With a flick of his finger, Daniel turned to the map tab of his Pip-Boy. Leaning partially over the bar, he showed the wrist-mounted computer to Gob. “I tried getting in through there-” Daniel pointed to a square symbol inlaid with an M, “-but the Super Mutants and Raiders keep fighting over that particular Metro tunnel. It’s damn near impossible to even get close to it.”

When Daniel had first met Gob, he had thought the Ghoul was blind. That wasn’t the case, as Gob blinked his filmed-over eyes a few times, peering at the map while humming in thought. Tapping a thin rotting finger at a spot to the north of the metro tunnel, he told Daniel. “Take that. It’s been a while, but I went through this metro here to get out of the DC ruins. Should have less Raiders to deal with, and a route to the radio station.”

“Thanks, Gob.” Daniel thought for a second, then tilted his head slightly. “Why didn’t you show me this way before?”

Gob smiled his cracked lips, chuckling dryly, “It’s both irradiated and full of ferals. But that was years ago.” His frown turned sour and he whispered lowly. “It was way before getting stuck here serving drinks for that asshat, Moriarty. And to be honest I’m not even sure that tunnel still has a passage through it.”

Daniel would just have to risk finding a dead end. Finding his father was more important than anything else. It was just taking so long because he neither had the gear nor experience to brave the DC ruins.

Gob gave Daniel a sharp elbow, chuckling as he rasped, “Hey, Smoothskin.” He nudged his head towards Twilight, “Your girlfriend is really interested in Three Dog. You might want to turn it off before she starts wanting him more than you.”

“She’s not my girlfriend, Gob,” Daniel shot back in a heated whisper and a roll of his eyes. Twilight wasn’t even his type; way too much fur. From what he knew of her so far, Twilight was also pushy, hotheaded, and intelligent. A lot like Amata. Daniel’s heart sank like a rock.

Daniel shoved the coming thoughts away, leaning over to listen in on the radio and distract himself. Twilight was absolutely entranced. Daniel watched and Twilight didn’t even blink, as if taking her eyes off the radio would make her miss something crucial. He leaned even closer. It sounded like Three Dog was interviewing someone.

“-did you come about joining the Brotherhood of Steel?” From what Daniel recalled, Three Dog spoke highly of the Brotherhood of Steel, praising them as knights in shining power armor. He had yet to see a member himself. Maybe I can get an idea of what they’re like.

A very meek female voice spoke, her voice often cracking with nervousness, “I f-flew into a… a group of Knights out on patrol.”

Three Dog laughed. “Flew?” he sounded disbelieving. “Seriously? Straight into a pack of Knights?”

There was a sharp hissing sound and the rattle of metal. Three Dog exclaimed suddenly, “Whoa, do those wings actually work?” Three Dog laughed again and seemed to addressed his audience. “Well, kiddies, it seems we’ve run out of time. Fluttershy, I thank you for joining us.” Three Dog’s voice came calm and smooth over the crackling static, as he let out one final chuckle. “There you have it, boys and girls, the very first non-Human In the Brotherhood.”

There was a loud crack of static and a song began to play. “I’m as corny as Kansas in August-”

Twilight suddenly grabbed the radio, “What!?” She yelled into it. “The interview is over!? Where is she?”

Murmurs around the bar warned Daniel that Twilight was drawing too much attention. Every other patron of Moriarty’s bar stared at her. Looking over to her, she had let go of the radio and turned to face the crowd. A huge blush was on her face -- somehow it showed through her fur -- and her ears were folded down. She squirmed in place, her blush growing brighter and brighter by the second.

Gob made a grunt before nudging Daniel’s arm, “Well get me stumbling drunk and call me a zombie. It seems that the Brotherhood let in a mutant. I’m surprised they didn’t disintegrate her.”

“That was Fluttershy,” Twilight whispered to Daniel, leaning close to not draw anymore attention to herself, smiling nervously all the while. “She’s out there, and I need your help to find her. Please,” she begged, giving Daniel a pleading look as she clasped both hands together. “You know this world, I need to get to this Brotherhood of Steel the DJ was talking about.”

It was his turn to be the one to blush as Twilight stared her stunning purple eyes into his. Completely crazy or not, Twilight was asking for his help. She’s going to turn out like Moira. Getting me to do things that are either stupid, dangerous, dangerously stupid, or stupidly dangerous. With an exasperated and somewhat embarrassed sigh, Daniel nodded. “I’ll help,” he muttered, hoping he wouldn’t regret his decision later. Gob chuckled while polishing a dirty glass.

Twilight hopped out of her seat and did a small dance, clapping and laughing with such joy that Daniel was tempted to laugh with her, were it not for all the eyes on them. Twilight stopped moving around, smiled at him and said, “Let’s go.”

She darted for the exit and was halfway to the door before she slowed her steps, clutching her head in pain. Daniel was already out of his seat as Twilight stumbled to reach for something to support herself. He was able to grab her around the waist before she could fall, but she was already unconscious.

<>~<>~<>

Twilight felt dizzy. When she opened her eyes the roof was spinning, and all she could feel was the mattress beneath her wings. Her attempt to lift her numb arm failed. It felt like nothing wanted to work. Sweat poured out of her and made her dress cling wetly to her. A damp rag rested on her forehead.

A sharp but tiny prick in her wrist jolted Twilight into full consciousness. She could hear someone breathing beside her. Looking to her right, Daniel was standing over her while holding a plastic bag full of orange liquid in the air. Twilight followed the tube running from the bag to her wrist where the small pain was. Her heart began to race as she spotted a needle. What is he doing!? She wanted to panic but it seemed the faster her heart beat the weaker she felt. With no energy to move, Twilight weakly whispered, “What…?” but couldn’t finish. The edges of her vision were going black like she was about to faint again.

Daniel shook his head slowly, patting Twilight on the shoulder with his free hand. “Seems you passing out is becoming a regular occurrence,” he gave a small chuckle. “Just rest, you’re still weak. Doesn't help you’re suffering from a slight case of radiation poisoning.”

Twilight could barely focus on Daniel, her blurry vision making it impossible to keep her eyes on him. A headache wormed its way into her brain. Twilight asked in a tiny whisper while closing her eyes. “Poisoning?”

“That, and a fever. I think you might have come down with something. I’m administering five-hundred milliliters of RadAway intravenously. That should flush the radiation from your system.”

Intravenous. Of course, she had a needle in her wrist. Opening her eyes to look at Daniel, the blurriness had cleared letting her get a good look at him. Daniel seemed to be a young man, even younger than her. Too young to be a doctor. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. “Are you qualified to do this?” She asked in a near panic. Twilight tried to lean up.

Daniel put a hand on Twilight’s chest, halting her movement and making it clear he wanted her to stay put. “Calm down. I’ve worked with my father since I was ten helping patients in our Vault.” Daniel stared into the plastic bag, half of the orange goop drained. “And since I was sixteen I’ve worked as a physician beside both my father and our friend, Jonas.”

Twilight had heard Daniel mention his father before. And at the bar he said something about finding him. Relaxing, Twilight lay back into her pillow and watched as the orange liquid inside continued to flow into her. Seeing how slow it was going, Twilight decided to ask. “What are they like?”

Daniel winced, his shoulders slumping as he frowned. Twilight folded down her ears. She didn’t need psychic powers to tell she had hit a tender spot with him. Opening her mouth to apologize, Daniel cut her off with a blunt answer. “Jonas is dead, and my father is missing.”

Twilight folded her ears even closer to her head as she found the strength to roll over and face the wall of Daniel’s room. The way Daniel replied was so callous, like he was angry with her for asking. Knowing the Humans, he probably was. Lucas’ treatment of her was still fresh in Twilight’s mind.

Daniel coughed to clear his throat, “Listen, Twilight, I apologize for being rude. I just don’t feel like talking about them right now. Jonas was a good friend of mine. Now my dad is somewhere out in the Capital Wasteland.”

Twilight’s ears perked up, her curiousity growing and she managed the strength to roll back over and lean up. Daniel didn’t stop her this time, and the rag slid off her head. “I keep hearing this place referred to as the Capital Wasteland,” Twilight picked the rag up and placed it back against her forehead. “Why is that?”

“You really don’t know?” Daniel asked, his disbelief apparent. Daniel knelt down, opening a metal box with a cross on it. He pulled out some gauze and medical tape. Twilight realized the bag Daniel was holding was empty. “All this time I had doubts that you were from some other world, but, well…” He trailed off. Daniel reached for Twilight’s wrist and pulled on the needle. Twilight shied away and winced in pain, but the needle was out before she knew it. Daniel quickly placed a small square of gauze over the needle mark and taped it in place.

Frowning as Daniel failed to answer her question, Twilight rubbed her wrist slightly as she asked, “Well what?”

“I think the explanation would be better if you saw some of the things I’ve seen,” he said distantly, before blinking and pointing to her bandaged wrist. “Now, seeing as this is your first time using RadAway, and that you obviously don't know what it is since you claim you aren’t from this world, I must warn you that it’s a diuretic.” Daniel blushed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I can’t believe I’m having to explain this, but heads up: the glowing urine is fine. It’s just the RadAway working.”

“Oh boy...” Twilight chuckled lamely. Sticking to the same subject, she said lightly, “I don’t know how in the name of Equestria I got radiation poisoning. Or this fever.” The mere mention of it made Twilight feel weak. Lying back down, Twilight pressed the wet rag hard against her brow.

Daniel’s professional tone of voice almost made him sound older as he pushed the empty RadAway bag and first aid kit under the bed. “When you were trapped in Minefield -- the place I found you -- did you eat or drink anything suspicious there?”

Twilight blushed and looked in every direction that wasn’t towards Daniel and weakly muttered under her breath, “Toilet water.” She looked Daniel in the eyes with an expression fitting of a child having been caught. “B-but it was my last choice, I swear! The kitchen sink ran out of water, then the bathroom sink… it was either that or die of thirst.”

Daniel chuckled and Twilight’s blush grew tenfold. He gave her shoulder a playful nudge, “Ah it’s not that embarrassing. I was that desperate too. My Pip-Boy started clicking like mad as well. That explains the radiation poisoning.”

Twilight sighed and shook her head, “Can I get up now? I’m feeling better...” Twilight trailed off as she blushed then added embarrassingly. “Actually, where’s the bathroom? I think the RadAway is kicking in.”

<>~<>~<>

Daniel could feel Twilight’s gaze on him as he opened the locker right beside the exit. She was busily eating another mutfruit at the table. Reaching into the locker while keeping his eyes on her, Daniel grasped the sole item he kept inside it. The item wasn’t anything valuable, he actually had found it inside a bathtub in Springvale.

Daniel removed the long, thin item from his locker and held it at arm’s reach. Twilight tilted her head, squinting as she asked, “What’s that?”

“This, Twilight,” Daniel said as he walked towards the table, presenting the hunting rifle to her. The beat up old rifle had served him well until it ran out of ammo. “This is yours. It’s a rifle, a weapon of sorts. I’m going to teach you how to defend yourself.” Twilight put down her mutfruit, grabbing the forestock with one hand and the grip with the other. She ran one hand across the cracked wood furniture and rusted barrel. Daniel made a small movement, almost like a half shrug as he watched Twilight. “Earlier I said I wanted to show you some of the things I’ve seen. Well, you need to know how to use one of these before we get too far from Megaton.”

“Oh, is that what this town is called?” Twilight didn’t take her eyes off the rifle as she spoke, laying it across the table. She gave the leather strap that ran from the forestock to the butt of the rifle a wary look, then asked in a joking tone as if to get her mind off of something. “Why haven’t I asked the name of this place before?”

“Stress, maybe?” Daniel offered, but he honestly had no clue. “I’m pretty sure I did mention it to you before we left for Moriarity’s. Although, you were so worked up over Lucas’ friendly welcome to town that I doubt you’d remember half of what I said.” Then he scratched his chin as he quickly added in an afterthought. “What do you think of Gob? Ghouls like him get treated badly because they look like corpses.”

Twilight tilted her head and hummed, “He creeped me out a little at first, but he’s not the weirdest thing I’ve seen.” Twilight picked her mutfruit back up and took a large bite. “I’m more concerned on why you’re giving me this-” Twilight made a wild motion with her hands towards the gun, “-rifle thing. Why do I need this to defend myself?”

“Because there are very bad people who live out in the Wasteland. They won’t hesitate to kill you for your food or water. Mutants will kill you for simply being there, but that pales in comparison to what they do with the bodies.”

Twilight’s ears spayed almost impossibly low as she stared at the rifle, “Oh.”

<>~<>~<>

Megaton was a sight to behold. With the hunting rifle slung across her back, Twilight peered over the railing of the metal walkway near Daniel's house. The entire town was built inside and up the slopes of a massive crater, the center of which held a large egg-shaped metal device the size of two people. A puddle of green water surrounded the object where a man stood, shouting as he raised his arms to the sky.

Daniel grumbled beside her, “I can’t believe those people worship the damn thing.”

Twilight winced. She never liked it when people cursed. “Language,” she muttered. Curious as to what the object was in the center of town, Twilight tilted her head. “What is it, to be exact?”

Daniel stated as calmly as if she had just asked him the time of day, “It’s a nuclear bomb.”

“A bomb!” Twilight jumped back from the railing, shaking her head in a near panic, “A nuclear bomb!?” There were theories Twilight had studied before about harnessing the power of nuclear fission. Magic, of course, rendered it impractical, but it was theorized that fission could be harnessed for purposes far more devious than generating electricity. Miles upon miles of ruins. All of the theories were solid, I even ran calculations myself.

One word was all that Twilight needed to form a theory of her own: Wasteland. It can’t be… no, but all my current evidence points to it. The irradiated water, the skeletons, the burned buildings. This town!

Twilight blinked as a blurry shape passed her vision. Daniel was waving his hand in front of her face. “Anyone in there?”

“I figured it out,” Twilight muttered. She took a few shaky steps forward, grabbing the railing once more and gazing at the town composed of of scrap-metal buildings. “The world you live in was destroyed, or at least partially.” Her new worst fear stared her right in the face as Daniel nodded his head solemnly.

“I...” Twilight trailed off. She couldn’t find the words to express how she felt. Fearful of the new world? Sad that the old one was gone? Angry at his world’s scientists for letting science go too far? She found the emotion she was looking for: overwhelmed. Twilight felt an almost insurmountable sensation of being totally out of control of anything. Fluttershy and her friends weren’t as safe and sound as she thought they were.

“I’m much like my father, you know?” Daniel said as he placed a hand on Twilight’s shoulder, “I’m skeptical of taking things on faith without proof. But, unlike my dad, I think a little bit of my mother is in me.” He chuckled, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.” He dropped his hand from Twilight’s shoulder, and she turned to face him, eyes brimming with tears. Daniel held his fingers against his chin, as if he was contemplating something before he spoke. “I may be skeptical, but I can’t prove or disprove if you came from this Equestria place through a shattered mirror. What I can prove, however, is that Three Dog talked to a non-human with wings that you claim is a friend of yours, and I already agreed to help you find her.” Daniel spoke with something that sounded like bravado, but was cliche enough to make Twilight smile. “Now dry your eyes, save those tears for when you're shedding them with joy.”

“Thanks,” Twilight said, rubbing her puffy eyes. “Can we go see Moira now?”

Twilight gave an almost mouse-like squeak as Daniel threw an arm over her shoulders. “If it’ll cheer you up, why not?”

<>~<>~<>

Daniel felt conflicted, torn between two sides in his own mind as he walked with Twilight. Taking a glance at her, he made sure to turn his head away quick enough for Twilight not to notice his staring. I still can’t tell if she’s crazy to the point she believes the words coming out of her mouth, or if she’s actually really from this Equestria place. Talking, intelligent cows, four-legged herbivores, a magic mirror portal. Twilight spoke like the entire fantasy was real. But that was just it, fantasy.

But Three Dog spoke with a mutant, I heard her myself: Fluttershy. She also had wings. Maybe if I ask Twilight about her, when we actually find Fluttershy, she can confirm what Twilight told me. If both of their stories match up, then she’s not crazy.

“So, Twilight,” Daniel asked, throwing an arm casually over her shoulder, acting as non-suspicious as he could. “Tell me about Fluttershy. I need to know what she looks like if we’re going to find her.”

Twilight blushed and wiggled out from under Daniel’s arm. He dropped it to his side as she chuckled embarrassedly. “Oh, um, well her fur is soft yellow, she has turquoise eyes, and her mane is long and soft pink. She’s also the kindest and most shy of my friends. Oh, and her cutie mark is three butterflies.”

What did she say? “Cutie mark?” Daniel asked, stopping to give Twilight a curious head tilt.

“Every Pony gets one, it’s a mark that shows what we’re good at. I have one as well.”

Twilight bent down and pulled up one side of her dress, exposing her leg bit by bit. Daniel’s jaw dropped and his face flooded crimson with a blush as she stopped at her hip. Thankfully no one else was around.

She has no shame! Wait… is that a tattoo? Sure enough, perfectly imprinted on Twilight’s fur was a large dark-pink six-pointed star with white rays coming out of it. It was surrounded by five smaller white six-pointed stars.

Twilight looked up from her cutie mark to Daniel, her face suddenly going red with a blush as realisation hit her. “Oh-my-gosh I’m so, so sorry!” Twilight yelled as she pulled the dress down over herself. She tapped her fist against her head, grunting in frustration. “I keep forgetting you humans hate nudity.” Her voice picked up pace as she began a small tirade. “Having fur is really throwing me off. I mean, the last time I was on two legs, I had skin to remind me I was supposed to be clothed. But now I still have fur, so it’s really hard to remember I’m not supposed to, WHOA-” Twilight fell flat on her face. On Twilight’s back Daniel noticed two bulges furiously wiggling underneath the dress. “Ughhhh…” Twilight groaned, pushing herself up. “I tend to flap my wings when I’m worked up. I tried to take flight and ended up tripping.”

Daniel’s blush had finally receded, traded for confusion, “The wings actually work?” Daniel reached a hand out to Twilight, helping her get back onto her hooves.

“I’m sorry to ask you to damage your clothing,” Twilight gave a nervous smile and in a pleading voice asked, “but could you possibly cut some wing holes in the dress?”

Reaching for his side, opposite of his holster, Daniel drew a large knife out of a sheath. The handle was almost six inches long, the blade equally so, and slightly rusted. A few specks of dried blood were mixed in with the rust, but Daniel could guess Twilight wouldn’t like to know that.

Bad thing was, it was his blood. Daniel had sliced open his hand trying to juggle both it and a beer bottle. Last time I take a bet from Jericho and try to be cool, Daniel thought as he put a hand on Twilight’s shoulder. Lightly tugging her shoulder, Twilight got the hint and turned around. Her body was visibly shaking.

“What, you don’t trust me?” Daniel joked. “I’m not going to cut you.”

“Sorry,” Twilight apologized, her body tensing instantly as she crossed her arms and gripped them hard. “That knife is too big to not be scared of.”

Daniel chuckled, pinching the dress behind the first of Twilight’s wings and pulling the fabric back to avoid cutting what was underneath. Daniel took a mock defensive tone, “What, you think I’m compensating for something?” Wait, did I just say that? Hoping Twilight was the joking type, he quickly cut a hole into the back of the dress with an audible rip of the aged cloth. It wasn’t big, just large enough for Twilight to stick her wing through.

“Compensating? What do you mean by-” He could almost feel Twilight’s face heat up from behind her as he took a grip behind her second wing. The words that followed were more angry than embarrassed. “What is it with stallions always making rude jokes?”

Stallions? Must be what she calls men. Daniel thought as he changed his tone again to match Wadsworth’s, though it was a bit shaky as he tried to play off his screw-up. “I say, whatever do you mean? I am insulted to say the least.” He cut a second, equally sized hole in the back of the dress.

Daniel backed away as Twilight groaned with annoyance, pinching the bridge of her slightly protruding muzzle. Daniel guessed she rolled her eyes, but by the time she had turned around, she held them closed as she shook her head, “I guess I can’t complain, Rainbow Dash makes enough rude jokes for two stallions.”

“Another friend of yours?” Daniel asked, innocently. He was thankful for an opportunity to change the subject.

Twilight simply nodded, reaching her arms behind her to struggle getting a wing through the new hole. Daniel quickly dodged around to her back and pulled a wing through, then the other.

In an instant, Twilight was sounding just as cheery as ever. “Thanks,” then it turned to embarrassment, “Do you think you could cut a hole for my tail as well?

Daniel face once again flushed red. I may be the first person ever to overdose on embarrassment.

<>~<>~<>

As soon as Twilight stepped through the door, Moira’s cheery voice called from behind the counter. “Hey, Twilight, Daniel, don’t mind the smell. The chemicals are all safe… I think.”

In the corner of the store behind the counter was what Twilight could only guess was a chemistry set bubbling away. Behind the counter as well were shelves lined with cans of something called cram, cans of pork and beans, boxes of salisbury steak, and other foods whose labels were too faded to read. The sight of so much meat related food sent Twilight’s stomach into an uneasy knot.

There wasn’t just food on the shelves, either. Mixed in were small, differently colored cardboard boxes with numbers on them, as well as more rifles hanging from the wall by their straps. Also on the shelves were several bottles of pills labeled Buffout, tins of something called Mentats, and on the counter was an open first aid box full of syringes, all premeasured. A piece of scotch tape on the box had Med-X written on it with pen.

Moira’s disappointed voice pulled Twilight out of her browsing. “Daniel, you know I can’t do that.”

Daniel made a wild gesture with his hand, “But you know me, Moira, we’re friends. I’ve risked my neck to help you write that book of yours, you can’t spare a little bit?”

Twilight took a step back and decided to let the argument work itself out. She had no idea what it was about anyways. Backing up farther, she bumped into someone. His voice was like gravel as he muttered, “Back off, and don’t try anything.” Jumping back, she looked at the man in a leather jacket and pants who leaned against the wall, a rifle different from hers in his hands.

“Sorry,” Twilight sheepishly apologized, quickly turning around to listen back in on the argument.

Moira put a faded green metal tin onto the counter, “You have to pay just like the rest of the town. Daniel, I know you’re fresh out the Vault and short on caps, but I run a business, not a charity.”

Daniel steepled his hands together, reaching out for Moira as his tone was just one octave short of childish begging, “Please, Moira, don’t do it for me, do it for her.” He pointed in Twilight’s direction and got even whinier. “She’s lost in this harsh, cruel world, separated from all the friends and family she knows and love.” Daniel was practically leaning over the counter now. “So can you find it in your heart to give just a little, just a smidge, to this poor lost soul?”

Moira laughed, well, more of a dopy chuckle. “Sure, sure,” Moira giggled. “I can loan Twilight some gear. Just stop embarrassing yourself.”

Daniel jumped into the air, pumping his fist. Twilight simply rolled her eyes, thinking to herself, Daniel, you’re a goofball. He was by Twilight before she realised it, throwing an arm over her shoulders, “And that, Twilight, is how you negotiate.”

Twilight chuckled, hoping to embarrass him back for the dirty joke. “What, by being a total drama queen?” Now that Twilight said it, Rarity did win against the Diamond Dogs by whining. Maybe there was some secret tactic to it all. I’ll have to study that later.

“You can’t argue with results.” Daniel gave a fake cough and looked Moira’s way. “So, what can you spare?”

Moira reached under the counter and came back up with something that made Twilight sputter in shock. Moira placed on the counter a beat-up looking leather jacket adorn with half of a tire that was cruelly spiked with nails and sharpened rebar. A rusted chain looped from one end of the tire to the other, hanging under one shoulder. The jeans were ragged and stained with what Twilight hoped was oil, and two leather pads attached to the pants were covered in short rusted spikes.

Twilight just stared at the clothing on the counter. Rarity would puke if she saw that, that atrocious outfit. Looking to Daniel, he shook his head in disbelief while pointing at the jacket and pants. “Moira, are you seriously offering her Raider gear?”

Moira shrugged, saying uncharacteristically chill nonchalance, “Try to save some caps and get what you paid for. Which, I might add, is nothing.”

Twilight approached the counter, giving the outfit a wary look as she spoke. “Excuse me, but what’s a Raider?” Twilight put a finger to her chin, humming as she thought back to the bar, then added. “You called Jericho one.”

“You know those bad people I mentioned you needed to learn to protect yourself from?” Daniel said, reaching into his pocket to pull out a small brown cloth bag.

Twilight nodded as Daniel put the bag on the counter. His forlorn look sent a chill down her spine. “Raiders are those people, Twilight. They’ll kill you, or worse.” Daniel looked away, as if thinking about them brought up bad memories.

Twilight took a step back in shock. That’s horrible!

“Yeah,” Moira spat. It surprised Twilight to see Moira was capable of looking angry, but at that moment Moira was furious. “The only reason we keep that louse Jericho around is he’s a good shot with a rifle. Speaking of rifle,” Moira poured the contents of the bag into a cash register that was next to her. “These are yours.” She slid a single faded green metal tin towards Twilight, and a small rectangular metal box which was no bigger than the palm of her hand.

“One hundred caps for fifty rounds, with a bonus magazine.”

Twilight gave the tin a wary look, hesitating to touch it with her hand. Daring to open the tin, Twilight noticed something familiar. Brass tubes, much larger than the one Zecora found, but the same overall bottle-necked shape. Except that the ones in the tin had metal tips. “What are these?” Twilight asked, picking one of the tubes carefully out of the tin. It was about as long as her ring finger.

“Bullets,” Daniel replied, before half shrugging and adding lamely. “Or rifle cartridges.” He shrugged again, shaking his head. “I have no idea why some Wastelanders are so picky about what to call them.”

Taking the rifle off her back, Twilight looked back and forth a few times between it and the bullets. Pointing to the tin full of them, she asked, “I take it these are part of the rifle?”

Moira was the one to answer, “Yes they are. Now, time for you to get dressed.”

Twilight cast a wary glance at the clothes she had happily forgotten about with a pitiful look, her ears splaying down as she whined like a filly. “Do I really need it?”

<>~<>~<>

Zipping the leather jacket the rest of the way up to hide the new bra she wore, Twilight shivered with disgust. The entire getup made her want to hurl. Moira had taken her upstairs to her room where she gave Twilight a pair of underwear and bra as she made alterations to the leather jacket and pants. With her wings and tail poking out holes skillfully cut by Moira, Twilight gave a test flap. She rose a few inches and landed back down. Moira gave a cat-call whistle and clapped her hands while giggling like a filly in a candy shop.

Deciding to test her range of motion, Twilight squatted down. Her new pants clearly weren’t designed for her legs bending in multiple points, but they were wearable. A little baggy, but nothing a belt couldn’t fix.

Twilight rose back to full height, giving Moira a questioning stare. “Was helping me get dressed really necessary?” Twilight asked as she adjusted the tire on her shoulder so it wouldn’t interfere with the rifle. The rusted chain looping across her body rattled as she did so. “I could have cut the holes for my wings and tail myself, or have Daniel do it.” Looking from the spiked tire on her shoulder to the spiked thigh-pads on her pants, all the pointy metal was making her scared of herself… if that was even possible.

“No, it wasn’t,” Moira replied with a bubbly voice. “I just wanted to give you some underwear and get the chance to talk to you in private.” Moira’s face became as rigid as stone, the gravity of her following words making Twilight nearly stand at attention. “Daniel’s a sweet guy and all, but in the two weeks he’s been out of Vault 101, danger seems to find him.” Moira’s bubbly voice came back just a little as she tried to joke. “I’m going to be honest: about all that armor is good for is protecting you from public nudity.” Then it was back to all seriousness. “Stay safe out there. I mean it.”

“Daniel’s going to help me learn to protect myself,” Twilight said with a confident nod. A few seconds passed as her confidence rapidly fizzled away, giving way to an anxious rub to the back of her neck and kicking her hoof softly at nothing. “Actually, I’m a bit nervous about learning self defense in this world. I never used a rifle before. With my horn broken, all I have are my fists, and I’m too clumsy to fight with them.”

Moira beamed a bright bubbly smile. “Well in that case, good luck.”

<>~<>~<>

Twilight’s first step outside of Megaton’s safe walls graced her eyes with a full-view of gently sloping hills among an endless sea of brown dirt. The rocky and barren scenery seemed even more desolate as Twilight followed Daniel towards a red rocket-shaped structure in the distance, passing copious amounts of junk and dead trees in a valley between two large hills.

“There’s barely any grass.” Twilight said, her hooves kicking up dirt. To their left was an old chain-link fence around a rusting water-tower. She winced as they passed a brahmin skull.

“Yeah,” Daniel replied with a solemn tone. “Not the fields of green I grew up looking at in pictures.”

The thought of living underground for years piqued Twilight’s curiosity. She couldn't deny her scientific side. Even beyond the habitat itself, she was interested in how someone like Daniel adapted to such a different and ruthless world. Moira had said he was only on the surface for two weeks, yet he acted like he had arrived months ago. Opening her mouth to ask about it, she cut herself off as they rounded a bend of the valley between the hills.

An entire town of ruined buildings stood before them, the burnt and rotting frames of the houses stood like skeletons of some long-dead giants. Only one single-story house was left intact past the giant red rocket. Twilight felt a shiver run up her spine. So this is what the end of the world looks like.

Words escaped Twilight, a tense feeling in her chest as she imagined a ruined Equestria. Unable to speak, the two silently made their way towards the town, but stopped as Twilight saw something silvery and spherical bobbing in the distance, floating about a meter above the asphalt. Daniel was already looking its way by the time Twilight pointed it out, saying to her. “It’s just an eyebot. Nothing to worry about.”

The sight of the odd sphere managed to knock Twilight out of her daze of horror, letting her gladly focus on something else. If Daniel says it’s okay, I trust him. Continuing onwards, Twilight kept an eye on the eyebot as they quickly came to a T-intersection running between the husks of old buildings. Picket fences and mailboxes were still standing in the yards of the households, albeit crooked and faded.

The eyebot floated close, allowing Twilight a good look at it. Several metal antennae jutted off the the beach ball-sized sphere like spines of some alien creature. From a speaker she couldn’t see, music flooded through, a pompous marching ballad full of trumpets, flutes, and clashing cymbals. The entire ensemble was followed by the percussion of drums.

The music cut out with one final crash of the cymbals, a voice as smooth as the finest silk wafting over the speaker, “Hello, my dear America, this is John Henry Eden, your president, and voice of reason in these cold, dark times.” Twilight smiled, he spoke with the grace of a friendly grandfather reading a story.

“Is President Eden your leader?” Twilight asked, listening intently in as President Eden went on a long tangent about baseball. It appears this nation is, or at least had, a democratic political system if this person is the president.

Daniel let out an almost maniacally mad laugh, drawing Twilight’s bewildered gaze as he slapped his knees. He calmed his wild laughing, shooting Twilight a bright toothy smile. “Sorry, you just reminded me how naive I was when I first came out of the Vault.” Daniel chuckled nervously, then frowned as all happiness seemed to drain from him. “The Wasteland has no form of government whatsoever. It’s just some old broadcast stuck on an endless loop.” Daniel stared off into space for a few seconds before snapping his fingers and asking, “So, tell me about yourself, Twilight. What kind of food do you like?” It was clear Daniel wanted to change the subject.

“Daffodil sandwiches with hay fries are a favorite of mine.” Then Twilight remembered something as Daniel walked again. “Though I doubt Humans can eat them.” Twilight chuckled half-heartedly. “I learned the hard way at Canterlot High that Humans can’t eat grass.”

“I’ll act like I have a clue about what you’re talking about,” Daniel remarked with a simple gesture of his hands. Tapping his chin as if in thought, he asked. “On the subject of food, you told me that back in your world that brahmin, well cows, are intelligent, right?”

Twilight nodded, stating in a voice fitting of a stressed-out teacher. “Yes, they are intelligent, but not quite. To be blunt, they’re a bit simple-minded,” Twilight cringed at her wording, but at the moment she couldn’t find a more honest and easy way to state the fact. “Of course, they can think and speak like you and I. It’s why I freaked out over eating brahmin meat instead of squirrel.”

Twilight sighed, shaking her head as she decided to give Daniel a full lecture. “If you’re interested, Cows live drastically different lives from Ponies, preferring to roam in pastures in large herds where they can freely graze. We give them land to graze on and guard them from predators, and they pay us with milk.”

“Well what about using them for meat?” Daniel asked, giving her a tilted questioning stare. Twilight winced at the mere mention of the question, her face curling into a displeased frown as Daniel remarked. “I’m sure there are intelligent carnivores in your world, right?”

Twilight shuddered, making a face as if she bit into something awful tasting. A sigh later she answered the question in a flat tone, “The Gryphons are omnivores, and yes… we do use Cows for meat. But it’s entirely their choice.”

Daniel muttered in disbelief, “They choose to be eaten by these Gryphons?”

Twilight snapped back, “The Cows have some... strange religious beliefs. To summarise it, the mortal body has to be consumed in order for the soul to escape its bonds. Now can we drop it. Talking about it makes me feel sick.”

“Okay,” Daniel replied defensively, glancing off before turning back to her. “So, when I found you, you had dried blood under your nose… any reason why?”

“I already told you that when the portal sucked me in, something hit me in my face. I woke up with a bloody nose and a bleeding horn. You’d be surprised that I looked even worse before you found me. It felt like ninety percent of my body was bruised to some degree or another. I didn’t want to waste any water cleaning the blood off my fur.” Twilight shuddered and looked away towards the single story house that was left standing in the town. It was almost baking inside that house, Daniel, I sucked up every drop of water I could find. Twilight winced and blushed. Even if some of it was from a toilet.

Daniel’s voice caught Twilight’s attention, “We’re here.”

“What?” Twilight sputtered, snapping her gaze back forward. Down a small incline, previously hidden from her view, was a building. The concrete walls were void of any paint, leaving the entire structure a dull monotonous grey. All except for little yellow letters above a set of double-doors which advertised Springvale Elementary. It looked like the second story had collapsed onto the first. Looking past the school, Twilight’s jaw dropped.

Across a river of dirty-green water was a city. Even though it looked like it was miles away, the leaning and broken buildings were apparent. That city is nothing but ruins. War really did destroy this place. Twilight felt weaker than when she had been irradiated. A cold sense of dread loomed over her like a shadow. And my friends are lost… in there. There’s no telling where the portal spit us out. I was in that town nearly two weeks because some Human was there with a rifle, I’m sure of it. At least, Twilight guessed it was a rifle that made that bang. The more she studied hers, the more it seemed like a small cannon.

“Whoa,” Daniel remarked flinching back and grabbing Twilight’s attention. “For a second there, you looked as pale as a ghost.” His tone grew sympathetic, “Anything wrong?”

Twilight slumped her shoulders, letting out a heavy sigh. “I’m just scared, Daniel, scared for my friends. They’re lost just as much as I am, and I spent two weeks stuck in that house!” Twilight kicked at a can by her hoof, missing and throwing herself off balance. Thankfully she recovered with Daniel’s help, his hand holding her by the shoulder. It’s all my fault the portal broke. I’m the one that messed with it. They’re lost in this world because of me.

“You’re still weak, Twilight,” Daniel reminded her. “I shouldn't've dragged you out here.”

Chasing away her self-pity, Twilight took another look at the school. “Where is here, exactly? Why did you bring me here?”

Daniel sighed, letting go of Twilight’s shoulder, “I wanted to show you some of the things that I’ve seen-” Daniel pointed towards the door, his face creased with anger, “-and through that door was a Raider camp.”

The mention of the name sent chills up Twilight’s spine. “W-was?” Twilight fumbled her words as the mental image of an entire room full of spiky-armored Jerichos played in her mind.

Daniel’s voice was calm and collected, like he had thought through every word he was going to say ahead of time. “I won’t beat around the bush lying to you; I killed them for all the crimes they had committed.”

“K-killed!?” Twilight backed away rapidly from Daniel. He had just admitted to, to murder of all things. “Vigilante justice isn’t justice.” It’s only revenge.

“You don’t know Raiders, Twilight.” Daniel said, his eyes more sunken and dim than usual, like he was much, much older and wiser. He paced towards the door past Twilight, pulling it open for a brief second. It looked like it was about to break off its hinges. “You need to see this for yourself.”

H-he killed people in there!? Is he seriously asking me to go in? Before she could object, Daniel was already inside, the door swinging closed. Hesitantly, Twilight opened the door herself and went inside.

<>~<>~<>

Her eyes saw it before the smell hit her. Rotting corpses hung from chains dangling from the ceiling, half of them bloated to twice the size they should be. Doubling over as the stench of death filled her nose, what little filled Twilight’s stomach came hurdling back up.

Bent over with her hands on her legs, Twilight panted for air. This can’t be real, this can’t be rea- she wretched again, nothing came up.

Blinking tears from her eyes, Twilight wiped her lips with the sleeve of her jacket, averting her eyes from the bodies impaled to the wall by rebar. Looking for Daniel, she only had to look in the center of the room. He was facing towards her, a large cage made of rusting metal bars to his back. A corpse on a mattress was on top of the cell, blood leaking through the fabric and dripping onto the bones inside the cage.

Blood was pooled all over the floor. Over half of the grimy floor tiles looked slick with blackening puddles. There was nowhere to look that didn’t show some form of death. Why in the name of Equestria would anyone do something like this?! Twilight yelled in her mind, desperately looking Daniel in the eyes for an answer, an explanation of any sorts.

Daniel gave none, his expression empathetic. Twilight looked away from Daniel and into the cage behind him. The bones of children lay piled almost a foot high in the bottom. Struggling to get her words out, she looked back to Daniel in absolute horror. "W-why... why did you show me this!?"

Daniel's voice was cold and deep, like he was burying his true emotions under ice. "I'm teaching you a hard lesson before you have to learn it for yourself." He paused, as if to let Twilight absorb all he told her. Then his mask of cold unforgiveness cracked, showing her his true emotions. A sad, lost gaze. "Twilight, I see how naive you are. Every reaction to something new I tell you is genuine. No amount of my skepticism can disprove you're totally unaware of how the real world works around here... I, I just don't want you to get hurt by not knowing something."

"What!?" Twilight screamed, slamming her hoof down hard enough to shatter a floor tile. "By showing me this!?"

“Twilight, I can explain-”

“You just did!” Twilight seethed, taking an intimidating step forward and almost spearing his chest with her finger. “If this hard lesson has taught me anything, you’re completely crazy!” Turning around, Twilight ran for the door, stopping just to yell to Daniel. “I’m going outside, and don’t you dare follow me!”

Twilight slammed the door on her way out, thankful for a breath of fresh air. Gasping, she drew in each breath as if it were a precious commodity to hoard, taking in all she could. It started to make her dizzy.

Has the world gone insane?! If the whole world was destroyed by war, then why aren't they trying to help each other survive!? Why go through all the trouble of decorating with corpses!? Letting out a frustrated yell, Twilight slammed a hoof on the ground, flaring her nostrils as she did. She could feel hot tears begin to force their way out of her eyes.

“What fuckin’ crew is the angry mutie from?” Someone grumbled. Twilight’s rage bled away to shock as the source of the voice came into her view. A human male, two in fact. Each wore various scrap held together by leather. Both of them gazed at her with their teeth bared as they scowled. It seemed like they hadn’t bathed in months, and the hair of one looked to be spiked into a mohawk with what Twilight hoped was hair gel instead of blood. From their foul language and even fouler appearance, Twilight knew she was looking at a pair of genuine Raiders.

“I dunno,” the mohawked one said to the other. “Wasn’t the rest of Boppo’s old gang knocked off last week?” Shooting Twilight a look that could only be described as outright lust, he suggested casually to the other. “Either way she’s not with us, and she looks Human enough to fuck. I’m get’n first pass.” The mohawk Raider already had his rifle in his hands and raised it towards her. Twilight fumbled with her own rifle, drawing it as fast as she could.

Closing her eyes in fear, a resounding bang echoed in Twilight’s ears as she dropped her rifle. Stumbling backwards in pain until she had her back against the wall, all she could hear was a high-pitch whine as it felt like her shoulder had been knocked out of her socket. Grabbing it with a wince of pain, Twilight kept her eyes shut and waited for the end.

Author's Note

This is most likely going to be the only chapter this long. Clocking in at 8272 words on Gdocs it was ridiculous to write. Expect more 5000-6000 word chapters soon.
That is unless you, the readers, prefer longer chapters but greater time between updates.