Chapter 4

Stripping the naivete

Once coming down from adrenaline rush ended, Twilight Sparkle was able to enjoy a somewhat decent night's sleep. She did not suffer through a nightmare this time, but in the morning, she largely attributed it to the tiredness of the previous day.

The leg, as the doctor had predicted (his name, as Twilight had learned, was Redblood), worked quite well, and she did not feel any pain.

She felt quite glad about it, although Sunset Shimmer told her in no certain terms to be more careful (or swift) next time, once they sat down at home to have dinner.

"Radscorpion's pincers are nasty business, Twilight," she said. "It was dumb luck that it was not able to pierce your skin. Merchants say that there are gigantic radscorpions that can actually break a limb with a pincer. Don't know if it's true or not, but it's certainly for better not to find that out by sticking legs to them. And don't get me started on stings. Radscorpion's poison is nasty."

"How nasty?" Spike inquired while munching on one of remaining dog treats.

"Nasty enough to kill in two days without treatment. And dying is not painless, either," the fiery-haired woman stated bluntly.

Twilight and Spike exchanged looks. And here's a reminder of why we should get out of here, they thought.

"Fortunately, we do have antidotes for that."

"Glad to hear," the equine Princess said quickly, munching on something that passed for food. She would say "passed for food" because the mess on her plate certainly did not look appetizing, and neither tasted well.

At least it could keep her body running. She already discovered that after trying one of MRE's (that, according to Sunset, meant "Meals Ready-To-Eat", but Point Blank once told her that this acronym should be read as "Meals Rejected by the Enemy", much to her amusement) in the morning. Much to her surprise, she did not feel hungry until 1:00 p.m. (local time).

"What do you think we shall do now?" Twilight asked her friend.

"If Point Blank hasn't reverted back to being grumpy-pants yet, probably he'll teach you something else about guns, with lesser amount of swearing," Sunset replied. "If he attacks someone else verbally, my ears will wither and die."

The purple-skinned girl imagined the scene and snickered.

"What's so funny?" came the inevitable question.

"I just imagined that happening."

"My ears withering and dying? And here I thought you would feel sorry for them," Sunset said, mock-offended. "Who are you and what have you done with Twilight Sparkle?"

"I'm sorry, Sunset," Twilight apologized. Shoot, I think I offended her.

"Don't be, I'm just messing with you," Sunset smiled at her friend.

"Oh you..!" the latter exclaimed in mock-outrage, but was unable to keep the angry expression on her face for long and burst into giggles herself.

Their moment of friend-bonding was interrupted, however.

Knock-knock-knock-knock.

"Who's there?" Sunset shouted, coming up to the door, with hunting rifle in her hands.

"Point Blank," the speaker's face appeared in the hole that was left after another radscorpion attack, "is Sparkle up for another training round?"

"Yes, Point Blank, I am," Twilight replied.

The security guard that had become a death threat to Sunset Shimmer's ears changed his approach towards Twilight after her saving his family. He behaved more politely towards her (although he said that he would still shower her with profanities if she did something horribly wrong), and allowed her to keep the pistol she practiced (and killed a radscorpion) with the day before.

Once he came in, he asked both girls to get to the firing range and also stated he had a "present" for Twilight. Said present turned out to be some bottle caps she had seen once before. There were fifty of them. At her questioning look, he explained:

"Merchants said that no one here uses pre-war money anymore. Now the most accepted currency here is bottlecaps from Nuka-Cider."

"Nuka-Cider?"

"A soft drink that became extremely popular with the folks once nuclear fashion had begun," at Twilight's dumb look, he exclaimed. "What's wrong with you, girl?"

"Amnesiac, remember?" Twilight said.

In order to keep the knowledge of magical land of Equestria to the minimum, Twilight and Sunset had agreed on a cover story. Twilight was presented as a "friend from out of town" who had suffered through amnesia and could not remember much from her previous life. The only things she "remembered" aside from basic skills like eating and walking and stuff were names and faces of her friends (this tidbit explained to those not in the know how Twilight knew Sunset) and "memories" of certain locations. The knowledge of the world's events from her latest adventure in human world prior to her arrival to Equestria were "lost", however.

"Oh... sorry," Point Blank apologized.

"Nuclear fashion is... a phenomenon of some sorts. You see, when UFE and TODC started gnawing at each other's throats, many of us were worried about the possibility of nuclear attack. It was expected that both sides would quickly bomb each other to smithereens. However, reason prevailed... for some time," the last words were said bitterly. "The fear did not go away fully, however. And some of businessmen decided to capitalize on it. Rack in some money."

"Making money on fears? Doesn't sound good to me," Twilight grumbled.

"You aren't the only one who thinks that. But many did not care. And they bought things that had something to do with the topic. Nuka-Cider was one of them. It was, basically, fizzy apple cider, but it was very tasty. And quite popular. It was not uncommon for a small family to order a whole crate of Nuka-Cider for themselves," Point Blank explained. "Even now, merchants say Nuka-Cider still remains popular. I don't really know who decided to use bottle caps as money, but I think it became so because this drink was very widespread."

"What else was promoted during this nuclear fashion?" Twilight inquired, always eager to learn.

"Things that looked like something out of the past century. You say you remember fancy electronics like computers and smartphones? They are good, but they have one drawback. When nuclear detonation occurs, it gives out an electromagnetic pulse, EMP for short, and this pulse messes them up really bad. Basically, they are rendered useless. People did not want that, and someone remembered the looks of long-outdated technology that, theoretically, was not vulnerable to such. I highly doubt it was, but there were a lot of old-fashioned TV sets or radio receivers or computer monoblocks sold. And Pip-Boy design was also heavily influenced by nuclear fashion. Of course, that did not mean smartphones were out of commission, too. One could order some sort anti-EMP insulation for them, if they desired so and had the money."

"That sounds like... I don't know, retro-futurism or something,", Twilight said.

"You wouldn't be too wrong in that regard, Twilight," Sunset replied to that. "It's almost as if we jumped back in time while going to the future."

"To the future?"

"Yes," Point Blank took over, "because along with that, there were some great technological advancements shortly before war and during it. The invention of microfusion cells, for example. That energy source could have revolutionized the whole world, replacing fossil fuels, but that did not happen. Instead, it was directed for war effort. Almost all applications of microfusion cells are military in nature."

"Meaning?" the ever-curious girl asked.

"As far as I know, these cells are used in energy weapons, like laser and plasma rifles. And microfusion backpacks serve as energy source for powered combat armour. These advancements helped UFE soldiers a lot on the frontlines."

"Energy weapons?" On hearing her friend's tone, Sunset became worried that Twilight would not stop bothering Point Blank with questions until he shot her in sheer outrage - or desperation. "How does that..."

"We are here! Get ready, Sparkle, I will be teaching you how to deal with combat shotgun!"

And there went the nice person, the Princess of Friendship sighed internally.

The next two days went without a hitch. Point Blank, after teaching Twilight several more skills (like repairing guns, silent movement and giving first aid to oneself or others - the latter involved Redblood as well) agreed to let her participate in patrolling the Vault Village and its outskirts along with Sunset Shimmer.

Their objective was to see that no beast or raider would try and enter the village.

The area around Vault Village was quite full with mutated animals, but they stayed away from Vault Village most of the time, recent radscorpion attacks being exceptions. Sunset explained that two attacks in the course of several days were unheard of, and most of the time radscorpions did not bother the village.

"What other mutated animals are dangerous?" Twilight asked.

"Mole rats, by their own, are less dangerous than radscorpions, but they usually travel in packs. If one encounters radscorpions, it's one or two of them most of the time. Mole rats travel in groups of four to seven. And they bite hard, tearing away pretty big chunks of flesh. At least they are not poisonous."

Twilight shuddered at the mental image in her head.

"What else?"

"Yao guai. Mutated bear. That one is very dangerous. Worse than radscorpions. It is fast, you cannot run from it, it withstands a lot more punishment, and its claws are sharp. There was one time when a patrol encountered one. When reinforcements arrived, they found no survivors, and lost four men themselves. Combined with patrol, there were seven casualties."

"Whoa!" Spike muttered from Twilight's backpack. "That's horrible!"

"What else is dangerous?" lavender-skinned girl asked, fearing what else could be there.

"Bloatflies. Flying creatures that attack with spike-bedecked larva. Those pierce through closing, and are quite an irritant. If the spikes go too deep, one may die. But bloatflies are easy to kill, you just need not to miss. There are also wild dogs that have gone mad and attack anyone in sight."

"Mad wild dogs? Surely don't want to meet them," Spike muttered.

"You don't, Spike. Those are largely of breeds designed to guard something, and bigger than you," Sunset replied.

"Anyone else I should be afraid of?" Twilight inquired.

"Radroaches, although "afraid of" part is debatable. Those are dangerous only in numbers. They bite, and their saliva is poisonous, but the human body can deal with small doses. But if too many radroaches bite repeatedly, that poison is dangerous. Radroaches are very easy to kill, however. Even that BB gun you practiced with can kill them with several shots. That's all I know," Sunset finished.

"Sweet Celestia. Radiation is not a good thing, is it?" Twilight said quietly.

"No, it isn't. Let's go on, and keep an eye on your Pip-Boy's IFF system. I don't want any surprises."

They continued their patrol in silence.

Half an hour later, Twilight said:

"Uh... Sunset? IFF shows a red mark."

"Mine does too. Get ready," Sunset immediately raised her rifle and crouched, "we do not need surprises."

Twilight mimicked her motions and took her pistol from the belt, flipping off the safety. Per Point Blank's advice, she kept the pistol loaded through their entire patrol, so she did not need to move the bolt.

As they advanced, the number of red marks increased. Two, three, four... four. Once they approached the hostiles, they were able to see what their enemy was.

"Mole rats," Sunset whispered. Twilight looked at the beasts in front of them (which stood with their backs to them and had not noticed them yet), unable to suppress a small shudder.

The animals did indeed look like overgrown, bald rats with complexion somewhat resemblant of moles and paws that (as Twilight guessed) could do very well in digging the ground. For a moment, she remembered the Diamond Dogs debacle Rarity had found herself in back in Equestria.

Unfortunately, these creatures are not intelligent, and they certainly will not give us gems.

Her musings were interrupted once she heard a loud BOOM go off. Turning her head to the left, she saw Sunset move her rifle's bolt and fire again.

BOOM! The second shot was more lucky, as the bullet hit the mole rat's head. The twisted creature fell and did not move again.

"What are you doing?!" Twilight shouted.

"We must get rid of them!"

"Just like that? In cold blood?!"

"Shut up and shoot or they will kill us!" Sunset shouted back, firing at another mole rat.

Twilight turned back to their enemies and noticed that other beasts were running in their direction with murderous intent. Grudgingly, she realized she would need to act in self-defense, as having Sunset to deal with three mole rats was a bad idea. She raised her pistol and opened fire on the closest mutant.

Three shots were enough to neutralize the already wounded mole rat. Another red mark disappeared from her IFF display (not that she paid very close attention to it - when in combat, wasting time to look at Pip-Boy is not exactly wise).

Twilight turned her attention to another mole rat, and released two more shots.

"Aim for their heads!" Sunset recommended.

For a while, Twilight had a flashback...

Lying on the ground...

Pain in stomach and in her face...

Resignation to grim fate...

A shot...

Wetness on her cheek...

Standing up...

Seeing the corpse, missing a part of its head...

...he's missing a part of his head!!!

"SHOOT, DAMN IT!"

Twilight snapped out of her memories - and immediately saw a mole rat standing dangerously close to her.

The pistol fired before her brain registered actually pulling the trigger. The beast fell dead, blood seeping from two wounds that were not caused by her.

Twilight turned to see Sunset trying to reload her rifle - with the last mole rat running after her, that proved to be a challenge.

Apparently this pack thought of Sunset as the biggest threat.

Twilight raised her pistol and fired four times. Only two bullets hit their target (shooting at something that is moving is obviously harder than at stationary bottle).

The beast, however, decided to turn its attention towards her.

Fatal mistake.

With no imminent threat hanging over her now, Sunset Shimmer finished her reload, and promptly fired at the beast. The shot hit the mole rat in the leg, making it stumble and fall.

Twilighr realized that the beast was at her mercy now. And she still had two shots left.

Kill it, said the voice in her head.

Just like that? When it's defenseless? another voice argued.

It's not defenseless. It still can kill you. It WILL kill you, if you do not act. Twilight realized that this voice was somewhat right. The beast was already starting to get up, although the hurt leg impeded its attempts.

This feels so wrong... She could not totally disagree with that, either.

The mole rat stood up, and tried to move towards the pony-turned-human...

BOOM!

..."tried" being the key word, as the beast fell, not to rise again.

Silence fell across the battlefield. As Sunset walked up to Twilight, none of them spoke a word, trying to calm themselves. Finally, after half a minute of silence (which seemed to last a lot longer to lavender-skinned girl) the former said in a nonchalant tone:

"I guess we are in luck. Usually we meet packs of five specimens."

The words (or maybe the tone they were spoken with) ignited something within Twilight, clouding her reasoning. Looking in her friend's turquoise eyes, she shouted:

"How can you do this?!"

The decibels that Twilight produced shocked Sunset to a halt. Looking at her friend's face, she noticed the expression of outrage there (and it apparently was directed towards her), but could not find any possible explanation for its appearance in her head.

"Do what, Twilight?" she asked, surprise seeping into her voice.

"This!" the Princess of Friendship waved her hand in the direction of mole rats' still warm corpses. "Attacking and killing others, in cold blood, like they do not matter! How can you do this?"

Oh, that's what ticked her off, the fiery-haired girl thought.

"Was it necessary to fire first? We could have avoided that! Was it necessary to endanger us both and Spike?"

"Hey, don't involve me," Spike replied, "I was not in a position to do anything."

"We are on patrol, Twilight," Sunset explained patiently (no good to lose one's temper when dealing with a novice in the Wastelands), "and we must not let any beasts or, fates forbid, raiders get close to the village. We find them, we kill them. Simple as it can be."

Belatedly, she realized that her answer sounded too cold-blooded for Twilight, and braced herself for another angry burst. Twilight did not disappoint:

"Simple as it can be? That's it? So the only answer now is to kill anything in sight? Continue the conflict, when a lot of people had already died? Kill and kill and kill until blood floods everything? What's wrong with you, Sunset?!"

"Wrong? With me? What makes you think that, Twilight?" Sunset was starting to get angry herself. For all of Twilight's intelligence, she can be so dense sometimes!

"What makes me think that? You don't think that shooting to kill first is wrong?"

"And risking the lives of villagers is better? In case you hadn't noticed, not everyone in Vault Village has a gun, nor can everyone actually shoot! You'd rather let someone die if they stumble across such beasts while defenseless?!"

"Maybe the animals would not be so aggressive if nopony were aggressive to them first!" Twilight did not notice the slip of her tongue which gave away her Equestrian origin.

"Oh, so you would befriend everyone, even those whose nature simply prevents from having friends? You'd try and befriend someone when they are hurting you, or torturing you, or eating you?" Sunset was getting the urge to knock some sense into her friend with the butt of her rifle. Losing control of her anger, she drawled sarcastically, "O-o-ohhh, wait, that's what Princess of Friendships do!"

The mocking tone she put on Twilight's official title made its bearer explode.

"Well, I am certain that beats dealing with those standing in your way like a SHE-DEMON!!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

The words struck Sunset Shimmer like an extremely sharp icicle. The bubble of anger within her evaporated, replaced with feelings of deep emotional pain.

Is that what she thinks of me? That I am the same person I was before my reformation?

While still in Canterlot High School, Sunset have not been able to totally rid herself of the label Twilight had just sticked on her. Some people could hold a grudge for quite a long time, and not everybody had forgiven her totally. Her past deeds still stuck to her like an unwashable ink blot, which made her a convenient target to shift the blame on - which had happened already, during the Anon-a-Miss incident. Even her friends believed her to be the secret-stealer, so the others did not even think of digging further.

That debacle ended happily, but the pain remained; from that day on, Sunset felt especially vulnerable towards reminders of her dark past.

Having them thrown in her face by someone she called a friend whom she helped, and whom she saved, felt like tearing her insides out.

"Is that what you think, Twilight? That I reverted back to the same person I was before?"

Her tone had no trace of anger anymore, but sadness. Twilight looked like she still wanted to say something.

Fearing that she would get hurt again, Sunset did not give her the chance:

"We've finished our patrol here. Go back to the village. I'll catch up," and she turned away, going to mole rats' corpses.

With her back turned to the Princess, Sunset let the tears that welled in her eyes loose.

Once she heard the footsteps going away and disappearing into the distance, she took out her knife. Merchants paid caps for the meat; plus, the village needed to eat something.

Redblood would not approve of such rations, though. The meat is somewhat irradiated.

Twilight Sparkle was walking towards Vault Village, making large steps. She did not want to be anywhere near Sunset Shimmer right now.

Some part of her mind had registered the hurt look on the latter's face, but her outrage at what she perceived as a dishonorable move was still boiling over the top.

"Rude much?" she heard the voice from her backpack.

Deja vu.

"Don't tell me you agree with that action, Spike," Twilight growled.

"I have some reservations about that..."

"Good."

"...but going off at her like that? That's not like you, Twilight."

"I don't want to talk about it," she snapped.

"I don't remember you shouting like that at anyone."

"I said, I don't want to talk about it."

"Fine," Spike disappeared back into the backpack, clearly annoyed. "But I think you haven't learned yet that this world is not Equestria or the world you used to know."

Twilight left his latest remark without comment, and went on.

Some part of her couldn't help but feel, though, that Spike's comment about worlds was correct.

When Twilight finally approached the village, her ears registered the sound of gunfire.

What is that?

She started running towards the village, only to see a strange sight.

Several humans with guns, wearing some sort of haphazardly sewed clothes and/or armour that somehow seemed familiar, were walking on a street, laughing and shouting something in apparently mocking voices.

Another one was standing in front of a house, holding a bottle of something in his hand. The neck had some cloth stuffed into it -

- and it was burning.

Before Twilight was able to think of possible applications of this strange bottle, the stranger threw it in the window of the house. A woman ran out of it - only to receive a bullet in the chest.

"No!" Twilight screamed. Stupid thing to do, but she was too far for strange humans to hear.

"What's up? What's going - whoa!" Spike exclaimed at the sight. He immediately jumped out of the backpack. "Them again!"

Them who? But as Twilight glanced toward her Pip-Boy's IFF screen, she understood immediately.

There were red dots that corresponded with humans' positions.

And she recognized now where she had seen clothes like that. Last time she saw them, she nearly lost her life.

Raiders.

Correctly assuming that charging at the group was suicidal, Twilight and Spike went as stealthily as they could. Fortunately, none of the raiders thought of looking behind their shoulders, so their approach was undetected.

Twilight spared a glance towards the IFF screen. The red marks did not go anywhere, but now there were green ones, too.

When moving behind one of the houses, she came across Redblood. He quickly confirmed that Vault Village was under attack by raiders, and asked Twilight to help him get to security guards. Twilight agreed immediately and asked Spike to find them a safe way.

They moved undetected for a hundred meters, but once they moved around one of the corners, they came across one of the raiders.

Upon seeing an armed Twilight Sparkle, the raider immediately raised his pistol. Point Blank's teachings sprung up in her head (FIND COVER!), an she immediately bolted back.

Three bullets whizzed past them.

Oh what wouldn't I give not to find myself in this situation. Now I need to use Point Blank's training against targets who fire back to good use.

Twilight leaned out from cover and fired at him twice, reminding that she had teeth, too. Her bullets didn't hit the intended target either, but the raider decided not to stick in the open, and hid himself behind a long (but low) wooden crate that stood forgotten by someone.

"We have a problem," Twilight said. She fired at the raider again, but her bullets missed again, and she heard a click signifying that her pistol ran out of ammo. She swapped the clip, and moved the bolt, satisfied with click-clank sound.

"What kind of problem?" Redblood asked.

"Raider, behind the crate, firing at us," as if he wanted to prove Twilight's words, the raider fired at them again.

Bang, bang, bang.

Twilight crouched and leaned out again, fixing the iron sights on where the raider would appear again. Once he did, Twilight fired at him. Her bullet struck his right arm, making him cry in pain and drop his pistol.

"Bitch!" he screamed.

What's with the profanities? Twilight thought indignantly, and shouted at Redblood:

"Go, to next house, quick!"

Redblood nodded and ran in the intended direction, Twilight and Spike hot on his heels. The raider picked up his pistol and tried to fire again, but Twilight was careful - upon seeing that he wanted to repeat his attack, she fired at him three times before he pulled the trigger.

She missed, but the raider hid himself again, correctly assuming that he did not need more bullets in his flesh. As he did, Twilight noticed blood that coated his arm.

She felt sick. Is this what I will turn myself into?

Her hesitation nearly cost her, as another raider appeared from the front door of the house they wanted to hide behind, wielding a hunting rifle. Twilight ducked - and it saved her life: the bullet whizzed above her head.

"Come on, run!" Redblood shouted at her. She wisely decided to do that, and ran, firing wildly at the second raider as she did that. Her shots went wide, but the raider hid himself in the house, ceasing to be a problem for few moments.

"Ooh, the baby wants to play hard!" he shouted mockingly.

I'm just about to snap at you for such language! Twilight was getting angry now. As she hid behind another cover, pistol shots whizzed again.

She leaned out and fired once.

The bullet hit the raider's neck. He dropped his pistol again and clutched at his throat. Blood started flowing in a stream, seeping through his fingers.

He fell, trying in vain to hold the blood in, but soon, he stopped struggling for his life.

"NO!" another masculine voice screamed. The second raider appeared again and fired at Twilight. The latter, standing shell-shocked at what she had just done, stuck out like a sore thumb.

BANG!

"AAAARGH!"

Twilight dropped her pistol, hand flying to cover the wound in her left shoulder. A moment later, she was yanked back behind cover, hard.

"Thanks," she silently said to Redblood.

"You killed Brody, you bitch! I'm going to make you fucking pay for it!" the raider bellowed. "Have a fucking present, you whore!"

Twilight noticed some small metal apple-like object landing in front of her. Redblood screamed and dashed past her, picking the object and throwing it back and getting back to cover as fast as he could.

Moments later, Twilight heard a BOOM and another raider's screams of pain.

"What was that?" she asked.

"A grenade. Moments later, and we would have been cut down by sharp fragments. And now, that raider bastard suffered this fate, too," Redblood replied.

Twilight wanted to say something, but pain prevented her from doing anything more than grunting in pain.

"Hold still," Redblood said, "I need to see the wound."

Luckily, the bullet went through, missing the bone and major arteries. Redblood quickly disinfected the wound, wrapping the bandages around Twilight's shoulder. When he finished, he took out a syringe and gave her an injection.

"Ow," she complained.

"This is a painkiller. You will stop feeling the pain from this wound soon. Now where's your pistol?"

A loud bark turned their attention to Spike, who took it upon himself to drag the pistol towards Twilight.

"Good Spike," Twilight smiled, picking her pistol up.

"I think we need to loot the raiders," Redblood said.

"Loot their bodies?" Twilight said, shocked at the suggestion.

"They will not need their equipment anymore. It would do better now for us to defend ourselves from them," the medic explained.

These humans are crazy, Twilight thought, but, not wishing for another arguement, wisely kept silence.

She picked up the hunting rifle and some ammo for it for herself, and persuaded Redblood to take a pistol with an extra clip for himself.

"Where now?" she asked.

Redblood showed the direction. The trio sprinted there. Twilight spared the last glance at the corpses.

What could have forced them to live like this? This is wrong. This is so very wrong...

They were lucky enough to avoid meetings with other raiders. On their way, they met up with Swift Sentinel. He quickly explained the situation: a dozen or so raiders attacked the village. Twilight said that she and Redblood took care of two of them, and Swift said the guards and civilian militia killed seven; that meant three (probably) raiders were still on the large.

"Where is Sunset Shimmer?" he asked.

Twilight blushed, feeling ashamed now. She did not even spare a thought about a friend whom she left after the arguement.

Some Princess of Friendship you are!

"We... finished our patrol and she told we to go back, said that she would catch up with me..."

"You were not supposed to come back alone. What happened?"

"We... had an arguement..."

"Tell me the details later," Swift Sentinel said with a frown on his face. "For now, we need to get back to where you saw her last!"

Twilight nodded and ran in the needed direction, Swift taking after her.

Several minutes later, they arrived at the outskirts of the village where Twilight first saw the raiders. The house from which the now-dead woman ran out was on fire.

It was not the fire that scared Twilight, though.

It was the prone figure of Sunset Shimmer.

With two raiders standing above her.

United we stand, divided we fall. Oh the irony, the irony, Sunset mused.

Her body was on pain. She was unlucky enough to stumble into a trap. Her lucky shot took out one of the raiders, but she was unable to fight off the rest, and they quickly proceeded to stomp the snot out of her. Her brain was screaming to act, but the muscles simply refused to listen.

"So what shall we do?" asked one raider.

"I think the bitch needs some punishment for what she did to Johnny."

"What you have in mind? Hooks?"

"That won't be enough, pal. Got ideas?"

"Well... the girl's hot. Maybe we should have some... fun with her?"

Oh no! Sunset thought. She understood well what the word "fun" meant in this case.

"Ya know, that sounds good. Pack her up, we shall..."

BOOM!

Twilight, Spike and Swift were approaching two raiders stealthily, hiding behind whatever cover was present, and quickly changing position. The raiders mostly stood with their backs to them, so no one noticed them coming.

When Twilight hid herself behind the remains of a car, she heard one of the raiders say:

"Well... the girl's hot. Maybe we should have some... fun with her?"

Twilight felt as if a hammer hit her head, making blood and something else flow into it.

Rage. Pure rage was clouding her mind. She remembered what Point Blank said once about "fun" raiders had with women.

"It's rape, plain and simple."

The mere thought that these debased ruffians were planning to do that to Sunset set her rage ablaze.

She aimed the newly acquired hunting rifle at one of them. Having studied under Point Blank on how to use it, she felt confident that she aimed correctly.

"Ya know, that sounds good. Pack her up, we shall..."

BOOM!

The raider's head came apart.

Surprisingly, the puke reflex did not raise up.

Bra-ta-ta-tat.

The second raider also fell, struck by Swift Sentinel's bullets.

"I hate rapists," he said with pure malice.

"So do I," Twilight muttered in agreement.

Sunset Shimmer heard the shots and the bodies falling.

I'm safe! the thought ran through her head like electricity.

Then she saw Swift Sentinel standing above her. She raised her head (the nerves flared with pain, but she ignored that), and he helped her to stand up.

Once she did, Sunset found herself face to face with Twilight Sparkle, who held a hunting rifle in her hands. The barrel was still smoking.

In the violet eyes, the fire of righteous rage burned.

But then it flickered and died out.

Sunset found herself in an embrace.

"Oh, Sunset... Are you okay?"

"I'll live," Sunset hugged her friend back.

"I'm so sorry, Sunset! I shouldn't have called you a she-demon! I..."

"Twilight," Sunset interrupted, "I am sorry, too. I let my emotions run unchecked, and insulted you. I never should have mocked your title." Pulling herself back a bit, she asked, "We are still friends, right?"

"Friends," Twilight confirmed, smiling.

"Those were the last raiders," Swift Sentinel approached them, radio in his left hand. "Now, Sparkle, how did you get separated from Shimmer?"

After hearing the whole story behind their separation, Swift Sentinel said:

"I see... Twilight, going off at Sunset like that was definitely a mistake. I heard you had already apologized for that. The fact that you did not want to attack those beasts first, even though they were predators, speaks volumes of what a gentle soul you are. Since you do not remember the recent events, however, I need to tell you something. The Canterlot Wastelands are not what the world you remember used to be. I myself wish it were otherwise, but in this age, violence and lethal force are often the only way of saving yourself, or your friends, or innocent bystanders."

"I can't help but feel as I am becoming something... bad, each time I take a life," Twilight confessed. "Even when in defense of others. Those raiders used to have a life too, and yet something drove them to do this... I can't help but feel this could have been prevented..."

"Twilight," Swift interrupted, "as long as you feel sorrow as you take a life, you remain a good person inside. And remember that it's our choices that define who we are. You chose to kill the raiders to defend your friend. Sunset chose to kill mole rats so they would not prey on the defenseless down the line. She is more used to living in Wastelands right now than you are, that's why you felt badly about her choice to attack first. But you both had right reasons. I do not think of you as a bad person for killing those raiders."

"Neither do I," added Sunset.

"Besides, you heard what they wanted to do to Shimmer here. You saw what they do for fun," Swift spat on the ground. "Can you honestly say now that people like those do not deserve harsh punishment?"

Twilight thought. Can I agree to that? Can I continue like this?

She looked at the burning house. At the poor woman's bloodied corpse. At Sunset, who had a bruise under her left eye and a trickle of blood running out of her split lip.

Spike's words came to her mind:

"You haven't learned yet that this world is not Equestria or the world you used to know..."

Now I have, she realized.

"No," she said. "I cannot."

Level Up!

New Perk (Twilight Sparkle):

Thou Shalt Not Raid: You no longer receive penalties of negative Karma from "Make Friends, Not War!" Trait when killing raiders.

New Perk (Sunset Shimmer):

Toughened Hide: You gain +10% bonus to Damage Resistance when receiving damage in unarmed combat.

Author's Note

This is the first (but certainly not the last) chapter that pushes into "Mature"-rated territory.

Twilight is slowly learning that not everyone in Canterlot Wastelands deserves forgiveness...

Since this is the first "Mature"-deserving (as I believe) chapter, I would like to hear your comments/criticism/advice on it.

Hopefully, new chapter will be there within 3-7 days. Stay tuned!