//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2 
// Story: Metro 2033: A Stalker's Tale 
// by Hurgusburgus 
//------------------------------//

“Bourbon!” I shouted angrily, bringing my AK to bear on the strange animal.
“Eh?”
“Remind me to kick you in the balls once this is over!” A burst of fire shattered the wooden beast’s face and I turned to face the next one, but Bourbon blew its leg off with his revolver. Well, it was my revolver. He simply was borrowing it for the time being, seeing as he wasn’t well enough to stand in his legs with an AK in hands.
“Fuck these things and fuck this place, wherever the fuck we are!” He shouted angrily, leaning against a tree.
I was inclined to agree with him. I mean, wolves made from trees? Never before I had heard anything of the sort in the Metro or on the Surface. My AK ran dry and I handed it over to Bourbon to reload, picking up my Uboinik. Six shots later, a collection of the whimpering wooden bastards lay across the ground. Bourbon tossed my AK towards me and I caught it, reassured by its weight. I walked around, finishing the beasts with single shots to head.

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.”
“No shit.” I muttered, pausing to grip him tighter as he leaned on my shoulder. We’d been staying in the forest for about four days. Bourbon’s condition was rapidly deteriotating, much to my chagrin. I had no medical supplies left. Food and water was nearly gone, too, and I didn’t fancy trying locally availably foodstuffs. The chance that it all was irradiated was too high and I didn’t want to die a painful, agonising death. So out of the woods it was, I guess. Kind of a desperate thing to do, actually. So far, we hadn’t even seen a single human being.

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.
Heh. Element.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a distant shout and her head swivelled towards the source and she saw something that froze her blood. Without hesitating, she galloped away as fast as her hooves carried her.

Ponyville Library

Twilight sighed, resignedly wiping her face dry. Fluttershy had burst through the doors, blabbering nonsensically about something she could not understand.
“Calm down, Fluttershy. You’re not making any sense. Now, what’s happened? Is it a hydra? A manticore? Is there something heading towards Ponyville?”
“I-I-I think so.”
“Wait. Don’t tell me it’s those…”
“Yes. It’s them.” She whispered fearfully. Without a second thought, Twilight screamed.
“SPIKE! TAKE A LETTER!”

Bourbon stumbled and I could barely keep him upright.
“Fuck it, man! We’re almost there!” I shouted desperately, clamping my hands over his bloody stomach. “J-just hang in there!” I threw a glance at the still-distant town. I swear, we’d been walking for almost an hour, but we weren’t getting any closer.
“Aaagh. Let’s face it, kid. I’m not going to make it. Lea-“
“Shut the fuck up!” I snapped, attempting to pick him up. If he couldn’t even crawl any more, then I was going to carry him. He saved my life all those years ago. Now it was time to repay that favour.

Later

What the fuck.

That was all I could think of when I was looking at the settlement. Tiny colourful horses. EVERYWHERE. I. LOOK.
“Alyona… Wh-what is it? M-mutants? Dark Ones? Nazis? Reds?”
“I have no fucking idea, Bourbon. But-“ I was interrupted as a bunch of tiny horses with wings - with wings - landed in front of us, clad in armour.
Then they spoke.
“In the name of Princess-“
“FUCK OFF, YOU MUTATED FREAKS!” I screamed, finally letting go to my frustration. With a roar, I swung my AK, its stock connecting with the leading horse’s jaw. Out like a light. Using the element of surprise – or what was left of it – I swung again, unwilling to waste bullets on them, decking another of the bastards. I had a sneaking suspicion I’d need the ammo later.
“Take it down!” One of them shouted, rushing towards me.
“Just you try, you 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.
“Everypony, stand down now! There is no need for hostility.”

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!”
“Is that so?” The winged, horned horse turned its admittedly intense gaze towards me and it took all of my willpower not to curl up on the ground and whimper. Luckily, I was still able to speak. And move.
“Stay the fuck back, freaks. J-just stay the hell away from us.” I stuttered, taking several steps backwards towards Bourbon. Big White didn’t relent, however, taking another step towards us, her expression neutral.
“I assure you, there is no need for hostility here. We do not mean any harm towards you or your friend.” She motioned towards Bourbon with a hoof. I sort of snapped then.
Whipping out my revolver, I fired a shot near her forelegs and she recoiled in surprise. I didn’t pay any attention to the angry shouts of the guards, instead focusing on Big White.
“STAY THE FUCK BACK, 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.
“Alyona… I… I’m not feeling too good.” He gasped. Of course, Big White was quick to catch on that.
“Your friend is in much pain, that much I can tell. We can provide him with medical aid. Please trust me when I say nopony here would harm you. You have nothing to fear from us.”

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.
“F-fine. Do it, then.” I pretty much deflated like a burst tire right there and then, mentally whipping myself for actually giving in. But I didn’t want Bourbon to die. He was one of the few friends I have.

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?”
“Moscow. Or what’s left of it.”
“Oh?” She seemed confused.
“Well, since the air’s too poisonous to breathe, we moved into the Metro System. The world as we knew it died in 2013. It was a nuclear war.”
“Nuclear?” Celestia leaned closer, intrigued. Her innocence was amusing, in a way.
“Yep. Know what makes the sun work? Nuclear fusion. Our nukes used fission – a lot less powerful, but the fallout it leaves is persistent and lasting. Imagine that destructive power, bottled up. Almost every major nation had a rather big nuclear arsenal. There were enough warheads to destroy the world a dozen times over. Imagine – a world set aflame by nuclear fire.”
“By the Creator… Why would you willingly do that to your world?” I raised my hands in protest at that.
“I didn’t do shit. It all happened twenty years ago. Humans will abuse each other at the first chance. Some say that nuclear holocaust was the best thing that happened to us. Humans are self-destructive by nature. Even now, we’re killing each other over ideology – Nazis against Reds. And bandits are preying on caravaneers, killing them and taking their stuff. Hanza is trying to overtake every station, peacefully or not.” The princess in front of me seemed horrified, but nodded meekly.
“And then there’s the Rangers – real badasses. Their motto – ‘If it’s hostile – Kill it.’ They’re just about the only reliable guys in the whole of Metro. They’ll defend beleaguered stations against nosalises and what other mutants show up from their caves – Exhibition, for example. If you’re a Ranger, you can almost always expect a warm welcome in most of the stations and a warm bunk with fresh food waiting for you.” She seemed to consider my words.
“What about you and Bourbon? What sorf of a name is Bourbon, after all? Who would name himself after a drink?”
“You’ll have to ask him that. But enough about that. Me – I’m a Stalker.”
“And what, pray tell, is that?”
“I venture out on the surface to loot things. That’s how I earn my living. The lot of us Stalkers are regarded as heroes for some reason – more than thirty years ago, kids wanted to be cosmonauts or pilots. Now it’s all ‘Mommy, mommy, did you see that Stalker? Her guns look so cool!’”I cackled at the unintended double meaning of the last sentence, something Celestia didn’t understand. Good for her.
“Why would you risk your life for material wealth?”
“The people in Metro – most are busy with their own lives and guarding the stations from mutant attacks. Or killing each other. Either way, they are busy and have no time to wander around. So that’s what people like me are for – we get medical supplies – mostly outdated, but still useful – munitions, equipment, guns and suchlike. It’s a dangerous life, yes... but I wouldn’t change it for anything.”
“I see. Well, that is certainly quite the tale.” I grinned, starting to fiddle with my revolver.
“Thanks. Now, we wait for Bourbon to get out of surgery. Then he’ll tell you about his part of the story.”
“I cannot wait.”