Fallout New Vegas: A New Road

Bon Bon was only able to remain with the human for another hour or so, and by then her eyelids had become too heavy for her to ignore.

She yawned her goodbyes as she wandered off back towards the town itself.

“Remember…” she said tiredly, stifling another yawn, “Lyra and I would love to have you!”

He didn’t give her a proper answer back, just nodding and waving.

Now though he was alone, sitting on the bench and enjoying the night slowly bleeding away from him.

He never slept, just waited some more.

Waiting for hours on end was an impressive skill he’d mastered by now though.

After a while, the sun slowly began to rise into the sky, and he stood up as it turned the blackness of night into a pale blue of the early morning. He then made his way towards Sweet Apple Acres, with the wind picking up and sending his coat billowing behind him as he went.

The human soon entered into the orchard proper, travelling down the trail towards their quaint rural home.

Inside said farmhouse the Apples and their plus one awoke, getting ready for the day.

“Now Scoot,” yawned Apple Bloom as the two fillies sat at the kitchen table, “I know yer all excited fer Six an’ all, but don’t distract him too much, alright? He will be helpin’ us work the fields, after all.”

“Right, I’m sure he’ll help you get everything finished up in no time!” the excited filly said with a smirk, before taking a bite of cereal, she continued with a full mouth. “An’ then, wea’ll b’able to hang o’t aw’ll day!”

Apple Bloom just rolled her eyes at her friend talking through a bite of the sugary flakes, but she soon smirked.

Soon enough, Applejack trotted into the kitchen, adjusting her hat with a forehoof as she did.

“Ya’ll are up mighty early,” she smirked. “Not often yer up before me, Apple Bloom.”

“Because ya don’t have to deal with a human-obsessed pegasus wakin’ ya up extra early,” huffed the farmfilly, bags under her eyes.

“Sorry,” squeaked Scootaloo with a blush.

“Well, Scootaloo, would ya like to chip in an’ help us?” Applejack offered. “Big Mac’s a bit tired after havin’ ta handle most of that order yesterday by himself, so I’m sure he wouldn’t mind ya helpin' us lighten the load.”

“You mean I can work with Six?” the filly asked with an excited shout, her little wings buzzing around in joy.

“Ya weren’t kiddin’ when ya said human-obsessed,” Applejack looked to her sister and raised an eyebrow.

“Told ya,” Apple Bloom said, resting her chin on a forehoof in a tired manner.

“Well, I suppose ya could help him, but yer gonna have to not let yerself get distracted,” Applejack explained.

Scootaloo nodded, before giving a serious face and saluting.

“Yes ma’am! I’ll be the best farmhoof you can get!” she said, as if she were a soldier addressing a general.

“That’s the spirit!” Applejack chuckled good-naturedly at the excited filly’s display.

A little while later, Big Mac entered into the kitchen with a tired gait, and after he and Applejack quickly cooked themselves up a meal, the Apples and Scootaloo were outside, looking over the fields.

“Alright, today’s gonna be a lot easier than the last few on ya, Big Mac,” assured Applejack with a smirk.

She then turned to Scootaloo and explained.

“Now listen, this is gonna be a basic round up of apples in the east orchard,” she said down to the little filly. “Think ya can handle it?”

“You know it!” she shouted with a smirk, before looking past Applejack.

Her eyes widened as she saw him leaning up against the front wall of the barn, waiting by the door.

Immediately the little filly practically disappeared in a cloud of smoke as she zoomed over at him with shocking speeds.

Six’s senses were dulled from lack of sleep, so he only turned just in time to see an orange blur slam into his thigh, wrapping around it and giving him a vice-like hug.

“Woah, woah, what the hell!” he grunted, looking down and trying to pry off the small pegasus.

"It’s so great to finally see you again!” she squeaked.

“Kid, it was like a day at best,” he grunted.

“I know but you were hurt then!” Scoots said. “Now that you’re back to normal, everything is awesome again!”

“Yeah, awesome or whatever, can you let go now?” he huffed, managing to shove his hand down between the filly and his thigh.

The filly blushed as she hopped back, landing on all fours.

“Sorry,” she said in embarrassment.

“What are you doing here anyways?” he asked, dusting his pants off.

“I had a sleepover with Apple Bloom!” she explained.

“Gee, I wonder why,” he rolled his eyes, needing only one guess as to Scoots’ sudden interest in staying with the Apples.

“Come on, I’m not just gonna stand around and talk all day, I’m gonna help you too!” she explained.

He just sighed as Applejack opened up the barn getting a large wagon and several buckets ready.

“Alright ya’ll, let’s hop to it!” she shouted as she hitched the wagon to her back.

From there, the five of them strolled into the fields proper and broke off into two groups.

Given the Apples worked most effectively together, Big Mac, Applejack, and Apple Bloom obviously were one unit. This of course left the Courier and Scootaloo together to handle their portion of the harvest as a duo.

The little pegasus took bucket duty, making sure to line up several of the large containers around the base of the tree. Despite her small size and weaker frame compared to an earth pony like Apple Bloom, the athletic filly was able to do an effective, speedy job.

The Courier’s shoulders received their workout of smashing into numerous apple trees, all the while Scootaloo watched on, impressed at his display. While he wasn’t exactly able to punch through trees and logs like a certain quick-moving pegasus, the human’s physique allowed him to knock down several buckets-worth of apples in only a few shoulder-slams.

“So cool,” she beamed, wide-eyed at him as he shook a tree with a harsh tackle.

He stepped back and popped his shoulder joint with a grunt before turning to her.

“You gonna just stand there all day, or you gonna help me move these freaking buckets?” he asked before he picked one up.

“O-oh, right!” she nodded, before rushing over and carefully balancing one onto her back.

Six walked ahead towards a nearby cart and sat his bucket down into it. Scoots also brought hers over and he hoisted it up and onto the cart as well.

For her part, she was a good help, seeming to just bask in the Courier’s presence as he worked the trees. He was able to fell most of the apples with just a few blows, making decent pace.

The Apples obviously worked faster and more effectively, and as the day stretched on, the five of them were able to finish up a good portion of the harvest in a decent time.

After a few hours, the Apples took a quick break on a hill nearby. Of course, they got a few delicious treats and drinks courtesy of Sugar Belle, who was always happy to help where possible.

The three siblings looked down at the human and pegasus they worked at the remaining trees, getting close to being done by now.

“Ya know Big Mac, yer right,” Applejack said, wiping her brow under her hat with a forehoof. “He is a pretty good help after all.”

“Eeeyup,” smirked her older brother back.

“It’s been a good while since I’ve seen Scootaloo this happy,” chimed in Apple Bloom. “He’s almost like the uncle she never had.”

“Some uncle,” chuckled the older farmpony.

They watched as Six and Scootaloo loaded up one final batch of apples and soon enough the human began dragging the cart back towards the barn to store the harvested crops away.

“If he cut back on his swears an’ minded his manners, he’d be a real stand-up fella,” Applejack said as she watched the two make their way through the orchards below.

Scootaloo bounced along beside him as he drug along the cart. The three couldn’t hear her from their vantage, but they could tell the two were talking. Even with only his body language, they could tell he was no doubt a bit annoyed by the little filly’s barrage of words.

The Courier placed the filled cart inside the barn and took a moment to rest, leaning against the red-painted outer wall once more.

“You alright?” Scootaloo asked, though she herself was soaking with sweat.

“Fine,” he huffed tiredly, before shaking his head, trying to wake himself back up. “It’s nothing.”

She looked at him with uncertainty as the rest of the Apple family crested a nearby hill and soon approached with their own cart.

“Well now, Six, ya did pretty well fer yerself!” complimented Applejack as she put the second cart into the barn. “That should be enough to sell for the next day or so! So yer free from havin' ta come back tomorrow!”

“Yeah,” he nodded, his voice sounding drained. “It was nothing.”

“Well, jus’ give me a sec an’ I’ll get yer bits!” she smirked, leaving the tired human alone with his tiny pegasus companion.

“Alright now I’m starting to worry about you again,” Scoots said with a frown.

“I’m fine,” he repeated.

“I don’t know why you don’t just take a nap or something,” she pointed out.

“I’m alright, I will later,” he huffed.

“Alright,” she squeaked simply, though she still held an air of worry about her.

The pegasus shuffled there in an awkward silence for a bit before Applejack soon came back out of the house with Six’s payment for the day.

He took it and gave the mare a nod, putting it back into one of his satchels.

“Well, ya helped us get through that harvest ahead of schedule,” she complimented, looking up at him with a smile.

“I’m shocked you don’t have more workers, these fields are huge,” he said, looking out at the orchard.

“Sometimes we do, but it seems everypony’s just got their own jobs ta work,” she admitted.

The Courier nodded silently, as if he was thinking about something.

“Ya know, Sugar Belle’s still got some leftover fritters and juice, ya want any?” she asked.

Six almost said yes, as his stomach hadn’t had much to work with recently.

“I don’t know, Granny Smith said you guys were low on funds, I figure you’d need all the foo-”

“We live in an orchard, Six,” she huffed, rolling her eyes. “Can ya drop that loner schtick fer just five seconds an’ enjoy a snack with us?”

He was silent, staring away from her and out into the orchard.

“Jus’ think of it as a bonus payment, alright?” she added, her tone more neutral, almost pleading.

The Courier nodded, still looking off into the distance.

“Fine,” he finally shrugged with a tired sigh.

Applejack and Scootaloo both looked up at him with joyful smirks.

A little while later, the three sat at a small picnic table out in the orchard, with the Courier having a small plate of fritters, accompanied by a small glass of juice.

“That cinnamon?” he asked, currently chewing down a bite of the fritter and looking off into the distance yet again.

“Yeah! They have fritters back where you’re from?” Applejack asked curiously.

“They might, but I don’t think I’ve ever had one,” he admitted. “Apples aren’t that common. A lot of fresh fruit isn’t.”

“That sucks,” Scootaloo sighed, before sipping down a glass of juice in one go, the sugary liquid filling her up nicely after only having had a bowl of cereal that morning.

“Yeah, tell me about it,” the human said simply, before taking another bite, still leaning away from the two.

“Well I jus’ hope everycreature worked as hard as ya!” Applejack complimented.

“Eh, sometimes, but others…” he paused, not finishing that thought. “Not really.”

“That just says more about you then!” Scootaloo squeaked with a smile.

“What?” he asked simply.

“I mean, if you came from a bad place where there were all kinds of bad creatures and other things, then that just means you’re a hero because you’re so good!” she explained.

“Okay you’re looking at this like it’s some sort of comic or something,” he huffed. “I’m not a hero, and in general, not everything else was bad.”

Just most of it, a piece of him wanted to say.

“But you are a hero!” she retorted. “After saving me, and then killing the Bugbear, and helping out those other ponies like Derpy-”

“Just, quit it,” he shut her down. “You’re giving me a headache, kid.”

The filly frowned at that.

Applejack’s mood also seemed to go down a little bit.

There was an awkward silence for a few seconds.

“The fritters were good!” he suddenly exclaimed, as if he’d sensed the added tones of tension. “Nice uh… cinnamony flavor, apples were fresh too.”

“Thanks, I’m sure Sugar Belle will be mighty glad to hear that,” Applejack managed, giving a small smile.

He nodded, looking down at the empty plate and the clean glass.

“Well, I guess if you don’t need anything else, I’ll be going,” he spoke up after another few seconds of silence.

“You’re leaving already?” Scootaloo asked with a frown.

“That’s how work is kid,” the Courier said, turning to Applejack. “Unless you got anything else you want?”

“Well, maybe ya should check out Ponyville, folks always need plenty of help around there!” offered the farmpony.

“I don’t know if they’d wanna hire a big scary human,” he pointed out.

“Could ask Rarity if she needs anything,” Applejack pondered. “After Spike left, she’s… well she lost her best assistant.”

“Spike?” Six asked.

“Oh, right,” she said with a snort. “He’s Twilight’s little brother and also her greatest assistant.”

“Ah,” he nodded.

“He’s also a dragon!” Scootaloo added.

“Of course he is,” the human said tiredly.

After a moment of silence, the Courier suddenly spoke, turning to Applejack.

“You know, before I go, those are pigs you have, right?” he questioned.

“Yeah?” she said back. “We use ‘em for fertilizer.”

“How much for one?” he asked suddenly.

“What fer?” she questioned; a bit confused.

“I remember this really old recipe, uhh black soup, made from pig,” he answered casually. “Always wanted to try it, pork wasn’t that common back where I was from.”

Applejack looked at him in disgust.

“Ya eat pigs?” she asked.

“Well, we used to,” Six shrugged. “Typically I stuck to rats and reptiles, sometimes dogs.”

She cringed at that.

“Ya might wanna consider changin’ yer diet,” she offered.

“Yeah you’re all herbivores or whatever here, but humans need their protein,” he said. “Meat’s the simplest way to go about it.”

“I’m fine with sellin’ ya eggs, but… well those pigs are special ta us,” admitted Applejack. “Almost like family.”

“Right, pets,” the human shrugged. “I get it. Figured it was worth the offer.”

“You know, griffons eat meat sometimes too,” offered Scootaloo after a moment of thought. “Gabby said they do on occasion anyways. Maybe if you're ever in Griffonstone, they might have that black soup stuff!”

“Maybe,” he nodded, looking back towards the farmhouse for a moment. “Also, what’s up with the carrot patches? I thought this was an orchard.”

“Huh?” Applejack balked for a moment, before realizing what he meant. “Ohhh, those are Golden Harvest’s. She’s a relative of ours. Keeps mostly ta herself, though.”

He nodded.

Well, at least he had a place to get fresh carrots.

“Thanks for the meal and all, but I should go get some more work done,” he said, standing up.

“Wait!” Scoots squeaked.

“What is it, kid?” he huffed.

“Can you walk me back home?” she asked.

“Don’t you know your way around town? You’ve lived here longer than me!” he pointed out.

“Well yeah…” she admitted, “but I was thinking we could go together, if you’re heading into Ponyville anyways.”

He looked down at her.

She replied back by giving a sad, almost puppy dog-like face.

He stared, putting his hands on his hips.

Her lip quivered as her eyes went big and wet looking.

He finally sighed.

“Alright, come on,” he huffed.

“Awesome!” she shouted, going back to normal.

“I knew it was a damn trick,” he crossed his arms.

She just grinned back sheepishly.

It was a bit later when Scootaloo grabbed her saddlebag and the duo headed off back towards Ponyville. The Courier walked on behind her as she trotted along, letting her lead the way towards her house.

It was in the afternoon by now, and the numerous ponies throughout the town were starting to either get off work or just begin finishing up their shifts.

He could feel their eyes on him as he strolled into the town proper. A familiar sensation.

A sensation of judgment.

A sensation of being feared.

And… even the sensation of being venerated.

It was rarer than the others, but he knew some of the ponies who looked at him saw him as something more than a scary looking beast.

He wasn’t exactly sure if that was a good or a bad thing, but he pressed on regardless.

Soon enough he could see a large, ornate structure with what seemed to be a big carousel on top of it, complete with several pony sculptures. He paused, looking up at the building. It was definitely one of the more impressive ones he’d seen in the town.

“That’s the Carousel Boutique,” explained Scootaloo, stopping to gaze at it along with him. “Rarity’s place.”

“Strange decor,” he shrugged, examining the business as he did.

“I was never really into that frilly stuff either,” admitted the pegasus, “but she sure can sew a cool outfit if you know what to ask her!”

“I guess I could drop by there,” he mused to himself.

She looked up at him with a smirk.

“After I’m done taking you home,” he huffed.

“Aw come on, I won’t bother you while you help her, honest!” Scootaloo squeaked.

“Hey, you wanted me to walk you home. I’m doing just that,” he chuckled.

“No fair,” she pouted, but he just walked up beside her.

“Go on, let’s get you back home,” he smirked.

She was shocked whenever he leaned down and picked her up.

He held her close to his chest like a cat as he began to move.

“Now just point the way,” he said.

She leaned into his chest as she sighed.

“I could get used to this,” she smirked, feeling like a princess as she rested in his arms.

“Don’t,” he growled back.

After giving a quick hello and an immediate goodbye to Aunt Holiday and Aunt Lofty, the Courier bid farewell to them and their adoptive filly.

As much as Scootaloo wanted him to stay, (and as much as he could tell her aunts didn’t want him to stay) he left her where she belonged, going back towards the Boutique.

As he approached, inside of the fashion store Rarity sat, glasses on and toiling over a large desk sprawling with various pieces of paper.

She huffed at herself, magically drawing up new plans only to crumple up the resulting piece and tossing it aside.

“No,” she growled.

She fashioned another rough sketch, and after eyeing it, threw it away too.

“That won’t work!” the fashionista bemoaned.

She drew up yet another one, and then immediately ripped it apart.

“Oh come on Rarity! You’re better than this!” she groaned.

After a few more moments though, she slumped forwards and sighed as she pressed face-first into her desk.

“How I wish Spikey Wikey was here,” the unicorn said, a sad tone in her voice. “He’d yank me out of this slump.”

As she pondered her sorry state, suddenly she heard the door downstairs open up.

Her eyes widened and she snapped to attention, levitating a brush over.

“Goodness, a customer! Have to look spotless,” she said to herself, combing through her mane before she soon looked at herself in the mirror.

She nodded and rushed towards the entrance to greet whoever would be waiting for her.

“Hello and welcome to-...” her voice trailed off.

He stood, looking bulky and utterly out of place surrounded by the numerous clothes racks worth of dresses she had out on display. His dirty, leather-clad frame clashed utterly with the pristine silks and linens.

“Oh, erm, hello, mister Six,” she said, her tone taking one of uncertainty.

“You needed help last time I checked?” he asked. “You said that back at the waterfall, right?”

“I… suppose I did,” she admitted, regretting herself a bit now. “Though in the chaos of the past day or so, I did honestly forget it.”

“It’s fine,” he shrugged. “So, what do you need help with?”

“Well, I typically am able to handle this by myself, but recently I have had… well, a stifling of my creativity,” she explained

“You know, wouldn’t be the first time I’ve handled something like that,” he admitted, thinking back to the time he helped Michael Angelo. Soon he shrugged it off though. “But uh, what’s got you down?”

“Well, in truth, I had a dear friend move away recently,” she explained with a sad sigh. “My little Spikey Wi- er…”

She paused and looked at him, giving an embarrassed blush, which was clearly visible due to her pale fur.

“Ahem. Sorry, I mean, Spike, he moved to Canterlot about six months or so ago with Twilight,” she said, still blushing through her white coat.

“Ah, can’t visit him either, I guess,” Six nodded.

“Not for a while at least, my schedule is packed, and this isn’t helping,” she admitted.

“Maybe some inspiration is in order then?” he shrugged.

She looked at him, surprised he offered a decent idea.

“Well, that is true, and typically I’m an utter queen at figuring out what to help get my creativity flowing, but recently even that’s difficult,” she sighed.

The human was silent for a moment in thought.

“Why not pay tribute to him?” he offered. “I mean, really get it out of your mind, put all your emotions into one of your dresses, like an artist throwing paint all over a canvas, you know?”

She was silent, toiling over his words.

“I… that’s not a bad idea,” she admitted, a faint sparkle in her eye. “That would be perfect for my next line, something dedicated to such a loyal friend!"

“I don’t know how dragons work, but maybe you could find another one around here to help you with it?” Six thought aloud.

“Ooh, that is a good thought,” she spitballed back, “but dragons aren’t particularly known for fashion. Or grace. Or… dresses.”

“Surely there’s at least one?” he said.

Rarity was silent for a moment, a forehoof pressed to her chin in thought.

Seconds later the Courier could almost swear he heard the faint DING of a lightbulb going off.

“Smolder!” she shouted, her face lit up.

“I wasn’t gonna say burn anything but given what I do remember about dragons, I guess that works,” Six offered.

“No, I don’t mean smolder, I mean Smolder!” the unicorn elaborated happily.

The Courier blanked at her.

“She’s an absolute dear, one of the students at Twilight’s School of Friendship!” Rarity explained. “Now, you have to promise you won’t tell anycreature else about what I’m about to say.”

“Oh no, I’ll just go out and gossip to all the friends I totally have,” he deadpanned.

“Phooey!” she huffed back, before continuing. “Look, I’m serious, she’s a dear friend of mine, and I won’t risk-”

“I promise, cross my heart, all that shit,” he spat back quickly.

“Well, rather crass, but I suppose it works,” the fashionista accepted with a nod, continuing. “Smolder is the only dragon I know who actually enjoys this type of stuff. I made her a free dress in secret a few months back. Given she’s way more familiar with draconic culture, maybe she wouldn’t mind being my muse given Spikey is gone.”

“Well, I guess that all works out then,” he shrugged. “Now, where do I come into play?”

“Uh… excuse me?” she asked.

“Yeah, you said you needed help, I can just grab my sewing kit an-”

“Oh dear, no,” she interrupted. “I try to sew all of my own dresses; I would teach you my style, but we don’t have that kind of time. Instead, maybe you can help by perhaps mining for gems along with me? Dragons love their precious stones and they would go splendidly on dresses tributing them!”

“Ah… right,” he said with a nod.

Was that… disappointment? Hard to tell.

“Well uh, when will that be then?” he offered.

“Oh sometime tomorrow will be fine, I’ll need to work out my concepts more! The idea of creating a line for more than one species is… it’s exhilarating!” she admitted proudly.

“Yeah… right,” he agreed awkwardly.

“And it’s all thanks to you!” she boasted. “Please, you simply must let me get you out of those drab, grimy clothes and into something far more ravishing.”

Six felt his jacket get enveloped in her magical grasp, and as she went to tug it off him, he folded his arms, ensuring she couldn’t budge it.

“I would prefer not to do that,” he growled down at the fashionista, who quickly relinquished her magical grip, her horn ceasing its glow.

“My sincerest apologies,” Rarity said with embarrassment, before she began to walk around the Courier in a circular motion, examining him (or rather his outfit) as she did. “I suppose it means a lot to you?”

“Yeah, you can say that,” he huffed.

She gazed the stars and stripes on the back of his jacket inquisitively, as if she were pondering something.

“What do these represent?” she asked, noticing them properly for the first time.

“It’s an old flag,” he answered. “Really, really old.”

“Such a strange design,” the unicorn mused. “It belonged to an empire, yes?”

Under his helmet, the Courier opened his mouth, but didn’t speak at first, only exhaling.

“You could say that, yes,” he admitted. “The United States of America, though now there’s not much left of them.”

“Mmm, red, white, and blue; not an uncommon color scheme,” the fashionista said, her brain soon switching back to the conversation. “You said it’s gone. What happened?”

“They went the way all empires go,” the human said with a huff.

“Goodness,” the unicorn frowned, a piece of her remembering the Crystal Empire’s unfortunate fate, though whatever happened to this ‘United States’ might’ve not had such a bright ending. “Why do you still wear it then?”

“It’s… to honor history,” he admitted, continuing, “but above that, it’s to pay tribute to an old friend. He left it to me.”

Rarity nodded, still with a frown.

“I see,” she spoke softly. “Is this friend, is he still with you?”

“Maybe,” he answered with uncertainty. “Not even I know what exactly happened to him.”

“I’m sorry to hear,” she sighed.

“Don’t be, he uh… he reached the end of his road alive, that’s all I think he really wanted in the end anyways,” Six admitted, his voice nostalgic sounding.

Rarity just nodded in silence.

He didn’t say anything either.

“Well, I should be going,” he nodded, heading towards the door.

As he left, she continued to examine his wardrobe silently.

“I uh… see ya tomorrow,” he said, opening the door and looking back at her over his shoulder.

“Be safe, dear,” Rarity offered with a nod.

He just nodded back and then stepped out, shutting the door behind him.

The white unicorn didn’t stop him, but her brain slowly got to work on something for the human. While his measurements weren’t taken, she could still eyeball a design, for the moment anyways.

That evening she toiled away at her desk, thoughts swirling through her head.

The Courier just sat on another bench, smoking the rest of the day away...