//------------------------------// // Pip and Tia, how to solve conflict between friends // Story: Fallout: Equestria - Pip and Tia // by starwars90001 //------------------------------// The battle raged over the wreckage of the fallen statue, remains of what had once been a huge stone mare was broken across a large courtyard. Pieces of a former monument to pony kind lay across the entire west side of the courtyard, divided it up into small intersections. In between these selections, ponies took potshots at each other turning the path to any side into a killing zone. Above the wreckage griffin mercs fought each other, taking shots or claw to claw fighting. The battle was pretty evenly matched with both sides taking heavy losses. Pip just sighed at the display. the scene playing out in front of her was one she had seen for the last three years, just another conflict born out of the fires of the Enclave war, A war she was responsible on level for. In a way, she was to blame for the various warlords and factions that had pop up since the Day of Sunshine & Rainbows. In a sense, the dead below her was on her hooves.  The little unicorn’s thoughts were interrupted by a smack upside the head, being shocked at the hit she turned to see her attacker. Looking up she saw the face of a disapproving Celestia. “I know that face, stop it Pip.” She said with sternness only a monarch could conjure. “You are not to blame for the action others take My little pony.” “Kind of hard to believe Tia when you see the results of your actions.” Pip got this talk every time she saw the cruelty of the wars below her. No matter how much Celestia told her it wasn’t her fault, which Pip sorta agreed with, she could never divorce conflicts going on below her as not her problem. No for Pip it was the idea that she shouldn’t involve herself in those conflicts below, more than once did Tia warm against using the great power she possessed to aid anyone side or risk becoming conqueror. She could aid those in need, never assist in war. She did once but that was an emergency, and wiping out three armies didn’t help her mind. “They’ve been fighting over that area for three days Tia.” the small unicorn said a hint of wanting in her voice. “Almost all the nearby settlements are either destroyed, empty, or trap between the fighting. Maybe if I may it storm I could delay their fighting.” Tia just shook her head. “It would just delay it Pip, not stop it. These ponies have been planning this war for months now, your not stopping them if you delay them.” “But maybe I can give time for the citizens to escape.” Tia sighed. “Escape to where Pip? This is far west of the NCR, and the nearest ponies who will help are the Raiders of Rad heights and the tribals of Carhoof. Would you want that?” Pip looked down in defeat, situations like this made her wish she was still down there, still fighting the good fight as she did three years ago. At least then could she do more than watch, at least then she could be their hero they call her. Pip was met with another smack upside the head, Tia looking angrier than usual. “Pip, listen, I know how it feels to just watch and not act. It’s not a good feeling, especially when you have the power to end it. But nothing you can do would help here.” “Yes, I could!” Pip shouted at the princess she once looked up to as a role model, now she saw the true mare underneath, a wise old mare. “I could create a tornado, hurricane, or hail. One little storm and both of them are gone!” “Then you will leave a power vacuum in that area. Other tribes and groups will see it as easy pickings. If you start siding with one faction over another, wiping one out over another, you will become no more than a cruel enforcer ” Tia’s tone became more gentle as she spoke like a caring mother. “You are their hero Pip, not their goddess.” That cut deep, Pip thought of a few responses but held them back, she knew Tia was right there was nothing she could do. “Damn it fine, your damn right.” Pip looked away, admitting it hurt more than anything. What good was she as their Lightbringer if she couldn’t stop that senseless slaughter?  “I’m going to go, Tia, I need to be alone for a while.” Celestia did nothing as the small unicorn trotted off into the empty void, sometimes pain was best dealt with alone. She understood that feeling all too well. ------ Celestia trotted along the artificial beach, with every step the sand flicked in waves of energy. The shoreline was miles wide with nothing around as far as the eye could see except for a little unicorn watching the waves.  She didn’t do anything as Tia approached, laying next to the smaller unicorn watching the sea with her. “Beautiful sunset isn’t, hard to believe Stable-tec was able to simulate something like this huh?” Pip just gave her a side glance, the expression written across her face saying ‘Not now I’m moody’. Tia sighed, she knew when Pip was like this it was hard to snap her out of it.“Listen I’m sorry Pip, I didn’t mean what I said. I overstepped myself, I shouldn’t have said that.” Pip gave her a wide huff. “Go away Tia, I just need to be alone for a while.” Tia just took that attitude as a challenge, thinking of a way to get the mare out of her mood, Tia brightened up when a thought came to mind. With the stomp of her hoof, the beach and sea faded away to be replaced by the blaring sounds of a club. The two now stood in the middle of a dance floor with stroll lights of various colors blazing around them, a crowd of ponies and other creatures sat watching them from tables that stood a level above the dance floor, all of them cheering and dancing to the starting beat. From nowhere the voice of a stallion shouted. “Well, folks the next beats are by House doing his hit From the Underground.” The song started with a techno beat played over a fast paste rhyme. Celestia bobbed and swung her hips to the building beat, Pip just buried herself into her hooves and tried to ignore the song as it picked up speed. Finally, the music beat stopped while the rhymes kept playing, the voice of a stallion who sounded like a preacher joined the music. “In the beginning there was Siren, and Siren had a groove, and from this groove came the groove of all grooves, And from that day Siren boldly declared let there be House! ” Tia started dancing along with music, perfectly matching her hoof steps beat from beat. Pip just ignored it all, she knew Tia’s games, she always pulled this when Pip was in one of her moods. Pip Just buried herself deeper in her hooves, to match her Tia increase dancing, loudly hoof stomping to the beat. With a flash other ponies and creatures appeared around the dance floor, dancing wildly along with the alicorn.  “You see house is a feeling, house is an uncontrollable desire to shake your body. As I told you before, I am the creator and this is my house!” Their dancing increased as the music was turned up. The dance floor begins to fill with more and more people as the music went on, soon the dance floor was bustling with life and movement.  Pip was completely overshadowed by the people dancing over her, the little spot she tried to hide in becoming boxed in. Finally Pip had enough. “Fine Celestia damn it, you win.” Pip yelled then looked around, blushing when she saw the floor was empty except for Tia smiling victoriously above her. “I can’t even brood in peace can I?” “No.” For somepony who was a princess, she could be the biggest filly in the world Pip thought to herself. “I will go away if you sing karaoke with me.” “Oh for crying out.” Pip got with a huff, accepting this was her only choice for peace. “Yay. I knew you would come around.” Tia nestled her into a hug for which the smaller unicorn sorta returned. “I’ll even play your favorite song as a treat, I gotta Buck was our best.” Pip just sighed. “Well, if you lead will I follow along, but then you leave okay?” “Splendid, Let’s get started shall we.” With another tap of her hoof the music changed, two screens appeared from floor with different lyrics for both, microphones shot up from the floor in front of both mares. Tia took her mic into her left hoof and with perfect rhyme with the music started. “Ayo sweetie, you're looking kinda pretty, What's a girl like you, doing in this rough city.” Pip just rolled her eyes, she knew the song by heart but still put in little effort. “I'm just mare trying to hold my own ground.” Celestia started bobbing to music while Pip just stood still. “Yeah, I think I like how that sound What you say we gets to know each other better?” Tia moved closer to Pip making her turn bright red.. “That sounds good but I don't think that I can let ya” Pip tried to move away, barely able to say her lyrics. “I don't know, tell me is it so Do you get a kick, out of tellin Me no?” Tia leaned in toward Pip, making the unicorn blush even harder. “No it's not that see you don't understand How should I put it? I got a Buck.”  Tia pushed away and pretended to look offended and smug, putting a hoof on her chest to add act. “What's your Buck got to do with me?” “I told ya.”Pip tried her damnedest to fight back chuckling. “I'm not tryin to hear that see.” Tia shook her head in fake disapproval at that statement. Pip could barely say her line she was starting laugh “I'm not one of those mares that go rippin around”   Tia hung her nose up high, putting on a prideful look. “I'm not a bird baby, so don't play me like a clown.” “I'll say, I like how you buck it.” “Now you're talkin baby, dts das tickett.” The way Tia butcher that the last line was the final straw. Little Pip burst out laughing at the top of her lungs, tears welling up in her eyes. Celestia herself joined in, falling back on her hindlegs and cracking up on the floor. They both just sat there for minutes laughing until the music just stopped. Finally, Pip got up, wiping away tears from her eyes. “Damn it Tia. You just find the best ways to mess with me.” Tia was hiccuping from laughing too much. “After 1000 years I know a thing or two about making a grump smile.” Pip shook her head, clearly, they’d been in here with each other too long. “Sorry about earlier Tia, sometimes the world just gets to me you know.” Tia just put her into a warm embrace. “It’s okay, I knew that same feeling. It was until I met you that I could have this type of fun again.” Tia hugged the little unicorn and said with the most sincerity. “Thank you, Pip for staying with me.” “You know Tia, I’m glad I'm here with you too. You're probably the second best pony I’ve met in my life, so thank you.” They both broke off the hug. The club around them faded away, replaced by the familiar void they’d called home. “I came up with an idea for that little fight on the ground.” Pip was all ears for that, anything that solved that hellish scene was good.  “Maybe we should rain a little on that fight of theirs down on the ground,” Tia said with a wicked grin. “Not destroy them, just send a message to behave or the Lightbringer will punish them.” “What changed your mind about using our power?” “Nothing, I think instead of using our power to destroy we should use it to punish instead. If two groups fight, we make it hail on them until they stop. A wannabe warlord causing problems, with that a cold summer until they behave. Think of it as spankings with the weather.”  Pip’s ears perked up with that, it was the perfect midground, not destruction but lots hurt for bad folk. “You did all that just so you could tell me this huh?” Pip raised an eyebrow at her. Celestia just trotted away as if asked nothing. “Yep, I didn’t just want you happy but solve our little power problem. I wasn't a princess for years without knowing how to problem solve.’ The alicorn then started galloping away. “Now come on that war ain’t ending itself.” The small unicorn just Nah and followed her, the pair wouldn’t let the cruelly of the world below break and ruin them as it did before. Instead, now they’d be its guardians, watchers, and caretakers, that is the fate Pip chose.