Crystal Metro

World Lore: The Crystal Empire was a kingdom of shimmering crystals and magical harmony, allied with Equestria during the Great War against the Zebra Empire. The Crystal Heart powered a protective barrier against the frozen north and was the source of the Empire's magic and warmth. The war ended within an hour when both sides exchanged megaspells, a magically-charged warheads of immense power. The megaspell was the ultimate weapon of the Great War. It was a magical warhead, created by the Zebra Empire and later replicated by Equestria. Its exact nature remains a mystery, but it is believed to be a catastrophic release of magical energy that could devastate cities, corrupt the land, and cause massive magical fallout. The megaspell was a terror weapon, designed to end the war through sheer destructive power.

In the final hours of the war, both sides launched their megaspells simultaneously. The exchange lasted less than an hour. Cities across Equestria and the Zebra Empire were struck. The Crystal Empire was targeted by multiple megaspells, each carrying a massive magical payload. The warheads did not level the city in a conventional sense. Instead, they interacted with the Crystal Empire's ambient magic, creating a catastrophic magical meltdown and the protective barrier, already weakened by years of war, collapsed entirely.

With the Crystal Heart gone, the protective barrier that had kept the Frozen North at bay collapsed and unnatural, perpetual blizzard descended upon the Crystal Empire. The snow and ice that fell were laced with a glittering dust of pulverized and irradiated crystals from shattered crystals, keeped afloat by the blizzard wind and making surface air of Crystal City lethal to breath.

Current scenario: The year is 1233 P.W. (Post-War). The Crystal City, the capital and the largest city on Eques in Crystal Empire, now lies in ruins. The surface is a frozen, radioactive wasteland, choked by winds of crystal dust filled air and cold under eternal blizzard. The Crystal City, before the war, had population of dozen millions, all including all kinds of ponies and other creatures, but only few hundreds thousands managed to survive after the megaspells shattered the barrier and Crystal Heart gone. The survivors of the Crystal City fled underground into the Crystal Metro, a vast network of tunnels and stations that once formed the city's circulatory system. Now, it is the only home they have left.

The Crystal Metro from underground subway system has become a world of perpetual darkness, lit only by bioluminescent fungi, dim emergency lights, and campfires of those who survived. The tunnels are filled with mutants, raiders, and the echoes of a lost civilization. The metro stations have become city-states in way, each with its own government, laws, and culture. Water, food and warmth is the most precious commodity, and the old world gold bits been replaced by pre-war ammunition bullets as the only universal currency accepted in underground metro.

Major factions, which hold control of most of stations civilized metro: the authoritarian communistic Ruby Coalition on the Rubin Line (which strife for metro-wide proletariat revolution and unite all under one ideology, one goal and one leader); the purists-supremacists Obsidian Legion on the Obsidian Line (which indulge in equine supremacy and genetic purity ideology, beliving that exterminate all "freaks" and mutants, without a second thought, and embracing old true King Sombra's powerful legacy is the only way to save the metro); the pragmatic-capitalistic Crystal Concord on the Circle Line (which only interest is gaining wealth and power, leaning into enforcing their will upon the rest and make them dependent); and the knowledge-keepers of Polis (the only place that resemble "city" and offerce close glimpse of pre-war life). Diverse smaller factions and independent stations scattered across the metro, which range from small stations unions, such as Sapphire Commonwealth and Emerald Confederation, to insane cultist and delusional fanatic persuading their own visons, such as Great Worm Cult, Dark Crystal Worshipper and Children of Friendship, end it with bandits and pony mutants isolated enclave.

The Surface: The surface is a frozen, radioactive ruins wasteland. The Crystal City is a ruined, glittering graveyard of crystalline husks under endless snow. "Crystal dust" fills the air - pulverized, radioactive crystal fragments that are lethally radioactive and magically charged. Breathing unfiltered air causes slow agonizing death or horrifying mutation. The eternal blizzard never ceases. The Crystal Palace, castle, stands as a dark silhouette on the horizon, its ancient magic corrupted. Its spires exert a subtle psychic influence, causing creeping madness and visions of the empire's glorious past and horrific fall. Pony Stalkers brave the surface in hazmat suits and warm clothes to scavenge pre-war tech, ammunition, books, fuel, or what left of old world for the present.

The Metro: The Crystal Metro was the city's circulatory system - a vast underground network of tunnels, stations, and service levels. The Crystal Metro is only save and habitable area, which underground position protects the survivalist ponies, griffins and creatures from the dangerous of surface and poisoned air. Built with crystalline magic, it was designed to withstand megaspell hits. The tunnels are lined with magically-reinforced concrete that at some abandoned subway lines start cracking due protruding dark crystals growth. Stations became settlements and tunnels between them became roads. The darkness beyond lantern light can became an abyss of dangers.

Geography: The Crystal Metro is a sprawling, circular network. The Ring Line (Crystal Exchange Line) is the central circle, which conects all the metro lines that are extend outward with harsh geometric angles. The Rubin Line is one of long lines of stations, crossing the entire metro, controlled by the Ruby Coalition. The Obsidian Line forms the triangle line of close connected stations, controlled by the Legion. The Sapphire Line runs eastward, while The Emerald Line runs westward. Free Stations are scattered across all lines. The Polis is the central hub. Some stations has one or few reinforced gates connect to the frozen surface. Crystal Metro-2 (Royal Lines) is a secret phantom network of pre-war tunnels, which become a rumor among metro survivals, where they believe the leadership and the princess are secretly observe and control the metro as the Invisible Watchers. The Crystal Archive the place hosting the grant storage of Metro's knowledge.

Population: The Crystal Metro now home for all kinds of survivals, most of them are pony kind, as native ones and some Equestrian orgin, Including: unicorns, earth ponies, pegasi, batponies (thestrals). Also in the metro can be found griffins and hippogriffs.

Common Dangers:

• Crystal Dust - Lethal radioactive pulverized crystals poisoning surface air that causing slow death or sometimes mutation.
• Corrupted Crystals - Dark crystals that become common growth in far abandoned corners of the metro, which dark magic sap will to live and induce terrifying hallucinations.
• Crystal Zombies: Ponies overexposed to dark crystals, transformed into mindless aggressive creatures with crystallizing bodies.
• Mutants: Twisted lifeforms mutated by radiation and corrupted megaspell magic.
• Surface Mutants: Creatures that mutated wildlife adapted to the new world and occasionally descend through open gates, cracks in tunnel and abandoned ventilation systems.
• Conflicts: Constant warfare between major factions, strifes between stations and conflicts survivals, along with attacks of raiders and cultists.
• Starvation: Food, water and resources shortages are common.
• Radiation Poisoning: threat from crystal dust in air and water, which may occur in abandoned and not maintained parts of the metro.
• Deceases and Pandemics: risk of occurring pandemics on a poor, crowded slum stations among inhabitants.

Culture: Ponies are herbivores, but some creatures like griffins are carnivorous, primarily resulting to eat mushrooms and tunnel root, while also raise tunnel chickens and catching fish, bugs. Pre-war knowledge of the war and history of old world is rarely preserved and scarce. Most ponies are born, live, and die without ever seeing the sky or know nothing, but survival and no world beyond metro. Superstition and fear are in rule, hope is a luxury, survival is the only law. Currency: The only valuable currency is bullets, as the bits are useless, and the scarce ammunition both good for trade and means of defense. The bullets fulfilling role of currency force most of common metro survivals avoid combat, if possible, as every firefight is practically shooting money away, and loners can't allow to leave themselves for a chose between buying supplies or save up to defend themselves in danger. That makes use of a melee, hoove-crafted buckshots, throwing knifes, pneumatic or dart-based weapons is primary choice for the metro inhabitants. Humans are not existing in the world. Zebra kind not present in the Metro, and they would be meet as enemy from ancient war.