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// 6 - Guns Blazing 
// Story: Closing the Barn Door 
// by David Silver 
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"Git 'em!" Approaching the bandits, not even at their camp yet, they had been spotted by scouts. Such a large group they were, it wasn't even that big of a surprise in the end. There were only two of them, apparently figuring one lone traveler and a bunch of horses was an easy mark.

They were incorrect.

Skyline tripped one going by, not with a hoof, but a rapidly drawn blade swung low, striking the bone with his sword. It wasn't enough force to cleave through it, but more than enough for the bandit to crumple in place, howling in fresh pain as their carefully laid plan was so rudely interrupted.

The other had a shotgun in their hands, lifting it towards Stan. "Give up what ya got!"

"Yer lookin' a bit chilly," replied Stan, watching the man calmly.

"What?" Then the flames. Mr and Mrs Handy units had a flame thrower built in, nominally for cooking. Miss Aunt demonstrated for the raider that hers was in good working order. It wasn't enough to put him out of the fight instantly, but it was a heck of a distraction, and painful at that.

Applejack didn't let him consider recovering, putting a bullet in the man's side. He howled with fresh agony, crumpling to the ground to join his friend. "That weren't a good idea." She shook her head slowly. "Ah'll finish 'em off."

Stan grabbed her shoulder. "That'd make 'em sad." He inclined his head at both of the bots present, who did not want to see their precious ponies performing kill shots on raiders. "Let me. Hands are already dirty."

AJ snorted at that. "Ah ain't new to the wasteland." Still, she waved at the groaning figures. "Knock yerself out."

Stan declined. He'd knock them out instead. Seemed a better idea from his perspective. A bullet each made sure each wouldn't be getting back up to bother them again. "We must be headed in the right direction." He casually patted each down. "Ain't very smart though." He pocketed what caps and ammo fit the guns in the party. The rest he left behind. He wasn't that much in a hurry to get weighed down in stuff to sell later.

Skyline slid his blade home. "We can't be sure they'll all come at us like that. We got lucky."

"Can't argue that." Applejack adjusted the lay of her hat. "Bet their place has gunners an' all that, waitin' for troublemakers. Like us. We won't be able to sleep through that fight."

The abandoned shotgun floated into the air, shimmering with magic. "Speaking of guns." Twilight brought it over towards herself. "I have one now."

Applejack applied a hoof to her face. "Ya put that right back where ya found it. Yer jus' as likely to hurt yerself as anythin' else out here, an' we don't have the ammo to go trainin' ya."

"Aw." She released the gun from her grip. It struck the dirt with a loud bang. Twilight hissed, experiencing her first lesson in firearm safety personally. "Ow..."

"Shoot!" Applejack was on her in an instant. "Yer powerful lucky that just grazed ya." Still, a 'graze' was still a hit. She sat down and leaned in to inspect the injury. "Twi, this is why ya can't just go grabbin' things like that."

Daffodil shook her head slowly. "That was not a great move."

"I didn't mean to," she got out with little sniffles of pain. Being grazed with buckshot hurt a lot more than the videos would ever imply. "Sorry." She wriggled in place, whimpering. "They should be designed to not do that."

Stan shook his head as he came closer with Giddyup. "They were, long time ago. Add a few years in the wastes, and it's a miracle they shoot in the first place, which is what people keep workin'. The safeties, less of a concern. She look alright, Giddyup?"

Giddyup was leaning in, face an inch and a half from Twilight's pelt as he slowly examined the injured area. "Permanent damage not detected. Please remain still. I will kiss it better."

"What?" Twilight blinked with fresh confusion. That robot didn't even have lips, and even if they did, robots were typically poor at kisses. "How will that heEeep!" She felt the needle plunge into her side suddenly. A soft hiss, and the pain fled her as her body suddenly began to repair itself. Giddyup had pressed his face against her, revealing and using his medical needle. "Not to... question a good thing, but am I the first thing you've used that needle on? That's not very sanitary."

Giddyup sat up, closing his metal jaw, if it could even be called that. More of a metal flap really. He had no biting power of any value worth considering. "That needle has been used twice."

Twilight paled. "Um... Thanks..." She eyed where the needle had entered her. "The other person didn't.. have any diseases, did they?"

Stan swatted Twilight on the side on the way past. "We're blood brothers now. Stop questionin' what's keepin' ya going."

Twilight's ears danced as she struggled to her hooves. "Blood... oh..." She resumed the journey, but thoughts clearly warred in her head at what had happened. "It was my mistake... Giddyup?"

Giddyup swung his head towards her. "Yes?"

"How difficult is it for you to get a new needle?" She was trying to look at it, but it was sealed away behind his closed mouth. Not like he even needed to open it to speak, so he didn't.

Giddyup was quiet a moment, just walking along. "Assuming a needle is available, a trained technician could replace it in 10 minutes or less."

Twilight curled a hoof at herself. "I'm a trained technician." She flashed the brightest smile she could manage. "If you have some spare needles, I'd be happy to assist with that." And, perhaps, save somepony else from being jabbed with an already used needle in the future. "It'd be my pleasure." Possibly even herself, if she made another mistake.

"I only have one replacement needle." He did not hurry to show Twilight where it was. "I only wish to use it when my existing needle breaks."

Daffodil crashed gently against Twilight from the opposing side. "This is the wasteland." She waved a hoof in a slow circle. "They make do with what they have. Unless they have someone who can make new needles, they hold on tight to what they're holding."

And so it was that Twilight's plan to clean up Giddyup's act ended in dismal failure. Her pout was interrupted by a biscuit being pressed to her lips. Following it to the metal grasper, she could see Miss Aunt, hovering along with her, offering the treat. "Thank you?" Her magic wrapped around the baked treat.

"Good little girls who get their shots without crying deserve a treat," assured Miss Aunt. "You were very brave."

Twilight laughed at that, taking a chomp from a cookie. "Do you even know what getting a shot is like?"

"I do not," admitted Miss Aunt without even a scrap of delay. "But I can see it hurt, and you were surprised in a bad way, poor thing. I don't need to have been on the receiving end to show some compassion. Besides, if my motor was acting up, you'd feel bad for me, wouldn't you?"

Twilight imagined Miss Aunt, crashed to the ground, unable to stand properly. "That'd be terrible! I'd do my best to fix you as quickly as I could."

"I don't doubt you would, little pony. I'd feel safe in your care. Now, let's hope we never need that, but we can both understand what the other would be in a bad place, and feel badly for them."

Twilight let out a little huh. "Well spoken..." An idea came to her. "Oh!" She turned sharply, her head flicking to Giddyup. "I have a great idea! You have a stimpack reservoir, do you not?"

"This is correct." Giddyup's metal clops did not slow despite the question. Nor did he bother asking why that question had been asked.

Which was just as well, with Twilight going right ahead, "I imagine getting it refilled is a chore."

"It required a trained technician," agreed Giddyup in an indirect way.

"What if you could get needles and keep your tank filled? Would that interest you?" Twilight's grin was quite triumphant, looking quite secure in her idea. "And, best part, no trained technicians needed."

"You have captured my attention." Literally, as he swung his head and neck towards her to look at Twilight directly. "How would that work? Is this a feature of your horn? It does not seem shaped for the task of hypodermic usage."

Twilight squeaked in alarm, hiding her horn behind a swiftly raised hoof. "No, not like that! You've seen stimpacks before, haven't you? One use, and has exactly what you want. A fresh needle, and more medicine. What if you could take both?"

"I have taken both." A compartment popped open, revealing a stack of three stimpacks in a somewhat loose pile. "I store them in the eventuality that my internal tanks are depleted."

"Fantastic." Twilight snatched one away with her magic. "Perfect. Let Aunty Twilight do her magic and you'll do something you've never done before."

"What would that be?" A curious whicker played from within Giddyup.

"Eat." Twilight nodded with certainty. "You'll eat stimpacks and keep what you need."

Giddyup went quiet. "Eating... comes with expected sub actions. Will I require excretion activities?"

Twilight recoiled mildly. "Well, yes... You're right. If you eat, something has to come back out. I don't know anything that can use everything it eats. That is a trick I can't give."

"I will be more like a living horse." Giddyup accelerated, as if his excitement gave him more energy. "I am interested. What is the expected time of this procedure?" He suddenly jerked, almost crashing to a stop. "I have almost committed an error." He hurried to Stan's side. "As a person with Parent permissions, do you authorize this procedure?"

Skyline hiked a brow up. "I thought Stan was your child?"

"Stan has both Parent and Child permissions." This did not create a conflict in the robot, clearly.

Stan leaned over the top of Giddyup as the two kept on walking, while Stan was walking sideways. "Yer gonna have to break down exactly what yer plannin' on doin' to mah friend. Ain't gonna sign off until ah know the particulars. 'Sides, thought you wanted him nice and safe and where you wanted him as quick as possible."

"I do," she sang out. "This won't hurt him, and I think I can get it done in a few hours of work." She looped back on herself, nosing at her jingling metal goods. "Maybe even overnight, with your permission. It won't slow us down at all."

Applejack rolled her eyes with a little chuckle. "'cept you'll be wiped out and groggy the next day, Miss Overnight. Didn't think of that, did ya?"

Daffodil brushed against Applejack's side, a smirk on her lips. "That wouldn't be Twilight's style, now would it?"

Applejack smirked at Twilight's brightly lit face. "No, suppose it ain't. Good thing she's got two reasonable ponies with her to keep an eye on her."

Skyline came up between Giddyup and Twilight. "I'd like to watch that. I don't understand how robots work, on the inside. You mind if I?"

"No!" Twilight instead looked happy, her bashful blush fading into her smile. "I'd be delighted. I'll even explain it as I go. Um, after I finish explaining the process to Stan and secure his permission to proceed."

"Yeah, get on that." Stan pushed off Giddyup, returning to proper upright as he marched. "Try to get it out before we hit the hills. Not enough cover there for me to feel safe listenin' to you go on 'bout that."

"Alright." She scooted under Giddyup, popping up near Stan. "Well, you see." And so began the explanation of her great idea.