“I’m sorry Ma’am, it’s not even a matter of the fact that you’re a... talking horse,” the security chief, Harkness, said while he looked Luna over.

“Alicorn, not horse!” Luna protested.

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind, Ma’am,” Harkness stated, a bit of flatness in his voice. “Anyways, you can’t enter the city because quite frankly, you won’t fit.”

“Are you calling me fat?!” Luna asked, outraged by the accusation.

“What? No,” Harkness replied, his limited amount of humor already beginning to leave him. “I am saying that you are simply too large to fit through the doors because you are a horse.”

“Alicorn!” Luna shouted at him. “We are an alicorn. Why is that concept so hard for you apes to understand?!” she continued, stepping closer to the man, her eyes blazing.

“Ma’am, I could be made of metal and you’d still be a horse to me,” Harkness told her, reaching for the plasma rifle riding on his back and pointing it at her. “But if you do not want a facefull of plasma then I’d suggest you step away from me.”

“We will take you on, you impudent little wh-”

“I think that’s enough of that,” Sarah said, grabbing Luna’s attention with a swat on the neck. Luna turned to stare at her.

“Sarah? What is the meaning of this?!” Luna asked her angrily.

“Luna, we’re not here to start a fight,” Sarah said in a level voice. “We are here to find information about my father. If the man says that you’re not allowed in, then you’re not allowed in.”

I told you this would happen, Nightmare hissed. She has abandoned you!

“Even you Sarah?” Luna asked her. “You’re going to abandon me?”

Sarah frowned at her. “No? I’m just going to go into the city and see if I can find some info about my dad. Alright?”

“But... you’ll come back for me, won’t you?” Luna asked the woman slowly. “You will not abandon me?”

“Of course not,” Sarah replied, shaking her head. “Why would I ditch my ride?” she added, a joking smile on her face.

“I... fine,” Luna said, stepping away from Harkness. “I... will be here when you return.”

“Thanks Luna,” Sarah said with a smile, then she shot Harkness an apologetic look. “Sorry about this Sir, I promise, it won’t happen again.”

“Yeah, see that it doesn’t,” Harkness grumbled as he stepped back and leaned against the steel wall.

“Right... I don’t suppose you could point me to Doctor Li’s lab could you?” Sarah asked carefully, hoping not to further ruffle the man’s feathers.

“Take that door,” he said, boredness entering into his tone. “And you’ll end up in a stairwell. Take the door on the left, the one labeled ‘Capital Preservation Society’. Once through that go down the corridor until you get to an intersection, take the right, then it’s the first passageway on your left,” he recited without looking away from Luna who had decided to sit and stare definitely not far from him.

“Um, thanks,” Sarah said before she moved over to the door.

“Hey,” Harkness called after her, Sarah stopped and raised an eyebrow at him.

“Yeah?”

“If she does something stupid, I’m shooting her,” Harkness said, jerking a thumb at Luna.

“Then I guess I’ll have to shoot you right back,” Sarah replied coldly before walking through the door and closing it behind her.

“Hrmph,” Harkness said before shaking his head and looking back at Luna who was glaring at him.

“You would not survive the process of shooting me,” she promised him.

“I wouldn’t bet on that horse,” Harkness replied. “I’ve got the best reflexes that humanity has to offer.”

“Color me unimpressed,” Luna said with a snort.

Harkness snorted and rolled his eyes as he leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. Meanwhile, the ‘ali-corn’ was still glaring at him.

This was going to be a ‘fun’ day, Harkness could already tell.

Why the hell do they have lane dividers of all things just laying around in here? Sarah asked herself as she walked down the metal hallway. Also, why has no one cleaned in here? Honestly, it wouldn’t take that much effort... she mentally added, disgusted by the amount of trash on the floor.

She continued walking for around four minutes, not speaking to any of the people she passed, they didn’t seem the overly friendly type until she came to the intersection.

“Is that... a motorcycle?” the woman asked aloud.

“No, it’s a piece of ‘modern’ art,” a passing security guard said sarcastically as he walked by. Sarah glared at his retreating form. As an ex-member of Vault Security she was beginning to get offended by attitude of the Rivet City security staff.

Shaking her head, she took a right, and after a few more moments of walking came to a corridor on her left. Of course, Sarah thought as she looked at the couch jutting out the side of the wall, I guess it never occurred to them to move the couch... that’s upside down. Must be more ‘modern art’.

The woman let out a sigh, and started down the corridor, quickly arriving at a door with a sign saying ‘science lab’ above it. She walked through the door, and the first thing that caught her attention was the elaborate pipework that ran through the room, terminating in a large circular metal plate. Sarah walked down a set of stairs, and came to a stop, there were several people working at various stations, and she didn’t want to disturb them from what was obviously important work.

Damn it, any number of these people could be ‘Doctor Li’ she thought to herself as she surveyed them with a frown. Then one of the scientists, a woman with brown hair wearing a labcoat, walked up to her, frowning.

“Look Miss, this is a restricted area. I’m tired of telling you people...” she began but then stopped suddenly, her eyes widening. “I... it’s you. My heavens, you look so much like him... You’re James’s daughter, aren’t you? What... are you doing here?”

Sarah’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “You can tell that I’m his daughter that easily?” she asked.

“Why yes,” the woman replied. “I’m Doctor Madison Li, I worked with your father many years ago. Your mother as well, in fact... of course I can recognize you.”

“I... okay,” Sarah said slowly. “Can you... explain a little bit more? Dad... never really mentioned you... or any of this...”

Doctor Li sighed and ran a hand down her face. “He didn’t? Typical James...” she trailed off shaking her head. Then she looked back up at Sarah and her gaze softened. “You’ll have to forgive me. This has all been very stressful, what with your father showing up after being gone for so long. You have to understand... I, we put all that behind us. Project Purity, our work, all of it. We’ve moved on, even if your father hasn’t.”

"Ummm... what? What are you talking about? What’s Project Purity? What do you mean you worked with my mother and father?” Sarah asked, irritation beginning to build. It was plain to see that her father had left her even more in the dark than she’d thought.

“He... really told you nothing, didn’t he?” Doctor Li asked her. “You’re not just... pretending...”

“Why would I be pretending about any of this?!” Sarah half shouted. “For the past week I’ve spent my time walking around this radioactive hell-hole, shot by a sniper rifle twice, been nearly raped four times by raiders, almost had a talking horse stab me with a, I shit you not, magic sword, and to top it all off, had a giant fucking supermutant nearly club me to death with a fire hydrant, all because I wanted to find my father and you have the nerve to say that I’m pretending?!” She ranted at the older woman who took a step back. “What in the hell possessed you to think that I was ‘pretending’ anything? All I want are some god damn answers!”

Everyone in the science lab was staring at her, the woman’s hands were clenched and her nails dug painfully into her palms as her eyes glared at Doctor Li.

“Doctor Li... do you want me to remove her?” a man in security armour who had been leaning against the wall behind Sarah asked.

Sarah turned on the man, anger in her eyes, hand an inch away from her side-arm. “I’d like to see you tr-”

“There’s no need for that Horace,” Doctor Li’s clear authoritative voice cut her off. “Miss Sarah and I were just about to go back to my office and have a chat.” Sarah’s head pivoted back to look at Doctor Li who gave her a soft smile. “I’m sure you have... many questions and... I may as well answer them.”

“I... thank you,” Sarah said, a bit of her tension draining away.

“Well then, right this way,” Doctor Li said, turning on her heel. “I’m sure I can answer all, or at least most, of your questions.”

Luna continued to glare at Harkness, who had begun to tune her out as his brain shut off like it did normally during boring moments.

This is... unbelievable, simply unbelievable, Nightmare raged within her mind. This... man has barred our progress and insulted us! He must pay for it!

I agree, Luna muttered darkly. He called me fat!

There was a moment of silence before Nightmare said. We were referring to how he implicated that we were just a beast of burden... we know that we are not fat. Our flank is perfect.

Luna frowned. Right, that too.

Sometimes, we wonder how it is we are the same pony, Nightmare grumbled.

Well, we are, Luna replied. Simply different aspects.

We know that, yet at times it still leads us to wonder, Nightmare replied.

Luna let out a small mental snort at that. Does it matter?

Not... particularly, Nightmare replied. T’was just a thought.

Well keep them to yourself, Luna told her.

We both know that can’t happen, Nightmare said

I suppose, Luna replied before she lowered her gaze away from Harkness and lay against the cold steel of the hull. There are times I wonder if you really exist at all... or if it is just my mind creating some sort of trick.

Well... you know that when we are truly one our power is amplified twofold, so you could take that as proof, Nightmare suggested.

Luna remained silent for a moment and shook her head. I wish it were that easy... or that you were simply something like what Clover and Tia thought of you...

You would prefer us to be a demon or a monster? Nightmare asked, her tone perturbed.

No! Of course not, Luna quickly corrected her. Were that the case then I would despise you... you are me... just... a darker part.

A stronger part! Nightmare stated. The part of us which despises those who mistreat us! The part which was created by the thousand nightmares featuring our face! The part which we turned to when we were at our lowest, when neither Clover nor Tia would lend us the time of day or a helping hoof!

Indeed... a stronger part, Luna agreed softly. I... I am weak. You... we are strong together.

Yes, yes we are, Nightmare agreed, her voice low. All of those who hurt us, all of those who spurned our beautiful night... we are the part of us that wishes them to suffer the embarrassment of being wrong, to find the beauty that only the night can reveal.

“You okay, horse?” Harkness asked unexpectedly, breaking her out of her internal discussion.

“I-huawa?” Luna asked, shaking her head.

“You were beginning to cry a little,” Harkness informed her dryly as his fingers tapped on the bulkhead. Luna’s eyes widened in surprise and she reached a hoof up to wipe at her face, it came away wet.

“I... hadn’t realized,” Luna said softly. “I um... thank you.”

“Don’t mention it,” Harkness said, returning to staring blankly off into the distance like a robot.

Luna frowned and shuffled her wings a little before letting out a sigh and returning her eyes to the muddy horizon.

“So you can understand my surprise when he storms in here four days ago raving about starting up the Project again,” Doctor Li finished with a shake of her head. “I hadn’t seen him that animated about anything since your mother died.”

“I... see,” Sarah said slowly, shaking her head. “Dad... didn’t really get ‘animated’ about much of anything unless it involved science,” she added before frowning. “Or when I did something special... he always got excited then.”

Doctor Li nodded, and then let out a slight sigh. “Yes, that seems like James, he doesn’t always seem to care much about what’s going on... but he knows when to make you feel so... special.”

“Yeah,” Sarah said, shaking her head. In the last half-hour she’d learned more about her father then she had in her entire life. “So... sorry that I side-tracked us so much... but can you tell me where he went?”

The woman across from her looked startled for a moment before pinching the bridge of her nose. “I got so caught up in giving you a history lesson that I completely forgot to tell you what you actually wanted to know, didn’t I?”

“It’s... not your fault, it’s mine,” Sarah replied, rubbing the back of her head. “Sorry Doctor Li... I just wanted to know more about my father.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for dear,” Doctor Li replied, chuckling softly. “After all, I’m the one who rambled about her ‘glory days’. Oh, and call me Madison.”

“Right,” Sarah said, cracking a smile. “So Madison, do you know where my father went?”

"Indeed he went to his lab, it’s in the Jefferson Memorial building northwest of here,” she answered before shaking her head. “My, we spent quite some time here. I’m sorry to tell you this but I really must get back to my work.”

“It’s fine,” Sarah replied, getting up from the surprisingly comfortable wooden chair. “Thank you for your help... Madison.”

"You’re welcome,” Doctor Li replied as she led the way out of her office and back to the main lab. Sarah followed and noticed something.

“Hey um... Madison... are those fruit fresh?” she asked, pointing at a table of apples.

“Yes, it’s what we’re focusing on here, hydroponics,” Doctor Li stated.

“Okay... umm... would you mind if I take two for a friend of mine?” Sarah inquired.

Doctor Li looked at the table for a moment and then shrugged. “Go right ahead, we have plenty.”

“Thank you, I bet Luna is going to love these,” Sarah replied as she walked up to the table and grabbed two of the apples.

“Well, I certainly hope so,” Doctor Li said without thinking before turning to a machine and beginning to press several buttons.

Sarah smiled and headed out of the lab and back the way she’d come. It didn’t take too long until she walked out of the door and found Luna staring morosely into the horizon.

“Hey Luna,” Sarah said with a smile.

“Oh, hello there Sarah,” Luna said, looking back at her, a small smile appearing on her face. “I see you have returned for me.”

“You know it,” Sarah replied, shaking her head. “Oh, and I got you a treat.”

“A treat?” Luna asked, raising an eyebrow at her. “What type of treat?”

“The fresh kind,” Sarah answered, pulling the apples out of her side pockets. Luna’s eyes went wide, and immediately her mouth began to noticeably water.

“Are... are those apples?” Luna asked, her voice both eager and unbelieving.

“Damn right they’re apples,” Sarah answered with a grin as she tossed one to Luna. The alicorn caught it in mid air with telekinesis and then chomped through it in two clean bites as juice ran down her cheeks.

“Mmmmmm,” she moaned out. “Tis most delicious,” she said before using her long and dexterous tongue to mop up the excess juice.

“I thought you’d say that,” Sarah replied before taking a bite out of the other apple. “Wow, they are really good.”

“Yeah, they are,” Harkness said from behind them. “Now, are you two going to spend all day out here or are you done with your moment?”

Sarah frowned at him, but shrugged. “We’re done,” she said, shaking her head. “Let’s get going Luna.”

“Right,” Luna agreed, rising to her hooves. “Let’s.”

They began to walk back across the long bridge one beside of the other. Unbeknownst to either of them, a storm was approaching.