From Hooves to Hands; the Dust Remains

Fluttershy woke up and began her usual morning routine. Brush teeth, comb hair, etc. Eventually she walked down stairs to make breakfast, she would shower and change afterword. Walking down stairs in only her nightie, if it was only her and angel who would see her?

As she reached the ground floor she felt as though she had forgotten something. Her thought's were interrupted by a light snoring. Walking closer to the origin point, the couch, she saw a man sprawled out without a shirt on it. Screaming loud enough to be heard in Canterlot she recoiled for a moment.

Walker jumped up and looked around afraid of an attack. Then he noticed Fluttershy on the other end of the couch. "Oh.. um are you alright?" That's when he noticed her apparel and looked away. "Ma'am.. you're um...clothing is a bit...um."

Looking down she realized what she was wearing and ran back upstairs. A few minutes later she came down in a green sweater and a yellow skirt with butterflies on the side. She walked into kitchen to start breakfast. "So..." She started trying to break the silence. "Will you be staying for breakfast?"

Standing to one side awkwardly he answered. "Um... if you'd have me I suppose. I'd hate to impose." He said.

She just smiled half halfheartedly. "Oh you wouldn't be imposing at all." She turned to look at him and then noticed all the scars adorning his chest, it seemed to many for a human to handle. "Oh my, where did you get all those scars?"

He just shrugged. "Some are from switchblades that bullies used in Vault 101, the rest are from four years of fighting. 3,000 miles from one side to the other and then some." He said leaning against the wall and letting his dog tags jangle a little.

"And the necklace?" She asked.

He held up his holo-tags. "I got them when I joined the brotherhood... they're all I have from D.C anymore..." He said looking down sadly.

She walked over and put a hand on his back in the same style Amata would when he stood up for her in the vault. "Would you like to talk about it?" Slowly he nodded no.

"I think I should be going... I'm sure I can find something to do. I'll see you later." He said walking into the living room and redressing in his gear.

Walking out he headed back into town to find Twilight and find some info on where he was exactly. When he entered the center of town a woman with grey hair and glasses pointed him out. "There he is!" Before he could respond crowd had formed around him. "You're the man who killed those bandits yesterday!" she said.

"Yeah what about it?" He said trying to get away from the crowd.

She just laughed at him. "We're here to thank you! As well as give you the reward." She said handing him a jingling bag. Grabbing it and looking in his eyes went wide. Gold, lots of gold. This equaled up to more caps than he could imagine.

Smiling dumbly he charged through the crowd to find a place to count this loot.

Fluttershy finished cleaning her cottage just as someone knocked on the door. Opening it she saw Walker dancing around with a dumb smile on his face as if the goofiest thing had just happened. "Oh hello Walker, did you leave something here?" She asked looking around.

"No, I just came to ask you to dinner. You cooked dinner for me last night and I just wanted to make it up to you." He said holding up the sack of bits.

She realized he was asking her to dinner. "Oh well I mean I couldn't... I was just being kind last night is all. You really don't have to do that." She stuttered out.

He just gave her a disapproving smirk. "I insist, you opened your kitchen and your home to me last night, least I could do is open my wallet for you." It did sound nice but she wasn't sure.

After a moment she agreed. "O-okay, but no place to expensive." She told him grabbing her purse from the table by the door. "I'm going out to dinner Angel." She called into the house.

"...and so I looked at him and said 'looks like you got something in your throat, me.'" Walker finished his story just as they finished dinner. Fluttershy gave a small giggle at him.

She may not care for violence but the silly humor he used in it made her giggle at the strange innuendos. "So I guess we should make our way home." She said after he paid the bill.

Standing he motioned for the door. Fallowing her to the door he felt to see if his helmet was still in the position he he left it, strapped to his belt.

As they exited and began the walk back to her cottage a few men stepped out of an alley, blocking their way. "Alright, so just give us your bits and you can be on your way." Said the largest of them.

Out of fear Fluttershy handed them her purse and cowered behind Walker, who just stood his ground against the men. "He said hand over your wallet." said one of the other bandits to his right.

Scoffing he reached behind him in his duster. Quickly he entered V.A.T.S and selected the men's heads. From behind him he pulled 'The Light Shining in Darkness' and took out the men.

Fluttershy looked shocked at the way he so easily killed the men. "Y-y-you killed them." She said.

He nodded and grabbed her purse, handing it back to her. "It had to be done, otherwise they'd have just kept harassing people." He said.

"B-bu-" She was cut off by Walker's finger on her lips.

"Fluttershy. These men were murderers, they've probably killed and stolen before. Me putting an end to them, stopped the blood shed they made. I didn't kill them, I merely sent them to be judged by a higher power." he told her.

Before he could react she fainted, catching her as quick as he could.

Fluttershy awoke to the feel of being carried. Opening her eyes she could see Walker's beard blocking her vision from seeing his face. Looking around she saw he was carrying her home, just up the road.

"Wh-what happened?" she asked him.

He was silent for a moment. "I...dealt with some crooks and you fainted." He said coldly. Looking over she saw he was almost to her home.

"I-i think I can walk the rest of the way." She said, blushing upon fully realizing he was carrying her and probably had been the whole way home. Slowly he released her to her feet and walked her to the door. "T-thank you for dinner."

Smiling warmly he waved it off. "Anytime, sorry about what I did." He apologized. He found it funny really, he hadn't acted like he had the last few days since being in the vault, let-a-lone apologize. "I should be going, I found a good place to camp on a hill nearby." And so he left.

Walker awoke to the lack of sunlight. Looking up he saw a woman standing above him. "You the one who's been hanging around Fluttershy lately?" She asked menacingly.

He just rolled over. Angrily she flipped him over with her foot. Quick as lightning he grabbed her foot, yanked it out from beneath her, and held his modified .45 to her face. "Never touch me again; or I'll blow your brains down this hill." She looked at him wide eyed for a moment. "Who are you?" he asked holstering his firearm.

"I'm Rainbow Dash. You're Walker right?" After having a pistol put to her face by a trained her mood was a bit different. He nodded yes. "Um... the girls sent me to talk to you since I'm closest to Shy."

He pulled some whiskey from his bag. "Talk about what?" He asked, taking a large swig from the bottle.

Rainbow couldn't believe he was drinking this early. "Um... we just don't want you to hurt her or anything. We know you guys are getting pretty close an-"

Walker just laughed at her. "Close? I barely know her. Shit I met her two days ago!"

Rainbow just gave him a weird look. "But you stayed the night at her house, and went out to dinner, and you carried her!"

More laughter fallowed. "I stayed at her house because she didn't want me to spend my first night here in the woods, I took her to dinner because she cooked me dinner, I carried her because after we were attacked by some bandits she fainted. Hehe... close." He laughed opening his bag and taking out a weapon repair kit.

Rainbow blushed slightly at the misunderstanding. "So there's nothing going on between you two?" There may be hope for the rest of us yet.

Without looking up he replied. "Nope, there hasn't been anything going on between me and anyone for a long time."

Rainbow shuffled her feet a little bit. "So... you're saying your available?" The girls had all agreed he was a fine looking man, just needed a bit of a shave.

With a hardly laugh he looked up at her. "I suppose, but who'd date a crazy man?" He asked.

She was about answer when Twilight came running up the hill. "Rainbow Dash, the princess is here to se- Oh hello Walker." She interrupted herself. "Um, the princess is actually here to see you." She said with a smile. These girls are wierd, he thought with a smirk.

Putting his things in his bag and grabbing his helmet he motioned for her to lead. "Let's get this over, I hate authority."