//------------------------------// // High Times Part 2 // Story: Queen Of The Wasteland // by Jest //------------------------------// After a moment to relax, Twilight gripped her little metal sheet and began to tap. “Janey. I am a magical alicorn from another dimension, placed in the body of a clearly mutated deathclaw. There is no way you could have known the drug would react as intended. It may have driven me mad, or outright killed me even after a single dose of the stuff,” Twilight began, never slowing. “What you’ve done is wrong, short-sighted, cruel, and single-handedly broke any manner of trust we may have been able to build up over the last however long its been.” “I…” Janey grit her teeth. “I can't accept that. You would have died, the people of that town would have been killed, or worse, enslaved by those psychos.” “You could have locked them inside, you could have armed the people of Goodsprings, you could have urged the gang members to leave,” Twilight retorted, her taps coming in faster and faster. “You could have cut a deal with the powder gangers. There were many possible alternative scenarios that you could have pursued but because you hate convicts you took the easy way out.” “If you think for a second that those murdering psychos would have done anything but kill, rape, and loot then you’re even more naive than I took you for!” Janey shouted. “Rick is an ex-con, and he is perfectly honorable, if a bit foul-mouthed,” Twilight retorted. “Furthermore we’ve taken dozens of prisoners in the past after a show of force. What's to say that it wouldn't have worked back there?” Janey’s jaw clenched and unclenched several times. “You… you don't get it. Those people they weren't just going to give up alright? Those fuckers were ready to kill whoever they needed to in order to take control of that town.” “As were the powder gangers in Primm,” Twilight pointed out. “Not like that!” Janey yelled, throwing up her hands. “I talked to them, I tried to find an alternative solution and it didn't work. They weren't interested.” “What exactly did you say? Did you try to bribe them, or-” “I tried everything you fucking suggested!” Janey shouted. “I’ve seen what people like that do, I’ve seen villages and towns wiped off the map because of worthless bags of flesh like them!” “You know I can't trust what you say anymore,” Twilight pointed out. “Even if you did all that. Even if you tried your absolute best I can't believe that. Not after what you’ve done to me.” “Oh boo fucking hoo,” Janey spat. “I made you a little fucking angry once. Welcome to the wasteland. If that's the worst that happens then congradufuckinglations, because you’re one of the lucky ones.” Twilight clenched her jaw so hard that it felt like she may injure herself. At the back of her mind, a beast roared, demanding to be let off the leash so it may devour the courier. Twilight held tight to whatever shred of control she had, keeping that instinct, that desire, from being let loose. “Like I said, you could have killed me, but worse still you made me into a killer and nearly drove me to madness,” Twilight stated as calmly as she could muster. “Until that moment I had never even raised my hoof in anger before. I had never struck anyone with malicious intent never mind killed.” Janey rolled her eyes. “Give me a break with this pony shit. I’ve seen a lot in my time out in the wastes but you are not a magical talking horse. You were some experiment that got loose and you likely hallucinated the entire horse land thing.” Twilight breathed in and out at a rapid pace, not responding until her heartbeat slowed somewhat. “I don't care if you don't believe me,” Twilight stated after a long pause. “I know it's too much for the average person to take in. However even if you believe that life was a fake one then you cannot avoid the fact that what you did was horrendous and I’m sorry to say, evil.” Janey took a step back as if slapped, her gaze immediately narrowing on the deathclaw. The pair stared at one another for several seconds before the courier unexpectedly looked away. “Get up. We got a bit to go before we reach Novac,” Janey muttered. Twilight rose, and for a moment, nearly gave in to the violent urges that tugged at her limbs. However, she was able to keep those demands in check through willpower, and cold cold reason. Though trust was broken, the courier was still the best guide Twilight could hope to acquire. More importantly, Novac was apparently a larger settlement, one where it may be possible to locate a new traveling partner. “Lead the way,” Twilight offered. “Perhaps we should walk beside one another for a while,” Janey countered. Twilight silently agreed, taking position to Janey’s left, her off-hand side. Then, together, they continued down the road, neither saying a word as they slowly but the ambush site behind them. Throughout it all Twilight occasionally glanced to her right, and Janey, to her left, both cautious of one another. This kind of soft paranoia continued even as the pair crested the hill and reached flatter ground. At the top of the rise, Twilight could see what looked like a ranch to the right and a distant cave to her left. Before her was what looked like a larger highway with more lanes than normal. Coming from the south, the road twisted off to the east, into the horizon and out of view of the deathclaw. To the left, the two different roads merged, and went down into a valley, before turning out of view at the end. With the hilly lowlands to the east, mountains to the west, and civilization to the north, it was an interesting area. Twilight wanted to ask questions, point out landmarks, and get a better lay of the land but resisted that urge. “Let's head up there,” Janey declared, pointing to the farm or ranch built near the top of a nearby cliff. “We’ll stop for food and water there. They should have a well.” Twilight wanted to oppose the idea but again resisted that urge, as her stomach was beginning to demand sustenance. She also desperately wanted to wash the blood from her body, though she didn't tell Janey that was the reason she agreed. Either way, they made their way up to the sloping ranch built on the hill, both careful not to step in any of the many big horner patties. The titular cattle were no longer in their pens but rather were grazing off in the distance further south. Leaving behind what had likely been a thriving little ranch given the large windmill and numerous defenses. Sandbag lookout points and bridges would have allowed a the owner to defend from the west with ease. Now, however, they were empty, as was the rest of the farm area, leaving behind only a few wind brahmin. “There's the well,” Janey pointed out, gesturing to a circular concrete structure near the main ramshackle farmhouse. “You draw the water while I go see if anyone’s home.” “And split any loot you find if it's been abandoned, right?” Twilight asked. Janey snorted. “Course.” Twilight watched the courier depart, only turning to the well after Janey disappeared into the shack. The thing was mechanical in nature and had only a spigot, a few levers, and a couple of metal buckets that sat nearby. Thankfully she had a time on her hand, and after gently poking around Twilight eventually managed to cause water to shoot out. The sudden splash against her feet nearly made the deathclaw jump, but she reacted quickly. Putting one of the buckets under, she caught the surprisingly cold water. Over the course of a few minutes she filled nearly all of them, the stream only slowing down at bucket number three. The mechanism clunked and vibrated loudly before abruptly turning itself off. Throughout it all the stream narrowed to a trickle and then stopped entirely. Twilight took this as a sign that the well was dry, and used the first bucket to clean herself, paying close attention to her wounds. Once free of blood, and most of the dust, Twilight grabbed the second bucket and chugged the entire thing. She considered doing the same to the last one but reluctantly thought better of it, bringing it over to the door. Where she waited until Janey emerged a few seconds later, a confused look on her face. “What did you find?” Twilight asked, pointing to the courier’s backpack. “Not much,” Janey answered. “Just a magazine, a few caps, and a cleaver.” “Are you sure?” Twilight pressed. Janey’s jaw clenched and she swiftly dropped her pack before digging out the aforementioned items. “See? That was it. Whoever lived here took nearly everything of value when they left. They even pried the pilot light out of the stove if you can believe it,” Janey stated. Twilight nodded. “There's a pail left for you.” Janey drained as much of the cool water as possible into a large flask before tipping back the rest. Once done, the courier winced and stuck out her tongue in disgust. “Augh, radiation always makes water taste so weird,” Janey muttered. A faint whisper carried on the breeze made Twilight's metaphorical ears perk up. The deathclaw turned and looked up to the end of the ridge overlooking the bend in the road. There sat a small table with a radio on it, and a chair that had a shovel resting on it. “What is it?” Janey asked. “Nothing,” Twilight replied, repeating the word on her board. “Just the wind.” “Let's get out of here. This place gives me the creeps,” Janey muttered. The pair began to leave, making their way back down to the overpass at the crossroads of the closest highways. “You found something,” Twilight pointed out. “Nothing else of value,” Janey retorted. “You found something worthless,” Twilight shot back. “I… did,” Janey murmured. “A journal entry talking about a job, a job where seven couriers were hired. A job that this mystery person turned down.” Twilight motioned for Janey to continue. “That's it,” Janey replied. “There was just a snippet about the job, and a desire to quote, return to where the courier’s true journey began.” “Spooky,” Twilight declared. “No kidding,” Janey agreed. The pair continued on in silence until they almost passed a nearly destroyed billboard advertising Fancy Lads Snack Cakes. There Janey stopped, held up a hand, and walked over to a well-hidden corpse nestled between two rocks. Turning it over, the courier winced in disgust as the half-rotted remains of a ghoul stared up at them. “Poor bastard caught a stray bullet to the stomach,” Janey muttered. “Whoever got him took everything of value too.” Twilight took a step forward and gazed down at the ghoulified face of the former human. She noted that his garb was certainly unique and much thicker than most would wear in the Mojave. A mix of mostly green and some browns, the heavy robes looked one part uniform, one part armor. Though likely thick enough to shrug off a stab, they had evidently not saved the ghoul from getting shot in the stomach. “Let's keep moving,” Janey offered. The pair did just that, though they again found themselves coming to a stop relatively quickly. This time it was the presence of a caravan emerging from under the overpass that prompted them to hold position. “Hang back a bit. I’ll go talk to them. Maybe they are headed to Novac and we can offer our aid in protecting their caravan,” Janey offered. Twilight bit her tongue and nodded her head, hanging back near the billboard while Janey took off. The deathclaw was ready to run away at a moment’s notice, but thankfully Janey did not in fact, turn the group of eight or so humans against her. They were initially startled upon seeing Twilight, but even at a good distance Twilight could see recognition in their eyes. A few more minutes of discussion occurred before Janey came jogging back over to the billboard. “They offered us fifty caps each to guard them the rest of the way to Novac,” Janey explained. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. “They heard about legion activity up ahead though, so stay on your guard,” Janey encouraged. “How likely do you think it is that we’ll see more trouble?” Twilight inquired. “Normally I’d say almost nonexistent,” Janey answered. “We aren't far from a ranger station, Novac, and Camp Searchlight but after well, you know. I can't be certain of anything.” Twilight nodded and walked over to where several of the two-headed cows Twilight knew as brahmin were laden with bags. The pack animals were accompanied by eight total humans, six guards, and two traders if their outfits were anything to go by. Though professionals all, the journey had not been a pleasant one, and several people had visible bloody bandages. “I told you Mr. New Vegas wouldn't lie,” declared one of the younger, and only uninjured caravan guards. “You owe me five caps.” An older, more grizzled female caravan guard grumbled, but reluctantly deposited a handful of caps into her fellow’s palm. “I should have known better than to bet against you and your freaky good luck,” she muttered. “So is it true? Do you understand us?” asked one of the traders, the man slowing down each word as if speaking to a toddler. Twilight pulled out the metal sheet and began tapping. “I can understand and speak your language to a certain degree. Also, you need not slow your speech on my account. I think you will find that I am quite capable of following a conversation.” After Janey's pipboy had a chance to translate and spit out what Twilight had said, the man blushed. “Aww, fuck. Sorry about that,” he muttered while slowly walking away. “That's quite alright my friend. Now then. I believe you all wish to find safety in Novac, correct?” Twilight pressed. “That we do,” offered a third guard. “We’re loaded to the gills, and nearly everyone is injured to some extent. Fucking vipers.” Twilight smiled, and took her place along the right flank, listening as well as occasionally answering, the curious caravaner’s questions with a nod or a shake of the head. As they walked, Twilight noticed that the brahmin that had originally given her a wide berth soon grew accustomed to the deathclaw’s presence. The humans were also similarly unbothered by Twilight and even seemed more at ease with the towering lizard than Janey. Who they mostly avoided. Twilight resisted the urge to snicker and point out her companion’s chilly disposition. Instead, the deathclaw focused on the road ahead and the hill that rose on the right side of the road. Not too tall as to be overly steep, it could hide a sizable force on the other side with relative ease. If there was going to be another ambush, that would be where it came, Twilight thought to herself.