Author's Note

So I just read a guide telling me that double spacing and indenting paragraphs is wrong...

*Looks at every piece of writing I have ever done*

Screw it, in for a penny, in for a pound!

Also, did you know all the songs Talon Scratch plays were written originally by Canadians?

An interview

The two ponies, Twisted, and Lily, had been walking for about a day. A lot had happened the day previous, but the world was ever in motion, and as much as Twisted personally wanted that moment to last forever, the Wake would not allow such things to happen. However, it would always be a fond memory, and it reminded her of her conversation with Lily. She appreciated the moment so much more because now, it was gone.

"P, R, I, N, C, E. Prince!" Lily said, answering Twisted's question to her. They were once again working on reading and writing, and Twisted had been drilling Lily on spelling for the past few hours.

"Very good my dear. Though, I think that is enough spelling for today. As eager as you may be to learn, we all need time to rest," Twisted said, pulling the radio out of her saddlebag. Ink Well had let them keep it, which was a thoughtful gift. It provided them both silence, without there actually being silence, something Twisted had been teaching Lily to savour passively. She let the music play, and they both walked, letting it fill the void so they didn't have too.

Hello hello hello, people of Prince John's! It's me, your DJ, Talon Scratch! I hope you are all having a wonderful day in the wasteland. This just in, raiders have been found camped out in Sunshine park. If you were looking to head in that direction, I would say don't. To all you travellers, I deticate this song too you! Life is a highway!

"Have you noticed, he doesn't talk about you very often. You would think, for someone who wants to talk too you so much, he would try to get your attention as much as possible," Lily commented, making Twisted smile. The silence was good, thought-provoking questions were better.

"Well, think about it. He is a pony of position, Lily. Like me, if you will. How would you feel, if I sounded like I always needed someone else's help?" Twisted asked, looking down at her now adopted daughter.

"Well, I guess I would be scared... Or I would try to help you, but probably scared," Lily replied, looking at her hooves.

"Yes, you would likely be scared my dear, and that is nothing to be ashamed of. Though, tell me. What do you think would happen to everyone in the area, if he always sounded scared?" Twisted asked, chuckling. "They would also be scared," She continued. "And if people are scared, people do brash things. If lots of people are scared, any semblance of society can be lost. Riots, most predominantly. His job is to stop that, which is why he is selective of when he asks for me," The mare finished.

"So, do you think he expects you to show up?" Lily asked. "Like, he asked for you, and offered a reward and everything!"

"I take him for a smart griffon. That means I don't believe he thinks I will show up. I am sure, actually, that if he mentions me at all, it will only be a few more times before he gives up. He has enough listeners, and I am distinct enough, that he likely doesn't need to actually call for me over the radio all the time. Someone is bound to see me, recognize me, and through conversation, tell me he wants me for something and will offer me a reward. He doesn't need to work hard to get people's attention, which means he also won't work hard to do it, because he has so much else to do. Thus, if I don't show up, he will lose hope and carry on with life," Twisted explained.

Lily was quiet as she thought about what was said. "So, we are going to surprise him?"

"I hope. It would be nice to make a typical day exciting for someone, don't you think?" Twisted asked, chuckling. "Part of me thinks it would be funny if we interrupted him during a segment. Put on some flair, do something holier than thou, or some such act. what do you think?"

"I like you how you are, mom. I don't think you should act. It might make ponies think you're just one of the regular preachers who yell out on the streets, rather than an actually important and smart pony," The filly answered, shocking Twisted with how dry the comment was.

"My, I wouldn't say those ponies are unimportant... Just... Maybe misguided?" Twisted offered.

"They yell at ponies telling them they will all burn in Tatarus if they don't take their point of view," Lily answered dryly.

"Fair point," Twisted smiled, shaking her head. She didn't think the child would be that dry about things, but of course, everyone had their moments. The uneventful part of their journey was, however, coming to an end. Twisted could see a city on the skyline. It wouldn't be long until they arrived. Twisted simply smiled. "Well then Lily, the first stretch of our adventure is almost over. Now, we get to the fun part."

"I can't wait! Though, I was meaning to ask you, what do you want me to call you when dealing with ponies we don't know?" Lily asked.

"What do you mean?" Twisted said, confused by the question.

"Well, you're a High Priestess of Discord, and a Paladin! It would be weird to have a little filly calling you mom all the time. Would take away from... the... the... awe-inspiring presence you have!" Lily said, trying out some of her new vocabularies.

"Hmm, do you think so? I figured being viewed as a mother would make me seem more personable. I'll tell you what, know that you can refer to me however you wish, at any moment. You choose when it would be appropriate. How does that sound," Twisted asked, before smiling slyly. "Or, is this just because you want to be called a squire?"

"Hey! That's not fair! I know I'm still your squire! But... Sort of... I am still really excited for being your squire, and while being your kid is even more amazing, I still kind of want to live that squire title..." She sighed.

"I can understand that. Well, if you would like, I can refer to you as my squire for impersonal social situations, and as my daughter for personal ones."

"Deal!" The filly squeaked out, causing Twisted to shake her head. Children. So adorable sometimes.

The streets in Prince John's were certainly, and far more noticeable active than the actual wasteland. As Twisted and Lily walked along, they saw quite a few ponies walking around, scavenging for supplies in the various buildings. Twisted wouldn't have called Prince John's a large city, but it certainly had its qualities, and it was, as far as she knew, the largest city in the area. Most of the ponies they ran into just looked at them in passing, but none so far stopping to bother them. The mare, however, could see that there was the faint glint of recognition in the eyes of many who saw them.

It didn't take long for someone to have the courage to approach her, a young colt running up to them. "Oh my Celestia! It's you!" He shouted from a building, marking his presence to the two ponies as they walked down the road, scrambling out. "They said you weren't going to come!"

Twisted smiled, remarking on the giggle Lily let out as the scrawny colt got closer. "Yes my little pony, how can I help you?" She asked, stopping.

"Help?! I no ma'am! I personally don't need any help, but you have to be Twisted Visions! DJ Talon Scratch talked about you! Are you here to talk to him?" The colt asked.

"It seems my reputation precedes me far more than I had expected," Twisted said coyly, looking at Lily.

"I think you had a feeling someone would talk to you High Priestess, don't lie," Lily giggled, covering her mouth with a hoof.

"Now now, I am fully capable of being wrong!" Twisted defended with a laugh, turning back to the Colt. An earth pony. rather plain, all things considered. His colouration reminded her of Plank.

"Wow... When they said you wore armour, I kinda thought it would be something a little more... thrown together, but wow was I wrong! It's so cool!" The colt exclaimed, walking around Twisted to take her in. "And you're so tall too! I wish I was that tall!"

"Being tall is more of a detriment, than a benefit, all things considered," Twisted replied simply. "Makes you easier to see, and provides fewer places you can adequately hide should you need too. Though, I suppose my armour does end any chance of hiding. I figure if I am going to be visible, might as well make a statement in doing so," She explained.

"So, did you really kill a group of raiders using just your sword? Freeing a bunch of prisoners? I heard you almost got cut open, and you still managed to kill them, free their prisoners, and heal yourself with divine powers!" The Colt asked, giving Twisted some insight on what it was people said about her. Divine powers. something she wanted to avoid the impression of.

"I remember the exchange you're speaking of. I will say that what actually happened was far less flattering than that. I got stabbed, yes, but unfortunately, no holy powers or divine intervention. The Wake does not work in as direct a way as ponies might believe," Twisted responded, hoping she ended the rumour of divine powers right there, without crushing the colts hopes.

"Then how did you get away if you didn't heal?" the colt asked, tilting his head.

"Good ponies helped her out after she freed them," Lily stepped in with a smile. "We came here to answer the DJ, actually. He said yesterday he wanted to see the High Priestess yesterday on the radio."

"Oh, that's awesome! Can I take you to him? He's up at the old University. Ponies turned it into a settlement, and it's pretty hard to get into, but I'm sure the guards will let you past! Not every day someone is invited to go see Talon Scratch!" The colt offered, looking hopeful.

Twisted shrugged. "I see no reason why not. The wake brought us together, so it seems only fitting. By all means, lead the way."

"Right away Ma'am! I'm Tempo by the way! At least, that's what people around here call me!" Tempo said, before walking off. "Follow me!"

"Wow, you were right, mom. Someone did come to point you in the right direction," Lily said once Tempo was out of immediate earshot.

"Well, the Wake may be unpredictable, but ponies are not. When you meet them is just often a surprise," Twisted said, looking down at Lily. "So, as a lesson, I want you to be my eyes, alright Lily? I can't be looking around all over the place, but you can without getting suspicious stares. Remember, nothing is too small to tell me about. If there is something of interest, or, something that makes you nervous, let me know. It's an important job Lily," Twisted smiled.

"I won't let you down!" Lily smiled back, following along.

It didn't take long at all for the group of ponies to reach the university. Walls had been erected out of wood and sheet metal, and Twisted could only wonder how much in the way of resources went into building it. Even to her, it was massive. Of course, it was still a deterrent, rather than an actual wall. She didn't doubt someone could get through it with enough effort. It was a wall, but it was no fortress wall.

The three walked up to an opening, guards armed and wearing old military gear. Nothing like the Steel Rangers, but enough. It had a more modern look than her own armour, which she could also appreciate. One thing she appreciated greatly, were the rifles pointed at them all of a sudden. This was a strange turn of events.

"Memorial City is closed! No new entries until further notice, now get back!" The guard closest to them ordered. They weren't playing games.

Twisted was about to turn when the colt took another step forward. He was either an idiot or, was used to dealing with this.

"Woah, Woah, Woah! Don't you know who this is?" The colt asked, his voice laying on the 'I'm offended' tone very thick. "Don't you see who you are pointing a gun at? Do you realize what it is that you're possibly putting at risk right now?"

Twisted stared at the colt, as did Lily, both in a state of confused shock. "That is certainly... Dramatic, Tempo, but is it really necessary?" Twisted asked, tilting her head.

Tempo turned around, gasping loudly. "Oh, I am so sorry!" He started, the guards slowly lowering their rifles in their own confusion. "I honestly did not expect such... such... Disrespect!" He shouted, giving Twisted a wink with his back turned to the guards.

""Oh, that's his game," Twisted thought, giving Lily an unsure look. The filly seemed to catch onto the game as well, as she stepped forward, similarly indignant look on her face.

"How dare you!" She shouted, scowling. How children could act like this was beyond Twisted's comprehension, as she had met many an actor who, even with cutie marks in the skill, lacked the convincing nature of these two. "This is High Priestess Twisted Visions! Paladin of Discord! DJ Talon Scratch personally asked for her to visit him and you point guns at her?!" She continued, voice pitching like a tea kettle.

Twisted brought a hoof to her forehead. Act or no, this seemed far too over the top. "Seriously, this isn't necessary. I'm su-"

"Your modesty is wasted on these two plebians Priestess! I guess the uncultured rabble they have guarding the door has jeopardized the wasteland!" Tempo cut off, earning him a glare.

"Uh, wait. What?" The second guard asked, looking at the first. "I wasn't informed of any meetings. There was a meeting today? What do we do? Do we let her in?"

"Dude, you're buying the act of two children?" The First asked, looking at the second.

"At least I'm not the only one" Twisted sighed internally.

"Look at her! Sword, fancy suit of armour, legs for days?" The second argued.

"I am right here!" Twisted exclaimed, throwing up a hoof.

"Yeah, you got a point..." The first guard agreed, ignoring Twisted and turning back to the trio. "Fine, we'll let you past, but cause any trouble and you'll wish you just walked away now, got it?"

"I already wish I just walked away," Twisted dead-panned, rolling her eyes. That was an experience she didn't want to relive.

"Oh, and tell your brat if he calls me a plebian again I'll make him eat dirt!" The guard shouted at them as they were walking into the university.

"Quite honestly... Never mind. I'll be sure to relay the order," Twisted sighed, having many things to say, along the lines of 'Have him.' Still, it got them in. The University wasn't particularly grand, anything that was left was only the most rugged of the buildings. Still, it was quaint. Ponies walked around and went about their days, only giving Twisted glances as she walked through.

Wandering around, it wasn't hard to find the radio station. It was a door, with a large banner reading "DJ Talon Scratch" on it. Twisted looked down at Lily, then smiled. "Well, after that show, I would rather not have another spectacle, so why don't we turn on the radio, shall we?" She asked. It only took a moment, before the DJ's voice started filtering through.

-wait any longer. Reports are coming in all over the region of raiders. I don't even think I could call them that. I've never seen anything this bad. The reports keep getting more and more violent. Stay safe, stay inside, and if you see anyone who looks like a raider... Do what you have to do to stay safe. Enough with the depressing. How about a local classic for today? Up next, Ordinary Day!

The three stood silently as the upbeat song started playing. Tempo was out of the loop Lily and Twisted had, but he could stay that way.

"I think panic has started to set in..." Lily said softly.

"I'm starting to think I'm more familiar with this issue than I thought," Twisted responded, before raising a hoof and knocking on the door. There was a commotion on the other side, muffled shouting, growing louder.

"What did I say about bothe-" The griffon's face fell as he looked at Twisted, "During... Work..."

The first thing the mare noticed, was that he was comically small. He wasn't much larger than the colt. Child, or proportionate dwarf. Either or, she towered over him.

"Holy Celestia..." Talon said, stepping back. "I-I didn't think you would actually show up," He continued, taking in the Priestess fully. "Okay, this is going to need an interview. This is totally going to need an interview! Oh my Celestia you actually showed up!"

"Yes. I heard your request the first time, contemplating it but passed it off as you desire me to be here as a novelty. Then I heard your second request had more... Something more of a plea for help. One that I want about to ignore without serious consideration as to why. Though, I would rather not yet another spectacle being made of my presence. These two just worked together to make me sound rather pretentious to your guards after they refused us entry," Twisted sighed, looking down at the two, then back at the griffon.

"Yeah, well, if it got you in then good on them. They look tough but our guards aren't the brightest lot. Though, probably because no one wants to be the first one shot at," Talon sighed, shaking his head. "Interview though. Are you okay with getting on the air with me?"

Twisted frowned at this idea, looking at Lily. "I would like to find someplace safe for my squire to stay before I make any decisions."

"Squire? She can sit in if it would make you more comfortable. Plus, your like a knight, so why not have the squire tag along. Maybe I'll have some questions for her, but your the focus." Talon responded, before looking at Tempo. "You with them?'

Tempo shook his head. "Nope, just lead them here."

"Nice! Thanks for the help, feel free to wander around, just don't mess around," Talon offered, nodding his head to get Twisted and Lily to follow.

"Hello hello hello, people of Prince John's! This is your DJ, Talon Scratch and boy do I have a treat for you!" Talon started, getting right into the action. He wasn't just sitting behind a mic, shouting, he was animated. The confident grin on his face bled into his voice well.

"Now you all may remember me talking about a story of a mare wearing armour, killing raiders with a sword, and doing it all in the name of chaos. Well, after a couple tries, and some looking, I finally have her right here in my studio, and I have to say she is not what I was expecting at all. Before I get her on the mic, let me just paint up a picture for all you good fillies and colts."

"Let me just start by saying, she's the tallest pony I have ever seen with my own two eyes. She is tall. I'm talking standing in a crowd and most of you would probably come up to her shoulder. Maroon coat, black mane, and some of the prettiest blue eyes I have ever seen, I just have to say,' He said, shooting Twisted a wink. He was cocky behind a mic, and Twisted was quite flattered, but she was left wondering how much was showmanship, and how much of it was genuine.

"Then, the armour. So, I made the comment that this mare is crazy for taking on bullets wearing it. I need to redact that statement and provide an adjustment. This mare is crazy for just wearing it. Forget the bullets. This stuff is thick, with a capital T H I C K! It is gorgeous though. I like the purple and the dark grey hue it has. Very flattering."

"Thank you, Talon Scratch," Twisted smiled, shaking her head.

"Now, Twisted Visions, if I may call you that of course. You are a Follower of Discord. Not a lot of ponies would admit to following the spirit and lord of chaos himself. It sets ponies off, makes them uncomfortable. You're in a Celestia State here I must say, and most cringe when they hear mention of Discord. So why don't you tell me a little bit about that? You have this faith, why don't you help my audience figure it out and make their own conclusions."

"First, yes, I suppose you may call me Twisted Visions. Second, I am a Follower of Discord. I am a High Priestess and warrior from a Sanctuary much further to the North, in the mountains. However, what my faith is, is strange. See, we use the term 'Follower' quite literally in describing ourselves. We follow in his wake, so to speak," Twisted started, Talon raising a hand.

"Like the wake of a boat?"

"Exactly like the wake of a boat."

Talon nodded. "So, keeping with the boat analogy, what would be the water? Discord was trapped in stone over a thousand years ago by the elements of harmony. He isn't going anywhere, and some say his statue is still out there, Celestia only knows where. So what is he moving through?"

"We don't know," Twisted responded simply. "The easiest way of visualizing it, is that he is moving through time, just as we are, but with time being a dimension of this physical wor-"

"Woah there! Stop. Dimensions? Are we talking other world stuff here?" Talon asked quickly.

"No. Dimensions of Reality. How we observe the world around us. A picture is viewed only in two dimensions. Length and height. We visualize, in three. Length, height, and depth. We experience, in four. Length, height, depth, and time. After four is where we get into some weird stuff, but this was all fairly widely accepted pre-war as far as the scientific community went," Twisted smiled, shaking her head.

"Oh, alright, I can get that. So, Discord flies through our... Experiences?"

"He flies in the dimension that allows us to experience, yes."

"Alright. You're sounding pretty book smart, and there aren't a lot of books out in the wastelands so I wanted to make sure everyone understood that. Please, carry on," Talon said, leaning back in his chair.

"Yes, so, Discord flies through Dimensional Time, which we can't see but can experience. As he does so, like a boat creating waves in the water, he creates waves in reality. These waves, are in essence, what causes things to happen." Twisted continued.

"Now, I'm sure there are a few Celestia loving ponies out there who just had a stroke. Celestia and Luna are Gods, they choose what happens through divinity and all that. What do you have to say to that?" Talon asked.

Twisted laughed lightly. "Funny you should mention that. Celestia and Luna knew we existed for some time, and were highly respected by our order. We called them the Guardians of reality. They brought with them rules, and the order ponies require to function and survive. They did not however dictate everything that was to happen at any given time. The amount of things that are happening all over Equestria at any given time is just far too varied. I doubt the Princess's would spend the time choosing every persons name, the colour of their coat, the sound of their voice, what they are particularly good at, who their friends and enemies were and so on. I don't think they would choose our personalities, likes, dislikes, just as much as I don't think they would choose how each ripple in a puddle acts, where every animal eats, and who lives and who dies. They have more important things to see too, like protecting us from the Physical Discord."

Talon was silent for a moment, trying to take all that in. Then he shook his head. "What?! I'm sorry, but did you just say protect us from the physical version of your main deity? You want protection from the god you worship?!"

"Yes. So much so that a thousand years ago when he turned Equestria upside down, quite literally in many cases, we the Followers were on Celestia's side. We did the research, we provided safe haven to those in need, and gave the Princesses a place where they could plan and coordinate against him. We didn't quite have time to mobilize the second time he appeared, but we were prepared to act again," Twisted confirmed.

"Kay, but why though?"

Twisted smiled. "Discord, is a being of chaos. When the world becomes too chaotic, people can no longer survive. His presence in our physical reality is a sign of our destruction, and the only way to stop that is to tip the scales in favour of order. If order is getting out of hand, which we have no actual proof of happening, then we will tip the scales in favour of chaos. In reality, what I believe in my faith, is just a different way of looking at the world. I do not look to the princesses to dictate my life, as I am the one who dictates my life. I make my choices, but the Wake, which is actually what we worship, to clarify that now, gives me obstacles that I must overcome. I have no control over anything, but what I myself do at any given time, and it does what faith is meant to do. Provide comfort."

"That is some pretty heavy stuff there Twisted Visions. I see where you're coming from, and I gotta say, it makes a lot of sense. Though, let's get onto the here and now for a moment. Before anything else, I want to know. What are your plans in the area? Like, why are you here? Going to preach to everyone?" Talon asked.

"No, Preaching is a waste of time, and only serves to be a burden on society. Not only that, but we do not like preaching. The Wake will bring you to us, and we will react how we can. My very squire became such not because I came to her, but because she came to me. Instead, I will simply do what I can to help people in the area, and try to increase the overall quality of life." Twisted explained.

"Damn, okay, I gotta give the followers that, if nothing else. Thou Shall not preach upon ponies who could give less a damn! Well, I'm sure the area could use plenty of help. You sound like a smart mare coming from a place with far more resources than most the wastland, so I strongly advise those of you listening, if this mare is talking, listen. She may say something religious at times, but I'm sure she's got a lot of useful information in that head of hers, ain't that right Lily?"

Lily gasped loudly, having been sitting quietly the entire time next to Twisted, looking very much like she wanted to say something. "Oh my gosh! Yes! She taught my settlement how to fight, hide, the basics of literacy and math, and even how to build a latrine that also doubles as a compost bin! She fought raiders, and all sorts of cool stuff!" The little filly said, her voice pitching in her excitement.

"Sounds like she has a lot to offer, but regarding that killing raiders bit. Before we wrap this up, I have two final questions. Number one. We are amassing a raider problem real fast. If I offered you caps to deal with problems as they come up, would you and how many caps would be required? That's one question by the way," Talon chuckled.

"I see no problems in that. I'm not here for fame and riches, so I suppose enough to survive off of? Realistically my only requirements would be a safe place to sleep, and food to eat," Twisted said

"Alright, then how about this. I will personally, provide you with a house in Memorial City, so long as you are reasonable in following directions. Starting right now. On top of that, every raider you kill will get you five caps. Enough to get a couple good meals around here. What do you say?"

"Sounds like a reasonable offer I suppose."

"Great, second question. Are you single?"

Twisted just laughed at that. "Yes, I am, but no, I am not looking," She sighed.

"Well, that answers that for anyone who might be listening. Alright, everyone, this has been a blast, but all good things must come to an end. You see this mare, lend her a hand. Don't ask her to marry you, and I pray for your sake, don't be a raider. That ends that, and today I'm feeling a little selfish, so I'm going to end this off, with I want it my way!" Talon shouted, pulling a record from a shoving unit and placing it onto a turntable, the music starting to play. Twisted blinked, wondering what she should do.

"You can talk now hun, mics are off, it plays through the turntable," Talon Scratch smiled, standing up and letting Twisted walkout, followed by Lily, coming out last himself. Nothing had changed outside, no one was waiting, not many people seemed to care.

"Strange. The way you made it sound, people actually... Cared about what I had to say, not that I particularly have an issue with the distinct lack of anyone trying to talk to me, but..." Twisted said, arching an eyebrow.

"That's cause of two reasons. No one in Memorial City actually listens to my show, and those who do, won't care unless you affect Memorial city. I am a voice for the people outside the city. I've got enough pull and such in here to get people inside, and my show brings plenty of trade opportunities to us, but other than that? They like the music and wish I wouldn't talk as much," Talon chuckled, running a claw through the plume of feathers on his head. "Honestly, people are likely freaking out further away from the city you get, especially knowing you're going to be taking missions from me to deal with some raider problems. I'll have your first one in a few hours, till then, I'mma drop you off at your new pad."

Lily and Twisted sat in a small shack, quietly listening to the radio. Twisted had removed her armour and sword, and the two were currently working on maintaining the two items. The armour, being less dangerous and requiring the least amount of fine work was the only think Twisted was allowing her to deal with. She was rubbing a tallow-like fat into the scratches with a dowel covered in soft leather, while Twisted worked on sharpening her sword.

It was tough work, work which Twisted often spent thinking, and was trying to teach Lily to do the same. Twisted was specifically trying to think of ways to keep Lily safe. Ideally, she wanted something akin to her own armour, but that was unlikely. She thought about contacting the Followers and requesting a training set, but she was unsure if she would get it. It would take pulling griffons from the sanctuary to even get it here, and who knew if the griffon would make it.

So she continued thinking. The sun had set a while ago, and the two were working on horn light. The grind of a stone on metal, and the huffs of a filly trying to get into harder to reach crevices. Twisted was sure she could find some barding for the filly that would do something. Or, perhaps, it would be better to teach the filly how to avoid being seen... She was small, and Twisted pulled enough attention that filly would have no shortage of opportunities. Then there was the matter of arming her.

So, she stood up. There was probably someone still awake, it was early evening and while it was dark, it got dark early in the north. "Lily, I'm going for a walk. I would like you to stay here please," She said simply, heading to the door. "Do not let anyone in, don't answer the door unless you are sure it's me, and keep it locked. I'll return shortly," She added, before walking out. Lily had just nodded, going back to her work. This was good, it kept her occupied.

She walked through Memorial City. Talon had left them with a short explanation of where everything was in general, and it didn't take her long to find where all the shops were. She walked into the one with sign advertising weapons. It was a simple shop, a grey stallion standing at the counter. "Welcome to Gun Grey's, no funny business," He said, his voice gruff and unamused. How welcoming.

Twisted looked at what was on display. All very large, all very fancy looking. Some of these guns made her head spin. "I'm looking for something small and simple. Something a child could use," Twisted said, turning her attention from the guns, to the pony selling them.

"Something small? Child? I actually think I have something you would like," He said, pulling a very small rifle out from under the counter. "Savage Rascal. It is a .22 rifle, which is mind-numbingly common, made with children in mind, and because it's a bolt action, it's safer than anything else you could get. Great for kids and beginners," He explained, laying it down on the counter.

Twisted frowned. "That is a little long. This is meant to be a last-ditch sort of thing. Do you have anything smaller?"

"I have a colt scout? .22 and a revolver. Single action. It's small and light, and while not what I would want to use, better than nothing in a pinch, but not as easy to use," He offered, pulling out the revolver and laying it on the table.

"That is much more within what I was kinda thinking," Twisted said, leaning down to look at the gun. Now she had a problem. "How do you use it?"

The owner's jaw dropped at the question. "I'm sorry, did you just ask how to use a gun?"

Twisted nodded. "Yes. I understand how they work, but that was simply by watching others. I've never actually held one before, let alone used it."

"And you survive in the wastes how?" Gun Grey asked.

"Sword and armour," Twisted replied simply.

"Oh, you're that mare Talon had on the radio today, aren't you? That religious pony?" Gun asked, placing the rifle under the counter again.

"That would be me, yes. So, how would I go about teaching a child how to use this? I know about weapon safety, bu-"

"No offence lady, but if you're giving this to a child, you are not the one I would have teach them. This is for that little filly right? Your squire? Yeah, if you want a gun for her, I'm going to tell you what you want, because you don't know what you want," Gun stated firmly, standing up and pulling the rifle back out from under the counter. "Look. Do not give a child a pistol. They aren't easy to use, and most people who come in here thinking pistols are for beginners because they are small, wind up shooting themselves," He added, chastising the mare.

Twisted admittedly, felt quite silly. It probably was a terrible idea, and perhaps her pride got in the way of her appropriate thought process. That, and wanting to be the one to teach Lily something new. She sighed, rubbing the back of her head. "I see your point. Alright, I can respect that. What will it cost?"

"Well... There is something I need done. I can part with some time and a decent weapon if you complete the job. Otherwise, 90 caps," Gun offered.

"Hmm... I don't have any caps. I guess I will take your job then," Twisted said, chuckling. "I am not used to life in the wastelands, at least when it comes to dealing with other ponies I suppose."

"I'm not judging. I was supposed to get a shipment of weapons and armour a few days ago, but it hasn't shown up. My best idea is that there are some bandits out there. Not as bad as raiders, but equally as expendable in my eyes," Gun grumbled. "There was a particular rifle in there. You can't miss it. A .50 cal rifle, massive gun. Get it for me, and you'll be fine. Anything else you grab, I'll buy for caps or trade."

"Alright, sounds like a direction at least. Where was the shipment suppose to come in?" Twisted asked, brushing her mane from her face.

"Best guess is that it was intercepted east side of the city. Head out there, but be careful. Bandits and slavers are out there in droves. Mare like you and a filly? You'd all fetch a mighty fine price for them, so be careful," Gun warned.

Twisted smiled. "Depends on if they can resell damaged goods. Anyway, I will be sure to complete that job. If everything goes well, you should have your weapon back in a day or two," Twisted said, turning and leaving. Now she had a direction. Part of her wondered why she didn't do something like this before, but in hindsight, if she had, she wouldn't be here right now. So for now, she was contempt.