Chapters In the wastelands of Pandora.
It was in the middle of the day. The sun was shining down, boiling the desert below. In the boiling heat lay 2 bodies, one a human, the other, a cyan pegasus pony. The pony slowly got to her hooves, and looked around.
"Where am I?" Said she, quietly. Looking around, she saw nothing but wast desert, sand corn after sand corn. It took her some time to see the other body. "What is that.." She poked it lightly, and not getting a response, she withdrew.
"I need to get outta here. The heat's killing me. Hopefully this thing'll be alright.." She muttered, as she took to the skies. She decided to follow the road, seeing as that'd be the fastest way to find a settlement. Though, she didn't really know what to expect.
As she flew, she noticed some animals down on the ground. Mainly Skags, but every once in a while she'd see a Scythid. Finally she reached Fyrestone, and landed close by the bus stop. As she turned towards the settlement, she was greeted by a robot.
"Hello! And welcome to Fyrestone! I am CL4P-TP, but you can call me Claptrap! Please accept this ECHO communication device and heads-up display provided free of charge by the Dahl corporation!" He said as he seemingly stared into space.
"Uhmm.. Are you alright?" Asked the cyan pegasus. Claptrap reacted by shaking his body a little.
"Whoops, sorry about that. Programmed into me. Anyways, let me just find this.." He said as he began shuffling through his little storage area. "Aha! Here we go. Try this on."
"Yeah, that'll be real easy.. How am I gonna grab that thing?"
"Oh, right."
"And besides, I didn't accept yet. Why do I need it? What for?"
"Well, do you want to survive?"
"... Yes?"
"Then you have no choice."
"Ugh, fine.." Dash said, defeated. Claptrap proceeded to put the ECHO Device on Dash, initializing the booting sequence. "Whoah, what the hell?"
"Don't panic, it's just booting." Claptrap answered. After a little while, he went stiff again. "Great! I detect that your ECHO device is fully functioning!"
"You're doing that thing again, Claptrap." Claptrap once again shook it off, and looked at Dash again.
"That should be the last time that happens.. Anyways, follow me please, I'll lead you into town."
Where am I? How'd I get here? Ugh.. My head.
I slowly staggered to my feet, still a little sleepy, and confused as to why I had been sleeping on.. Sand?
What in the hell?
"Strange.. Where the fu-" I noticed a sign. And it sends a chill through my body. "Welcome to Pandora, your final destination guaranteed" I mumbled. "Well, I'm fucked." I look around, seeing nothing but the vast nothingness.. Yet, there's a small dust cloud in the distance, moving.
A bus? Must be Marcus's bus. Maybe I'll survive after all.
As the bus slowly approached, so did a Skag, unseen. It jumped for me, from the other side of the road, and to my amusement and relief, got hit by the bus. It slowed to a halt a little past where I was standing, and the door opened. I ran for it, unsure if there were more Skags around, and I wasn't intending on finding out.
"Are you lost, my friend?" Asked Marcus as I stepped into the bus. It was heavily armored, looked like it could take a beating. Of course, it had to be able to on this god forsaken world.
"You could say that.. I woke up here."
"Woke up?" He said, chuckling in disbelief. "Yeah, good one. I bet the Skags just ignored you too?"
"Look at me for a second. Do I look like an adventurer? A soldier? Someone supposed to be on Pandora at all?" I answered. He looked me over, closely.
"Hmm. You're right. You don't look like an adventurer or anything special like that. Still doesn't answer how you got here" He said, obviously deep in thought. I let him be, and took a seat. The bus was empty, besides me. As I sat down, I thought about it as well.
How'd I get here? Why? Did I get here alone? Gah, so many unanswered questions. This bus is most likely headed for Fyrestone, I'll get off there and hopefully get a heads up display and a firearm.
With these thoughts, I decided to take a short nap.
"We're here, Fyrestone. Of course, I can always take you to New Haven if you prefer that?"
I was awake now. I had been for a few minutes. I had asked Marcus to stop in Fyrestone, I had a feeling that progressing from there would be the best idea.
"No thanks, Marcus. I'll see you in New Haven as soon as I get there. I'll see if I can help out around here in the meanwhile."
"Alright friend, stay safe, and remember to visit my shops every now and then!" He replied.
"I will, don't worry" I stepped out of the bus, into the open area that was the bus stop of Fyrestone. With a depot and a large open area, it looked more like a boss area then a bus area. Markus drove off towards New Haven, and I turned around.
Hmm. Where's Claptrap? Strange. Oh well. I'll get moving.. Need a gun.. If I remember correctly there's a gun crate on top of the depot.
I began climbing the depot, and after a few falls and scrapes, got up there. I looked around and a red crate caught my eye. "Gotcha." I walked over and opened it, to reveal 2 rifles and some ammo. "Ugh, without a HUD I can't see the stats.. Better bring both along." I grabbed the ammo and put it in my pockets, seeing as I had yet to get a bandolier or belt, and then both rifles, one in each hand, and began walking into town.
Walking into the town square, I noticed Claptrap doing his usual thing at the bounty board, dancing and other acts of randomness, and walked over. "Hey Claptrap"
"Hello, traveler! You seem to not yet be equipped with an ECHO device. Would you like one? They're free of charge!"
"That's pretty much the main reason I came in here in the first place.. Is Zed still around? " I asked, not so much to find out if he was here or not, but to get a general idea of where in the Borderlands timeline I was.
Claptrap, who was now holding an ECHO device in his left grabber, answered: "No, he moved to New Haven, seeing as he could actually set up shop there."
"I see.."
Alright. So this is after the defeat of Mad Max. That means the vault hunters are here, too. Good, I'd hate to hunt down all those bosses myself.
"But you might get trouble doing the same. A few hours ago there was this big portal storm, and I've been getting reports about Mad Mel's return, as well as Ninetoes and Sledge. I've also gotten reports about roars from Skagzilla's cave in the Dahl Headlands." Claptrap began, continuing on.
Oh fuck my life.
Of course, I knew all of the bosses from playing the game, and didn't really care much to get them all repeated to me, so I stopped listening. Instead, I equiped my HUD, and checked the stats on those 2 assault rifles.
"Not bad.." I looked to the other, a new hologram appearing. "Better rate of fire, better mag size.. But the rest is pretty bad. I'll go with the other, it's S&S too, they make some good rifles." I equipped the Sands and walked over to the gun store. Here, I sold off my other gun.
Now to get some money.. Let's see, if all the bosses have respawned, that'll mean most of the missions will open up again. I hope.
I went over to the bounty board where Claptrap was still rambling on about the portal storm, and checked it. Luck seemed to shine upon me, as several missions were available.
"Hey Claptrap, why were you not at the bus stop?" I asked, out of curiosity.
"A few minutes ago another traveler arrived. She should still be around, I think she said something about taking a nap and waking up..." He answered.
"Alright, thanks." I began my search. However, it wasn't as easy as I had hoped. Most of the huts were not able to be opened in game, however here, in the real world of Borderlands, they were. There was a lot of huts to go through, and all of them seemed empty.
Where is she, and more importantly, who? Can't be Lilith, seeing as the vault hunters are elsewhere.
Deciding to end my search for this woman, I decided to search for provisions. Food, and more importantly, water. Of course, water was easy enough, with the big water tower located in the middle of town. I found little food, but I did find something to start a fire with.
Guess I can try some Skag meat, the bandits seem to enjoy it.
However, it was getting dark, those quests would have to wait till tomorrow. I found a nice hut, and went to sleep.
That's the end of chapter 1, people. Hopefully you enjoyed, and please, leave a comment about what you liked and what you did not like. This is my first story, and I'm not a native English speaker. And 15 years old. But I digress.
I turned around to face the source of the sound. There he stood, sword drawn and Bloodwing sitting on his shoulder. He was thin and wore a mask, and you could see the barrel and stock of the sniper rifle on his back and a holstered pistol on his belt.
"Who are you?" He asked. It was clear that he was alert, but he knew that I was no bandit.
"A friend." I answered. I laughed a little in my thoughts.
I've always wanted to say that.
"How cliche. Why should I trust you?" He continued.
"Well, let's start with the fact I haven't shot you yet. And the fact that Claptrap isn't hiding in fear."
"Oh come on, Mordecai, give the guy a break! It's rare we find people who don't shoot us on sight." It came from Roland, who had just emerged from Doctor Zed's house. The first place I looked for the Skag. It was clear that they had arrived while I was searching. Roland was a soldier, however, he deserted to search for The Vault, an ancient portal, rumored to contain tonnes of treasure.
Mordecai sheathed his blade. "Alright, but only because we have the upper hand no matter what."
"Well, now that my friend doesn't have a blade aimed at ya, could you tell us a little about yourself? And more importantly, why you're here?" Roland asked. I couldn't blame him, it was only fair that I told them a little about myself.
"Well, my name's Casper and I have no damned idea how I got here."
"I had a feeling you didn't come here by yourself. You don't look like an adventurer, no offense." Roland said, laughing a little.
"I'm surprised he's still alive." Mordecai said, dryly.
"To be honest, so am I." I answered chuckling.
Alright. So, if the vault hunters are here I'm at least not completely fucked.
"Hey, Mordecai, what's taking Lilith and Brick so long?" Roland asked, confirming that all 4 of them were here.
"If I knew I would tell you."
Suddenly, the sound of something flying past could be heard. I looked up to see a faint rainbow trail.
What the.. Couldn't have been Bloodwing, that thing doesn't produce a rainbow trail.
No matter how hard I tried, I could only think of one thing..
Casper, get your mind out of the gutter, that's impossible. Yet.. I'm standing right here, on Pandora.
"What the hell was that?" Asked Roland, clearly shocked.
"Not often we see rainbows around here, that's for sure." Remarked Mordecai calmly.
Then the sound of a vehicle breaking could be heard.
"That's gotta be them." Roland said, quickly forgetting about the now gone rainbow. And while they had now turned their heads towards the entrance, I continued staring up, thinking.
"Yeah, it's gotta be. Bandits don't normally use the brakes." Mordecai said, oblivious to his own joke.
"Yeah, good point." Roland said chuckling.
And in walked Lilith and Brick, in all their glory. Lilith was a siren, with the ability to phasewalk, jumping into another dimension for a brief amount of time. Perfect for flanking attacks. And then there was Brick, the berserker, with fists of steel and a fondness of explosions. They provided a nice contrast to each other, Lilith with a SMG in her hand and Brick with a big barrel of 'Fuck you!' in one hand, carrying it like it was weightless. While Brick looked fine, it was clear that Lilith had taken a beating, with quite a few cuts and bruises.
"Woah, Lilith, you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine Roland. You don't have a spare medkit, by chance?"
"I sure do." Roland answered, and I, who had finally stopped looking up, gaped as a medkit materialized in his belt, ready to be used. He threw the kit to Lilith who quickly got to work.
"Casper, you look like you've seen a ghost. What's wrong?" Asked Roland, who had just turned to face me.
"That medkit just materialized in you belt.."
"Oh, that? That's just digistruct storage. Comes with your the ECHO HUD." He replied casually.
"Interesting."
"So, what happened out there, Brick? Did you piss off a few Skags too many?" Asked Mordecai.
"Well, you could say that." Answered Lilith. "Remember when that bandit runner rammed us off the road and immobilized the runner Brick and I were driving? Well, a dozen or so Skags had gathered around the nearest Catch-A-Ride and we had to fight our way through. Brick punched an Alpha Skag to death, it was really quite impressive."
"Doesn't explain why you looked like some sort of failed laboratory experiment." Roland cut in.
"Well, I got flanked by one of the really big ones, a 'Badass' as it were."
"And survived? You should consider yourself lucky!"
"Maybe I should."
Once again the sound of something flying could be heard, but this time it was Bloodwing. I looked confused at Mordecai.
"I asked him to find whatever made that rainbow trail."
"And only find, right?"
"Of course." Mordecai answered. Roland flinched.
"What is it Roland?" I asked.
"Nothing, except that I just got reminded of that one time where Bloodwing nearly pegged me to death..."
"Hey, that was an honest mistake! We had spent the whole day fighting Crimson Lance and then you come sneaking up to the campsite in the middle of the night!" Said Mordecai defensively. "You should just be happy that I didn't blow your head off.."
Suddenly, a blur whizzed past the 5 of us, leaving a rainbow trail, and this time followed in close pursuit by Bloodwing.
"Is that what you call 'Only finding', Mordecai?" I asked. I had noticed a few features on the blur, namely a rainbow tail and what looked like a cyan body.
It can only be her. Rainbow Dash. But how? Probably the same way I got here, which I'm still confused about.
Chapter 4: A Dashing Discovery
"I know who that is." I said. "Call your bird back, Mordecai."
"You're not the boss of me."
"No, and I know that. Now, will you please call it back?" I asked.
"Alright, alright. Bloodwing, get back here!"
After a few moments, Bloodwing landed gracefully on Mordecai's shoulder, however it continued to stare in the direction of which it came.
"So, mind telling us who that is?" Roland asked.
Here goes nothing..
"That was a Pegasus pony."
"You're kidding, right?" Said Lilith, the disbelief clear in her voice.
"I wish I were. And it's not just any Pegasus. It's one called 'Rainbow Dash' an-" Before I could finish I was interrupted by Roland, laughing like a madman.
"Rainbow Dash?" He said, still laughing. "That's ridiculous!"
"Just listen, okay? Anyways, as I was trying to explain, she's important to the world of which she came. Not to mention it would be a bad idea to get on her bad side."
"It's a pony, whats the worst that could happen?" Asked Mordecai.
"Well, it's a pony that can break the sound barrier."
"You've gotta be kidding.."
"Nope. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a Pegasus to track down. Care if I borrow Bloodwing for a while?"
At this point Mordecai was glaring at me.
"I still don't trust you. And I don't trust you enough to just give you Bloodwing like that."
"Alright. I understand. How long will you guys be in town?"
"Long enough." Answered Lilith.
"Good to know. I'll be back soon." And with those words, I left Fyrestone. As I approached the gate, I cocked my rifle, just to be on the safe side.
Alright. Let's see... It would seem as if the ECHO device acts on my thoughts. So here goes nothing.
And simple as that, Dash's rainbow trail was clear as day. "Awesome, it can intensify colors. That'll come in handy."
The trail was easy to follow, however it might not be that easy to reach Dash. After fighting my way through a few Skags, I arrived at an entrance. A small holographic sign turned on as I approached. "Skag Gully."
This is just perfect. I don't know if I have the equipment for this.. But that doesn't matter. Dash is there, and I doubt she's in a happy situation at the moment.
I ran through the small entrance, and arrived at the familiar staging area, with the ammo and medical vending machines. I paid them no mind, and continued through the arch that marked the exit, and stopped.
I may be fucked. But hot damn, this place looks awesome in reality.
I then noticed the rainbow trail.
Of course she had to fly up that cliff.. Wait.. That's where Scar's cave is!
To my delight the ramp up there was lowered. "Makes sense, only the baddies came back, but the progress didn't rewind." I whispered to myself.
A few dead Skags and some running later, I was at the ramp.
Here goes nothing.. Good thing i got a shield back in Fyrestone.
I walked slowly up, as to not exhaust myself. While I could shoot a gun, and hit a target, I was not in the best of shape. As I reached the top, I saw 3 things. First of all, Scar was pissed. Second, so was the 4 other Skags backing him up. And third, the trail ended.. At Rainbow Dash, who for some reason wasn't flying, but running from Scar.
I pointed my rifle at one of the Skags, but quickly flinched as Dash bucked it in the face.
I almost feel sorry for it. Almost.
I decided to take down Scar first, instead. He was the biggest threat, and a surprise attack on him was worth more than gold. I took aim, and fired. The bullet hit him square in his good eye, causing him to roar in pain, which I quickly utilized to my advantage and fire a volley of lead into his unarmored, gaping maw.
He was still going. However, he was blinded and wounded. I decided to focus on the other Skags.
Then he charged me.
Shit! I forgot about the fact he can still hear me!
I jumped out of the way, and watched as Scar ran off the cliff.
"A job well done.." I chuckled to myself. Taking my eyes off the cliff face, I turned to see Dash, exhausted in the middle of the arena like circle made by the surrounding cliffs. I got to my feet and walked over, keeping eyes and ears open for any stray Skags.
"You alright?" I asked, the adrenaline wearing off and the exhaustion catching up.
"Mostly, yeah.." She answered. "Thanks for that. I doubt I'd have survived that on my own."
"No need to thank me, just.. Well, just doing what I normally do, on a whole new level."
"Classical hero, always denying thanks.."
"Oh, so I'm a hero now? That's new." I said chuckling.
"How can you laugh? This place is anything but fun!"
"Maybe so. But I enjoy laughing."
"Reminds me of Pinkie Pie.." She whispered. "So, we going to get out of here or what?"
"Yup, no sense in staying, unless you want to fuck up more Skags.."
"Why would I want to do that??"
"To level up."
"What..?"
"Nevermind, I'll tell you later. Let's just get back to Fyrestone."
Without another word, Dash stood up and extended her wings. However, instead of taking off, she began inspecting her right wing, which had previously been hidden behind her body, from my point of view. It was clear that it was injured.
And of course I didn't bring a medkit..
"Guess I'll have to walk.." Said Dash, disappointment in her voice. "Wait, I never got your name. I'm Rainbow Dash! Fastest flyer in Equestria!" She continued, most of her usual cockiness regained.
"Name's Casper."
"Nice to meetcha!"
"Nice to meet you too."
Oh if only she knew how nice. This must be some kind of dream..
"Oh, I assure you this is no dream.."
Huh? Who the heck are you?
"You'll find out soon enough!" The voice in my head responded, laughing.
That voice.. I've heard it before..
"Let's get moving, Dash, this place is beginning to give me the creeps.."
And with that we left, however as we walked, we talked about our worlds. How we both were not from here. Of course, I knew most of the stuff she told me, but I had decided not to reveal anything, because I was unsure of what reaction I would get, but almost certain it would not be positive.
Chapter 5: Guardian Devil
A few minutes after the encounter with Scar, Dash and I were approaching Fyrestone once more.
"Hey, that's where that bird began following me!"
"Yup."
I can't wait to see the look on Mordecai's face..
"Oh, I'm sure you can't!"
You again.. Great.
"Awww, don't like me?"
I didn't say that. Or.. Think that. What do you want?
"Who said I wanted something? I just want to accompany you, is that so wrong?"
Well.. Kind of. I prefer a little privacy in here!
"I'm sure you do. Don't worry, I won't comment. Mostly, anyways."
Who are you?
"You forgot? Oh well, you'll find out eventually!"
"Are you okay..?" Asked Dash.
"Huh? Uh, yeah. Got lost in thought.."
I shook my head a little, and realized we were at Fyrestone's gate. I looked around, making sure there were no bandits or Skags around. Then I proceeded into Fyrestone, Dash following.
"Hey Mordecai, look who I found fighting Scar!" I said loudly.
"I'll be damned." Said Roland.
Mordecai said nothing. He just stood and stared at Dash.
"Getting creepy, dude.." Dash said, looking back at Mordecai.
"That thing fought Scar?" Asked Lilith. "I've seen a pony before.. But a winged pony capable of fighting Scar? That's.. New, to say the least."
"Uhm, I'm standing right here. And I'm not a 'thing'!"
I finally decided to join the laughter of Roland.
"A talking pony with wings.. And I thought I had seen everything." Mordecai finally got out.
"Anyways, anyone got a spare medkit?" I asked. "She hurt her wing in the fight."
"I have one." Brick responded, finally saying something.
"Thanks."
"Catch!"
Being unprepared, I of course didn't catch it. Instead, I picked it off the ground and dusted it off real quick.
"Bah. Never been a good catcher." I stated, before walking over to Dash.
"Out with the wing, Dash."
"I'm not a kid, I can take care of myself!"
"Alright. Good luck getting the bandage on with your hooves and mouth. I'll just stand over here, with my hands, and watch you fail epicly."
"Alright, I get it, jeez!" Dash groaned, as she extended her injured wing. I quickly got to work.
"Oh, I bet you're enjoying this." I groaned mentally.
Well, that's a bet you can't lose, seeing as you can read my damned thoughts..
"Good point, good point. What do I win?"
Nothing.
"That's no fun.."
"All done. It was just a cut, so you should be able to fly.. Just don't flap too fast, it's not magical sticky bandage. And you should have been able to fly before, too."
"Well, safety first and all that."
"Point taken. So, where are you guys going?" I asked the vault hunters.
"Well, we didn't come here for nothing. We're gonna take down Nine-toes. We were planning on taking care of Scar too, but you did a fine job of that." Roland said.
"And you should get going too."
Where?
"Sledge's Safehouse, of course!"
What!? No way, the damned Roid Rage Psycho is in there!
"Indeed he is. And so is Pinkie Pie.."
... Alright... Well, I've never been a why person, more of a why not person, and I don't see a reason not to check it out.
"Alright, I'm heading for Sledge's Safehouse."
"Why? And how do you know where that is?" Mordecai asked.
"ECHO HUD map. What else? Anyways, I have.. A feeling, that something important is there."
"Alright, have fun with your little adventure. And try not to get killed before the New-U system is up and running again..."
"I'll try." I responded.
"Well.. I think I'll follow Casper. Got nothing better to do." Dash said.
Phew. Good to have some company. Yet.. She needs a weapon... I have an idea.
Goodbyes were exchanged, and the vault hunters were on their way.
"Alright.. So, seeing as this thing works on thought..."
A few moments later, and I had a call going with Marcus.
"So, let me get this straight, you need a gun mount for a Pegasus pony?"
"Yup."
"Well.. I'll see what I can do. Stay in Fyrestone, I'll be there soon."
"How much'll it be?"
"Free of charge! If it means it can bear weapons, that gives me another customer!"
The comm channel closed.
"So what now?"
"Now we wait.."
"Ugh. Sounds boring."
"Yeah, but you do want a gun, don't you? You're not gonna last long without one, that's for sure."
"Good point.. Guess I can't argue with that."
And then we proceeded through the down to the bus station, and there we waited.
Damn.. This is gonna be some adventure. But really, isn't that what I've wanted? Maybe. But my life's at stake here, and I need to remember that.
"Aren't you just happy I brought you here?"
Wait.. You did? Then I'll guess you brought Dash and, if Pinkie, the rest of the girls too.
"Bingo, we have a winner!"
Gee, what do I win?
"Oh, I don't know. I'll have to think about that!"
Good for you.
5 minutes. 10 minutes. 30 minutes. Time passed slowly. Then, a few minutes later, the gate which leads out into the desert outside, opened. And in drove Marcus.
"Finally!" Said Dash. She had been flying around lazily, being careful not to flap too fast as I had told her, and was now landed close to the bus. I chucked and ran over.
"Hey Marcus!"
"Hey Casper, nice to see you again! I see you weren't lying. So, what's your name?"
"Name's Rainbow Dash. Nice to meet you, Marcus."
"Pleasure's all mine!" He laughed. "Anyways, let's see.. Yeah, it should fit.." He went back into the bus and came back out with a device. "Originally designed for Crazy Earls pet Skag! Though, it grew out of it in days.. Very weird."
"Won't it like, weight me down on the side it's mounted? How am I gonna fly with that thing??"
"Well, it's very lightweight metal. And it cooperates with your ECHO device, giving you both ammo indicator, aiming reticule, and a bunch of useful information! And it has a small counterweight that adjusts after the weight of the gun you mount."
"Sounds.. Advanced. Must have been difficult to make."
"Make? Haha, maybe. I bought it off of Hyperion. They said it was a failed experiment to use 'War Skags'. Long story short, the Skags rebelled and shot a bunch of staff."
"Auch."
A few minutes later, and it was mounted and calibrated. Marcus was off in a hurry, due to 'Not wanting to lose customers in New Haven' while he was out.
"Hmm.. Not bad, I'll get used to it." Dash said, rocking a little back and forth.
"Now, let's get a gun mounted.. If it cooperates with the ECHO Device, it should be able to mount guns directly from your storage.."
"Alright.. How do I store a gun?"
This is gonna take a while..
Chapter 6: Even Bandits Party
"Are you sure jumping that gap is a good idea? I could just open the gate from the other side.."
"No. I'm not letting you fight alone. Besides, it's not that big.. And the suspension in a Runner is good enough that I wont get injured, even if I miss the jump." I said, sounding less confident than I would like.
"Ugh, fine, but don't come crying to me if you break a few ribs."
I put the pedal to the metal, and approaching the ramp, I turned on the booster. With a large bump, the runner began climbing the ramp, still accelerating, and then took to the air.
It was a few hours since Dash finally learned to use her gun, at least decently, and even knowing that they were trying to kill her, she still had trouble shooting Skags and bandits alike. However, I did manage to convince her to eat something. Even though ponies are herbivores, I managed to get her to eat some roasted Skag meat. While it doesn't exactly tickle the taste buds, it's better than starving. The voice, which I had taken to calling my "Guardian Devil", had kept quiet.
I landed on the other side of the gap. It wasn't exactly graceful, but I didn't break any bones. Dash followed across shortly after, and began to hover next to the Runner.
"See? I told you I'd make it.." I said, still shaken up. I shook my head a little, but it only made it worse.
"Nice one. You made it look like you've done it before."
Oh the irony in that. Because I have. Just not.. Personally.
I looked around, recognizing the village to the south-west, infested with bandits, the road going west, infested with Skags, and the small road to the north, the road back to Fyrestone, and the way to the entrance to the Arid Hills, our destination. Recovering from my daze, I took the wheel and drove up to the Catch-A-Ride outside the entrance to Arid Hills. I dismounted and walked over to the small shed close by. Inside was Shep Sanders, a man who had dedicated his life to watching over the area.
"Hello, stranger. What brings you here?"
"If I told you, you'd call me crazy."
"Well, just know that you need to be careful out there. Arid Hills isn't a vacation spot."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Unlike the vault hunters, and much like Marcus, he didn't seem to care much for the Pegasus flying beside me. I waved goodbye to Shep, and began my trip to Arid Hills. The entrance was a sewer pipe. I paid it little mind, my clothes were dirty enough already. Dash didn't seem to care either, as she landed and followed me through.
I had gotten my hands on a sniper rifle. Got it off a bandit. It was decent, nothing to write home about, but good enough to be useful. Arid Hills were filled with long sight lines, so I was looking forward to putting it to good use.
We emerged from the pipe a few moments after entering. It wasn't as long as it might seem.
"Alright.. Ammo, check, guns, check, shields, check, a few medikits, check.. That should be the important stuff out of the way. You ready, Dash?"
"Yeah. I can take care of any Skags, seeing as they can't reach me when I'm flying."
"Yeah... About that.. Some of these Skags use spit as a weapon. Trust me, it's more dangerous than it sounds, and it's got a decent range. So, you'll have to dodge around a bit."
"How do you know all this stuff? Not that I'm complaining, I would hate to have Skag spit all over me."
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, and it's a long story. Perhaps I can tell you later, but let's not waste time now."
"Alright, alright, just remember you're not the boss of me!"
The entrance area had a small tented shelter with a few vending machines, and a split path, 1 being a high road, and the other a low. Both were connected to the next area, so it mattered little what road you took.
I chose the high road. There was a small plateau, perfect for sniping. I'd just have to trust Dash with keeping the Skags off my back, seeing as the path there was outside my line of sight. Skags are surprisingly smart.
I got set up, and upon placing my first shot in the mouth of a yawning Skag, Dash flew in. She kept her distance from the ground, even if there wasn't spit yet, Skags have incredibly long tongues. Luckily for me, Dash was able to distract the Skags, which were new emerging from their dens in waves. But after I had placed a few more good shots, the Skags got tired of me, and a few of them stopped their meaningless tongue-lashing at Dash and set in a sprint for me. I noticed it, got out my rifle, and turned around. As soon as the Skags ran around the corner they entered a sea of lead.
Meanwhile, Dash had gotten control of the flock, and were picking them off one by one. By the time I was in position to snipe again, they were all dead.
"That was.. Easier than I had expected.. We make a good team, Dash."
"One of them nearly hit me with that spit of theirs.." She replied.
"Oh, whoops, didn't get all the spitters I guess." I said with a short chuckle. "Anyways, let's get a move on. I'd hate to be out here when it gets dark. Then again, the Pandoran day cycle is over 90 hours.. So we have some time."
Time we didn't need. As we proceeded into Arid Hills, we came upon the first bandit camp. Empty. The second bandit camp. Empty too. The third camp, outside of the safehouse, was empty as well.
"This is curious.. Where's all the bandits..?"
"Maybe the Skags ate 'em." Dash said jokingly.
I couldn't help but chuckle at the thought. "Unlikely, but funny."
I briefly brought up my ECHO menu. Level 4, and nearing level 5, the level I'd be getting my action skill, which was still unknown to me. We also found a weapons crate, containing a shotgun and a better rifle for Dash. I took the shotgun, seeing as it wouldn't be very useful for Dash, flying around.
Then we entered the safehouse. I had a feeling that the camps were empty due to the bandits going here. Yet, the first half the complex was empty, and most of the second half. But nearing the final chamber, we could hear.. Music.
"What the hell.. Music?" I asked no-one in particular.
"I can hear it too.."
"Ah, good, so I'm not getting insane."
Once we could finally see into the chamber, we saw dancing bandits.
Alright, what in the name of all that is holy is going on here?
"You'll find out. Don't worry, I strongly doubt they're in a hostile mood right now. How could they be?"
I walked in, Dash walking beside me, just as confused, if not more. There was a lot of party decor, contrasting strongly with the dark walls and floors. In the middle, where the mine key used to be, there was now a DJ stand with a Psycho rocking out. The music was surprisingly decent, too.
"DASH! Oh my gosh, I'm so happy you're here! Sorry for not inviting you, but I didn't know you were here too!" It came from the pink pony that had suddenly materialized out of nowhere.
Of course.. I should have guessed.
"And now we're here!" Pinkie finished in her usual cheery voice, after having explained everything that had happened since she arrived.
"So.. You hugged them into submission?" Asked Dash.
"Yup!"
"Wow. That's.. I don't think there's a word for it." I said. I knew Pinkie was random, but this was pushing it.
"Random?" Dash tried.
"That'll have to do."
Wait what. Pinkie's level 10? How the hell...
"Pinkie, how can you already be at level 10??"
She simply replied with a shrug.
"Ugh, doesn't matter. Well, are you ready to get going, Pinkie?" I asked.
"Ooo, where are we going?"
"We need to find the rest of the girls, Pinkie. If you're here, and I'm here, then they're probably on Pandora too." Dash replied.
"Okey dokey loki!"
We traveled back through Arid Hills. The bandits were keeping the party going, so the only threat was Skags, and no dens were in out path. After a few minutes of walking we were back at the entrance.
Wait.. Dash can fly and I can drive. But what about Pinkie, and later, the rest of the girls? This is going to be real slow and dangerous on foot and hoof.. Well, it wouldn't surprise me if Pinkie could somehow drive, but I still doubt it..
As I was thinking, someone called me on the ECHO. I quickly accepted.
"Yeah?"
"Hey, this is Scooter! I heard about you and the pony, and seeing as I had some time on my hands, I made a small modification to the runners! Sending you the schematic now. And don't worry, the Catch-A-Ride will automatically detect it. I'll be seeing you in New Haven, alright?"
"Dude, Scooter, this is perfect timing. I appreciate it. And you can count on me visiting soon!"
We talked a little more, and said our goodbyes. I then ran over to the Catch-A-Ride and activated it.
There it was, the modified runner. It was a simple change, the 2 seating spaces had been expanded a little, allowing creatures like ponies to sit in it. There was another change, though. One not visible. The runner had been modified to link with the driver and gunner's ECHO devices, allowing them to aim, drive and shoot with simple thoughts.
"Seems like everything is going your way today!"
Indeed.
"You seem so much more comfortable compared to when I first contacted you, too."
Well, you can't really do any harm in here.
"Maybe not. Well, your next stop is the Circle Of Death! I wish you good luck."
I decided that I could trust him. He was the reason we found Pinkie, and he had yet to deceive me.
We went south, back to the fork from earlier, and proceeded west. For some reason, the Skags had gone back into their dens. Even the sentries.
"Weird.." I thought out loud.
Despite this, we stopped and headed into the cave which contained the Circle Of Death. Rade Zayben, the owner, stared at Dash and Pinkie as we approached.
"Hey, we'd like to do a round." I said.
"We? You bringing your pets?"
"Hey! We're not pets!" Dash said angrily.
"Oh, It's you! News spread surprisingly quick on this planet. Please, be my guests!"
After checking our weapons, we went in. Pinkie had a shotgun, which she carried and fired from her mouth.
The gate closed behind us. But instead of Skags coming from the small containment areas, they simply opened to reveal empty insides.
"That can't be good."
Before I could think of a reason, Skags began streaming en masse from the open containment areas, and quickly surrounded us. The 3 of us were back to back, guns aimed at the Skags. They had yet to attack, but a few of them were showing signs of aggression.
"Why aren't we shooting yet?" Asked Dash.
"Because, we have no chance of killing this many Skags. Perhaps by not shooting, they wont attack.."
As if to prove me wrong, some of the Skags began moving towards us. Slowly.
"I don't think it's working, Casper." Said Pinkie.
"I can see that. I got nothing. This is bad."
"Wait, I have an idea! I can use my action skill!" Pinkie said.
"That might work. Depends on what it is."
"Well, where do you think I got the party supplies?" She asked as she summoned her party cannon out of seemingly thin air.
You've gotta be fucking kidding.
"Alright. Do it."
Then all hell broke loose. Pinkie fired the party cannon and took out a chunk of Skags in the general direction it was aimed. Dash took to the air, and I ran for the newly opened hole in the circle. It was a death sentence to be surrounded. After firing a few more volleys from the party cannon and having it disappear just as fast as it appeared, Pinkie switched back to her shotgun and began firing. Dash tried and failed to lure some of the Skags away, and had decided to just shoot everything that wasn't me or Pinkie. As I took aim with my rifle, a pink and yellow blur zoomed into the arena.
"STOOOOP!"
Everyone stopped. The Skag that had nearly bitten off one of Pinkie's legs had stopped inches away and was now starring intently at the yellow Pegasus.
In soviet Pandora, pony finds you. Not that I'm complaining!
"Fluttershy! How'd you find us?" Asked Dash, who was now hovering by Fluttershy.
"Well.. I wasn't far away, and heard a very familiar sound. So I went to investigate.."
"Oh, lemme guess! the familiar sound you heard was the party cannon?" Pinkie asked.
"Yes. It did sound like that."
The Skags that had been knocked out by the party cannon were now waking up again. They did nothing, but join the rest of the Skags in staring at Fluttershy.
"Now, will you please leave my friends alone?" She asked the Skags. Most of them complied, and those who didn't, quickly fled when they received The Stare.
Only now, after the sea of Skags had left, did Fluttershy notice me.
"Oh, who's that?" She asked.
"That's Casper. Don't worry, he's cool. Saved me from being eaten a few hours ago.."
"Oh my.."
Seems like he helped me again..
"Hi Fluttershy, nice to meet you." I said. I made sure not to rush over there. She was already showing signs of extreme anxiety.
"Uhm.. Hi.." She said, barely loud enough for me to hear. This was going to take some time.
"Oh don't worry, she'll get over it."
Alright, where to next?
"That's a good question. I don't know."
How could you know about Pinkie and Fluttershy, but not the rest?
"Call it lucky. You already know the important locations. Use that knowledge."
Ugh, fine.
Chapter 2: Worlds Collide
I woke up to a growling sound.
Ugh, what is that? Probably.. Oh wait, still on Pandora.. Right. So that'd be a Skag.
I grabbed my assault rifle and slowly walked out of the tent. To my surprise, by the time I was outside the Skag was laying unconscious on the ground.
What the hell... Probably that girl from yesterday.. Strange. It doesn't look dead, though.
I walked over to it and crouched down.
Yup, still alive. Hmm.. I wonder.. Crazy Earl has a pet Skag. Might be a good idea to see if I can get this guy on my side.
I looked around, searching for whoever had attacked the Skag. Claptrap was doing his usual thing, the bounty board was blinking red, indicating that I still hadn't completed any quests. "Weird.. Who is this girl, a ninja?"
"Ninja? Who's a ninja? I don't see any ninjas. Though, I did see who knocked out that Skag." The voice was Claptrap's. I looked back at him.
"Alright.. Who?" I asked him, thinking that I might finally get an answer.
"That Pegasus mare that arrived a while before you." Claptrap answered, like it was the most normal thing in the world.
"A Pegasus? You've gotta be kidding.. Where'd she go?" I asked eagerly.
"She said something about 'Finding a way home' and flew off. The Skag was apparently the last straw."
"Damn it, just my luck. Which way did she fly?"
"Same way she arrived, into the wasteland. I'll give her a few minutes before she's back here, because she's not gonna find anything out there. She didn't even bother to follow the road!"
That's probably all I'm going to get out of him. Now, that Skag.. I should see if TK can give me some of his food, that should help.
Bringing up my HUD Menu, I navigated to the 'Assignments' page, and selected TK's quest as my currently active assignment. I began the short trip. It was relatively peaceful, as I managed to avoid the bandits. However I did have to kill a few Skags. It was worth it though, as I saw the XP bar in the HUD slowly fill up, and failed to notice my ammo falling.
I approached TK's home, being careful not to seem sneaky. TK was blind as a wall, but his aim was not to be underestimated.
"Who are you!?" TK asked, understandably.
"My name's Casper. And I'm here to help you out."
"Who said I needed help?"
"The bounty board.."
"Oh yeah. Well, what're ya waiting for? Make yourself useful. My supplies are running low, so if you could kill a few Skags for me, and bring them here, that'd be great."
"You got a deal, that is, if I can get to keep some of the meat."
"Sure thing, that'd only be fair."
"I'll be getting to work then."
With that I left to hunt for some Skag. Wasn't easy, and the fact that I was still level 1 due to the missing introduction quests made it all that much more harder.
It's interesting how Dahl designed this.. I guess it's an easy way to give field promotions. It'll be interesting when I reach level 5, and unlock my action skill. Mostly due to the fact I have no idea what it will be.
I continued to babble in my mind as I dragged the third Skag of the hunt to TK's house. "That should be it, TK."
"Thanks for the help, stranger. So, how do you want the meat?"
"Raw."
"Raw? Why would you want raw meat?" TK asked, interested.
"Trying to tame a Skag."
"Tame a Skag? Good luck with that. Just be careful that it doesn't bite off your arm!"
I began my trip back to Fyrestone. As I left, a message popped up on my HUD. 'Congratulations on reaching level 2!' laughed to myself, and took the same road as before. A few more Skags had surfaced, but I managed to sneak past.
I reached Fyrestone. The Skag was gone. I searched around, finding nothing. That's when I heard the sound of a blade unsheathing.
