//------------------------------// // 4. Monsters low, Demons high // Story: Moon of the Metro // by BlueYellowNoble //------------------------------// "What is taking so long back there?" Valentin grunted, starting to lose his temper. "We're trying to get Luna's helmet on, but her horn is in the way." Vasili explained, "So we are just gonna make a hole for it!" "Idiot!" the lieutenant spat. "If you make a hole, it's not properly sealed. Just give her a regular mask." "But sir!" Vasili protested. "If there's a chance of firefight, she needs to protect her head from bullets!" "For crying out loud-" the lieutenant pulled out a long knife, "We're wasting time. She can take the fucking mask, or I'll cut off the fucking horn off if she wants a helmet!" Luna reeled terrified back. "I need my horn! It's the source of-" "There, it's decided!" Valentin shouted. "Help her with the mask so we can move out sometime TODAY!" The only female of the Rangers, Misha, walked over to Luna and kneeled down to her level. "Don't take it personally." She whispered, "He just want this to be over with, so we all can go home." Luna winced. "Would... would he really..." "Cut off your horn? No, I don't think so." Misha shook her head. "He can say nasty things but not mean it, and he would never ever hurt a fellow Ranger. Not even a non-human member." Luna smiled weakly. She would still keep her distance from him. "Now," Misha took the gasmask and pulled it over Luna's head. "It needs to sit tightly around your face. So if you breathe out, I'll see if we need to tighten it more." The mask was very uncomfortable and tight, her muzzle feeling cramped. She breathed in and out while Misha ran her finger around the edges of the mask, looking for gaps. "Seems fine." She patted Luna's neck. "Remember to breathe normally, and if it's getting harder to breathe, change filters." "Finally." Valentin grunted. "Move out." So the team started their ascent, walking up some old stairs. Once up they came into a big hall, reminding Luna of Canterlot throne room. The windows had been smashed, but still a weak light came through. Valentin pushed up an old door and revealed their world. Luna was struck by awe. It was night outside, but the ruins of Moscow were so clear, and illuminated by the moon. Luna glanced up to the moon, overjoyed to see it again. All she wanted was to tear of her mask and armor, to fly high in the sky and feel the breeze on her face. But she had to put the thought aside as Dima gave her a tap on the back. "Stay in formation." Disappointed, Luna started walking again. They seemed to walk forever, and the city never seemed to have an end. Tall buildings reached high in the sky, roads wide and covered by metal wagons. It was hard to imagine how this city had once been full of life, now so silent and still. The team moved silently, avoiding packs of mutants, *watchers* they were called. But everyone and then, the Ranger's glance aimed upwards, worried if something was watching them from the rooftops. ---------------------------------------------------- Finally they stopped. Ahead was a ruined building, campfires burning giving it a somewhat welcomming look. "Who are they?" Vasili whispered. Naum folded down a set of nightvision googles and looked down the sights of his Tihar. "Looks like old hammer and sickle. Not the fascists for a change." "Reds?" Valentin said surprised. "Now that's a surprise. But it changes nothing." The lieutenant ordered out positions to the team. Luna stayed with Naum and Dima, while the others advanced forward. "It's a little windy today Naum," Dima chuckled behind his helm, "think today's gonna be my lucky day." "Right right... fifty says I win, as I always do." Naum laughed. Luna watched as the two crack jokes and readied their strange rifles. "What am I supposed to do, I don't think I'm that accurate on such a range..." "You're gonna keep an eye open in case something would sneak up on us." Dima said while oddly enough, pumped a handle on his rifle. "And remember to look up once and a while." "For... demons?" Luna asked with a raised brow. "What are they?" "Flying fuckers. Nothing you'd wanna cuddle with." Naum kept chuckling. "you see one, shout and run like hell." Luna gulped and kept her head, scaning the tall buildings. Suddenly silent Poof-poofs came from behind her, Dima and Naum had started shooting. "One for me!" Dima said triumphantly. "Me too." Naum scoffed. In the distance the other had started shooting, the blazes of their guns lighting up the night. Luna turned away from the disgusting sight. It was one thing to kill a mutant, in self-defence, but when humans started to shoot humans, something was terribly wrong. Dima and Naum had a blast apperently, laughing and anouncing each time they ended the life of their fellow humans, each time Luna started to hate them. Suddenly a movement caught her attention. Something scurried in the distance between the ruins, and in large numbers. "Dima, Naum." Luna whispered without looking away from the growing mass of creatures. Dima cursed and got up. When he too saw it, he cursed much, much more out loud. "It's a fucking horde of watchers! Let's get the hell outta here before we get trampled!" The three rushed to the motel and the rest of the group, their guns had silenced at last. "Watchers!" Naum shouted. "Lots and lots of them!" Misha came out of the ruins and gasped loudly, even hearable behind her helm. "Put out the fires, lamps and everything else that shines!" Everyone was quickly doing just that, the building soon dark again. The horde was coming closer by the second, and the others lined up behind walls and windows, arms at ready. Except for Luna. She heard something further in the building and decided to investigate. As she trotted in, she came upon the lifeless bodies of the previous tenants. Did they really have to die? She wondered. By what right did Lieutenant Valentin have do decide the fate of these men? ...was this what Vasili and Grig wanted to become? A noise caught Luna's attention. Something was moving in the corner, behind a counter. Carefully approaching, she peeked around it. Time slowed down as she stared down the barrel of a revolver. The man holding it shot, but missed even on less than two meters away. Luna magically snatched the gun from him and now SHE aimed at HIM. The man, clad in a green uniform and dark spots, presumably blood, crawled further back. Behind his gasmask his eyes were large by fear, and hyperventilated. "Please, don't kill me don't kill me!" he gargled with tears in his throat. Luna blinked, first at the man, then the gun and again back at him. He tried to kill me. I act in self-defense. It was either him or you. She blinked. "Intersections..." It's what separates us from them. They can't show kindness... "...but I can." "Luna!" suddenly a familiar voice shouted. "We heard a gunshot!" Luna looked to the door, Grigory and Valentin standing there. She then looked back at the injured man. Then she made her decision. "I... it was a rat... a big one." Luna lied and trotted to the door, pushing the two men out from the room. "It looked like a mutant at first." "Ugh" Grig snorted, "I hate rats, hope you got it!" "No it got away." Luna said flaty and glanced over her shoulder. The man had taken the chance she gave him, and climbed out a window and vanished into the night. ------------------------------------------ The horde had passed on, but a few dozen of the creatures had broken off, now skulking a hundred meters away from the old motel. The beasts would at times stand straight up on their hind legs, sniffing the air. Valentin had ordered not to open fire however. It could attract more watchers, or other things if they were unlucky. Instead they were now searching for enemy "intelligence" on why the Reds had made an outpost on the surface so close to Polis. It was half scary Vasili thought, the lieutenant was very obsessed with it. When he asked, Valentin only mumbled anything about *Kievskaya* was priority intel. Vasili just got spooked around that guy and decided to go down to bottom floor. The others, Naum, Dima had taken position by a window and watched the - watchers -. Misha was nowhere to be seen, probably up with Valentin. Grig had been going on to collect ammo of the dead communists. They wouldn't have any use of it anymore. Luna had taken a seat in a corner, giving a very disgusted look at him. "Hey man," Vasili suddenly said to Grig. "Show some respect for the dead." Grig looked up at his friend with an confused look, then noticed Luna's piercing gaze. "Right. Sorry." Grig mumbled and stepped away from the body. Luna didn't say a word, only keep staring at him with a frown. Grig shuddered and walked over to Vasili. "What's with her?" "What do you think?" Vasili nodded at the bodies. "That is a major issue for her." "Well... it's how it works, they're our enemy, we shoot them and the other way around." "I know." Vasili sighed. "But this is just gonna get worse. If we can find a calm station while we find a way home for her-" "DEMON!" Suddenly an AK went off on the second floor, followed by screams, human and beast. "Lieutenant!" Misha shouted from upsfairs. Heavy, leathery flaps was heard from outside the ruin, and the team watched in horror as the monster flew away with the lieutenant in its claws. "Take the fucker out!" Dima barked and unloaded his Tihar. The others followed, pumping the demon full of led. It growled loudly, starting to fall from the sky. Plummeting down twenty meters and crashed on the street with a wet crunch. The demon was still, hopefully dead from the fall. But so could Valentin be. "Christ!" Naum shouted. "Lieutenant! Can you hear me?!" No response. "Fuck!" Dima rushed up the stairs. "I'll check in Misha, go get Valentin!" Grig and Vasili followed Naum, who suddenly halted in his tracks, his eyes up. Bellowing roars almost made Vasili piss his pants, and when looked up to see five more beasts swooping down at them, he let out a loud scream of horror. "Back! Back in the motel!" Naum spun around and pushed the others on, narrowly dodging one demon that landed with a thud. It chased the Rangers on all four back into the building. Luna, now standing by the door, let the men run past her before she exhaled and lit her horn. The demon yelped when a ball of blue energy hit it like a truck, sending it out flyng back on the street. "Holy-" Naum gasped. "That was badass!" "Guys!" Dima came down from the stairs with Misha over his shoulder. She was bleeding much from her abdomen, large claw marks torn through her armor and cloth. "We have to get the hell out of here, or Misha bleeds out!" "What about the LT?" Grig said with a hint of panic in his voice. "Nothing we can do for him anymore. He can only distract the demons so we can get away." Dima sighed. "WHAT?!" Luna blurted out. "You can't just leave your leader behind! He can still be alive!" "...she's right..." Misha moaned. "...help..." "It's too late for him. Get over it." It was true. In a situation like this, you should only think about yourself, or in this case help the one who would have more than a 50% chance to survive. But this was not the way for a good-hearted pony like Luna. She ignored the fact Valentin could already be dead, or close to it. She dropped her guns, threw off her bags and rushed out of the ruin. "What the fuck!" Dima barked. "What is that dumb animal doing?!" "Showing more balls than we all have put togheter." Vasili slapped a fresh magazine in his rifle. "Covering fire; keep the bitches away from her!" -------------------------------------------------- The demons above circled like vultures and roaring like chimeras. But Luna had to ignore them and focus her attention to the man. "Valentin, can you hear me?" She used her hoof to roll him over. "Lieutenant do you-" The helmets visor had cracked upon impact, exposing the man to the toxic air. His face had turned white and stained with blood. It was too late. Luna couldn't help to feel the tears coming. Valentin didn't like her, and his methods cruel, but he was still a living being. He just did his duty, and what he thought was right and best for his team. "Rest peacefully Valentin." she sniffed. "May the Moon guide you through dark journeys." "Lunaaa!" Grig shouted and made a sudden halt next to her. "Is he okay?!" She shook her head. He looked at Valentine and cursed. "You tried, that's what matters. Now move, back to the motel!" They two ran, Grig even shooting while doing so hit one demon, the hail of pellets only aggravated it. Even more demons came flying, all to join the party. "That was fucking idiotic!" Dima cursed when they came back in. "And pointless! Now our escape has been cut off, and closest doctor is back in fucking Polis!" "...Kutuzovskaya..." Misha murmured. The Rangers seemed surprised. "Kutuzovskaya?" Naum repeated. "Isn't that place abandoned? "...no... Settlers..." the woman groaned. "Rest Misha" Dima whispered. "Kutuzovskaya it is then. It's not far,but we won't get far with the demons blocking our way." "We can't go through a window on the back?" Luna asked. An awkward silence rose. Nobody thought about that. "Alright, out the back. Good thinking Luna." Dima admitted. -------------------------------------------------- The team, now one man less had managed to sneak out unnoticed by the demons. They had nearly crossed one last big plaza before they got to their goal, a building with a big red M on it, when they heard howls from behind. It was watchers. The horde from before had now caught up with them. "Seal the fucking doors!" Naum shouted when the team had gotten in. Vasili helped the Ranger and stacked old bits of wood against the door. It wouldn't hold them forever, but better than nothing. Once down the old escalators they were met by an rusty old steel door, Dima banged vigorously on it with one free hand. "HEEEY, THERE'S WOUNDED OUT HERE!" Up top, the mutants started banging against the door. "OPEN FOR FUCKING OUT LOOOUD!" Dima roared. To everyone's surprise, the door started to shriek. Dust started to fall off, and it started to slid open. They were welcomed by two men in bulky armors and massive guns. "Get in, davai davai!" Not arguing with them, everyone dived in, relived to be back in the metro. As the doors closed shut, Dima wasted no time to boss the men. "My friend is wounded and needs surgery, can you do that?" "Oleg can fix 'er up." One of the armored said. "Follow me." "Like a stroll through the park huh?" Grig panted as Dima and Misha walked deeper into the station. Vasili and Naum chuckled at the joke. "Hey, for shroom-farmers, you handled yourselves out there pretty well out there. I can't give you a big ceremony or anything, but you've earned it. Welcome to the Rangers, privates!" Naum reached out his hand to each man. "Congratulations." Vasili and Grig cheered and hugged each other in delight. "Oh, and Princess Luna," Naum turned to her, "I can gladly say you've proven yourself too, and I'd love to call you the first Alicorn Ranger!" "I never asked for such a position," Luna scoffed, "because I do not desire one. And based on today’s events… the very thought of being in your order disgusts me." With that she trotted away, not caring what the station inhabitants would think of her. Vasili, Grig and Naum stared at her with eyes wide and jaws open, speechless of her outburst.