They’d been walking in relative silence for the past hour, none of the three really having much to say to the other and instead simply enjoying each other’s company in the surprisingly peaceful walk back to Megaton. Finally, Luna broke the silence.

“Sarah, do you remember how quite a while ago I was telling you of my childhood?” she asked the woman.

“Mhm,” Sarah replied with a small nod. “You got adopted by a dragon named Jonathan right?”

“Yes,” Luna replied with a nod.

“Why do you bring it up?” Sarah inquired curiously.

“Oh, I just thought that while we were traveling I could continue the tale,” Luna said with a small chuckle. “There are most likely very few raiders who would dare to challenge someone dressed in that armor so I believe it to be safe enough.”

“Sounds good to me,” Sarah said, nodding. “Whenever you’re ready Luna.

“Very well... we shall skip a bit of time to when we were more fully grown... we had just decided that we would visit the nearest city...”

“If you really must do this my daughters then I want to make sure that your ‘visit’ goes undetected,” Jonathan said as he looked down at his two adopted children.

“Come now father, Lulu and I are not fools,” Celestia, looking young, regal, and beautiful as the sun itself said with a small chuckle.

“Indeed, when was the last time either of us did something foolish?” Luna, looking younger, impish, and very happy.

“How about last week when you stole Smaug's goblet?” Jonathan replied dryly.

“Oh come on father, we needed some way to test our invisibility spell,” Celestia said while looking up at her father with pleading eyes. “Besides, we gave it right back.”

“Twas a worthless goblet at any rate,” Luna added with a shake of her head. “Who could drink from something so covered in gemstones?”

Jonathan let out a weary sigh, he loved his daughters but sometimes...

“Very well, very well,” Jonathan said, shaking his head.

He then clenched one of his great fists into a ball and drew Equestria’s natural magic to it. Then he focused said magic into a contained ball, shaped it into what he wanted, and then pointed it at his daughters. In place of the two brilliant alicorns were a pair of rather bland grey and black unicorns.

“There,” Jonathan said with a smile as he bent down to inspect his work.

“Do we have to be grey and black?” Celestia asked with a frown as she looked at her now drab appearance with disappointment. “I was hoping for something more...”

“Eye catching?” her father asked with a stern look.

“Err... yes,” Celestia said, looking away from his eyes.

“I personally like it,” Luna said with a smile as she looked at herself. Then she flapped her invisible wings and rose a foot or so off the ground. “I am Luna, the unicorn who can levitate without magic! Fear my great and terrible power!”

Celestia took one look at her sister and began to giggle, which set off Luna who then fell to the cave floor and Celestia dogpiled her. The two rolled around for several minutes giggling and laughing with one another as Jonathan watched over them, slowly shaking his head. When the sisters had tired of their game they separated from one another and looked up at their father with grins.

“Thanks dad!” they said as one before rushing up to his leg and giving it a mighty hug. Jonathan smiled and gently reached one of his scaly arms down to stroke them both with a single talon.

“You’re very welcome darlings,” he told them. “Now then, remember, do not get into trouble. I will be very angry if I have to ‘attack’ the place to rescue you.”

“We will dad, don’t worry,” Celestia, the more mature one, said with a smile.

“I always worry,” Jonathan said with a sigh. “But it is time you both got out of my cave for something other than the migration.”

Celestia and Luna smiled at their father before they each grabbed a pack from where they’d left them by the entrance of the cave and set off.

“So... how is Trinna doing?” Luna asked her sister as the two began the last bit of the climb towards the city.

“Hmm?” Celestia asked, her mind clearly elsewhere.

“I asked; how is Trinna doing?” Luna repeated.

“Ah, she is fine,” Celestia replied casually. “Last time I saw her she was at any rate.”

“That’s good,” Luna said, nodding her head. “It’s good that your dragoness is doing well.”

Celestia rolled her eyes. “Yes Lulu, it is.”

“When are you two going to tell dad?” the younger sister asked curiously

“Tell dad what? We’re just good friends Luna,” Celestia said archly while shaking her black mane.

“I didn’t know that ‘good friends’ did that with each other’s tongues,” Luna said impishly before dodging a swat from Celestia’s invisible wing. Her elder sister shot Luna a glare.

“You must not have any good friends then,” Celestia stated with an irked expression.

“I guess not,” Luna agreed, smirking. “So when are you going to tell father?”

“Whenever we feel like it,” Celestia replied. “It is hardly any of his concern. We’re both ‘adults’ so to speak.”

“Tia, you’re fifteen, in dragon years that’s nothing,” Luna said with a frown.

“Luna, we’re not dragons,” Celestia said with a roll of her eyes. “And if Trinna and I want to spend time together then we’re allowed too. It’s not as if there’s anything bad that can happen, even if she was a drake then I couldn’t get pregnant.”

“Eww...” Luna said, sticking her tongue out at Celestia. “You’re doing that too?”

“Maybe,” Celestia told her sister with a giggle at her sister’s reaction.

“Wait, your sister was having sex with a dragon?” Sarah asked Luna with a surprised look as she glanced at the alicorn.

“Indeed, though apparently that was not for a year or so after that conversation,” Luna replied. “Why do you ask?

“Because dragons are... big,” Sarah said with a frown. “Seems like that would be... difficult.”

“Oh I see what the confusion is for,” Luna said as her eyes scanned the surrounding ruined buildings for any form of attack. “At the time Trinna was about the same size as Tia, they were both young.”

“Ah, alright, that makes more sense,” Sarah replied, nodding. “Though I’m still not sure why you’d want to make love to a dragon.”

Our sister has always had a fairly... flexible sense of what is attractive, Nim spoke within Sarah’s mind. Come to think of it, so are ours. It is most likely because we lack a ‘proper societal definition of beauty’ because we were raised by a dragon.

“That sounds right,” Luna agreed before she leaned over to give Sarah a light nuzzle. “Though I certainly see nothing wrong with my love of you.”

Sarah smiled and leaned her head against hers for a moment before letting out a sigh. “Anyways, the story?”

“Ah right,” Luna said. “We entered the city with little trouble and...”

Luna stood close beside her sister as she looked around the city in wonderment. There were so many things to do, so many species bustling about their daily business, so many shops and stalls! Even more fascinating were the myriad number of smells! Fresh baking bread, newly cooked meat, new spices and even the slight but noticeable odor of filth filled the air with an impermeable layer of mystery.

“Lu, Lu, earth to Lu,” Celestia said as she gently poked Luna in the side. Luna looked up at her in surprise.

“Yes?” she asked.

“Maybe we should get out of the middle of the street,” Celestia suggested as she prodded her sister with a hoof. Luna blushed at her mistake and walked out of the main thoroughfare and over to the side of the road. “Now then, what are we going to do first? We have all day and a purse full of two hundred bits.”

Luna frowned and tried to think of something incredible to do, she was saved the trouble by a loud rumbling from her stomach. The twelve year old blushed and Celestia smiled.

“I suppose that means we’re getting something to eat,” Celestia replied as she shook her black mane out of her eyes. “Hmm...” she frowned and then walked up to a nearby guard wearing a suit of silver chainmail. “Sir, could you point two fillies to the nearest tavern?”

The guard, a pegasus with a dark blue mane nodded. “‘Course, that’d be the Griffon's Goblet,” he told her helpfully. “It’s the building over yonder with the sign with the griffon on it,” he added while pointing with his wing.

“Thank you sir,” Celestia told him, giving him a smile as she reached into the purse with her magic and sent a pair of golden coins out to float in front of him. The guard raised an eyebrow at that, but took them easily with his wing.

“Thank you as well Miss,” he called as Celestia walked back to where she’d left Luna.

The younger filly was still standing where she had been, not being the type to run off on a whim... well unless it was a really good whim.

“You find something?” Luna asked eagerly. “I’m starving!”

“Yes, I found something,” Celestia replied with a gentle smile. “Now follow me.”

Luna did so, weaving in and out of the crowd as she followed her sister to a well kept looking building. The windows were tinted so that you couldn’t see within them, but judging by the quality of the frames, the place was well maintained.

Celestia opened the thick wooden door with her magic and the pair stepped into the slightly smoky room. The heady smell of pipe tobacco filled the air as did that of alcohol and good food. The interior was laid out with the bar itself against the far wall and somewhere around two dozen round tables set up across the floor. The place was not horribly busy and there were only around five customers at the moment, most of whom were sitting in corners by themselves with large tankards of beer.

The elder sister lead Luna up to the counter where a powerful looking grey griffon was idly doing what all bartenders did, cleaning a tankard with a towel. He glanced over the pair and raised an eyebrow as they took up seats at the bar.

“You’re both a little young to be here,” he said casually in a voice that vaguely reminded Celestia of the wind of a hurricane. “Not that I’ll turn away your gold.”

“We’re in the city to do some shopping,” Celestia answered, using the cover story they’d come up with. Then she glanced at Luna and rolled her eyes “My sister’s stomach demanded that we stop somewhere and the guard said that this was the best tavern in the city.”

“As if your own stomach did not demand the same,” Luna said with a roll of her eyes.

The griffon chuckled. “Alright then, heh. So what can I get you two?”

“Watered wine and a honeyed roll please Sir,” Celestia said with a smile.

“Watered wine and a bowl of whatever the day’s soup is,” Luna added.

The griffon nodded and set about pouring them their drinks as he called out their orders over his shoulder towards the back room. Celestia accepted the whine and took a long sip of it as did her sister.

“Mm, this is good,” she said with a smile.

“Thank you, I only buy the best,” the griffon replied with a chuckle.

Luna smiled as she sipped at her wine, it had been quite a while since her last cup of the stuff and she was enjoying it immensely.

“So what shopping are you here to do?” the tender asked as he went back to his tankard cleaning.

“We’re mostly here looking for clothes and odds and ends, maybe a new blade or two,” Celestia answered before nodding at Luna. “It’s time she had something other than a dagger to defend herself with.”

“I’m getting a greatsword!” Luna informed the tender happily.

The grey griffon chuckled. “You may want to start a wee bit smaller filly, you’re still a bit small for that kind of sword,” he told her.

“I can wield one!” Luna protested before Celestia shushed her.

“She’s getting a longsword,” the elder mare said while she rolled her eyes at her sister. “Speaking of which, do you know any blacksmiths who are good at their craft?”

The griffin rested his scaled elbow on the bar as he leaned against it, stroking his beak thoughtfully. “Well, that depends on how much you’re willing to spend,” he replied after giving it some thought.

“Oh?” Celestia inquired with an intrigued look before she took a sip of her watered wine.

“Mhm,” the griffon replied. “If you’re a big spender and looking for the highest quality of steel then you’re going to want to check the Sun Forge a couple blocks over. Their steel is legendary and I’ve used it to slice through dragon scale.”

“You have?!” Luna asked, her eyes widening as she tried to imagine anything slicing through her father’s great scales. She could not.

“Back in the days of my youth, yes,” the griffon stated with a chuckle. “I’m Captain Mach Wing, former leader of the Mach Wings.”

“Who?” Celestia asked, puzzled.

“You’ve never heard of the Mach Wings?” Mach Wing asked with a raised eyebrow. “Lass, you just shot my ego through the heart.”

“Sorry, Sir,” Celestia said with a blush. “My sister and I aren’t very... well traveled. This is the farthest we’ve ever been from our home.”

“Ach, I was only joking at any rate,” Mach Wing replied with a chuckle. “For your future guidance, the Mach Wings are the best damned flyers in the Griffon Empire. We’re the ones who plunge out of the sky like avenging angels as we-”

“Natter on and on about things that you haven’t been doing for years just to make yourself seem more important to a pair of fillies,” a sardonic female voice said as a light gold pegasus with a grey streaked mane walked out of the doors that led to the kitchen carrying a platter with a bowl of tomato bisque and a richly filled cheese roll on it.

“Ah, and he’s my lovely wife Dazzle with your food,” Mach stated casually as he scooped the platter off of his wife’s back and put it down in front of the two fillies.

“Thank you Miss Dazzle,” Luna said before she levitated the spoon full of tomato bisque up to her mouth and took a sip. “This is really good!”

“You’re welcome darling, and I’ll make sure to tell Patsy that,” the pegasus said with a smile before glancing at Mach Wing. “Now tell these two what they actually asked about and then bore them with your stories,” she told him before walking away with an annoyed twitch of her tail.

Mach Wing was silent for a moment as he looked at the two who were looking at him with a combination of raised eyebrows from the elder and giggling from the younger.

“And that’s my wife,” he said in a deadpan voice. “Quite the charmer I’ll have you know.”

“Oh undoubtedly,” Celestia said with a small smile. “She seems very sweet.”

“She is,” Mach Wing said before shaking his head. “At any rate, if you’re not in the market for the most expensive steel, go to the Lunar Forge two blocks away on the corner of Mainstreet. It’s the shop with the big moon on it.”

“I like it already,” Luna said with a grin before she took another few sips of her bisque.

“So, who are the Mach Wings?” Celestia asked before she began to eat her roll.

“Well, we’re the Griffon Empire’s best air squadron,” Mach Wing answered with a grin. “No offense to your pegasi, but we griffons are the real kings of the air! We take on dragons, furies, and air elementals and come out on the better end of all of em!”

“Ah, I see,” Celestia said after she’d swallowed. “So then why did you say that you got your steel from the Sun Forge? Didn’t the Griffon Empire equip you?”

“They did, using the Sun Forge Company,” Mach answered with a chuckle. “But good catch.”

“And what made you move to the Council Lands?” Luna inquired curiously as she subtly snatched a piece of Celestia’s roll and began to dip it into the bisque.

“The most dangerous of all afflictions, little lady,” Mach replied. “Love.”

Sarah held up a hand to silence Luna who did so immediately.

“Is something wrong Sarah?” Luna asked, looking down at the woman in surprise.

“I don’t know...” Sarah murmured as she glanced down at her Pip-Boy. They’d gotten close to Megaton during Luna’s tale and though she was paying attention to the alicorn’s words, she’d still kept an eye on the horizon for any signs of trouble.

Just as Luna had said the word ‘love’ something on her Pip-Boy had beeped.

Her fingers danced across the device until she found the source of the beeping. The woman’s eyes widened as she read what had appeared.

Vault 101 Emergency Frequency

Vault 101... that’s where you used to live, Nim stated with a mental frown. I wonder what they’re broadcasting about...

“Whatever it is... it can’t be good,” the woman said as she tapped the select button.

“This is an automated distress message from Vault-Tec: Vault 101,” the message said in the dull, robotic monotone of a Protectron. It then changed to a woman’s voice, one Sarah never thought to hear again. “It feels like you left home a long time ago, but I know you're still out there. I just hope you're still alive to hear this. Things got worse after you left. The new Overseer is insane. If you can hear this, please stop looking for your dad and help save us. I changed the door password to my name. If you're hearing this, and you still care enough to help me, you should remember it.” Then the Protectron spoke again. “Message repeats..”

Sarah stared at her Pip-Boy for a moment, the blood draining from her face, before looking at Luna.

“The G.E.C.K is going to have to wait,” the woman stated as she turned in the direction of her former home.

“Sarah... are you sure of this?” Luna asked worriedly. “A ‘reunion’ is not exactly what you need right now.”

“They’re in trouble Luna... and it’s my fault,” Sarah replied slowly. “I have to help them.”

“I... very well,” Luna said with a sigh as she fell into step beside the woman.

Whatever happens, we shall be here to aid you Sarah, Nim stated within her mind.

“Thanks... I think I’ll need it,” Sarah stated softly, her footsteps becoming heavier with every step closer to her destination.

Author's Notes:

I'd like to thank the Troper known as Chemo for doing so much for the Wandering Moon Tvtropes page (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic.WanderingMoon) which he has given a lot of love. I appreciate it man