Fallout New Vegas: A New Road

It was about an hour or two later and the party had died down. Cheerilee was one of the first to leave, likely due to her busy job. With a final smile back towards the Courier, she trotted out into the streets.

Dash was next, having to go catch up on her nap for her upcoming training sessions. The Courier waved her off in silence as she went.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had to return to their sisters as well, splitting up the CMC once more.

He was just… there.

Existing in an almost awkward manner in the corner of what was his own party.

He conversed on occasion. He enjoyed the food. He definitely enjoyed the soda. But something just still sat differently within him.

The others were patient. They still accepted him. He obviously could tell that. They accepted the quietness, the occasional snark, the cold shoulder.

Still felt strange.

He actually helped clean up when the party reached its end, stacking up numerous plates and silverware as he went around the tables. Given there were only a dozen guests, this was a rather quick feat. He took Lyra’s plate out of her golden magic and moved over to the Cakes.

“Why thank you, mister Six,” Mrs. Cake said with a smile up at him. “You truly are a gentleco- uh… gentlehuman!”

“If you say so,” he shrugged, before motioning to the plates stacked in his large palms. “Where do you want these?”

“Just the kitchen over there dear,” she pointed him into the back, and he shimmied his way around Mr. Cake, who was sweeping the floors after a long day of guests tracking dirt and debris in.

The kitchen was empty, yet still had a faintly sweet smell coming from it, likely due to it being where the Cakes baked their cakes. It was hard to notice given the mask, but it was there.

Six wasn’t exactly used to cleaning up, but he still sort of had an idea on what to do. He sat the plates down into the sink and turned it on, allowing water to run over them. He plugged the drain and let the sink partly fill before he turned the flow off.

“Hey Sixy-Wixy!” came a playful voice from behind.

“Don’t call me that, Pinkie Pie,” he grunted, pouring in a bit of soap into the sink. Soap was an unusual sight for him.

“Sorry!” she giggled, keeping her bubbly tone. “But what are you doing back here? Party’s out front! What’s left of it anyways!”

“Cleaning?” he pointed out, examining the sponge sitting nearby. Strange contraption. He knew what it was, but it was a very uncommon sight in the Mojave, just like soap itself.

“Pfftt, the guests don’t clean up, silly filly!” she said, gently nudging him aside.

“What are you talking about?” he huffed, letting her push him gently away as he stepped back.

“That was a free party, surely they want somethi-"

“I know teaching generosity isn’t my thing, but you really need to learn to accept gifts,” Pinkie chuckled.

He would’ve argued further, but to tell the truth, he was tired. Felt drained. Honestly, he’d been drained for the past week almost. Couldn’t dwell on it though.

“Look just-...” he sighed, interrupting himself. “What do you want?”

“I want you to smile!” she answered with an honest grin. “Just like everycreature else!”

“You and all of your friends have been telling me to be happy, to let the walls down, to do this, to do that,” he huffed. “Where’s your grand speech?”

“I’m not into speeches, but peaches on the otherhoof… ooohh now those are yummy!” she said as she began washing the dishes, licking her lips at the thought. “Good idea for a cake, or maybe a pie? Cakepie? Piecake?”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” he blanked.

She cringed a bit at that.

“Yeesh, could warn a pony before you drop the F-bomb,” she sighed.

He just stared.

“Look, I’m not trying to get you to open up or anything, Six,” she said, her tone much more calm, less playful. “I just want you to be happy, alright? Like I said back at the party, laughter’s the best medicine.”

He was silent, looking down at his dirt-caked shoes.

“I hope you liked it,” she said, her tone soft, genuine.

He remained quiet.

Her mane slightly deflated from his lack of an answer as she continued to wash the plates. She didn’t press him further, though.

After a few seconds of quietly washing up, there was a faint, low whisper.

“I-... I did…” he said, his tone low, guttural, and honest, as if he didn't want her to be upset after all she'd done.

Though it was almost like he was speaking more to himself than to her.

Pinkie’s mane poofed back up instantly and she turned to him.

“What was that?” she asked with a smile.

He stepped back.

“Nothing, forget it,” he growled, his tone defensive, panicked even. “I… I’ve got to go.”

The Courier turned, stumbling towards the kitchen entrance.

“Wait Six!” she shouted; her hooves wet as she trotted after him.

He paused at that, giving an annoyed grunt as he turned towards her, his red lenses staring back into her natural eyes.

“Thank you,” she said, giving a soft smile.

The human sighed deeply, leaning against a wall tiredly as he looked down at the floor once more.

“Yeah…” he stated simply.

“Would you like to meet the last of our friend group?” Pinkie Pie offered, her tone bubbly once more.

“Huh?” he managed, looking up at her.

“Well, you met me, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash,” she said, counting off the ponies on her hoof as if she had fingers.

The Courier didn’t acknowledge how bizarre it was.

“But you still haven’t met Fluttershy!” she concluded. “And Twilight too, but that’s gonna be a lot harder to do! But Fluttershy herself should be finished with her duties at the animal sanctuary now! I’m sure she wouldn’t mind a quick visit, if you want?”

He sighed yet again, looking back down at the ever-beloved floor yet again.

Say no. Say no. Say no.

Tell her no, Goddamn it!

“I guess,” he huffed tiredly, lifting a gloved hand and waving at her.

Ahh… great.

“You alright Six?” she questioned, lifting a brow. “You need any coffee or something?”

His head perked up at that.

“You know what… Yeah,” he answered with a nod, giving a small smirk under his mask.

She beamed her own smile back at him.

It was a few minutes later and the Courier had rejoined the remaining members of the party. He sat at a table with Pinkie, Scoots, Dinky, Derpy, Lyra, and Bon Bon. Currently, the crowd was chanting the classic “Chug! Chug! Chug!” at him.

The reason was because he was downing an entire gallon’s worth of sugary iced coffee that Pinkie had whipped up.

It rested in a massive glass mug, and he showed no signs of slowing as he gulped it down, not even needing a second to pause for breath as a mixture of whip cream and the milky brown coffee itself flowed down onto his duster. It was only a full minute and a half before it was gone.

The crowd went wild.

Lyra and Scoots cheered. Derpy clapped her hooves together. Dinky and Bon Bon lightly pounded the top of the table. Pinkie pulled a camera from her mane and snapped a picture.

The Courier sat the empty, chilled mug down with a satisfied exhale, wiping his mouth before he readjusted his helmet. His body felt energized, wired.

Heart was pounding harder than a quarterback on prom night!

Whatever sugary shit she’d put into that, it worked. Hopefully the caffeine high would last longer this time!

“That was awesome, Six!” Scoots said with admiration.

“Never seen someone down a gallon of coffee before?” he snarked back, wiping away the droplets that landed on his jacket as he did.

“That was a badass party trick, you know,” Lyra chuckled, patting his shoulder encouragingly. “Between that and you downing the sarsaparilla earlier, you should show it off more!”

“That was just for necessity,” he corrected, though he gently nudged her shoulder good-naturedly with his gloved hand. “Needed a pick-me-up.”

Speaking of which, he soon reached into his jacket and pulled out his pack of smokes, which was basically empty now.

“Sir, no smoking in the building!” he heard Mrs. Cake called from across the room, she was currently closing up shop.

“Right, right,” he huffed, putting the cigarettes away, and the mare nodded back at this.

Scootaloo giggled at that.

He just looked down at her and rolled his eyes with a grunt of annoyance.

“Shouldn’t you be at home, kid?” he huffed.

“My aunts know where I am, they were cool with me staying a bit late!” she defended with a squeak.

“I have a hard time believing that,” he chuckled.

“You know, the night’s still young, Six, and I think Vinyl Scratch is throwing a rave tonight,” Lyra offered with a cocky smirk. “We could hit it up.”

“Well, some of you could,” replied Derpy. “I gotta get Dinky home soon.”

“Ah right,” huffed the aquamarine unicorn.

“I probably wouldn’t go anyways,” admitted the Courier. “Pinkie wants me to meet Shutterfly or whatever.”

“Fluttershy, silly,” giggled the pink pony, suddenly popping up right behind him.

He jolted a bit at that but managed to remain seated.

“Wow, look who’s opening up,” Lyra teased with a wink.

“The only thing I’m about to open up is a can of whoopass on you, if you don’t shut it,” he snarked back.

She just snorted, laughing at the bizarre insult.

Bon Bon joined in and chortled as well.

They couldn’t see it, but under the mask he gave an awkward half-smile, as if he enjoyed the banter.

When the group finally exited Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie bounced along beside the Courier, with Lyra and Bon Bon waving their goodbyes.

“Catch ya soon, Six!” Lyra called over her shoulder.

"We've got a club to hit up!" Bon Bon laughed, trotting along side her wife.

He nodded back.

“That was a great party,” Derpy said with a soft smile. “I just wish the Doc got to see it.”

“Yeah, where is he anyways?” Pinkie said, bouncing in place. “I sent him an invite and everything!”

“He’s been helping Vinyl Scratch out recently,” Derpy explained. “Been working on some new sound system; said he wanted to revo- uh… ‘revolutionize’ raves or something. It’s been eating up a lot of his time.”

“Who are you talking about, again?” Six asked, confused.

However, before he got his answer, a moment later, the remaining ponies (and human) heard a familiar, accented, masculine voice.

“Wait!” it huffed.

The group looked down the street; The Courier focused his keen eyes and examined him.

Brown coat, darker brown mane and tail… What the hell was the point of the bowtie?

Dr. Whooves skidded to a stop just a few feet away from the group, sweat dripping down his brow as he took deep, ragged breaths.

“Doc!” Derpy said, before giving the stallion a hug with both of her forehooves. She began showering him with kisses. He didn’t resist her affection as he continued panting.

The Courier just watched this display, looking down at Dinky, who just shrugged back up at him.

“My sincerest apologies for not making it to the party sooner,” huffed the Doc, straightening his bowtie with his forehooves.

“It’s fine,” the Courier nodded. “Place was a bit packed for my liking anyways.”

“Yes, well,” the Doctor cleared his throat as Derpy finally backed off, giving a blush at her outburst.

“You two uh… got a thing?” the Courier mused, pointing between the two.

“Like you wouldn’t believe,” huffed Dinky, rolling her eyes as she sat at Six’s feet.

“We’ve known each other for a long time,” Derpy said, flicking back her mane with a forehoof as she still kept a light blush. “A while before we started going steady, anyways.”

“Indeed, though I must admit that here recently I’ve not been as great of a coltfriend as I should be,” the Doctor admitted, a minor blush of his own.

“Don’t worry about that, Doc. I know you can get really busy, but that's okay since we’ve still got that double date with Bon Bon and Lyra planned!” Derpy said with a smile.

“Of course!” he smiled back. “You still have our foalsitter booked for this weekend, right?"

Derpy’s smile soon dropped, her crossed eyes going wide.

“Here we go,” smirked Dinky to Six.

“Oh my goodness!” the pegasus shouted.

“I completely forgot to get a new one after Sea Swirl canceled!”

“Great Whickering Stallions!” the Doctor cried. “What about Roseluck?”

“Too busy running the shop, her sisters are out of town for the entire week!” Derpy replied.

“Cherry Berry?” he asked, desperate.

“Fixing her helicopter, that'll take the next two weeks!” Derpy shot back.

“Bulk Biceps?” he asked again, this time even more desperate.

“He got another job!” the mare cried.

“This is awful!” the Doc managed, before suddenly the Courier cleared his throat, ceasing their panicked display.

“If I may...” he said calmly, before pausing, giving a deep, annoyed sigh, as if he wasn’t sure about his next set of words.

Finally, he grunted to himself.

“I’ll do it,” he said, his tone one of flat annoyance.

The pair’s faces lit up, and immediately Dinky stepped aside, before Derpy shot over at speeds that’d make even Rainbow Dash blush. The gray mare slammed into his chest, causing him to step back from the impact. She wrapped all four of her limbs around him for a powerful hug, squeezing the air out of the unprepared human.

“Derpy,” he growled, obviously annoyed, “quit it!”

Her crossed eyes widened, and she flew back, hovering in the middle of the air as she gave a sheepish smile.

“Oh goodness, are you sure you wanna do it, Six? My little Dinky can be a handful,” offered the matronly mare.

“Yeah, I'm sure she's the handful of the family,” he growled, waving her away as he dusted off his jacket. “Just don’t do that again or you might actually make me change my mind.”

“Right, sorry,” she squeaked, another blush forming.

"Now it's this weekend, my good fellow!" the Doc elaborated. "We can discuss more in depth this Friday! Learn the routines of foalsitting, and such!"

"Yeah, I figured that," the Courier nodded, looking at the small group.

They all looked back at him.

“Look guys, it's been enjo-” he stopped himself; looking over the ponies who all stared up at him with wide smiles, even Derpy giving him a nervous, yet thankful grin as if they all anticipated what he was about to say.

“It’s been something, that’s for sure,” he corrected himself.

They kept their smiles, nodding back at him.

“You’re still up for a meetup at Fluttershy’s, right?” Pinkie questioned after a few seconds.

“Yeah, let’s make this quick before I regret it,” he huffed. “Once this coffee’s out of the system, I’m probably gonna drop.”

“Sir, before you go,” the Doctor said suddenly, walking up to the human with a soft expression.

“Yeah?” Six said, looking down at him.

“I must thank you dearly,” the stallion said, offering a hoof.

The Courier grabbed it, and the Doctor thankfully shook the human’s hand in an almost gentlemanly (gentlestallionly?) fashion.

“Without you, poor little Dinky would’ve met with a terrible fate,” he said, his tone sounding horrified at the thought. “She might not be my daughter by blood, but she is an excellent little filly!”

“Look it’s no problem Doc,” the human said, and moments later the stallion let his hand go. “She didn’t deserve to die like that.”

Dr. Whooves nodded, his face a mixture of grimness and thankfulness.

“I’d love to stay with ya a bit longer, but we really need to be getting back home,” Derpy said.

“Yes, certainly,” her bowtie-clad coltfriend nodded. “I know our meeting was short, but I do hope to see you again!”

“Yeah uh, take care Doc,” the human nodded, and before long the three ponies were trotting down the street away from him.

That just left one more.

“Alright kid, your turn,” Six said, looking down at Scootaloo.

“Oh come on, I can visit Fluttershy too ya know!” she pouted.

“You’ve got school tomorrow, don’t you?” he pointed out.

She just sighed, not answering.

“Go on home, your aunts are gonna get worried,” he scolded.

“Fiiine,” the filly huffed. “Jeez, when did you become such a buzzkill?”

He just placed his hands on his hips like an annoyed father as his red lenses stared down at her.

“I’ll talk to you later, kid,” he said sternly.

“Yeah, see ya around, Six,” Scoots said, finally caving before she grabbed her scooter from nearby. Soon enough she sped off down the street.

Now it was just him and Pinkie.

“Alright,” he huffed, “let’s get this over with.”

Pinkie just giggled, nodding at that.

The walk to Fluttershy’s cottage wasn’t particularly of note. The sun dipped a bit lower by this point, and the sky above was a redder hue, indicating the evening had arrived and was slowly turning to night.

They reached her cottage within half an hour; Pinkie was still ahead of the human as they followed the trail to Fluttershy's front door.

“Oh you’re just gonna love her,” Pinkie squeaked, hopping up and down all the while.

He didn’t question it anymore.

Given she was ahead of him, she reached the door first.

“Now she might freak out just a little bit at how you look, so let me lead the way,” explained the earth pony, before she gave a few gentle knocks on the door. “Fluttershy, it’s Pinkie!”

There was silence for a moment, before the Courier heard a faint, feminine voice from inside.

“Just a minute!” it called in a sing-song fashion, sounding a bit muffled.

He looked around at the exterior of the cabin and noticed all the little critters hiding in the bushes and trees nearby. Squirrels, birds, rabbits, all kinds of things, really. The place was like a menagerie.

“Fluttershy loves her animals,” Pinkie chuckled, noticing him gazing around. “I wonder how she feels about hoomans.”

“Humans,” the Courier corrected.

“My version is funner to say,” Pinkie smiled.

Suddenly, the door creaked open just about halfway and a light yellow, pink maned pegasus' face was visible, the front half of her body peeking out from inside the cabin.

“Hello, Pink-” she paused in the middle of her introduction, a sense of nervousness befalling her as she looked at the armor-clad human.

“Hey, Fluttershy!” the earth pony replied. “This is Courier Six, and before you freak out, there’s nothing to worry about! He’s the creature that stopped the Bugbear at the dam! Remember in the papers?”

The Courier just lifted a hand up and awkwardly waved a “hello” at the shy pegasus.

Fluttershy shivered for a second, looking as if she wanted to slam the door in their faces. However, a moment later, she took a deep, calming breath. After taking a few seconds, she exhaled and fully opened the entry to her cottage.

“Would you like to come in for tea?” she offered; her tone low yet steady.

“That sounds great!” Pinkie said with a grin, before bouncing inside.

The Courier remained still as Fluttershy looked at him with a questioning gaze.

“Well, I filled up on cake back at the party,” he said, as if he had suddenly become the shy one.

“Oh, sir it’s no big deal,” offered the pegasus, her tone kind and understanding. “You can just come in for a quick visit, you don’t have to have any tea.”

“You sure? You seem kinda…” he paused.

Her name was Fluttershy. What did he expect?

“Yes?” she asked gently.

“Scared,” he replied, “at how I look, I mean.”

“You do look a little…” she herself paused this time, as if trying to think of a less-harsh word for terrifying, “...unusual, but I’ve learned to never judge a pony or any other creature just because they look different!”

“Right,” he nodded, before he entered.

He immediately had to duck as a bluejay flew right by his head.

“Oops, sorry,” Fluttershy said softly. “They’re not used to someone as tall as you being around here that often… well, aside from Discord.”

“Who?” Six asked as the smaller animals scattered away from his presence, with birds roosting in their nests and mice and varmits rushing to hide under furniture.

Fluttershy noticed this and tried to calm the animals as Pinkie bounced over.

“Oh he’s just the Lord of Chaos!” the party pony explained with a smile. “Tried to take over Equestria two or three times in the past until we stopped him.”

The Courier stared at her in silence.

“Don’t worry, he became a lot nicer a few years back,” the pink mare said, waving a forehoof. “Thanks to Fluttershy, of course!”

“Riiiight,” the Courier nodded, looking at the pegasus.

She smiled back at him as she focused her attention away from the animals and back to the human.

“Now there’s no need to worry, Discord really is a sweetheart, even if he was a bit mean at first,” Fluttershy explained with a smile, before flying into the kitchen.

She soon came back with a small tea set sat out on a large tray, complete with several teacups, a warm kettle, and a small bowl of sugar cubes. She laid the tray down onto a small table and took a seat.

“Would you like some tea, mister Six?” she asked softly, “It always helps me calm my nerves, especially after a long day at the animal sanctuary.”

“It’s fine, I’ve got a gallon of coffee still in me,” he said, pulling up a chair of his own.

Pinkie joined the other two at the small table, and the human sat awkwardly in silence as the two ponies each poured themselves a small cup of tea. Of course, Pinkie put an entire hoofful of cubes into hers, while Fluttershy only had one or two. The ponies stirred their sugar into their hot beverages as the Courier tapped his fingers on the edge of the table.

“So Fluttershy, how’s it going with your animals?” asked Pinkie, trying to break the ice between the two, otherwise they'd sit there in silence all night!

“It’s going great,” answered the pegasus with a soft smile. “Between Angel and Dr. Fauna’s help, I’m finally able to get a bit more free time.”

“Yeah, you should’ve seen her a few months back,” laughed Pinkie as she turned to Six. “She was swamped with work, between the sanctuary and the Friendship School, she barely had time to think!”

“You work at a school?” he asked, raising a brow.

“All of our friend group does,” admitted the pegasus with a shy smile. “It used to take up a lot of our day, but as of recently Starlight has found a lot of substitutes to fill in for us.”

“Guess that explains how the others managed that sisterly camping trip,” shrugged Six.

“It makes planning parties all the easier, that’s for sure,” Pinkie chuckled. “If I had my past schedule, it would’ve taken me a whole week to throw one for you!”

“A lot seemed to happen to your group in particular,” Six mused. “I remember something about you being the Elements or whatever, and you’re teachers, and one of you’s a princess.”

“Well Twi wasn’t always a princess,” pointed out Pinkie. “She just became one after she grew wings and became an alicorn!”

“...right,” the human accepted flatly.

“We went on a lot of adventures together, that’s for sure,” Fluttershy smiled.

“Yeah, like that one time you talked down a fifty-foot dragon!” Pinkie said with a giggle.

“Or the time I became an apple-craving bat monster,” chuckled the pegasus.

“Or when we helped save the Tree of Harmony!” Pinkie added.

The human just sat in silence, his brain only half-processing the words coming from their mouths.

As he listened, he noted their voices were a bit similar.

“So, you all used to go on life-threatening missions each week?” he finally said.

“Well, most of them weren’t life-threatening, but we definitely did a lot of weird things,” admitted Pinkie.

“But that just made our friendship even stronger,” Fluttershy added, before wrapping a wing softly around the earth pony, giving her a gentle hug.

“Here lately though, everything’s been quiet,” Pinkie said as she returned the embrace. “Aside from that Bugbear attack, anyways.”

“Guess I came at the right time then,” Six said, finally deciding to pour himself a small cup of tea, no sugar. He felt a little silly holding the tiny cup in his large, gloved hands, but still decided to adjust his mask and take a sip.

“I’ll say, you whooped that Bugbear really good!” Pinkie complimented as he downed the tea in one gulp due to how tiny it was for him.

“I just hope the poor creature didn’t suffer,” said Fluttershy with a sad tone. “I know he was up to no good, but it’s just such a shame seeing a beautiful creature have to…”

She stopped herself, as if she was incapable of saying the word “die.” Like it was some sort of taboo for her.

“You’ve got a strange definition of beauty,” Six said, readjusting his helmet.

“I admire all forms of life,” Fluttershy said, her tone a bit sterner despite her typically subdued nature. “To see an animal pass away, no matter the cause, it just doesn’t feel right.”

“Sometimes you’ve gotta do what ya gotta do to survive,” he countered, sitting down the empty teacup. “Nature’s cruel. To live, you gotta abide by its rules.”

Fluttershy was silent for a few seconds.

“That wasn’t the first time you’ve killed something, was it?” she finally asked, her tone full of uncertainty.

He didn’t reply at first, as if he was trying to pick his next words.

“Everyone’s gotta eat some way,” he shrugged after a moment. “Dogs, lizards, bears, killing one meant the difference between you and your family surviving until next week.”

Fluttershy frowned, her gaze softening a bit.

“I’m sorry you had to do that,” she nodded, as if faintly understanding his words. “I’ve known some predators who say the same thing.”

“What, do you talk to animals?” he scoffed, chuckling at that. A bit ironic, given he was talking to a horse.

She just nodded, answering genuinely yet without words.

Beneath the mask his smirk dropped as he looked on in confusion.

“She does run the animal sanctuary,” Pinkie pointed out. “It just helps her do her job!”

“Wait, is it only you that can do that or…” he trailed off, looking between Fluttershy and Pinkie.

“So far I think I’m the only pony in Equestria with this ability,” Fluttershy answered. “Even Dr. Fauna can’t, and she’s one of the best vets I know.”

“Right,” the Courier nodded.

Suddenly, one of the cottage windows opened and a large hawk flew in carrying a little white rabbit. It dropped the lagomorph to the floor and then sat down, perching itself on the windowsill.

“Angel?” asked Fluttershy in surprise. "I thought you were at the sanctuary for the night."

The bunny in question scurried over, climbing up one of the table legs and pointing frantically to Fluttershy, as if he was miming out something.

“My goodness, Muriel’s having another night terror?” Fluttershy repeated in surprise.

Angel nodded.

“Oh I am so sorry, Mister Six, but I’m afraid I’ll have to cut this tea party short; I’ve got to get down to the sanctuary and take care of this,” Fluttershy explained frantically. “After Antoine tried eating her a few months back, Muriel’s been having these awful dreams on occasion.”

“Uh, it’s alright,” shrugged the human, as he looked down at the rabbit.

Angel examined him back, the two looking over each other with a shared sense of confusion.

Strange creature.

Rabbits were rare in the Wasteland, easy pickings, only surviving on their own ability to breed.

Angel, was it? He seemed a bit smarter than your average animal. Unique, in a way.

Six's musings were interrupted by Fluttershy grabbing some saddlebags and sprinting over to the door.

“You and Pinkie just let yourselves out at any time, it was nice meeting you!” she said frantically, before opening the front door and flying off.

“That’s Fluttershy for ya, loves her animals, as you can tell,” giggled Pinkie.

Six nodded, looking down at Angel, who was still examining him as well.

“Weirdly intelligent, for a rabbit,” the Courier mused aloud.

Angel just crossed his arms, as if to say, ‘you’re weird!’ while he glared back up at the human for the perceived insult.

Six could faintly read his body language. Very anthropomorphic. Like something the Big MT would’ve cooked up for a laugh.

“Well Six, ya ready to go?” Pinkie asked, before nibbling on a sugar cube held in her forehoof.

He nodded, finally finishing his examination of Angel Bunny.

“Yeah, let’s roll out,” Six shrugged, before he and Pinkie cleaned up the tea tray and exited a few minutes later.

When the two were gone, Angel finally gave a huff, letting out a breath he didn’t even know he’d been holding.

The rabbit uncrossed his arms as a cold shiver ran down his spine. In the time he and the human were examining each other, he felt a horrific sensation that he’d dealt with many times as a little defenseless bunny…

He felt like he’d just looked into the eyes of a predator.