Fallout New Vegas: A New Road

After the ponies had left, the rest of the day was peaceful. Six checked his crops, made sure nothing had gotten into them. Afterwards, he just rested, making up for all of that sleep he’d lost.

He was in a deep slumber, didn’t get any dreams at all, so no talk with the Brain. So it was just an enjoyable, calm time for him as he drifted through nothingness. Waking up actually well rested after so many days of insomnia was a great sensation. He got up late in the night, about eleven or so, whenever he found himself thirsty, his lips extra craggy.

With a grunt he forced himself out of the shitty padding he called a bed and began rummaging through his pack. Only one Sunset Sarsaparilla left and after that he was left with boring water. Hmm.

He drank it down with annoyance. Didn’t have any way to brew more so he’d have to buy some locally. As he did, he decided to check the crops once more; make sure they were alright and all that. Upon opening his wooden door, he found a small handful of multicolored envelopes nailed into it.

He rolled his eyes as he realized Dash or some other pony must’ve delivered them throughout the day while he was passed out. Six tugged them off the nail and began reading, starting with the pink letter as he continued to slurp down the little remains of his soda.

‘Hiya Six, I hope that you’re feeling better! Mr. and Mrs. Cake thought about your offer to help, and after hearing about what happened, they decided to hire you starting any time you feel ready enough to help! You can do janitor duties and take out trash and we can even bake together. It’ll be super-duper fun, I Pinkie Promise!’

‘-Your friend, Pinkie Pie!‘

‘P.S. Dinky’s doing better! :D’

He gave a small chuckle, even giving a partial grin at her calling him a friend. Hand- uh, hoof? Mouth? Whatever-writing was pretty neat, given she was a hyperactive pony. He also felt relief wash over him at the mention of the little unicorn. He’d make sure to give her an apology face to face soon enough.

The human took another swig from his bottle as he opened up the orange one, already knowing who it was from by this point.

‘Hey Sugarcube, I ain’t really one for writing many notes, more of a muzzle-to-muzzle girl myself, but I just wanted to let you know that everypony on the farm is doing great! They’re all wishing you the best. Even Big Mac got a bit emotional for ya! Anyways, you’re welcome at the farm any time!’

‘-Applejack’

‘Granny Smith says hello!’

‘And Sugar Belle, too! And Apple Bloom. And Big Mac.’

The text was reasonably clean. Especially Granny’s and Sugar Belle’s. Not as fancy as Pinkies but that obviously didn’t matter. He continued to remain a bit uplifted at that as he checked the final envelope, which was a pale blue.

‘Hey Six, I’m not gonna write much since I’m gonna be the one delivering these anyways, but I figured I’d let Scoots go ahead and get some stuff off her chest.’

‘Six, Rainbow told me that you were doing better, and I have to say that’s awesome! I really wanna see you soon, but I can’t go off hiking in the Everfree. My aunts said I’d get grounded if I did. >:(‘

‘Anyways, I just wanted to say that I hope you’re doing even better, and I’ll see you soon! I was still thinking we could still try to get you that Cutie Mark! Even Sweetie and Bloom are up for it!’

‘We’re all rooting for ya, big guy!’

‘-Rainbow Dash’ (And Scootaloo!)

Both of them had choppier, chicken scratch writing, but that didn’t matter. What did matter to the Courier was the fact the kids were better. He could just imagine their smiling faces now, which filled him with a faint warmness.

While he wanted to rush into town right now and find Scootaloo and Dinky and Derpy and all the others and apologize, he still was exhausted, mentally and physically. It was also midnight and no doubt the ponies would be conked out.

Without much else to do, he finished his century-old soda and slept some more. Thankfully there still weren’t any dreams, and he woke up at four thirty going by the Pip-Boy. No new notes this time either.

He brewed a small cup of coffee over the firepit, smoked a cigarette; considered that as his breakfast before he continued on out of the Everfree and towards town. Ponyville was coming to life as he approached, with numerous early birds (horses?) trotting around the streets.

His destiny for the moment was Sugarcube Corner. Given the emptiness of the streets and the fact the confection shop stuck out like a sore thumb, the journey was short. The place was still closed, so he knocked at the door, checking his Pip-Boy as he waited a few seconds for a response. A bit later, Pinkie Pie answered, and gave a wide grin upon seeing him.

“Six! You came!” she shouted, before latching her forehooves onto him and giving a deep hug.

“Yeah, yeah… I did…” he huffed, letting her hug him for a few seconds before he finally brushed her back. “I figured I might as well try and make myself useful, after that letter and all.”

“Oh that’s great, we can totally plan the party too!” Pinkie said, stepping back and letting the bulky human in. “Mr. and Mrs. Cake are gonna be so happy to see you!”

“Business has been booming, I suppose?” he asked, trying his attempt at small talk as he adjusted his gloves.

“Business is always booming!” Pinkie snorted as she shut the door. “And when Cheese gets here, it’s gonna be an even bigger boom!”

“Cheese?” Six questioned, looking back at the pink pony.

“Yeah, Cheese Sandwich!” she chuckled.

He just cocked a brow.

“Right, right!” Pinkie grinned in realization. “You wouldn’t know him. He’s a pro party planner, just like me! One of the best!”

“Sounds like you two were made for each other,” Six shrugged.

“W-well…” she blushed slightly at that, with it barely noticeable on her already pink body. “I- We- He’s not my coltfriend… Not yet anyways.”

“Why not just tell him you like him then?” offered the human, having heard her whisper.

She blushed a bit deeper.

“How about we get to the kitchen?” Pinkie managed, changing the subject.

“Whatever you say, boss,” he chuckled.

She led the way into the back while he followed.

Soon he greeted the Cakes; they were already rolling out the early morning coffee cakes and donuts, ready to open. After buying a few confections (breakfast 2: breakfast harder) he began menial work. Took out the trash, swept the floors, wiped down the countertops, helped them get ready.

Was a little boring, but the Cakes were nice enough. They even offered to give him the aforementioned snacks for free, but of course he made sure to pay up. Not gonna be a bum, after all.

He was scraping off some gum on the underside of one of the tables when the store officially opened. From there, he continued cleaning up where possible. Some ponies would shrink back as they saw him doing menial tasks, like wiping up spills or sweeping any dropped crumbs and the like. Despite his casual work, he still had a relatively intimidating frame and outfit.

The work was a bit cathartic in a way. Still boring, but at least he was being useful. Went on like that for a few hours.

Pinkie and the Cakes baked, and he cleaned up their messes; threw away the eggshells and the empty sugar bags and the unneeded containers. Wiped up any wayward frosting that dribbled a bit too much. Washed the dishes whenever they were emptied, scrubbing away melted chocolate and cleaning out baking trays, letting them sit on a rack to dry.

They were thankful, and while he never said it aloud, he was happy to help. Was repaying them after all. They were good peo- ponies. Despite all this, deep inside, something felt a bit empty. As much as he enjoyed being around them, there was a deep desire to do… something else.

He sort of knew what it was, but he didn’t want to admit it to himself.

Before long, the shift was winding down a bit, and he sat with Pinkie in the kitchen as she worked.

“So I was thinking that we could totally do a big blast of confetti with my Party Cannon… if you wanted?” she offered while mixing a bowl of batter.

“A bit too loud,” the Courier shrugged, holding a towel.

“Maybe let’s just keep it chilled out like last time?”

“Okie dokie!” the party pony nodded excitedly, before pouring the bowl into a baking tin, spilling a few wayward drops of the mixture. “Want any presents?”

“Presents?” he said with confusion, wiping up the spill. “Pinkie, it’s not my birthday.”

“You never told me when your birthday was, silly! I had to improvise!” she pointed out, putting the cake tin into the open oven, before her mane somehow wrapped around its handle and shut the door.

He would’ve questioned her hair acting like a bizarre appendage, but by this point he was a bit more focused cleaning.

“Last I checked, I don’t have one,” he admitted.

Pinkie gasped in shock and horror.

“Now please don’t flip out over that,” he huffed tiredly, wiping up the countertop and putting the bowl into the sink.

“How could I not!?!” she shouted, her tone one of sad. “Birthdays are more than just presents! It’s about the time you spend with other poni- uh… humans! It’s about the love you have between friends! Between a community! It’s about celebrating the love they have back for you too!”

“Well I never had one and I don’t remember when my birthday was,” he huffed, scrubbing the bowl.

“Six, I am so, so sorry!” the pink pony said with a sniffle.

“Don’t be,” he grumbled. “You’re not the one who put a bullet in my head to make me forget.”

“Put the what in your what?” she asked, confused.

“Nothing, nothing,” the human huffed, finishing his scrubbing of the dish before he sat it aside.

“Look, this party is for you, alright? That means you’ve gotta do something extra special for it! Something that would make you happy!” Pinkie offered.

“Something that makes me happy…” he pondered. Resisted answering with answering ‘a Fat-Man and a nest of Cazadores to aim it at.’ Instead, he shrugged. “...maybe I could make Mushroom Clouds? You guys seem to have the ingredients for ‘em.”

“Mushroom Clouds?” she tilted her head in confusion.

“One of the few sweet things I got to eat back in the Mojave,” he shrugged. “Back there I had to adapt it from its original recipe, but here you have got everything it called for. I think I’ve got the notes still in my Pip-Boy, too.”

“Ooh, that sounds neat!” she smirked. “When we close up, you’re gonna have to show me the recipe!”

“Sure thing,” he nodded, before suddenly feeling something scaly press against his leg.

The human looked down to see a small, strange, greenish creature looking back up at him.

Wall-eyed little bastard. Looked like a gecko. Instinctively, he shot out his leg, tossing the creature across the room.

Pinkie moved with shockingly quick reflexes, jumping up and catching the little monster with her bushy, surprisingly maneuverable tail like a pro sports player.

“Gummy! What did I tell you about sneaking up on others?” she scolded the scaly creature, sitting him down.

“What the fuck is that thing?” the human asked.

“He’s my pet alligator!” she squeaked with a wide grin.

Gummy just blinked, his eyelids moving out of sync with one another.

“Right…” he would’ve questioned it but decided not to.

From there on in, he continued his work. Occasionally Pinkie would pitch an idea on the party, and sometimes he’d agree, though mostly things were quiet. When the Cakes finally closed up shop, the Courier was allowed to go into more detail with Pinkie, showing off his recipe.

“Alright so I remember I used Nightstalker eggs for this back home, but we don’t have that,” Six shrugged, as he separated the egg whites from the yolk, throwing the whites into the bowl. “Then again, the original recipe called for chicken eggs anyways.”

He threw a tiny pinch of salt and a bit of cream of tartar into the egg whites and then took a beater to them.

“Ooh is this a meringue?” she asked with a smile, closely following his movements.

“Uhh I think,” he shrugged. “To be honest when I made it all I had was radioactive cereal and shitty gumdrops.”

She cocked an eyebrow at that.

“Yeah I know,” he shrugged as he continued beating. “Now uh, go pour a cup of sugar into the blender while I’m doing this.”

“Superfine sugar, got it,” Pinkie smirked.

He continued working the eggs and a bit later, Pinkie came back with the sugar, which he slowly added in as he continued beating the confection. He soon stuffed the thickened mixture into a piping bag Six had never used a proper one before, but he was able to quickly get the hang of it.

Soon enough he’d piped out the caps and stems onto a baking tray, before dusting them with cocoa powder and stuck it into the oven. Way easier than doing this shit over a campfire, especially now that he had the proper ingredients.

“So why are they called Mushroom Clouds?” she asked as the two waited.

“Got it out of an old Pre-War booklet. Survival guide of some type; had some recipes in it. Author was… something Cain,” Six paused in thought, before shaking it off. “Anyways, I guess it was an attempt to make nuclear armageddon sound less scary to kids.”

“What does nuclear armageddon mean?” Pinkie asked.

He paused again, looking down at the party pony.

“...forget it,” he shrugged, leaving her a bit confused.

Soon enough, the confections were taken out of the oven, with Six taking a butter knife to them, trimming off the edges. When he was done, he used some melted chocolate to glue the stems with the tips and assemble the whole thing. Little meringue mushrooms glued together with chocolate decorated the small baking tray now, able to stand perfectly upright on their own thanks to the Courier's skillful work with the knife.

“You know, they look neat!” Pinkie offered.

“Yeah, back in the Mojave, they were never this appealing,” he smirked as she tried one.

“Not bad!” she complimented as she chewed. “I prefer something a bit more sugary, but this is pretty good.”

“Pinkie, we’re not trying to give everyone a sugar rush,” Six said, eating one of the Mushroom Clouds himself, nodding along as he chewed.

Yeah, definitely better than using gumdrops and Sugar Bombs.

“But sugar rushes are so fun!” she whined.

He just rolled his eyes as he continued eating.

“You know, the Cakes might start selling these,” Pinkie said with a giggle, eating down another hoof’s worth of the little meringue explosion clouds. “They’ll market them as ‘authentic human treats!' I can just see it now!”

“Whatever they think’s best,” he shrugged, checking the time on his Pip-Boy, before stretching. “I’m gonna go find a park bench to nap on.”

“You could just stay here, you know?” she offered, rolling her eyes, though she seemed excited by the thought of him staying over. “We could have a slumber party and play board games and eat marshmallows and-”

“Maybe some other time,” Six said, giving a fake yawn. “I’ve gotta meet with AJ tomorrow, see about some work.”

“Oh right! That reminds me!” Pinkie reached into her mane and tossed a bag of bits at the Courier.

He caught them mid-air but looked at her, obviously confused she'd just had it in her hair of all places. Then again, no pockets.

“Cakes wanted me to give it to you!” she smiled.

He just shrugged and put it into a satchel.

“Before I go,” he turned back towards her, standing near the kitchen’s entrance, “party’s this Friday, right?”

“I think that should work. End of the week and everything,” she chuckled.

He nodded at that.

Before long he’d left Sugarcube Corner, and sat on a bench yet again, enjoying the night sky. Let himself fall asleep on it too, having set his Pip-Boy to wake him up so he’d be ready for a busy day at the orchard.

Six sat at a picnic table as he overlooked Sweet Apple Acres. The work was the same as it had been laborious but satisfying.

Just as he had while working with the Cakes, he felt like something was missing though. Felt it inside the entire day. Wanted to… just walk.

Wander.

He took a deep sip of some apple juice Sugar Belle had made, still delicious as always. The human leaned back in his chair and sighed to himself. Suddenly though, he heard the grass and fallen leaves crunch nearby and turned to see a frail old mare approaching.

“Hey Mrs. Smith,” he nodded.

“Howdy youngin’!” Granny Smith offered back happily, before pointing a forehoof at the other built-in seat of the picnic table. “This seat taken?”

“‘Course not,” he chuckled.

“Thank ya kindly,” the earth pony smiled as she soon hopped up, sitting across from him.

He took another sip, sitting in silence with the aged pony.

“Applejack said ya worked hard today, as ya always do,” she chuckled.

“It’s just the job, I’m not gonna halfas- uh… half work it,” the human shrugged.

“Ya don’t have to censor yerself around me youngin’ I ain’t a filly,” she said with another chuckle. “Exact opposite, actually.”

“Ah it’s fine,” he offered back, looking off into the cleaned-out orchard, a majority of the trees being barren after the harvest.

“I can tell somethin’s on your mind,” Granny explained. “Applejack did too, while ya worked.”

“I kinda figured that,” Six nodded, finishing off his drink and sitting the glass aside.

“Believe it or not, I’ve seen yer kind a lot ‘round Ponyville, especially back ‘n the day,” revealed the elder Apple.

“Yeah?” he perked up with a small grin. “This place is a lot younger than I thought then."

“Why you kidder, ya know how ta make an old lady blush,” snickered the pony.

“I figure back then though there wasn’t much here, some orchards, maybe?” he said, still smirking under the mask.

“Oh Ponyville back ‘n those days was just like ya said, couple a buildings, the farm, all that,” she explained. “But that’s not what’s important. What is important is that ya got yerself a case of wanderlust, don’t ya?”

“What gave it away?” he snarked good-naturedly.

“Ya shouldn’t lock yourself down here, ya know,” she said, her tone a bit more serious.

He was silent at that.

“I know ya had yer issues recently, an’ I know ya got yer friends here, but ya were made to walk the earth, just as we Apples was made ta’ grow these here trees from it,” she said sagely.

Six nodded, stretching for a moment, still silent.

“But you still need help on the fa-”

“Pssshhh fiddlesticks,” she brushed him off. “This farm has been in my family for generations, ya really think we can’t handle it by ourselves?”

He looked down, dusting some dirt off his jacket as he went back to silence.

“I know yer wantin’ ta help an’ all, and yer mighty fine for that, but ya weren’t made to settle down, not just yet at least,” she pointed out.

“I know Granny,” he admitted. “But this place isn’t exactly like my home.”

“Don’t that just make it more excitin’ though?” she chuckled. “All of Equestria at yer hoof- uh, hands?”

“Yeah, it's something I’ve thought about,” he chuckled back.

She gently placed a forehoof on his shoulder, looking into his red lenses.

“The decision is yers ta make though,” she said, her tone soft and understanding. “Just remember, yer always welcome here though, no matter what, sonny, and I’ll make sure to let the extended family know about ya, from here on in, yer a friend of the Apples!”

He nodded at that, reaching up a hand before gently taking her hoof and shaking it.

“Thanks, Mrs. Smith,” he replied, soon letting her go.

With that, she gave him a nod and a wink, and then took her leave, even being generous enough to take his empty glass.

He continued looking over the orchard, which was basked in a golden glow from the evening sun.

About a minute later, Applejack trotted up to him after Granny had gone, taking the same seat her matriarch had.

“You were hiding behind that tree for the past five minutes,” he said simply, his tone flat.

The orange mare gave a small blush of embarrassment.

“Well I wanted ta make sure ya hit it off with Granny,” she replied honestly.

He let loose a dry chuckle at that.

“She’s right ya know,” Applejack pointed out. “I know ya’d rather be out there explorin’ than workin’ tha fields.”

“I’d have to figure out a path,” he replied in thought.

“Good thing I already have a suggestion,” she chuckled.

“Yeah?” Six turned to her.

“My old friend Rara- ah, Coloratura, she’s doing a musical concert in Dodge City in the next couple of days,” she smirked. “Gonna be a night or two of fun, an' she’s even bringing in Sapphire Shores too!”

“Yeah, I totally know who that is,” he snarked, pulling out a cigarette as he did.

“Look, I dunno if yer into music, but it’ll be a chance ta get outta here an' meet new ponies; place is a nice town for country folk like you and me too,” explained the farmpony.

“I’ll think about it,” he sighed. “I’ve dealt with a few stage shows in the past. Some weren’t bad.”

“Yer gonna love it, Six,” she assured.

He nodded, his cigarette now lit and in between his teeth.

“Gotta say this is probably the only time I’ve been fired,” he joked.

Applejack laughed.

“Yer still welcome ta work of course, but we got it covered, always have!” the country mare assured.

He chuckled softly, and soon enough he saw her sit down a small number of bits on the table.

“What’s this?” he asked, smoke billowing from his mouth, blocking any vision towards his lower jaw.

“For the train ticket,” she nodded.

“Applejack I’m not just taking your money,” he said, shoving the coins towards her.

“Ya can and ya are,” she shoved them back towards him.

“You already paid me earlier,” he grunted, pushing them away.

“Consider it a bonus,” she replied, doing the same.

“I didn’t put in overtime,” he countered.

“I’m yer boss and I say ya deserved it,” she shot back.

This went on for a solid five minutes before he gave up.

“Christ you’re harder headed than a Deathclaw,” he grunted, “or me after the Big MT.”

“Now ya gotta go,” she said slyly.

“Alright we’re buddy-buddy and all but don’t hit me with that shit,” he grunted, finishing his cigarette and flicking the remaining ash off to the side before he put the filter into his pocket to dispose of later.

“Like I said, yer gonna love it,” she replied.

“Whatever,” he huffed, putting his helmet fully over his mouth now.

He soon stood up, obviously ready to leave.

“Ya take care now, Six,” she said, giving a soft smile.

“You too, AJ,” he replied over his shoulder as he walked away, following the trail through the orchard.

Like before, she watched him as he went, a prideful smile on her face the entire time.

“We’re all proud of ya,” she said softly.

Six stirred some sugar into his coffee though left it black otherwise. Figured he’d try something slightly different this morning. Across from him sat Lyra and Bon Bon, who were in the middle of conversation.

Something about which booze they should take to the upcoming party to spike their punch with. He wasn’t giving his thoughts because booze was booze.

After having woken up on a bench yet again that morning, the Courier had a free day, which he used to wander around Ponyville. Led him to meeting the two, which itself led to a nice morning meetup outside the current diner.

“I was thinking of bringing a nice simple red wine, we could make some sangrias with it!” Bon Bon explained.

“Wine’s already fruity enough!” Lyra retorted, wiping bits of a hayburger from her mouth. “We should bring vodka!”

“Christ, you getting drunk that early? Party starts at like three,” Six interjected.

“It’s never too early to get a little crunk,” the mare retorted.

“Around the kids?” he huffed, before downing some coffee.

"It was gonna be for the afterparty!" she sighed, waving a forehoof.

"Yeah, we're not dumb enough to do that in front of foals," Bon Bon added.

“If that's the case, why don’t you just go to one of Vinyl’s shows or whatever like last time?” he asked.

“Can’t. She and Octavia have packed up and headed for Dodge,” the earth mare explained. “They’re playing opener for Coloratura and Sapphire Shores. Won’t be back for another week or so.”

"Doc's there too," Lyra added. "Helping with the speaker system and all that."

“Is everyone gonna be at that fucking thing?” he huffed.

“Well… we planned on going too,” chuckled Lyra, almost sheepish in tone.

“What?” he grunted.

“The morning after the party, we’re getting our tickets and heading for Dodge. Should arrive by that night, got a hotel pre-booked and everything,” the unicorn boasted.

“Of course you do,” he huffed before downing more of the coffee. "Dunno why you'd wanna travel with a hangover though."

"Hey, we're getting a little crunk, not that crunk!" Lyra defended.

“You really should come, Six, we wouldn’t mind sharing a room,” Bon Bon offered, her tone softer than her wife's.

“Unless they only come with one bed,” Lyra interjected, before Bon Bon shushed her.

“I guess I will,” he growled. “AJ already gave me the damn bits for the ticket and everything.”

“Aw yeah!” Lyra cheered. “The Trio of Terror, taking Dodge by storm!”

The other two just stared blankly at her as she spun in her seat.

“I mean,” she went back to normal, clearing her throat, “glad you could come, Six.”

“I guess I’m glad too,” he sighed, adjusting his helmet.

The meet up continued from there, the two talking amongst themselves with him occasionally joining in. He looked out to the town, examining the ponies passing by on the street as he did. Soon enough though, he saw a familiar mare flying overhead, making him gaze upwards.

The Courier watched as Derpy continued along, her flight speed was slower than normal, lagging almost. He could see even from the ground she was pausing every now and then to yawn, bags under her eyes.

He suddenly spoke up, catching the attention of Lyra and Bon Bon.

“She looks exhausted,” he stated the obvious, pointing up at the gray pegasus.

“Well duh, she doesn’t have anypony else to help her at the post office,” Lyra replied back.

The words bounced around in his mind as he intently watched Derpy fly away, going further into town. Everything around him seemed to fade as a low, buzzing ringing sounded out in his ears, his gaze set solely on her until she was out of sight.

He suddenly reached into his pocket and pulled out his map Applejack had given him a few weeks back. After unfurling it and examining it for a few seconds, he nodded. A second later he stood up and put the parchment away again. Six tossed down some bits onto the table and straightened his jacket.

“Where are you going?” Bon Bon asked.

“I’m going to do what I should’ve done from the start,” he replied, Granny Smith’s words echoing through his mind. “I’ll see you two soon.”

The two mares just looked at him with confusion.

The Courier didn’t elaborate and just strolled away with a determined gait.

Lyra and Bon Bon watched the human as he left.

His duster billowed in the wind behind him as he went; after a minute or so, he turned down another street and was gone from their sight...