Queen Of The Wasteland

by Jest

Can you Find it in Your Heart Part 2

Twilight sipped her drink slowly and deliberately, doing her best not to accidentally crush the glass she was using. When her water was gone, and she was left with an empty cup, the deathclaw gently placed it back on the table. She then looked around, noting that the bar was relatively empty despite the number of soldiers who had visited.

Gawkers, talkers, and just about everyone stationed at the base had made their way through over the last few hours. A couple spoke to Twilight, most simply stared from a respectable distance, a hand hovering over their side arm. Twilight did her best to remain polite, and amicable, but even her patience had begun to wear.

Thankfully the soldier’s curisiosity died before that could happen, leaving Twilight alone with Janey and the bartender. Who had traded shifts with a young woman that had swiftly grown used to Twilight’s presence. Without Cass to talk to there was very little for Twilight to do save for sit on the floor and occasionally distract herself with a beverage.

The water wasn't pleasant however, and the booze hadn't been strong enough to give her more than a short buzz. Even that feeling had faded rapidly however, giving Twilight the impression it would take a significant effort to get her drunk. Not like she cared much about drinking, though it did feel oddly disappointing for some reason.

“I think the storm’s passed,” Janey remarked.

Twilight glanced at the woman and frowned. The courier had gotten a little tipsy, and though she had since mostly recovered, she still hadn't quite done so completely. Turning her attention to the window, Twilight peered out into the wasteland, scanning the horizon.

No storm, no wind, nor even a speck of airborne dust could be spotted for some distance. As Twilight watched, this fact didn't change, prompting the deathclaw to turn expectantly to her companion.

“Do you wish to clear out the ants tonight?” Twilight asked, gently tapping her question out on the bar.

“That would be nice. I’d also like to go check in with Nipton as well so we can head straight through to novac in the morning,” Janey replied, tossing back the last of her water and grimacing. “That’s foul. Do you have any clean stuff left?”

The bartender blinked. “Err no. I’m afraid your friend here drank the last of it.”

“Sorry about that,” Twilight replied.

“Its fine. Let's just go get this done so we can move on,” Janey exclaimed, rising from her seat.

Twilight hastily followed after her companion, clambering from the ground and walking over to the door. What few patrons still left gave her a wide, respectful berth, their hands remaining on the table and not straying to their weapons. Though there were still a few guarded expressions they were in the minority, bringing a smile to Twilight’s face.

I knew that just getting to talk to me would help. Twilight triumphantly thought to herself.

Together the deathclaw and the courier strode out into the wasteland once more, with Janey taking the lead. With her right hand resting on the butt of her pistol, Janey all but sprinted out of the outpost and back onto the road. Her pace remained quick until at long last she stood amidst the rusted cars which rested upon the broken highway.

“Ahh. You smell that princess? That's what freedom smells like,” Janey exclaimed.

Twilight merely rolled her eyes, and pointed towards the pass further up the road.

“Yeah yeah, I haven't forgotten why we were here,” Janey replied, waving a hand in the air. “Just let me enjoy this okay.”

Twilight ignored her companion and continued to walk in the direction of their objective. Following along just west of the road, Twilight was joined a moment later by Janey. With the butt of her pistol held tight in her grip, Janey took position to Twilight's left.

“Looks like we got a bit of a feeding frenzy,” Janey remarked, gesturing to a spot further to the west.

Following Janey’s gesture, Twilight narrowed her eyes, and found that Janey was correct. A small horde of rad scorpions had descended upon their fallen friends and were devouring them. With pincer and jaws alike they tore through their deceased allies, consuming nearly every last part of them.

Twilight stuck out her tongue in disgust.

“Hey, at least that means we won't have to deal with too many of the things. The ants are going to be bad enough after all,” Janey exclaimed.

The deathclaw frowned, but said nothing, merely continuing to walk on as she watched the horde. Sure enough, the creatures didn't even flinch as the dou passed within a dozen feet of their position. A few of the smaller ones too weak to earn a peice of the prize did turn to them, but the sight of a deathclaw was enough to make them rethink a potential attack. Without the support of their larger allies they were no match for the towering death lizard, a fact so obvious even the overgrown insect knew it.

Neither human nor deathclaw dropped their guard completely however, maintaining a steady vigil on the radscoprions. Until they were far enough away that the insects were little more than a discolored smear on the otherwise brown landscape.

By then they could see the underpass they had been told about, as well as the ants which had moved into the area. Numbering about twenty or so, most of the group seemed to be patrolling their new territory. The others were clustered around a central point just behind a burned out semi on the right side of the road.

Vehicles were thankfully few and far between, with all of them having rusted out to the point that they werent likely to explode. A danger Twilight had only just barely been informed about from Janey only a few hours earlier.

It was a fairly simple mission in Twilight’s mind, as the road was fairly narrow, with the only obstacles being the destroyed cars. Other than that there were the walls of the overpass themselves as well as the collapsed bridge which used to go over the highway. Thankfully there was very little debris left from the collapse, with the majority having been deposited on one side.

“I’ll take position on top of the right overpass and fire down on the ants,” Janey remarked, pointing to the spot. “Once I start shooting I want you to hit them from the side and grab their attention.”

Twilight snorted. Another plan where I am the one in danger and Janey is completely safe.

“I’ll put a few mines on my six in order to keep any other reinforcements off of me,” Janey continued, ignoring Twilight’s annoyed expression. “So if you hear any explosions then know that your support will likely be cut off for a bit while I deal with them.”

Twilight grunted her consent to the plan.

“Great. Just hold on a minute while I get set up,” Janey replied.

The woman immediately crouched down low and began to sneak off to the right, giving the ants a wide berth.

Leaving Twilight to sit there quietly, and watch as the ants moved around the underpass. Left with little else to do but think, Twilight tried to come up with some kind of plan to help her in the attack. Which was difficult to do as she barely knew how to fight to begin with and had merely relied on the fact that she was way stronger then her foes.

The former pony’s musings fell away the second she heard the distinct pop of Janey’s weapon. A sound which was followed an instant later by an ant’s head exploding into a fountain of gore.

“Here we go,” Twilight muttered to herself.

Sure enough, the mass of ants immediately began to surge towards the target, making their way around the sides of the ramp. They didn't make it far before Twilight entered the fray, with the deathclaw bellowing a challenge to the insects. After confirming that she had their attention, Twilight charged forward, arms spread wide, claws extended.

The ants took note of their newest foe and quickly arrayed themselves in front of the deathclaw. Their primitive formation didn't survive for long, as a trio of shots took down the central most ant. The insects didn't pause to grieve their former friend though, and continued to skitter at Twilight with all the speed they could muster.

Upon meeting her foes, Twilight slashed wildly with her claws, accidentally blinding the first enemy and removing one of its legs. The wolf sized ant recoiled, releasing a screech of pain as foul blood poured from its open wounds. Its fellows wasted no time in attacking, clubbing Twilight’s arm, side, and right leg in a flurry of blows.

The pain was significant but not debilitating, due in large part to Twilight’s thick hide which absorbed the majority of the attacks. Turning towards her next enemy, Twilight did her best to aim at its head in order to end it quickly, but her strike went wide. A sudden headbutt to her midsection had sent her off course, causing her to slice off another limb rather than a head.

A growl spilled from Twilight’s lipless maw, and she had to resist the urge to give in to her new instincts. Instead, she focused herself on simply defeating the small horde which had surrounded her. Another swipe removed the top half of an ant’s skull, and the follow up lopped off a pair of legs.

The ants never let up though, continuing to batter Twilight from all sides while the deathclaw lashed out at them. This continued until a strange sense of organization overcame the mass of insects, and they shifted suddenly. A moment later and a pair of pincers clamped down on Twilight’s leg just as two of the ants battered their thick heads against the deathclaw’s torso.

Twilight knew immediately that they were trying to bowl her over, and flicked her tail at the enemy grabbing her. The whiplike appendage carved a deep wound in the ant’s face, driving it back but not killing it outright. Its friends were not quite so lucky, as Twilight grabbed the first one and threw it into the second with a twist of her body.

The scrabbling pile of tangled limbs never managed to untangle themselves however, as they both exploded a second later. Twilight had barely even seen the grenade fly from Janey’s position, and the deathclaw made a note to thank the courier later. Right at that moment she had more ants to kill, and soon too, as they had suroudned her once again.

A stomp crushed the head of one ant who had gotten a bit too close, and a slash bisected a larger one. Their numbers never seemed to decrease however, with the ones behind pulling away their dead allies before piling on. By then Twilight had started to get the hang of things however, and was able to dodge the majority of attacks.

The smaller creatures barely even hurt her, so she ignored them for the most part, leaivng only the larger ants to worry about. These were few and far between, giving Twilight plenty of space to out maneuver them using her superior intellect. Stepping atop one of the dog sized ants, Twilight put two of the bear sized insects in each other’s way, leading to a short scuffle.

While they were distracted Twilight leapt forward, and brought her claws down on the first one’s torso. Her strikes hit true, and the ant’s midsection was torn apart, splitting it in half. The ant gurgled, and twitched a few times before being swarmed over by his former allies.

Twilight didn't bat an eye at this however, and continued to chop away while staying in constant motion. This last part, Twilight realized, was the most important aspect of her fight as it meant that they couldn't organize as well. It also meant that Twilight was able to stay ahead of the insect’s attempt at encirclement.

That was until Twilight heard the sound of an explosion, and the support fire she had been expecting, stopped. In that instant Twilight realized just how much Janey had been assisting her, as the crush of ants closed in almost immediately. All of Twilight’s agility meant little when compared to the sheer number of foes pressing in around her.

She didn't give in to fear or rage though, merely continuing to slice, chop, stomp and punch at her foes. Her confidence wavered only briefly when a few of the smaller ants had tried to tackle her but that was dealt with quickly. A mighty throw sent several of them running, and Twilight immediately leapt atop the final larger ant, ramming her claws through its face.

Now coated in a solid layer of ant viscera, and suroudned only by minor enemies, Twilight began to consider helping Janey. Only for a burst of fire to come from nowhere, and cause her psyche to be subsumed by a far darker entity. The moment fire crawled across the deathclaw’s skin a switch in their mind was flipped, and the entity backpedaled rapidly.

What few small ants remained were either crushed in its escape, or were ignored, their attacks too weak to make note of. Only after having put some distance between itself and the ants did the deathclaw try to search for the source of the fiery assault. Which was revelaed a moment later when a dark red ant emerged from the burning, screaming mass that had been its allies.

The creature was the largest Twilight had seen so far, and not only that but it was feircer too. It didn't even seem to care about the allies it had accidentally roasted, and crawled over their bodies without pause. The insect continued towards Twilight, mandibles clacking, and mouth raised towards the deathclaw.

Whose first instinct was to simply rush back in and crush its newest enemy, but something held it back. Some minor spark of intelligence, or perhaps remnant of Twilight’s psyche warned that such a course of action was not the most effective one. So the deathclaw continued to backpedal, its gaze searching for something to use in order to defeat its newest foe.

Spotting a large concrete divider, the deathclaw sprinted over to it, and wrapped its claws around both sides. The lizard’s numerous shallow wounds burned as the deathclaw pulled the divider from the ground and hefted it over its head. Despite the screaming agony of its muscles, and the blood she could feel oozing from several cuts or burns, the scaled beast pressed on.

With a mighty heave, it threw the triangle shaped hunk of concrete at the ant, aiming for its center of mass. The insect attempted to dodge, but was unable to avoid the attack completely, the hunk of stone crushing half of its legs and part of its body.

The creature shrieked, and spasmed, but still remained upright despite the massive injury it had just received. Worse still, it seemed ready to emit another blast of fire, and had yet to do so only because the deathclaw was still out of range.

Seeing this opening, the deathclaw allowed its instincts to consume it, blood pumping hard through its veins. Its vision swam red, its muscles bulged, and the scaled monster sprinted towards the target of its rage. Inadvertently putting it directly in the path of the eruption of fire which shot from the ant’s mouth.

Flames crackled hungrily as they sought the deathclaw’s elusive flesh, leaping towards the charging creature.

The great lizard would not be burned again however, and it swerved suddenly to the right. The ant could not follow fast enough, nor could it turn its body in order to keep tracking its target. It tried anyway, though by then the deathclaw had already closed the distance and was ready to end the fight.

And it aimed to do just that, with a sweep of the deathclaw’s hands cutting numerous deep gouges in the ant’s midsection. It didn't stop at just one swipe however, and the lizard rained blows on its foe until it had rended the insect completely apart. It didn't stop there however, and it reached down, gripping the ant’s twitching head before pulling it from its body.

With a mighty roar, the deathclaw claimed victory over the foes which had arrayed themselves against it. The deatchlaw didn't celebrate for long however, its gaze sweeping over the battlefield after only a moment of jubilation. Finding that there were no more enemies left to kill, its mind fell away, and Twilight returned to find herself triumphant.

“What happened?” she muttered, looking around.

Uncomfortable memories pressed against her mind, but the former pony was swift to dismiss them. She was not a monster, only monsters did such horrible things.

I am not a monster. Twilight repeatedly thought to herself, eyes shut tight.

Eventually, when her heart stopped thundering in her ears, and her instincts no longer yearned for blood, Twilight opened her eyes. She then looked over to find that Janey was walking down the ramp behind her, pistol held slack in her right hand.

“Is that all of them?” shouted the courier.

Twilight nodded.

“Good,” Janey muttered, only to pause. “Wait, why is there so much fire? I didn't use any molotovs.”

Twilight pointed to the red ant, and mimed the action of spitting fire from her mouth.

“It just spat fire…” Janey paused, and raised her weapon. “Let's put that on the back burner right now. I think we got bigger problems.”

Twilight followed her companion’s gaze over to the freshly dug hole in the ground that sat next to the rusted semi.

So that's where their back up was coming from. Twilight reasoned.

Author's Note:

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Comments

[Ausbrony]

Urrggh, fire ants SUCK! I know your pain all too well Twiley.

[proverbs]

Achievement Unlocked
15G- Ant meet Boot

Clear the underpass of Ants

[Sun Dial]

I love the use of the abominations being scared of fire being used here, so continuously and reminding just how much fire is in the game. Chefs kiss

[44burn]

“That would be nice. I’d also like to go check in with Nipton as well so we can head straight through to novac in the morning,” Janey replied, tossing back the last of her water and grimacing. “That’s foul. Do you have any clean stuff left?”

I never understood this. It can't be that hard to build a basic or even primitive condensation water purification setup.

I've been meaning to say this for a while but Janey needs to up her arsenal at some point. I don't think her pistol will have the penetration needed going forward.