//------------------------------// // Chapter 13 // Story: The Stranger With a Big Iron on Her Hip // by Omega_code //------------------------------// Thanks to ProtheanBrony for proofreading. _____________________________________________________________________ “What in tarnation happened to you Scarlet?” Applejack asked once Celestia and Scarlet were in ear range. “Had a problem with another griffon and my sword had to say hi to his feathery hide. It was a long and messy conversation.” Scarlet said in a partly lighthearted tone. Applejack’s eyes shot open in shock and was about to say something but Celestia held up a hoof. “Save them for later Applejack. Right now we need to get Scarlet cleaned up, but not be notice by the town. I don’t think they will react well to your condition.” “It’s not my fault your people can’t handle the sight of a small amount of blood.” “Small,” Applejack remarked. “But I’m not going waste a Stealth Boy for a walk through town for a bath that I don’t really need.” Ignoring Scarlet’s statement, Celestia looked over at Applejack. “Where are Braeburn and Strongheart?” “Strongheart had to get back her tribe to handle something and Braeburn is in his house waiting for us.” “Strongheart is a tribal, huh, that explains a few things,” Scarlet stated out loud. “I see. Alright, stand still you two.” Celestia’s horn started glowing as well as Applejack and Scarlet’s bodies. “Hey what the hell is…” was all Scarlet got to say before all three of them disappeared in a bright flash of light. ****************** Braeburn was sitting in the kitchen, eating an apple and reading the towns' newspaper. He was about to take another bite when there was a bright flash in the living room along with a confused sounding Scarlet saying, “…going on!?” Braeburn leaned over and saw the Princess, Applejack, and Scarlet, who was rapidly looking around the room. “We were teleported Scar,” Applejack answered. She glanced to the kitchen. “Howdy Braeburn, we’re back.” “I can see that.” Scarlet was now patting herself down to make sure her butt was still facing the correct direction. “Okay first off, warn me,” she said pointing to Celestia. Then pointing at Applejack, “Second, it’s Scarlet not Scar. I don’t need a nick name for a nick name.” Applejack was surprised by this. “Scarlet not your real name?” Scarlet laugh slightly. “Yeah, my real name faded away in my travels through the Wasteland since I rarely told my name to anyone I met. So they just gave me nick names. Scarlet and the Courier are the two popular among them. “So how did you get the name Scarlet?” “I’ll let y'all figure that one out.” Scarlet looked over to Celestia. “Now I thought you were going to answer my last question once we got here?” “Well aren’t you hungry? I am after a very long fight, and after the fight you had I figure you might be as well. I also know a good recipe for tea that's supposed to renew the body’s energy.” Celestia made her way to the kitchen and stopped by the doorway and looked at Scarlet. “No thanks,” Scarlet said crossing her arms looking a bit annoyed of her question being constantly pushed off . “Okay. In the meantime, can you please wash up and leave your clothes outside to be cleaned later?” “You’re not going to let that go huh?” Celestia’s coy look answered Scarlet’s question. “Fine, I'll clean up this small mess. Lucky for me I have an extra pair of clothes to change in to.” Scarlet made her way to the bathroom, and Celestia went into the kitchen. As the two leaders went in their two separate directions, Braeburn went up to Applejack. “So what trouble did Scarlet get herself into to have blood on her clothes?” “She fought another griffon. She used that sword of hers to…,” Applejack closed her eyes and shuddered in what she said next, “… to cut him up.” Braeburn’s pupils slightly grew bigger as he looked down the hallway. “I know, she just gets scarier by the minute.” “Does the Princess know what she did?” “I think she does, but she either talked it out with Scarlet or is somehow okay with it.” “Actually it’s neither,” Celestia said suddenly appearing right behind the two. The two ponies turned their heads around to see Celestia munching on a sandwich. “It’s just I understand her reason why.” She took another bite of the sandwich. “Exactly how do you understand her?” Applejack asked. “Because a long time ago I was in her world, and saw things which would make any sane pony go crazy. I was nearly killed, if it wasn’t for the kindness of one stranger.” She was about to say more but the whistle of a tea pot stopped her. “Ah tea is almost ready,” she said making her way back to the kitchen. “Well that explains a few things,” Applejack said, “but still leaves more questions.” “Yeah, like where did she get the tea pot since I don’t own one,” Braeburn replied. ****************** Scarlet was lying in the tub with her arms over the sides, letting out a relaxed sigh as the warm water helped to ease up her sore muscles. This was the second bath she had drawn since the first one’s water got really dirty while cleaning her not-often-washed body. “I should do this more often,” She mumbled out in a low voice. She then closed her eyes and stretched her body out. “Too bad they don’t have radio signals so I can play some music.” Still having her eyes closed she put her arms back on the side, as well as resting her head on the end of the tub, taking a small, little nap. Suddenly her Pip-Boy made a clicking noise and a familiar song played out. Scarlet opened her eyes in confusion and held her Pip-Boy in front of her to check what was going on. However, her eyes soon found something else to focus on, like having a hoof instead of a hand. She could feel her heart racing as she checked to see her other arm was a hoof as well. She looked down her chest to see a pony’s body instead of her owns. “What in the world?” She scrambled herself to get out the tub which was a bit difficult in her sudden new from. She did her best to walk to the mirror and look at herself. Her coat was dark tan with the same scarlet color she had for her hair was matching her mane and tail. On both side of her body was what looked like wings. “How the hell did this happen?” “You look lovely,” a male voice spoke out. Scarlet turn around to see she wasn’t alone. A brown earth pony (if she remembered correctly) with a black mane stood behind her. He smiled as he admired Scarlet, “I must admit I had my doubts, but you fit her body so well.” Scarlet looked around the room for her weapons but couldn’t find them. “Like you could use them; your weapons were made for human hands, not pony’s hooves.” Scarlet gritted her teeth and charged at him to punch him in the face. However she went through him like he was a hologram, causing her to plummet to the floor. “Finished yet?” Scarlet grunted as she propped herself back up. “I guess so.” Scarlet felt as if she was on all four as she stood facing the mysterious pony. “So who the hell are you?” The pony chuckle, “That all depends on you. I can be your friend or I can be your master.” “If that’s the case how about neither. Now put me back in my body or I’ll find a way to smash your face into the nearest object.” “Awe, so soon? Don’t you want to stretch out your legs and feel the wind under your wings?” He let out a smiled, “And I know the perfect place.” In the blink of an eye the bath room changed to a cliff side overlooking a desert, where there was a spewing dust storm below them. It was a familiar sight to Scarlet. “So this is the Divide,” a female voice spoke out. Scarlet looked to her left and saw a group of people and some pack Brahimn. Then Scarlet's voice answered, “Pretty much, of course you’re looking at the good side of it.” Scarlet, wearing the armored Vault 13 jumpsuit, walked out of the group. “Alright, the road will only get rougher from here on now. Everyone stay close together or you’ll be food for the Deathclaws.” “Deathclaws?” A random man spoke out. “You didn’t say anything about Deathclaws living here. I thought nothing lived in the Divide!” “Then you chose the wrong group to travel with.” Scarlet raised an armed and pointed behind them. “The path to California is still open, you can still leave and head back home. Nothing is holding you back.” The man readjusted the bag on his back, turned around and started making his way out of the Divide. Others soon followed his lead and nearly one-third of the party left. “Well I hope you’re happy Courier. You just made this trip a lot harder,” the woman who spoke before said. A male, wearing custom leather armor, spoke out. “Actually she made this trip a lot easier. We don’t have to worry about people who might flee in the mid of battle. Plus it did save you some caps the in payment later on.” He walked up to Scarlet giving a warming smile, in which Scarlet tried to pretend not to notice. “Now let’s get a move on, we don’t want to be outside when sun goes down.” He moved forward with Scarlet and everyone else who stayed following, which caused the group to fade away. The male pony spoke right into Scarlet’s ear. “You know those who left were smart enough to leave when they could, because you and your friend only led the others to their untimely deaths.” The pony Scarlet narrowed her eyes and glared at the male pony. “I didn’t do anything to them. They asked us to guided them into the Divide and we did just that. The NCR brought the destruction to this place once they greedily claimed this land in their 'Oh so glorious' government.” “Oh really? The people of the Divide looked up to you for leadership, inspiration, and moral. And what did you do in their time of need? You left to head back West, but not without living a small gift for them.” “I hate to tell this but someone already went through the whole ordeal to tell me what happened here already. So save your breath and tell me what you want when I wake up.” The male pony smiled in amusement. “Oh you are a smart one. Fine then, here’s what I want. I want you to deliver a message to Princess Celestia.” His face sudden turned into a menacing look, “I will finish what was started 300 years ago and bring down this unjust government. There’s no point in trying to resist my forces for everything is already in motion. Equestria will be cleansed and be brought under a new unity. And there is nothing she can do to stop it.” He lifted up a single hoof and slammed it on the ground creating a green fiery explosion which quickly engulfed Scarlet. ****************** Scarlet opened her eyes rapidly as she sat up straight, breathing in and out heavily. The water in the tub swished back and forth reacting to her sudden moment, and Scarlet was gazing off in the distance; her skin still tingled as if she was still on fire. Scarlet held an arm in front of her, glad to see a hand instead of a hoof. She put the hand on the side and got out of the tub. I think it’s time to find what the hell is going on. _____________________________________________________________________ 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.