Closing the Barn Door

by David Silver

5 - Friend in Need

"There's a town not far ahead." Stan pointed a bit off to the right of their path. "Gonna guess we ain't stocked for this little trip, 'cept maybe the three ponies that gave the task."

Skyline lifted an ear at that, tufted end wagging. "I try to have enough."

"As do we." Giddyup nodded at Skyline firmly. "But our new trip did not come with an opportunity to purchase supplies."

Miss Aunt hovered closer to Applejack's side. "How far away is the place we're going to? I can figure out if we have enough or not then."

Applejack raised a hoof. "'Fraid that's a bit confidential. Why we're comin' with ya." She rubbed over her snout. "Well, ain't much fer it. Let's stop in and pick up some food an' water. Not heard someone get too sad 'cause they overstocked on those."

Daffodil sighed as she inched a bit closer. "I hate being the voice of reason, but somepony has to be." She rolled her eyes. "How are we going to just stroll in there? We're ponies, they're humans, and they'll get upset."

"Will they?" Applejack quirked a smile. "We may want them to shut up about it, but that cat's done out of the bag in this area. A human 'round these parts probably ain't gettin' too excited at seein' a pony."

Twilight began to skip in her steps. "This is too exciting! I get to talk to other humans then? I have so many questions!"

"Calm yerself." Stan advanced to the front of the odd procession. A ghoul, two robots, and four horses walk into a bar... He wasn't sure what the next line of the joke would be, but it sure sounded like one. "We're here to shop and move alon'. You want your delivery, right?"

Applejack tipped her head slightly. "Glad to hear ya got yer head on right. Twilight, calm yerself."

Daffodil looked pleased. "For once." She didn't have to be the neighsayer, at least once. "Is that it?" She craned her head up tall to peek over the next bump in the terrain, through bushes and scraggly trees to see the outlines of houses. "It isn't much."

"Nah." Stan shrugged softly. "Oh, kill the music." The radio died without fanfare. "Rude to march into town with yer hikin' music blaring. I'll buy my own supplies." He thumped Skyline on the side. "Ya got yer own caps, right?"

"Yeah." Skyline smirked softly. "I'm not so clueless anymore. I know how to trade now."

"The tribal can grow." Stan brought his hands together. "Good. I assume you vaulters have the supplies ya need already?"

Twilight muttered to herself, a hoof wobbling in the air with mental mathematics. "We have... two days of error allowance with our current supplies."

Applejack raised a brow. "Two days is cuttin' it mighty close. We got bits, hand 'em over and ah'll get us at least a week of overflow." She thrust a hoof at Twilight expectantly.

But Twilight was not surrendering them so easily. "May I? This would be a valuable learning experience." Her giddy smile revealed that her desire was not entirely motivated by scientific curiosity alone.

Applejack bonked Twilight right next to her horn. "No! Shoot. Ah'm here to keep you two safe." She waved at Twilight and Daffodil. "Which means leavin' the tradin' to me. Ah done it plenty of times."

Twilight rubbed the new sore spot. "I'm not feeling especially protected... At least let me come with you?"

Applejack huffed softly. "Ya know what? Fine. Probably the safest place for ya both. Stay by me." and off she went, accelerating into a trot into the town.

Stan tapped at Giddyup's back. "Ain't gonna miss this. Wanna see how she handles it." And so it was that they all hurried into town. To find its fields stomped and without a single person in sight. "Well, damn it..."

Applejack frowned at the sight of it. "Huh... There anyone out there?" She raised a hoof beside her mouth to amplify her call. "We come to trade!"

A window slid upwards, revealing a weathered female face, perhaps in her sixties. "Ya came to the wrong place. Raiders snatched what little we had fer not payin' their 'protection' fee." She spat out the window she was hiding behind. "Say..." Her eyes wandered from one curious thing to the next. "Ya look like the kinda things that might help us."

Stan had seen that sort of situation before. "You payin' us to go show them a lesson?"

"Well..." She shrugged from her safe nook. "They already took our stuff, but you go rough 'em up, they'll have ours and whatever other local towns they've been terrorizin'. Seems like we both win then."

Applejack turned her hat, scowling at the woman. "Ah feel fer ya, ah do, but we're in the middle of a trip."

Twilight thumped against her. "Applejack! These people need our help. What kind of ponies would we be to ignore that?"

One could almost see the alert that Twilight had gained karma, a smile on the old lady's face. "You're a nice whatever you are. Look, we need those crops. You can keep the caps. Knowin' those assholes got what's comin' to 'em would be real nice too."

"Yeah." Another, a man in his thirties, in a different window had joined in. "Show 'em what's for!"

Stan put a hand over his face. "Figures. Look, I'm on yer clock." He pointed to Applejack, wagging to the other ponies nearby. "So it's up to you. Ya wanna tussle with some raiders, we'll do that."

With all eyes upon her, Applejack sighed. Even the robots were eyeing her, waiting for her response and likely hoping she'd-- "Fine! Shoot..." She kicked a small pebble away. "But we're keepin' some of that food. It's what we came to trade. We'll pay for it fair-like."

"Deal." The old lady smiled, hope emerging. "Make 'em pay for pickin' on other people; like this world ain't hard enough."

Cheers lifted, proving the town had more than just the two they'd seen so far. A small community, but a community it still was.

Applejack returned the smile. "Now, ya gotta tell us where these varmints are, 'less you want us wanderin' about hopin' fer the best."

"Give me a second, will ya?" Faint scratching was heard before a slip of paper emerged from that cracked window. "Here's a map."

Twilight snatched the map from the surprised human's hand, her magic bringing it over. "Hm. Not very detailed." Despite this, she held it up to her pipboy and a merry chime sounded from within it a few moments later. "Alright, got our destination."

Applejack hiked a brow. "That thin' can read maps? Shoot. What can't that thin' do?" She dipped her head at the old lady. "Seems we're on the case. Y'all just hang tight 'till we get back."

Twilight squeaked. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw a little boy holding her tail, which he had just tugged on. "Hello?"

"Hello," cheerfully replied the boy, even as their parents or caretakers hurried over with horrified looks on their faces. "Your tail is soft."

Twilight gently smiled at that, trying to draw her tail away without effect. "Yes it is, thank you."

"Why don't you have two heads?" asked the little boy, gently pulling at Twilight by the caught tail.

"Wrong species." Twilight laughed nervously. "I am a pony, and they only have one head." She pointed at all the other ponies that had but one head to each of them. "Imagine how much more thinking we could get done with two heads, hm."

"You talk funny." He released her at last, just in time to be snatched up by the others, hurried away from Twilight.

"Sorry," got out the lady that was doing the hurrying. "He didn't mean nothin'."

"No offense taken." With her tail restored to her, she gave it a thankful swish. "Let's go." She raised the leg that had a pipboy attached. "Follow me."

Applejack sighed miserably. "Pardon the sayin', but yer about the last pony ah want at the head of this herd. No offense or nothin'."

"Don't be like that." Twilight had clearly taken some offense. "I'll just lead the way to where the map points to. You're still in charge of wasteland survival."

"Ya got that right." Order restored, Applejack advanced to be at Twilight's side. "We should be on the way back to the stable, ya know?"

Daffodil shrugged softly. "They did look pretty miserable."

"You too?!" Applejack gaped at Daffodil. "Ah thought you'd be on mah side if nopony else on this."

"Well, yeah, I get where you're coming from. I do, really, but they look so... whipped. They had no hope until we showed up." She smiled just a little. "It felt good, being that... rising sun after a long night."

"How poetic," complimented Aunt. "It is nice to be the heroes of the story. Let's just be careful. I don't want any of my little ponies getting hurt."

"Affirmative." Giddyup nodded in complete agreement. Hurt children were the worst kind! "We are proceeding into a dangerous situation. Please remain alert."

Stan's knuckles lightly rapped on the sheet metal that made up Giddyup. "Yer a bit late to be fussin' about it."

"I am only suggesting caution." He swung his head and neck towards Stan. "You are aware of survival safety. I am uncertain if they are."

"First rule of survival 'safety' is not pickin' a fight. We already lost that one. Second rule is to win the fights you do go pickin'." Stan ran his fingers over his longarm in readiness. "So make sure yer loaded and ready. Raiders don't always give ya a chance. Kinda one of their definin' traits."

Applejack plucked out her gun into her teeth, eyeing it with one eye, then the other to get all the angles down. "Darn tootin'. Twilight, ya don't have a gun, do ya?"

"I do not." Twilight waved a hoof as if that proved her lack of firearm. "I did turn down my weapon. I should be able to use it without immediate self-incapacitation."

Daffodil slid her own gun back away. "I'm gonna guess that, no, you haven't tested it. You won't until you have something worth shooting."

"Correct." Twilight danced mid-hop, looking excited about it. "I'll do my part! I'm new to life outside the vault, but I have done that, haven't I? I will not be a dead weight on this expedition."

Applejack swerved in her steps to get a leg over Twilight. "Ah appreciate ya not wantin' to be no lump on a log, but it's mah job to keep ya safe and secure. That ain't a job I regret or nothin', so don't feel bad that I'm doin' it. Yer a pony, like me. Ah don't want no fellow pony gettin' hurt if ah can avoid it, ya see?"

Twilight leaned back in, pressing head to head. "Aw, thanks AJ. I knew you were a good pony." At least for the moment, there was peace, even happiness. "I feel safer in your hooves, but I will do my part... and follow your advice."

"That's the spirit." Applejack nodded firmly, releasing Twilight and turning her eyes to Daffodil. "Ya said you wanted in on this little side quest we done got ourselves wrapped up in?"

"I did." Daffodil sounded quite sure on that, confident even. "We are the last hope of those humans, and I want to deliver good news to them."

"Shoot." Applejack began to veer away from Twilight, towards Daffodil. "That's a... Ah didn't think ya had it in you. Ah'm right proud! Can't even be full upset any, with a pony settin' her eyes on the right thing ta do and not takin' no fer an answer. Alright then. We're all--"

"You're not going to ask me?" Skyline raised a brow. "I am a pony too."

"Shoot." Applejack cringed as her ears wilted. "Sorry, ah'm still gettin' used to the idea of a pony that ain't from our stable."

Author's Note:

What's a Fallout without side quests? Not a good one, I dare say! One hopes that crude map was free of typos.

Join the special community of folks who like my stories and/or get your own written here at atreon!

Join my discord to chat!

Comments

[Booster Spice]

Meet the neighbours?

[Reese]

""Shoot." Called out. "Sorry, ah'm"
""Shoot," Applejack called out. "Sorry, ah'm"?

[David Silver]

11111556
Fixed it another way!

[Reese]

11111560
Ah, looks good; thanks!

[tsaukpaetra]

The side quests galore! But it builds clout with the folks.