“Well then, it seems that you’ve done a lot of stuff while I’ve been out princess.” Anne said as the group of three walked along.
“I’m just glad that you’re okay and awake now, I was worried that something bad might happen.”
Anne couldn’t help but let out a small laugh at that. “Like die or something? Twilight, it is almost impossible to kill me, it’d take a nuke to make sure I was down.”
“How often are nukes used?” Twilight asked uncertainly.
“Well the technology that fires them has almost been lost to history, it’d take a crazy man to figure out how to set them off.”
Arriving at the Sorrow’s camp again they saw Daniel sat by a fire with a group of other Sorrows. Standing up he turned to the group. “I see that you are doing fine, are your injuries feeling okay?” He asked the metal clad woman.
“Yeah, thank you for patching me up, if you guys didn’t help me I might have not made it after that attack.” Anne said gratefully.
“No thank you needed, we do whatever we can to help people, even outsiders.” He said with a nod before turning to Twilight. “And I’m glad to see you’re still with us, how can I help you?”
“We checked on everything in the valley and got the map you were looking for.” Twilight stated.
“I appreciate it.” He said. “Well, that’s it, this is all we need. Now all that’s left is to quietly pack up and try to get out of here without being noticed. That’s assuming that Joshua won’t try to stop me. And that he hasn’t talked you into fighting the White Legs despite what I’ve said.” He said. “Don’t worry, I don’t hold it against you. You’re a… an outsider. Fighting seems like the practical solution. But there’s more at stake.”
Twilight looked at Anne uncertainly but the woman just shrugged. “I don’t mind either way, but we should help these people.”
Twilight nodded, looking back at Daniel. “Don’t worry, I think leaving here is the best option.” The pony said smiling gently.
“It may be. I hope it is. To tell the truth, if something goes wrong, more Sorrows could die in the escape than in Joshua’s proposed attack. Even knowing that, it’s a risk I have to take, with your help, and Joshua’s, even if we’re attacked we can defend the Sorrows and escape. We’ll be traveling at night in small groups, across the valley. With luck, the White Legs won’t know what’s happened until the next morning. But if the White Legs realize what’s happening…” he said trailing off slightly. “Joshua and I will need you to help to help us escape. Don’t hold back, I promise you, the White Legs won’t. Once our path is clear I’ll give you everything you need to get back to the Mojave, but the Pine Creek tunnel must be collapsed behind us. It’s the only way to delay the White Legs’ pursuit long enough for us to get a head start. Good luck, and may God be with us.”
After a few parting words with Joshua Cloud informs the duo that she needed to go to help her people prepare for the escape.
Joshua ran up to Twilight and Anne, water covering them from the running they had been doing in the rivers around Zion, each having small cuts and scratches from the White Legs.
“Daniel must have made it tunnel by now.” He said urgently. “But there are Sorrows all over the valley! We have to help them and get Daniel out of here.”
“Let’s hurry, we need to find them all before it’s too late.” Twilight said, the laser rifle in her hooves as she floated in place.
“Lead the way you two, I have no clue where we are.” Anne said holding a hunting rifle.
“They’ve taken over the Pine Creek bridge, we should take that back first.” The wrapped up man said.
“Then let’s go!”
It didn’t take long before they reached the bridge, a number of the hostile tribals stood on it. Some had .45 machine guns, others had rifles and a few had axes and other beating weapons.
“Twilight, you stay in the air and shoot from afar with your rifle. Joshua, you are on support and I’ll quickly get in there and draw their attention.” Anne said quietly, raking the bolt of her rifle to make sure it was loaded.
Twilight nodded, a few quick and powerful flaps of her wings shooting her into the air, laser rifle in her hooves as she presses the stock against her shoulder. From her vantage point she looked down to see Anne running forward as fast as she could, not even aiming before she started to fire shots off with Joshua hanging back a bit and aiming his shots.
Not waiting another moment Twilight looks down her weapon and aims for one of the Tribals with a rifle. With a few pulls of the trigger with her magic the red bolts of light flew through the air and impacted against the enemy
Twilight kept firing at any of the Tribals in her vision until all of them had fallen, either from beams of red laser or hot lead.
She could see Anne limping slowly towards one of the tribal’s corpse, Twilight looking at her annoyed as she realized her friend got herself shot before she had even healed from her last injuries, and on closer inspection she saw the woman yanking an axe out of her shin before dropping it to the side. She saw Anne reach into one of her pockets and starts jabbing herself with needles, two shots of Med-x and a stimpak to repair the damage that had been caused to her.
“You need to take better care of yourself!” Twilight yelled down at Anne as she slung her rifle over her back and flew herself down to meet up with her friend and the fully wrapped up man as he holstered his pistol onto his hip.
“Twilight, you should know by now that I’m about as careful with my wellbeing as you are with a tin can you kick on the side of the road.” Anne said as she slips out the two empty shells in her shotgun before clicking in two more.
Twilight walks up to Anne before jumping up, using her wings to float bout head height before bringing her hoof up. The woman was rewarded with a slap on the back of the head. And Anne would say that with hooves being almost nothing but bone it was like getting hit with a brick.
After complaining about a headache for the twenty minute jog through Zion and fighting a few pockets of resistance as well as helping any friendlies they came across as they were on their way towards the Pine Tree Tunnel.
The trio started to jog at a steady pace when they heard gunfire up ahead and the group was greeted with a large group of the Sorrow’s taking shots at a group of White Legs, each hidden behind rocks to cover themselves from the flying lead.
Running up to the rocks their allies were taking covering behind. “What’s going on? How many?!” Anne asked one of the Sorrow’s, having to shout over the gunfire.
Twilight and Joshua starts to lay down covering fire on the enemy position.
“Fifteen White Leg.” The Sorrow responds, the English extremely broken. “Salt-Upon-The-Wound dere.” He adds.
“That’s the White Legs’ leader.” The Burned man states as he slides another clip into his pistol before clinking the slide forward.
“They’re all about showing their better than everyone else right?” Anne asks, getting a confused look from Joshua and Twilight, or as confused as was visible from a man who had his whole face bandaged up besides his eyes and the bridge of is nose.
Before the woman got an answer she jumped to her feet out from cover, shooting her 10mm pistol up into the air to get attention, although with all the gunfire it didn’t do much other than confuse her friends and earn a bullet pinging off the shoulder armor.
But when the Sorrows along with the two extras stopped shooting in confusion of the woman’s plan it soon caught the attention of the White Legs as well, after another bullet sparked off against Anne’s shin.
“Salt-Upon-The-Wound! Show yourself or are you a coward!” Anne yelled out, dropping her pistol to the side along with her shotgun. When she had no more weapons she threw her arms to the side. “Come at me bro!” She challenged.
After a few moments a man stood up from behind the enemy cover. Bits of leather armor strapped to his body, his bare chest painted with red and white. His head was covered in an ornate headdress, lower jaw bone jutting out with metal covering his head with eyes painted on and feathers sticking out the back.
“Foolish outman! You best White Legs, you think? By my fist you die!” He yelled back, thumping his chest with his fist. On his other arm was something that confused Twilight.
It was a powerfist, a weapon with hydraulics built into it, amplifying the force of a punch to insane levels. Anne knew this and the danger it would pose in the hands of a good hand to hand fighter, but Twilight didn’t.
Anne didn’t let any fear show through her face, thumping her chest in return. “Fight me!” She yells, looking over to her allies. “Psst, can I have something to use?” She whispers urgently to them, holding out a hand.
After a few moments a small bowie knife was by her feet, quickly picking it up and held it at the ready.
The two slowly started to circle each other, waiting for the other to make the first move of attack. Anne went first, lunging her knife forward for a stab directly to the gut, through it was swiftly batted aside before Salt went for a right hook at Anne’s head.
She ducked down under the swing, not bothering to bring the knife back around and instead went out with a jab with her left fist, hitting him in the side. He barely seemed to acknowledge the hit before he brought his fist back, slamming it into Anne’s arm.
There was a loud sickening crack, the arm bending grotesquely and sending the woman reeling from the impact with a cry of pain. Anne could feel the bone shatter under her flesh, limb hanging limply by her side as she grit her teeth.
Twilight almost jumped out to help, but was stopped as Joshua grabbed the back of her collar, yanking her back. “You jump in now she’ll get cut down by the others.” He warned. Twilight understood, but was constantly twitching to go out and help her friend.
Anne staggered back but regained her footing, twisting the knife in her one good arm, her bad arm flopping about slightly as she tried to use it to get some Med-x, unable to use a stimpak or it would heal her bones in the messed up position they were currently in. After dropping one she managed to finally stab one into her leg, her body softening on the shaking it was doing.
Salt just laughed at the struggles of the woman, his men laughing a few moments later. “You weak!” He taunts, as if talking to a baby.
Anne didn’t say anything, dropping the used needle to the ground as she gripped the knife with a harder grip. “It’ll take more than that to take me out!” Anne yelled out, flipping the blade in her hands to point downwards.
Salt lunged again, going for a jab at the woman’s gut. Anne deftly dodges around the blow, slamming the blade in between gaps in the decorated powerfist, digging deeply into flesh and bone. The man barely registered it besides a yell of rage, swinging his other arm around to punch Anne in her shattered arm with his unarmed fist.
Anne staggers away in agony, letting go of the knife and leaving it jabbed in the arm of Salt. The man gripped the hilt of the knife, yanking it out with a grunt, blood leaking out of his arm and down the fist to the ground.
He lets out a roar of anger and flings the blade at the hurting woman, making her stagger back even more as it buries itself deep into her bad shoulder as she let out a small cry of pain. Yanking it out of her shoulder she threw it back at Salt, where it just impacted against his chest by the hilt, harmlessly falling to the sandy rock below.
Anne knew it probably wasn’t a good idea to throw her only weapon at her enemy, especially when that enemy had a weapon that if it hit her in the head or torso it would most likely kill her instantly if her powdered arm was anything to go by.
When he went for a wide swing towards her head she ducked under the blow, giving a hard punch to his gut before giving an uppercut to his helmeted head. That made him stagger back a bit, leaving him open to another gut punch to his bare stomach.
The force managed to hunch him over since Anne could barely feel anything in her non-broken hand with the painkillers in her system and the adrenaline in her blood. Shoving on the back of his head she brought up her metal clad knee to meet his head.
Both stumbled back, both in pain from the current fight.
Anne dove forward before he could fully regain his balance, even though she hadn’t either. Jerking the knife of her shoulder on the way she stabbed it forward, digging deeply into his stomach. Before he could react to the attack she pulled it out before stabbing it back into the torn flesh, blood spurting out to the dirt.
After a few more repeats of this action she stumbled back, the body of Salt collapsing to the ground with a meaty thud, pool of blood forming underneath him.
Anne turned to look at the other White Legs, seeing them looking at her and their dead leader in confusion and shock. “WHO’S NEXT!” Anne yelled out, waving around the bloody knife at the remaining enemies. Seeing a woman who had just killed your boss and covered in his bloody chunk flicked a switch in the tribal’s heads and they dropped their weapons before they ran in the opposite direction.
Anne waited for them to be out of sight before her arm dropped, knife clattering to the ground with a clatter. She looked back to her allies, seeing a concerned looking Twilight and glad looking tribals. “W-well, that problem I done.” She said with a weak chuckle, shuffling her way over to a rock before sitting herself down leaning against it with a wince of pain.
Twilight quickly made her way over to her friend, kneeling down next to her as she pulled a stimpak out of one of the pouches on her vest. “You are so stupid Anne!” She said through her teeth. “You’re lucky you’re hurt or I would slap you right now.”
“Could have been worse.” Anne said with a chuckle, reaching into a pocket and jabbing another needle of Med-x into her leg before dropping it to the side. “Could have been killed.”
“You’re lucky you weren’t.” The pony grumbled as Joshua approached, gently taking hold of Anne’s arm and moving it into a correct position before Twilight jammed the Stimpak into her arm.
After a groan of pain as her bone knit itself back together she stood up, glad the painkillers were in her system and make her feel better after the fight. “Let’s just get this all over with, I need a long, long lie down.”
“The last of my people are in the tunnel.” Daniel said as he looked at the old road that cut into the wall of the canyon. “I don’t think we would have been able to do it without you two, but we’ll need you to do one final thing. We just need you to close the tunnel behind her
“Eh, no worries, it’s not like we could just leave you guys to get killed by those savages.” Anne said with a shrug, Twilight giving a nod in agreement.
“Not many would have helped.” The man said, handing the woman a small handle with a trigger on it. “Once everyone has cleared out just pull that, it’ll collapse the entrance.”
Anne nodded, head turning towards two Sorrows who dropped a metal box in front of the two friends. “This is our thanks for your help, it has a map to get yourself back to the Mojave along with a few gifts from us.” He said with a point at the box.
Anne and Twilight stood back as they watched the people they had been helping for the last few days as they disappeared into the darkness of the tunnel. “They would be clear by now.” Anne said idly before pulling the trigger.
With loud bangs and cracks the rock above the tunnel broke loose of the cliff face and crumbled into a pile, blocking up the tunnel with several tons of stone, unable to move unless someone had a crane on standby.
“Well… should we get going?” Anne asks looking down at Twilight.
“You’re carrying the box.”
And so it was that the conflict between the New Canaanites and the White Legs was finally resolved. The Courier's involvement had tipped the scale, shifting the fragile balance of power.
After the White Legs drove the Sorrows from Zion, they celebrated by destroying all traces of the valley's former inhabitants. They appealed to the Legion for assimilation, but were denied. Their failure to eradicate the New Canaanites in Grand Staircase and farther up the Colorado had not gone unnoticed. The White Legs made a half-hearted effort to find the New Canaanites, but were driven off by Dead Horses trained in the ways of Joshua Graham. The White Legs lost all hope of joining the Legion and disintegrated into a number of petty raiding bands, leaving Zion Valley a polluted cistern.
Daniel succeeded in leading the Sorrows out of Zion, as he had wanted to do from the start. The Courier protected the Sorrows during the evacuation, ensuring that most reached their destination unharmed. Over the weeks and months to come, Daniel would see to the Sorrows' resettlement in Grand Staircase. Their adjustment to their new home was not without difficulty, but eventually the Sorrows came to accept the loss of Zion.
Having helped Daniel and the Sorrows escape from Zion, the Dead Horses returned to their home at Dead Horse Point. The tribe continued to learn from the New Canaanites, and over many years built a flourishing community along the banks of the Colorado. Though the tribes' bond would endure, it was Joshua Graham's legend the Dead Horses would revere, not the tenets of New Canaan's faith.
Already weakened by several seasons of bad trading, the Happy Trails Caravan Company was initially discouraged by the results of its expedition. The fate of New Canaan, and the evacuation of the Sorrows from Zion, made the prospect of trading seem fruitless. When Daniel told his family about the exploits of Happy Trails' employee, the Courier and the pony, however, New Canaan decided to repay the company's kindness. Twice per year, New Canaanites made the dangerous journey west to trade with the company in the city of New Reno. The Happy Trails Caravan Company could not survive on such trading alone, but the New Canaanite's generosity made tough times go easier.
After leading the Sorrows from their home in Zion to safety in Grand Staircase, Daniel continued to wonder if he'd made the right choice. He spent his life evangelizing the beliefs of his people to a new generation of young men and women, as his ancestors had for centuries before him. He was happy with his family, but for the rest of his life there were nights when he awoke with sadness to find he had been dreaming of Zion.
And with that, the Courier and her friend walked out of the history of the tribes of Zion and back to the gathering storm of the Mojave Wasteland.