Voices of the Metro · 5:16pm Jul 2nd, 2016
I found this little blurb of unused chapter heading quotes from My Little Metro. I thought it interesting enough to share with you all.
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PRIORITY ONE GLOBAL ALERT ALL UNITS
MISSILES IN THE AIR CONDITION WILDFIRE
THIS IS NOT A DRILL
INITIATE DARKSUN PROTOCOL IMMEDIATELY
HARMONY BE WITH YOU ALL
- The Last Order
“This message is set to repeat at regular intervals.
This is HMS Quickstep, broadcasting on all channels, requesting any response. Central Equestria is dark. We have encountered no allied units at any rendezvous points. No signs of life on any observed coastline. Negative results on all scry orbs and divinations. We have encountered no shoreline free of the Blight. Currently sailing south past Macintosh Hills. Supplies running low.
Is there anybody out there? Anyone at all? This message is set to repeat…”
- Last recorded transmission from outside Stalliongrad
When the end of the world came, he went out to water his garden one last time.
“So, like, this thing has three heads. Three fucking heads! Who even needs that many? Worst part is they kept biting even when I shot ‘em all…”
“But mom! Dad said he’d take me outside the gate today! Maybe to the end of the tunnel! I’ve never been to the end of the tunnel!”
He reached the top of the stairs and looked back. He had stopped walking, but the hoofsteps still followed him.
There was nothing in the world he wanted more at that moment than a scrap of cloth, just to cover his hooves and pretend he was warm.
"Gentleponies, we must face facts. When the Sun does shine, our eyes can no longer bear it. Dawn is now a time limit and a sign of fear. We are adapting to life underground, and we must accept that this, perhaps, is where the future of ponykind will play out."
Stalliongrad had two seasons: stormy and snowy, and stormy and wet. The first lasted considerably longer than the second, and neither was pleasant.
“The Burning Years? Yeah, I remember reading about them. S’why there’s no dragons anymore, right? Thing about fire is when there’s just ash, it can’t burn anymore…”
“The Elements of Harmony are alive even when they have no Bearer. Our magic is based on feeling, and they feel as much as us. They choose their Bearers, and can reject them too.”
-Princess Twilight Sparkle
“Sweet Luna, fire! Fire! Don’t let them reach the gate! Where the fuck are the heavies?!”
“Old Equestria was ruled by royalty. Royalty must be above other ponies. As the Sun rises over the land, so we too must be above other ponies, and be looked up to.”
-Prince Blueblood the Fourteenth, heir to the Celestian Monarchy, son of King Pleiades
Mother crying earth crying stop crying please stop crying they want us so cold want to hold us so cold why can’t we fix it why can’t we go back why why why why why
-Anonymous wall graffiti outside Coltavera Station
“There were four alicorns when it happened, right? Which died first, and why? Which died last, and how? What was going on that the rulers of the earth weren’t together when it died? And what the hell was it that four alicorns couldn’t stop?”
“Twenty bullets?! She’s worth at least fifty! Look at her pretty face with no missing teeth! Listen colt, if you don’t know how to spot a good racing rat when you see one, then get out.”
“Hey, hey! New guy! Take point, will you? Don’t give me that look. If we really hated you we’d put you in back. Up front you’ll see what killed you, and that’s a blessing down here.”
She knew that she was going to die. As the tunnel clogged with dead mutants, she kept track of every bullet; she wanted to save one for herself.
Behind him were ten crying foals. In front of him were a hundred hungry monsters. In his gun were thirty rounds. In his hoof was a picture.
“The tunnel wall collapsed and then we were drowning in monsters. We didn’t have time to grab our guns. But we did have our knives, our hatchets, our hooves, and our teeth.”
She ran from the wailing tunnel like a bat out of hell. Ghosts didn’t scare her, but the thought of becoming one did.
“The War… what else would we call it? We know there was a war happening, but nopony can quite pin down why. But it wasn’t the War that killed the world. No, mere bombs didn’t do all this. Something hit us, hard. Hit capital ‘E’ Everything hard.”
“The Last City? Stalliongrad? Heh, it’s kind of a romantic thought, isn’t it? But I mean, there has to be at least someone besides us who made it, right? … Right?”
The Guild of Magic is interested in three things only: power, favors, and the hoarding of both.
“The Guild of Magic follows in the hoofsteps of Twilight Sparkle herself. It is her cutie mark that is our insignia. If she saw what we do, she would be proud that we carry on her legacy of pure magical prowess.”
She pulled the colt’s ear, berating him about wandering off. The colt insisted he heard laughter in the night, sweet and distant. But she believed anything that found reason to laugh in this day and age wasn’t safe to be around.
“Griffon? What the fuck is a griffon? Can you eat one? No? Then put down that useless book and fetch me a wrench before the pipes burst again.”
He felt no fear, staring the toothy thing down. If it had teeth, it needed to eat. If it needed to eat, it was alive. If it was alive, he could kill it.
“Let the Great Wyrm guide you into his coils. Let his mystery entwine you. Let his claws break you and shape you. He begins and ends everywhere he is. The Wyrm is all and none. Follow his unending mystery to the remaking of the world. The Wyrm will lead us back to the beginning.”
“She’s kinda hot, I mean, for a totally insane cultist. I’d still hit it.”
“The Wyrm Cult is strange, and not just because they’re insane. It’s said they never get lost in the tunnels, and sometimes even guide ponies back to safety. Or to the mouth of a Demon, depending who you ask. What I want to know is, where do they get all their fancy gear? Did they find an old supply cache? But then, how does everything they use just look… newer?”
“Sandpony, Sandpony, he’ll find you. Sandpony, Sandpony, doesn’t matter what you do. Sandpony, Sandpony, better close your eyes. Sandpony, Sandpony, get a big surprise.”
-Foal’s nursery rhyme
“The Sandpony? I ain’t scared of him. He kills everypony who talks about him, right? Everypony talks about him, so why ain’t everypony dead? Unless he’s just taking his sweet time. I mean, everypony goes eventually, one way or the other…”
She prayed to the spirits of the Elements as she ran. If the ponies that once wore them were now dead, maybe that meant they knew what it was like, and would try to keep others from dying too.
“Auntie Butterscotch, the bandit queen. I slept with her once, y’know. To pay off a debt. Her lieutenant, Ruby Red… there’s a freak if I ever met one. Slept with her, too. That’s how I got these scars. What? A liar? Come over here and say that to my face!”
“The Lunar Republic just wants what’s best for everypony. Everypony works, nopony quits. Equality, hard work, harmony. That’s what will get us through this.”
“The Celestian Monarchy is our best shot at reviving the old world. They have the magic. They have the guns. They have the power. And really, who’s gonna argue with King Pleiades’ mustache?”
“You’ve seen Monarchy recruiters, right? Whew! No wonder ponies sign right up. The way they flick their tails, I wouldn’t mind being a slave for a few nights.”
“The old world? It’s gone. Better to just take what you can and to hell with the rest. That’s why so many ponies go bandit nowadays. Learn to enjoy the pain; then you don’t have to take any medicine.”
“Stalkers are crazy, man! They’ll do anything for a quick bullet, or quick sex, or just a quick thrill. But even Rangers respect their ability to find stuff. I wonder, are they some new breed of ‘finder pony?’”
A Stalker knew three rules: only trust yourself. Always ask for a down payment. If it’s shiny, keep it. Also, you’re a Stalker, why are you bothering with rules?
“I met a Ranger once. She came in alone. Saved our asses from a nosalis horde. We didn’t lose a single pony that day, all because of her. I didn’t even see her face. I guess that was the point.”
“A Ranger saved our entire station. Lured a Monarchy death squad into a spiderbug nest, then burned out the nest, and even managed to drain the tunnels so we could expand our living space. They’re heroes, and I won’t hear otherwise.”
“A Ranger saved my child from slavery. Made sure the bastards wouldn’t hurt another foal, too. If ponies were ever good, they’re living proof.”
“A Ranger killed my uncle. Shot him dead in cold blood. All because what? He did some drugs? Hung out with the wrong ponies? I hate ‘em. Violent bastards judging everypony else. I smile whenever one doesn’t come back.”
“Ponyopolis is lucky, man. Rangers at their beck and call. Access to all the old books. But they do their best to stay neutral! Are they scared of the other stations? Do they know something we don’t? Or is what they know what scares them?”
“Shroom beer. Shroom entrees. Shroom soup. Oh, they got roasted prawn. Guaranteed farm-raised, never fed pony meat…”
When she found the well full of skeletons she had two thoughts: first, that the treasure map had led her astray. Second, that perhaps someone considered this to be the treasure.
The streets of Stalliongrad sang with the calls of demons and the howls of lurkers. He curled up tighter into the corner, praying the door would hold till morning.
“Yeah, I’ve killed a lot of ponies. Always more where they come from, though, so I don’t feel so bad.”
She curled up on the cot and cried bitterly into the pillow. Hope? What was that? A drug that faded like all others. Pride? How many bullets you got?
“Stalliongrad. Of course it had to be Stalliongrad. Nothing but ice and snow and dead trees as far as the eye can see. If we have to live in the Last City, why couldn’t it be somewhere warm at least?”
The Stalker kept his eyes downcast. Even with demons in the air, he was near Victory Spire, which towered over Freedom Park. To lay even one eye upon it was to be lost forever.
“A friend of mine looked at the Spire. Just a glance and his mind went… blank. We didn’t reach him in time, couldn’t risk getting caught ourselves. I took a peek, though. Last thing I saw was him disappearing into the trees. He was running, and smiling. Then he was gone.”
“Ponies pulled back from the grip of Victory Spire say Celestia herself calls to them. And why not, it’s her statue up there. We could try blowing it up, I guess, but that means an expedition into that horrible forest. And what if it really is her? Or what if it isn’t, and shooting down the Spire just pisses it off?”
The Stalker flipped through the yellowed pages. Green leaves, yellow sand, a blue ocean. She wished she was old enough to actually remember an ocean. Perhaps if she sailed far enough, she’d get away from this hell.
“I remember… I remember streetlights. And festivals in the square. Birds you could feed right from your hoof. And it was so very warm. The Sun was like a blanket. Oh, Celestia, why did you leave? Can’t you have pity on an old pony one more time?”
“Child, look at me. Dry your eyes. The monsters are gone now. No one will hurt you. You are the only one left. Your name is Lockbox? A fine name. Come with me, Lockbox. I will show you how to begin again.”
"On second thought, let's not go to the end of the tunnel. Tis a silly place."
But really, these quotes are all dark and full of horrors. Horrors and feels.
wow damn :D
Conclusion: Cheeki Breeki!
Man, I really enjoyed Metro. You're descriptions really captured the feeling of the inhabitants- Their wants, what was important to them and, ultimately, their lives. Their views on Rangers and how it varies is pretty cool as well. Folk heroes, or violent vigilantes? A shame it got cancelled, but I can imagine the amount of work it would take to write a chapter, especially at the high quality they were.
Anyway, thanks for sharing this blog, it brings me back to the game series itself.