The Mark of Duty

I rode my new bike with a smile on my face. Sunset was clutching my back with the sort of frantic energy that could mean one of two things. Either pure joy and exhilaration or abject horror and fear. I frankly didn't care. Using my happily perfect memory I was able to retrace my path home, and from there to the nearest strip mall to get all important groceries. I probably couldn't haul much with the saddlebags on the bike. But having a bike at all was enough for me. I pulled it into an empty parking spot and looked to the Line of buildings. Barnyard Bargains strip mall. I smiled at the name. Ah, Ponyville alts. Always with familiar names. I tapped Sunset on her helmet, causing her to lift her visor to reveal the largest shit-eating grin that could have graced her feature. "I need one of these. It's like flying!"

I smiled as I took off my own helmet and placed it on the handlebars. Sunset matched my actions as I began the walk towards the mall. "I'll start teaching you how to ride later, then when you take the test we can look at you getting your own ride," I smirked. "After all, if the job is what I think I won't be able to drive you to school."

Looking at the stores I made a mental checklist of what we needed. It was mostly short. Internet at the house could be handled through a phone, so that first. Some sort of computer, after glancing at Sunset I decided on three. One in the living room for the house, one in my room, and one in hers. But that was low-priority. And finally food and dishes. I looked over the stores and bit back a groan. By the ads, I could tell one of the stores was a phone store. But it had a pun name. Gallop. I could only assume that meant Sprint. I nodded towards it. "There's our first stop, required tools for humanity await us."

Sunset looked at the store with excitement. "Really, new tools. What are they? Are they mana readers? Oh, or maybe focii for spell casting?"

I smirked. "Sadly humans don't have magic, at least not here." I waved a hand at the store. "But this store sells something similar to the journal you kept in your bags." Sunset paused and shot a glare at me, which I studiously ignored. "Instant communication, with a link to the sum of all human knowledge built in. Truly a wondrous tool that I will abuse for humor and joy."

Sunset froze, her glare turning into a thousand yard stare until she began sprinting towards the store. I began jogging after her to catch up. "Sunset! Hold up, I'm the one who knows how to actually find what we're looking for!" I laughed as she bolted through the door. If she kept this up, I wouldn't mind keeping her around.

***

The trip from the grocery store was productive. I had enough food to feed my heightened metabolism for a week, along with Sunset and possibly Alice. I wasn't sure if she had some sort of Super metabolism. Sunset had been glued to her new phone as soon as she had it hooked to the internet. A helpful poke towards Wikipedia and she was silent for the rest of our shopping trip, educating herself on humanity. For my part, I was using my own phone to get internet sent to our lovely little abode. But now we were at our final stop. A quick run to a nearby pawn store led us to the final portion of our trip. Sunset looked at me as I walked in, moving straight to the back, where a small selection of rifles and pistols lay on the walls. The old man behind the desk nodded at me. I nodded back without talking and looked over the selection. I didn't know much about actual firearms. Being a thief as I was I had avoided all things loud and dangerous. Running into the cops with stolen jewelry was one thing. With an illegally concealed gun made encounters much more prison-y. I did know calibers though, and I wanted big and slow. I paused at a large .45 tucked in the corner of a display. It was made of green metal, with a finger guard that looked like it might actually fit my monstrous digit. "Sir, can I see that one?"

I pointed towards the pistol and he nodded. "Of course." He pulled it out and passed it to me, allowing my given knowledge of technology to feed me info. It was in good shape, with the wear being minimal. I pulled back the slide and saw that the insides had the sheen of gentle use. Letting the slide snap forward I tested the trigger guard. My finger did fit in, maybe a bit more snug then I liked, but survivable. The man took the opportunity to fill me in on specifics. "She's a colt, old army model. I know she shoots fine, and .45 is a fairly cheap caliber."

I nodded and took a few stances with the pistol in my left hand. My right arm in the normal position that it rested in when I held my blade. It felt like a toy with how light it was, but for a normal human, it was still a deadly weapon. "So fragile..." I paused when I realized I said it out loud, but it appeared that only Sunset heard me. I nodded. "Yes. This will do. I also require a holster for it, and a few boxes of ammo.

The old man nodded, causing me to smile. My security blanket firmly in place I made the appropriate purchases and left. Sunset paused as we reached the bike. She looked at me. "That's a weapon." She pointed to my back, where my pistol now hung comfortably inside my waistband.

I nodded. "Yes, in the ancient wisdom of humanity. If one wishes for peace, they must prepare for war." I grabbed my helmet. "And I myself am a tool of war. Because of this, I am always prepared for war." Sunset didn't get on the bike as I straddled it, but after a moment I felt her weight settle behind me and lean in. Without another word, I kicked off, the soft purr of my engine heralding our exit.