From Hooves to Hands; the Dust Remains

Walker awoke to something soft at his side. Opening his eyes and looking over revealed none other than Fluttershy beside him.

Silently he tried to move away without waking her but failed to realize that he was holding her hand. "The gentle, accidental, pull stirred her from her slumber. Cracking open her eyes and smiling sweetly she moved ever so closer to him... for about five seconds.

Fully opening her eyes she looked at Walker. "Oh... um, Walker... why are w-we... um... we didn't... you know did we?"  She stuttered out softly, a bright blush making its self known on her cheeks.

Sitting up and cracking his back he looked up at the sky. "I don't think we did since we're both fully clothed," Oh, stupid Fluttershy. Of course you're fully clothed. she mentally scolded herself. "But we did fall asleep together it seems; sorry."

She gave him a curious look. "Why are you apologizing? I was the one who showed up yesterday evening."

Shrugging he looked around, as if the answer was somewhere around the campsite. "I just woke up beside a girl I've barely know three days. It felt the right thing to do." Slowly he got up and walked around the three, only to come back a moment later in his thick combat armor.

"W-well I should probably get going. Angel's probably worried sick." She said standing and running in the direction of her cottage. Watching her go he almost didn't notice the signature behind him. Turning he pulled his .45 quickly and aimed at the incoming life form.

Standing at the end of his barrel was the over excitable girl from the previous day. "I-I just wanted to tell you your party is this evening." She said with wide eyes.

Holstering the side arm he waved her off. It was time to go hunting.

Walker sat atop a ridge in the middle of the forest looking down a small clearing. He'd been hunting before, usually man hunts, but Big horns weren't very good game.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see a small animal with antlers jump out of the foliage and into the clearing. Sighting in his Sniper Rifle he aimed for the head, usually this wouldn't be his aiming point but with a new creature he usually liked to experiment.

His grip on the handle tightened, his finger moved from it's position above the trigger to the trigger. He felt the breeze blow across the ridge, finding the areas not completely covered by armor and cooling him below the thick duster. Exhaling the breath he was holding he began to pull on the trigger.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!

Before he pulled the trigger a series of shotgun blast came from the right and ripped the deer to pieces. Re-sighting he saw a group of men emerge from the woods, the man in front holding a shotgun. Two had Chinese Assualt Rifles, the third wielding a 9mm pistol, and the last holding an Assault Carbine.

Aiming at the lead man he shot a hole clean through his head. Putting his rifle back in his bag he made his way down toward the group.

Pulling his broad machete he made for the man in the rear with the assault carbine. From one side of the bushes he jumped out and tackled him into the parallel bushes. The man tried to struggle for the few seconds before his throat was slit, side from side.

Leaving the body he continued through the bushes. Standing for a moment he launched the machete like a spear at the man with the pistol. It pierced his heart and made him fall into the bushes without a sound, the leaves cushioning his bloody fall.

Next he came up behind one of the assault rifle wielders. Grabbing him he threw him onto the ground and silenced him with a strong boot to the Adams-apple. Pulling his .45 he rested the silencer against the last mans head.

"Who are you?" He asked the man.

The man chuckled at him. "We were hunters, before you killed most of us, murderer." If the man thought the words affected Walker he was wrong.

Aiming for the back of his leg Walker put a round into the mans calf. Screaming in pain he fell to one knee. "Hunters don't carry military weaponry and wear body armor. Who are you?"

Screaming he answered. "W-we were mercs. Guy who ran some bandits in the area hired us." To persuade some more information out of him, Walker put his boot on the entry point of the round now in the mans leg. "Ahhh! H-he said he wanted us to kill the man who killed his guys! Paid us good money! 1000 bits each when the job was done!"

Putting the barrel back against the mans head he removed his foot from the wound. "Should have gotten that up front." He pulled the trigger, splattering brain matter on himself and the ground.

Walking over and grabbing his machete he made for the animal he was going to kill.

Kneeling beside the animal he saw it was still roughly breathing. "I'm sorry those monsters did this to you. An animal should never be killed unless for a propose higher than just killing." He said, gently petting it's side. With a deep exhale he pulled up his broad machete and stabbed it through the head, a clean and quick end to its suffering.

Fluttershy sat in her garden tending to the plants and animals there. She had just finished feeding her pets when she looked up to see Walker exit the forest covered in blood. Jumping up she ran over to him. "Walker! Are you okay? Whose blood is this?" She asked noticing no wounds on his person.

Holding up a hand to stop her questions he walked by her. Standing by the waters edge he gently dipped the blade of his broad machete into it. Holding a shaky hand over the blade he seemed lost in concentration. "For salvation through blood and life in battle." He whispered faintly as the water washed the blood from his blade.

Sheathing the blade he walked back over to Fluttershy. "I was hunting in the woods when, as I was about to bag a deer, a group of men with rifles and armor came from the woods. I dealt with the men and learned that they were hired by the leader of those bandits I killed to find and kill me."

Her eyes went wide at his words. "Y-you mean..." She trailed off as if the words were to much for her to bear.

"I'll have to ponder it all later, tonight apparently there's a party for me." He said with a warm smile. "So if you're coming I'll see you there, but I think I should head back to my camp.

"Actually I think I forgot my Picnic basket there so... um... w-would y-you mind if I joined you?" With a smile he nodded and began to lead on to the camp.

As they came close they noticed someone at the top of the hill. "Applejack? What are you doing here?" Fluttershy asked.

The farm girl smiled. "The others asked me to come get Walker and take him to the spa fer a scrubbin'." She looked at Walker with a devious grin.

Walker walked through the door out of the room where the two women with pink and blue hair (respectively) had just washed him. "That was bullshit." were his only words.

Walking out in the bathrobe they had given him he looked for his armor; it wasn't where he left it. Stumbling around the room he couldn't seem to find it anywhere.

Out of a side room appeared Rarity. "Here darling; I took the liberty of cleaning these filthy things for you."  She said throwing him his armor.

Behind her stood Rainbow Dash with a large box in her hands. "And we took these and got them cleaned at the town gunsmith!" Sitting the box down and opening it revealed his pistols, sparkling like new.

Grabbing the modified .45 he looked down on it. The steel had been cleaned and brushed, the wooden grip was polished, and the sights had been re-molded. On the side of the slide was a symbol all to familiar.

"Where'd you find this symbol?" He asked pointing to the obvious Brotherhood insignia on the side.

Rainbow looked closer at it. "The gunsmith put it on there, said he heard a story about you and figured you'd like it." I'll have to find this gunsmith later. He thought.

Redressing quickly and holstering his weapons he followed them to the party. Entering the strange building that smelled like sweets he heard a quick beat along with synthesizers and a snare. "What the fuck is that dreadful noise?!"