//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 // Story: Fallout New Vegas: Unexpected Friends // by Sleepyted //------------------------------// “I CAN’T BELIEVE THAT WORKED!” Anne said fist pumping into the air. “What even were they? They looked like just blinking lights.” Twilight asked, walking up to the small smoldering holes. “They, my royal friend, were mines, something that’ll fuck with us a lot in the future. If I didn’t stop you you’d be missing a few legs and we don’t really have the stuff to help with that.” Anne said. “What did you do exactly?” “I threw a rock at it.” Anne said with a matter-of-fact tone, with a smug smile. “I know that but what did that do?” “Well with mines they are activated by a proximity charge, meaning that you get too close and they blow up in your face. They are mainly put in places that are in need of defense but they don’t have the man power to do so or looters put them on a trail so when they go off they just walk up and well, loot the bodies.” Anne explained. “But why?” “Because of a well know saying here in the Wasteland, ‘Why the fuck not?’” “But that doesn’t answer the question.” “Precisely.” Anne said, throwing the handful of left over rocks to the side as she walked past the confused Twilight. They walked across the rickety bridge, the metal bending inwards slightly from their combined the weight, making a soft creaking sound. They walked a few moments down the cracked road before Anne looked at her Pip-Boy and looked at it’s screen and held up a fist as she crouched down. “There are a few chumps up ahead, we need to be careful, be quiet and stay behind me.” Twilight’s ears folded down as she slowly followed behind Anne as they walked against the wall of one of the two large buildings in the town. Being inside the main part of the town Twilight could now see in more detail the front of the largest building. Besides the large roller-coaster build into it’s back the building had a few large wooden signs with rusted metal rims holding the wood together, probably the only reason its still in one piece, and something odd about the signs is that they were in the shape of a buffalo with the words ‘BISON STEVE’ in curved flashy font. The building itself was a lifeless cracked gray with dirty and dark windows covering the whole face of the walls. To their right was a grouping of three buildings, all of which old and run down but the furthest one from the had in large yellow lettering reading ‘MOJAVE’ across the front and ‘EXPRESS’ on the side, both of them sticking out the top of the blocked building. A person was slumped at the bottom of the building wearing a set of dirty clothes and a tan satchel, blood from the bullet in his forehead dried up after it ran down his face and chest along with the splatter higher up the wall and the smear when he fell down. Across the road from the grouping of buildings was an off white casino with circular pillars built into the walls for esthetic purposes, a small ledge of sorts covering the walkway under it with defined windows all along the upper walls. The corner the two were approaching was cut out and the doors built into it were covered with old planks of wood and pallets. A sign with stylized lettering read the name of the casino. ‘VIKKI & VANCE’, one name above the other. Anne and Twilight slowly rounded the corner, the human at the front as Anne carefully stuck her head around the corner before bring it back. “I can see two of them; one leant up against the wall while the other’s pissing around the road, I’ll take them out but I need you to make sure no one sneaks up behind me.” Anne whispered as she un-holstered the sturdy caravan shotgun from her back. “I-I’ll try my best.” “Don’t worry, I’ll be doing most of the work.” She said with a reassuring smile which didn’t calm Twilight in the slightest. With almost expressionless ease Anne jump out from around the corner and trained her barrel at the man in the middle of the road, just walking back and forth with his varmint rifle across his back while kicking the at the gravel with the tip of his leather boot. With a quick twitch of her finger a 20 gauge shell went off and down the barrel of the shotgun and peppered the convict down the street with buck shot. “GAH!” He exclaimed as small holes opened up all over his body, falling backwards as he clutched his stomach which took the brunt of the damage. Just as the other convict who Anne jumped next to pulled up his 9mm pistol and pointed it at her Anne grabbed her arm and pushed it upwards, the gun pointing above her as it fired. With the shotgun still in her right she jammed the barrel to the man’s knee and fired the remaining shell. The leg from the knee down was blown away from the rest of the body, the now one legged convict falling down to his face and falling unconscious from all the damage done, the blood stump of his right leg still bleeding profusely. When he fell to the ground Anne grabbed her shotgun in both hands, bringing her right leg up before throwing back down, pushing the shotgun down on her knee for more force. The stomp landed accurately onto the downed convicts head, a sickening crunch rang out and his head slightly caved inwards. With a few more stomps the head was reduced into a thick and chunky lump of gray matter and bone, the rest of the body still twitching slightly. Anne turned her attention to the other person as she heard a pained grunt. He was slowly propping himself up with his rifle as he clutched at his gut, blood gushing from between his fingers and down his front. Running over to the injured man she pulled out the machete from her left hip as she kicked the rifle to the side, causing the convict to fall down to his side before rolling to his back, face contorted in pain. She spun the bladed weapon in her grip before thrusting it downwards, cutting through the low quality of the clothing her was wear and through his chest. The convict went limp on the blade as Anne pulled it out of his chest, a clean cut across where his spine would be located. Anne flicked the machete to the side a few time before wiping it on the dead convicts back to clean the blade, before sheathing it back at her side. The woman took a few deep breaths as she looked down to her shaking hands, trying to calm down as the adrenaline in her system wore off. With deep sigh she wiped off the light layer of blood from her armor. She walked back over to her shotgun and picked it back up, loaded fresh shells before putting it back onto her back. She turned around to see a vomiting Twilight, only small amounts of bile coming out from the emptying her stomach received earlier. “Princess, you alright.” She called, jogging her way over to the pony. Twilight’s answer was in the form of a gagging sound as she tried to throw up her empty belly. Anne kneed down next to her as Twilight and patted her on the back as she finished up. “You get it all out?” Anne asked. “As much as I think I could.” She said, coughing to clear her airways. Anne gave a soft smile. “Would you like anything to help get rid of the taste?” “I don’t think any of the water you gave me before would do much.” “I have other stuff you know.” Anne said, pulling of her pack and fishing around in it. “Wait, you had other drinks and yet you still gave me muddy water?” Twilight asked with mild irritation. “Well yes, but still no clean water, I can only offer you this.” Anne said, pulling out a brown glass bottle with a worn yellow label with the word ‘SUNSET’ visible on it. “It’s called Sarsaparilla, it’s a type of-“ “I know what Sarsaparilla is, we had it in Equestria.” Twilight said deadpan. “Well, would you like it or should I put it away for a rainy day.” Anne said, jingling the bottle in front of Twilight’s muzzle. Twilight’s glow of magic surrounded the glass bottle as she pulled it out of Anne’s hand before popping the cap off, the drink not making a fizzle from the years for it to lose it’s bubbles. Twilight brought the rim of the bottle to her nose before giving it a small sniff, trying to see if there was any, even if it was just a small amount, of mud in it while Anne just started to laugh at the caution. “Well I’m sorry if I don’t trust half the stuff you put in front of me.” Twilight said before taking a sip of the drink. The sweetness of the Sarsaparilla greeted her much to the relief of the pony, the sugar getting rid of the bad taste in her mouth from the repeating vomiting her experienced. She swallowed the mouth full and relished in the liquorish aftertaste. Twilight looked side to side as she didn’t see any bins around where she could put the bottle cap, bringing the drink back up to her mouth. Anne, without saying anything, plucked out the cap from midair and pocketed the cap in a pouch on the side of her bag. Twilight pulled the bottle away from her mouth. “Why did you just put that in your bag?” She asked. Anne thought about it before a massive grin entered her face. “That would be telling, but just give me any caps you might find, for now let’s just say I collect them.” As Twilight was drinking the Sarsaparilla Anne walked over to the guy leaning against the wall with the bullet in his skull, patting him over for anything useful. Finding a small paper note in one of his pockets. “HEY PRINCESS, I FOUND SOMETHIN!” She yelled. “What is it?” Twilight said, the empty bottle floating next to her as she tried to stay clear from the body. “It’s a note, maybe something important.” Anne said as she unfolded it, her slightly bloody fingers staining the paper. “Mojave Express delivery order four of six Instructions Deliver the package at the north entrance to the New Vegas Strip, by way of Freeside. An agent of the recipient will meet you at the checkpoint, take possession of the package, and pay for the delivery. Bring the payment to Johnson Nash at the Mojave Express agency in Primm. Bonus on completion: two hundred and fifty caps. Manifest This package contains: Two bracket the number two bracket, yea I don’t even know, oversized dice, composed of fuzzy material Contract Penalties You are an authorized agent of the Mojave Express Package until the delivery is complete and payment has been processed, contractually obligated to complete this transaction and materially responsible for any malfeasance or loss. Failure to deliver to the proper recipient may result in forfeiture of your advance and bonus, criminal charges, and slash or pursuit by mercenary reclamation teams. Mojave Express is not responsible for any injury or loss of life you experience as a result of said reclamation efforts.” Anne read out. “Why would he…” She hesitated as she looked at the body. “Be carrying fuzzy di? And why did he get k-killed in the first place?” “I don’t know, but it was definitely for the dice, I had to deliver something a lot like this and I was attacked for what I had.” Anne said, rubbing the tender scar above her eye. “Y-you were attacked?” “Of cause I was, is that so hard to believe? You were with me when I was shot not half an hour ago.” Anne said. “Were you carrying fuzzy dice as well?” The pony asked. “No, I had to carry a single platinum poker chip, and I know these are connected because this says delivery four of six, but mine said six of six.” Anne answered, rubbing her chin in thought. Anne stood up from her crouched position next to the body. “Come on, let’s go, we should try to find this Johnson Nash and see if we can find out two things.” Anne said, walking toward the Vikki and Vance casino. “And what are they.” Twilight said, following Anne and avoiding the headless body of the dead convict and staying even further from his leg. “Well one of them is to find out why I was carrying around a small gambling chip halfway across the Mojave.” The woman said, reaching for the door. “And the other?” “Well the other is to see if anyone’s still alive in this place.” Anne said, pushing open the door. A chorus of clicks was heard by the two. “Well that answers the second one.” Anne said, holding her hands up half-heartedly.