//------------------------------// // Uncertain Variables // Story: Fly Far, Fly Fast // by Omega_code //------------------------------// Thanks for HeavyMetalCommunist for proofreading. The chattering of the animals silenced as ED-E flew by. Two squirrels who were arguing on where to hide their nuts paused when they heard a fuzzy buzzing passing above their head. Birds who were singing their merry songs, decrescendo in their volume as it changed into gossiping chatter about the flying eye-bot. Even a ladybug stopped her meal of munching on a leaf to see new guest that already was full of rumors. However, said new guest was completely oblivious of the creatures’ reaction to his presence. Instead ED-E was enjoying the discovery of seeing so many creatures. Most of them he recognized from the TV show 'Ralphie', though there were plenty of others he had no idea of what they are. ED-E continued to fly around, taking in the sights and collecting new data to sort out. ED-E was beginning to understand the two children’s’ logic of making this area ED-E’s new home. Fluttershy had hundreds of animals and enough land to house them. It was the perfect place for him to stay out of sight while looking for this mysterious mare he had to help. ED-E stopped over a pen full of white birds with red things on their heads making clucking noises. He began to think about the mission Omega gave him. To ED-E it seemed almost impossible to complete with all of unknown variables in it. He had no idea who this mare was, where to find her, or what he needed to help her in. Heck he didn’t how he was supposed to search for someone without making a ‘big scene’ of himself. ≤Sad Beeping≥ To ED-E, this was going to end up as another task he will fail to complete, like his original task. Navarro, the place his creator wanted ED-E to travel to. A long journey from the East coast to the West coast, a journey that would’ve proven too difficult for any lone human to make alone. However, ED-E wasn’t a human and he was able to do it...well almost able to do it. He traveled through the middle part of the Old World, flying through packs of vicious animals, killing drugged up physco humans, and even snuck past some Brotherhood of Steel members, but two well placed shots, one at one of his engines and the other at a processing circuit, took him down. That would’ve been the end of him, if it wasn’t for the woman. And if it wasn’t for the woman, ED-E wouldn’t have even remembered his original directive. ED-E silently wished she was here to help him out. The woman always seemed to find some way to solve any problem that came across her. Being the first one to run through a field with missiles raining down from the sky and not getting a single scratch, overcoming the odds of assaulting an enemy camp and killing their leader, or fixing something no one else could even get working. Though, given the woman’s past history of stirring up trouble from out of nowhere, it was probably the best she wasn’t here. “ED-E, are you still here?” Fluttershy's voice mildly spoke out. ED-E turned around to see his new caretaker roaming around looking for him. ≤Loud Beeping Noise≥ Fluttershy gave a startled jump and looked towards him, and a relieved smile grew on her face. “Oh thank goodness, I thought you ran away.” ≤Sad Beeping≥ “Oh you don’t need to apologize. That's just how my mind works; I tend to worry about many things, and some of those things I shouldn’t even have to worry about.” She sat next to him, also looking inside the pen of white birds (whom seemed happy to see her). “So what were you doing here?” ≤Beeping Noise≥ “I see, thinking about home. You must miss it for being so far away from it.” ≤Sad Beeping≥ ED-E suddenly realized what he just said. ≤Evasive Beeping≥ Fluttershy giggled in admiration. “You don’t have to deny it. I understand how you feel. When I first moved down here from Cloudsdale, I really missed my family and the comfort of my home. I was scared, a bit sad, and lonely, but...,” some animals were starting to gather around her and ED-E, “...I had my friends to help comfort me. So...I know you can’t make many friends because you can’t show yourself to anypony else, but I’m here to help you cheer up when you’re feeling down.” ED-E found it…sweet that Fluttershy would care on trying to make sure he would be in a happy mood during his stay, though it was a pointless goal since in reality ED-E had no feelings. Sure ED-E can express different kinds feeling through his beeping, but those were made through the process of several algorithms which were based on human’s emotional reactions on different types of situations. ED-E could never actually feel those emotions he was emitting. But yet...something...stirred in ED-E's processers, and he had no idea of what it was. It felt…warm, not his circuits are overheating kind-of warm, just some comforting warm from the kindness Fluttershy was offering. ≤Shy Beeping≥ Fluttershy beamed a smile. “Well, how about a tour of my home and to show all of my friends. I’m sure they would love to meet you once they get to know you.” ≤Happy Beeping≥ Fluttershy turned to the white birds. “Well first off, Camilla, Ethel and Stephanie, this is ED-E. He is going to be our new house guest…” ****************** Angel parted away the leaves in the bush he was hiding in. He watched Fluttershy introduce ED-E to some of the chickens. His eyes narrowed as they peered upon ED-E. He didn’t trust ED-E, not that he was too different, Angel handled all kind of strangeness from the time he has been living with Fluttershy. It was just that something was off about ED-E, he didn’t feel right; that he could be dangerous to Fluttershy's health. Angel was going to get to the truth and expose it to Fluttershy. Fluttershy and ED-E began to move away from the chicken’s pin and move to one of the bird’s houses, and Angel followed them in the shadows of the bushes. 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.