Metro - Lavender Exile

by Wreck

TDO - 2 - First Quest in Metro

Twilight was currently trotting between a few beings that she willingly had to take as assistants as she couldn't take care of the library by herself. Compared to the small Golden Oak Library the Library they built in the Universitet Station has twice the number of books and other documents that they recovered through years of raiding the surface.

She didn't complain as she gets to run the library and her assistants follow her orders... most of the time. But sometimes she missed when the library was quiet and nobody usually visited it which allowed her to experiment and take her time studying. But here in a world where those books were once simple knowledge, now every page is worth a lot of lives.

This also meant that she would guard those books with every possibility she had.

As some books say " Knowledge is power. Guard it well."

Twilight had already studied some of the books in her free time between the hunts and occasional dramas in the station. Apparently, a diplomat from the DOMs was coming to their border station to negotiate new filter prices. Twilight considered this to be another chance the DOMs are trying to get more bullets by selling those filters for even higher prices... This also leads to beings being desperate for filters and they try to buy the cheaper filters made by the Griffonian Front which leads to them gaining more power.

It's a complicated political game that is going on at the expanse of everyone who's in between them.

"Metro to Twilight. You there?" A blue hoof waved in front of Twilight's eyes. She turned and saw Sky standing there with one of his hooves extended toward her.

"Yes, yes I'm here Sky. You need help?" Twilight asked as she placed back one book she kept in her glove.

"We're going to need you for the negotiations." Sky said as he kept his face neutral. Twilight looked at him as if he used magic.

"Why me? Why does the council need my expertise... again?" She asked as she pouted. She was a simple librarian with a knack for research.

"You know what resources are necessary to make them thus also giving you the knowledge of their rough price and where to find them or where to buy them... And you really need to move a bit more rather than stay for days locked up in this dungeon of curses." Sky said as he looked at the massive bench full of books that went up to the ceiling.

"Uhuh... Isn't that just an excuse to get me into politics again? And curses don't exist everyone knows that." Twilight said as she remembered one talk she had with Sky about current Metro politics. Also, who believed in curses... real curses anyway.

Metaphorical curses do exist.

"Shut up brain. Curses do NOT exist." Twilight frowned at herself.

"No, I actually need your help. Everyone that knows crap about those filters and masks is currently busy in the workshops. That leaves you." He said allowing a small smirk to enter his face.

"Alright fine. Not like I had to get some of my old experience rechecked." Twilight said as she went to a small door that lead out of the library.

"Old experience? You mean when you helped Sunbutt with her documents." Sky said as he followed her.

"Can you stop calling Celestia Sunbutt? I get that it's sort of catchy but I'd rather not have a burning alicorn tomorrow in the front gate of this station... much less have her poisoned with air." Twilight said as they passed a few corridors of the station. She could just imagine her former mentor standing at the front gate of the station asking to be let in with her mane on fire. Hearing Sky chuckle she guessed he imagined the same thing.

They finally reached the door of their room. Before she could open the food flung open with familiar pegasus being flung across the corridor with two foals on his back.

"BLBF getting tackled by foals isn't a good idea." Twilight said to Star as he sat next to her with two foals on top of him trying to chew his hair.

"Tell that to th-ouch."Star stood up and slightly cringed at the two foals who hung with his hair still in their little jaws.

"Little help with little problem Sis?" He asked as he lowered enough so the foals wouldn't just pull his hair with their weight.

"One second." Twilight said as she started tickling the foals and soon the foals were laughing and the entire corridor was looking at them.

"Thanks, Big Sis." Star said as he tried to correct some of his hair as it stood out.

"So what are you both up to." Star asked as he saw Sky equipping some of his inventory.

"Well, Sky needs my help with the negotiations with the DOMs regarding new filter prices." Twilight said as she also entered the room and started equipping her equipment.

"So you need help?" Star asked looking at his own humble stack of items.

"Sorry boy. You have to stay here and protect the town." Sky said as he placed his saddlebag on the back end of his outfit.

"When will you take me with you." Star pouted as he looked at Sky.

"When you're ready." Sky responded unfazed.

"Uncle maybe we can take him this once just so he could see how boring those are?" Twilight stated while Star tilted his head. Sky looked at both Twilight and Star waiting for one of them to falter but without success, he sighed.

"You kids are gonna be the end of me." He said as he nodded and pinched his face hoping this won't go into Tartarus.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou- Thank you, Sir!" Star equipped his makeshift 'armor' and grabbed an old submachine gun that belonged to Twilight and jumped in excitement before saluting Sky. For a moment Sky looked at him before shifting Stars hoove into the correct position and correcting his saddlebag. Star pouted the moment the submachine gun was taken by Sky just so Twilight could get her weapon.

"Awwww... I wanted to shoot at things." Star groaned as he slumped slightly.

"Come along then... Recruit." Sky said as he left through the doors. Star suddenly returned to his former excitement as he practically bounced after Sky and Twilight who went towards the station's tunnel entrance.

---

Few hours later they were passing another guard checkpoint before the "Reca" Station... Well in reality it was the largest construction attempted since the event. It was the first station to ever be rebuilt due to the necessity of trading with Inner Metro Market. Though really on everyone's mind was really one thing...

"Please stop asking. We're nearly there. Just another checkpoint and you'll see the station... Or smell it." One of the earth ponies sighed while looking at the energetic pegasus that was bored out of his life.

"I thought you have to fight mutants before reaching the station." Star groaned as he pulled the lever again to give the cart constant power to move.

"Pray that no mutants enter those tunnels or our stations could be doomed." Another passenger (a griffon) said while loading another round onto the rather intimidating four-barreled shotgun.

"Luckily no Demons this far south. I heard stations on the northern side have been under siege by them. Merchants said that victims of Demons are never found again." The last passenger of the cart (a diamond dog) said as he pushed the lever.

"Those are just stories for foals not to venture too far from the Metros. I don't think anything can survive getting shot in the face with more than five weapons." The unicorn blocked off the Dimond dog.

"Still... have you heard of the Dark Ones?" The Dimond Dog kept the conversation going.

"Dark Ones?" Star asked as he never heard of them. He heard Twilight's story about the librarians.

"Oh great. More ghost stories." The griffon groaned as he made himself comfortable.

"The Dark Ones, little pegasus. You've heard of the many mutants walking among the ruins of our city. The descendants of rats, demons from the deepest reaches of Tartarus, the keepers of knowledge. But there are stories told by merchants who travel through the metro. They hear things, see things, and fear those things." Diamond Dog spoke as if from a book, the only sound besides his voice being the nearly maintained carts that squealed from their use.

"Legends of the world above and below are as vast as they are unbelievable. Legends of the Ruined Tunnel where those who died pray on the travelers that dare intrude on their land. Tales of Mother Gaia whose claws are as ground-shaking as they are gentle. Talks of the Sea Lords that are unbeatable as their shells are resistant to any form of weapons." Diamond Dog continued as his voice echoed through the tunnel.

"But some legend reaches all corners of the metro. The Whispers of Dark Ones." Diamond Dog paused as a few rocks fell on his head. He shook his head and ignored the disruption.

"Out there, on the northern side of Stalliongrad lays a city. Not one inhabited by creatures or mutants. But by the Dark Ones, who rarely are seen until it's too late. Their bodies are dark as night yet at the same time invisible to the naked eye." Diamond Dog stopped as he grabbed a small bottle of cinder and drank from it. Other passengers of the cart besides Sky found the walls of the metro a much more interesting thing to focus on. The Dog swiped his arm across his face to clean it up before pulling down the lever to accelerate the cart.

"But some talk in the quiet that they see shadows of the Dark Ones before they open fire at empty air. Those who lived to reach the closest station whispered that they saw shadows of alicorns. Similar to those Rulers of Equestria but at the same time different. Some said they never saw any manes or tails, others saw the shadows wing spread across the entire tunnel." Dimond Dog continued as they passed one last checkpoint with three guards and a number of torches.

"In the end, it's not how they look that brings fright to creatures dwelling in the metro. It's the way their prey is attacked. Anyone attacked by a Dark One never had any bite marks, scars, or even bruises. But what they all have in common is their lost sanity. Some say the Dark Ones steal the remaining magic from our bodies, which leads to our minds rapidly deteriorating into savage animal instincts. Others say that they lose their souls and their bodies are unable to cope with the loss of their individuality." The Dog said as he started looking around.

"Aight story time's over. Three watches before we reach the station. Twi and Zor are first, kid and I are second, Tilo And Feni you two are the last watches. We push, you watch our damn posteriors." Sky shouted as they all prepared. to take watches over their trip.

"Why am I the Kid?" Star pouted as he looked at Sky.

"Cuz you are a Kid." Sky replied without missing a beat.

"Old man." Star muttered.

"Reckless Critter." Sky answered.

"Old Coot." Star responded.

"Shut it." Zor the Dimond Dog said.

Author's Note:

Don't kill me for being late.

Comments

[TrainDude90S]

Nice to see you back in the game again.