Sunlight blinded her as Twilight trotted from the house. Hoof over her eyes, they adjusted the brightness as she caught her first glimpse of the Mojave. Desolation and bareness spread out from the dinky settlement she was standing in. Destroyed roads ran past homes and the two attractions of the town. Small and nestled next to the much bigger saloon was a general store she would have to visit after seeing this Sunny Smiles.
Down the hill from the Doctors house a moving metal machine wheeled towards her. It surprised her and she looked around if anyone else was around. Metal dragging itself across the sand made her remember the pain and the metal digging into her side. Twilight gasped. The machine called out to her.
“WEELLLL HOOWDY PARDNER!” sliding in front of her, he grabbed a hoof and shook. “Well hello miss, names Victor! Nice to see you outta the grave. Sad to hear about that friend of yours that didn’t make it!”
“I’m Twilight,” That was two people now who said that “Im sorry but I don’t remember much right now, but I’m sad for them no matter what.”
“Ah, two bullets to the head would probably do something to that memory of yours.” He looked her over, noticing the Pip-boy on her leg. “Well shoot, looks like you got a bon-a-fide Pip-Boy 3000. The doc teach you how to use that sucker?”
Metal rubbed her leg near the device, making her shiver from the memory of her grave. “N-no, he said to read about it in the manual later.”
“Shucks missy, How bout you start walking and I’ll give you a quick rundown of some of the main features, and some of the little secret’s vault-tec had with it.” He did an exaggerated dip, which got her laughing. Steadily trotting towards the saloon Twilight asked the most important question she could think of.
Victor gave her the rundown on the most important features, like how her AP was actually action points. It was tied to her stamina and would drop as she ran or used another feature. V.A.T.S, an automated shooting program for guns, something else she knew little about. Her health and ammo were easy enough to figure out, assuming that the laser pistol the doctor gave her was what the Pip-Boy had selected at the moment. The only thing that nagged her now was the experience bar she could see hoving half full under the compass.
“You said you would tell me about the thing on my leg victor, what’s this about a… level up? Sounds a bit silly.”
“Bit of a thing Vault-tec, the fancy company who built the vaults, wanted for anyone who would survive.” He rolled in a circle around her “Thought that if they survived the bomb’s they would need every advantage they could get. So they made it like a game to any civilians and let you choose what kind of chemicals and subliminal messaging they pumped you full of while you slept.”
“People here just let them do stuff like that?! That’s crazy!” Twilight couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Chemicals and messaging while she slept? She wanted to rip the device off her leg. But she hesitated, she had no idea what was going to happen to her in the near future. What if she needed to be stronger, better at things?
“Sad to say little miss but it’s a crazy world out there, Bandits, raiders, and militaries all want a small chunk of this paradise. Gonna need to be strong if you don’t wann- ah were here.” they had arrived at the Saloon, A sleeping man on the porch. He snored loudly, oblivious to the world around him.
“I got to be on my merry way, you say what you gotta say. I should see you soon again miss sparkle.” he turned before she could reply and rolled off into the desert. He sounded different right there at the end. More posh and less of the country accent he had. Shrugging, it was probably something about him being a robot. Trotting through the door, a bark startled her as she was tackled by a dog.
“CHEYENNE STAY,” A hand wrapped around the collar and pulled her back “Sorry about that, She usually listens when I give her a command. Must be cause of those mutations of yours.”
“Mutations miss? I dont think I'm a mutant, My memory is blank on most of my past but I think I’ve always looked like this.”
“Huh, well never seen anyone who looked like you before.” Shaking her head and giggling to herself “Still not as weird as the talking brahmin.”
Composing herself she asked, “So what do you need from me?”
Twilight looked around to see the particles dancing in the orange light through the windows. Beer bottles were scattered on tables and dressers. Humans sat, drinking and laughing, an older woman behind the bar cleaning a glass mug.
“The good doctor sent me your way to learn how to survive out there,” she stuck a hoof out “I don’t know what he meant due to my memory loss but I’m Twilight Sparkle.”
Shaking the hoof Sunny responded, “well ain’t you polite, names Sunny Smiles, and I guess I can teach you how to survive out there.”
Cheyenne sniffed Twilights mane and padded around her. After sniffing her butt she bounded to her front and licked her face. “No! Bad dog! Stooooppp.” She flopped over and pushed at the dog as it viciously attacked her with licks.
“Cmon now Cheyenne lets leave her alone.” Sunny patted her leg and the dog walked over to her and rubbed against her leg. “I’m going to set up a little thing for ya behind the saloon, come out when you’re ready.”
The pair walked towards the back door while Twilight laid on the floor and composed herself. After such an attack she wanted a drink and what better place than a saloon. Walking to the counter she found a few open seats. Sitting down in the farthest seat, the unicorn waited patiently on the barkeeper to notice her.
“Oh hello miss, I’m Trudy, what can I get for you?” She pulled out a notepad and looked at Twilight expectantly.
Looking over the menu, Twilight could see some tasty things, but it was all rather expensive. She had to make a hundred caps last till she could find a job or stuff to sell. The clean water was too expensive but it had no way of telling the difference between clean and dirty water.
Twilight said “Twilight," She pointed at the menu "can you tell me the difference between the clean water and dirty? Why would you sell dirty water?”
“Dirty water is irradiated, can’t do much about it since most of it is, why it’s cheaper after all.” A call from down the bar got Trudy’s attention “One moment! So clean or dirty? Any food?”
“I’ll… take the dirty water, and….” she could see something called gecko on a stick, it made her squeamish to think about, but it was cheap. “I guess a gecko on a stick?”
A small laugh and she wrote it down on her notepad “alright sweet cheeks that’ll be eight caps.”
Twilight set down the eight caps but hesitated “Can I do anything for you to pay? I don’t know when im going to get more caps and…” She didn’t know what possessed her to try barter but she felt that it would be best to save her caps.
Trudy tapped her pen on the paper she was writing on. “Hmm well that old radio behind the counter isn’t working right now, why don’t you fix that up and ill get you that food and drink for free,” The Bartender grabbed a drink from the back counter and handed it to an older man at the other end of the bar. Walking back to Twilight quickly “Sorry, ill get you the food for free and fifteen caps, seem like a good deal?”
Biting her lip, Twilight realized she had no clue what a radio was. But free food and the chance to tinker with something? “Alright sure, I can fix that radio for you.” She shook hands with hoof and jumped down, trotting behind the counter to see the radio.
Digging into it, Twilight found she quite enjoyed messing with technology. The way the wires flowed and the microchips were placed made it feel like a puzzle. A puzzle she would certainly figure out.
The radio was a mess of wires and metal. Bits and bobs fell out as she peeked at the manual her pip-boy had pulled up when it scanned the serial number on the back. Plugging a wire back into place music began playing from the box in front of her. Twilight Clopped her hooves together in glee, She did it! She picked it up and set it back on the counter, proud of her accomplishment. Waiting for Trudy, Twilight clambered back into her chair and ate the cold meal left for her.
Drawn by the music, Trudy found her way to where she was sitting. “Oh my, you really got it working again!” she turned the front knob till the smooth dulcet tones of Mr. New Vegas could be heard from the radio. “This is wonderful, and I owe you fifteen caps.” Handing the caps to Twilight, who stuffed them in her caps bag.
“Thank you for the money, Trudy.” Twilight gave a little bow “You have been a huge help for giving me a chance. But I should be going, Sunny will be waiting for me.” Twilight hopped off her chair and waved to Trudy who waved back as she walked out the back door into the burning sunlight. The sand shifted under her hooves as she looked around for the women. Her ear flicked to right when she heard a small crack. Walking towards the sound, she could see Sunny with a weapon in her hand.
After a moment the crack happened again but a bottle sitting on the fence behind the saloon shattered. Twilight jumped from the sudden shattering, staring at the bottle and then Sunny. She was going to teach her how to shoot that? Uneasiness crept into her mind, but a hint of excitement as well. The power behind it would be hers to control, not a random force to watch out for.
Sunny lowered the rifle and ran a hand over it. “Tuned to perfection,” At that moment she noticed twilight gawking. “Good ta see ya! Like the look of the old varmint rifle I got fixed up for ya?”
Tentatively she trotted up and took the offered rifle in her hooves. Then Sunny began the tedious project of imparting the knowledge she would need to maintain a gun and the basics of gun safety. Enough safety to not shoot anyone she didn’t mean to at least. When she felt confident enough to not shoot sunny, or herself in the eye they got down to target practice.
Twilight leaned back and took aim, and listened to sunny talk. “First, your gonna wanna fire a couple of shots down range.” Which was followed up by three misses on the bottles. “Without aiming, and with your memory shot on guns, you ain’t gonna hit nothing without aiming down sights.”
Deep breath, Twilight looked down her sights and lined up with a sunset sarsaparilla and fired. The bottle flew through the air and she knew she hit her first shot. “YES!” Giggling like a little filly she hopped around “Yes yes yes! Did you see that sunny?! I hit it!”
The women was staring at her amused. Sunny said “I sure did, now line up again, I wanna see you shoot all the bottles off before I pass you from this little training were doing.”
Shot after shot was fired till she ran out of ammon in her magazine. She reached into her bag to grab for another but fumbled with it and dropped it in the dirt. Grumbling, Twilight tried to grab it but couldn’t get her mouth around it without getting a mouthful of sand. Huffing she tried to pick it up between her hooves and picked it up triumphily. She realized a second too late that with both hooves full she wouldn’t be able to load the new magazine in.
Twilight said “Can’t believe this, hands seem so nice to do stuff like this.” Sunny leaned forward to help her when her jaw dropped. Twilight wasn’t paying attention but her horn was alight in a purple haze, and the magazine was floating next to her in the same thing. Walking up to her slowly she poked at the floating ammo.
“Twilight, how are you doing that?” Sunny asked a little nervous at the breaking of physics.
Twilight looked up and said “Doing wha-” She gaped at the mystery as well. It was floating! Looking at her horn she could see it was glowing the same shade. “AGH MY HORN IS MAKING LIGHT! WHAT IN THE-” Getting up and panicking was put on hold when a migraine came out of nowhere.
Snorting, Twilight stomped a hoof at someone out of sight “Magic doesn’t work like that! Why would mine be any different!”
She came up for air from the murky depths of her memory. Magic! She had magic! Twilight laughed and floated the magazine up and down and all around. She remembered having magic! Frowning, she was a little upset that she only had telekinesis right now but maybe she knew more? Hopefully more spells would come back as her memory came back.
“I have magic! Oh this will make using my rifle so much easier.” she gave a grin to sunny before floating her rifle up and reloading it, with only a little hassle. It was heavy, but Twilight felt she could lift up double the weight of the rifle, for now. Aiming she found her aim was improved. Five shots and two hits became five shots and four hits.
Sunny let out a whistle at the smooth enough reload. Whatever she had done would make Twilight’s life easier out in the waste. “Alright, well you know how to use that rifle alright. That was all I was gonna teach ya but ...” Twilight could see sunny hesitating, so she put a hoof on her leg and gave her a smile “Well I might need some help clearing the town pumps of gecko’s. Wanna come help? The town can pay ya.”
Twilight didn’t hesitate “I would be happy to help, although I am curious what the pay is?” More caps would be useful. She hadn’t thought about if she would explore or chase down the man who shot her. But money always helped.
“Hundred caps to clear the geckos near the pumps. Another hundred per nest cleared nearby. Helps to stop the source after all.”
A great deal, a new rifle and training, and a goal for the day. Twilight was ready to get to work. Picking up her rifle, Twilight said, “Alright, let’s go see about clearing some geckos.”