Fallout New Vegas: A New Road

Courier Six trudged along at the back of the pack of ponies, as if he was debating on slipping off while they weren’t paying attention. Scootaloo in her excitement, was up ahead conversing with Applejack and Rarity about how he’d saved her from the river earlier.

“And then I was like ‘ahhh!’ and he chased me, and I was smashing through all these bushes, but he kept up! And then-” she was shouting excitedly, explaining the ordeal as if it were some action story or stunt show she’d seen, with her making sound effects and zipping her hooves this way and that whenever possible.

He sort of tuned it out and allowed it to settle in with the background noise of the rain, which by this point had substantially slowed down, thankfully. Rainbow Dash was next to him as he trudged forwards, and he occasionally glanced down at her, as she herself occasionally glanced back at him.

The Courier wasn’t sure if he could feel mistrust emanating from her, or an apologetic sensation. It was probably a bit of a mix of both, given she didn’t seem exactly in a speaking mood just yet. Likely because body looked haggard, covered in leaves and blotches of mud—no doubt she was exhausted.

He would’ve said something to comfort her, but he figured she’d be a bit harder to consol than Scootaloo was. He also didn’t feel like getting a pair of hooves to the chest again if he said the wrong thing. That was neither here nor there, though.

As it stood, he continued on silently by her side for a bit, letting the ponies ahead continue their talk. Occasionally though, Rarity and Applejack would look back at him with studying expressions. Scootaloo herself would also turn and gaze at him with a smile every now and then as well.

It was getting a bit awkward by now, walking alongside Rainbow Dash in complete silence. So, he finally spoke, giving a quick cough to catch her attention before speaking in a lowered voice so as to not interrupt the conversation going on up ahead.

“So… what’s with the uh…” he looked at her hindquarters in thought, as if he were pondering what to continue with, before finishing, “the uh… ass tattoo?”

She looked up at him with a face of bafflement, completely taken out of her previously stoic, tired expression.

“What?” she asked, her voice as befuddled as her expression.

“I don’t know what to call it. The thing on your flank or whatever, I don’t think horses had those,” he said, reminding himself of the few pictures of the animals he’d seen from pre-war books. One of the many creatures who went extinct in the harsh Wasteland.

“It’s my Cutie Mark,” she managed, still confused.

“Cutie… Mark?” he returned, just as confused.

“My special talent?” she shot back, as if it were obvious. “You know, everypony magically gets one when they find out what they’re supposed to do in life?”

He remained silent, staring blankly as he walked long, as if he were taking it in.

“You’re making that up,” he said, his tone flat, as if he were unsure what to even say to that explanation.

“What?” she asked again.

“It’s too perfect. Like, your name is Rainbow Dash, and your mark is a rainbow bolt,” he said. “What if your name was… Carrot Juicer or something. Would you still get the same mark? Or what if your name had nothing to do with rainbows?”

“Scootaloo’s mark isn’t a scooter!” pointed out Dash. “Names don’t define who you are.”

“But the mark does? What if you change your name?” he countered.

“Why would anypony do that?” she responded back.

“...I don’t know…” he said after a moment of thought, “...but it’s still weird. Too accurate. Fate is more random than that.”

“What would you know about fate, huh?” she asked, a bit aggressive now.

He was silent at that, giving a grunt in response, keeping his mouth shut from there on in.

Rainbow Dash looked at him as they walked, but eventually she dropped it, and turned her sights back towards her friends and sister, who seemingly had just finished telling her tale.

“Well… that certainly is a mighty good story,” Applejack admitted with a nod.

“Yes, despite his outward appearance being rather,” Rarity began, pausing for a second to think of a nice way to say ‘terrifying’ before looking back at the Courier and continuing, “unique, I can certainly say you are a true hero, mister… Six?”

“Courier, Six, Courier Six, mailman, call me whatever you want,” he responded, making the fashionista nod.

“I don’t mean ta pry, but, how did you get here?” Applejack asked, looking curious.

“I had a teleportation device-” he stopped, wondering if he should explain what that even meant, before Rainbow Dash spoke up.

“What, like a unicorn’s horn?” she asked.

“I… what?” the Courier questioned back.

“I think he meant a magical artifact, darling,” Rarity said back.

“Magic? What? No!” he spoke, interrupting the two before they continued. “I- Look, there’s this place called the Big MT, host to hundreds of technological marvels. They managed to keep some teleportation devices operating after the war.”

“What war, darling?” Rarity asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Ugh… you know, the Great War!” he explained, getting all of the ponies to give him a confused look as he sounded exasperated. “I expected the kid wouldn’t know, but surely you guys must’ve seen some craters around here? Abandoned buildings? Destroyed cities?”

“The closest we’ve got around here to that is the old, abandoned castle in the Everfree,” Applejack said. “Of course, it’s sorta changed a lot since we first found it with the new treehouse an’ everything, but it is a thousand year old ruin.”

He stopped walking for a moment, making the others trot ahead of him before they themselves stopped.

Thousand years? No, no, no. Can’t be right! Not in the US anyways. No Pre-War book talked of anything that old. Hell, the country itself was only three hundred or so before it was swallowed in fire.

Oh fuck, was he in Europe? That might explain something about everything being so utterly different. Still though, the accents, they were all wrong, from the old holotapes he remembered at least.

“Are you quite alright?” Rarity asked.

“Yeah Six, you okay?” Scootaloo added, her expression one of concern.

He wasn’t able to answer, imagining that the Transportalponder had rocketed him across the planet, which made him unsure of what the hell to do now. His simple plan of wandering back towards the Mojave and righting himself was now gone.

On the fly he tried spinning something different. Perhaps he could find a human settlement eventually? Walk there, get some boat or even a vertibird up and running and then get back to the good ol’ USA. East coast landing. Surely that’d be alright? Maybe he could even find Chicago. Yeah, not a bad idea. He could even pay his last respects to ED-E and-

He was jerked into reality when Scootaloo poked him in the shin.

“Six?” she asked simply, looking worried.

“I… sorry kid. I’ve just had to make some new plans,” he said, waving her off. “I’ll catch up, you guys go ahead.”

“But-” she managed, but he shushed her.

“I’m just gonna be a little slower, just you and your friends go ahead,” the Courier explained. She looked at him for a moment before nodding.

“Come on Scootaloo, you need to get warmed up,” Rainbow Dash said, making the little filly groan.

“Yeah…” she simply stated, not seeming that excited as she walked alongside her older sister.

Courier Six for his part just walked along almost absentmindedly, his mind obviously somewhere else for the time.

“Apple Bloom, you can’t just leave!” Sweetie Belle cried.

“We’ve been waitin’ here for over an hour and they ain’t got back with her. We gotta try an’ help!” cried the country filly in question as she was loading a saddlebag beside the duo’s dwindling fire.

“But what if you leave and they get back while you’re still out there? You can get lost like Scootaloo and then they’ll have to rescue you too!” explained the more rational filly.

“Yeah, an' what if they got lost theirselves?” Apple Bloom retorted. “What if they’re stuck out there an’ no one can find each other? Somepony’s gotta save ‘em!”

“I don’t know… this storm is a lot worse than the one we dealt with when we found Trouble Shoes,” said the unsure Sweetie.

“It’s startin’ to slack off,” Apple Bloom replied. “Besides, we gotta find them as soon as we can!”

“Well alright, but what if we go back to Ponyville to get some other adults to help us?” Sweetie began, thinking up a plan. “We can get all the Wonderbolts to help out, and maybe Cherry Berry can get her hot air balloon to do an overhead sweep an-”

“Girls!” suddenly shouted a familiar third voice.

Both of them turned just in time to be snagged into a threeway hug by Scootaloo.

“Oh I missed you two so much!” cried the third crusader, having finally been reunited with her lifelong friends.

“Scootaloo! Yer safe!” shouted Apple Bloom excitedly.

“And she’s squishing me!” choked Sweetie, though she still tried returning the hug as best she could, a hard feat, given both her forehooves were locked in place from the bear- or rather, filly hug.

“Yup, all of us are safe an’ sound!” confirmed Applejack, who trotted up to the trio along with Rarity.

“I sure hope you two didn’t plan on going out in that putrid storm either?” Rarity asked, leaning down and giving the side eye as Scootaloo broke off the triple-hug.

“Uh… no,” Sweetie Belle said, looking down at the cave floor to shyly kick aside a rock.

“That goes for you too, sis,” Applejack said, eyeing the saddlebags on the floor, as Bloom herself looked a bit timid.

“I jus’ wanted to help,” she muttered, getting a soft hoof on her back in response. “I got worried about ya’ll.”

“I know Apple Bloom, but yer still too young fer all that adventuring stuff,” Applejack said softly, letting her little sister hug against her, as Rarity and Sweetie Belle did the same.

Rainbow Dash trotted up to Scootaloo and tried to give the filly a hug as well, wrapping a forehoof around her sister and snuggling her soaked body against her sister’s. Sadly, the little pegasus didn’t seem to fully return the embrace as she looked out towards the cave entrance, seeing Six leaning against the cave wall as he witnessed the whole adorable display.

He watched as Rainbow Dash looked downtrodden at the lack of a return hug. The blue pegasus soon broke it off, giving a sad frown as she looked down at her preoccupied sister.

Six for his part sighed an expletive to himself at this. Damned familial troubles. He hoped the kid would loosen up soon. Sibling disagreements were always a bit of a bitch.

“Ahhh!” a shrill cry rang out suddenly.

Speaking of bitches to deal with, he groaned again whenever he spotted Sweetie Belle looking up at him, pointing her hoof.

“M-m-monster!” she shouted loudly, and Apple Bloom joined in on the panic, the two fillies huddling together.

“Woah, woah, woah!” shouted Scootaloo, hopping up and waving her forehooves about to calm her friends. “Girls, he’s my friend!”

“Th-that thing is yer friend?” questioned Apple Bloom.

“I know he looks scary, but he’s the coolest!” Scootaloo assured, and by this point the adults chuckled a bit.

“Yeah, sorry for the lack o’ warning ya there,” Applejack said sheepishly to Apple Bloom.

“Indeed darling, forgive us for giving you a fright. It’s been a long night, and we forgot to explain,” Rarity said, holding back a chuckle as she comforted Sweetie Belle.

“But who is he?” Apple Bloom asked.

As the group began to answer, the Courier himself stepped further out of the cave, right at the edge now. He watched the rain pour down from above. It had weakened a bit further still, but it was still a decently strong storm.

He felt his eyes go heavy from the and thus blinked a few times. Moments later he sat aside the All-American, finally removing its strap from his shoulders before he propped it up against a large stone nearby.

Soon he leaned into the cave wall with one leg up under him, foot braced against the wall itself with his arms crossed. He remained there in an almost cowboyish pose, his head tilting down against his chest.

Just as he was about to let sleep potentially take him, he saw a blur of blue from the corner of his eyes. Six looked over, blinking them open as he saw Rainbow Dash standing there, she herself gazing up at him.

“I don’t know if I ever thanked you for saving her,” she said, stopping for a moment, “so… thank you.”

“I could swear I almost saw a piece of you die just by saying that,” he snarked back.

“Do you ever take anything seriously or are you always killing everypony’s joy?” she asked back, her face showing annoyance. “Only rainbow-colored ones,” he said.

No verbal response: she just narrowed her eyes at him.

“Sorry,” he responded simply, making her annoyance go to confusion at the genuine-sounding apology.

“It’s… fine?” she said, unsure if she was still peeved or not.

“Look you’ve got a good kid there and everything,” he said, his body still leaned against the cave’s cold, damp wall. “I’m not just gonna let her fucking drown, alright.”

“I hope to Celestia you didn’t use that language around her on the whole trip back,” Rainbow Dash responded.

“What are you, the word-police?” he asked, going back to the snark.

“No, but I’d rather not have my sister become a foul-mouthed prick like you,” she responded back sternly.

It was a weird experience, hearing the rainbow-maned pony swear. The Courier felt unsure of how to react. It was as if some rightful law of the universe had been broken somewhat. Gave him goosebumps almost.

“Alright,” he began, throwing his hands up, “I’ll cool it down with the ‘fucks’ and ‘shits’ and whatever else. I’m not gonna be sticking around here long anyways.”

“Even though I’m not against that idea, I think Twilight would want to speak with you,” Rainbow Dash said simply.

“What the uh, princess or whatever?” he asked back, remembering the name from his conversations with Mr. Magnet and Scootaloo. “The kid mentioned her too. What exactly could she do?”

“She’s the ruler of the land, and she’s also the smartest pony I know,” Rainbow Dash explained. “Because of that, she’s got a lot at her disposal. If anypony can help you get back home, it’s her.”

“Alright, I’ll go see her after we get this Winsome Falls trip behind us,” he said with a tired nod.

She herself nodded for a moment, before looking up at him.

“You know, you should come over by the fire before it dies off,” she said, looking back at the lowering flame in question.

“You don’t have any more dry firewood?” he asked.

“Scootaloo was on firewood duty, remember?” she said back.

“Any accelerants?” the Courier questioned.

“Huh?” was the simple response.

He sighed, getting up off the wall before he began walking out into the rain.

“Where are you going?” she asked, following him for a few steps, before pausing as the rain soaked her again.

“Give me a few minutes,” he called back as he walked towards the treeline.

Rainbow Dash considered for a moment about staying behind. Her exhaustion was catching up to her. Still, the Courier had helped Scootaloo in her time of need…

“Dang it!” she huffed, before flying off after him.

He had made it surprisingly far, having trekked through the forest almost like a ghost as he seemed more confident in his gait now that he was alone. She was able to point him out though and was soon flying behind him at a slow, steady pace.

“Just where are you going?” she asked with a scowl. “After promising Scootaloo you’d stay and me agreeing, you can’t just bail!”

“I’m not bailing, numbnuts,” he replied casually, swatting aside a low hanging branch.

It flew back and she ducked under it, growling at him.

“You might wanna just walk. I don’t want you to get hit in the face,” he casually said.

“Could’ve fooled me,” she huffed as she remained hovering, albeit extra carefully. “Where are we going?”

“I am grabbing some Flamer fuel,” he answered casually.

“What in the hay is that?” she asked, sounding annoyed.

“It’ll help you keep the fire going without worrying about the wood being too wet,” he answered simply.

It was a decently brisk walk from there. While he mostly stuck to the trail, when he went into the bushes, he was able to quickly and cleanly carve out a path. A destination and knowledge on the surroundings made him outpace Rainbow Dash by a few yards, though he remained within eyesight of the pegasus.

She remained at his back as he got closer and closer to his stash. At the moment, Dash wasn’t one for conversation, likely a by-product of her tiredness and the obnoxious rain that still poured down on her and him both.

“You delivered mail, right?” she asked finally as they continued on through the thicket.

“Yeah?” he answered casually. “Kinda figured we went over that.”

“Must’ve been a slow process, without wings and everything,” Rainbow Dash responded over a thundering crackle from the storm.

“Sometimes it was. Why do you ask?” the Courier questioned.

“It’s just that some of the best couriers I know have wings,” said the blue pegasus with a smirk.

“That so?” he said, almost challengingly. “Well, you’ve now met one without them then.”

“Yeah? What makes you so good?” she mocked back, smirking challengingly.

“Through storms, bullets, sand, and wind, the Mojave Express was the quickest, most affordable, and most effective mail delivery service in the entirety of the NCR and the US in general,” he spoke with pride, an almost reverent tone in his voice. “They didn’t let any assholes in off the street. You had to be smart, resourceful, and worth a damn for it. The job chose you, not the other way around.”

“You really cared about it, didn’t you?” she asked seriously, partially letting herself be sucked into his impromptu speech.

“Of course I did! You think my name’s just for show?” he barked, before giving a sigh. “Damn shame what some of those guys dealt with.”

“What do you mean?” she asked as they reached a clearing.

“Maybe-” he paused, looking at a downed log, before sighing with relief and a faint trace of reminiscing sadness, “maybe one day I’ll tell you about it.”

She watched as he walked over to the log and dug aside several large rocks from the end of it. Soon enough the Courier pulled out a massive, slightly soggy camping backpack. He hoisted it up and covered it as best he could so water didn’t leak into it as he pulled out a small metal canister.

He also grabbed a large, bulky lunchbox and what looked to be a fire axe before he zipped it back up and shoved it up under the log. With his gear stashed away again, he resealed it with dirt, mud, and rocks before getting up.

“A little bit of corn goes a long way,” he said with a smirk, rattling his bottle of Flamer fuel a bit.

“You didn’t have to help us with the fire you know,” Rainbow Dash said as they began walking back the way they came.

The Courier was at a light jog as he attempted to rush back, though it was harder to do given he had Knock-Knock strapped to his back now, not to mention the lunch box rattling on his belt.

“It’s fine,” he assured, “I might as well use this shit up anyways.”

“And the axe? You're gonna split it too?” she asked, giving him an almost snide smirk.

“Give me another look like that and I’ll make you do it,” he responded ever-so-assholishly.

“Bite me,” she chuckled.

“Don’t tempt me. I’ve eaten stranger things,” he shot back, sounding surprisingly serious, which made her give a confused look.

He gave a small huff that was almost a laugh as he moved on ahead of her.

The trek back towards the camp was mostly silent for a while. The two just let the rain and thunder sound out as they continued on. The Courier lugged his axe and canister with him, and Rainbow Dash flapped along behind him. He looked back at her and then forwards once again, as if he was pondering something.

“You uh… You and your sister. Got any parents around?” he asked after a few moments.

“We’re not related by blood,” she answered, “but she’s got some good ones, when they’re around anyways.”

“Ah, damn,” he nodded understandingly. “Well, could be worse, I guess. She’s a good kid. Decent head on her shoulders.”

“Yeah, Scootaloo is the awesomest,” Dash said with a tone of pride. “Thanks for rescuing her.”

“You stuck on repeat back there?” he casually chortled, getting an annoyed huff in response.

Rainbow Dash just studied him in silence as they continued on, reminded of Cranky Doodle Donkey, albeit a bit younger, and debatably slightly more prickish? She almost wondered what made him that way. Broken heart? Broken friendship? Broken some other third thing?

Maybe it was just plain bad luck.

She huffed again, to herself this time, and just remained silent. At least the trip back was rather peaceful, for a walk in a thunderstorm anyways.

“What do you think about the Courier?” Rarity asked, her tone a bit hushed as she finally removed her soaked raincoat.

She and Applejack had moved off to the side of the cave, letting the CMC huddle around the fire. The trio were cooking a few marshmallows on small twigs as Scootaloo went on and on about her new friend. She spoke about all the cool things she and the Crusaders could do with him once the trip was over.

“I don’t know,” admitted Applejack in an unsure tone. “I mean, he did a mighty bit of good for us, but I can’t help but think there’s somethin’ different about him. I don’t know if I like it or not.”

“He did have a certain strangeness emanating from him, though I can’t quite put my hoof on exactly what it was,” agreed Rarity, drying herself off, before passing Applejack the towel.

“Thanks,” said the farm pony, before continuing as she patted herself down. “I’ll keep an eye on him just in case. I don’t wanna judge him too harshly with him not bein’ from around these parts.”

“I certainly hope wherever he’s from, his attire doesn’t qualify as fashionable,” mused Rarity, making Applejack just roll her eyes, of which the fashionista took note. “What? Did you see that jacket of his? And don’t even get me started on that ghastly mask!”

“I wonder what it’s used for,” pondered Applejack. “All that armor on him too. You think he gets into a lot of fights? Maybe he’s even a soldier or somethin’?”

“I wouldn’t completely doubt that,” Rarity answered. “Didn’t you see that strange device he had dangling off him? I’m not sure what exactly it was but it might be some type of weapon.”

“I hope whatever it is, he only uses it for the right thing,” Applejack nodded.

As they spoke, the fire was getting so low now that the CMC had thrown in their tiny marshmallow roasting twigs. Their addition didn’t help much as they shivered a bit, with a strong gust of wind blowing through the cave.

Scootaloo was especially affected by it. Even after having dried off, the pony was a bit frigid and cold. Her teeth chattered a bit, but she soon felt both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle snuggle against her left and right sides respectively, giving her their warmth, even though they themselves were also pretty chilly.

“Thanks girls,” Scootaloo managed with a smile.

“No problem,” Apple Bloom responded, wrapping her forehoof around her fellow Crusader.

Despite the chill in the cave’s air, it felt good. The hug gave Scootaloo a warmness that lifted her spirits greatly. She almost drifted off to slumber as she closed her eyes.

Even both Rarity and Applejack were on the verge of falling asleep, their own eyes being a bit droopy, though the chill kept them awake as they slowly realized something.

“Where’s Rainbow Dash?” asked Rarity, snapping awake suddenly.

“An’ where’s the Courier?” added Applejack, equally as surprised.

They looked around the cave, but all they could see was the dwindling fire barely illuminating the CMC. The trio had seemingly fallen asleep in a huddled-up pile for warmth, almost like they were a pack of kittens.

The adults trotted around, trying their best to not wake up the three, but after looking deeper into the cave and still not finding a pegasus nor a mailman in sight, they began to panic a bit. Soon enough, Rarity was back in her raincoat, and the two were almost at the cave’s entrance, ready to go out into the rain.

They were stopped whenever a heavy footstep rang out, soon enough a strange, amber glow came into view. The Courier stepped inside the cave, his Pip-Boy light on, brightening up the place. Just behind him, they could see Rainbow Dash hovering, before she landed a moment later and shook herself off almost like a wet dog.

The duo arrived not a moment too soon either, as she and the Courier entered, the fire was dimmed completely to embers and ash. Both sighed in relief as they realized the Courier was carrying a large chopped up log over his shoulders, with Knock-Knock being swung onto his back.

“Rainbow Dash, are you alright?” Rarity asked as she and Applejack trotted over to her.

“Woah, I’m fine. Why are you guys freaking out?” Rainbow Dash responded.

“Why in the hay didn’t ya’ll tell us ya were going out?” Applejack growled.

“It was one of those spur of the moment things!” defended the pegasus.

“Yeah, and don’t worry about her,” grunted the Courier, dropping the large chunks of log into one of the corners of the cave, before he then rested his palms on his back, rubbing the tensed muscles through his soaked duster. “She didn’t throw out her back chopping up the wood.”

“I don’t see why ya’ll got it when it’s all soaked. It’s not gonna burn!” Applejack pointed out.

“That so?” he challenged back, stomping out the remaining embers of the fire, making sure there were no wayward sparks.

He nodded to himself and then carefully refilled the firepit, stacking the wood properly. After a bit he had a decently sized campfire with some extra wood to spare.

With his work done, he then unscrewed the nozzle of the canister of flamer fuel and dumped a few drops of it onto the wood. He was carefully attempting to eyeball the amount, and whenever he felt satisfied, he ceased pouring.

He then pulled out a flip lighter after a few moments of letting the fuel settle. The lighter was distinctively engraved, looking quite beautiful for such a simple tool. With it in hand, he flipped on the flame, and then carefully lit up the firepit.

He jerked back as the flames roared up in his face, and the ponies gasped as he stood back up. However, after a moment they realized he was fine, and the cave was now being slowly warmed up.

“This shit’s fast burning so we’ll have to dry out the leftover wood and throw it on there every few minutes, until you guys are warm enough anyways,” he explained, looking over at adult ponies, before turning and staring at the still sleeping CMC.

He watched as their shivers got less and less harsh, and a faint part of him smiled at that as he wiped the soot off himself.

“Well, that’s mighty fine of ya to do for us,” complimented Applejack as he poked the fire with a twig, before throwing it in.

“Yeah, it’s fine,” he said flatly with a nod, adjusting his jacket before walking over towards the cave entrance. “I’m going to sleep now.”

“Dear, are you sure you don’t want to use one of our tents?” offered Rarity as he sat down and leaned against one of the damp, rough walls. “I’m perfectly fine with giving up mine-”

“Nah, just let me rest,” he answered bluntly, interrupting her.

He looked over at the All-American, which was still left perched on its spot within arm's reach. Good. He pressed himself up against the cave wall foot or so away, letting his body rest against it as he slowly slid downwards into a sitting position.

He leaned his head back, crossing his arms under his duster as he did. The mares couldn’t see it, but his fingers were pressed softly against the grip of a pistol under his jacket. Just as a minor precaution, of course!

“I suppose he needs a rest,” Rarity said, a bit deflated as she looked around at her haggard friends, adding, “we all do.”

“Yeah, my wings are aching,” Rainbow Dash agreed, looking from the Courier back to her friends, and then finally to the sleeping Scootaloo, still in the CMC pile. “Uh, should we move ‘em?”

“I thought about that. Maybe we should let the girls be, after all they’ve been through,” Applejack answered, before she walked over to where she’d set up her tent.

The other two mares watched as she pulled out a large sleeping bag and sat it down just a few feet from the sleeping fillies.

“But I ain’t gonna let them stray, I’ll hear ‘em from here if they wake up before us,” she explained.

“I don’t think they’re gonna be running off after last time, but I get your point,” nodded Rainbow Dash. “Forget the tents, I’ll sleep out here too.”

“I…” began Rarity, looking at the damp, icky ground for a moment, before she became stoic, “will do the same, for Sweetie Belle’s sake.”

“It helps I also wanted to keep an eye on him,” admitted Applejack, looking at the Courier, who adjusted himself in his sleep a bit, causing the large lunchbox strapped to his waist to rattle.

“I get ya but…” Rainbow Dash paused to eye him over, “I genuinely think he’s at least somewhat an alright pon- creature.”

“Maybe so,” Applejack nodded. “Still, I jus’ wanna get ta know him a bit more before I get it out of my system at least.”

“Assuming he sticks around,” Rarity added. “He seems to be the wandering type.”

“Well, he’s still sorta my friend I guess, at least after helping Scoots anyways, so maybe I could get Twilight to help him,” Rainbow Dash pointed out, getting the others to nod in agreement. “Now let’s hit the hay.”

“Yeah, I’m beat,” Applejack yawned as they walked over to prepare for a hopefully restful slumber.

While the trio had been whispering extremely quietly, and the rainstorm outside had hidden their voices with its loud crackles, they greatly underestimated the Courier’s hearing.

He was about seventy, maybe seventy five percent of the way to dreamland, but even in this nodded off state, he had keen senses.

Couldn’t judge the farm pony for assuming him as a threat. Must be strange, him being another species and all that. Especially when ponies and sea snakes and who-knows-what-else were the dominant lifeforms in… Europe? Was it even Europe?

This all seemed so strange, even with radiation and secret experiments, for them to cause all this? Big MT was stranger, he countered to himself…

Maybe.

Slightly?

By a hair?

He had yet to talk to a horny fertilization pod. There was that at least.

Still, wandering the lands wasn’t the worst of ideas. Same as the Big MT, Zion, the Divide. He’d think about it. Maybe later. That ‘Twilight Princess’ or whatever, maybe she could help. Get a map from her? Fix the Pip-Boy? Not the worst of ideas…

He would’ve continued thinking, but he was asleep before he could do much more.