(STORY EXTRACT)
 
“…so, is a Gauss rifle an energy weapon or a ballistic weapon?” It was early the next morning when we’d climbed back aboard the half-truck and set off westwards again, Static with his legputer switched over to the map and glancing down at the screen every so often just to figure out where we were headed. Apparently going to explore ground zero of a 70-kiloton megaspell warhead explosion and dancing on the radioactive ashes of the animatronic manticore caught in it is something that ‘normal’ ponies don’t do… puh, killjoys. I instead busied myself with looking over the burst-fire gauss rifle, fiddling with some of the parts and turning the crank on the side - probably determines the length of the burst, or something. “I mean, yeah, it uses electromagnets and coils to launch the projectiles, but the projectiles themselves are just little metal rods, aren’t they? Just like bullets, except, yanno, smaller in diameter… and more rod-shaped.”
 
Static let off an annoyed sigh beside me, the half-truck winding its way through the mountain roads. “Well, I assume it’s technically an energy weapon, how else would Minty be so good with using Jolts? You know how good he is with that stuff, and I think we both can remember the last time he tried using a conventional gun.” A shudder ran up my spine as he mentioned that, my brain being as courteous as ever and bringing those memories back up. Great soda massacre of ‘84, who could forget… even I felt bad, seeing all those smashed Sparkle-Cola and Sunrise Sarsaparilla bottles. “Besides, it uses that energy weapon ammunition, anyways, doesn’t it? All the signs are pointing that way.”
 
“Now hang on, Static, I might not like to remember my time in Basic with the Enclave, but I’m fairly confident in remembering that whatever gauss weaponry we had was classified in with the heavy ballistic guns.” Crash Dive leaned herself forwards against the back of our seat, resting her hooves between us. She leaned forwards to get a look at the Burst-Gauss I had in my lap, thinking for a moment. “Granted, the ones I remember seeing weren’t exactly like that one… ours were the M72, old Germane make, I think? Eh, still, they were called ballistic weapons back in my day.”
 
The earth pony glared back at the power armored pegasus, a frown on his muzzle. “Well, whatever those gauss rifles were might’ve been classified as ballistic ones, but I’m tellin’ you the Equestrian models have got to be some sort of energy weapon, otherwise there’s no way Minty could use Jolts as well as he does. Maybe the Germane ones are just weirder versions or something. Probably had to use that crank on the side for charging the shot, or something.” Static gave his head a shake, turning his attention back to the road. Sheesh, who’d have thunk a simple question would turn into bickering like this? It was Crash Dive’s turn to be annoyed, moving herself forwards to smack the back of Static’s head, the surprised earth pony’s muzzle managing to make the half-truck’s horn beep as it impacted the steering wheel.