Reciprocity: A Metro 2033 and MLP Crossover

by MrSing

Chapter 10: Compassion and the Newborn Jackal

Compassion and the Newborn Jackal

Sweat was pouring into my eyes, my throat was dry and my hands were shaking, but I was focused. This was it, the moment I had been waiting for. I grinned, my opponent was oblivious as I reached out for my secret weapon. Just a few more seconds and her defense would crumble. She was smiling that damnable smile. Did she know? I swept the sweat from my brow, taking extra care not to reveal my move.

She blinked her eyes. Now! Now was the time to strike! I grabbed my ace in the hole and raised it up high before bringing it down, displaying the card like it was god’s judgment. “Haha! Eat my two of Diamonds and suffer!”

The gray unicorn guffawed as she levitated a card in front of me. ’Only if you take my joker and stuff it. That’s seven cards for you, human. You lost.‘ She spread her front legs in the smuggest manner that I ever had the displeasure of seeing. ’Time to pay up.‘

Grumbling I took her into my arms. “You cheated, I just know it!” I almost heard her purring as she was absorbing the amount of affection that somehow quantified to one lost card game.

Dozor snickered behind the disguise of a perfectly manicured white hoof. ’Of course she did, but can you prove it?‘

“You’re not even denying it?” I shoved away the clingy horse, but she just plopped down on one of the luxurious pillows stashed around the grand waiting chamber. She burped as she enjoyed her ill-gotten gains. “Pizdabol, that’s a good name for you.”

Dozor huffed. ’You might as well call her “changeling” if you’re going to be generic.‘ My guide ended her pacing before one of the large stained glass paintings that decorated the walls. It was made quite masterfully, almost rivaling some of the faded art in the metro stations, though the scene depicted on it was confusing. The glass was all pink, with two ponies floating in the air, bending so that they formed a stylized heart. How strange that a completely alien race used the same symbols as humans. Maybe the power and elegance of it transcended any culture?

I felt a stab through my own heart as I realized how long ago I had seen that symbol of love and kindness. These days it was all military banners and clear signposts to show where everything was and belonged in a station, and what you could and couldn’t do. Efficient, minimalistic, and heartless. It made me itch to take up a crayon and draw and the drab walls of my home that was so far away.

’Disgusting!‘ Dozor tapped the glass so hard that I was almost afraid that she would break it. The loud scraping of one of the armed guard’s throat near the doors made her stop, however. ’”The power of love.” Do they even listen to themselves when they spout their childish nonsense?‘

“What’s wrong, Dozor?” I threw the pack of cards into Pizdabol’s smug face as I looked at Dozor, along with the six other guards that were standing near the two doors that stretched all the way to the ceiling.

’Don’t mind my Sister, human.‘ The grey pegasus looked up from one of the magazines that had been lying around. The large smiles with incredibly white teeth on the front of the cheap cover easily overshadowed the small one that was one his own face. ’This place just holds some unpleasant memories for us.‘ He hid his face behind the magazine again, reading as always. ’She hides the jokers under the pillow.‘

The infiltrator gasped, ’Betrayed by my own chitin and blood!‘ She clutched her chest as she rolled from the pillow in mock agony; the guards didn’t even look up, having quickly learned to ignore Pizdabol’s theatrics.

“Thanks, Uchenik.” I gave my temporary personal hero a curt nod as I wrestled the unicorn’s cards out of her cheating hoofs.

’So it’s my turn for the nicknames?‘ The pegasus shrugged. ’Well, it’s as fitting as any, I suppose.‘

’What’s keeping them so long?‘ Dozor kicked the air before she continued pacing. ’They drag us out of the book shop in the middle of the night, put us into this stupid waiting chamber and just tell us to wait. Is it a sport here to waste others their time?‘

An unfortunate guard fell victim to a barrage of questions from my guide; that she punctuated with a condescending tap against the guard’s armor after every word.

The guard however kept up a wall of professional indifference as she pushed away my guide’s hoofs. The batpony sang something and pointed at the cushions, despite the protests of Dozor, it was all she got out of her. After stomping the ground in indignation Dozor turned around and collapsed on the cushion, burying her face in the soft fabric. ’Useless ponies.‘

Pizdabol leaned back as held the pack of cards in her mouth. ’Ah, cheer up, baby Sister. Come play some cards and relax.‘ She levitated three stacks of five cards on the ground. ’It’s out of our hoofs, so let’s enjoy ourselves for now.‘ Dozor just grunted and sat still. ’Suit yourself.‘

That’s when the door opened. The dark head of a batpony peered through opening between the massive doors. Dirty yellow eyes under a steel helmet peered into the waiting room, eventually resting on the strange four guests inside. A light singsong voice escaped the guard’s mouth as she pointed at us. I didn’t need a translation to know that it was time.

The reading, the grumbling, the chatting, everything stopped. The thin facade of normality broke as excitement and dread bubbled to the surface. Jumping up like a coiled spring I walked through the door, hearing the clopping of hoofs on shining tiles behind me. Uchenik and Pizdabol said something, probably wishing me and Dozor good luck as they stayed behind, but I wasn’t really listening.

The doors seemed like they grew twice as big with every step I took towards them, until they loomed impossibly high above me. I felt like running a hundred kilometers, but my arms were almost too tired to even lift my backpack. A thousand ideas and thoughts swarmed in my head and a tingle spread through my entire body. The enormity of the moment loomed over me, like a boot that was about to step on a spider.

I almost didn’t notice the batpony patting me down until she flew up to me with my trench knife between her teeth. She pointed to a strongbox and murmured something to me. ’They’ll give it back after we’re done.‘ Dozor’s voice faintly spoke through the static in my head. They didn’t even take my shotgun or revolver, unknown weapons in this world. I decided not to correct that misunderstanding. Nodding absentmindedly I stepped through the doors.

The room was magnificent and spacious, just like every room and hall in the castle. In the waiting room alone twenty people could have lived comfortably, in this one sixty people could live with ease. On both sides of the room stood several white pillars with gigantic stained glass artwork in between them. Visions of victory, of overcoming desperate situations with magic, teamwork, and love; an idealist’s dream was pictured on nearly every surface. Several more of the batpony guards stood in the room. Staring ahead of them in disciplined neutrality with their hoofs on a spear, ready for anything that could happen. A large red carpet emblazoned with gold threads on the side went from the door all the way to the other side of the room, running up the stairs of the small platform that stood there.

Elevated above the rest of the room stood two ponies. Even with all the splendor, art, and guards in the room, I knew that they were the most important thing here. Power has a certain aura.

They were like ying and yang, day and night, dark and light. Two queens attending the church that had been built in their honor. Celestia and Luna. And once again, I felt very small as they laid their eyes on me.

I small tug on my arm snapped me out of my staring contest with the two rulers, for what else could they be? Dozor was drawing my attention to the fact that she was bowing deep before the royal ponies. Dropping on my knees and making my forehead kiss the ground seemed safer than upsetting those two, even as silly as it was.

’Remember, Yuri, I’ll translate for you. Just do what I do and we should be fine.‘

The dark pony that was like the night raised a hoof clad in dark blue metal, apparently satisfied with our display of etiquettes.

’Grovel in the dirt before them and they call you welcome. Mother, they make me sick.‘ Dozor kept a perfect smile and polite demeanor as she introduced us. Finally I could hear my own name, the word sounding heavy and foreign among the poetic words. Settling on a curt and nervous nod I kept quiet.

Speaking in a rough and deep voice, my guide sounded like she was attempting to cough up a fully working steam engine. ’Don’t laugh, that was your own language,‘ she said as she saw my dumfounded expression. Did I really sound like that? ’They say that they are very curious about you, and want to know what you are.‘

“Can’t you just tell them that I’m a human?”

Dozor stomped the ground as she flicked her tail in front of my knees. ’Just play your role, Yuri. Damnation! Are all humans such bad actors?‘ My guide turned around as quick as lightning with a smile as one of the leaders coughed.

“So, what? I just tell them that I’m an alien from a world that was destroyed in a nuclear war? That I’m one of the few thousands of my species that lives in an underground bunker? That I got here by some anomaly and I’ve no idea how or why? And if they could please help us out and move us to their magical land, thank you very much?”

Dozor shrugged as she turned around and started to translate.

I pressed my hand against my forehead and started to think about how I could make myself sink in the ground. But, to be fair, the bold truth could be the best approach in the face of absurdity.

Polite smiles turned to sad ones as Dozor finished. The tall white one replied and my guide’s breathe stopped and she nearly jumped back, one leg hanging in the air in a half-finished step. ’They – They say that they knew. They’ve been waiting for you.‘ My guide quickly composed herself, pretending to translate once again, but the barrage of mental curses she let out told a different story. ’This is bad! This is really bad! How did they know!?‘

“Maybe—Maybe there were other humans here before me?” I felt a spark of excitement in my heart. To see another human again, something familiar. “Come on! Ask her if she saw someone like me!” I prodded Dozor, and despite her scowling she complied.

The dark one stared right at me, her smile gone and the music had left her voice. She shook her head slowly as she answered with closed eyes. The both of them looked so very, very sad.

’The raiser of the Moon says that you’re the fifth human that they know of.‘ Dozor pawed the ground as she looked away in the distance. ’But you’re the first living one they’ve met. The rest was either dead on arrival or shortly after.‘ My guide shook her head as she sighed hard. ’That still doesn’t explain how they know so much!‘

’Dead?’ It made sense, in a way. I had in no way forgotten my own entrance in this world. Had it not been for Dozor’s help I would’ve been eaten alive myself, or choked on my gasmask. Those poor people, they never stood a chance. “Can you just ask them how they knew? And if they can help us?”

’Y-yeah—Sure.‘ Came the flustered answer from my guide. But before she could begin to speak, the dark pony leaned forward, whispering something as she looked Dozor directly in her shocked face.

Dozor reacted like she had been thrown into a tub of freezing water. A long shiver traveled all the way from her neck to her tail. With a flash of green light she revealed her true self. Black knees bend and tattered wings lay splayed out on the ground as the changeling kneeled down. Slowly she turned around to face me, her eyes large and lifeless. ’Oh, Yuri. You poor idiot.‘

Not even thinking about the absolute futility of my actions, I quickly stepped in front of Dozor as I tried to hide her form from the dozen or so guards that had drawn their weapons. “Are you insane!? Why did you do that?” I grabbed her by her legs as I shook her.

’Because it has been explained in your dreams.‘ The voice entered my head like a dark and calm river, nothing like the excited buzzing voices of the changelings. I look over my shoulder at the dark pony. I saw her, not in a nervous daze like before, I saw her. And I recognized her. It hadn’t been a large changeling in my dreams before, it had been her.

With a nod she confirmed the unspoken accusation. ’We apologize for entering your mind, human. But when one as strange as yours entered our kingdom, we were compelled to investigate it. And it is a good thing we did.‘ Her face crumpled in a mask of disgust as she turned to look at Dozor. ’This changeling had you wrapped around her hoof, did she not?‘ With a small gesture of the great white pony the guards closed in on my guide with their spears like an iron maiden.

’Queen Chrysalis knows no shame, manipulating an innocent one such as this creature,‘ the white one spoke up. Though her words were damning, all she gave Dozor was a disapproving stare.

That wasn’t right! I squeezed my hands into fists so hard that I could hear the leather of my gloves creak. This isn’t right! How dared they talk like that about the changeling that stood guard over me while I slept? That guided me here in the first place? That watched over me and had saved my life thrice? “You can-“

I was interrupted by a laugh behind me. A loud and unhinged laugh that made the rulers look past me in disgust.

’Turns out you stupid ponies aren’t as blind as I hoped. You caught me.‘ My guide shrugged like it was nothing. ’I admit it, we planned to take this idiot here and use him as bait to capture all humans. We knew you and your bleeding hearts couldn’t resist helping a poor little race on the brink of death. At least, as long as you didn’t know changelings were involved.‘ All my limbs went numb as I watched the cruel smile on Dozor’s face grow. ’Imagine that, thousands of little juicy morsels with magic just ripe for the picking, but you all had to ruin it, didn’t you?‘ Dozor stomped on the ground loud enough to make the noise echo in the silent room.

’It was all so perfect. We even convinced those two shopkeepers to give us a house and get an audience with the dark Luna and the bright Celestia,‘ Dozor put her hoofs in a begging gesture as she turned back into her old disguise. ’Oh, won’t you help out two poor travelers in need? It’s so cold outside.‘ She sneered as she turned back to normal. ’You all just can’t see tricks and lies, even if they stare you right in the face.‘ My guide glared at me.

My stomach felt like it was being tied in a knot as the slow realization formed in my head. What did Dozor always do when there was trouble? And what else had Dozor done then to look out for me, despite what it cost her? She lied. This was her way of giving me another chance to help my people, at the cost of herself.

I understood. And I understood what was being expected of me, she wanted me to play along, so Uchenik and Pizdabol could help me out. Saying nothing I walked up to her, the guards didn’t even stop me as they were focused solely on the “real danger” in the room. As my open palm connected with the side of Dozor’s face a heartbreaking slap sounded across the room.

“Traitor.” I managed to spit the word out before my dry throat seized shut. Traitor indeed.

Dozor managed to sneak in a nod of acknowledgement as she rubbed her cheek.

’That is enough, human!‘ I fell down on my knees as the white ones voice swept through my mind like a light beam through a tunnel. My mind went dim for a moment as it recoiled against that immense shout. Finally coming back to my senses I saw the dark one, Luna, looking up with a strange expression at the other ruler’s perfectly poised face.

’This is not a place of violence, human, I expect you to respect that as long as you are here.‘ Slowly I used my two hands to hoist myself up again. It took a long time before I felt I wouldn’t fall over again. I nodded, not daring to look her in the eyes again. I would have done anything to never experience that again.

The dark one coughed, with wings tightly clamped against her sides she looked at me with soft eyes. ’On the subject of your request,‘ she coughed once again before she continued. ’We are very sorry, but we are not able to help you.‘

My breathing stopped. 'No no no no.' This couldn’t happen, not after everything I had done. Abandoning my friends, leaving behind that poor family, betraying Dozor? All for a “we can’t help”? Bile built up in the back of my throat. My skin felt like it didn’t fit anymore as ice cold sweat trickled down my burning neck.

Behind me I could hear Dozor scoff. ’So, you think he’s tainted by me and you won’t help him anymore?‘ She continued speaking even after a soldier put a spear dangerously close near her neck. ’So typical of ponies. Something doesn’t fit in your tiny world of harmony and you just banish it if you can. Oh, you’re all so helpful when it comes to your own, but if something doesn’t share your way of thinking they can go to Tartarus for all that you care.‘ She pushed away the spear, hissing at the guards. ’You’re all weak.‘

’Take her away.‘ With a gesture of one of the white one’s hoofs the guards set into motion, shoving my guide out of the chamber. My heart felt heavy and unmoving, every beat hurting like it was an unnatural movement.

Dozor’s protests finally died down in the distance. It was not until a few, tense minutes later the normalcy was restored. It was just myself, the princesses, and the guards in that royal chamber. I felt powerless and awkwardly overwhelmed, like a filthy rat that was caught in the light of an approaching train.

’We are truly sorry, but allowing your people to cross into this world would-‘

’It would kill our world, human,‘ Celestia said. ’As it is now, your world is slowly “seeping” into ours, for lack of a better word. It’s interfering with our magic, and the cold of your winter is affecting our weather. Not to mention those—things,‘ she shuddered, ’that manage to enter our world.‘ She paused for a moment, maybe to let the words sink in, or maybe for dramatic effect. I couldn’t care less. ’Now, we could send you back, safely, to your own world, but if we did so for every human our world could be defiled too much to ever recover again.‘

Luna interrupted her, ’Or you can stay here, far away from the troubles of your world.‘

Celestia stared at her sister for a moment. ’Yes. That is an option.‘

“I-I can’t.” There wasn’t enough air in the room. No matter how deep I breathed in, my lungs never filled. “You have to help us!” I swung my arms wildly as I spoke. They felt strange, clumsy and numb. “My people are dying back home. You don’t know what it’s like back there, on the edges of the metro. People are eating each other there, selling their own children for a mushroom. We need help!”

Celestia spoke again, determined with her compassionate face as unmoving as white marble. ’I am sorry, human, but we can not risk the life of every single creature on this planet. Not even for a thousand humans.‘

“You don’t understand! That place isn’t only killing humans; it’s killing our humanity.” I felt the edges of my vision closing in. The air was too thick, my throat was cramping up, but the words didn’t stop. “I—I lived my whole life in my station, trying not to look at the world around me. Do you know what that’s like? Knowing that your world was once great, but that you’ll never get to see how it was? That every moment of every day humanity dies a bit more? All our art, all our great discoveries, the wars with billions of people dying, mothers and fathers that loved and raised their children. Everything, all the suffering, the hate, all the brilliance, all the love, and compassion. Everything will be forgotten and gone when humans disappear from the world. All that will be left is a cold, empty rock, and we might as well have not existed at all.”

For the first time Celestia’s mask was broken by a twinge of sorrow. ’Letting your people here could do the same to us, human. I am sorry, I really am, but the risk is too great.‘ She stomped a golden clad hoof on the ground, a visible effort chasing away the emotion in her face. ’We cannot help.‘

The air was too thick. My eyes shot between Luna and Celestia, but no leeway could be found. My breaths were fast and hungry, forcing air into my lungs painfully fast, but still it wasn’t enough. “You heartless bitches! Go to hell!” I couldn’t hear their response, the blood rushing in my ears drowned out everything. I had to get out! I couldn’t stay here.

I ran. With strength I didn’t knew I possessed I shoved open the doors. No one stopped me.

The waiting room was empty, not a trace of Uchenik and Pizdabol could be found. Mentally cursing to myself I stumbled out of the room. Hallways and doors blended into one another as I fled far away from that damned room. I pushed and shoved my way past anything or anyone that stood in front of me and wasn’t fast enough to dodge me. It didn’t matter. I had to get away.

I went on like that for maybe an hour, or perhaps a few minutes. I had lost all sense of the world until I finally fell over a bench and my face hit the hard wood. Was I outside? When did that happen? I tried to pull myself up, but my arms didn’t work right anymore. The best I could do was crawl on the bench and sit myself down. My heart was beating too fast. Was I having a heart attack?

’Oh god, I’m going to die on this bench.’ I coughed until my throat hurt, but I still didn’t get enough air. The world didn’t exist anymore, all that was left was that bench with me trying to breathe in the vacuum that was left while my heart exploded in my chest. ’Why won’t someone help!?’

Cupping my head in my hands I sat there for an eternity, coughing and shaking, until my head cleared slowly. I was empty, the fear had eroded everything. Now I was nothing more than a shell, like a spent cartridge case.

When my hands finally stopped trembling I reached for my bag. Rummaging in it I quickly found what I was looking for, the metal cylinder. With a few turns the top came of easily enough, I heard it bounce of a wall as I threw it over my shoulder.

There inside still lay the bottle, beautiful as ever. The bottle that no other human would ever see again. The bottle that was supposed to help my station that was probably long dead by now. A piece of glass with alcohol in it. It’s importance forgotten, it’s purpose in the world erased.

I unscrewed the cap and drank. The liquor went down smoothly, leaving a pleasant burn in the back of my throat. I stood up and looked around me. Trees covered in snow and an icy lake greeted me. Behind me was a wall that probably belonged to the palace. Perfect.

I took a few steps and stretched my arm back. With a grunt of effort I brought my arm forward and released the bottle.

I waited and waited, but the sound of glass breaking never came. Looking up I saw the bottle suspended in midair by a blue aura. I looked to my left and saw the dark horse looking at me with her horn bearing a matching aura. With a heavy sigh I sat down on the bench once again, grabbing the bottle as Luna floated it over towards me.

I didn’t talk. All I wanted was to sleep and… I really didn’t know what else I wanted. Wake up? Die?

’Human, I,‘ she paused for a second as she hoofed the ground. ’I understand if you do not want to see me ever again, but we have to talk.‘ I motioned for her to sit next to me, while I held my head in my hand. I didn’t even open my eyes. I was so incredibly tired I couldn’t find it in myself to get angry. Or to feel thankfulness for the small mercy that she didn’t call me by my name.

I heard the bench creak and felt the wood shift as she set down next to me. ’I want you to have this.‘ She held out a thin book in front of me. Beneath her magical aura I could see its original faded brown shade and a couple of golden symbols on the cover. When I didn’t make any attempt to take it from her grasp she shoved it between my arms.

Taking the book in my hands I opened it. Maybe if I did what she asked she would leave me alone. Paging through the book I could see many words and letters that meant nothing to me. A few of the pages contained diagrams and drawings of doorways and strange creatures. All in all, this book was only useful to me as kindling. Closing it with a sigh I looked at Luna. “What is this?”

’This, human, is your salvation‘ She telekinetically moved the book again, opening it on a drawing of a golden sphere resting on a simple square altar. ’This might be the most valuable guide book in this entire world, though no academic or adventurer would recognize it.’ She grinned as she tapped the open page with her hoof. ’This book was already old and forgotten when I was but a filly, but the knowledge that it holds is timeless. What you see here is one of the many ancient and immensely powerful artifacts that exist. It also shows you the only safe way to get them.’ She flipped the pages at random, showing more and more of these strange “artifacts”. ’They say that if you are worthy and pure of heart, this book can make any wish come true.’

Maybe it was my despair or maybe it was the sincerity in her voice, but my heart skipped a beat. “You mean that this could get my people here? Why are you showing me this now?” I slammed my fist into the bench, Luna didn’t even flinch. “Why didn’t you help me back there!?”

The dark pony hung her head as she spoke with closed eyes. ’My sister would not have approved. We discussed this for days and both agreed on that course of action.‘ She stared out at moon reflected in the frozen lake. ’At least, that is what I told myself.‘ Luna paused for a second. ’We lied.‘

“What?”

’Our worlds have been connected since the beginning of time. That is probably the reason you can even breathe here and eat our food. Your world cannot possibly poison ours. In fact, our world has probably worse effects on yours. Magic and anything bigger than an atom wouldn’t flow between our worlds, well at least up until twenty years ago.

I shook my head. “Then why? Why do you want to keep us out so badly?”

Luna coughed in her hoof as she looked away. ’Your species is terrifying, human. You killed your entire world. It is not that hard to reason that you are evil, or insane.‘

“I was two years old when it happened! I never had a say in it. No one had!” I stood up, shaking my clenched fist at her. “There are thousands of people in the metro that had nothing to do with the war. Do you want me to go up to some toddler and tell him ‘Sorry your parents are dead, but hey, they probably deserved it’? Or even better, tell those people that are living shit lives and have to do horrible things just to keep alive that it is their own fault that some assholes blew up their future?” I clenched my teeth so hard that I could hear a faint ringing in my ears. “Those people aren’t evil, they’re desperate.” Scoffing I looked to the side, disgusted with the world. “Our leaders gutted our future, and now two other rulers give us the final blow. We never had a say in our lives, but what would a queen know about being at the mercy of others?”

She sat still, not answering me for the longest time. Breathing out slowly she looked up, her wings fluttering softly as she spook. ’That was not the only reason. Please do not judge my sister too harshly. Despite what the changeling said, Celestia believes in second chances, maybe more than anypony else on this world. Believe me, it breaks her heart to do this, but there is another more important reason for why she does not want humans here.‘ Luna slumped over, refusing to look at me. ’Magic has a very--‘ She stopped speaking. ’Bringing humans over here would have side effects. It is not only for our own sake that she wants to keep you out.‘ She stood up from the bench and started pacing through the snow. I didn’t follow her.

’But I am starting to doubt that it matters. Maybe it is better for humans to have a good life over here before the magic…‘ She shook her head, making her star filled mane look like a living galaxy. ’I can spare part of my royal guard to help you in finding these artifacts, along with six of my most trusted and capable subjects. You should have little trouble finding them that way.‘

“So, you’ll help me?” Suddenly I found myself on my feet again, shedding my tiredness like a heavy blanket. “This book really can lead me to these wish granters?”

’Indeed. My sister will not be pleased, but I am sure she will understand. I hope.‘

“And, what about Dozor?”

Luna held her head high in the air, her nose wrinkled in disgust as she answered. ’Dozor? You mean that changeling? We’ll keep her in the dungeon. Where she belongs.‘ She looked back at me, a smile playing on her face. ’Don’t worry about her, human. She can not hurt you from there and we made sure that she can not contact her queen again.‘

“Could I visit her? One last time?” My question was met by a baffled expression. “I want to know why she did it.” I saw understanding growing on the ruler’s face.

’It is not that complex, she’s a changeling. She did it all for herself. But if you really want to, you can visit her in two hours. I’ll send for a guard to escort you.‘ As she walked away she stopped for a moment, throwing up a small amount of snow as she turned around ’Oh, and do not forget this. You nearly left it behind.‘

With a small flash of blue light my trench knife appeared before me. I grabbed it out of the sky, feeling its comforting weight in my hands as I twisted it around. No. I held the book and knife close to my chest as I followed her. I would never forget this.

---

The room was dark and small, something I supposed was the standard requirement for dungeons. The only light came from two torches mounted on the walls, but it was so dim that they might as well not have bothered with them. Further “livening up” my cell were a bed made of straw and a wooden bucket that reeked of unmentionable things.

All in all it was one of the better prisons I had seen. It did very little to improve my mood though. Shared memories of changelings that had spent torturous years alone in dungeons filled my head. I bit down on a piece of straw, rolling it around in my mouth and grinding it between my teeth.

If I listened hard enough and held my breath I could faintly hear the conversations my two guards held beyond the heavy thick door of my cell. But I didn’t feel like listening to the inane and undisciplined talk of two bored guards.

’Damnation.’ A shiver crept along my spine. We had needed that victory, and what now? There had been so much pain in the Hive last time. Broken wings, eyes, chitin, and spirits. Would my Sisters just die a painful death while the rest of the Hive starved? What would Mother have us do?

What would happen to the humans?

I replaced the straw with one of my sleeves. It tasted like dirt, sweat, and comfort.

My Brother and Sister were still out there, and so was my human. I just had to believe that they would succeed, somehow. I had done what I could to take all the blame and suspicion, now I could only hope that was enough.

I stood up, giving the steel bars a small push. They didn’t budge one bit, of course. It didn’t matter; I would get out of here. Even if I had to chew my way through the wall. I had escaped that horrible forest, this pony-made cell didn’t stand a chance.

And if I didn’t, I would be alone for the rest of my life. Never hear Mother’s voice. Go slowly insane again. I swallowed hard. If that was needed to save the Hive, it would just have to be that way.

A sudden knock on the door and the shouts of a guard shook me from my thoughts. “Changeling! You have a visitor!” The door slammed open as one guard came forward with a sword between her teeth. “Face the wall and lie down with your legs crossed!” She was remarkably articulate for somepony who was only one misstep away from an impromptu lesson in sword swallowing.

I studied her for a moment. Leathery wings popped up from under her dark metal armor, ready to pounce at a moment’s notice. Two yellow cat-like eyes stared hard at me from the dark fur of her face, like she was trying to beat me down with her gaze alone. “Crying River, shock her if she tries anything funny.”

“Yes ma’am!” Another pony stepped out from the shadow of the batpony. This one was white except for the countless freckles on her face. The smell of ozone penetrated my snout as the unicorn’s horn sparked blue, lighting up the room with small flashes. Six other almost identical guards quickly followed, scanning the room before finally resting their ice cold eyes on me.

I scoffed as I turned around and laid down in that awkward position. “You need eight of Equestria’s finest to handle a lone scout? I can see why bravery isn’t one of your precious Elements of Harmony.”

“What?” Crying River’s shrill voice assaulted my ears. “I ought to zap you right good for that, bugface!” I smiled at the cold hard walls. Temper, I could use that.

The clip-clopping of hoofs on stone made my ears twitch around, my visitor sounded small. The soft ruffling of feathers told me that they were likely a pegasus. Probably five steps away from the bars, too far away to grab. “What do you want, pony? Did you come here to laugh at the prisoner?”

“Show some respect!” I heard an electric charge building up and braced myself for the shock, but it never came. Instead I heard a hoof smack something sounding particularly thick and hollow, followed by a harsh rebuke from the batpony.

A new voice joined the conversation with a giggle, but it sounded more nervous than merry. “It’s okay, Night Guard, she was just standing up for me.” She paused for a moment. “But I’m sure that I’ll be okay with eight guards.” She sounded exasperated, and three steps away from the bars. “The name was Dozor, right?”

“Call me changeling or scout.”

“But-“ I heard her take a step back, feathers shaking in confusion along with her. “I’m sure that the princesses told me-“

“Changeling or scout,” I interrupted her. I could practically hear the guards in the room frowning. “Or maybe parasite, if you’re being honest. But I’m not your Dozor; that’s not my role.”

“I… see? Well, it doesn’t really matter. I was more interested in talking about this… human that you manipulated for so long,” she was now two steps away from my cell. Almost.

I yawned and stretched my legs as far as possible in this position, getting ready to pounce on her. I just had to distract her a bit more. “What’s so special about him? He’s just another source of love, like any other creature.”

My interrogator gasped. “Don’t be surprised, princess,” Crying River spoke up with disgust in her voice. “You can’t expect anything else from these changelings. All they can do is eat and hate.”

She spat on the ground and hurled another insult at me, but I had stopped listening. She had said princess. The bringer of the Sun and Moon obviously weren’t in the cell. I risked a glance behind me, and my heart grew cold.

There stood Twilight Sparkle, the one who had ruined it all. The one that was responsible for a thousand crippled Sisters. The one that had ruined our future and humiliated my Queen. And they had made her an alicorn for the trouble.

She was only one step away from the bars. A shiver went down my tail, but that wretched alicorn didn’t even notice. I had to force myself not to jump up and grab her, not just yet. The moment was almost right.

“Of course, River. I should know that better than anypony, really” the alicorn continued. “I’ll have you know that humans are very interesting, changeling.” Something of enthusiasm returned to her voice. “They don’t only prove that there are many more worlds that exist parallel to our own than we thought before, I could write five books about that subject alone.” The alicorn actually squeaked as she clopped her fore hoofs together in a scientific fervor. I slowly started to move, as fluid as a shadow I unfolded my wings, ready to make dash to the bars. “But their interaction with magic is unheard of… and quite tragic.”

I halted. “What do you mean? What’s wrong with them?”

“Well, you see, their universe has always had insignificant levels of magic, so their species evolved without ever having to adapt to or use it.” She was in full lecture mode now, a professor that grasped at any opportunity to talk about their subject. She would never see me coming, and the guards couldn’t see me well in the faint light, but I didn’t attack.

“Stop talking nonsense. I fed of him plenty of times.”

She scrunched her snout at that, but her enthusiasm at having a listening ear won over her disdain. “And that is the strange thing. You see, magic is attracted to emotions and thoughts. So when our worlds started to interact with each other, magic flowed to theirs. All the humans there are acting somewhat as magical ‘sponges’. They attract magic, but they almost never are able to use it. They are the only known living and intelligent beings that can function without magic and still attract it. A complete anomaly. Of course, the side effects are—“

I leapt, landing right in front of her. “What did you say!?”

The princess scrambled back to safety as the guards sprung into action. Sweeping spears, swords and charging horns filled the small room. Still I rattled the metal bars with my hoofs while I pressed my face against the cold metal.

“You are a liar!” Nothing that had magic could miss it. “Shut up!” That was the way world worked. There was no other option. If it was possible to feed without harming something-- it would mean that we wouldn't need Hunters anymore, no more Infiltrators, no more Cocoon Spinners, no more Scouts. We would be without purpose, worse off than dead. But she wasn't lying.

“Get out!” My voice broke, sounding weird and high pitched, but I kept screaming.

We never had a choice. A parasite has no choice. I didn't want a choice. It had to be life or dead, if it wasn't than how could we live with ourselves, with what we did, what we had done?

“Get out and never come back!”

The world exploded in light. Suddenly I was on the ground, my legs and wings twitching in painful spasms. A burning stench filled the air and copper filled my mouth. Vaguely I could hear low distorted voices talking outside of my door. It was something about getting Twilight Sparkle out of the cell and somepony calling me a mad dog.

A second later the cell was empty again, and I was all alone with only my sore body and a head full of horrible thoughts to keep me company.

Eventually I was able to stand up again and shake off the weird feeling of being stunned. But no matter how tough my body was, my mind lagged behind. I stumbled to the bed and lay down. Feeling the pricking sensation of straw in my leg holes and the strong aroma filling my senses. I closed my eyes.

“We shouldn’t do this. Didn’t you see her a few hours ago?” My eyes cracked open instantly as Crying’s muffled voice wormed its way through the door. “She’s crazy, she just attacked her out of nowhere.” Another voice said something, sounding impatient, but I couldn’t make the words out.

“Orders are orders,” Night Guard answered. “Unless you want to take it up with Luna.”

She grunted at that. “Fine. You three, standard spell inhibitor procedure rules in this cell. Only lightning spells are any good. So if you want any protection wards cast them before you enter. Got that? The tall one too? Good.”

Dust fell off the door as someone on the other side pounded on it. “Wakey wakey, Bugface! You’ve got another visitor. Aren’t you the popular one?”

Night Guard and Crying River entered first, careful with weapons and magic at the ready. Three white pegasi in golden armor followed.

I gasped as I saw the last one entering. Yuri, my human.

My heart pounded in my ears. How dared he to still be here? He should have left with my siblings hours ago! Didn’t he care about his own kind, or my Hive? What could he possibly want from me? I didn’t have a chance to ask him anything, however. Crying River wasn’t joking about that magical inhibitor. I stomped the ground. Why was he wasting our time like this?

Yuri simply walked forward and pulled something from one of his many pockets. A small piece of paper was in his hand as he approached the bars.

“Hey! Hey, stop that!” Crying put a hoof against Yuri’s leg as she grabbed the letter from his grasp. “Don’t get too close to this one, she’s mad. And no secret messages to the prisoner. You’ll have to let me read it first.” The unicorn’s eyes narrowed as they flew over the paper. “I don’t recognize this language. Is this Griffon?” Holding up the letter in her mouth she showed it around. “Can anypony read this?”

“Yeah.” One of the pegasi guards spoke up. “It says. ‘Get ready to fight’.”

The next moment the cell was lit up with green light, leaving an Infiltrator, a Brother, and three guards. With a hiss the two pounced on Night Guard and the unfortunate white pegasus. Crying River already opened her mouth to call for help, but she was interrupted as a kick from my human’s powerful legs threw her against the bars, right into my reach. Without thinking I jumped forward, set my fangs into her neck and breathed her magic in. A green vapor escaped from the unicorn as I drank her essence deeply and completely.

With a sigh I let River go. She slid down to the ground, eyes glazed over and mumbling quietly. The other two guards suffered a similar faith as my Brother and Sister were finished with them.

That’s when the headache started.

Magic acted on emotions, if it wasn’t given freely in the way of love or affection, if it was forcefully taken, it reacted. And it reacted in the worst of ways. The pain in my horn jolted to my stomach as it rejected my body, and my body in turn rejected the magic. Gagging I ran to the corner and heaved. With a disgusting splash I vomited out a heap of green goo. Squirming I spat out the last few drops of the noxious stuff, hoping to somewhat get rid of the taste. My siblings outside had suffered similar fates.

“Ugh, I hate it when that happens,” my Sister said as she shook herself like a wet dog.

“I wasn’t even built to do that.” My Brother looked even more pale than usual as he sat down between the almost catatonic guards.

“What are you all doing here!?” I couldn’t hold myself back any longer as I spoke up in a Griffon dialect. “Why are you back here? I was caught! You should have left me and moved on!” My throat felt strangely tight.

My Sister let out a boisterous laugh. “I know. I know. But this big lug wouldn’t leave without you.” She pointed at Yuri, who was checking on the fallen guards. “And, well. We didn’t need a lot of convincing, really. To Tartarus with protocol if it means leaving our baby Sister behind!”

My Brother stood next to my Sister, swapping a leg around her shoulder as he smiled through his sickness. “Indeed. Indeed. We are family, after all. Who else will care for us? Now let’s find the key to get you out of this dungeon.”

I couldn’t speak, my heart felt too big for my chest. I choked something back as I watched the three of them work.

“Curses! This one doesn’t have anything. No key or nothing! Not even a wallet!” The infiltrator dropped the batpony on the ground. “How about yours?” My Brother just shook his head. Yuri looked up too, shrugging.

I pawed the ground. “I- I might have an idea.”

The Infiltrator peeked out of the door as she spoke. “Well, you’d better be quick about it, Sis. If we don’t do something soon, we’re going to get caught.”

“Yuri.” I beckoned him with my hoof. He looked confused, but he walked straight up to me without hesitation, and kneeled down as he held my hoof. He looked different. More tired and sick than usual, but he still looked on to me with kindness from his gaunt face. “I’m not sure if this will work, but I need you to trust me.” I grabbed his hand with both of my hoofs. Of course he didn’t understand me, but I already felt his warmth spreading through my legs. I leaned in close and whispered in his ear. Safe in the knowledge that neither he nor my siblings could understand my words. “Thank you.”

I opened my jaw and rested my fangs on his neck. He flinched slightly, but he stayed in place. Once again, I inhaled someone’s essence. I felt his energy fill my veins and my horn. Strength spread through my body like blood. I closed my eyes and focused on my horn. Immediately I felt a wall of resistance as my magic sizzled out uselessly. I needed more.

“Woah. Hey, baby Sister. What are you doing? Magic won’t work here, dearie.”

I ignored her and breathed Yuri deep in, taking more and more. It was more than I had ever taken before-- more than was safe for any creature of this world. And I pressed hard against the wall again.

“Sister, stop, you’ll kill it!”

But Yuri still stood without even straining. He should have been unconscious long ago, in a coma even, with the obscene amount of magic that I stole. But the human was not from this world. Its rules didn’t apply to him. I pressed harder with more strength than I ever had before. The wall broke. There was no sudden light, nor an explosion of sound. The field was just gone. My shocked siblings remained.

“Dear Mother,” the Infiltrator stared at the human like the alien it was. “That was awesome!” She jumped up, cheering as she patted Yuri on the back and sang my praise. I exchanged a glance with my Brother, who now looked sick with something different than a stomach ache. We nodded at each other, a silent acknowledgement that we both understood the truth of what this meant. He was always quick on the uptake. We would inform our Sister later.

“Indeed. Indeed. That was quite… something. But we still need to get her out of here. Infiltrator, if you would be so kind?” My Brother looked away, with his ears flat on his head as he pretended to keep a watch on the door.

“Sure, dear Brother. Not a problem!” She pranced over to the lock and pushed Yuri away somewhat unceremoniously as she put her horn against the lock. “Their anti-magic fields sure are neat.” A soft click came from the lock and the door swung open as the infiltrator did a mock bow. “But those ponies don’t know the first thing about making sturdy locks.”

Without wasting any more time or words, we bound the guards, stole their appearances, and made our way out of the cell. As we nervously walked the halls of the palace I looked at our small party of four. Despite what had happened in the cell, I couldn’t help but smile. They had come back for me, even when it wasn’t necessary. Even when it was dangerous, my Brother, my Sister, and Yuri had all come back for me.

I stopped as a something between a sob and a nervous laugh escaped me as we finally made our way out of the palace and were somewhat safely on the path out of the city. Quickly, I shoved a hoof over my snout to muffle anything else as a wave of relief washed over me. My eyes went misty as I felt the warmth of my Sister nuzzling my neck; my family understood, of course. I bit down hard on my hoof to keep another sob down, and I was even somewhat successful. No tears left my eyes that day.

I had been weak, but the Hive had saved me, and Yuri had too. I would never forget this.

Comments

[omega-ze-wargod]

Im confused.....

[MrSing]

3880207
Why?

[batran]

3880207

your not the only one

[MrSing]

3880327
I'm confused about all this confusion.

[Alpharius IV]

Yes, I'm confused as to Yuri's loyalty to Dozor. I don't know if he's betraying the ponies, or double crossing the Changelings?
That whole scene in the throne room, I'm not sure if that was an act or not. It seemed not, but Yuri slapping Dozor, calling her a traitor then coming back to rescue her? Am confused.
But, I think that whole scene with Twilight and then Dozor losing it and screaming was out of the left park. He can absorb magic but not use it? Lets freak out!
I really hope this is cleared up in the comments or the next chapter.

[MrSing]

3880510
Well, Dozor encouraged Yuri to betray her, because she figured that her fellow changelings would find a way to take care of things while she was in jail. I'll let you judge what it says about Yuri's character and intentions that he went along with it, but I'll adress some of it in the next chapter.
Dozor has reasons for freaking out about humans being magic sponges, which also will be talked about soon.

[Redemption]

Let me guess, humans only absorb magic so any kind of mind-control spell the changelings might have tried to put in him didn't work, in other words, the relationship and affection were true?

Great chapter, keep going.

[Kitsuneisuki]

3880510 Yeah, this is fucking confusing. Any normal human (And by normal- shut up.) would have said "Fuck it, you got one chance and you fucked it up!" Plus, he got a book from the Princess who would have assisted him. What the hell?

I guess we'll just have to wait to see what the author does, but as for now, I'm fuckin' confused.

[Jack Kellar]

I for one seriously think this chapter needs a rewrite for clarity. BADLY. Whatever points you wanted to get across, MrSing, failed to be delivered.

[MrSing]

3880807
3880882
3880510
3880327
3880207
Sorry, you guys. I'll rewrite it soon to be more clear. Thanks for the feedback :)

3880716
It's something like that, but I'll talk more about it in the next chapter. Glad to hear you could enjoy in spite of the unclear moments.

3881123
You mean why Dozor isn't a guy?
That's a funny story, actually. In the original Metro 2033 book there are only three female characters that are named (one of them is a rat). In the show there is a large focus on female protagonists. So it's kind of an in-joke for me to make almost all characters from the metro side of the story guys and almost all the characters from the pony side girls.

[Sarikano]

So basically, Humans are magic sponges and changelings are able to get them dry? Maybe a trip in Yuri world would help to change the changelings point of view and form an actual symbiosis relationship. Food for changelings in exchange of keeping the humans alive.

[MrSing]

3883251
Makes you wonder why Dozor and Uchenik aren't that happy, doesn't it?

[the other sans]

I decided not to correct that misunderstanding. Nodded absentmindedly I stepped through the doors
The room magnificent and spacious, just like every room and hall in the castle
They were like ying and yang
I small tug on my arm
and my guide’s breathe stopped
I heard it bounce of a wall as I threw it

1. Nodding.
2. The room was magnificent and spacious.
3. Yin.
4. A.
5. Breath.
6. Off.

You might want to separate the scene where Yuri's part ended and where Dozor's began just to make it clearer, I felt confused for a few moments when I was reading and felt the sudden change.

[Aunoraux]

3881123
Dozer being female actually does make sense.

In insect colonies, the workers are exclusively female.

The best example is honey bees.
There are two situations where the males will leave:

-When they are needed to help re-locate the hive.
-Or, during a crisis.

The males will only take up the tasks of the females at times when the female work force has been reduced to the point of the hive's near-death.
That is quite rare, and the hive usually does not survive when this happens.
This happens most commonly in forest fires, when the majority of the female work force is killed.

So all-in-all, this makes total sense.
The brother in the story is likely there due to the lack of surviving (Or at least uninjured) females.

The only reason I can think that a changeling male may be placed in the field if survival didn't depend on it would be if the infiltrator was to collect love by being a female pony's husband.
Obviously, I can understand a female changeling not wanting to have to sleep with a female pony as part of it's job....

[Johnyapple]

I would've, personally, preffered this in two chapters, but for what you had for 1 chapter I am Impressed, it's not often an author can fit so much in without feeling rushed or awkward.

I like your celestia and Luna, they don't seem like real villains, just cautious and afraid of what people like Yuri bring(metaphorically and literally) to equestrian. But the best part of the chapter was the magic "sponge" explanation, I felt that it breathed new life into this fic and gave it a sound reason to be other than going home.

....now that I think about it you hardly ever see a fic where the human honestly wants to go back home...

[Superbowl]

I think I understood pretty much everything, apart from why exactly Dozor went mental on Twilight, but maybe that'll be elaborated on. The question I have though is, what the heck is "Dizdavol"? The other names are russian words, but that one isn't. It's close to "Pizdabol" which means pretty much "bullshitter". I'm assuming you meant to have that word? It would be unbeliveably hilarious to have one of the lings be nicknamed "Pizdabol" by Yuri...

[Muhanoid]

3880716
A sponge, a balloon, not a big difference. but sponge just leaks water if overfilled,and balloon goes boom.
If there is a next chapter, I hope author will explain.

[Redemption]

5397673 hotmeme.net/media/i/5/1/oMP-still-waiting-for-an-update.jpg

[LinktheLazy]

So basically magic will kill humans eventually unless changelings draw it out of them. Already a nearly perfect symbiosis.

And Celesta is a heartless bitch as is usual in these kinds of stories.