Chapters Metro 2033: A Stalker's Tale
I bit down on the two fingers in my mouth and the bandit screamed, recoiling. I scrabbled away, finding my revolver and snapped off two quick shots at my opponent. The man howled in pain and collapsed. He was the last one. I squinted in the dark and found my AK. Once more at ease with the weapon, I kept going for my target – Bourbon. Stupid man – Dry was no longer a safe haven for him. I hastily recollected my belongings, swapping my old Duplet for a scruffy, but well-kept Uboinik and resumed my advance. I’d been tailing Bourbon for a while now, both undergound and on the Surface, always a step or two behind him and the kid he was travelling with. What was he playing at?
But this was no time to think about things like that. I ran up to the door, hearing a short burst of fire on the other side and I flattened my self against the steel door, trying to listen in. I could barely hear anything. After a couple of minutes, everything fell silent and I tried my luck with the door handle. Of course, it was locked. Well, time to resort to extreme measures. I pulled out a grenade out of my rucksack, wedging it alonge one of the hinges and lit the fuse. Quickly, I scrabbled away, taking cover behind a pillar.
*thooom*
Cautiously, I emerged in the clear, coughing a bit as the dust settled down. The door had moved some, hanging ajar in the aisle and I wasted no time prying it open. Well, I tried to.suka! Open the fuck up!” Of course, it obliged at the worst moment and it nearly fell on top of me as I tumbled backwards.“Blyin!” I coughed, nose full of dust. Okay, no time to screw around. Need to find Bourbon. I rushed forward, but ground to a halt when I saw what had taken place here. Bourbon was on the floor, lying face-down in a puddle of blood. The bandit leader was also dead, a ragged gunshot wound in his neck.
I rechecked the wristwatch I always made sure to have on me as we slowly made our way through the old tunnel. Bourbon was humming quietly.
“Okay, Alyona, I need to take a break. Just a couple of minutes.”
“Shit! Bourbon! Sit still or you’re going to get fucking fried to a crisp.” The somewhat drunk smuggler burped.
But I’m getting off-track. We sat without making a noise there. The anomaly would pass by us without a problem unless something happened.
Something happened.*braaaaap* pidar-“ That was all I got out before everything dissolved into light.
Sukin ti sin!
Ow. What the fuck did I do last night? Think, Alyona, think…mudak? Can’t stay quiet for a moment, can you?”mudaks in a railcar. So…
My train of thoughts was interrupted as something rustled to my side.
No fucking idea.
Twilight Sparkle was a smart pony. She had a very extensive collention of books and tomes that always helped to solve any problem that arose. So it was a source of endless frustration that she could find no references regarding these ‘Bourbon’ and ‘Alyona’, as Fluttershy had diligently explained to her, giving detailed descriptions of the two strange beings.
Metro 2033: A Stalker's Tale
“Bourbon!” I shouted angrily, bringing my AK to bear on the strange animal.
Fluttershy flinched with every howl she heard, the strange bangs that she could not recognize. She could not even fathom what was happening in the forest and she hurried back inside her house, locking it shut. Her night was an affair of jolting awake constantly, depriving her of sleep.
“We should get out of this damn forest, Alyona.”
Near the edge of Everfree Forest
Fluttershy looked around nervously, expecting to be ambushed any moment. When the anticipated attack did not come, she sighed, resuming to tend to her garden. Her nervousness faded away as she got into her element again – caring for critters of all sizes and shapes.
Ponyville Library
Twilight sighed, resignedly wiping her face dry. Fluttershy had burst through the doors, blabbering nonsensically about something she could not understand.
Bourbon stumbled and I could barely keep him upright.
Later
What the fuck.
That was all I could think of when I was looking at the settlement. Tiny colourful horses. EVERYWHERE. I. LOOK.with wings - landed in front of us, clad in armour.svoloch!” I responded, pulling back the AK and trying to get a bead on him. Fuck it. Who gives a shit about the ammo? And just as my finger tightened around the trigger, something else decided to make an appearance. The AK barked, sending off a burst of bullets towards the charging horse. Defying the laws of reality, they stopped mid-air and dropped on the ground. Everyone stopped moving as a new contender approached, landing in front of us all – a big, winged horse with a horn.
What. The. Fuck.
“Your Highness! We are not ones to point hooves, but the monster started it! It attacked one of the guards without provocation!”PADLA!” I was nearing the point where I’d cough up my lungs if I kept screaming. “I’ll kill you, I mean it! You’re not taking us alive!” Bourbon stirred weakly, groaning in pain.
Fuck.
I didn’t want to lose Bourbon. An asshole he may be, but he was someone whom you could rely on. Most of the time. I chewed on my lip nervously for a couple of moments before deciding to answer.
And I still had to kick his ass for drinking too much and sending us wherever here was in the first place.
Ponyville Hospital
“So, Alyona, why don’t you tell me where you are from?”
Metro 2033: A Stalker's Tale
One of the guards glared at me as I finished reassembling my AK. I flipped him the bird. Returning to the assault rifle in my hands, I slapped a new clip in place and chambered a bullet. That done, I made sure the safety was on and packed up my cleaning kit. Celestia had observed me taking the AK apart, clean its inner workings and put it back together.“Da. There are the anomalies, ghosts, Dark Ones… and then some.” I can see she’s intrigued by what I’ve said, but then her attention is drawn to the several bullets still lying on the table. She hesitantly coughs.“Ymenno tak. It’s an unspoken law in the Metro – Keep a weapon with you at all times. But if it makes you feel better, I’ll ask questions first and shoot later.”mudak will get what’s coming to him.” I growled, standing up.” When Celestia looked at me worriedly, I continued. “Don’t worry; I’m not going to kill him. I’d like to, though.” I followed the two ponies through the clean hallways to where Bourbon was waiting for us.
“Come on! Anyone? Hellooo! I need some vodka!” Bourbon’s gravelly voice reached my ears as a pony guard grumbled under his breath.“Yob tvaju maty, mudak! From now on, you’re never drinking again!”
She obliged.
Fuck yeah.
“Alyona, I’m not sure I trust him.” Celestia whispered to me.“Ladno. We have a deal, then?” We shake hand to hoof on that.
I soon was sweating pretty badly. It was warm here, unlike in the Metro or The Surface and I had to stuff my jacket and the sweater in my backpack. The AK and Uboinik were slung across my shoulders as I fell into step at Celestia’s side. There was no one else around that I could see, but I felt like I was being followed all the same. Fucking creepy.
WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING HERE?
“Heeeeeelp!” I screamed, trying to dislodge my assailant from my back. No success. Oh, god, it was going to suck my blood out and lay eggs in my eye sockets! Help!
Metro 2033: A Stalker's Tale
The gibbering mass of something didn’t let go of me as I frantically rolled around in the grass.mudaks might try to poison you so they can take all of your stuff. That’s why I always keep my guns handy and my eyes and ears open.” She blanches visibly at that.
In hindsight, maybe I should’ve stayed inside her mane.
When I showed up, the place turned into a ghost town. Everyone ran away, hiding inside their houses. Doors slammed shut and windows were barred as we walked through the main street.
Shut up.
Celestia knocked politely on the door in front of her and waited. Moments later, it was opened by a small purple pony.*gasp* ”Princess Celestia? What’re you doing here?”“Privyet. I’m Alyona. Nice to meet you.” Twilight stared at me like I was a tumour on Celestia’s head.your friends. And there’s no reason to worry.”privyet. Nice to meet you, I guess.” I knelt down and stretched out my hand in greeting. The comparatively-smaller unicorn shrunk back a bit, but grasped my palm nonetheless.
Yeah, that’ll work.
I turned to Twilight as the silence got more and more awkward.
“So… I guess that’s enough for the day.” I yawned, looking out the window. It was getting late. Oh, god, Twilight seemed so annoyed by that. It was as if she wanted to stay up the entire night and disseminate the entire human history.“Spasibo, Twilight! I owe you one!” I stretched as she smiled.“Ladno. Good night.” She nodded, leaving the basement I’d been shown to. Well, it was anything but a basement – warm and dry to boot. But I’m rambling.
Uh.
Chto za huy?
I stirred sleepily. It must’ve been past midnight! What was Twilight waking me up for?
“Huuuuumaaaaannnnn…”What?
Wait, what was she-WHY IS SHE HOLDING A KNIFE
“YOU ARE REAL!!!” She howled in triumph.
Shut up, you would scream too if a demented pony was staring into your soul so deeply it burned.
Metro 2033: A Stalker's Tale
There are times when you are presented with a situation and you decide how to react. Occasionally you react appropriately. Sometimes you do not.
I’m fairly sure that this time it was the latter.
In my defence, it was midnight. I wasn’t in the best state of mind, seeing as I had been roused from my sleep and was instantly assaulted by a unicorn with a fetish for humans – Twilight explained it to me later – and was apparently hell-bent on cutting my hands off.
So I hope you’ll forgive me if I backhanded my would-be assailant across the room, scrabbling out of my bed as I reached for my weapons. The closest one I could find was my AK. Grabbing that one, I turned around, just as the unicorn’s face filled my vision. Involuntarily, I squeezed the trigger, sending a burst of bullets off, the unicorn slamming into me as she let out an ear-piercing shriek.tovarish?” That took the starch out of her and she froze fearfully, but nodded weakly.“Nu tak. Get the fuck off me. And drop the knife.” I growled and she complied all too gladly, scampering away, her weapon clattering on the floor. I stood up; holding her in my sights, just as Twilight nearly fell down the stairs, a lantern in her grasp.“Da. Didn’t you say you needed to sleep? I don’t know about you, but I’m all but ready to fall over. Dobry nochy.” I got back in my bed, keeping my AK at hand’s length. Just in case. Twilight sighed resignedly, muttering a quiet ‘good night’ to me and walked upstairs.
I don’t know what time it was when I woke up – I guessed it was, like, close to noon or so. Nevertheless, I felt amazing – it had been ages since I’d last slept in an actual bed. I sat up, yawning as I stretched my arms out.
I was greeted by Spike, who waved at me happily.pacan. How about them… pancakes, then?”
I am not going to lie.
These pancakes were heavenly. No other word for it. Spike was one hell of a cook. I’m serious! I was just about to start singing of undying love to Spike from the rooftops of Ponyville when Twilight returned. She just eyed the dirty dishes, the empty bottle of maple syrup – another food fit for gods that I hadn’t ever known of before – and chuckled good-naturedly.
You say "Yes", I say "No". You say "Stop" and I say "Go, go, go". Oh no… You say "Goodbye" and I say "Hello, hello, hello" I don't know why you say "Goodbye", I say "Hello, hello, hello" I don't know why you say goodbye, I say hello…
Ah, the words were coming back to me now. I smiled involuntarily as I got more into it.
I say "High", you say "Low". You say "Why?" And I say "I don't know". Oh no… You say "Goodbye" and I say "Hello, hello, hello" I don't know why you say "Goodbye", I say "Hello, hello, hello" I don't know why you say "Goodbye", I say "Hello"…
If my memory serves me right, I was swaying from side to side in rhythm at that point. I liked that song. As soon as I had finished washing up, the song ended seconds later and I stopped and got somewhat of a surprise. Spike and Twilight were eyeing me in surprise. I felt like I’d been partaking in a scandal of sorts as I coughed awkwardly.
“Uh… Why do you have that weapon with you?” Spike hesitantly asked as we went down the main street.moy drug. You wouldn’t understand, though. Metro’s dangerous.”pacan. Let me check if there’s any bleeding…” I turned his head this way, that way, but it seemed there was little in the way of injuries, just a bit of bruising and I let go of him, standing up. “Might want to watch where you’re walking.”bona fide conspirationist. “I have a crush on Rarity…”
It was another ten minutes later when we arrived at our destination – the Carousel Boutique.“Nu i nu … it really looks like a carousel…” I muttered as we walked up to the door and Spike knocked on it. A moment later, someone sing-songed.“Dobry dyenj. I’m Aly-“ I was interrupted as the unicorn – Rarity, I presumed – turned around and ran back inside.“A?” “Chto?” He pointed with a shaky arm inside the shop and I saw the unicorn return, her face bearing an expression I was all too familiar with.
And here we go again…
Metro 2033: A Stalker's Tale
I guess I may have screwed up a little bit this time. Spike went loco when he saw me whack Rarity over the head with a frying pan. I grumbled, dropping the piece of kitchenware on the ground and started pulling out the pins sticking out from my left palm.“Yob tvaju maty…” I cursed, yanking another one out. At one moment, I had tripped and brought my hand up just in time for Rarity to make a pincushion out of it. She was… handy with that measuring tape, to say the least. She’d wrapped it around my ankles. Nevertheless, I won in the end. Now, I’m almost finished with removing these needles and pins from my arm. Once the last one drops on the cobblestones, I can’t help but examine the rivulets of blood running down my arm. Shit. Kind of hurt, to be fair. And there were no bandages nearby, too. Double shit.
Spike was still wailing in terror at the motionless Rarity. I knelt down in front of the unconscious unicorn and started to check her. Pulse – fine. Breathing – normal. Injuries – none to be found aside from that frying pan-induced lump on her head.“Uspokoysja, Spike! She’s just unconscious. She could use an ice pack when she wakes up, however. We should get her back to her shop, no?”
I sighed, trying to not become overly irate at the white unicorn a ways off from me as I plucked another needle out of my arm.chyort! – stop that!”Ladno?”
She finished a couple of minutes later and then we headed out to meet the rest of her friends, Spike perched atop my shoulders. He was ecstatic of his new vantage point, too. Rarity smiled at the sight.
Sugarcube Corner was just about the strangest place I'd ever seen. And I've seen plenty, trust me. But this place took the cake.
Heh. Cake.
Wait a minute. Play that last bit again.
“Uh, what was that? You mentioned something about… Never mind.” Rarity rubbed her temples before brightening up. “So, are you coming, then?”
To say that Fluttershy’s Cottage was peaceful was selling it short.
I knocked on the door and waited as I heard a quiet voice from the other side.“Da. He’s in hospital.”
“So… what are apples?” I asked Rarity and her eyes widened in surprise.“Da. The surface is a very hostile place. We don’t grow much in the way of fruits and vegetables – just the necessities, like potatoes and suchlike.” The widespread farmstead slowly grew bigger in our sight as we walked down the beaten path leading up to it.
Who, now?
I whirled around, just as a cyan blue blur slammed into me and
Metro 2033: A Stalker's Tale
The first thing I felt as my consciousness returned was a dull, jarring throb in my left wrist. The back of my head was damp. Everything was, well… blurry. Sounds were muffled and distant, but I could make out Rarity's stern tone. She was chastising someone. Then, I felt someone else poke at my wrist and I moaned in pain. That, in turn, made my chest hurt and I held still until the pain subsided. Okay, what the heck happened? We were walking towards the Sweet Apple Acres. We'd gotten quite close to our destination, too, when Rarity shouted something about a dashing rainbow. Then something blue knocked me down and out.
The fuck's a rainbow?
“Ow… Nu yob tvaju maty...” I groaned.“Podozhdyi-ka. I need to re-set my wrist...” Fluttershy interrupted then.“Da.” I nodded slowly before running a quick inventory check. Hmm... Nothing's disappeared, which is good. Hmm. “Let's go.” Rarity cringed slightly then.“Da.” I nodded, pulling up the left sleeve of my shirt, displaying a long scar on my shin. “See? Got this one from a Demon. I got lucky that time... I came this close to becoming meat salad.” Rainbow oohed in surprise/awe, while others blanched in shock.horosho?” “Da. Let's keep going.” Rainbow nodded and we headed onwards.
When we finally arrived, I was awestruck. The farmlands were a vibrant mix of lush, lively colours and I stopped immediately, taking a moment to look around – back in Moscow, the only trees were cold, dead husks, eaten away by radiation and harsh weather. Here, however... everything was flourishing.“Nyet. To be fair, I've never eaten a single fruit during my life.”
Once we were inside, I was once more treated to a surprise – the house was so clean and tidy! Back in the Metro, it was always cold – even in the stations, so everyone had to always wear warm clothes. Applejack noticed my surprise and chuckled softly.“Nu tak. So, we're all here. I guess now's a good time as any for me to tell my story.” We sat down on the chairs and I had soon gained the undivided attention of five mares and a baby dragon, and I smirked inwardly as I started to speak.
“Heh. You're pretty awesome, Alyona.” I shrugged slowly at that as Rainbow Dash grinned amiably at me.“Nu ladno. I guess it can't hurt to try...” She smiled happily at that. Applejack trotted up to me, carrying a couple of apples with her.
“Hmm. So you're stuck here f'r the time bein'?”“Da. No telling when I'll be able to go back.”“Ladno. I'll get my stuff from Twilight's.” She nodded, while others congratulated me. We stood up and walked outside, with Applejack waving enthusiastically at me as me, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash headed off towards Ponyville. Along the way, we made a quick stop at Fluttershy's cottage and she gave me a small pot, filled with the salve she'd promised earlier.
I whistled thoughtfully as I walked down the path again, my backpack and weapons strapped to my back. My left wrist was wrapped with some bandaging to let the salve do its work. Twilight had been excited to find out Applejack had decided to employ me in the farm, but she'd been disappointed she could no longer use me for information regarding humans and Metro. I promised her I'd drop by whenever I was free and let her take notes. She nearly broke my ribs when she tacklehugged me. Maybe I'm exaggerating. Oh well.
Applejack grinned at me as I walked up to the house.GOSPODJI MOY, GET A GRIP ON YOURSELF, GIRL!
“Alyona? You're kinda spacin' out there...” Applejack's words returned me to now and here and I shook my head, grinning sheepishly.“Ymenno tak.” Her eyes narrowed before she nodded again.Nyet, I'm from Moscow. And how do you know of Stalingrad, anyways?”
Whatever.
So, I was introduced to both Big Mac and Applebloom afterwards. I showered myself, had a dinner with the Apples and went to sleep afterwards, seeing as night was already encroaching upon us. I plopped down in the bed and was asleep in mere moments...
“WAKEY, WAKEY, EVERYPONY!” Applejack's enthusiastic voice instantly got me awake. I'm a light sleeper and I've always been a morning girl. Drove others at the orphanage crazy. Nonetheless, I sat up, stretching as I yawned. Applejack knocked on the door to my room.Vkusno.
Well, a whole new day awaited me.
It was a good day.
Author's Note
Big Mac gets all the mares.
Metro 2033: A Stalker's Tale
So, where exactly do I start off at?
I don’t really know. Ah, well. Let me think for a second…
When we had finished with the breakfast, we went outside and I winced slightly in the sunlight. The weather was amazing. I had an inkling it was like this most of the time – sunny, warm and generally nice. Shrugging slowly, I followed Applejack and the rest of her family. Applebloom was understandably sullen, I guess – she wanted to stay home and talk to me instead of going to school.
“Don't worry, Applebloom, I am not going to disappear into thin air. I'm still going to be here by the end of the day!”“Da. I promise.” That seemed to make her slightly happier and she smiled at me.
Well, this was… new. Then again, the Apples were the best at growing… apples. Anyways, the hills were covered in all manners of apple trees, laden with the ripe, red/orange/green/what have you fruits and I involuntarily licked my lips. Applejack chuckled at that.
I stared up at the apple tree, eyeing the shiny fruits dangling from the branches. How, exactly, was I going to get to them by kicking the tree?Blyin.” I cursed, then sighed. Welp.
Time to go all monkey style, I guess.
As it turns out, clambering across a tree, plucking its fruits loose and tossing those into a basket five metres below you isn’t all that easy. I’d nearly fallen several times, and a couple of the branches had nearly snapped under my weight, causing me to use several choice curses and scramble back towards my previous location. But I was getting the job done either way. After a while, the basket was full and I set out back towards the farm. On my way I came across Applejack, who waved at me. She too, was carrying apples – two baskets slung across her back and I chuckled as we walked along the path.
Once back at the farm, we emptied the baskets into an empty cart and headed out towards our separate destinations once more.
Rinse and repeat.
Rinse and repeat.
It went on for several hours – even though I started to get sore at some point, I could simply just tough it out. I’d been put through worse things, believe you me. As I went about my work, I started up my music player, and clipped it to my belt – I opted not to use my earphones. The damn things would most likely get snagged somewhere, and I didn't have a spare pair. I hummed to myself as I kept filling up my basket with apples, the tunes from my music player helping with breaking my task's monotonous pace.
Take me down to the Paradise City Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Oh, won't you please take me home...?
I leaned downwards, and tossed a pair of apples into the basket. Two points, yeaah~
Take me down to the Paradise City Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Oh, won't you please take me home...?
I clambered along, taking more care now as several more apples landed in the basket, some good, old-fashioned Guns N' Roses blasting from the small device on my waist – the sound was somewhat tinny, but clear enough for me to hear and sing along. It had a positive effect on me, too – I moved across the branches more confidently, the apples came loose with less effort, and my clothes didn't get snagged anywhere. I suppose it had something to do with the fact that I could actually relax in this land – no one was out to get me here, a particular mint-green unicorn aside. I wasn't going to get jumped by bandits, or mutants. Or anyone and anything that was detrimental to my well-being, once more, a particular mint-green unicorn aside.
Hem, hem.
The time passed by faster as the music poured from the small music player, but my mind was still unsettled – how would I return to the Metro? Was there even a way for me and Bourbon to get back? I didn’t actually mind this place, but the Metro was my home, after all. I would have to ask Celestia someday if she could help me with this predicament. And, speaking of Bourbon…
Could I still rely on him? If the news were that we were stuck here forever, how would he take it? Bad or good? Seeing as he had an affinity for debts in the Metro, he might be happy to stay here, but that’s just wild speculation. For now, I was content with recuperating from the strifes of the post-apocalyptic Moscow…
Another two hours later, as the sun was slowly, but decidedly making its sojourn towards the horizon, Applejack called it a day. I emptied the basket and set it down, stretching my arms, sighing as I felt the pops emanate from the joints.
Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle scowled at the other two fillies – Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, to be precise.
“That’s my name, don’t wear it out.” I responded to the yellow pony in front of me, while her friends kept staring at, their jaws figuratively scraping across the ground. Applebloom grinned as I ruffled her mane a little.
Celestia looked up from her desk and her heart skipped a beat or two – a black, angular, and utterly alien face was eyeing her, its red eyes boring into hers.
Oh... Hello again.Our time runs short. I implore you – do what you can. We do not wish to be extinguished like everything else. Very well. We will eagerly await for any development of the situation. Do not hesitate to contact us.
The odd being faded away like dust and she sighed, her shoulders slumping a bit.
What have I gotten myself into?
Metro 2033: A Stalker's Tale
I chuckled, stepping aside as the three fillies cantered inside the kitchen of Apple family's house and I closed the door behind me. Their excited voices echoed through the corridors as they put their saddlebags down somewhere else and galloped into the living room, eagerly taking their seats. I went over to Applejack, whom was shaking her head at the fillies' excitement.
“Nu tak. That's done. Need help with anything else?”
“Nothin' comes t'my mind, Alyona. Go on an' get seated. Ah'll be right over with the food.” I nodded at that and joined the rest of the Apples in the dining room, curious to see what Applejack had cooked up. Granny Smith trotted inside, smiling at the sight. She chuckled amiably and also took a seat, joining us in the waiting. Eventually, Applejack did show up, carrying a steaming pot with her, which she deposited on a tray in the middle of the table. She quickly trotted off and brought more food - bread, butter, the sort... a real feast. The sight of so much fresh food almost made me drool – most of the food in Metro existed in airtight cans or military-grade MRE packets - bland and tasteless stuff.
This, however... I couldn't wait until we began to eat. Others also muttered their approval, but then turned their attention to Granny Smith – the elderly mare put her hooves together, bowed her head and spoke, closing her eyes – others followed suit and I quickly did the same, feeling like a moron for some reason.
“We thank you, Princesses, fer this bountiful feast. Thank you, Princess Celestia, for ensurin' our crops didn't waste away. Thank you, Princess Luna, for guardin' us from our nightmares and makin' sure we get a good night's sleep. Amen.” Ah, a pre-meal prayer?
“Amen.” Six ponies and a human chorused. With that out of the way, we dug in, speaking little. Well, except for the Crusaders, that is – they tore through their meals with the ferocity of a Demon, and then sat, eagerly waiting for me to finish my meal, expectant smiles on their faces. I smirked a little before resuming to eat, but paused to speak for a moment, knowing full well what they wanted to do.
“Don't you three have homework to do? We can chat later. It's not like I'm going to run off all of a sudden.” They grumbled sullenly at that.
Busted.
Either way, they shuffled off their chairs and carried their dirty dishes to the sink, and then picked their saddlebags, trotting off into the living room to do their homework. After a while, others had also finished their meals. Big Mac volunteered to do the dishes. Applejack and Granny Smith went off to somewhere, leaving me to my own devices.
Ten minutes later found me back in my room, running maintenance on my weapons – I didn't really think I'd get attacked; last time I had fired anything was when Lyra had ambushed me. It was more of a routine thing, really. The old, tried-and-tested AK-74 was lying disassembled on the table as I cleaned its inner workings free of any grime or suchlike that might be there. There wasn't any, of course, but it felt nice to make sure. This rifle had saved my life quite a few times, and the least I could do was make sure it was in a good condition. Humming tunelessly to myself, I began to put the rifle back together, various bolts and pins locking the parts together. With that task accomplished, I racked the bolt a couple of times, squeezing the trigger afterwards. Every time, I was rewarded with a dry click and I nodded, satisfied with my work. I set the weapon aside and packed up the various tools scattered across the table, then sat, not really sure what to do now.
“Alyona?”
I turned to look at Applebloom, who was standing in the doorway, looking at me.
“Yes, Applebloom?”
“Could ya help us with our homework? We're kinda stuck on some of those tasks an' we're getting kinda frustrated by 'em.”
“What're you having problems with?”
“Math.” I cocked an eyebrow at that, chuckling.
“Math is easy, Applebloom.”
“No, it ain't!” The small pony argued. “All those numbers are so confusin'!”
“Nu ladno. I guess I can help you three out. But just that. I'm not going to do your homework for you, okay?” The filly nodded and I followed her to her room, where Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle awaited – they looked positively defeated, the unicorn in particular almost looked like she had a big, glowing K.O. floating above her head. I took a moment to take a look around – the room wasn't exactly big, but was well-lit and tidy, occupied by a bed, table, two chairs, and a locker. The Crusaders' saddlebags were piled on the bed, and their homework was on the floor, surrounded by crumpled sheets. A couple of posters adorned the walls. I looked at the two fillies sprawled despondently on the ground and sat down, giving a slight chuckle. “So, I hear you're having a bit of trouble with your homework.”
“That's putting it lightly.” Sweetie Belle gave a light huff, sitting upright. Scootaloo was scribbling something on a vacant page, her expression distant.
“Well, I might be of some help, in that case. Show me what you’re stumped by.” Sweetie Belle nodded and passed a textbook over to me. I eyed the page they had opened for a couple of moments before looking back at the three ponies.
“Multiplication, eh? Well, I could teach you a trick or two. It’s not like we don’t have any schools back at the Metro.”
“See? Once you get the hang of it, math isn't that hard at all.” I sat up as the three small ponies packed their school things up, smiling widely as I spoke. “Well, I guess you've earned a little reward. Come on, you three.” I sat up and went to my bedroom, the Crusaders eagerly trotting behind me.
Once there, I knelt down at my backpack, and rummaged through it, pulling a couple of items out, laying them down on the bed – my gasmask, night-vision goggles, flashlight, and the battery charger. Sweetie Belle was the first to speak, pointing a hoof at the NV goggles.
“What's that for?”
“These are night-vision goggles. They let you see better in the dark. Want to try them out?”
Her answer was an unpony-like squeak and vigorous nodding. I chuckled to myself and carefully placed them on the young unicorn's face, adjusting the straps as I adressed Scootaloo. “Could you close the curtains, please?”
“Can do!” The orange pegasus cantered over to the window and pulled the two curtains shut, drastically darkening the room, and I closed the door, turning the room even darker. I plugged the goggles up to the charger and heard Sweetie let out a gasp of surprise as I turned the goggles on.
“Oh, wow! I can see all of you!” Well, that was expected. I could barely see my own hands, however. I swapped the goggles around, letting all three Crusaders see how they worked. I did the same with the rest of my equipment – Scootaloo did some spelunking below my bed, aided by the flashlight strapped to her head, and Applebloom made rather impressive noises with the gas mask muffling her voice.
In the end, I pulled out my music player, deciding to give the girls a last surprise. The small device's scuffed, time-worn screen lit up, and I scrolled through the long list of songs, eventually settling on one. A moment passed before the song started, and a tinny voice poured from the small speaker.
A little less conversation, a little more action, please All this aggravation ain't satisfactioning me A little more bite and a little less bark A little less fight and a little more spark Close your mouth and open up your heart and baby satisfy me Satisfy me, baby
I smirked slightly as they cocked their heads sideways as one, curiosity taking hold as the song continued. A couple of moments passed and Scootaloo began to nod in rhythm, humming in tune, followed by me. The words were easy to learn, and soon, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom joined in as well.
Baby close your eyes and listen to the music Drifting through a summer breeze It's a groovy night and I can show you how to use it Come along with me and put your mind at ease
My legs seemed to acquire a mind of their own and soon, the four of us kind of pranced through the upper floor rooms, singing as we did so.
A little less conversation, a little more action, please All this aggravation ain't satisfactioning me A little more bite and a little less bark A little less fight and a little more spark Close your mouth and open up your heart and baby satisfy me Satisfy me baby
And so it went on as I let go of my concerns, instead of simply shoving them to the back of my head. The three fillies trailing after me also seemed to be having the time of their lives.
And then I reached the stairs, and took a wrong step. You can probably guess what happened next.
Come on, baby, I'm tired of aAEEHG-
Down the stairs I went, followed by three adolescent ponies, who landed on top of me, knocking me senseless for a moment. The music player clattered across the floor, still playing.
...come on, come on Come on, come on Don't procrastinate, don't articulate Girl it's getting late, getting' upset waitin' around...
Applejack looked at the tangled mess of limbs that was me and the Crusaders, her jaw hanging open in surprise. A couple of moments passed and she started to snicker quietly.
“So, what've you four been gettin' up to, hmm?”
“Oh, you know. This and that.” I replied as non-chalantly as possible, and that did it for the orange farmpony, who toppled over, laughing. I already could feel bruises forming across my body.
“Ack~” I eloquently continued as the three adolescent ponies rolled off my back, and Applejack's laughter doubled. A new voice joined in, gravelly and rough.
“Hello to you too, Alyona.” I pulled myself to my feet, and looked at Bourbon, who stood near the table.
“Bourbon!”
“That's my name, don't wear it out. Been keeping busy, I see.” I could only nod at that.
“You're looking good. All patched up, I presume?”
“Da. I have to tell you, I'm feeling better than I've felt in years!” He cracked an uncharacteristic smile and I chuckled, sitting down more comfortably.
“Nice to know, man.”
“Oh, before I forget...” He rummaged through his pockets and withdrew a couple of golden tickets. “The Princess dropped by when I was signed out from the hospital. Says some sort of party's taking place in a week or so in that big, fancy castle of hers. We're both invited, apparently.”
Somewhere else, Pinkie Pie paused in whatever she was doing, and looked around thoughtfully. “Oh, somepony's pulling the cliché invited-to-the-Gala scene...” With a hum, she resumed her task, whatever that may be.
Applejack smiled at the news. “Well, tha's great t'know! Guess we'll be seein' ya there, huh? Oh, Ah should warn ya b'forehand, though – there is one requirement f'r the Gala.”
I turned to look at the farmpony, cocking an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“Y'all are gonna need some formalwear!” She exclaimed, mostly at Bourbon, who was anything but sophisticated. True enough, he baulked in shock, while I gasped in surprise.
“I get to wear a dress?” I exclaimed, all but bouncing up and down, making Bourbon groan in defeat.
“Chyort.”
Author's Note
Holy crap do I need to get my shit together.
Either way, this story is coming to a close. Two or three more chapters after this one, and that's that.
Metro 2033: A Stalker's Tale
I like dresses.
Yeah, go ahead, laugh it up – the big, tough Stalker likes girly stuff. Well, guess what. I am a girl, and even the Metro and Surface couldn't take away that one childhood dream of mine – to own a dress. Or, failing that, get to wear one for a while.
So I hope you'll understand why I was so excited to knock on the door of Carousel Boutique. Bourbon was less than enthusiastic, however. Then again, that was to be expected from that pessimist. Prepare and expect the worst, he always said.
In hindsight, I guess he was right. Rarity freaked once she saw his timeworn clothes – she freaked worse than she did when meeting me. And, as you can imagine, she chased him with needles and a measuring tape, and he was running around, spouting profanities. Sweetie Belle and I were trying to stop Rarity. Eventually, we did, with the help of manic cookware that had its second taste of pony blood.
Bourbon collapsed in the chair with a tired sigh as I deposited the unconscious unicorn on a free couch.
“Sweetie Belle, could you find me some ice or something? Your sister's going to have one hell of a headache once she wakes up.” The filly nodded and cantered off, while Bourbon regained his breath.
“Chyort poberi ... She's only half as tall as me. How did Miss Squiggletail keep up with me?”
“Hell if I know, man. Same thing happened to me a short while ago. She looked like she'd just suffered aneurysm once she saw my clothes. Turned my arm into a damn pincushion before I managed to clock her with that same pan.”
“This place is fucking insane, Alyona.” That drew a chuckle out of me.
“Depends on one's point of view, but yeah. I get what you mean. Those faint of heart or serious of temperament will not fare well here.” The clip-clop of hooves marked Sweetie's return. She passed the ice-pack to me, and I placed it on top of the bruise forming on top of Rarity's head. “Sorry about this mess, Sweetie.”
“It's alright. It's not the first time she's gone loopy over 'treason against fashion'.” She air-quoted the last three words, making us chuckle. “So, what're you here for?”
“We got invited to the Gala, and, seeing as one needs a dress to attend the Gala, we decided to visit your sister for some formal apparel.”
“Ooooh, you got invited to the Gala?” The unicorn filly exclaimed. “Awesome! Rarity's going to be so excited to know that.”
“Can we expect her to react like this again, kid?” Bourbon groused, shooting Rarity a suspicious look.
“Well, I guess we'll find out when she wakes up, now won't we?” Sweetie Belle chuckled, prompting another groan from Bourbon.
Rarity took the news well. That is, if one's meaning of well equals going starry-eyed for the best part of ten minutes. She went on about Canterlot and its splendour and such, and how the highest of the high resided there. Eventually, she did take Bourbon's measurements, and gave me the clothes she'd taken my measurements for a couple of days ago. After declining any sort of payment from us – she claimed us wearing apparel designed by her was reward enough – we were off once more, with me showing my friend around Ponyville, deciding to take him to Sugarcube Corner and introduce him to Pinkie Pie, just for the heck of it. It would most definitely be hilarious watching him freak once the hyperactive pony popped out from nowhere.
I sat quietly on a chair, having just tasted the sour, sour taste of humble pie. Bourbon and Pinkie were at full steam in the kitchen, cooking something that smelled undeniably delicious. A small, time-worn book sat open on a counter, its age-yellowed pages covered in Cyrillic as Bourbon rattled off the instructions to Pinkie Pie before resuming a story of his.
“...after the bombs fell, me and my grandma took shelter in the Metro, twenty years ago. My parents, well... they didn't make it. But my babushka took care of me. She was an incredible cooker, and wrote down every recipe she knew in that book of hers. It's about the only thing I've got of hers, bless her soul. My fortunes may change at a moment's notice, but I've never even entertained the thought of parting with this here recipe book. Some things just aren't meant to be sold, you know what I'm saying?”
“Absotively, posilutely!” The pink mare chirped, depositing some more cooking ingredients on a vacant table. The noise would lead one to believe they were cooking up a hell in the kitchen. It would be, however, a very tasty hell, judging by the smell.
This was not a side of Bourbon I'd ever witnessed. I was honestly at a loss for words, or thoughts, even. I could just sit there and stare silently as the normally-gruff man bantered easily with the chipper pink pony. I didn't mind, honestly. It was better than him trying to pilfer anything of value to sell it somewhere else later on.
Not that I had any experience with that, mind you.
The bullet marks on my left thigh from a Hanza guard's Kalash also most certainly did not exist.
Ahem.
Aaannnyyywaays... Bourbon looked like he was enjoying himself, so I felt content to sit there and watch my friend relax and enjoy himself in what must've been the first time in years.
It did not make the humble pie taste any better, though.
I guess it was for the better – his close brush with death wouldn't have had a good impact on his mood, and cooking with Pinkie Pie had taken a load off his shoulders; there was a slight bounce in his step, he wasn't slouching as much, and seemed much cheerier in general, his smile no longer slightly sarcastic.
“You know I'm not going to let you forget this, right, Bourbon?”
“At this moment, I couldn't care less, Alyona.” He gave a low chuckle, hands in his pockets as we walked through the sunlit streets of Ponyville. “I'm not in danger, I actually feel happy for once, and the weather is perfect. What more could I ask for?”
“Yeah, it's definitely a step up from nosalises and whatnot, right?”
“I hear that.” He chuckled again.
A couple of days later
Rarity let out a delighted squee as I left the changing room, clad in a dark blue dress and holy hell did it feel heavenly to have it touch my skin – it was an otherwordly experience to someone who's worn patchwork clothes for most of her life. The unicorn fashionista had also procured a pair of high-heels for me. How, I didn't ask. I didn't feel like questioning this world's logic. Headache tended to follow.
“Oh, you look simply marvelous, darling!” She chuckled happily, but then her smile lessened slightly as her eyes briefly danced over to the scars that weren't covered by the fabric of my dress – the Demon-inflicted scar on my left shin, lacerations on my right shoulder, left by a grenade tossed by a particularly keen-eyed bandit. Giving a slight smile in return, I took a moment to examine myself in a nearby mirror – the dress was a perfect fit, and I loved it, although that may have been my fondness of dresses speaking. I spotted someone in the mirror and turned around to look, and my heart did a double-take.
It was Bourbon, but he no longer wore his old clothes, instead looking incredibly resplendent in a black tuxedo. His hair was neat and combed, although I suspected he'd gelled it up. A faint smell wafting from him indicated he'd even used some cologne. All in all, it took me a moment or two to recognize him. I honestly can say I'd never seen him so clean and gentlemanly ever before.
“How do I look, Alyona?” I blinked twice, shaking myself back to reality.
“You look great, man!” He snickered at that, brushing off an imaginary mote of dust from his shoulder.
“Well, that's good to know. If what Squ-er, Rarity says is true, we'll have to look good to impress the nobility.” The unicorn nodded, grinning brightly.
“Indeed! Me and the rest of the girls also shall be accompanying you to the Gala, so if there's anything you need to know about, you can just ask us. This'll be our second Gala, and I honestly do hope it goes better than the year before.”
“What happened?” She rolled her eyes dramatically at his question.
“Oh, nothing short of an utter disaster. Suffice to say, our preconceptions of the Gala were very different from what it actually was.” She grumbled to herself before perking back up. “Either way, give me a couple of moments to get my dress on, and then we can go to the train station to meet others.”
“Works for me.” I shrugged, giving myself a last once-over before sitting down, still slightly shell-shocked at Bourbon's pristine appearance. Apparently, he noticed that and laughed again.
“You should've seen your face, Alyona. You looked like you needed to scrape your jaw off the floor.” I grumbled at that.
“Yes, yes, you caught me off-guard with your dashing, manly looks.” I snarked back at him. “You've really changed, man. Thought you'd be all grumpy and shit no matter what.”
“Alyona, this place is nothing like the Metro. I don't have to worry about dying or trying to survive until the next day. The air here is breathable, there's aplenty of fresh food and water, and no one here has to worry about Nazis, Reds, or bandits, or anything else that may intend to gnaw their faces off.”
I felt inclined to agree, honestly. This world definitely was much more welcoming than Moscow or the Metro tunnels, always eager to claim lives of the unwary. Living in Equestria had mellowed us both out. No longer did I regard a pony greeting me with suspicion, and neither did I tense up and grope at my waist for a gun that wasn't there when someone approached me. Of course, I could've argued with Bourbon over it, but I didn't feel like it, honestly, so we just sat there in companionable silence as we waited for Rarity. A couple of minutes later, she reappeared, wearing an ensemble that easily revealed why she was such a sought-after clothes designer – she'd definitely gone all-out with her dress, no doubt.
Letting out a delighted laugh, she beckoned for us to follow. “Let's go! The Gala awaits us!” We nodded and followed her out of the Boutique, heading to the train station as day gave way to night.
I had seen Canterlot several times from the distance, hanging from the side of the mountain as a big middle finger to Isaac Newton, who may as well be turning over in his grave right now. But to behold the city as our train pulled into was an entirely another matter. The sight of the massive arches and buttresses hewn from the cliffside, shaped into impressive supports by craftsmen, er, craftsponies was impressive in its own worth as the locomotive trundled along the rails on our approach to Canterlot. Seeing the resplendent capital of Equestria up close was another matter entirely. It could easily measure up to the once-grand cities of Earth, magnificent as it was in its marble glory. The setting sun cast a golden glow across Canterlot as its lights winked into life to ward off the darkness – all in all, the seat of power of Equestria was quite something to behold, a testament to the prowess of those who built it.
Clouds of steam rolled around us as we disembarked, two humans, six ponies, and an adolescent dragon in total. Two jaws were hanging open.
Holy shit, this place was amazing! I had seen many pre-war photos of the great Earth cities – New York, St. Petersburg, Cairo, Los Angeles – the great, sprawling metropolises of steel and concrete, each and every one of them bursting at seams with history and art. I had seen Polis, the vast Metro station watched over by its Rangers, providing one with a sense of seldom-felt security. But Canterlot had a wholly different quality to it – the very air felt ancient, stately and majestic. The whole place seemed like something out of Ancient Rome, what with all the marble.
Twilight looked at me and Bourbon, chuckling at our shocked-slash-awed expressions. “I know, I know, it's quite a sight. When I first saw Canterlot, I felt the same way. If you're enjoying this, wait 'til you see the Royal Castle! Come on!” She beckoned for us to follow, and we did as asked.
There was more? To an old world nut like me, this was a dream come true and I trailed after our group, eager to reach our destination.
As it turned out, however, the Gala was the smallest of surprises fate had in store for me that day...
Author's Note
This is what happens when I write after playing Dark Souls II.
Metro 2033: A Stalker's Tale
I was momentarily blinded as the great, gilded castle doors swung open. The noise overwhelmed me for a moment but I quickly accustomed to the new atmosphere, but still! The ceiling must've been at least fifty meters high, supported by thick marble columns inlaid with gold filigree that presented some event in Equestria's past, I guess. The floor and walls were made of the same stone, the polished surfaces shining in the light of the lanterns hanging from the buttresses. Large stained glass windows glittered dully in the low moonlight, thus I was unable to tell what was depicted there. It was like something of pre-war photos of Earth, except real! I know, I know, those words don't make sense, but I was simply awestruck – everything here spoke of wealth and prosperity. It was as if I'd stepped into a whole another century. Bourbon was similarly awed, his head on a swivel as he looked around.
“Bozhe moy... Kinda like out of those photos of St. Petersburg castle, right, Alyona?”
“Da.” I could only nod dumbly as we walked along. Eventually, we were greeted by none other than Celestia herself.
“Welcome to the Grand Galloping Gala! I hope you got here without any trouble?”
“That we did. Travelling with national heroes speeds things up, I have to say.” I responded, giving a slight bow to her as others followed suit, even Bourbon. The alabaster alicorn smiled warmly at us before gesturing to the rest of the hall.
“Please, do enjoy yourselves, but stay around after the Gala. I would very much like to know what you all have been up to since we last met.” I nodded and we dispersed through the hall, doing whatever. Bourbon sauntered off to sample the drinks, while I kind of wandered around, properly taking in the sights. A short while later, my stomach made its needs known and I decided to get something to eat. And there was so much food to choose from. Then again, considering how big this party was, it wasn't that big of a surprise – there were cakes, puddings, fondues, salads, foodstuffs of every kind imaginable, and the smells left me drooling.
And then, my conscience decided to make itself known – here I was, safe and sound, living a life of luxury, yet how many people were living by the skin of their teeth back in Metro? Honestly, it left me feeling like an asshole. But there was little I could do about it, really. Thus, even with my mood somewhat dampened, I chose to sample what was available on the table. The cuisine did not disappoint me, though the foods with hay or flowers in them were left alone. To a pony they would've been delicious, but to a human like yours truly... not so much.
Nonetheless, what I did eat was simply delicious, even though there was no meat. Then again, that would've been really messed up, considering. It took the better part of an hour until I no longer felt the need to eat, but by then, I'd found something else to entertain myself with – the orchestra began some sort of a slow, waltzy piece. Quickly, the guests divided into pairs and began to mill about and...
And...
Was Bourbon dancing with Rarity?
He was, indeed, with the fashionista standing up in a two-legged pose, but it worked, somehow. Neither of them were bad at it, too.
Well, now. Turns out Bourbon was a man of many talents, then.
It was about then that my brain decided it'd witnessed just about enough weird shit. Grabbing a bottle of wine from a nearby waiter, I wandered off.
A third of the bottle and half an hour later found me surveying the landscape from a balcony. It was a really nice sight. Even though I only saw the glittering lights of Canterlot far below the castle, I was more drawn to the sky – the stars twinkling in the vast, abyssal expanse of space were what really drew my attention. Here's the thing – these days, few people knew what sky looked like, and combined with the fact that it was mostly concealed from sight by a constant cloud cover, you'd have to be a really lucky Stalker or such to even see a glimpse of it. As fate would have it, I was among those lucky few – I'd caught a short glimpse of night sky back at Moscow, but this was different, a sky whose stars weren't obscured in any way. It was a breath-taking sight, to see something that was akin to a myth back on Earth...
Letting out a soft sigh, I took another sip of wine, feeling a slight buzz coming on – drinking 'shroom vodka kind of helps one develop a resistance to alcohol. My mood rather upbeat, I hummed to myself as my eyes wandered across the sky.
We're the last descendants In the line of valiant soldiers We're the mistreated angels We're the blackbird nation We're the chosen ones...
Those were just about the only words I knew of that song, and proceeded to hum wordlessly to myself, enjoying the solitude, the view, and the bottle of a great wine.
*ahem*
I turned to look at whoever had found me, and saw someone who could only be Celestia's sister, Luna. Well, the description Twilight'd provided me with matched.
“Hello. You must be Alyona.” Luna spoke, her voice calm and measured.
“Da. And you must be Luna.” The midnight blue alicorn smiled wanly and nodded.
“Indeed I am, and I regret that I only get to meet you now. Whatever are you doing out here on your own?”
“Oh, the party, although very nice, got kind of stuffy, so I came out to cool down a bit, gather my thoughts. Oh, and enjoy the view while I'm at it, too.” Luna let out a small hum at that, gazing across Canterlot.
“Yes, it is a fine city, is it not?”
“That, too, but I was referring to the sky.” That threw her for a loop and she looked at me surprisedly.
“Really?”
“Mhm.” I made to sit down, but Luna was faster, conjuring a pair of cushions, sliding one below my rear. “Thanks. So, before the war, people back on Earth would always be fascinated with space. They'd look up to the stars and say 'I want to know what's up there.' Hell, about sixty or so years ago, they even managed to send a couple of people to the Moon.” Luna's eyes widened in surprise at that and her jaw all but hit the floor. I chuckled for a moment before speaking again. “I guess Celestia told you about what's my world like now, right?”
She nodded.
“Right. Well, these days we have to fight every day to survive. Outlying stations don't last long and are either taken by bandits, Reds, Nazis, or overrun by the monsters. It's not a happy world back there.” I sighed dourly to myself before continuing. “One night, I was hurrying back to a service tunnel that'd get me back underground, having scavenged a pretty nice stockpile of goods. And then, I looked up for a moment to check if I was still on track. And that's when I saw it – some of the clouds had cleared out, letting me see a bit of the night sky, stars and all. With so few people in the Metro actually having seen the sky, I felt pretty damn lucky to have done so as well. And it felt nice, to know that even with all the dangers of the world, there were still some good and beautiful things left, you know?” The midnight-blue alicorn smiled at that, nodding.
“I do know what you mean, Alyona. And it's a nice surprise to know that you appreciate the night. Ponies seldom do.”
“Well, then they need to get their heads checked.” I chuckled before passing her the wine bottle. “Here, have a drink.” She smiled before taking a sip from the bottle.
“So, what can you tell me about yourself?” I took a sip as well before answering.
“Well, there isn't much to tell, but sure. I'm twenty-four years old. I was born... shit, four years before the nukes fell, year 2009. I was the only one of my family to get in the Metro. Stayed in an orphanage 'til I was sixteen, then had to leave.” I sighed as memories of those years returned. “Had to scrape by the skin of my teeth to survive. Saved up enough for a gun and bullets, then did courier and guard work, did whatever I had to so I could stay fed and clothed.”
“That sounds horrible.” Luna spoke, a look on sympathy on her face.
“Looking back, yeah, it does. But it was either that or die. Life is pretty damn unforgiving in the Metro But I survived. Took to a Stalker's trade pretty quickly, and it went only upwards from there. The supplies I recovered from the surface are vital to the survival of the Metro as a whole – munitions, medicine, books, non-perishable foods, fuel... Ours is an important task.”
“That sounds dangerous, to live in a world that isn't hospitable.”
“That's putting it lightly, but yeah. It's very dangerous. You get attacked by something on the Surface, only one of you is walking away alive from that fight – the animals can't afford to walk away without food, and I don't want to become Watcher chow – they're these howling things that can be a real pain in the ass.” I took another gulp of the wine, and Luna followed suit. “Anyways, I needed to find Bourbon and found out he'd left Riga station some time ago. I tracked him to the best of my abilities all the way to Sukharevskaya – Dry Station – where I found him shot and well on his way to six feet under. Then an anomaly zaps us, and we end up here – the rest is history.”
“True enough.” Luna nodded, smiling before raising the bottle. “Now, this here bottle needs to be emptied. Shall we?”
“Oh, by all means!” I laughed as I took a sip and it only went downhill from there...
I found out a couple of things about Luna that night – one of them was that she was a lightweight. A terrifyingly light lightweight. Well, I wasn't all that sober myself. Ponies know how to brew strong booze, I'll give 'em that. We must've been quite a sight to the guards stationed in the hallways – me feeding one of their princesses with a bottle of wine. It would become one of the memories that would cause me to headdesk immediately.
Next morning found me somewhere dark, warm, soft and incredibly comfortable. I was also curled up to said something comfortable, and I also seemed to be naked.
Kinda breezy this morning.
Oh, also, hangover from nowhere. Urkj~
Suppressing a groan, I shuffled out from what I suspected to be the blanket and tiredly inched my way towards the edge of the bed. Even though I was sleepy, hungover, kind of sore and fatigued, I also felt pretty damn content, as if some big weight had been removed from my back. Sighing softly, I turned to look at the bedsheets in an attempt to find some of my underwear. I found my underpants first.
HANGING FROM LUNA'S GOD-FRICKING-DAMNED HORN.
The last night's deeds came rushing back to me and, in that moment, I realised just how fucked I was.
Not in that way, even though that did happen, apparently.
I'd done the horizontal monster mash. With the sister of the one pony who could control the sun itself and could, I imagine, turn me into a heap of ashes with nary a thought. So, yeah. I kind of panicked and tried to sneak out. Quietly as I could, I snatched up my underwear and donned it. Turning away from the slumbering alicorn, I took a st-shlickt.
I froze and turned to look at the source of the noise – one of Luna's horseshoe thingies. The pointy end of it had gone right through my foot.
Celestia sipped from her teacup as she unfolded the newspaper, humming as she read it. The breakfast table was set, and she waited for the rest of her guests – namely the Element Bearers and Bourbon - to show up. They'd gladly accepted her offer to stay over in the castle for the night, which made her glad – she'd been able to exchange few words with them, considering how busy the Gala had been. She'd been happy to find out Luna had decided to be friends with Alyona. The younger alicorn had been initially suspicious of the human when Celestia had told about her. With a bit of luck, she'd overcome those suspicions and become steadfast friends with Alyona.
YYYYYYIIIIIIEEEEEEEAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHH~
A tea-sodden newspaper dropped onto the table as the alabaster mare sat upright in alert. Her horn lit up as she traced the scream back to its source – Luna's bedroom. Worried and curious, she teleported to the room, where she was witness to a sight that left her wondering whether her tea had gone bad.
Alyona was sitting on the floor, all but naked save for her underwear, trying to stem the blood flowing from her foot, while a silver horseshoe lay nearby, covered in blood. Luna was rubbing a bruise on her head, trying to extricate herself from the bedsheets she'd gotten tangled herself in.
“Um... did I, er, interrupt something?” Two heads turned to face the alabaster alicorn.
“Chyort poberi... Bourbon's not going to let me live this one down, the mudak...” With that, Alyona passed out, collapsing on the floor.
Celestia blinked in wordless surprise for a moment before looking at Luna. Despite the situation, she couldn't help but tease her sister a bit. “Wild night, huh?”
“Myergh~”
Author's Note
Metro 2033: A Stalker's Tale
“Alyona-”
“Bourbon. Don't. I'm not in the mood for this.”
“But-”
“I will beat you into a coma with a chair if you don't screw off.”
“Big words for a woman drunk off her ass. I'm betting that hangover is hitting you pretty badly right now.”
“Rrrrrruuuuuu~”
“Bourbon, I would like to have a word with her. In private.”
“Okay, princess.”
The footsteps receded, followed by the sound of a door being closed. Then, I heard the clip-clop of hooves as a certain white somepony trotted over to my side, where poor, unfortunate me was lying face-down in a bed. My right foot was wrapped in bandages and soaked with some sort of healing potion. But that wasn't really the point.
The point was that I was alone in the same room with probably a thousand pounds of pony who had a pig-sticker for a horn. And I'd bedded her sister. Or her sister bedded me.
Irrelevant, in any case.
“Grrrhk. Just make it less painful than this hangover, princess.”
“What? No, you've misunderstood the situation. I'm not angry with you in any way, Alyona. Merely surprised.”
“Yes, well, when you're drunk, you do stupid things. Sleeping with your sister was definitely not on my agenda when I came to the castle.”
“It may be a surprise to you, but me and my sister also are ponies, and we also have needs.”
“Please don't tell me that means you want to have your way with me, too.” I groaned beleagueredly, fighting back the urge to vomit.
“W-what? No! I just want to tell you that speaking to Luna about this would be prudent. It'd be unwise to simply attempt to forget about what happened last night.”
“I wasn't planning on trying to bury this. I will talk to her once this fucking hangover ends.” Soon as I'd said that, an odd wave of coldness rushed through me. With a noise that could be best described as 'squick', the hangover vanished.
“Luna will be along shortly. Once you've hashed things out with her, so to speak, please come and see me afterwards. I have something to tell you that you'll definitely want to hear. Just ask one of the guards outside and they'll lead you to my chambers.”
“Okay. Can do.” With that, the hoofsteps retreated as Celestia left the room. A moment later, the door opened again, letting in another pony as I slowly sat up, tidying my hair a little as I did so.
“Are... are you alright, Alyona?” Luna's quiet, cautious voice reached my ears.
“I think I'll be fine. Just... bedding royalty isn't how I saw the Gala working out for me yesterday.” She let out a nervous chuckle at that.
“My sentiments exactly.” She scuffed her hoof on the carpet quietly for a moment. “So, er... Where do we exactly stand now?”
“I've no idea, honestly. I would attribute yesterday's events to alcohol, but honestly... I kinda enjoyed it.” I smirked for a moment as I stood up, looking at the alicorn. “Imagine the look on others' faces when I tell them my first time was with a freaking mythological creature.”
“Oh. That'd explain the stains on the bedsheets.” Luna hummed thoughtfully. “The question still remains, however.”
“Well, um... I'm not exactly relationship material, just so you know. Pretty much my entire life has been risking my well-being for the Metro's well-being. But I am kinda curious, now – curious enough to consider it.”
“One step at a time, then?” Luna chuckled softly.
“One step at a time. It'd suck if one of us messed something up in the future and we'd hate each other until kingdom come. But we can hash out the details later.”
“We're agreed, then.”
“Da.”
I had a couple of ideas about what Celestia wanted to talk to me about – either we were stranded in Equestria, or she'd found a way back to Earth.
As it turned out, she had the latter to offer to me and Bourbon.
The good news, however, didn't help prevent a borderline heart attack that I suffered when I saw the means of returning to Earth.
A goddamned Dark One that materialised from nowhere.
Immediately, I grabbed for the gun that wasn't there. Wide-eyed, I turned to look at Celestia, whom began to explain the why and how of things.
“Alyona, please remain calm. He is not an enemy, and neither is his kind. In fact, he has come asking for help. If you are willing to listen, I will explain what I was told.”
My eyes never leaving the immobile mutant, I nodded once and the alicorn began to speak. And, well... it was one of the most far-fetched tales I'd ever heard – that the Dark Ones wanted to co-exist with the inhabitants of Metro. Due to their mutations, they were able to live on the Surface, but were left unable to use any pre-war technology or devices still intact. Oh, and get this – Artyom, the kid Bourbon had tagged along with before? He was responsible for letting the Dark Ones into the Metro, after travelling to the Botanical Gardens' station as a kid with two friends. He, according to the Dark One's testimony, had opened the hermetic door sealing the entrance, been attacked by Howlers and saved by several Dark Ones, who'd chosen him as some sort of ambassador between humans and their kind.
And now, as he was travelling to Ostankino Tower to aid the Rangers in launching a number of nukes against the Dark Ones' home, they'd tried to show their pacifistic intentions through a number of visions, even going so far as aiding and protecting him on his journey. Unfortunately, he remained undeterred, though I could understand his motivation – the mere presence of a Dark One was enough to drive the average man insane with fear, which was why so many of Exhibition station's defenders had died. Thus, they had turned to less than conventional means to call for aid. Through means Celestia tried unsuccessfully to explain – several times, might I add – the Dark Ones had devised this plan.
“Ask yourself, Alyona – what would you do in the Dark Ones' place? Would you not endeavour to secure peace between your people and theirs? Artyom does not seem to be willing to listen to the Dark Ones' pleas – you must convince him to spare them. The Dark Ones aren't evil.”
If there ever was a situation that 'food for thought' was meant for, it was this one. I could feel both Celestia and the Dark One eyeing me silently. A long, tense minute later, however, they received an answer, though I felt that I would regret it in the future.
“Fine. Tell me what to do.”
“We will return you and Bourbon to Moscow, but you will have to hurry – time is of the essence.”
“We won't be able to rush through the Surface like you want us to – we'd draw too much attention from the wildlife and we'd get bogged down fighting the bastards off.”
“That's why Luna will be accompanying you.”
“I'm sorry, what? I think I just heard you say-”
“She is well-versed in the arts of war and will be of immense aid to you, even if you draw undue attention.”
“Princess, can we go back to the part where you intend to send your sister into a desolate, toxic wasteland that she barely knows about?”
“She most assuredly can take care of herself. Besides, I believe the two of you have some things to talk about.”
“Yes, we agreed to resolve it later, but still! Do you have any idea how dangerous Moscow is?”
At that, she turned quite serious. “I do. The Dark One here has confirmed what you told me. I could form a unit of the Royal Guard, but that'd take more time, not to take in the logistics in equation. With Luna, you gain a considerable force multiplier, and she can take you above areas that cannot otherwise be traversed, if teleportation is out of question. She is also well-versed in sword combat. Besides, I think it'll be a good bonding experience for you two.” She smirked innocently at that. I swear, she was doing that on purpose. At that point, I pretty much gave up.
“Ladno. But if she comes home in a bloodied bodybag, don't blame me, because I freakin' warned you.”
“I doubt that any harm will come to you with Luna accompanying you.”
“Well, how is she going to keep herself safe from the toxic air? Bet you didn't think about that.”
At that, she smirked, clacking her forehooves together before spreading them apart, a rainbow bridging the gap between them. “Magic.”
I wish I could say I didn't storm out like a petulant child.
But that'd be a lie.
Bourbon chuckled as he slapped the mag back in its place in his Kalash. “You know, Alyona, I never saw myself doing anything like this. Guess it'll be a tale for the ages, huh?”
“Guess so.” I responded as we went over our inventory. “I just hope we live long enough to hear said tale.”
The door to the room opened and we turned to look at Luna, who arrived wearing a simple black cloak, and a longsword in a holster strapped to her right side. “Well, I'm ready. How about you two?”
“Just about finished, princess.” Bourbon responded, packing up several odds and ends in his backpack before putting it on. “Let's be quick about it, though. These clothes are made to keep me warm, not cool. Before long, I'll be sweating like a pig.”
“So, uh, you're just taking a cape and a sword with you?” I asked the alicorn, to which she chuckled in return.
“I have spent a millennia on the moon during my banishment, without air or warmth. I dare say that your Moscow will be a mere nuisance in comparison, bloodthirsty animals or not. And before you ask, I am accompanying you of my own volition.”
“Then what's your angle, Luna?” I turned to face the alicorn.
“I know how it feels to be feared and misunderstood, and thus shunned for that. Before my fall as Nightmare Moon, ponies didn't trust me, despite the fact that I kept them safe from nightmares. I could tell you more, but that would have to wait until later. Time is of the essence.” We nodded and scooped up the last of our odds and ends, shoving them haphazardly in our backpacks before following the alicorn back to Celestia's quarters.
Well, Luna teleported us to there and Bourbon ended up running face-first into a wall as a result. Celestia was waiting for us, as was the Dark One. It still managed to creep me out by just standing there, doing nothing but staring at me.
“Are you ready to return to Moscow, then?” The alabaster alicorn asked.
Bourbon and I nodded, and Celestia turned to look at Luna, but her sister answered before she had the chance to ask anything.
“I am still determined to follow them, sister. Have faith in us. We will accomplish this.” Celestia nodded faintly at that, and turned to look at the Dark One, her horn lighting up as it sent out a pulsing orb of magic towards the mutant. The Dark One reached out, somehow... manipulating the magic Celestia was emanating. The orb grew darker and, well... edgier, I guess is a word for it. Seeing the mutant perform such an act was the very definition of unsettling. It soon resolved into a fuzzy view that I'd recognize in the dead of night – Moscow.
Bone-gnawing chill began to creep from the portal, causing both me and Bourbon to put our gasmasks on. And just in time, too, as cold winds began to hatefully howl through the opening, snowflakes whirling about. Without hesitation, the three of us went through, into the eternal gloom of Moscow.
The next couple of hours would be forever remembered in history.
But you'll have to wait until the next chapter.
Because the author is a lazy and unimaginative slob.
How old are you, some kinda starfish?
Metro 2033: A Stalker's Tale
Luna choked on the poisonous air for a moment before her horn flashed once and she calmed down. Guess her magic worked like a charm.
Heh, charm.
Wide-eyed, the alicorn looked around, taking in the breadth of desolation and destruction that was post-war Moscow.
Home, sweet home.
“Okay, here's what we'll do. Luna, take this.” I pulled out my spare flashlight. “Get somewhere up higher, and flash this signal.” I flicked the flashlight on and drew three circles in the air with it. “Tell me if you see it being repeated anywhere, okay?” Luna nodded as she took the flashlight – with a flap of her wings, she was up in air, heading for a nearby ruin.
“Really think we'll find anyone out at this time, Alyona?”
“It's worth a try, Bourbon. And while Luna's out of hearing range, I'd like to know why you're throwing your two rounds in with this escapade.” The man grew silent, his features unreadable behind his gasmask. A moment passed before he answered.
“Well, seeing as the Dark Ones are responsible for transit between Equestria and Earth, without their help I can't go back to have a big bake-off with Miss Pie.”
That got a smile out of me and I nudged him in the shoulder, chuckling meaningfully. “Oooh, looks like someone's got your heart~”
“Look who's talking.” My smile vanished just as quickly when I heard Luna behind us. “Besides, he's made it clear that his preferences are different from yours, Alyona.”
“Shutting up now.” I murmured defeatedly, and the two asshats laughed.
“I received a return signal. It came from over there.” The alicorn pointed a hoof at a distant dilapidated building. “I guess we are headed there?”
“Da. If we're going to make it to Ostankino, we'll likely need more than just the three of us, alicorn princesses or not. Hopefully the Stalkers you just signalled are able to join us for the time being. And, uh, you'll need to stay invisible until we get to Ostankino. People around here have a tendency to shoot anything that has more than two legs. Just keep close, but silent. Can you do that?”
She almost looked hurt for a moment before snickering. “Alyona, you are talking to the princess of the night. Stealth is my domain, after all.” Her horn glowed brightly, there was a puff of shadowy smoke and Luna was gone, though her smarmy voice still reached my ears. “Well, then. Shall we proceed?”
“You the guys who signalled us earlier?” I froze as I heard a gruff, muffled voice address me. Slowly, making sure my hands were visible, I turned to face the well-camouflaged Stalker to my right. Bourbon followed suit, neither of us willing to do anything to prompt him to gun us down with his VSV.
“Yeah. Not looking for trouble, man. Just want to talk, Stalker to a Stalker.” He relaxed slightly at that, lowering the sniper rifle.
“Well, okay then. Your pal looks kinda twitchy, though.”
“You were pointing a gun at us moments ago, after all.”
“Fair enough. Dima! Alexei! It's all clear, nothing to worry about.” At that, what seemed to piles of rubble shifted, revealing another two Stalkers in masks. “Sit down, then. What did you want to talk about?”
Bourbon and I made ourselves relatively comfortable on an old, weather-worn bench. “We need some help to get to Ostankino Tower post haste, and I'm hoping you're up for it.”
The Stalker eyed me silently for a moment before speaking. “What's in it for me and my friends?”
“Sixty MGRs and some of our spare filters.” I replied without missing a beat. I could literally sense the other man's brow rising in surprise.
“I'm guessing it's got something to do with that band of Rangers that headed there a while ago?”
“You could say that, yeah.” I responded in turn. “So, what'll it be?”
“Well, I'm not exactly concerned what your business with the Rangers is, but I'll take you to there nonetheless – bullets are bullets, after all. Get ready to move in five.”
I nodded, passing a thirty-round mag to the man. “Here's half in advance. You'll get the rest once we get there.”
“Fair enough.”
The weather could've been better. Then again, it was a pointless thing to wish for on the Surface. It was always cloudy here, with an (un)healthy dose of toxic, bone-chilling wind. No wonder so few of those who dared venture topside returned. Luckily, anyone who had even a smidgen of a sense of direction could recognise the Ostankino tower even in the dead of night, making it a reliable landmark to navigate by.
Unfortunately, the streets of a post-apocalyptic Moscow were less than easy to navigate – gaping rents had opened up in the tarmac, shattering the water pipes, filling the crevices with radioactive sludge. Rusted, dilapitated vehicles filled the lanes, limiting our lines of sight and turning the street into a maze.
Like an obstacle course, except much more deadly.
And of course, universe seemed to be conspiring against us – a snowstorm was raging overhead, its distant booms of thunder sending Howlers stampeding in their dozens through Moscow, forcing our group to hide more times than I was comfortable with. Of course, the mutants' keen sense of smell meant some Howlers came to investigate, but those were swiftly dispatched by Luna, who still operated from the shadows. I think she was the only one who was actually enjoying herself, judging from the occasional glimpse of a Howler deciding to float mid air before a flash of steel tore through its midsection, and the creature fell to ground in two pieces, its last breath escaping as a puff of steam. More often than not, the mutants coming our way were running in terror, not attacking. Did she possess powers not unlike those of the Dark Ones?
But waxing philosophical would have to wait. We had to save Metro's ultimate bogeymen from extinction first. As the umpteenth stampede passed by, we broke out in a sprint once more, once more heading for the Ostankino tower.
“This is where we part ways, friend.” I passed the remainder of the Stalkers' payment to them – thirty MGRs and a couple of filters, as agreed. “Thanks for the help.” The leader nodded, pocketing the goods and walking off with his friends, waving one last time to me.
“Always happy to help a fellow Stalker!”
As the three men disappeared from our view, Luna popped into existence at Bourbon's side, almost giving him a heart attack. The alicorn paid no heed to him, instead staring up at the old, weather-worn tower, awe clear on her face.
“It's so... big...”
“That's what she said.” Come on, you really expected me to let that opportunity pass? Luna turned to look at me, a confused look on her face.
“What?”
“Never mind. Anyways, here we are – the Ostankino tower. Used to broadcast radio and TV stations before the War.”
“Radio? Teevee? What are those?”
“I'll let Bourbon explain it to you later, Luna. He knows more about pre-War Moscow than I do. For now, we've got to get to the top floor. Which is more than four hundred metres above us. Chyort. Well, no-one said this would be easy.”
We went on, soon reaching a door that looked like it was kicked in – and recently, too, if the scrapes on its surface were anything to go by. Dust and snow on the floor, probably unmoved for years, had fresh bootprints, and we followed those to the lifts. Luna followed me and Bourbon in a sort of awed silence, her head on a swivel as she examined the banks of control panels and screens.
“Well, damn. Looks like someone used this in the near past. See? The counterweight's released. Pretty much a one-way trip to the top.” Bourbon grumbled as he looked upwards. “Check if any other elevators are on this floor. Otherwise, we'll have to footslog it to the top – and I'd prefer if we could avoid that. No doubt the stairs and ladders here have rusted to shit! One wrong step and kaput.” I nodded and went off to check the other elevator shafts, leaving Luna to mill around aimlessly.
It didn't take long to find on elevator that'd suit our needs. There was one problem, though – it'd be impossible to carry the three of us to the top at once. Luna's suggestion that she fly upwards was quickly shot down by the fact that Demons nested on the tower's exterior. The argument was soon solved by Luna teleporting to the top of the shaft. Because, you know, she is a magic powerhouse, and I felt incredibly stupid for forgetting that. Without further ado, Bourbon and I climbed on top of the elevator. A moment of struggling with a rusted lever later, the counterweight was free – with a teeth-clenching shriek, the elevator cabin jerked free, slowly rising upwards. It was slow going at first, but as the mountings loosened up, we gained speed, ascending at a brisk pace. Winds howled with increasing ferocity the higher we got.
“Okay, you might want to hold onto something or you'll fall off!” Bourbon shouted over the din as we shimmied into the cabin – neither of us wished to risk getting ground to pieces between the elevator and shaft roof. Moments later, we came to a bone-jarring halt. I shook my head as I crawled over to the doors, prying them open with Bourbon's help. As we left the elevator cabin (read: deathtrap) behind, we came across a message Luna had scratched onto a loose wall panel – she'd wandered ahead a bit, to scout a safe route.
“Do you think she'll be alright on her own, Bourbon?”
“Totally! If she's half what Purplesmart's cracked up alicorns to be, she'll have no problem!”
“Who?”
“Purplesmart. You know, the one with the baby dragon as an assistant.”
“You mean Twilight.”
“Sure, whatever.” I rolled my eyes at his manners as we cautiously climbed the creaking metal stairs leading upwards, following the trail Luna had marked. By now, my clothes were fighting tooth and nail to keep me (relatively) warm, despite the sunlight that shone freely above the clouds. Huffing, we went on further.
“Luna? You there?”
From somewhere above – but nearby – I heard the mare's voice. “Oh, you're here? Good. I seem to have fallen into a bit of a predicament, Alyona. I'd appreciate if you could help me resolve it.”
“Stay still, suka, or I'll blow your head off!”
“Okay, what did she get yourself into?” I groaned, hurrying along, Bourbon trailing behind me. A couple of moments later I received my answer – Luna was standing still, a wounded Ranger holding her at gunpoint, his revolver's barrel resting square between her eyes. There was also a dead Demon sticking through the wall, its face filled with Helsing arrows.
“Well, shit.” Bourbon was first to speak. The Ranger looked towards us, but kept the gun pointed at Luna.
“Uh, could you please not threaten my friend?”
“You're travelling with a goddamn mutant?”
“She's not a mutant, man. I'd love to tell you why we're here, but that'll have to wait until later. Is Artyom still alive?”
“How do you know his name?” The Ranger grumbled.
“As I said, long story. For now, it's important that I reach him right now.”
“I don't think so. He'll get that targeter set up and wipe the damn Dark Ones out in just a couple of minutes. Whatever it is you're here for, I highly doubt it involves killing thezzzZZZ~” He trailed off and slumped on the floor, his weapon clattering as it slipped from his grasp. I turned to look at Luna just in time to see the glow fade from her horn.
“Time is short, and we cannot afford to spend it trying to talk him down. Bourbon, tend to his wounds and explain the situation to him when he regains consciousness. Alyona, we'll make our way upwards and stop Artyom from activating this 'targeter', whatever that may be.”
“Uh... Did you just-”
“He's asleep, nothing less. Let us proceed. Time is of the essence.”
“Okay, then...” I quickly followed the alicorn, leaving Bourbon to patch the snoring Ranger up. As I changed my filter, I could hear Luna grumbling sourly, something to the effect of 'how dare he threaten royalty'...
I suppressed my smirk, even though I had my gasmask on.
The sight would've been breathtaking before the Great War. Hell, it was still breathtaking, but in a desolate way – empty shells of crumbling buildings stretching as far as the eye can see.
But when compared to the sight of a man – whom I presumed to be Artyom - stumbling around drunkenly, almost tripping over a Dark One lying on the flooring, it seemed moot. Though the creature bore no wounds, the lack of any movement was all I needed to ascertain it was dead or dying. Artyom fell on his ass, gasping with dread. His panicked gaze instantly locked onto Luna and me.
“W-what the fuck?”
“Artyom, right? Look, I'll explain everything later, but now, it's important that you turn off that targeter!”
“What? No! The Dark Ones have to be stopped at any cost!”
“Twenty seconds to homing procedure completion.” The targeter chirped in.
Pain... The Dark One rolled over feebly, trying to reach the targeter, but lacked the strength to do so, and collapsed, still trying to crawl forward. Death... Prevent...
“Turn off the targeter and we'll explain everything to you, I promise. The Dark Ones aren't hostile! They want peace and to help us!”
“Really? Tell that to the people they've killed!” Artyom yelled, his own gun snapping up as he kept his aim on me.
Save... Life...
Distracted by the Dark One's struggle, he turned his attention to the mutant. It was all the chance I needed. I whipped out my own revolver, taking aim.
“Ten seconds to homing procedure completion.” The device announced from its tripod again.
...he does not understand...
A single shot rang through air as I squeezed the trigger. The .44 bullet struck the edge of Artyom's helmet, knocking his aim off. He stumbled forward drunkenly, swatting the targeter down from its perch by accident.
He also tripped on the steps, tumbling over the platform's edge with a horrified cry that I echoed.
I had barely a moment to process this development when Luna took to air, disappearing over the edge in a steep dive. Terrified, I crawled over to the tower's edge, then shrunk back as Luna soared upwards, a certain someone held tightly in her hooves. I breathed a sigh of relief and sat down, watching as the alicorn came in for a landing. There was a gust of wind and snow as she landed, gently depositing Artyom on the floor. A quick check revealed he was alive, but unconscious. Guess almost falling to your death does that to you. Luna trotted over to me, sitting down at my side, leaning against me - I welcomed the warmth.
"Guess we did it." I murmured tiredly.
"Yes." The alicorn hummed quietly, wrapping a wing around me. Yay, more warmth!
"So, what do we do now?" She grinned at that, looking down at me.
"I once met a very wise person who said to take one step at a time." That got a chuckle out of me and I lightly swatted her on the leg.
"Copycat."
We caught a lot of flak from the Rangers for what we did in the beginning. But with Luna's help, Artyom's childhood escapades were brought to light as one of the Dark Ones told their side of the story, the alicorn serving as a capable translator. Both Bourbon and me told where we ended up – Artyom looked like he'd seen a ghost once he saw the man. Apparently he thought Bourbon had died at Dry Station. It took quite a while for the Order to accept this – not because they were (too) against cooperation with the Dark Ones, but mostly because the Rangers who'd perished on the mission to reach D6 and Ostankino had pretty much died for nothing. That was something I could sympathise with, at least.
That was almost a year ago. Things have changed greatly since then.
The Dark Ones scared the tunnel trash – nosalises and the like - away from beleaguered stations like Exhibition and Riga. Stations cut off or surrounded found themselves harassed no more. They prospered, forming alliances with each other. Of course, neither Reds or Nazis approved of such changes. Earlier, the promise of protection would've forced many stations into hands of either faction. Now, however, they were organised and no longer afraid of the aggressors. Hanseatic envoys returned to their leaders empty-handed more often than not. The war between Reds and Nazis dragged on, however, two ideologies grinding each other down – their people left for the free stations, aided by the Dark Ones. Frustrated to no end at the unstoppable trickle of refugees, both the Red Line and Fourth Reich were eventually reduced to a handful of decrepit stations clawing at each other.
The Rangers moved into D6, setting up shop there, establishing themselves as a major power in the Metro. The supply stores recovered there, bolstered by whatever the Princesses delivered to Metro with the Dark Ones' aid – mostly in the way of foodstuffs – were a promise of a bright future for humanity. Of course, complications crop up here and there, but those are usually resolved quickly and peacefully.
The ponies are still kept a secret, though. It was uniformly agreed – by Luna and Celestia, too – that Equestria was a way bigger development to wrap one's head around, in comparison to the Dark Ones. It's not out of question, though. First, we need to see what future has in stock for us.
And to quote someone who set these events into motion many years ago - our future stretches before us like an endless metro tunnel.
Author's Note
It is finally done. Scratch that one off the list, eh?
I want to thank everyone who bore with me, throughout all of my inactivity/laziness/general lack of inspiration 'til the very end - you folks, all who left a comment, like, favourite and watch... Couldn't have done it without you.
Song relevant (kinda).
