Chapter 27: Handsome Revelations
As the night was setting in Ponyville, a newfound stranger just so happened to arrive into town. He… didn’t look like most of the ponies that came through town, but something about this place didn’t settle right with him. It was too peaceful, too happy, too… everything. Of course, if the stories from the locals were to be believed, much has changed over the last few days after a handful of visitors just showed up one day. The town called them treasure hunters, some called them maniacs.
The stranger just saw them as one thing only. Bandits-
“Sir, here’s the pretzels you asked for,” A welcoming voice broke his train of thought. One of the ponies in the market just so happened to make fresh pretzels. And from one bite alone, he felt like he almost died again and returned to whatever this place called heaven.
“Finally, some good f*cking food,” he muttered, before realizing something, “Oh right, almost forgot. Here.”
The stranger tossed a few coins onto the counter, before looking back at the vendor. The unicorn behind the stand was baffled at this. “S-sir, are you sure-?”
“Don’t you have a tip jar or something, sweetheart?”
“H-how do you know my name?”
“Oh uh… I didn’t. It’s kind of a phrase I say sometimes,” the stranger replied, “Still, keep the change.” He then muttered under his breath, “Better in your filthy hands than mine.”
“I-if you say so,” she said, levitating the change into a spare jar, “I-if you don’t mind me asking, what’s your name?”
He couldn’t help but smirk as he looked back up at her, “My names-”
At that point, a long bang echoed throughout the entire town as it startled some of the residents. Yet, all the stranger did was just groan. “Sorry, Sweetheart, but it seems I have something to attend too,” he said, finishing the pretzel before dropping the bag into a trash can and trotting away, “God dammit, are we really doing this now? I know it has to happen at some point, but we’re way ahead of schedule-”
Then, from around a corner, he heard two disgustingly familiar voices from a nearby alley, “Axton?” The first was a delinquent. A miscreant, but talented with machines.
“Oh sh*t.” Came the voice from the second one. A former commando who sought glory that he believed was his. As the stranger continued to look, he noticed a third on the ground. A freedom fighter. Someone who, at one point, would be fighting against him.
Now, things were much different, “You have got to be kidding me-”
“Axton, what did you do!?!”
He knew that the third one wasn’t dead, but the sense of betrayal between friends was too good to pass up here. In one swift motion, he picked up a loose pipe that was on the ground and then approached the two. The commando, Axton… if he remembered correctly, didn’t even have the chance to speak as the stranger now revealed his face.
His handsome face.
“Congratulations Kiddos, you played yourselves.”
Before the first one could do anything, he struck the self proclaimed Mechromancer in the back of the head.
Immediately, Gaige’s eyes shot open as she was startled awake. As her eyes were beginning to adjust, the mechromancer didn’t find herself stranded in the alley where she had found Axton moments ago. Instead, it was in a place that was somewhat familiar to her, but only because she had stumbled in here once before.
“Luna? Luna, are you there?” Gaige called out into the dream she was in, only for it to fall silent as she grit her teeth, “No response huh? Dammit…”
As Gaige tried to move, the mechromancer realized that in the dream she was in, she wasn’t in the body of a pony anymore. Instead, she was her normal self. The dream itself was expansive, much like the wastelands of Pandora that she had grown accustomed to over the last few years. However, instead of an arid strip of land like the Dust or a town that was literally overlooked by its neighbors, it was an expansive forest. The trees were unsettlingly tall and anytime the mechromancer looked at them, she couldn’t shake the feeling that some ragged beast was going to pounce on her at any moment.
Yet, instead of beasts, Gaige heard something different. A distorted voice that, upon further inspection, was coming from her ECHO device.
“Even with my warning, it was not enough it seems…”
“Oh great, not this again,” She groaned, placing a hand over her face, “Look, I know that you’ve been snooping on my friends and dropping cryptic hints. Normally, I would just think you’re some kind of stalker on the ECHO.net, but I doubt that’s even the case now. Just who are you?”
“I don’t think my identity is necessary-”
“You warned me of a traitor in the midst earlier today and the last thing I saw was my friend standing over Roland’s body,” Gaige snapped, “Whoever the f*ck you are, it’s clear that you know something about what the hell is happening. If you want to help me, then we can’t hide anything from each other anymore. So, who are you?”
Her question was met by silence. But immediately, the environment around the mechromancer changed. The expansive forest was now rapidly shifting. Transforming into an enclosed space. But the more it changed, the more that it became recognizable to her. This was no ordinary place… it was one that she and her fellow vault hunters sought after on Pandora in order to try and take the vault key away from Handsome Jack. But in order to do that, they have to overcome an obstacle that even Jack did not want them to see.
Control Core Angel.
“I told you a long time ago that I was here to help you… and you helped me in more ways than I can imagine,” the voice spoke as an orb began to rise up and emerge from the ECHO device, “Yet, because of circumstances beyond even my own control, I’ve been denied peace. When I learned that you were here, I wanted to reach out, but it felt too soon. I did not know the whole story as to why this was happening. But after everything I’ve… no. Everything we’ve seen, I now know why.”
In a bright flash, everything went white. As Gaige tried to see what was happening, the small ball of light expanded. Then, when things died down, what she saw was the last thing she’d expected.
An angel… no. Angel herself was in front of her.
“Holy sh-,” Gaige cursed, “I-I… thought you were-”
“Dead?” she asked, only for her to nod, “I wish. That would be a more preferable alternative compared to… well, this.”
“What even is ‘this’?”
Angel signed, the siren's markings shimmering as she spoke, “Do you remember what exactly brought you and your friends here?”
“Well, duh. We were asked by that Discord guy to look into a vault that was on this planet and find the key to opening it. Why?”
“That is where things get complicated,” the siren admitted. “The vault is already open.”
“ … Excuse me?”
“The vault is already open,” Angel repeated, “And everything that’s been happening since your arrival has been orchestrated at the hands of its denizen: The Consular.”
“That’s… a new one,” The mechromancer folded her arms and began to ponder to herself, “Don’t the Eridians always make the names of whatever’s in the vaults sound… I don’t know, frightening? I mean, there was the Warrior and Lilith told us about the Destroyer.”
“The whole reason for the Vaults was to contain monsters and creatures that were far beyond the Eridian’s control. Some were made specifically for War. Others were to ‘wipe the slate clean’ if something grew far beyond the Eridian’s control. However, the Consular is different,” she says, “It’s a creature that was created by the Eridians to study and understand the afterlife. The passing of souls after someone dies. However, it has grown powerful enough to the point where it can not only control them, but bring back those whose lives were ended prematurely. Allowing their unfulfilled desires to be granted, but for a grave price.”
It took a while for Gaige to contemplate that as she looked at the siren. The whole thing sounded insane. But then again, there were things that she had encountered and witnessed with her own eyes that didn’t make much sense either. “So, you’re back… because-?”
“No… I was someone else’s desire,” she replied, “The same one who you had Lilith finish off after killing the Warrior.”
Immediately, that raised alarms in Gaige’s head. “Oh hell no. That jackass is back?!”
“I’m afraid so,” Angel begrudgingly said, “His desire was to see me again, and so I’m here. However, before you think that I’m spying on you again, there’s one thing you should know. While the Consular can grant someone’s desires, the form that the desire takes is never what the person who wished for it wanted to be. I’m here freely, and there are no chains on me. However, that’s not what you should be concerned with.”
“You’re telling me not to be concerned about-?!”
“No, I mean his desire involving me. He has two desires that went unfulfilled,” the siren said, “The first was to see me. The second… was to create his paradise. He was denied the opportunity to do so in Pandora, but he now has a chance to do it here.”
“Dammit, that just has things go from bad to worse,” the mechromancer muttered, “What about that price you mentioned earlier? What does that have to do with what’s going on?”
“For the Consular?” Angel’s question was followed by a nod from Gaige, before the siren answered, “In exchange for granting their desires, they unknowingly give up their free will. They don’t see it, but the Consular sees them as nothing more than puppets to obtain its goals.”
The more that the siren explained everything, the more that it was starting to give Gaige a headache. Yet, it was at that point that something dawned on her. Something she didn’t really question at first, but now with this information at hand, she had to ask about. “What about Roland? Is he…?”
“I’m afraid so,” Angel said, “However, his desires are the opposite of Jack’s. Both of them want to stop one another to obtain their goals. Yet, with the Consular in possession of their free will…”
“They’re forced to tolerate one another,” She interjected, “He’s not there by choice.”
“Exactly. Your friend, Axton I believe, caught wind of what was happening with Roland. However, given that his solutions are more… how would you put it?”
“Shoot first, ask later?”
“I was going to say ‘direct’ but that works,” the siren added, “However, doing so caused Jack to put in motion their plans rather early. Which leads us to right now.”
Gaige folded her arms, raising an eyebrow as she asked the first question that came to mind. “How early are we talking?”
“Early enough to where Jack had his forces storm through the town you’re in and kidnap anyone that could resist him. Including some of your Equestrian friends. However, some of them managed to escape.”
“And how many are we up against?”
Angel paused briefly, before she looked back at the mechromancer, “Think about it this way… the people that were allied with Jack that you killed to free Pandora got a second chance. That includes Wilhelm and the Sheriff of Lynchwood. Plus, with the Consular, he could have an armada of everyone you’ve killed back on Pandora ready to overwhelm you. You’d need an army to stop that.”
That remark just had a devilish grin appear on Gaige’s face. “I can get us an army.”
When she re-emerged from the dream, the mechromancer found herself in a place that wasn’t inside Twilight’s castle. As Gaige slowly began to come to her sense’s, she realized that a familiar face was speaking. When her vision cleared, she found that Starlight was in front of her. “Oh, thank Celestia, you’re awake.”
A groan of pain was enough for Gaige to express how she was feeling, before looking back at Starlight. From a single glance, she could recognize that a LOT of ponies from around town were now inside. Some had children that were crying, while others were hurt badly. “A-are you guys alright?”
“Are we alright?” Starlight blinked, “I was more worried about you. We found you unconscious and bleeding from the back of the head.”
“I… got jumped.”
“Really? Is that all?” Another voice asked, this time coming from a mare that Gaige only remembered briefly. Somepony named Trixie or something along those lines, “Well, I’m sure that’s minor compared to everything almost being torn to the-”
“Trixie, stop! That’s no way to-”
To the surprise of both of them, as well as everypony else in the room, Gaige just got up off the ground and walked out the door. “Gaige, wait! Where are you-?”
“I got a call to make.”
With that, the Mechromancer went outside and slammed the door behind her. Walking a safe way away from the castle, she felt a tingle in her metal arm, “You didn’t have to do that.”
Now, in her experience of Vault Hunting, Gaige had seen or dealt with a lot of weird things. Yet, having the voice of a siren that was supposed to be dead stuck inside her head was not one of them. “I know. I just… If we’re going to do this, then I don’t want any of them to get involved,” she glanced over at the ruined town that was Ponyville, some buildings either razed to the ground or halfway destroyed as she grabbed her ECHO device, “This is more than just about the Vault anymore. It’s about payback… and making sure that the dead stay buried. The last thing I want to do is have any more of them get hurt because of something involving us.”
A couple swipes on her ECHO device and about a few minutes of waiting later, the person she hoped to have got in contact with reached the other end of the line, “SUP, VAULT HUNTER!! THIS IS A RATHER UNEXPECTED SURPRISE-!!”
“Torgue, I know this is sudden, but I need to skip the pleasantries. Sh*t’s hit the fan down here and it’s bad,” The Mechromancer interjected, “Do you still have those leftover loader bots from your tournament?”
“OF COURSE! WHY, THEY’VE JUST BEEN SITTING HERE DOING F*CK KNOWS WHAT!? HOW MANY DO YOU NEED-?”
“All of them.”
While she was talking, the doors to the castle opened as Starlight trotted outside. She was going to talk with Gaige and see if she could get her to hear an apology from Trixie. Yet, as the unicorn got close, she began to pick up on the ongoing conversation. “ALL OF THEM!?! I HATE TO BE RUDE, BUT ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR F*CKING MIND-!!?”
“Torgue, we just had an army almost burn through this town to the ground like New Haven back on Pandora and kidnap all of my friends. I just want payback on the asshat that’s responsible,” the mechromancer snapped, “I want to show them that they’re screwed around with the wrong people and make them regret it.”
“CAN’T YOU JUST ASK THAT SCIENCE LADY-?”
“If I ask Tannis, it’ll take too damn long and make things too complicated. I want to hit them fast, hit them hard and even blow some sh*t up in the process. Something I know that you can’t really turn a blind eye to,” Gaige let out a deep groan as she looked back at the ECHO one more time. “Now, are you in or are you not?”
“... ALRIGHT, F*CK IT!! I KNOW I CAN’T SAY NO TO SOME GOOD EXPLOSIONS!! I’LL EVEN SEND SOME OTHER THINGS THAT THE GUYS AT R&D HAVE IN THE WORKS!! NOW, GO RESCUE THOSE OTHER BADASSES AND PUNCH SOME BAD GUYS IN THE DICK!!”
With that, Gaige put her ECHO device away and shifted her wrist. With the wristband that Discord had given her, she was now back in her normal human form. But before the Mechromancer did anything else, she just let out a sigh. “If you’re going to say something, then say it. I’m not in the mood for people to be sneaking around behind my back.”
“S-sorry,” Starlight said, “I-I was going to have Trixie apologize, but then I heard your call and… didn’t want to interrupt.”
“Seriously, there’s no need to apologize,” she insisted, “It’s just… Whatever came through here and did this was probably our fault. And given how he decided to just abduct every other vault hunter here, it falls on me to fix this.”
“Y-you know them?”
The mechromancer grit her teeth at that, “Unfortunately, yes… and him being here is supposed to be impossible.”
“Why-?”
“Because we killed him,” Gaige deadpanned, “He was a tyrant, a madman and just an all around asshole in every category. Worst part is, he probably has an army with him. So, before I go on a suicide mission, I’m going to need something to match tha-”
It was about then that Starlight asked something that had the Mechromancer stop talking, “Can I help?”
“You… want to help?” she asked, “I mean, I wouldn’t turn it down, but this is some very bloody business I’m getting into. Are you absolutely sure that-?”
“Gaige, you and your friends have done a lot already,” the unicorn retorted, “Some of us should do something to help you in turn. Besides, you’re talking about going in alone. If I remember correctly, we were playing a game earlier that relied a lot on teamwork. So, why don’t we try that here?”
While Starlight made a few valid points, it was still a lot for Gaige to even remotely consider. What she was asking from the Mechromancer was not just if she could simply lend a hoof. She was pretty much asking her to teach her how to be a vault hunter. Something like this wasn’t going to be easy and more than likely, she could end up hurting herself.
Still, it wouldn’t hurt to have someone other than Deathtrap watching her back. “Okay, but if we’re going to do this, then we are doing this like how we do things on Pandora. Which means, I’m going to need to teach you a few things if you hope to survive.”
“What things-?”
Just as she asked that, a giant pod crashed not that far from where Gaige and her were standing. As she looked through its contents, the mechromancer found what looked like a heavily modified DAHL pistol with a silver barrel and firm grip for the trigger. Some words in a language unfamiliar to her were engraved on the gun itself, but all Gaige did was examine it and then load it. “I’ll be asking Tannis for another ECHO device to make this easier. Though, in the meantime… you need target practice.”
After being gone for who knows how long, it felt good to be back in the saddle.
He thought that his dream was dead and gone the moment the Warrior had fallen and the mask that was on his face was burned off. But now, through an unexpected twist of fate, he had a second chance in a place that was his for the taking.
For now though, he was sitting in a chamber with someone who was once a threat… and was now somehow his ally in all of this, “So Roland, how does it feel to know that you had to turn on your friends without having a choice?”
“You know I don’t like this one second.” Roland growled at Jack. “If I had a chance to end this I would.” Only to have Jack laugh in his face.
“Like you had the chance to end me, but left your back unprotected?” he snickered, before folding his arms, “Face it. You Vault Hunters are always full of holes and blind spots. All we need to do is just hit the right one and you’re down on the ground like a pet skag waiting to be euthanized.”
Then, the one known as Handsome Jack just looked back at the vault hunter with an egotistical smile, “But that would just ruin all the fun. This time, I’m going to finish what I started… and make you watch helplessly as I do so. Just like with New Haven.”
“You son of a -” Roland began to growl out, only to grit his teeth and for Jack to shush him.
“Ah Ah Ah, Language. I would’ve thought that your time coming back from the dead was used to reform your character. Looks like I was wrong. You’re still the same child killer as ever.”
“Fine whatever.” Roland just gruffly said as he tried to pull his gun on Jack. Jack just simply smirked and shook his head. “If only I could end this right here and now.” He remembered that while Jack was right in front of him, he wasn’t allowed to harm him no matter how much he wanted to.
For the Consular would not allow it.
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Why do you refuse to respond to comments? Do you not know how? You respond to comments by moving your mouse over to the right-hand corner of the comment you want to reply to and clicking on the >> that appears.
11513569
Oh, we respond to comments and know how to. However, the thing is, we don't get too many comments here or we're otherwise occupied with things irl. We're not stuck at our computer 24/7
11483989
I would recommend checking the most recent update. Not everything is as it appears to be
effectively handsome jack "You and what army"
*explosions are heard as the torgue loader bots and whoever else joins appears*
that army
ooooooh crap
Oh really now?
Mr Torgue is the best
OK this sounds interesting I shall start it in the morning