesaw whimpered as she shivered in disgust.

“Ugh Spiders!” Bombshell recoiled from the webbing that had a number of hoof sized creepy crawlies skittering over webs. On the walls were also greenish-yellow egg sacks that would open, releasing tiny spiders.

“Bombshell make yourself useful. Burn the webs.” I ordered the Nazi Officer.

The mare stared at the back of my head with a glare. “Really and why can’t you do it, lazy?

“If you don’t want to use magic then just use this.” I reached into my pocket and tossed her a bullet. “Catch.”

Instantly the mare caught the bullet bringing it close to her. She got upset. “A bullet? Yeah sure! I’ll burn this whole place down with a bullet!” She answered sarcastically.

“Look closer.”

“Closer? A- oh… huh?” She knocked the tip of the bullet aside exposing the lighter underneath and she activated the spark wheel as a small flame was formed before her eyes. “A lighter?”

“Yes, now use it to burn the webbing and clear us a path.”

“Seriously, you didn’t see him using it earlier?” Bonesaw looked surprised for a moment before an eerily smug smile appeared on the earth pony mare’s muzzle, glad to see the other mare fail to take notice of one of my tools. “You really don’t pay attention do you?”

“Thought he was a dragon…” Bombshell sheepishly laughed while her ears pinned back on top of her head as her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment.

“Dragon?! HA!” Bonesaw laughed out loud pointing a hoof at the embarrassed mare. “He’s a human!”

“He said 'human’ meant ‘ancient dragon’!”

“And you believed him!” Bonesaw bellowed, holding her belly unable to stifle her laughter.

“Settle down, you're creating too much noise.” I scolded her.

“Come on, lighten up we’ve handled everything so far.”

“‘we’, you mean me and Hunter right?” Blaze asked with a raised brow.

In the middle of the bickering a giant spear-like appendage suddenly pierced through the ceiling sending concrete and debri falling into the corridor.

I dove to the side as a large portion of concrete crashed where I had been standing a moment ago.

Bonesaw cried out bursting into tears, “My leg!”

“Ohh.” Blaze cringed from the sight, shaking his head in disgust seeing her hindleg bent in an unnatural way. A chunk of concrete had fallen on her leg.

The spear-like appendage rose up and out of the gaping hole in the ceiling and out came spiderbugs pouring into the room.

I aimed my headlamp towards the opening to prevent them from entering. It did little to detour the monsters as they quicked their pace rushing into the corridor. I let my rifle bark as the bullets ripped though the monsters who jumped onto the walls crawling anywhere with a surface. The sounds of clicking came from their spear-like legs as they struck the ground like knives racing towards us. The brief flashes of light coming from the rifle's muzzle would cause the creatures to flinch and pause for a short moment as the blinding fire acted as a hostile strobe-like effect.

The six-legged creatures would pause twitching for a short moment before continuing their hunt.

“Reloading!” I called out to which Blaze fired, giving me time to reload. His flashlight attached to the end of his gun flickered as the batteries threatened to die.

“Stop it! Stop squirming!” Bombshell hissed as the other mare pushed against her face going into shock.

“My leg! Oh GOd!” Bonesaw exclaimed as she began to hyperventilate slapping the Nazi Officer around.

“Hold still! I’m trying to set your leg back into place!”

“Get her on her feet, we need to move. NOW!” I exclaimed as a spider leapt off the ceiling and onto me. It’s knife-like legs stabbed into me. It’s stinger appendage struck down near my face. Reacting fast as I was used to things going for my face I reached up and grabbed the stinger, twisting it with a snap as the creature jumped off of me as it fell backwards on the floor flailing its legs wildly as my headlamp burnt it skin as it darkened and blistered bubbling as it’s carcass began to pop sending meaty chunks flying.

Picking my rifle back up from my waist I thanked my rifle sling mentally. More of the insectoids came like a never ending wave as another monstrous spear plunged through the ceiling sending more debri down around us this time a good chunk fell on me. Pinning me to the ground with my midsection and below covered by a large piece of the concrete ceiling. I grunted in pain only having my right arm and rifle still functional.

Some of the monsters were crushed from the falling ceiling debri assisting us as well as a happy little accident.

“You good Hunter?!” Blaze stumbled over to me as his face was covered in gray soot. He coughed wiping his face as his face was covered.

“Pinned.” I flexed my muscles as I grit my teeth trying to find the strength to lift off the heavyweight as it was getting harder to breathe with my lungs being restricted.

A spiderbug jumped onto Blaze’s back as the knife-like legs slid off his armor harmlessly losing its footing on his back slipping off. Whirling around the griffon brought his rifle around to smack it down like the bug it was. Sending a short burst into its exposed underside.

Another emerged from the shadows this time. Unable to point my rifle in the direction in time with my range of motion restricted, I called out to him, “Behind you!” Launching its scissor like-stinger at the back of his neck as it snipped at his flesh.

The griffon recoiled instinctively holding a claw at his bleeding neck as he spun around firing hot lead into the creature sending it back dead. “Gah! Fuck!” He cursed, applying pressure to the wound. “Don’t worry I’m gonna get you out of there!”

Another spiderbug jumped down from the ceiling pouncing upon him; this one didn’t have a stinger like the others; instead it had a round adbondmend a female spiderbug. It was more armored and more resistant to both light and fire. With a different form of attack the insectoid bit and clawed at his exposed head causing the griffon to shake his head instinctively trying to shake the attacker off. Reaching up his sharpened armored talons graped the insectroid gripping it tightly until the it’s hardened chitin cracked under his grip. Tearing the bug off her threw it towards the wall spraying a flurry of rounds into it.

He was bleeding badly but nothing he couldn’t handle. If he could handle his own eye hanging out of his head like last time he could surely handle a few bites.

“This is a pain in the ass.” Blaze commented, shining his rifles light down the corridor as he looked back towards me and the rest of the group.

“Better?”

“Mhhhm.” Bonesaw nodded panting as she tested her footing on the floor looking a bit queasy. She was not much of a fighter. She leaned onto the nazi for support.

“Stop being a baby.” Bombshell bumped her side against the other mare knocking her off as she rolled her eyes as the spiders around her scuttled and circled around both mares unable to get close as the light emitted from her horn was enough to make them cautious of the unicorn. “These creatures can’t handle Nazi superiority.” She stuck her muzzle up in the air like some snob looking down at the lowly creatures that surrounded her. “Pathetic.” She sent a ring of fire around her setting the spiderbugs alight as they ran off ablaze, dying only a short few seconds later as they crumpled to the ground wiggling around.

The bright fire did the trick as the invading creatures retreated back into the shadows. The giant creature left us for the moment as dust and dirt fell through the holes in the ceiling.

“A little help?”

“Coming.” Blaze said as he came to my aid still bleeding he still helped me. “Push if you can.”

Doing as ordered I pushed as hard as I could stressing my muscles as we pushed off the concrete together working as a team something I hardly did as a Spartan. A lone wolf in the metro tunnels this was a new experience and was a nice change of pace. Standing back up I bent over and dusted myself off. “Thanks Turkey I owe you one.”

“I better be paid back.” Blaze chuckled, holding a claw to the back of his neck. “Nurse, any heals?”

“Sure… heals… right…” The nurse shakily came over as she reached into her saddle bags ruffling around for the intended potion.

I extended my arm out rolling my joints as my armor that had been pinned was sore. Looking up at the holes in the ceiling I shined my flickering headlight observing more web as well as a second level up.

Taking this down time to do so I reached into my rucksack extracting a fair bit of equipment connecting wires to my headlamp. When I was confident with the connection I squeezed the crank a number of times listening as the device purred to life causing the light to grow brighter not wanting to blow out the light I stopped not wanting to overcharge it.

“Neat little device.” Bombshell commented.

“Standard issue for stalkers. Unless you really think you’re some sort of tough guy who thinks he can handle the equipment shortage. Most kids who dream of being a total badass are the ones who end up dying from such arrogance. Walking through the tunnels I find the poor bastards that had been lost in total darkness for quite a while wandering aimlessly in need of assistance and then… the others who are mauled and eaten by the animals. Unable to fight back when they can’t even see an inch in front of themselves. The worst part is if you’re still alive after the initial attack. The monsters tore through the armor as well as flesh, not stopping to eat you until they are done mutilating your corpse as if afraid you’d wake up and fight back.”

The unicorn gave me an unsure expression.

“What? Too much information?”

“Yeah. A little too much.”

“Just be glad your monsters aren’t as big as mine are back home. So are we turning back or continuing?” I had asked whilst checking my rifle, giving it a once over.

Bombshell surrounded us with an aura of light. “I think a little insect problem will do us some good. Definitely better than being shot I would say.” She was still dead set on destroying the big bad.

I was all for it. Wanting to get rid of the monster so it wouldn’t come back to bite us in the future or any other innocent souls. “I have to agree we have a better shot going through these creatures than we do fighting our way past armored ehhh… how would you say it? Little ponies?”

“Nazi ponies to say exact.” Blaze chimed in with a smug look. As he knew exactly how I felt about how it sounded saying out loud. It just sounded ridiculous and would cause me to visibly cringe as it sounded as if a child had labeled them as such.

“Are you kidding me?! Not after that!” Bonesaw pointed at the crispy blackened carcasses. “They even got a big one! We don’t have anything to combat it!”

“Forgetting something?” The Nazi unicorn tapped her horn with a pleased smile that graced her luscious lips.

“Okay Ms Fire Horn! Easy for you to say! Unlike you we don’t have magic!”

“Your magic is in strength.” Bombshell rolled her eyes. “Can’t believe I even had to point that out.”

“Bombshell is just our secret weapon.” I explained. “She’ll cut us a path through their territory.”

The Nazi Officer puffed her chest out with pride, “Ah ja, I’m zee ‘offical’ Wunderwaffe!” She cheered with enthusiasm going into a little accented spiel as she began marching off spouting out a germane cadence.

I followed her along with Blaze.

“Traitors! The both of you!” Bonesaw stomped her hooves angered, not wanting to continue on with this treacherous terrain watching us leave her behind. The nurse looked around her surroundings hearing skittering behind the walls around as she let out a squeak. “Hey! Wait up! Don’t leave me!” She came running letting out a shrill scream as she began balling her eyes out. “Wait!” She begged.

We waited for her to stop overreacting. Once she reached us she hugged my leg trembling. With the added weight to my leg I tried shaking her off to no avail. The mare tightened her grip whimpering.

“Come on, don’t do this now.” I groaned.

“Please don’t leave me.”

“Didn’t plan on it.” I answered back. “Now please stop acting like a baby. You’re embarrassing yourself.”

“No-no he's right, but please do continue. It pleases me to know how weak you are. To see you grovel in fear, it's no wonder you gravitate to Hunter, why? For comfort? Does he bring you a sense of safety? Because he simply saved your life?” Bombshell smirked. “Funny how I had almost shot you two days ago and we are considered allies once more. It's really pathetic.”

“Sadistic much?” Blaze raised a brow.

“What? It’s true.” Bombshell scoffed. “Would have blown her brains out if it weren’t for Hunter taking her as his servant.”

“Wait hold on, ‘servant’?!”

“No! Not how it went down! I thought we were over this?!” I groaned some more. “I made her a companion and ally to aid me on my quest.”

“Which is?” The unicorn inquired.

“To find and destroy the Dark Ones.”

“Dark Ones?”

“Mutant Humans. My kind that has been genetically altered by radiation… as far as I’m aware. Forced Evolution that made them all wrong. Darkened skin, lanky slender build, and with the power to make anyone who comes into contact with them go mad. Which is something I wonder about even now as I’m talking to you all. Because it is not possible to meet talking ponies, dragons, or even griffins.” I listed off the extent of the strangeness.

“I guess the same could be said for us meeting a human.” Blaze nodded. “Heard about your kind in ancient mythology.”

“Yeah… and about saying you were a dragon…” Bombshell punched my leg making me recoil. “You dick.” Her face was red from embarrassment. “Still can’t believe I believed you.”

I jumped up and down to relieve the pain in my leg. “That was uncalled for!”

“Really? I didn’t know he existed until just a few days ago.” Bombshell mused.

“Yup, most of the ancient artifacts around Equestria were made for his build.” The griffin pointed at my figure. The use of claws. Just look at his hands and the rifles we hold. It just makes sense you’d use a finger and not a hoof.”

Both unicorn and griffon eyed their weapons triggers then looked at me. “True.”

“Would also explain bikes.” Bombshell chimed in.