//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 // Story: Expected Friends: Unexpected Problems // by Sleepyted //------------------------------// “We don’t get paid enough for this shit.” The wearer of the blemished suit of X-01 power armor stated, trying to wipe blood off the plates but try wiping metal with metal and see how that cleans something. “Nah, I feel that we get paid more than I need.” The other one stated as he jammed in the last teleportation beacon. “I just hope those idiots actually made the teleporter correctly, so we CAN get paid.” The first looked over at the still Equestrian Guard corpse, pool of blood under him all leaking from the broken spear jammed all the way through his throat. “Hope they don’t figure out what’s happening here.” “We have to be at least two hundred miles away from them, just get rid of the bodies somewhere far from here so we don’t get discovered.” The second responded. “Besides, we’re not the only scouts that didn’t report in, they’re just think we died in transfer.” Stepping back they watched the beacons just sit in the dirt, nothing notable happening. “How long does the travel take?” “For all I know a hundred years.” One stated. “We could never get back but hopefully it’ll just be when they’re ready.” The second sighed in boredom. “You set up the tent. I’ll go try to find something to carry the patrol away on.” More and more things were brought to Equestria through the teleporter, the little compound they had now growing to the point close to a hundred members from the Mojave came, or the New Mojave Authority as the technical name was but not many used it except those really nitpicking with the rules since it was only a year old. Only around forty of the group were guards with only a dozen or so suits of power armor while the rest had either the dress uniform or combat armor colored red like the uniforms. The rest were science staff with a few others here and there like doctors, builders and craftsmen to maintain everything from the troops to the gear. It got to the point that something was brought over that Twilight was both surprised and worried about being in her home world. “Why would you bring that of all things?” Twilight asked scratching her head with her hoof as she stood next to Gannon. “Well after you left I managed to convince Daisy to train up others to be pilots.” He stated and when Twilight looked confused. “She was the ex-Enclave Pilot that flew the Vetibird at Hoover Dam.” He clarified. “Is this the same one?” Twilight asked, looking over the dull metal fuselage of the flying vehicle, its arms fixed in the outward position but the blades were folded back, it was the only thing brought over in its teleportation. “No, we took that one apart while learning how they work so we tried to get as many destroyed ones as we could to repair or remake.” He stated. “Anne wasted a lot of caps and resources to just get five of them up and running. Most of which transporting them from the Capitol Wasteland to the Mojave, it took three months!” “Okay. Why did you bring one here?” Twilight asked. “We have trains and flying carriages if you needed to get to a city fast.” “I think it was just showing off on Anne’s part.” Gannon said with a shrug. “I got word she’s recovered enough that she refuses to allow something like liver replacement to stop her from seeing you.” “She was always an idiot when it came to her own health.” Twilight stated with a roll of the eyes. “You would have though she would have realized that after the first time she got herself burned alive.” “Just don’t be too surprised how she looks when you see her, a fair amount has happened after all.” The man warned. “She gets a bit self-conscious about how much damage she’s taken but won’t admit it.” “It couldn’t have gotten much worse than she was already right? I don’t know what you humans consider attractive but she drifted from that more and more every time a bullet hit her or she held onto a grenade like an idiot.” “You’d be surprised.” “And you just put your eye down the view finder.” Mark said, leaning over the shoulder of Rainbow dash as she sat in the metal seat fixed behind the firing mechanism of one of the two small artillery pieces that had been set up. “Then what happens?” The Pegasus asked with a loud, a Mojave Barret lazily flopped on her messy mane and awkward earmuffs “Well just give that lever to your left a yank and hope you don’t go deaf.” The man stated as he tapped on one of the number of levers there were. “I never really listened to anything anyway!” She cheered before reaching out with a hoof and yanking on the lever. It didn’t budge. “You need to hold down that safety lever as well otherwise it won’t move.” He added. Rolling her eyes she held down the handle attached to the lever and pulled. The shockwave from the cannon going off was enough to knock the air out of her lungs and loud enough to send her ears ringing even with the earmuffs. Once her eyeballs stopped rolling around inside her skull she staggered out of the seat, feeling as if she was just hit by a train. She could see Mark yelling something and pointing in the direction that the cannon was angled in but she couldn’t hear it with all the ringing. Glancing where mark was pointing at the barren stretch of snow right before the ground exploded in a shower of black dirt, the snow vaporized almost instantly as the shell made impact. Mark went up and slapped her on the back, his laughter hidden behind the ringing in the pony’s ears, although it was starting to lessen after a few moments. Her hearing came back enough that she noticed when with a flash of purple a furious looking purple princess appeared, the anger almost visible as it radiated off her. Rainbow could only hear her muffled yells as she vented at Mark, a few other guards rushing over, either to the cannon going off or the screaming princess although no one seemed stupid enough to try and intervene lest Twilight’s fury be directed at them. He responded and in response Twilight shone her horn and sent out an impact directly at the man’s crotch, immediately making him fall over in pain as he clutched the injury, face contorted. She turned back to the cannon and charged up her horn. A beam shot out, cutting through the barrel effortlessly and the tones of metal sunk into the ground when it fell. Turning to the next one she gave it the same treatment, slicing through it. Rainbow was starting to understand what Twilight was saying, the ringing subsiding from her ears. “- bad enough that you’re bringing miniguns for Celestia’s sake! But you are not bringing in that sort of shit! Not here!” She yelled, looking around at all the rather shocked looking humans around the camp. “If you bring anything bigger than a BB gun from now on I swear I’ll drag every last one of you back to the Mojave.” Rainbow Dash was kind of surprised at the level of anger Twilight was showing and was in somewhat of a daze, one she was knocked out of when the anger was then directed at her. “Don’t think you’re off the hook either!” She stated. “I’m going to explain exactly why you can be so stupid.” Twilight charged her horn and with a flash her and Rainbow disappeared. A young woman in a lab coat stood to the side, looking around awkwardly at everyone else. “Should we go… help him up or anything?” She asked gesturing to Mark. “I think… we should leave him for a few more minutes.” A man in Power Armor said with a shrug as he turned to get on with his day. Nightshade, a lunar guard for the past ten years slammed her wooden mug down onto the table in front of her and stuck both hooves in the air. “I can keep going all night!” She claimed confidently. The day guard across from her rolled his head down on the table as he groaned, hoof still clutching his mug. “How da hell do you bats handle your drink so well? He stated. “I thought small ponies were meant to handle it worse than big guys like you!” A friend of the solar guard said with a laugh, slapping him on the back with his armored hoof with a clang. “I ain’t small!” Nightshade claimed with a pout. “I’m fun sized!” “If that’s what you want to call it.” The first stated. “I think I might need to head on home…” He clumsily slid himself off the stool he was sat on, getting to his hooves and started to walk away… … until he fell face first onto the bar floor. A number of ponies around chuckled at the sight, the second guard rolling his eyes as he pushed himself away from the table. “I guess I’ll drag this idiot back home. We’ll see you around sometime webbed wing.” He said with a chuckle. “I’ll drink you both under the table anytime you want!” The bat cheered as one guard dragged the other out before adding. “Make sure he gets home safe!” Nightshade stayed at her table, leaning back and stretching out her wings and letting out a yawn. With the visitors from the Mojave here in Equestria guard deployment had been really chaotic, day guards working at night, Night during the day, Crystal guards thrown in where ever they could fit. It was meant to show unity and all the different guard units there were in Equestria. Nightshade had even seen a few of the special forces here and there, the Crimson Moons and their uniforms magically enchanted for stealth, or the Flaming Suns that were clad head to hoof in plate metal and also enchanted to make it as hard as dragon scale. Waving over at the bartender she pointed down to her mug for a refill. Work had been all out lately for the bat, she was just a grunt so she didn’t really have much say in what she would be able to do and when, although the overtime pay was good. Just as the mug was refilled she heard a loud stomping coming from outside the bar, a number of ponies going quiet and turning towards the door as the sound got louder and louder until it just stopped. And after a few moments the door opened and one of the Humans many of the guards in the bar had seen during their shifts walked in, having to duck under the short door frame lest she bump her head on the way in, and even when she was inside her head wasn’t far from touching the ceiling. Everypony went quiet when they saw the visitor, all eyes on the human as she looked around. The human noticed all eyes on her and she looked over at the Bartender awkwardly. “I ah… have some of your currency, can I get a drink or two?” She asked. “I guess so…” The bartender said, gesturing over to an empty stool to the side, but when the human went over they saw a problem when it barely came halfway up to the woman’s knees. “I’ll try to find a bigger seat.” He offered. “Don’t worry bout it.” The woman said with a dismissive wave of her hand, crouching down onto the stool, knees coming above her waist. “How much will I get for twenty coins?” “Well for cider it’s six a mug. We have some bear but that’s about seven bits a mug.” “I’ll take a cider then.” The human said, pulling out a small pouch and pulling out half a dozen of the small golden coins. “The gold ones are worth two.” The bartender said as he took half the coins and dropped a mug of the sweet drink onto the bar top. “Just to let you know.” “Thanks.” She said as she took the mug with her gloved hand. Ponies started going back to what they were doing before, chatting or like in the corner, playing pool. But Nightshade just sighed to herself, considering whether she should go over and say hi or not. “Why not.” She mumbled to herself as she grabbed her mug and headed over, taking a seat next to the human. “Heya.” She greeted. The human turned to look at the pony, hair shaved almost to the scalp along the side while the rest was kept short and swept along the side. The scars along her head and face were quite noticeable. “Hey.” She said. “So, you with the New Mojave Authority?” Nightshade asked. “I thought there weren’t any other humans here, so who else would I be with?” The human asked turning to the pony before sighing. “Sorry, I just came through on the teleporter and it made my stomach turn like nothing else, and I’ve been shot in my stomach before!” “I don’t know what your teleporter feels like but I remember once during training we had to go through the shock training where they just teleport us in and hope we know which way is up.” The pony said with a bitter chuckle. “I got chewed out so hard for throwing up after that.” “I didn’t throw up but it felt like my head was run over by a tank.” The woman said with a bitter chuckle. “I just need to get a drink, it’s just so surreal to be in another planet!” “It makes you wonder how the Princess did it, I heard your world isn’t a really friendly place.” “It does if you have a big gun.” She said. “Most people want to be on your good side when you have one.” “Gun?” Nightshade asked. “Those weapons your people have, that’s what they’re called?” “Yeah.” The human said. “Pretty nasty when you get hit, which I recommend you don’t… That or grenades…” “Why does your planet even have so many different weapons?” Nightshade asked with morbid curiosity. “Cause killing people gets boring after a while if you do it the same way over and over.” The woman joked darkly. “Almost every single one that I know of has been used on me.” “Just glad I don’t live there…” She said before shaking her head and sticking out a hoof. “Nightshade by the way.” “Oh!” The woman said, reaching over and bumping the pony’s hoof with her gloved fist. “I’m Anne!”