Return: Tales of the Lost

by Dustchu

Tales of the Lost VIII: City of Steel III

I don't know how long I was down there for, hours it felt like, with the weird round thing on my back helping light the way, all the while making odd noises. My hoof was killing me, as blood dribbled down onto the floor I was walking on. The tunnel I was walking through was filled with garbage and debris, I could see them whenever the light passed over it, rocks and concrete chunks, big shopping carts and boxes, all kinds of things were down here. In the river - I guess you could call it - next to me, I could see some things floating in it, most of which were even more boxes, some trash, cans, bottles, metal parts, I think I even saw...

Y-yeah... that's a body...

Oh Celestia.

I kept moving, turning away from the river as I looked out ahead of me, the tunnel had various intersecting tunnels going off into some unknown direction, where I could see more of those holes opening up into the streets above, pipes causing murky water to flow out into the river below carrying all manner of junk and things down to the center, only to go down somewhere else entirely. I wondered how long these tunnels went on for, and where they all led to, was there a main area they connected to? If so, where was it? I would have liked to know, but I didn't want to be down here any longer then I had to, who knows what was down here!

All the while I walked, I thought about my friends back on the street above, what were they doing?

*Splash*

My eyes widened... as I heard the splash, and the light flickered out...

"We gotta get her out of there!" I yelled at Lee, as me and Sweetie started to look down the hole, I comtemplated jumping down and gliding, but I don't think I'd make it. Sweetie was looking just as concerned and freaked out, we had to do something!

"Fucking hell," Lee cursed behind us, before turning to Forrest. "Scan the city and try to find another way down, now!" He ordered shortly after.

"Roger that general, sir!" Forrest chimed, as he started to make weird beeping noises.

I gave him a look. "Can't you just climb down!" I asked him, anything could be happening to Bloom down there!

Lee however, only scoffed. "As awesome as I am kid, I can't climb down this without getting myself killed." Lee told me, making me huff in frustration.

All these things humans could do, and they couldn't climb down a rocky incline. It was in this moment that I wish I could have flown, I could just fly down there easy and help her back up... but no... I had to have these tiny little things on my sides, that were practically useless for flying. I couldn't even glide properly, I could barely get off the ground!

I hated them.

Eventually I heard Forrest's beeping stop, and he spoke. "General, I have found an alternate opening exactly one mile west of here, with a tunnel that connects with the one below!" Forrest chirped, and my hopes rose up.

Only to come crashing down soon after.

"Its filled with Mirelurks and Ghouls however!"

Mirelurks? Ghouls? I wondered, as Lee started off down the road, with me, Sweets and Forrest right behind him.

I ran, I didn't care that my hoof throbbed in pain, pain shooting up my arm and through my body with each step, I didn't care that tears stung at my eyes from the pain and the fear, I just ran as fast as I could. The air continued to smell putrid, ground was also sticky, soggy and in some cases I stepped in something that splashed, or made a squelching noise. I didn't know what I was stepping in, I only knew that I was running away from something that was swimming behind me in the muck.

I only saw it for a brief moment when it broke the surface, and the light on my back flickered on and off. It was big, and ugly looking, and I couldn't even begin to understand what the heck it was, or why it was after me. The thing looked like a weird frog, and had huge claws and shiny eyes that locked on me, the second it caught sight of my form in the darkened tunnel. It looked hungry to, no doubt the reason it was chasing me through the sewers, it probably wants to eat me!

It'd have to work for its meal.

But at this rate it wasn't going to have to work long, I was growing tired, my limbs ached and my arm burned from the wound I had gotten earlier. I wonder how much blood I had lost from my cut? I didn't know, if I survived this I would know, if I still cared to know that is. My body was slowing down, and the thing on my back was making odd noises, as sparks flew from the weird thing on the end of it. What was it trying to do?

*HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWL*

I heard echoing throughout the tunnels, a shrill howl that put a TImberwolf's to shame with the sheer volume, and the chills it sent down my spine. It didn't sound natural in the slightest, what was it and where? I got my answer when I heard the pitter patter of claws on the concrete, making my heart increase its pace as I heard the snarls and growls. I didn't dare look behind me, I was too scared, my heart pounded in my chest, and everything hurt as the growls grew louder, along with screeches.

When I looked behind me, I saw a bunch of weird glowing humans jumping into the water, snarling and growling as they climbed onto the thing chasing after me. They clawed at the thing, all of them, followed by several more humans who were not glowing followed the others into the water, attacking the thing and trying to... do something.

I didn't waste time thinking about it, as I kept running down the tunnel, trying to get away from the things fighting behind me. The tunnel ahead of me thankfully had some lights running through it, but they were not a bright as I would have liked. The thing on my back managed to summon its own light source once again, helping me see what I was running through, it was water, or at least... I think it was water, it was all slimy looking and sticking to my hooves as I ran.

Probably not water then. I told myself, turning down the tunnel headed right. Down the tunnel was the ame as before, darkened black abyss filled with who knows what. Behind the the growls and snarls ceased suddenly, leaving me to tremble in the darkness, with only the metal ball thing on my back for company. It had said nothing and done nothing except make odd warbling noises and sparking, as well as giving me light.

I was thankful for that however, as it allowed me to see, even though I wasn't liking what all I saw down here below the city. It was disgusting, smelled horrible and had scary and dangerous monsters lurking around every corner. I wanted to be back on the street level above, away from this gross sewer system, I shouldn't have asked Lee to help us find something to do, I should have just stayed quiet and read my book. But no, I had to be an idiot and now I'm stuck down here.

After awhile of running through the tunnel, I came across an open door leading somewhere, and figured maybe it had some stairs leading up to the surface. So I turned into the room, the light showing me some steel gray walls with piping leading to a set of stairs going down, and one going up! I knew it! I jumped onto the steps, climbing them as fast as I could, not even paying attention to the warning signs and objects left behind by some unfortunate humans.

I had climbed up... maybe three or four flights of steps before I reached what looked like a small room, I had grown tired by then and couldn't climb any higher. My body continued to ache horribly, my hoof was numb as numb could be. I felt weak all of a sudden, my vision becoming slightly blurry as I stumbled into the room. I could see some tables sitting around, closed doors leading who knows where, scattered papers and pencils, cups and mugs, chairs tipped over and some other items.

But only one thing drew my attention, it was the object lying on the floor, next to... a human's skeleton. The skeleton was small however, and wearing the tattered remains of a blue jumpsuit with a number on it I couldn't identify. The body still had... patches of skin on it, and it was heavily decomposed, but there was no smell. I gulped as I looked down at the object, it was like the one Lee wore, only more bulky, and scratched in places.

As I saw my vision blur, I ended up slowly falling to my knees, before rolling onto my side, the thing on my back falling and hitting the floor with a loud metallic clanking noise. Everything eventually darkened, as the howls from down below continued...