//------------------------------// // Chapter 7 // Story: The Stranger With a Big Iron on Her Hip // by Omega_code //------------------------------// Big Thanks to ProtheanBrony for proofreading. Enjoy. _____________________________________________________________________ “Braeburn,” Applejack spoke once they heard the door close, “have you sent a letter to Twi yet?” “No, I was waiting for you, but a pegasus is ready to deliver it.” “Thanks Braeburn.” Applejack walked to a desk and pulled out paper and a pencil, and with her mouth she began to write. Dear Twilight, I need to tell you something. It seemed the apple orchard in Appleloosa is being poisoned by an energy source called “radiation”. How do I know this? Well, I also have to tell you something else. Today, Braeburn, Strongheart, and I had met with a creature, an alien so to speak, who came here from another world and she’s stranded here. Now, before you put this letter down, and start jumping up and down in excitement I need to tell you something else about the female. Her name is Scarlet, and Twi, when she got here, six griffons tried to attack her for some reason, and she killed them. It was all in defense Twilight, but the way she acted after she was done, it showed she'd done this before, and is okay with it. That scares me Twi, but you want to know what is scarier? Right now, she is in a room right above me, and I’m okay with that. Yeah, you might think I’m crazy, but I trust her. She had not one, but two times she could’ve killed, but she didn’t. Now, I have no idea how to truly handle this radiation and with Scarlet, but right now Scarlet had offered to help with this radiation problem of ours. She seemed to have a lot of experience in dealing with it, and is only doing this for food, water, a room, and spare parts. Now Twilight, I’m also sending a more detailed summary of what happened, and I would like you tell this to Princess Celestia. Maybe she will know how to deal with the radiation and with Scarlet. I don’t know…I just need help with this one. Sincerely, Applejack. Applejack took out another piece of paper and wrote why she was at Appleloosa, and what happened at the field with the first encounter with Scarlet. How Strongheart led them near Scarlet campsite where the bodies of the dead griffons still lay. The information Scarlet told them about radiation and the deal they made. Applejack folded the letters and put them in an envelope. “Well, it’s ready. So who’s the pegasus who said they will deliver it?” “That will be Rushing Wind. He’s the fastest flyer in Appleloosa, and should get the letter to Canterlot by noon tomorrow.” “Okay, well after I send the letter I will be in my room at the inn if you need me.” “And I need to head back to my tribe, but I will be back tomorrow,” Strongheart said. She looked at Braeburn, “Will you be okay by yourself with that creature?” “You know she does have a name,” Braeburn said. “Well, I don’t fully trust her. Scarlet is a person who kills and feels no remorse of what they’ve done. She is almost like the coyotes' tribes up north. So until then, I will watch her with strict eyes.” Strongheart left without saying another word. Braeburn sighed in disappointment. “Don’t feel too bad for her Braeburn,” Applejack told him. “She just needs time to adjust, we all do. I still need time to get over the fact that I could’ve died. Let's just hope Princess Celestia will know what to do.” Braeburn turned to AJ to see her smiling at him. “Now you’re sure you will be okay with her around?” Braeburn smiled back, “Yeah, I’ll be alright. I still need to do a few things around town first. And I have a feeling we have a lot of explaining to do to the rest of the ponies.” “Yeah, I bet we do.” ******************** “That is one big family,” Scarlet mumbled to herself. The first thing that caught Scarlet’s eyes was a color photo of a huge group of horses gathered together. With her keen eyes she was able to spot out Applejack and Braeburn in the group, and conclude that this must be the rest of their family’s members. The next thing that caught her eye was a hard wooden structure. It had a glass door with a metal rod with a metal circle on the end and it was swinging back and forth making a small clicking noise. There was also a clock’s face on the top, with the number 1-12 going around inside of it. Strange, different world but it has the same amount of time for a day as mine. A small yawn told her that her coyote tobacco chew was starting to wear off. Anyway, I need to get ready for a nice long sleep, she thought to herself. Scarlet first removed the necklace and put it on top of a nightstand, and then she took off the metal brace along with the glove on her right arm. She then took off the duster part of her armor and laid it next to the bed. Next she unstrapped the combat armor vest and laid it on top of the duster. Finally she took off her boots, but kept the pants on since they were the only part of the armor comfortable to sleep in. She sat on top of the small bed, and it did a small bounce reacting to her weight. It’s small, but at least it’s soft, unlike the many beds that I used to sleep in my travels thought out the wastes. Before she went to sleep she picked up the necklace and studied it. She couldn’t see any sort of circuitry in the crystal and wonder how it work of translating her words or the horses word into a language both could understand. Stromwing did said I was brought here by a spell, and those work by the use of...magic. Maybe, the crystal works the same way? But magic doesn’t exist; it just something made up for those old wars fairy tales. Scarlet let out another small yawn, I'll figure this out later, right now I need some sleep. She put the necklace back on the nightstand, and laid her head on a pillow, letting go of her thoughts and fell into a peaceful sleep. ******************** Strongheart ran through the wilderness in a fast pace, with a cross looked on her face. Suddenly a male voice spoke out, “What’s the hurry young buffalo?” Strongheart quickly turned around in a defensive stance, but no one was there. “Oh… sorry if I startled you, I’m right above you by the way.” Strongheart looked up and saw a pegasus still on the edge of a cloud. “I saw you running from Appleloosa, did something bad happen?” “Not exactly,” Strongheart answer. “Does it have to deal with that strange creature walking through Appleloosa a while back,” he asked as he flew down next to her. Strongheart looked at him with a questionable look. “A creature the size of a minotaur isn’t had to miss in a town like Appleloosa. Kind of reminds me of the time when three minotaurs made their way through town about two months ago.” The pegasus chuckle to himself saying, “The whole town kept their distance away from them, some even barred up their windows.” Strongheart also chuckle along with the pegasus, as she took some time observing him. The pegasus had a light gray coat along with a black mane and tail with some dark green highlights in them. His cutie mark was a strange symbol of an A. “What’s your name?” she asked. “Oh, how impolite of me,” he remark. He held of hoof to his chest and did a slight bow, “My name is Alpha.” He bended back up and asked, “What’s your name?” “Little Strongheart, and it’s nice to meet you Alpha, but I can’t stay and chat. I need to get back to my tribe before the sun sets." “Of course, I was just curious. I mostly lived out in the wilderness and I don’t hear much of what’s going on in Appleloosa.” “Well, you're not missing much, it just that this creature, Scarlet, has the smell of death all around her, and I don’t trust her one bit. I fear what she might do to my friends, if she ever decided to turn against us.” Strongheart broke from the small conversation and continued to head back to her tribe. Alpha stood there, watching Strongheart run off into the horizon. After a while he smiled, whispering, “Scarlet…a fitting name, for a human that is.” He then took off to the sky, to do the rest of his plans. _____________________________________________________________________ One day down...some more to go. 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.