Before the end

'I hate ladders,' I thought while staring up at the black and white striped flank in front of me. Apparently during the great war some zebra senator or architect thought since ponies lacked the agility of zebra's, they'd build everything at ninety degree angles and then only to use thin metal poles to climb up. ’I mean anything with a slight slope would've taken up too much space I guess,’ I fumed internally, trying to just balance a hoof on the old rusted bars. It was an effort to keep up pace with my companion, weighed down with our combat hazmat suits and our battle saddles. I guess it was a lifetime growing up using ladders like these that gave him the endurance to keep a solid pace.

“Hey Khon, when you left your home station, did you imagine we'd end up in a place like this, not knowing if we will save our metro...or hand its fate over to the stars,” he asked with touch a doubt.

I didn’t know what to say, so I said nothing. Instead focusing at the dangerous task of climbing. The rusted remnants of the ladder began to groan louder the higher we climbed. As my companion reached the top and began to climbed over, the shifting of his weight finally stripped the rusted bolts. The ladder immediately started to fall backwards, in a panic I managed to get one hoof on the edge as my friend turned back.

“Got you!” he shouted chopping on my mane. He pulled roughly, dragging me onto solid ground. It really hurt tearing a few hairs but a mix of relief and the rush from the brush with death dulled the ache.

While I slumped over trying to catch my breath, my friend looked over the ledge. He said humorously “they can try but there’s no stopping us now, is their Khon?”

I got up, not bothering to inquiring who he was referring to. We had climbed into a small room. Like everything in this metro area, the walls were gray concrete. The floors rough rusted steel all illuminated by orange emergency lights. There was a control room but the equipment looked long dead. We focused instead on the airlock door.

We both wordlessly knew what to do, sealing up our hazmat suits completely covering any exposed areas, before donning on our gas masks. The mask narrowed my vision, muffled my voice and the soft sound of air being sucked in and push out filled my ears as I breathed. I had a small watch on my right hoof, I nudged a dial on it setting the marker to fifteen. Finally I flicked my tongue along a slide inside my mask, it sprung a small trigger that fitted against my molars.

My friend nodded to me as he stood by the wall where the door would open. I could see on the rubbery underside of the gas mask flex slightly as he mouthed the trigger of his battle saddle. I walked up to the wheel handle of the airlock and pushed down. The handle groaned, spun an inch then stopped. I raised my front hooves and brought them down hard on the handle. I winced as the metal on metal let out high pitched whine. I hopped the next room wasn't filled with hungry mutants now very aware of our presence. However, the force seemed to get it moving as the handle made a full rotation with a bit more effort. Finally feeling the door unlock, I slowly swung it open.

My friend took lead, keeping his guns pointed forwards. Cautious aggression helped one live a longer life in the metro. I followed behind him my own battle saddle pointing a different direction trying to cover as much area as possible.

The door has lead to another part of the facility. A hallway again illuminated in the orange emergency light. Seeing no threat I turned and closed the airlock behind me while my friend kept his guns trained forwards. I was disappointed that we were still inside. The dusty room was sure to clogging our limited filters, but with no way to check the air quality past this point we had to keep our masks on. We moved forwards spotting rows of lockers along the wall. They had names printed on them, the former workers for the metro.

We didn't have much interest in them save one labeled Sgt. Afia. Figuring this must have been some security zebra's locker I reached back, taking out a crowbar. With my friend standing back keeping ever vigilant, I stuck the crowbar into the gap of the locker and heaved. The locker fought for a moment before breaking open. Inside I saw old metro security uniform, some personal effects, a picture of a Zebra family was tapped to the door. I couldn’t really tell who was supposed to be Afia, I was too focused on my prize.

A Kalashnikov rifle lay standing up at the back of the locker. I was less concerned with rifle as I pulled out its magazine. It was fully loaded I happily thought, with fifteen rounds of 5.45×39mm shinny military grade bullets. Seeing nothing else of value I mentally thanked Sgt. Afia before following my friend again down the hallway.

At the end of the hallway we came up to another airlock. As was before my friend took up guard as I worked the handle. Thankfully the handle on this one didn't fight me as hard, however when I opened the door there was a hiss and strong air pressure that fought my opening. This was it, we're about to go on the surface.

My friend took point again, the way ahead was unsurprisingly dark as it should be night outside. We both turned on our flashlights mounted on the left side of our battle saddles. The door had lead up a winding staircase. It limited how far we could see but I was glad it wasn't another damned ladder. We climbed up what felt like two stories before emerging out into a ruined government office complex.

The ceiling had collapsed long ago, leaving huge piles of rubble in the middle on the room. Still many parts of the seconds floor did seem to survive in the rest of the building. The walls were made of plaster and had many small holes in them leading outside. Unfortunately most of them were too small to fit through. We both looked around before spotting a window. It had metal bars on the inside, but with the crumbling plaster I was sure the both of us together could tear them out.

I waved my friend over approaching the window when we heard a low growl. We both looked up through the hole on the ceiling to spot a large dog. It easily twice the size of a zebra. Watchers we called them. Someone figured these used to be a creature called a hyena. An ancient predator of our kind. They were driven out of zebra lands, and nearly to extinction practically after the invention of the firearm. After the great war however they've came back, and the magical radiation changed them. They had a few clumps hairs growing out of their body ranging from white to yellow. They were agile pack hunters, stalking their prey from roof tops swooping down once they got close. Realizing their was only one we both tried to shoot the monster before it let out a howl summoning its pack.

Two shots simultaneously rang out of the saddles tearing through each of the monster's lungs, as is stood on its hind legs standing to its full height about to let out it howl. We both started to search our surroundings as a loud low howl sounded from above us. “Ah shit!” I fumed, “there is a pack on the second floor!”

“They are trying really hard today, aren’t they?” my friend commended as he moved to get a different angle on the ceiling.

We heard four sets of paws running along the floor above, their heavy puffing as they galloped towards the hole in the ceiling. The first one jumped down onto the pile of rubble on our level facing away from us. My friend was very liberal with his ammunition, firing a hail of lead on the creature. Three out of ten bullets from the erratic fire caught the creature's rear ripping away part of its pelvis. The monster wailed in agony crippled and quickly bleeding to death. Two more quickly followed the monster down while another walked along the top ceiling.

I took aim at the at the one on the second floor. I clenched my molar teeth on the trigger in my mouth twice. The first shot grazed its belly cutting a small red line across it. The second buried itself into its right shoulder lodging itself inside the bone.

My friend opened up on the monsters on our level. Red holes opened explosively on the left creature all along its back. It made only four steps before slumping down. The second monster however avoided him instead choosing to dash right for me. My attention shifted to the approaching monster as it leaped towards me, jaw open to show off a large set of fangs. Its paws were outstretched intending to pin me when it landed. Instead of backing away, I pointed myself directly at him and bit my trigger in rapid succession.

I fired three times, two of them were unnecessary, as the first went through its open jaw exiting through the back of its head. The other two found some place through its torso, both tearing clean through leaving a fine red mist on their exit. The dead creature's momentum however didn't stop, and the lifeless creature slammed into me knocking me back. Thankfully it didn't knock me over or land on top of me. Just bouncing with no more damage then a possible bruise later.

“Hey, you okay?” my friend ask walking over to me but keeping his guns pointed at the hole in the ceiling.

I pushed the trigger back with my tongue, I’ve discovered misfires to be both dangerous and a waste of ammo. How he could talk away with it in his mouth and not get people killed was beyond me. I called back a, “yes, I am alright!” with a bit of a painful wince.

There were no more angry growling watcher sounds. The one on the second floor I wounded must have crawled away, but the other one with its backside blown out was making a soft whining noise. I quickly checked my self over making sure the watcher that had slammed into me hadn't torn a hole in my hazmat suit. Satisfied and with my friend watching over me. I reached into my saddle bag and pulled out a knife. The handle was designed with a large ring that fit around my hoof quite snugly, useful for when you mouth is covered with a gas mask. Drawing the knife I cautiously walked over the whining monster, facing its backside as to avoid its front paws. I plunged the knife into its throat. Its pain was over in a few moments.

Wiping the blade before putting it back I walked over the barred window. I wrapped my front leg around the bars. He followed my example, grabbing the bars.

“On three,” I said, “1...2...3!” We both grunted. The plaster quickly crumbled as the security bars fell out of the wall. We both took a quick glance outside to make sure we wouldn't run into anymore monsters before climbing through the window onto the street below.

“Okay there is Ostankino Tower,” my friend pointed to a dark spire that reached past the cloud covered sky. The tower used to be a powerful radio tower broadcasting the words of the Caesar or senate to the zebra public, but now it was in ruins. Parts of the inside were exposed, but it was still standing. A lifetime growing up inside the metro system, I was more used to confined cramped spaces. It had taken a while just to get used to the surface. I had few experiences with heights and just looking at the tower was causing me to get butterflies inside my belly.

I fought that feeling. The top of that tower was my goal, the end to my journey. Thankfully this was on the outskirts of the city the blacked city of Moscva. I was told it was rather beautiful city of purest white marble, with decorative carvings everywhere before the megaspell scorched the city. The vegetation was sparse here due the natural harsh climate mixed in with all the fallout, but the grounds outside the immediate city wasn’t burned.

As we approached the tower we saw a pair headlights shine up, illuminating a small part of the ever present cloud cover. As we neared close enough to see the vehicle that emitted them, my friend blinked his flashlight at the vehicle in a coded order. The vehicle responded with a flick of it lights, after that we continued our approach.

Three well armed zebras in similar combat hazmat suits and gas masks were standing by the vehicle. Upon closer inspection the vehicle looked like and old armored combat jeep with an omnidirectional .50 cal rifle mounted on top. The lead zebra of the group called out, “You're late!”

“Sorry Prefect, we just had a few near death experiences along the way. Nothing too major,” my friend cracked while saluting.

The perfect shook his head, obviously experienced in my friends antics. He glanced at me saying in an appraising tone, “So you must be the new the recruit Khonvoum. Welcome to the order, the Legate spoke highly of you.”

“Yes sir...thank you sir.” I said trying to sound formal. I noticed my breathing was getting more laborious. I glanced down at my watch noting its been around fourteen minutes. I reached into my saddle bag pulling out a fresh filter setting in on the ground near me. I started to push my hooves along the groves of my current filter unscrewing it when the soft sound of rumbling was heard. One of the Spartans got on top of the jeep, trying to get a better view before jumping to man the .50 cal. He shouted in a panicked voice shouting, “form a circle!”

With the filter semi-unscrew the gas valve shut meaning I couldn’t breath. I accidentally exhaled when the spartan shouted, causing moisture from my breath to condense on the glass clouding my vision. In panic I unscrewed the used filter as fast as I could, dropping it not bothering to pack it. I grabbed the fresh one before the glass became too cloudy. I tried to trot towards to the group on three limbs while using one to screw in the filter. I must have looked like a fool but the group of Spartans were far too concerned with the approaching rumbling sound. I finished screwing in the filter, reopening the gas valve and letting fresh pure air flowed in.

As the fresh air cleared the foggy moisture from the glass of my mask and fog from my mind. I began to noticed that the rumbling was less of a sound and more like the ground shaking. As if thousands of zebra were stomping on the ground... no, not zebras, watchers. I finally saw thousands of the beasts in full stampede moving towards us.

I stood between two Spartans in a semicircle with the jeep closing the circle behind us. The monsters ran past, seeming to not care about us. Within moments be stood in a sea of monsters.

“Okay,” my friend said, “this maybe harder than that Library tour, eh Khon? They just never let up on us do they?”

The prefect was about to shush him when one of the monsters stopped following his pack and turned to us growling. My mind was spinning, the largest ever reported pack of watchers was twenty five, no one had ever heard of a stamped of these monsters in the literal thousands. The approaching watcher stood on its hind legs intending to let out its howl when I shot it. My bullet traveled right its exposed belly. The creature crumbled not instantly dead, but for now silenced.

It was naive of me to hope that preventing the howl would magically keep this horde passive. Drawn by the shot or simply that one was the first of many, many more the monsters near us stopped their stampede and began circling our group.

“Open fire!” The prefect shouted as many of the monsters stopped circling and dashed in. No longer concerned about conserving ammo I bit down the trigger of my battle saddle spraying the monsters in front of me. Bloody holes began popping open at the charging monsters, as I used excessive force ensuring these monsters died as far from me as possible.

Between the .50 cal rumbling behind me mixing in with all the other gun fire, the howling of the watchers, from under my mask I couldn't distinguish sound. It was the sensory deprivation I blame for when I didn't notice that the spartan beside me was in trouble. I figure a watcher must have managed to leap onto him for it wasn't his screams that alerted me, but the soft flesh with the coarse spiny hairs of the watcher bouncing against me that alerted me. I turned to see the watcher pinning the spartan biting into him, tearing through his suit and the flesh underneath.

I only hesitated for a second, now that his suit is torn my fellow spartan stood no chance of surviving. I unloaded five rounds into the creature, and hoped whatever rounds hit the pinned spartan made his passing easier. I pulled a strap to reload my saddle, taking a side step to cover more area our fallen spartan once held.

Suddenly it seemed the watchers backed off. Not sure if we simply intimidated them or they were preparing to rush us all at once when my friend screamed, “Manticores!”

I looked up at the tower. It was our worst fears, it seemed the manticores used the tower as a nesting ground. A group of the flying demons descended on the watchers treating this as a buffet of the life time. Unfortunately they didn't discriminate.

They descended on us. With the jeep attracting the most attention, the gunner swiveled his gun up. He downed two of the beast with heavy fire, but the third came at him from his back. It grabbed the whole the turret mount taking gunner and jeep in tow. However the jeep didn't cleanly lift off, it flew forwards knocking into us.

The front end slammed into my side as I tried to leap away. The force sent me flying some ten feet, knocking the air out of my lungs as I slumped into dirt. Another manticore landed where the jeep had once been, it turned to face me before leaping, intending to devour me.

Where it began

When I close my eyes and imagine, I'm somewhere else. I lay slightly huddled on a old cot that's just a little too small for me, looking up at a collection of old postcards on the ceiling.

Today I visited Canterlot, looking up at the picture of the majestic castle. I filled the area I couldn't see from the image with things I imagined from reading old books. I couldn't properly imagine daylight, my station was constantly lit by old dull orange emergency lights. I had excellent night vision even among my peers but for reading I still had do it under candle light. Wood was rare but we do occasionally have small bonfires, so I tried picturing the whole sky a bright as that fire.

I had many other places I visited, the Senate of Roam, the pro-consuls manor in Moscva, Cloudsdale, Appaloosa, Saddle Arabia, all little postcards on my ceiling. Since my adoptive father moved to exhibition station when I was little foal I haven't really been anywhere else.

Leaving my waking dream I looked at my watch, I had another two hours to kill before the next shift at our local tea factory. Real tea was a luxury only the most successful Guild trade masters rarely enjoyed. Our station had developed a blend of wild growing subterranean mushrooms that grew nearby, we also wove fibers of an inedible root to make a makeshift tea bag. Exhibition tea wasn't...good until you've acquired the taste, and with shroom vodka being your only other filtered water alternative we've slowly grown a foreign market for our tea.

There were two stations between us and a Guild ring station. We had been in serious talks of alliance or agreement with them as exports could bring prosperity to us all, and our union would give us leverage against the Guild in price negotiations. Father had been working really hard on that, often being away for days at a time. However two months ago, all our hopes had been smashed to pieces when a new monster appeared at our doorstep.

Many zebra in Exhibition station like myself worked in the tea factory, however in particular health young stallions like myself were also encouraged to take up guard duty. It wasn't the rule, as an old mare normally took the scout position at the thousand meter mark to prove the exception. Exhibition had only one useful outbound tunnel, with posts at the thousand meter, seven hundred, and large fortifications at the three hundred meter mark.

The other tunnel had clasped at somewhere forty kilometers down only connecting to a completely flooded station. It only had a scouting post six hundred meters down, and a minor fortified post two hundred meters down. That tunnel used to be quite neglected as only stray mutants could find their way in their.

I wasn't on duty when they first attacked. The monster didn't make it past the six hundred scout post. It walked straight into the four zebras camping there, alerting them by tripping the cans on strings. It didn't slow its walk as the guards opened fire, it only let out a loud unearthly wail that woke the whole station when it died.

We recovered the body of the monster, after examining it looked to be the same size as a zebra. The first oddity to be noticed was its hardened shiny black skin that resembled a black crystal. Its eyes were large black bulbs, almost bug like, and it didn’t seem to have eyelids. It had other oddities were greater still, it lacked a mouth. It had two thin slits, were a muzzle should be. Not only leaving questions of how did it feed, but how did it make that howl that was heard from one end of the tunnel down to the next.

Over the next few days the four guards complained of nightmares and headaches. It got worse as they each clasped within the same hour. When they awoke they experienced constant hallucinations. They talked about reaching a for a light, or crying that they couldn't see. It got worse over the next week as blood began to leak from out from their eyes, nose, and mouth. They later died in horrible fits of seizures.

At the time we didn't know what caused it, if the unknown creature was the blame. Our suspicions had been confirmed the next week. This time I was on guard duty at the four hundred meter mark when they attacked again from the second tunnel. The only warning we got was brief moment of gun fire from the six hundred mark and that same unearthly scream.

I and many others dashed to the two hundred post. When I had gotten there I was greeted by other residents of Exhibition who possessed firearms. I stood behind our makeshift cover as the monsters strolled up to us.

It was strange, they didn't gallop, only walked towards us as if not comprehending the danger of armed zebras. They gave the same unearthly howls as we collectively tore them to pieces in a hail of lead. We later found another dead monster at the six hundred scout post, but so too the guards. It was strange they had no signs of external damage. They simply laid there dead with expressions of utter horror.

We called the new monsters that terrorized our station the dark ones. Rumor of these creatures spread as sixteen of our people feel into their curse, causing our tentative relationship with our neighbors to fray. Father has been busy ever since making runs back and forth trying to maintain relations and send out word to the Civitatem trying to enlist the aid of it's Spartans.

I shook myself trying to snap myself out these depressing ruminations. I rolled out of bed, carefully avoiding the mouse traps on the floor. I grabbed a belt and holster that held a six shot .44 magnum revolver and two ammo pouches. One held two extra .44 moon clips and the other my life savings of pre-war 5.45 cartridges . I strapped the belt onto my waist, it was my duty as an able bodied equine to be armed at all times.

The gun had been my fathers, he used it during the great war. It was standard issue with a plain ivory grip, but he claimed it saved his life before and wanted it to protect me. He gave the gun to me after my first shift as a station guard. Originally he wanted to give it to me after I earned my glyph mark, but it appeared when I was so young my maturity had to be decided by other physical factors.

Now ready I moved out of the small secretary office room that served as my bedroom. It lead into a manager's office that was both my father's bedroom, and our shared living area. Though the station managers office still technically served its original purpose as father served as an unofficial mayor. Our station was very much a voluntary community, local zebras were expected to take on vital jobs, and every day rations of food were fairly handed out. If you wanted extra bullets to trade with with your fellow neighbors or traveling traders you worked in the tea factory.

As I entered the office room I spotted my father at his desk looking at old plumbing blueprints. Noticing me he looked up saying, “ah awake already, off to work so soon?”

“No couldn't sleep,” I sheepishly replied, then looking at his work I asked, “so any progress?”

Father sighed, “it would have been better for all, had I been a plumber then a soldier. There’s just no way of collapsing that damned tunnel without causing a flood.”

I nodded in understanding. I looked out of the office window and onto the field of family sized military tents that lined the station. All bathed in the soft orange glow of the overhead emergency lights. Most zebras were inside their tent homes, making it easier to spot of pair strolling towards the office. I quickly recognized one as one of our border guards, wearing leather barding and a steel welding mask. He was escorting an obvious foreigner towards us.

Despite my good night vision the lighting was too weak to properly make out the stranger right away. Through squinting I was able to make out more details as they neared. The stranger was a bulky zebra mare with no mane. The bulkiness of her appearance had more to do with her barding, it looked to be thick layers of Kevlar with ceramic plates on her shoulders and knees. As she got closer I could see two barrels sticking out from under a light saddle, a rifle with a silencer strapped onto her back, a set on throwing knives strapped to her front left leg, a chain necklace with a metal tag, and if I'm not mistaken a stick of dynamite strapped snugly on the front of her chest.

Such an armed guest wouldn't be allowed near the station regardless of escort. I was about to shout something in alarm when I was finally able to make out the mares face. Looking into a pair of feline like yellow slitted eyes, “Hunter?” I said out loud.

My father almost dropped him papers in surprise asking, “she's here, already?” I didn't reply, instead opening the door and trotting towards this heavily armed mare with a grin on my face.

“Hunter,” I called out in a semi hushed tone, it was after station hours after all.

The walking armory stopped for a moment looking at me for a moment before reply with a warm smile. “Khonvoum...oh my you've gotten bigger,” then looking behind me she noticed my father, “Centurion Sukhoi, you called sir?”

My father trotted beside me, the guard escorting Hunter saluted him. He returned the gesture while telling him that he can take it from here, letting him to return to his post. Then he turned back to our home waving Hunter on, “Come, come inside.”

I walked beside Hunter matching her pace. I was thinking of what questions to ask her first, when she reached into one of her bags saying, “I came across a merchant selling old postcards and thought of your wall.”

She pulled out an old post card then handed it to me. The image was somewhat faded and it had been folded but all things considered that was prime quality in the metro. The picture was of a small rural town with one the buildings being an actual tree. There was something written in pony scrip in the top corner. Dominating the center of the image was six smiling ponies each one a different color, two earth ponies, two unicorns and two pegasi in a group pose.

Hunter leaned over clearly enjoying the look of fascination I had studding the image. “It says, Welcome to Ponyville,” she translated for me.

I had to look up from Image before walking to the door frame my attention so focus on the little postcard. “Thank you so much, it's beautiful,” I said hardly able to contain my excitement as we all walked into the office.

I considered giving her a hug but quickly rethought that as I was fearful I'd stab myself on something or set off a gun. Instead she reached out with a hoof with ruffled my mane playfully, “you're welcome my little...ah yes not so little any more eh?” she finished with a sigh.

I nodded and then turned to go back to my room leaving Father and her alone to talk. I caught her saying in a teasing tone, “They grow up so fast, I know it's been a while but last time I was here he came just up to my shoulders. Now I think he maybe taller then me...haha soon he'll have a mare friend and you'll be grandpa.” I blushed heavily from that and quickly hid in my room.

I first smoothed out the postcard, then I grabbed a bit of glue from a small desk in my room. With carefully practiced motion I dabbed bits onto the back of the card then stuck on my ceiling next to the other cards, holding it for a minute till I was sure it would stick. I lied on my cot for I minute admiring the new addition to my collection. I focused on etching into memory what Hunter told me what the card said.

“Poni-vill,” i mouthed. 'Hmm' I wondered if the word poni was equine related. I never did managed to find an opportunity to learn other languages or foreign writing. I wanted to daydream. To lose myself in this new area via my newest window into the past until it was time to go to work, but I found myself distracted. It wasn't often Hunter would come to visit, and who knew when or...if she would come again. As silently as I could I crept to the door, lied down and pressed my ear against the crack at the base.

Hunter was explaining herself “No, word hasn't reached the Civitatem yet. Luckily I was nearby on the order’s business. When I heard rumors of your station being the epicenter of a new mutant monsters, I came as soon as my mission was complete. Your message for assistance meet me halfway…” she paused and said with a faint hint of humor, “Khon I know you're listening why don't you just come in.”

I froze for a moment, shocked and embarrassed. I was sure I hadn't made a sound or cast a shadow through the door. I slowly opened the door, I looked down as to avoid meeting either of their gaze. Hunter continued, “so why don't you show me the inflicted.”

This time I looked up, both me and father lock our gaze together before he nodded with a sigh. We left together heading towards the infirmary. We converted the shower room into a small clinic as the white tiled walls and floor were easy to keep clean and the tiles whiteness made the most out of the weak light. Loss of showers was no concern, clean water was too important to waste, the people maintained hygiene through dry washable brushes and scour pads.

We entered the locker room leading into the shower area, heavy doors had been installed into this area. Father knocked before our witchdoctor unbolted the door from the other side. I took a deep breath before entering the room. Not just from the stench of blood, I fought conflicting emotions of not wanting to see what I already knew, and guilt over not spending more time here among my comrades. Equines I've grown up with and spent my whole life around, felt like I was abandoning them in their dying moments.

As we walked into the room I forced myself to look up at the dark ones victims. They were all strapped down on their own individual cots. Some were still locked in the throes of terrible unending spasms. They had something wedged in their mouths keeping them from biting down on their tongues. They had all entered the bleeding stage as they wept, coughed and excreted blood, sheets and shower curtains splattered alike.

Some curtains were drawn but all it did was cast hauntingly blood splattered silhouettes. Those that could still speak were softly moaning, “I-I can't see...trying to reach...I can't reach...”

Some of them had family with them gently trying to wipe away the blood, whispering to them hoping they can hear their last words. I finally looked away, my imagination conjured up images of father lying there.

Hunter however displayed a detached expression. Walking over and looking at one of the patients calming talking to the witchdoctor, asking a steady stream of questions. After a few moments she started to turn mentioning wanting to see the bodies of the dark ones when an alarm bell rang.

Father ran towards a red emergency phone located on the wall beside the entrance, he roughly grabbed the receiver and jammed it against his face shouting “This is Sukhoi!” He nodded his head a few times ordering, “okay well need to do a full lock down, move all non-combatants to second level greenery area and seal all vents!”

Taking the initiative, I stood up and doing a small jump I grabbed a lever on a vent and let gravity pull me down as heavy iron plate inside the vent came down. Next I ran to the other side of the room and repeated the process sealing the ventilation in the room. My father explained to everyone that they needed to hold tight and draw their weapons, seal the door behind us and don't open them until an all clear is sounded. With that Father, myself and Hunter left the clinic, the sound of a bar falling into place sounded behind us.

Sounds of gunfire and shouts came out from the station platform and possibly even more from the tunnel. I pulled out my revolver and bit down on the grip, sliding my tongue along the trigger, I looked up to Hunter seeing her detached expression hadn't changed. “What's attacking?” she flatly asked.

Father shook his head, “they reported a swarm of nosalis.”

“Great then they will be drawn right here by the smell of blood,” Hunter replied in a matter of fact. I bit down harder on my revolver. I was deeply concerned as they never made it into the station before, always charging the barricades with reckless aggression. Unless our defenders had been overrun.

Before my fears could really start taking hold Father calmly said to me “Khon stay next to me, they ran past our barricades, our kin are alive, together well get through this.” He still had a reassuring command ability, I felt my nerves cool, and my focus sharpen as I stood by him. After that he swung over his assault rifle and bit his grip as sounds of high pitched squeaks and rumblings of large animals crawling came from inside the ventilation ducts.

“Here they come,” Hunter said in a snarl.

Loud bangs sounded at the creature arrival. I already found rats to be ugly nasty creatures, these creatures were far worse in appearance. The grate of the far left shuddered as the creature rammed into it. Then long yellow claws with sickly pink appendages poked through before closing in grasping and shaking the grate. Didn’t take it long before it managed to tear a large enough hole for it squeeze itself through. Definitely a strange creature as only half it’s pinkish skin covers is long muzzle, peeling back around the mouth exposing red sore covered flesh and showing off it’s long jagged teeth. It’s pig like snout always seemed to be twitching as it turned to face us. It’s beady little eyes looked like red marbles that were shrunken into his head.

As it started to pull more of itself out, father expertly shot it in a three round burst. The creature jerked and spazzed inside the confined space. The nosalis behind it had its access clogged as the dying one blocked it's way.

Unfortunately there were many other grates. Another nosalis managed to force open a grate on the far right side, it was halfway out when Hunter fired a shot. My ears rang as the large caliber round shot out striking the top half of the nosalis. It exploded in a mess of ultra violent gore painting the wall around it bright red, leaving it's bottom half wedged in the hole. The nosalis not knowing fear pressed on.

They continued to throw themselves into the grates. Father alternated between the two grates on the left side firing three round bursts when a nosalis forced itself onto the grates keeping them pinned. I focused on the unopened grate on the near right wall aiming to fire a round right into the thickest meatiest part of the nosalis. An immature part of me wanted to aim for the head, but I knew better, the .44 slugs did enough damage. Not only that but a small part of me wanted to save the ammo I slaved over earning, and the best way to ensure that was to make every shot was at least a kill shot.

A nosalis charged into the grate throwing it's full weight into it, the metal visibly shuddered but the moment after the impact the creature stopped having drained all it momentum. I choose that moment to shoot. I made sure I was looking into the largest mass of the creature as my tongue pulled back. The recoil rattled my teeth, as I did as father had drilled me. Sure enough the slug shot out and tore a big meaty hole on the creature, a head shot wasn't necessary.

Hunter seemed to only fire after a nosalis made it's way out of the vents, I figured her rounds would tear big holes on the ducts, giving them more access points. Our early bottling strategy was already showing it weakness as our bullets were tearing the grates apart quite effectively, and dead bodies only proved to be a momentary delay. The nosalis easily pushed their fallen brethren through.

Still focusing on the near right grate, the next nosalis climbed over it's dead brethren and pressed its face into the grate trying to headbutt its way through. I smiled internally, I was going to get my head shot after all as it ugly face prove to be my biggest target. The second shot quite cleanly wrecked the grate, but with the two dead monsters laying on top of each other the twisted bits of metal held their corpses in place.

The grates on left side of the wall however had been completely torn apart and the nosalis poured into the room from three different points. A pile of monster corpses lay at the bottom of these entrances but the horde pressed forwards. Hunter switched her twin saddle cannons onto auto-fire. With the boxed nature of the locker room, the rapid loud bangs was reverberated, I had to fight from being dazed by the sound. The nosalis seemed to be attracted to the noise as those that managed to make it into the room alive charged at her. Between my father and her they made a new kill zone in the middle of the room.

I turned my attention the far right grate as they came pouring out of there. I fired another shot as a nosalis crawled out, the bullet entered from its side tearing through it lungs. Another one followed out right behind it.

The recoil from each shot was like take a sharp buck into the jaw. I couldn't bring the gun down fast enough to stop it from entering the room. I fired again as it crouched down to land, the shot missed leaving a hole in the concrete wall. The creature recovering from it's fall got up and charged at me. This time I had a clear shot, I aimed little low and fired twice. Both shots seemed to hit its mark this time as creature somersaulted forwards, then stopped moving.

Keeping track of my shots, I taped the revolver with my hoof knocking the chamber out. With a practiced motion I lifted my head up letting the spent rounds fall while reaching into my ammo pouch pulling out a fresh moon clip of .44's. I slid the round clip in and cocked my head to the side slamming the chamber back in. The process only took a few seconds but already two more monsters came out the vent I was targeting.

As I took aim an empty clicking sound came from my father's gun next to me. As father began reloading, I inched closer to him and refocused on scanning the room for what monsters were coming towards us instead. I did feel a small pang of guilt leaving the horde to Hunter but her twin cannons seemed to fire endlessly. Still it was apparent the monsters were able to get closer to her with her fire and attention now split three ways.

Three of the creature's must have sensed weakness as they broke off their headlong charge into Hunter's fire. Two of them stood up on their hind legs charging at me with their front claws outstretched, with the other was hunched low on all fours trying to circle me. I fired twice at the closer standing nosalis, it having gained the most of my attention.

The first round tore through its side, causing it to stagger just before the second round tore a gaping wound in its gut dropping it. The other charging monster got within two strides of me before I switched my aim to it. I pointed my revolver at the center mass of the creature before firing. The beast clutched it chest falling forwards into a clumsy somersault towards me.

As I side stepped the tumbling monster the third monster made its move. It pounced up at me, intent on closing the distance in a single leap. I only spotted the beast in its mid arc. Before I even had time to react, a three round burst sounded next to me and I felt the a gush of air across my back as the bullets flew past me.

The burst caught the monster in its flight, thankfully changing its direction slightly as it crumpled beside me. I glanced briefly at my father as he once again held his assault rifle aiming at our invaders. Then I glanced over at Hunter.

The horde of nosalis was thinning out. No longer were they flooding in one after another through the vents. The noises from the station platform was being replaced more with shouts then gunfire. The bad news was our distraction allowed the remaining monsters to close in on Hunter.

Another nosalis leap up directly at her. She also shot it in mid flight but her heavy caliber ripped the creature open, showering her in spray of blood and gore. She was forced to close her eyes and fire blindly. Another monster leaped at her but this time it made on top her. I felt a moment of panic. I've scene what these creatures can do to a zebra. They could easily tear and claw off limbs, not to mention the amount of flesh they can bite off in a single snap.

Despite having a creature larger then herself land on her, Hunter didn't seem to get knocked back in the slightest. She bucked before the nosalis could find any purchase with it's claws or teeth. The creature rolled forwards off, limbs flailing about as Hunter snapped open her eyes. She fired a few more shots at the last beast as the one that tried to ride her was in the process of rolling back onto its feet.

With calculated precision, Hunter reared up before bringing her front hooves down on the beast. Her landing was meet with a wet crunch. She didn't stop with that, she repeatedly in an alternating fashion bringing up her front hooves as if trotting on the creature. Each time she brought a single hoof down it either made a squish or crunch sound. I watched the display in shock, never having seen either such brutality or a zebra killing a nosalis bare-hooved.

I scanned the room once more before holstering my revolver. I with the imminent danger over, I finally noticed I was breathing hard and fast. I gulped down hard trying to control my breathing as I rode down the adrenaline rush I didn’t realize I was having. Father holstered his rifle before asking me with great concern, “Khon, are you alright?”

I nodded as Hunter answered for me, “Course he is, hes got good sense and a dead eye shot.” With that she calmly knelt beside a nosalis before commenting, “Well no dark ones here, just your regular tunnel trash.”

My father started the breath heavily, I looked at him to see he was sitting and shaking. “You don't understand. Our doctor called them Novus Equidae, the next logical step in equine evolution.” his voice betrayed a slightly paranoid sense of urgency as continued, “they've must have driven the nosalis here!” I felt afraid for him as this was the first time father ever said something like this. Before I could say or do anything two of our border guards made their way inside the locker room.

They looked over the scene of carnage, the floor littered with nosalis carcases, and finally at us. Their welding mask must have hid their shocked expressions as there seemed to be a long pause before one of them spoke up in a familiar voice, “Sukhoi, sir..Khon...you guys alright?”

Father nodded his head recomposing himself, “Yes...we're fine any casualties?”

The other guard started speaking as it trotted over to them, “nothing serious yet from what we saw.”

Father interjected, “All right, you,” he said to the guards before continuing, “and Hunter with me, Khon and Zolani you help clean this mess.” Then he knocked on the clinic door, “all clear.”

As the shower room door opened, he quickly scanned to see if everyone inside where alright. Before turning to leave he patted me on the shoulder mumbling, “you did well, we will speak later.”

I watcher the three leave, Hunter gave me a quick wink before disappearing into the station. As the able zebras wandered into the locker room Zolani quickly organized them, “Okay we gonna drag bodies onto a central platform, we're gonna have assembled a cart shortly, anyone who has small children should leave now and head to the basement level and wait with the others.”

I nodded as most of them left carefully avoiding stepping on the bodies. The rest simply started dragging bodies working in pairs. I also grabbed a dead nosalis putting a hoof under its shoulder and pulling. Zolani helped me, grabbing the other side of beast as we dragged it out onto the station. “Nicely done,” I complimented.

“Me?” he replied before stating, “what was that back there, looks like over twenty, how are you alive?”

“Hunter,” I answered, “Spartans...they're something else, like death incarnate.”

Zolani nodded, “so, do you think she can help us?”

I didn't know, so I answered him with a shrug. As we made our way out to the station platform I saw pile of nosalis corpses being piled onto a hoof cranked rail car. Quite a few tents had been knocked over and the stench of gunpowder and monster remains filled the air. It was obviously gonna be a long day of cleaning up this mess. As I shared this observation with him he tried finding the light in tunnel saying, “well I guess our shift at the factory is cancelled.”

That didn't cheer me up, “no instead we are doing unpaid work, besides I had to use a clip and half to defend myself.”

He seemed to get the message, “oh ya, those .44 rounds are expensive.”

Standing next to the hoof-car we both grunted as we heaved the carcass onto the car. Dead bodies, even mutant ones were useful. Animal fats can be made into candles, or used in numerous alchemical potions, sinew and muscles for ropes and fibers. But our large over stock of soon to be rotting carcasses will mostly be taken one kilometer down the second tunnel by some very brave volunteers, covered in oil made from nosalis fat and burned on mass.

Turning back to fetch more waste carcass I jabbed at Zolani, “so about my spent bullets, what happened how did they get into the station.”

He sighed softly, “Well they didn't sneak past us if that was your asking. The scouts noticed them and retreated to the Seven hundred meter barricade. You know the drill, the nosalis were noisy and tripped every alarm, we knew they were coming. Got ready for them...and well.” he paused as we grabbed another carcass to drag back. “They climbed into a vent somewhere between eight fifty and nine hundred.”

I gasped, “we had something leading right into the station open...this whole time!”

He shrugged, “yes and no, it was sealed long ago, i don't know if it rusted or they tore through it but ya we noticed something was wrong when we could hear them and they not coming at us...so after a few minutes me and a few went past the barricade and started shooting them when we saw them.”

Now it was my turn to sigh, “you ran past the barricade into a pack of nosalis, you know what mom will do to you if she hears that!”

She was biologically his mother not mine. When father came into the station with me as an infant foal, first thing he did after basic organization of the new inhabitants was find a mare still nursing. Zolani’s mother was in the process of weaning him being a few months older than me. She nursed me till I could eat solid vegetation. We bonded during that time treating she me as a second son.

Zolani brushed my comment off with wave of his hoof, “hey you should be thankful think of how many more you'd have to fight if we didn't...sides it was weird they didn't attack us, they simply pushed past their dead and worked their way into the vents.”

I agreed with him, nosalis normally attacked mindlessly at what ever was closest. My father's outburst came back to me, I recalled how the beasts seemed focused on Hunter. Could the Dark ones really have that power, and if they did...were they targeting her?

My mind started to conjure up more paranoid ideas. I finally stopped myself when I began to wonder if they were listening to my thoughts right now. I threw myself at the work before us trying to drown my thoughts.

Father and Hunter had been the first ones to volunteer. Moving that hoof-car back and forth down the second tunnel, disposing of the bodies. I spent the rest of the day mopping and scrubbing walls while families tried setting back up their knocked over tent homes. It was important not just for moral among the residents to clean and fix up the station, but to present ourselves to traders from other stations. We all knew rumor of this attack with spread, and that would hurt trade.

After about ten hours, right around the time I would have ended my shift at the tea factory. I finished helping a family patch up their tent. Exhausted I proceeded home hoping none of the monsters or a stray bullet smashed any of the irreplaceable glass windows. As I approached the manager's office, I was pleased to see nothing damaged from the outside and a light was on. I casually walked in, opening my mouth to greet father when I stopped myself surprised to see mare sitting behind his desk with her front hooves crossed.

I was somewhat embarrassed with myself for not immediately recognizing hunter. I mean how many other maneless, yellow eyed Zebra's did I know. She wasn't wearing her barding, given how she wasn't covered in gore anymore I'd assume it was being washed. It was first time seeing her outside of her barding, and while she only ever shortly visited once every few years I saw why.

Her bulky frame wasn't overly due to her armor. Different parts of her body were bulging while others appeared normal. It must have been due to mutagens or steroids. I should have been less surprised, it was a common rumor that Civitatem Spartans, or rather the former military elite had been given all sorts of enhancers and potions. That and Hunters feline eyes were a dead giveaway of the unnatural alterations. Now that I was really looking at her, I noticed her ears too seemed larger, and more erect some how.

If Hunter noticed or was bothered by my staring she didn't show it, “Come here,” she asked me.

I slowly trotted over to her, as I past by the desk i finally saw her glyph mark for the first time. It was the mark of her name a hunter. The hunter, a stalker, a killer. Standing in front of her she placed a hoof under my muzzle directing me to face her. I flinched slightly avoiding her eyes before she instructed me, “look me in the eye.”

She looked deeply at me, searching as her eyes seemed to narrow. After a moment she released me. “what was that?” I demanded.

She paused looking up before speaking, “In your eyes, I see great fear, and your right to be afraid, but I also see a strong will to fight. You're the only one I've seen so far who has fought a dark one, and still shines with life.”

I was taken back, “what do you mean, not everyone who shot at them are sick loads of...I mean father’s still...” I retorted before she cut me off.

“No, he lives as so do the others...but in their eyes, in their every souls I can see them defeated,” she stated flatly.

“Are they alright?” I asked my voice betraying some panic.

She considered what to say before replying, “He and every other survivor I've talked to are physically well, I do not believe they will have the same fate as those in your clinic. But I've scene things, broken people. It's like that yet different. I've known your guardian for a long time, served with him. We fought at Zompeii...shatter-hoof.”

I gave her a shrug. I read in old history books, Zompeii was an ancient zebra settlement that was destroyed by a volcano, buried in ash. I think it was later called shatter hoof ridge by the Equestrians but I had to make that connection mentally from two different book sources. “Father doesn't speak of the great war. It hurts him to recall it,” I replied.

Hunter seems to respectively nod, “well him and I once took part in a horrible battle their. The enemy held the high ground and were receiving pegasi reinforcements. We were ordered to knowingly send our comrades out into a killing field, trying to climb that damned hill. I learned to what defeat looked like day, how to see it in ones eyes. Sukhoi held strong, at least in looking the part, but in his eyes, in all of them...” she trailed off.

I sat listening, both excited to learn more about fathers battles in the war first hand, and guilty to learn it behind from behind his back. However were she trailed off lead to an obvious question, “so, and now you see?”

“It's not quite defeat, more like will to fight has been drained,” she said hesitantly before quickly adding, “he and the others look...not dangerously so...but afflicted after their encounter with these dark ones...and you are not.” There was long pause before she pressed, “it's very important, I need to know everything about the dark ones, any detail no matter how small.”

I took a step back and looked away before saying in a small voice, “what did father...what did he tell you about how I earned my glyph mark?”

She smiled, “ well he said you and two other foals dared each other to go to the surface. Yours showed up once you got out, and then to celebrate once you got back...he thrashed your rump good and hard before throwing small celebration.”

I blushed, that was the only time father spanked me. “Ya, I had screwed up. It was Zolani, and a late friend of our named Helexis. She died of cancer a over two months ago. She was a few years older than us and always talked about the surface, mostly of what she remembered about a park. I was huge indoor garden, not far from here. Her mother was some sort of a worker there so she claimed to know her way around the abandoned station. So one day Zolani, dared Helexis to show us the garden. We borrowed gas masks, Helexis had taken her father's shotgun and we snuck by the border patrol. This was before nosalis invaded the metro,” I added as hunter shook her head at me.

I continued, “The flooding there wasn’t so bad back then, some zebras still came there to salvage anything they could. However parts of the station the water was too deep, but we found a service entrance that lead to the upper level of the station, past the sealed airlocks. From there we made our way up some stairs before we came up to a barred gate. After coming so far and being so close, Helexis used her shotgun to break a bar. After some bending we were able to fit through.”

Hunter guffaw, muttering something about delinquent children.

“After that we came out into in large dome. All the glass had melted, turning black and molding along the metal frame, she said it looked like the buildings skeleton. We were completely exposed outside, but thankfully it was night. We were disappointed as we couldn’t see anything growing here, but I we had something else to look at. The room had I thinking is called Stalagmite...ya shiny almost organic like stalagmite all over the place that even covered the floor. We were about to start exploring when...”

Hunter leaned forwards listening intently, “go on,” she encouraged.

“We felt like something was there...we called out, and then we felt it.”

“Felt what?”

“I can’t remember,” I said then quickly added, “we were afraid and ran back down, we didn’t see anything, Helexis even dropped her gun. We didn’t notice anything different with us until we got back into the metro.”

“Us,” Hunter pointed out, “you mean different with all three of you?”

I nodded, “Helexis had been a hopeless blank flank, Zolani and I had been really young to get our marks. Only...we all had the same mark.” I said looking down at my own glyph mark.

The mark represent the link, a connection, a bridge. I never liked my glyph, I've never shown any aptitude or desire for shamanism, or engineering. I felt my communication skills were poor, as I felt nervous at large gatherings. My glyph mark kinda felt shallow, I was too young at the time to really desire one when I got it and it served to reminder of when I disobeyed father.

“Well that is...unheard of, have you told any one of this recently?” she asked.

I shook my head, “Zolani, never spook of it again, and when I reminded father he said that this happened so many years ago and couldn't possibly be related. Then he told me not repeat it to anyone as people could get wrong idea.”

She nodded before saying, “He's probably right, though I now I'd like to see Zolani.”

I responded, “Well if you want to test your theory he never shot at the dark ones, was a scout at the first tunnel, didn't make it in time.”

“Pity,” she sighed before asking, “so did you lock or have any method of securing any doors along this service path you took?”

I froze feeling an icy chill run through my body. 'Did I?' I asked myself. It was so many years ago, I was terrified at the time racing back down into the metro. We closed an airlock door behind us. I remember that, the door was heavy, and the circular handle difficult to move we worked together. We mustn't let the poisoned air into the metro, but did we pull down the small latch on the side to lock the door. “I...think...so,” I said so unconvincingly that I felt myself wince, I added, “but since then the whole station has flooded with radioactive water.”

Hunter said in a very even voice, “Some how I doubt a little radiation would bother a mutant freak.”

There was a long awkward pause before she let me in on her plan, “alright I'll head to this garden station and check it out now that I won't be aimlessly wandering your cursed tunnel, and if my suspicion is right you've done more than just endanger yourself on your foolish surface tour.”

I held my head low. I could feel myself burning up with shame, it hurt to have Hunter sound disappointed with me. Then I began considering if my actions had been what exposed my station to the dark ones in the first place.

A strong hoof bonked me on the head, “Hey, I just said I'm going to take a look, see if I can throw them a roadblock or two if that’s where they are coming through. Falling apart over something you have done as a colt isn’t going to accomplish anything.” I felt myself calm down as she said this. “However in worst case scenario, if you feel guilty this is what can be done about it.” She lifted and took off her chain necklace before handing it to me. I looked at the tag, it read:

The back of the tag had three golden lines connected at the end forming a triangle. Hunter carefully instructed, “If I do not return in three days, it's imperative that you take this tag to the Civitatem, to a spartan by the name of Legate Mudads. Tell her everything that about the dark ones...and that I failed,” I wanted to say something, ask her what she meant by failed but she silenced me with a wave of her hoof. “If you show this tag to any one of the order they will help you but tell them you need to be taken to Mudads, can you do this?”

'Can you do this?' I thought. Could I abandon my station and wander through the metro system on my own.

I escorted Hunter past the six hundred meter post after we picked up her cleaned barding. I turned to trot back home after watching Hunter disappear down the second tunnel. As I entered the office room I found father this time sitting, waiting for me. I was about to start telling him what happened between me and Hunter when he waved a hoof saying, “I know you two spoke, whatever it was, was between you two.”

I fell silent looking down at me hooves, before he continued, “I'm tired, let's get some rest.” I nodded taking the hint as I moved into my room. I lied down on my bed and looked up at the postcard of ponyville.

Footnote: You have selected Ranger Hardcore mode, in this mode you will have no HUD assistance. You are quite fragile as one hit could very well kill you. Your chance of survival is minimal. All scavenged ammo will be in reduced amounts as well as with found filters, they will be partly used. However all damage dealt will do three times as much damage.

Current Ammo:
Military grade rounds : 49
Revolver rounds : 9

P.S. This story is inspired by the works of Fallout Equestria by Kkat (link) and Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky (link). All intellectual property of “My Little Pony” and “Metro 2033” respectively belong to Hasbro, 4A games, Deep Silver and respective owners.