No matter who you are or where you happen to be from, when someone is given a second chance, it mostly goes one of two ways. The rare few that see this as an opportunity to turn their life around would do everything they could to change. Whether it be because they believed in something greater in themselves or some other reason mattered little. They just wanted to turn their backs on their old life and start clean.
Almost everyone else, more often than not, didn’t see it that way. Many would claim that they would change their ways, but more often than not, they would just end up doing the same damn thing that they were doing before. Whether it was out of habit or bad luck did not matter, it still led to the same damn thing and they wouldn’t learn that their actions had consequences.
Now, for a certain person that got an unexpected second chance, none of that mattered. For she solely believed that what she did wasn’t wrong. She was the bringer of the law to the frontiers that were lawless and was recognized as the Sheriff of the most lawless town on Pandora. It did not matter if the person was a thief or a serial killer, the law did not discriminate and at the end of the day, justice had to be served.
However, it had been some time since the bells of Lynchwood rang and the day she met her end at the hands of the Vault Hunters… but Nisha still drew breath. She did not care how or why, but that on this new frontier and no matter who you might be, justice must be delivered.
With all the chaos happening outside and the extra help from some of Gaige’s friends to add to it, Starlight thought that it would be enough to keep the attention of this ‘Jack’ away from what they were doing. After all, the Mechromancer brought a giant robot army with her and wasn’t doing anything to hide or be subtle in the slightest. Plus, when you add a bandit king, a murderous psycho and a siren with a grudge into the mix, it’s going to get extremely volatile.
However, despite all of that, it did not make whatever was going on inside any easier. Because from the moment the Vault Hunters were out of their cells, all of the ‘guards’ in the prison stopped what they were doing and directed their attention specifically to them.
“Not sure how big this place is, but if these psycho’s are any indication, then who knows how close we are to finding them.” the hunter Mordecai remarked from a ledge as he shot a stick of dynamite out of a maniac’s hand. Then, as quickly as he said that, he looked down towards Starlight and the rest of the group. “If anyone’s got any ideas, I’ll be more than open to hearing them!”
“Some of us should focus on the so called ‘guards’ here, while everyone else start checking the cells,” Lilith quickly replied, setting a pair of Psycho’s on fire as she looked to Starlight and Trixie, “With how big this prison is, chances are it’s going to take a bit to find who we’re looking for-”
Not a moment after that was said, a loud screech echoed as an intercom started up. A message echoed from the other end that started to reach, “So, you’re the ones that are causing a commotion in my prison? I must hand it to you, you always have a habit of finding a way to make things interesting.”
“W-who’s that?”
“And just when I thought things were getting complicated enough,” Lilith grit her teeth, “Hello, Sheriff.”
“That’s Nisha to you. Or did you easily forget about our brief time working on Elpis after you went up there, scarred Jack’s face and disappeared just as quickly?” the voice asked, before it let out a deep sigh, “You’ve caused quite a mess already. But since you’re not mindlessly joining the carnage outside like your ‘friends’, then you must be here for something else aren’t you?”
“And what exactly gave that away?”
“Why else do you still have your bird friend, a former commando infatuated with his own machines, an insane gun-nut, a ninja who speaks in haiku and a teenager who solves every problem with dynamite with you?”
“Well Excuuuse you, Sheriff. Last thing I remember was dealing with you back in Lynchwood.” Axton said as he walked up behind the group. “What was it you wanted us to do again… oh yeah have a showdown with us only for it to be an ambush AND you ended up dead in the ground.” Axton smugly stated.
“Best part of it all, you still couldn’t even handle even just one of us. So I can confidently say this won’t change a thing.”
“Are you done?” She said, “Because it’s not you I want… it’s that one next to you.”
It took a minute… but soon, everyone realized that she was talking about Starlight. “Wha-? Me?! Why-?”
“Because unlike the Vault Hunters here, you are different. You are from here, and unlike the ones in the prize cell where I am, you have some fight in you,” The sheriff added, almost like she was pleased to say that, “So, let me say this once. Upper deck. Pistols at high noon. Come alone. You do that… and I might just let the ‘friends’ you're looking for live.”
“And what if we don’t, ya stinky butt-”
“Funny you ask that… Because remember all the ‘toys’ we confiscated from you, little girl? Well, we found other more practical means for it. The choice is yours”
The implications alone were enough to horrify Starlight. This… ‘Nisha’ not only held her former mentor and her friends captive, but had the means to kill them if she did not comply. Twilight’s life was in danger, but this woman just saw it as entertainment to her!
Before she or anyone else could give a response, the call cut out and more bandits began to pour into the cells. “Ay mierde, we got company!”
“Well, not like I didn’t see this coming honestly.” Axton said as he got his gun at the ready. “So Starlight it’s up to you when you’re ready to move out.”
“W-what are we going to do though? I k-know that she said to come alone, but…”
“Well, if you’re up for risks,” the firehawk said, “I might have one idea.”
“How?”
“If I learned anything from people like this, it’s that they always think that they are in control. Yet, they can’t be in control of what they can’t see.” Lilith grinned, before looking over to Zer0. “And there are two of us here that specialize in that.”
“That is definitely riskier, but damn will it be effective.”
“All we need is Starlight to keep her attention on her for long enough. If worse comes to worse,” Lilith then motioned to where Starlight kept the pistol that Gaige gave to her, “Well, I hope you’re a damn good shot at least.”
Out of all the times that the unicorn had felt a vast amount of pressure on her shoulders, this was higher than anything else. Sure, she’s had help with their friends being captive before… but the stakes were never this high. Nopony had threatened her friends like the sheriff had just now and the window for mistakes was non-existent. If they even slipped up once, somepony could get seriously hurt or worse.
Not like she had any other choice.
In her special office overlooking the cells farther in the ward, the lawbringer had everything exactly as she wanted. Despite being outnumbered by the amount of Vault Hunters in the prison, she had more than enough ‘inmates’ to keep them all occupied.
She knew every Vault Hunter that was in here, including the ones that put a bullet through her skull back in Lynchwood. But the Equestrians were an abnormality. A peaceful species that were unlike the madmen that lived on a planet of pandemonium like Pandora.
So, with what Jack called his VIP’s (Very Important Prisoners) in their cells, the Lawbringer wanted to see what it would take to make an equestrian and their so-called ‘Harmony’ break apart. What would they do if given a painful choice between saving others or saving themselves?
How far would they go to prove what they say is right?
Well, there was only one way to find out. And they were stepping through the door right about… now.
Now that Nisha wasn’t seeing everything through a fuzzy security camera, she could clearly see the unicorn that came in full view. Light violet fur with a star-like mark on the flank and a mane style that almost resembled the so-called ‘princess’ in the cell underneath her feet. Didn’t appear as if she was carrying anything on their person, but she didn’t want to assume anything.
“Huh… and here I thought the tacky show magician would come instead.” the lawbringer grinned, “Still, at least you can listen to simple directions unlike the inmates.”
The unicorn, as expected, looked tense. “Where are my friends? I did what you asked, and you said-”
“I said that I might let them go. I never gave you assurances that I will, so their fate depends on you.” Nisha clarified. “Besides, out of everything in this hellhole, you are the most out of place.”
“Out of place? This is our home!”
“And yet, you’re here among those who’ve committed grievous crimes and killed thousands for their so-called ‘resistance’ against Jack. When I came here, I was under the impression that your kind was a peaceful one.”
As the Lawbringer spoke, Starlight watched her hands move to her sides, “But if I learned anything from today, it’s that you are like us. You’re greedy. You just want to get what you want and then run. You don’t want to fight for it and think that just some honeyed words would be enough.”
Then, Nisha hand gripped what was holstered at her side. Two revolvers with bladed attachments at both ends, “But that is not how things work here. Like on Pandora, you need to fight for what you want. So, let’s see if you can do just that.”
In an instant, the Lawbringer’s weapon was raised and all Starlight heard was one final word. “Draw!”
A few moments prior
“Does anypony else get the feeling that this is going to be a bit too risky?”
“Not unless we make sure to do every step of the plan.” the siren tried to assure a nervous Trixie. “We left Mordecai with Salvador, Axton and your friend Flash outside to keep everyone covered.”
“Flash isn’t-” Trixie tried to correct her, but saw no point as she sighed, “Uh, forget it.”
“So, with most of the boys keeping things occupied, what we’re doing is going to be important. Zer0 knows this too, so until we get the signal, keep yourselves hidden.”
It was one thing to have her marefriend stare potential death in the face. Yet, it was another to try and test a potential death threat to see how far this ‘sheriff’ was willing to go. Still, if this gamble worked, they could assure that their friends would be out of harm’s way.
While Starlight was doing what the sheriff wanted and mostly everyone else was doing what the sheriff expected of them, they were doing the opposite. Zer0 was working on cutting out any sort of ‘eyes’ that Nisha had on them, and once that was done, Tina could work her ‘magic’ in disabling whatever surprises were on their cell.
Until such a time, Trixie’s will was going to be put to the test. For a slight lapse in the magic she was concentrating could spell disaster.
She just hoped that her friend would stay calm while they pulled off one of the most riskiest endeavors of her life. Anything else she did before paled in comparison to right now.
Fortunately, the two of them didn’t have to wait long to get an answer.
Update on Progress
Security is no more
Sheriff is blind now
“That’s our cue. Let’s go.” the siren whispered, before quietly going through the door that was blocking their path. Quietly, both of them made their way past whatever ‘guards’ that were stationed as Lilith made short work of each one. Despite the low lighting in the halls, it wasn’t too hard to make out where they were going because of how often the guards would be spewing nonsense to one another.
“I’M BORED! WHY CAN’T WE JUST GO OUT AND KILL SOMETHING?”
“LAW LADY TOLD US TO STAY! SAYS WE CAN KILL IF SPARKLY ONES DISOBEY!!!”
“Crap, I don’t like the sounds of that,” Lilith cursed, “Zer0, can you find anything on where our friends might be? Try to speed up the process? I rather not leave Starlight in the gaze of the Sheriff for too long.”
I can try my best
Can’t be too careful though.
Consider Plan B?
Trixie blinked, looking over to the siren and the teenaged demolitionist near her, “Do we even have a plan B?”
“Let’s cross that bridge when we get there. We still got a bit of ground to cover before-.”
BANG!
The sound of a few shots echoed throughout the lower halls of the prison, stopping them in their tracks, “What the hay was that?”
“I have a bad feeling of what that might be. We should hurry.”
The moment that Starlight saw the glint of a weapon in the hands of ‘the sheriff’, her mind immediately went on the defensive. Instinct kicked in as the magic on her horn surged as a protective bubble formed directly in front of her as the first shots were fired. The bullets caught in the shield as the unicorn scrambled to find some cover to hide behind.
“Well, aren’t you a surprise? You actually have some fight in you,” the sheriff mocked, “Good. I’ve been waiting for a proper showdown.”
To the Unicorn that was hiding behind a lower balcony, this lady was bucking insane. She had no idea what exactly they wanted, but it was getting rather obvious that it involved her being dead. That was something she couldn’t let happen.
Hurrying to come up with an idea, her eyes caught the attention of several noticeable chunks of rock around the room. Without really thinking too much, she picked up a few different spells with a levitation spell and hurled them towards Nisha.
As she soon realized, despite them actually hitting her target, it didn’t exactly have the effect she wanted as the see-through signs of a hexagonal shield covered her.
“You’re not the only one with some manner of protective tricks,” the lawbringer taunted, before firing another two shots that almost hit Starlight’s back leg, “If you want to save your friends so badly, then you’re going to have to do more than that!”
Starlight said nothing, but knew that this woman was right. Simple spells like that we're not going to stop her. She needed to use what Gaige taught her alongside her knowledge of magic if she wanted to get out of this one alive. There had to be a way to stay one step ahead of her.
It was as she was looking around that something the mechromancer said to her began to resurface.
Sometimes, we plan for something and then the plan falls apart. The shit that we find ourselves in most of the time is never ideal. Though, part of being a vault hunter is finding clever solutions to very bad problems.
As those words stayed in her mind, she glanced around the room one more time as another shot missed her. But before she could duck for cover, an audible click was heard on the other side.
The unicorn then realized what that meant. The shots in her gun were all but spent! She had a chance now.
Magic from her horn flickered once again, only for this one to fire off a powerful blast of magic at the lawbringer. Aimed not for her, but the weapon in her hands as the revolver she held onto was sent rolling across the floor of the prison. “Clever-”
But Starlight wasn’t done. As the Lawbringer turned towards where she was, the unicorn teleported behind her. Weapon at the ready as she fired a shot at the contraption on her waist that had her shield.
Unexpectedly though, even though the shot staggered the Lawbringer, she did not expect the second weapon she had holstered. Before she could move, a shot was fired as it went right through her left ear. On the other hand, a knife was drawn as it narrowly swiped past her throat but cut into part of her face. “Hehe. I guess I was wrong. You do have some fight in you. A shame that it won’t last.”
“You threatened those that I care for. My friends, my home.”
“Heh. You sound just like that slab meathead from Pandora. The so-called Slab King,” Nisha grimaced, slicing again as a few cuts formed on her legs and chest, with one of them striking too close to her eyes, “Hard on the outside, but once you start finding ways to break them… then they will just lash out at you. What would it take to make you break, I wonder? Is it the friends in the cell? The vault hunters you’ve come to know?”
Starlight’s options were becoming slim. Her ears were ringing, her body was in pain. Struggling to find a way out of this.
But one thing that Nisha said immediately made her snap. “Oh I know… It’s the show magician, isn’t it? You care for her the most, don’t you-”
Immediately, the unicorn snapped. As magic surged from her horn, a shockwave knocked the Lawbringer off of her feet. As Nisha tried to fire, Starlight aimed her Graham-Cracker and shot through the wrist, blowing off her hand as the gun dropped to the floor. As Nisha cried out in pain, the unicorn barreled herself into her, knocking her off of the balcony ledge as she plummeted to the ground and a metal pole skewered her heart. Leaving her lifeless at the bottom of an empty prison.
All the while… smiling. For unknown to the unicorn, this was the death she wanted. In Lynchwood, she was robbed of what she wanted most when the vault hunters ignored the conditions for their duel. Yet, this creature gave her what she wanted most. A perfect duel, a chance to fight new prey… a chance to die the way she wanted.
Of course, Starlight did not know of any of this. In fact, she was beginning to sway in and out of consciousness. Blood was leaking from her wounds as she looked down at what was left of the Sheriff.
“Nopony… threatens Trixie…” Starlight let out, before dropping to the ground. Drained and in so much pain. Vision blurry as she could make out only a few voices while on the verge of passing out.
“Santa mierda. She… actually killed her. Axton, get in here! Starlight’s in rough shape!”
“Damn, didn’t know she had it in her. ON MY WAY!”
Outside in the outer stretch of the Badlands, a rather excited Gaige was having the time of her life.
It was one thing to lead her own personal army against the asshole that caused so much pain on Pandora. But now, there was a giant obstacle that was a roadblock between her and Jack.
Fortunately for her, she did not have to wait long to have some unexpected backup. “WOOT WOOT!! I’M THE CONDUCTOR OF THE POOP TRAIN, MAGGOTS!!!!”
Sliding from a nearby ravine, the mechromancer couldn’t help but notice three familiar faces. The most obvious of the trio was the Psycho that was barreling towards whatever ‘goons’ that Wilhelm happened to have with him. Following behind him was Maya and Brick.
“Well, what do you know? Were you jealous that I was having too much fun?”
“HAHA YOU KNOW IT SLAB!!” As Brick stopped near her. “Plus I owe this metal asshole a beating from last time.”
“Well, if that’s the case,” Gaige reloaded her shotgun, “I’ll make sure I’ll let you crush his head once we’re done!”
“Do you really think mere numbers can stop me,” Wilhelm taunted, cracking his neck from side to side, “Then come and try!”
“YOU’RE ON!!”
In a matter of moments, the empty badlands started to become a warzone of untold proportions. An onslaught of gunfire, explosions and robot parts were flying in all directions, some of them being the loaders that Wilhelm was throwing at them, while the others were of Gaige’s own personal army. Any attempts to gain ground were met with fierce resistance as they were pushed back.
It was an ongoing stalemate from both sides. At least, until the Mechromancer (that was somehow part siren) had an idea. “Hey Brick, how good is your throwing arm?”
“Damn fine, whatchu thinking?” Brick replied while rolling his shoulders.
“Can you give me a toss? Got some new tricks I want to try.”
“Hell yeah! Just tell me when you’re ready to go.” Brick then got into a throwing position, waiting for the mechromancer. Which didn’t take long as Gaige immediately nodded her head and got ready.
“Send me straight towards him.”
“Heh, BATTER UP!”
The moment that Gaige was in the right position, Brick didn’t hold back. When the Slab King tossed her, the markings of her metal arm began to glow vibrantly as a singular wing emerged from her back.
As if on purpose, she let herself fly behind Wilhelm. Only to firmly place a hand on his back as Gaige said an all too familiar phrase.
“Executing Phase Shift! Angel, do your thing!”
Almost instantly, the glow from the arm began to spread. The Enforcer’s body started to glow and convulse as he swung his arms around to try and hit her. As the others watched, it started to come to their attention why Gaige wanted to get into that position.
With her newfound strength, something as difficult as hijacking the body of a murderous cyborg turned out to be not so difficult.
“Hey! What the flak did you do!? Give me my body back, you bi-!”
Before he could finish, the shoulder mounted cannon on Wilhelm’s back turned and cracked, aimed directly at his head as Gaige moved her finger in a firing motion. Leaving what remained of ‘The Butcher of New Haven’ as nothing more than Scrap Metal and Gore as she looked to the other Vault Hunters.
“I hate to leave you guys short handed, but can you hold the fort here? We got a score to settle with a particular Jackass.”
“Get going slab, we can take it from here.”
Immediately, the Mechromancer picked up the pace. For the only way to finish this fight… was to put an end to Jack and the thing that brought him back in the first place.