Fallout New Vegas: A New Road

The Courier swatted aside another bush as he backtracked towards the clearing where those wooden bastards had attacked him. The rainwater continued to pour down on him and the little filly resting on his back, with it seeping down his neck as he plodded along.

Scootaloo looked down at him. Her legs were all loosely wrapped around his neck, putting her weight roughly on his upper spine and shoulders. She noted just how strong he felt. His muscles supported her small frame with ease. It almost made her feel safe, like the rare times she was embraced by her father.

Truth be told though, she wondered if this weird creature had more bulk than even her dad did. It was hard to tell, especially through the haziness and the rain clouding her vision. Said rain made her shiver as she tried to nuzzle herself against his supportive frame, though it gave her little warmth.

“You getting cold, kid?” he asked, his muffled voice cutting through the silence.

“Y-yeah,” she said with a shiver.

“Ah don’t worry, you’ll be safe soon and all that,” he assured, looking down at a strange watch-like device on his wrist.

Scootaloo looked at it with curiosity as he flicked through a bunch of knobs, looking over various pieces of information she couldn’t read from this angle.

“What’s that?” she asked.

“Oh uh, a Pip-Boy 3000. Got it off an old friend a long time ago,” he answered, looking away to continue on.

He’d been eyeing up Magnet’s notes. Surely this pony belonged in Ponyville, right? Might as well double check anyways.

“So what are you doing out here? I figured you’d be at home getting some rest in a storm like this,” he asked, trying to both lighten her mood and get some information.

“I was out here with my friends and sister before the storm started,” began the little filly. “We were having a camping trip, and I went to get some firewood…”

She trailed off, and he could tell she’d taken on a sad expression.

“I got lost,” she stated simply with a sigh.

“Ah it’s fine kid,” he said. His tone wasn’t exactly comforting, sounding a bit too callous for the filly’s liking, but he was trying his best. “Everyone gets lost sometimes, ya know?”

“I guess,” she agreed with a faint nod. “This was really bad, though. I have no idea how to get back to camp.”

“It’s fine, I can take you back to your home in Ponyville. A guy gave me directions and all that-” he was cut off by her giving a deep gasp.

“Oh no! You can’t do that!” she said, her voice raising from a low tone to a little shout.

“Hey calm down! The hell’s the matter with you?” he asked, moving his head downwards a bit, given she’d just shouted in his ear.

“I’m sorry mister, but my friends and sister are all probably out here hunting for me!” she said, her mind racing to thoughts of Rainbow Dash and the others braving the storm to find her. “I can’t just go home and leave them out here! They’ll be worried sick, and they might get hurt!”

While Scootaloo was totally confident in the ever-awesome Rainbow Dash to make it back safe, her mind went to the non-flying ponies getting washed away by the torrential downpour of rain. That or getting surrounded by a pack of Timberwolves! Or Fly-ders! Or Tim-Fly-der-Wolves!

“Alright, alright,” he huffed. “Don’t get your hooves in a knot. Just tell me where you think they are, and I’ll try to find them.”

“Well… I don’t know,” she admitted, and he sighed in annoyance, letting her continue. “I fell down a big steep cliff and well… A bit after that I saw you and then-”

“Yeah you did the whole bolting schtick, I get it,” he cut her off. “Alright just uh, I’ll follow your trail.”

He continued on for a few steps, looking at the ground.

“What’s left of it, anyways,” he added.

“Oh thank you so much, mister!” cried the filly, hugging the back of his head with her forehooves.

“Hey, hey, watch it with the helmet!” he growled, and she loosened her grip.

“I’m sorry!” she squeaked, and he felt her shrink back a bit on his shoulders.

“It’s fine,” he said, his voice taking on a (very, very slightly) softer tone, obviously trying to make her feel less shitty about the situation this time. “Just uh, cool it with the hugs and… the whole ‘mister’ thing.”

“Well what do you want me to call you uh… sir?” she said, her young voice filled with uncertainty. “You haven’t given me your name.”

“It’s uh…” he paused for a moment, “Courier. Courier Six.”

She made a scrunched-up face of confusion.

“Courier Six? That’s your name?” she asked.

“Yeah well, what’s your name then, hotshot?” he retorted.

“It’s Scootaloo,” she replied, before she heard him snort, obviously stifling a laugh.

She felt him shake his head a little bit, no doubt judging her. The little filly gained an annoyed expression.

“What’s so funny?” Scootaloo asked after a moment.

“Like you’re one to judge my name when that’s yours,” he smirked.

“Well at least I’m not named after delivering mail,” replied the little pegasus annoyance evident in her voice.

“At least a courier is a real thing,” he replied back coyly. “I don’t even know what a ‘Scootaloo’ is.”

“It’s my name!” she defended with a huff.

“Whatever you say, kid,” he responded casually.

The two were silent for a bit, with the Courier using his riot helmet’s night vision to follow the trail. The All-American was slung around his neck, with it rattling about each time he took a step.

As he did this, the little filly was looking him over, at least as best she could from her awkward angle. She could see the strange, rattling device hanging from his neck by a thick strap, unsure of what exactly it was. A curious expression came over her tired face.

“Uh,” Scootaloo began, but paused, as if she didn’t really know fully what to say, “mind if I ask, what are you, exactly?”

“What?” he simply responded, continuing through the woods.

“I mean, I’m a pony, you are…?” she allowed the question to trail off.

“You’ve never seen a human before, kid?” he asked.

Human.

Human…

Human, human, human.

She’d swore she’d heard that word before. It rattled around in her brain for a few moments as she tossed and turned and tried to remember.

Had one of her friends said that before? Twilight, maybe? Or Starlight, perhaps?

Her face took on a look of concentration as she pondered it. She didn’t exactly know just what a human was, but she recalled that the word was just faintly familiar in some deep portion of her mind.

“...No,” she finally responded, “I don’t think I have.”

“Figures, I land in the only spot in the entirety of the damn Wasteland filled with nothing but mutants,” he sighed.

“Mutant?” she asked, obviously confused. “What in the hay are you talking about?”

“Well, you’re obviously not a natural species… No offense,” he replied. “Last I checked, ponies didn’t have wings or orange coats or purple hair… and they didn’t talk either. Pretty sure they were also extinct.”

Scootaloo just looked at him like he had a hole in his head for a few seconds.

“Are you alright?” she asked, absolutely baffled from his monologue and unsure of what exactly to say. It honestly sounded like he was talking about a bad comic book Spike had with talks of 'mutants' and such.

“Once I find out where I am, I will be,” he replied.

“Uh, duh, you’re in Equestria,” she answered.

“I know that, but I mean where in America,” The Courier retorted.

“What’s an America?” Scootaloo asked.

“Yeah, that’s my point,” he just sighed.

“Look, uh, Six? I’m not really sure about all this weird stuff you’re saying, but this feels like something Twilight might’ve looked into back before she became a princess,” she said, still a bit weirded out over the whole ordeal.

“And where can I find her palace?” he asked, recalling some minor snippets of info Steven Magnet had given him.

“Well, she moved to Canterlot a few months back. It’s just a few miles from Ponyville,” Scootaloo explained, making him nod.

“Well maybe she can help me figure all of this out,” he muttered, and from there on in, the two were mostly silent.

Only the sound of thunder and rain and the occasional lightning strike rang out in the two’s ears. The snapping of fallen branches below were mostly drowned out by the other noises as the human continued on. The orange filly rested on his back as he advanced.

Scootaloo felt her eyelids getting heavy, as they almost drooped downwards, barely stopped by her forcing herself awake. She lightly shook her head to knock off the tiredness, but soon rested it on the top of his helmet, feeling the hard metal material press against her chin as she did.

It wasn’t comfortable, but it definitely made her feel safe, especially from her current vantage point. She basically towered over all the shrubs she’d once had to weave through. Even when she was transformed into an adult, she wasn’t this tall!

She felt herself slowly lull off towards sleep. Even with the rain and the thunder, she couldn’t force herself to remain awake much longer, as scrapes and the tenderness of her muscles made her body ache. She exhaled through her nose, blowing some water droplets away from her muzzle as her eyes closed.

“Kid, don’t pass out just yet,” called the masculine voice of the Courier, snapping her away from the edge of sleep.

“Oh, horseapples,” she groaned, borrowing one of Apple Bloom’s countryisms.

“This your doing?” he asked, pointing towards a downed log. It had four small holes in it that were currently filling with water and muck from the rain. They looked just big enough to fit a filly’s hooves.

“Huh?” she questioned, examining it for a moment before something clicked in her mind, and her eyes widened excitedly at that. “Woah, yeah!”

“You slid down this hill here, right?” he asked. “Guess we’re getting close.”

She looked up at the steep slope she’d fallen down several hours earlier by this point and got sheepish.

“You’re not uh… gonna climb it, are you?” Scootaloo asked, sounding a bit fearful.

“What?” he asked with a slight chuckle. “No, I’m gonna follow it until it gets down to a manageable incline.”

Scootaloo was silent for a moment.

“Why didn’t I think of that!?” she bemoaned, smacking herself on her forehead while he chuckled.

“Don’t worry about it, kid. Maybe next time,” he smirked.

Applejack managed to push herself through the mud and the harsh rain to continue the search for the lost filly. She hadn’t seen hide nor hair of Scootaloo, and had begun to press deeper and deeper into the woods. Though she tried not to show it, a worried expression had adorned her face for the past few minutes now.

Even with her, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash having split up to cover as much ground as possible, none of the adults had any luck in their search. It made a horrible, empty pit form in her stomach. While the country pony hoped for the best outcome, as the storm continued raging on, and as the moon hung oppressively overhead, she began bracing herself for the worst.

She soon saw a bright light through the trees nearby and put aside these horrible thoughts Rarity’s face came into view. The unicorn’s horn illuminated their surroundings, though the glow did little to calm either of their worries.

“I haven’t found her!” cried the posh pony over the storm, a deep frown settled on her face.

While that was obvious, saying it made them both feel even worse about the whole thing. Rarity herself was bordering on tears, though it’d be hard to tell, as the rain had made her mascara run like she had been bawling already.

“Well we can’t give up!” shouted back Applejack, trying to keep herself stoic.

“Of course we can’t!” shouted a tomboyish voice from overhead, and the two grounded ponies looked up to see Rainbow Dash hovering above.

Her mane was billowing this way and that in the wind, soaked completely with rain. She was covered with stray leaves and twigs as well, no doubt from her smashing through the treeline in attempts to find her adoptive sister.

“I’m not doing anything until we find Scootaloo!” she shouted, determined as ever, her teeth gritting. Though the edges of her mouth quivered as dark thoughts went through her mind.

“We ain’t either!” said the equally determined Applejack. “We need to go deeper into the woods though. We’ve searched every inch of this place! She must’ve wandered further than we thought.”

“Well then let’s go!” shouted the pegasus, obviously about to zoom off.

“Darling, before you fly off, I think it’s best we stick together this time!” Rarity managed, her once beautiful mane billowing about as the wind picked up again.

“Why? If we split up, we cover more ground!” she retorted.

“That doesn’t matter when we keep retreading ground,” Applejack explained, agreeing with Rarity. “This storm’s not slacking off anytime soon. And it makes us backtrack over each other’s trails over an’ over. If we’re together, at least we can plan out where to go.”

“Oh yeah, and then we’ll take triple the time to find her.” Rainbow Dash furrowed her brow in response. “Look, you two do whatever you want, I’m not slowing down!”

“Rainbow Dash, wai-” cried Applejack, but it was too late, as her blue friend shot off in a random direction, no doubt to go even deeper into the woods.

“Dangit!” she added, before hoofing it after her, Rarity doing her best to keep up with the farmer as the two earthbound ponies did their best to track their quicker friend, though she was already long gone.

Dash’s teeth grit as she smashed through more and more branches, which left minor scrapes and bruises on her forelegs. While they hurt a bit, she ignored the pain, all to find her dear sister. Even as she inadvertently knocked over a tree here and there by smashing through it and out the other side, she didn’t slack up.

Her mind was racing with horrible possibilities for poor Scootaloo now. What if she’d been hurt and got stuck somewhere? Her screams drowned out by the storm, meaning nopony could find her, leaving the poor pegasus alone to suffer.

That idea nearly made tears stream down her narrowed eyes, but then Rainbow Dash’s brain went to even worse conclusions. For instance, what if some horrible beast had found her? What if she’d been dragged back to some Timberwolf den? Or what if a hungry manticore got her?

Typically, she’d consider the ideas ridiculous. Scootaloo was tough, resourceful, and awesome! But these dire times, the storm and the lack of a trail for the filly, they began getting to her. She’d spent several hours already searching for her, all to have no luck on her sister turning up.

Rainbow Dash grit her teeth, clenching her jaw tightly as she slammed her forehooves through the trunk of a large tree, ripping off a large section of it and causing it to collapse in half behind her. She just flew on without noticing.

At this speed, she was practically a weapon, about a hundred or so pounds of sporty pony muscle flying at a few dozen miles per hour. It wasn’t a shock she was literally ripping her way through the forest to find little Scootaloo.

She wasn’t as great of a tracker as someone like Applejack, but she tried to keep her eyes peeled for a trail. However, that was almost useless, as at her speed and with the rain, picking up on anything would be impossible.

Still, she searched as best she could while flying as fast as possible. Surely with all the ground she was covering she’d spot the filly’s orange coat somewhere, even amidst the darkness! She had to! She couldn’t give up hope!

Rainbow Dash banked left, sending hundreds of loose and fallen leaves scattering about in the wind as she did. Due to how quick she was, her wings were creating immensely strong gusts of wind as she flew by, making even the rain itself fly about before it fell to the ground.

She was almost considering a Sonic Rainboom at this point, as she was flying just a bit slower than the speeds that were required to perform the ear-busting maneuver. Maybe she could scatter the clouds above and save her sister?

However, a faint part of her realized she’d need to do several to fully clear away the clouds, assuming the first one didn’t save Scootaloo. Not only that, but the weather team would have to reschedule the storm. It was a much less important fact to her by this point, but the rational part of her brain noted it as she flew onwards.

“Kid, are you feeling better? You’re not getting any lighter,” the Courier said, scaling a manageable scope as he did, looking back at Scootaloo for a moment. He felt a slight pain in his neck from all of her weight pressed against it.

“I am,” she replied, and while she was still exhausted, a mini powernap had helped her regain some energy. “When we get to the top of this hill I’ll hop off.”

“Oh yeah, how convenient,” he rolled his eyes as he continued the rainy hike. He could feel her still shivering a bit as he climbed.

He paused in thought, and after a moment of consideration he reached a gloved hand back and grabbed her like she was a cat. Scootaloo gave a little squeak as he adjusted her, putting her underneath his duster. The soaked little filly was soon resting against the right side of his slightly warmer stomach. His jacket was now keeping the majority of the rain off her body, though her head still poked out the front of it as his arm held her in place.

“T…thanks,” she managed before flinching back a bit as the stock of the dangling All-American bonked against her nose. “Jeez, what is this thing?”

“A gun, kid,” he replied as if it were obvious, before continuing like he was talking to a baby. “If we deal with any bad guys, I’ll point it at them and make them go away.”

“Are you mocking me?” she asked with a huff.

“What, me? Never,” he replied, smirking like a bastard under his helmet.

“Why are you like that?” Scootaloo questioned.

“Like what?” was the unhelpful reply.

“Like that. Ugh, you know what I mean!” she responded.

“Kid, all I can say is that everyone acts the way they do for a reason,” he answered, equally as unhelpfully. “I figured your preschool would’ve taught you that.”

“I am not a preschooler!” she squeaked back.

“Uh huh,” he said, reaching the top of the slope finally, giving a huff as he continued on.

“You can let me go now,” she said grumpily, crossing her forehooves beneath his jacket, both out of annoyance, and also an attempt to warm herself up a bit more.

“You’re still shivering,” he replied flatly, continuing on with her hoisted up safely against his bulky frame.

“I-… thanks… again,” Scootaloo said, her annoyance melting away.

The filly felt his muscles through his jacket and clothes. It was almost like she was in the grip of a great bear or minotaur. A shockingly gentle one at that.

“Whatever,” he replied, equally as flatly as last time.

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. Of all the monsters to get stuck with and he was both a sourpuss and a jerk. But after a moment she soon looked up at him with a faint, thankful smile, even if he didn’t pay her any mind.

Soon enough though, the trees thinned out a bit, going from the dense thicket it had been to something more manageable. He trekked ahead as rain droplets poured down onto his body.

The pegasus was getting a bit warmer, if slightly. He wasn’t exactly a bastion of heat, but he knew she was feeling better beneath the Old World duster than she had been on his back.

And it made his neck hurt less, so there was definitely that. That was the more important part, obviously.

A part of him grew annoyed he wasn’t going to have usage of his dominant hand during a potential fight, but after he rubbed his left hand against one of the many holsters stashed on his body, he was reassured with himself. The brief seconds his hand felt the familiar frame of a pistol, he was quelled, as if it were a comfort blanket for him.

“Hey uh…” began the little one, interrupting his thoughts.

“What?” he huffed, moving his hand away from the comfort gun.

“You got another soda?” she asked. “I mean, I saw you drink one earlier, back at the river. Do you think I could-”

“The Sunset Sarsaparilla? Kid… that shit rots your teeth and kills your kidneys. And before you say ‘I know’ that crap does it more so than most other soft drinks, it's bad, trust me,” he replied succinctly. "It was out of date too. Completely flat."

“What? Why do you drink it then!?” she cried out in shock, her little eyes bugging out in shock that he’d consumed such trash.

“Like I said kid, we all have our reasons…” he said, pausing to consider if he had anything on him that wasn’t toxic, out of date, or radioactive. He shrugged, realizing the majority of them were in his pack back under the log. “I’m sure you’ve got plenty of food and drinks waiting for you back at your campsite anyways.”

“We were supposed to make smores,” sighed Scoots.

“Yeah!... Whatever that is,” he agreed, and she looked at him in shock again.

“You’ve never had a smore?” she questioned; her mouth wide open.

“Nope,” he replied casually, stepping over a large fallen branch.

“Where are you from?” she asked, looking at him like he was an alien.

“Like I said, the Mojave Desert, kid,” he said simply.

“Yeesh, you’re missing out,” she said, continuing after a moment. “Please tell me you’ve had cake at least!”

“Kid, I’m not here to tell you about the foods I’ve had,” he said, and she looked a bit downtrodden for a moment, but her ears perked up a moment later. “But the answer is yes… They were a bit old, and dry, and… not good.”

“You’re missing out, Six,” she responded. “I’ll have to get you some cake the next time I’m at Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie’s a total freak when it comes to throwing parties for poni-uh.. creatures new to town!”

“I appreciate the thought, kid, but I’m probably gonna be hitting the trail soon enough,” he explained. “The second I find a good map and someone with decent directions, I’ll split.”

“B-but you just got here!” Scootaloo squeaked.

“No offense kid, but I don’t really hang around the same places for that long,” he said casually, and her expression dropped into a sad one.

“Alright Six…” she said glumly.

He continued on for a few paces in silence, but soon wound-up glancing down at her for a moment. He then quickly returned his gaze back up to the forest. She was like a sentient plush toy that had just lost her candy. Had he not been exposed to the horrors of the real world, his heart might, might, be melting right now.

As it stood, he rolled his eyes, gave an exaggerated sigh. He caught himself, thinking for a moment. He then snorted in annoyance, running his tongue along his teeth in thought before he spoke.

“Look I’ll think about sticking around for a day or two after this is over, alright?” he said, and he could swear to whatever deity listening that the little filly fucking squeaked like a rubber duck as she immediately lightened up.

“Oh that’ll be awesome! I’m sure Rainbow Dash will love you!” she beamed, as he felt her latch onto his chest in her best attempt at a hug.

“Hey, hey, hey! Fucking easy with the merchandise,” he said, prying her off a bit, making sure she didn’t accidentally brush up against one of the many guns or knives holstered and sheathed around his body. The safeties were on, but still he remained cautious.

“Oops, sorry!” she shouted sheepishly, letting go, but ignoring his swear as she remained uplifted about the whole thing, her smile never leaving.

“You need to learn to keep your hands- hooves, whatever, to yourself!” he scolded in annoyance, though she was still uplifted that her hero would be able to spend time with her sister and the Crusaders. She could just imagine how awesome it’d be!

The two continued on, the Courier walking further along the more manageable pathways the woods had to offer. The trails meant at least some form of civilization. Perhaps they were getting closer to the campsite the filly had told him about earlier.

The human looked for any signs of recent hoofprints in the mud. He could see some new puddles out of place within the sloshy mess, but still, it was a bitch to track compared to the broken bush limbs he’d been following prior. The damned rain was wiping away these more open trails. Still, it’d only be a matter of time before they reached somewhere more civilized.

He tried keeping an ear out too, surely the filly’s guardians would be shouting out by now if they were searching for her. The rain made it hard, but his senses were keen. Still though, he heard nothing as he trudged forwards.

“Hey uh, I can walk now, Six,” Scootaloo said as he noticed she hadn’t been shivering as harshly as she was prior. “I feel better now.”

“Suit yourself, kid. Saves me an arm cramp anyways,” he said, leaning down and letting her hop onto the muddy ground without issue. He flexed his right arm a bit, rubbing it for a second as he straightened himself back up.

“This place looks a bit familiar,” Scootaloo said, eyeing over the trail. “We don’t normally take this route, but after last year, we had to change it up.”

“Isn’t that just dandy,” he offered, a bit sarcastically. “We’re still getting closer to your camp, right?”

“I think so,” she said, drawing upon memories from the previous hike, though truthfully the trek itself had blended into the background from the conversations she’d held with the Crusaders, her sister, and her fear of dark places.

“Perfect,” he nodded, walking forwards a few paces before he wiped his helmet’s lenses. “Come on kid, let’s get a move on.”

“Right behind you!” she squeaked, sounding determined.

Rainbow Dash remained steadfast, even if all she could see were trees, trees, and more trees. Her body had begun to involuntarily shiver, despite the heat coming from her longs and her tense muscles. She was no stranger to marathons, but between the frigid rain and the dense forest, she was beginning to falter, however slightly.

She managed to smash through another patch of trees, her frantic pace of zigzagging hadn’t been quick enough, and thus she’d decided to power through the leaves and the branches. Any scrapes or bruises were worth it for Scootaloo!

The pegasus remained stone faced on the outside, but by this point, she truthfully felt like bawling. Her little sister was gone! Lost in this hellish storm and it was all her fault! She shook the thought from her mind quickly, replacing it with determination.

She couldn’t give up now or ever. Not until that precious filly had been found at least! Only when that little pegasus was in her hooves would she let herself finally rest!

Rainbow Dash kept an ear out for something, anything that might help her. She would’ve shouted out, but her lungs were burning by this point, and the thought of screaming wasn’t exactly crossing her mind, as it was currently clouded by panic and a want to find Scootaloo physically.

Suddenly however, it seemed as if the stars had aligned for her, as she heard a shrill shout from just to her left, only a couple dozen feet away given she picked it up over the storm. There was no doubt, it definitely came from a young filly, and thus the pegasus did a hard turn, heading straight for the noise’s source.

As she flew, her ears registered another voice, but her brain didn’t. It sounded partly muffled, hard to exactly make out. Still, she could hear traces of it even if she wasn’t listening to it, per se.

“Christ kid, watch out for fucking mole holes out here, you’ll break your damn ankle,” it said in a not-so-friendly tone.

Soon enough though, Dash had come into a much more open area, a trail snaked out beneath her as she stopped and turned her head, seeing if she could find anything.

“Rainbow Dash!” she heard from behind her, and turned, spotting Scootaloo, and… something else.

It was tall, quite tall in fact, and bulky too. It had deep red, glowing eyes, and she could see it wore some type of long, dark colored jacket.

The creature was standing over Scootaloo, just a foot or so away from her. It was currently in the middle of reaching down to grab the filly, who herself had her foreleg stuck halfway in a tight looking, muddy hole.

While Scootaloo looked overjoyed, the creature stared up at Rainbow Dash for a moment. The redness of its eyes stuck out in a sea of dark greens and blacks. Its jacket billowed in the wind as she stared him down.

It was almost like he'd realized this was not a good look though. A pony, a tiny little filly pony at that, who had just shouted in fear, and a big, two legged, scary, red-eyed beast staring down at her, ready to grab the little filly in question?

It wasn’t a shock she shot at him like a bullet.

The beast jerked back, straightening himself in surprise as Rainbow Dash barreled forwards, not stopping or slowing in the slightest. Even as her sister called out to her to slow down, the blue pegasus readied her forehooves, charging in almost like a superhero would.

She was so zoned in that she didn’t seem to notice the various shouts.

“Woah! Woah! WAIT!” he called, raising his hands up to try and stop her!

“Wait Rainbow Dash!” even Scootaloo was doing the same, trying to cry out to her sister to stop!

Both were too late!

He couldn’t dodge out of the way in time, as he didn’t seem to be expecting a fight. Thus, he wasn’t able to do much but gag out a shout of pain that died in his throat as he felt both of Dash’s hooves slam into his chest, no doubt leaving a pair of bruises on his skin whilst also knocking the wind out of him.

He flew backwards with a grunt, while Dash managed to stop herself, hovering in the air with her lightly flapping wings. The “monster” was sent tumbling several feet through the air before he landed down hard on his back. The impact elicited a loud “FUCK!” of pain from him.

After his harsh landing he began tumbling too, rolling down a shallow incline. His duster billowed and the All-American once more found itself flung aside, though not by choice obviously.

“Fuck! Shit! Fuck! Goddamn!” he growled these and many more expletives as he slid and tumbled, unable to catch himself on the muddy, slick ground. Soon enough he just accepted it and let himself continue his descent.

It took a few seconds, but he rolled to a stop a dozen feet away down the trail, heaving and laying on his stomach as he did. He was dazed, stunned, and obviously hadn’t fully registered what the hell had just happened.

In this time Rainbow Dash had turned her attention to Scootaloo. The mare flew down, grabbing the filly and yanking her out of the hole and into a great, deep, hug. Tears were almost flowing freely down the older pony's face by this point as she embraced her sister.

An embrace that shockingly enough, Scootaloo didn’t return.

“You hurt him!” shouted the little pegasus, trying to shove her way out of Dash’s grip.

“Huh? Hurt who?” Rainbow Dash questioned; her elation stopped suddenly due to confusion.

“Six!” Scootaloo said, getting a hoof free to point it back towards the downed human, who was rising to his feet by now.

“What?” was all Rainbow Dash managed to respond with, as the filly soon slipped out of her grasp and ran over to the now standing creature. She watched as Scootaloo jumped up onto her hind legs and practically wrapped herself around one of his legs.

“Oh Six, are you alright?” she squeaked, and Dash could tell the filly was close to crying.

“Easy kid, I’m fine,” he growled, rubbing one of his hands over his chest to make sure everything was in place, before he then reached it down and ruffled her mane in a comforting gesture.

It was only by then the adrenaline faded and Rainbow Dash noticed a distinctive soreness in her hooves. She’d put a lot of force into that blow and yet he just got right back up like it was nothing, even hurting her a bit in the process, albeit unintentionally. She’d known trees less resistant than that thing, whatever he was.

Scootaloo turned back to Rainbow Dash with tears welling up in her big, expressive eyes. She glared down at the older mare while finally prying herself off “Six” as Rainbow Dash now knew he was called.

“What were you thinking!?!” she angrily cried. While this anger made Rainbow Dash slink back a bit, the older mare responded with a glare of her own.

“Uh, duh, I was saving your life!” she retorted. “He looks like a monster! For Celestia’s sake he’s even got big glowing red eyes!”

“Yeah well, he’s still my friend!” Scootaloo shouted back. Even though the filly had to concede with her older sister that he did look scary, she still stood in front of him defensively, as if she expected another attack from Rainbow Dash.

“Look kid, I don’t need a pint-sized defender,” Six explained softly down to the filly. “I’m alright, no harm, no foul, all that… now run along to your sister.”

“She could’ve broken your ribs!” Scootaloo said, turning back to the taller human and looking up at his mask-clad face.

“Yeah… I think they’re mostly in place,” he said with a nod, and she frowned, making him pause as she didn’t find his joke funny.

She sniffed silently as Rainbow Dash watched the display, feeling a bit stunned. Mentally she was racking her brain about, eyeing the human as if he were still a threat, but at the same time, she could sense a genuine warmness coming from Scootaloo as she beamed up at him.

He in turn leaned down, ruffled her mane yet again, and spoke, placing his hand gently on her chin.

“Look, uh, how about you go back, you eat one of those- uh, those smore things, and you have a good vacation or whatever?” he spoke, trying to calm her down.

“Not without you,” she said softly. “You said you would, remember?”

"I said I would think about it," he corrected.

She just sniffled sadly in response

He looked away from her sullen face and towards Rainbow Dash, who just returned his gaze stoically. He could tell she wanted to speak, or rush over and snatch up the small filly, as her body was a bit tense still. He'd seen that look, that posture before, albeit not on a pony.

“Look kid, I don’t think that’s a good idea, alright?” he explained, looking from the older pegasus down to the younger one, who wilted further at his words.

“I know you’re worried about the adults hating you, but who cares what they think?” Scootaloo said, reminding herself of the time she and the other Crusaders helped Trouble Shoes. “Besides, once I explain everything that happened, I’m sure they’ll want to thank you anyways.”

“Look kid,” he paused briefly as he looked around, trying to think up something to say, “this whole thing was a sisterly experience, right? It’d be weird to have me hanging around.”

“You can be our special guest, just this once at least!” she responded, and he sighed again. “I can’t just leave you out here, not until this storm blows over anyways.”

Suddenly, a new voice interrupted, a deeper, tomboyish one, that drew the gaze of the Courier and Scootaloo up.

“You can stay,” Rainbow Dash offered, looking down at her hooves in thought, before she moved her gaze back up towards the human, “until the storm breaks up.”

The Courier sighed as Scootaloo looked back up at him. She didn’t seem as excited as he’d figured, though it was likely due to the fact she still seemed to be fighting the urge to not glare back at Rainbow Dash.

“Fine,” he managed, throwing in the towel in verbally, which he hoped would calm the filly.

That confirmation made her face light up more towards what he expected, and she practically became a blur as she jumped at him. He felt her latch onto his leg again even tighter than last time. As she squeezed his calf muscle in her tight embrace, the human set his sights on Rainbow Dash.

“Sure you don’t wanna boot me back out again?” he asked, Scootaloo still stuck on his leg. He swore he saw Rainbow Dash’s lips twinge up to smirk, but that soon vanished back into a serious gaze.

“You brought Scootaloo all this way, right?” asked Rainbow Dash, her tone serious.

She wound up only getting a soft nod from the Courier in response, leaving her to ponder for a moment.

“Then you helped my sister out, and I’ve gotta repay you somehow,” she said, her tone a bit lighter. Not fully friendly, but not as serious as she had been.

“Whatever you say,” he began, reaching down to pry Scootaloo off his leg, gently shoving her away as he continued, “but uh, you’re not like, on edge or anything anymore, right?”

“Now that you brought Scootaloo back, I’m fine,” assured Rainbow Dash, though she sounded tired, not her normally sporty self.

“Well,” the Courier spoke, pausing for a moment while examining her. When he didn’t sense any malice coming off of her or any sense of lying, he nodded.

“Alright, fine. You know the way back to your campsite?” Rainbow Dash nodded in response, and he shrugged.

“Alright then, let’s-” he was cut off as a light suddenly shined from behind Rainbow Dash.

He and the two ponies turned their gaze to the source before two new figures burst forwards from the bushes behind Dash.

“Rainbow Dash, I told ya not to-” Applejack began, her voice dying in her throat as she laid eyes on the large, bipedal figure a few feet in front of her blue friend.

Rarity just gasped in a mixture of shock and fear, looking between him and Scootaloo, who was still at his feet.

“What is that?” she soon asked, stating the question that was on the mind of not only herself but also Applejack and to a certain extent, Rainbow Dash.

“Oh… it’s a long story,” Scootaloo answered with a chuckle, nervously scratching the back of her head with her forehoof.