Somewhere in the desert, Scarlet was lying on her back, passed out. A bird flew in and landed on top of her. It tilted its small head and hopped towards her face, and gave a small peck on her check. Scarlet moan in complain and shifted for a moment. The bird peck again and did it a few more times causing Scarlet to final awake. She quickly sat up and tried to swat the bird away. She watched the bird fly away mumbling, “Stupid bird.” Then she suddenly remembered what had happen to her and she franticly patted herself down. She sighed in relief to find herself still in one peace. Then her eyes narrow, “Klein, I’m going hit you so hard, your brain will be spinning for weeks.” She reached into her bag and grabbed the Big Mountain Transportalponder! and active it. Nothing happen.
She looked at the Transportalponder and pulled the trigger a few more times. “Work you stupid piece of…,” the device suddenly spark and smoke started to come out of it. She sighed and put the now broken device in her bag, “Great, now I’m stranded here…wherever here is.” She looked her Pip-Boy and pulled up the map, only to get a location unknown message. “Forget what I said Klein. I’m going to slowly kill you.”
She lowered her arm and looked around the area. It looked like any old desert, with subs spread throughout the land and mountains in the distance. However, she didn’t see any land marks she was familiar with that were in the Mojave, if she was still in the Mojave that is. In fact nothing looked familiar and that coming the women who travel throughout the whole area of the Mojave. “Maybe I’m in Mexico,” she jokingly said. “But my Pip-Boy should still pick up my location.”
She looked at her Pip-Boy again and was glad that the compasses and clock was still working. Then she notice something was off; judging the position the sun was in the sky, the time was…a few hours in the morning? Her clock said otherwise and the time was actually 1:34pm. “Okay… now that is strange.” If her Pip-Boy couldn’t get the time right something must be wrong with it.
Well there no point in standing here wasting time, I should try to find a town and see if they have any electronics parts to sell. Just need to get the Transportalponder to work again and I get back to Big Mountain. She reached into a pocket from her Desert Ranger armor and pulled out a pair of sunglasses. Let hope the nearest town is not that far away, because I don’t have enough supplies for a long trip. She decided to head towards the rising sun. Why? She just felt like it.
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It seemed the way of the desert deem her worthy to continue to on living, because it wasn’t that long till she came across a train track. Where there are train tracks there has to be some sort of town next to it or the tracks led to some old world ruins. She walked on top of the track, heading down the same direction as before, and was utterly board out her mind. Shouldn’t some giant Radscorpions attack me by now? Or even Deathclaws since they like to hang around trains tracks. In fact, I haven’t seen any living being, no roaming Bighorns, Geckos, and thankfully no swarm of Cazadors, only birds. In fact…I haven’t even any old world ruins. Where are the billboards or the roads that are normally run along the tracks?
A loud whistle was emitted and rang throughout the air of the desert from behind her. Scarlet stopped walking, turned around and saw something coming down the track. “What in the world is that?” She soon heard a chugging sound and another whistle was emitted. Scarlet had the sudden urged to get off of the track. As she did the noise from the strange object only got louder and louder. She pulled out the 12.7mm SMG and got ready for the worst possibility. The earth rumble beneath her and she could she smoke rising from the mysterious object. Then something came to her mind, “Wait? Is that a train?” It was indeed a train and soon it pass in front of her, and it was dragging along multiple of rectangle boxes with it.
Scarlet just stood there, her month slightly open in amazed. She had never seen a working train before. Sure there was the monorail, but that was small compare to what was in front of her. The train finally end and continued heading east. Scarlet still stood there bewilder of what she saw. “Okay, that’s new.” She only read about trains from the archives in Big Mountain, but to see one that was still working was beyond her imagination, especially if the engine was coated in the color pink. She shook her head, “Get back on the track and follow that train. Train means people and people mean supplies and information.” She went back on the train track and jogged down it.
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“Kind-of looked like Nipton,” she said once the town came into view over the horizon. She grabbed a water bottle and took a sip from the warm water. Hopefully it hasn't be attack by any savages, she thought. Of course if there are any crazy savages, I’ll take them out this time.
As she got closer she noticed several small colorful specks wandering inside the town. She took off her sunglasses and rubbed her eyes, wanting to make sure she wasn't seeing thing. She looked again, and the colorful specks were still there. “Okay, what are you?” She unstrapped the Anti-materiel rifle and looked through the scope.
For a while she just stare at the town, rattle at what she saw. “No, I’m not seeing this.” Colorful four legged creatures were walking inside the town, and almost all of them were wearing cowboy hats. However the creature name hung in the back of her mind and made her to stare aimlessly for a while. “Horses…they’re horses,” remembering the book she gave to Papa Khan to convince him to leave during the battle at Hoover Dam.
“Well fuck,” she lowered the scope, “that's a complete frag in my plans.”
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“Thanks again Applejack for coming all the way from Ponyville,” Braeburn said.
“It’s not a problem Braeburn. Just can’t believe that a whole acre of apple trees are sick. Hopefully we can find out what’s wrong with them before it’s too late.” Applejack and Braeburn were walking towards the orchard field.
“So, how was the train ride?” Braeburn asked in his normal cheerful voice.
“Boring like the last time I came down here,” Applejack answered. “Until we got closer to Appleloosa through, some filly clamed to see a hairless ape standing on the side of the track, which cause an argument between her and her mother.”
Braeburn slightly chuckle, “Did you see this big hairless ape?”
“Na, I was taking a nap. It was the argument woke that me up. That filly sure can get loud when she wants to.” They both chuckle as they enter the orchard field. Applejack then saw a familiar face, “Well howdy there Little Strongheart, long time no see.”
“Hello again Applejack,” Strongheart said. She turned to face Braeburn, “I could find nothing wrong with the land to find reason why the apple trees are sick.”
Applejack looked at Braeburn with her eyes slightly raised. “Little Strongheart insisted to help, since the buffalo tribe knows the land better than we do. She asked right as you were coming from Ponyville.”
“I’m not mad Braeburn. Beside two heads are better than one.” She did a smug smile then shook her head. “Now where is the worst cast of this here illness?”
“Near the river,” Braeburn said pointing a hoof to one side of the orchard. “I notice some of the trees’ leaves were wilting a few days ago. At first I thought they weren’t getting enough water, but the irrigation channels are all working fine. Then I thought it was something in the water, but it’s still clean as before.”
“I see.” Applejack walked around the tree several times inspecting it. “How about the apples, are they still good?”
“Yes, I ate one and it tasted just fine. However, I don’t want to sell the sick trees’ apples until we find what is wrong with them or made sure the apples themselves are ok.”
“You still feel fine Braeburn?” Applejack stopped her pacing and looked at Braeburn with a concern look.
“I’m fine AJ. It was just one apple, and beside I got a strong immune system.” Braeburn stood in a proud stance as he said the last part.
“So Applejack,” Strongheart asked, “can you find anything wrong?”
Applejack went back to her trotting around the tree, and after a few minutes she stopped shaking her head. “No, I can’t find anything wrong.”
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Well, how do you like it so far? Not much in these two chapters, but don’t worry crazy thing will happen in the next one.
Fallout New Vegas is copyrighted Obsidian Entertainment and Bethesda Softworks.
MLP: Friendship is Magic is copyright to Hasbro.
All characters that belong to their companies are rightfully theirs. This writing is for fun and nothing else.