Luna alighted on the ground outside of the cave mouth. “Well... it is certainly well lit,” she said as she glanced around the place.

“Yeah,” Sarah agreed with a small nod as she took in all the lights. “I’m glad that my Pip-Boy pointed us to this place automatically.”

“As am I,” Luna agreed as Sarah dismounted.

The alicorn let out a small sigh of relief. As much as she loved Sarah, the inclusion of her power armour made the woman a very heavy load. It had taken them an entire night to get to their destination with Luna taking frequent breaks from flying, though it was still much faster than having walked.

Sarah noticed the sigh and gave the alicorn a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for flying us Luna,” the woman said. “I know that I’ve... gained a few pounds.”

More like forty five, Nim commented.

“It’s fine Sarah, I understand,” Luna replied with a small shake of her head. “It is better than being forced to walk all the way here.”

“True; can you imagine all the little fights we’d get into on the way?” Sarah asked as the first rays of the sun began to spread out across the Wasteland.

“Indeed, much better this way,” Luna agreed before she turned to greet the dawn.

It was strange.

In Equestria... she’d always hated day overtaking night... but now that she’d been in the Wasteland for what was most likely a month... it had a new meaning. The light brought the people hope... they’d made it through another night of terror and into the next day, the equal chance of being torn limb from limb that day notwithstanding.

A wave of tiredness hit Luna like a stone lobbed from a sling directly into her mind and the mare was suddenly reminded of her grey streaked mane as it fell into her eyes.

“Sarah, you go ahead, I think I will require a bit of rest,” Luna said before gesturing at the door to the cavern with a wing. “Should you need me, Nim will shout and I shall come running.”

Sarah frowned for a moment before shaking her head. “Screw that. We’re out in the middle of nowhere Luna, I’m not leaving you all alone out here to sleep.”

“I’m not going to sleep, I’m simply going to rest my eyes for a time,” Luna replied with a snort. “I am not an idiot Sarah.”

“I never said you were, but hell Luna, if you’re going to take a rest then do it inside of the cave,” Sarah replied, shaking her head. “It’s probably safer there. At least there probably won’t be any roving deathclaws or super mutants inside.”

Luna shrugged and let out a sigh. “I suppose you’re right,” the mare replied before shaking her head. “My apologies Sarah... I’m simply tired and grumpy.”

We think you mean cranky, Nim snarked.

“Bah, you would be too after flying an entire night,” Luna told Nim pointedly. “All you have to worry about is relaxing within our love’s head.”

We will have you know that we do a great deal more than that! Nim rebuffed her as Sarah began to lead the pair through the door.

“Such as?” Luna inquired.

We also keep Sarah aware of things like the child training an assault rifle on our forehead, Nim retorted. Sarah froze where she was.

A bit of forewarning maybe?! she demanded as she spotted the child who stood atop a ramshackle barricade, an old Chinese assault rifle held in his hands.

He’s been eying us for thirty seconds, if he was going to fire then he would have by now, Nim replied.

Sarah rolled her eyes in annoyance as the child called down to her from the barricade.

“Hold it right there, miss!” he shouted at her, the assault rifle locked on her forehead. “Don’t take another step or we’ll blow your fucking head off!”

Would you like me to threaten him? Nim inquired within Sarah’s mind. Surely we cannot allow ourselves to be insulted in such a manner.

No, Nim, Sarah replied with an internal sigh, at least she’d asked first.

“Whoa, hold on there. We’re friends, don’t shoot,” Sarah called up to the kid.

To her surprise, the kid’s reply was nothing like she’d been expecting.

“You’re big! I don’t have any big friends! You better just go out the way you came in!” he shouted at her.

Luna, who was standing a foot or so behind Sarah, around the obscuring turn in the cave’s wall, frowned. “Sarah, perhaps I could speak with the youth?”

Sarah frowned and then looked up at the kid with the gun. “My friend is about to come around the corner. Do not shoot her,” the woman called to him.

“Maybe I will, you stupid mungo bitch!” the kid shouted.

We do not know what a ‘mungo’ is but we know it is an insult of some kind! Nim exclaimed, sounding truly annoyed.

Obviously, Sarah replied while stepping aside for Luna to step forwards.

Luna did so and the kid on the stared at her. “Greetings to you young one,” Luna called up to him, a smile on her face. “Would you mayhaps allow us past your unseizable gates and into your citadel?”

The child stared at her for a long moment before finally managing to ask. “What... what the heck are you?”

“My name is Luna and I am an alicorn Queen from the land of Equestria,” Luna replied with a smile as she stepped closer. “My loyal maid servant and I-”

MAID SERVANT?! Nim exclaimed angrily.

“-are seeking refuge from the harsh wastes. We have been traveling all night and even my great wings cannot go any further!” Luna exclaimed dramatically while displaying her impressive length. “Would it perhaps be within your power to allow us within your palace for even for a single day?”

“No! Not unless you do something to prove that you’re not like the other mungos!” the child retorted with a shake of his head.

“What would you have us do to gain your trust?” Luna inquired with a frown.

“Nothing! I’m not going to let you in after what happened to Sammy and Squirrel!” the boy retorted angrily, a deep angry scowl overtaking his face.

“What happened to Sammy and Squirrel?” Sarah asked, deciding that Luna wasn’t going to get any further with the boy then she was.

“Them and Penny got themselves caught... By mungos, just like you. Slavers from Paradise Falls,” the child’s voice had dropped and he looked down. “I told them to watch out... but the stupid kids didn’t listen.”

Sarah frowned, looking down as well, her hands tightening into fists. Luna on the other hand was livid.

“Slavers?” she demanded, looking the boy dead in the eyes. “Where are they so that I might wet my blade with their blood?!”

Sarah looked at Luna and saw that the pure amount of hatred in the mare’s gaze was just as intense as when she spoke of necromancy. It seemed that they’d discovered another of the mare’s berserk buttons.

“Paradise Falls, it’s a few miles North West of here. Don’t come back unless you can get Penny, Sammy, and Squirrel back!” the child exclaimed.

“Consider it done!” Luna replied, her exhaustion put aside for the moment as she turned to Sarah. “We are going to reclaim those children Sarah.”

“I’m right there with you,” Sarah agreed before frowning. “But... how are we going to take out an entire slaver complex?”

“We shall educate you,” Luna replied with a dark smirk.

"You know... Stabbing that guy in the red suit’s chin through that giant spike and just leaving him up there might have been a bit overboard,” Sarah commented as she and Luna trekked back to Little Lamplight, three sleeping children on the mare’s back. “And breaking his arms?”

“Bah! Anyone who would enslave foals deserves such an end. If we had true access to our magic then we would have made that fate look tame compared to what we could have done,” Luna replied with a shake of her head.

It is true, Nim added. She once took an entire band of them and nailed them to posts down the road and left them to slowly bleed to death.

Sarah paused and then glanced at Luna who was looking over her shoulder at the sleeping children, a maternal look on her face. The woman thought about how she should feel about that... and came up with nothing. What Luna did to evil people was her own prerogative and Sarah wasn’t going to spare too many thoughts on it.

"Anyways, I’m just glad we got these kids out safe,” Sarah said as she looked down at the slumbering children. “The fact that someone would enslave children makes me fucking sick.”

Though it does make sense, Nim commented. If you capture them young then you can raise them to be however you want. And they do not need as much food to be kept alive.

“Which truly just makes it all the more despicable,” Luna said, her eyes narrowing with hatred at just the thought. The embers in her eyes cooled though and she smiled. “Regardless Sarah, I too am overjoyed that we were able to rescue these children.”

The two walked on in silence for another few minutes until they arrived once more at the door to the Lamplight Caverns. Sarah pushed it open and Luna walked through, careful to keep an eye glancing at the children so that they didn’t fall off as she walked down the slope.

“You’re back!” the child manning the barricades shouted as the pair came into sight of the gate. “You better have Sammy, Penny, and Squirrel with you!”

“We do,” Sarah said as she walked closer to the gate, Luna at her side. “And don’t yell you asshole; they’re asleep.”

The boy peered over the edge of the barricade and saw the three sleeping kids on Luna’s back. His eyes widened, and for once Sarah saw him smile.

My word, that is probably the most adorable face we have ever seen, Nim commented as the boy quickly pulled a lever and the gate opened. He ran out from behind it and without giving Sarah a second look, dashed up beside Luna.

“Penny, Sammy, Squirrel!” the boy shouted excitedly. “You’re all fucking alive!”

The three children awoke at the other boy’s shouting.

“We noticed!” Squirrel replied loudly as he rubbed sleep from his eyes. “Now stop shouting, you’re giving me a headache!”

“Go fuck yourself you fucking fuck bag,” MacCready replied, grinning widely.

“Hey! Don’t call Squirrel a fucking fuck bag!” Sammy exclaimed. “You’re the fucking fuck bag, you fucking fuck bag!”

“You’re all fucking fuck bags!” Penny declared as she hopped off of Luna. “Thank you for rescuing us Queen Luna,” she added sweetly before running off into the caverns.

Luna smiled and then turned to the three arguing boys who looked to be moments away from blows.

“Enough,” Luna stated, her voice full of enough iron to forge a sword with. The three boys fell silent immediately, cowed by the alicorn’s tone. “Sammy, Squirrel, I believe you two were ‘starving’ earlier? Perhaps you should invest in finding some food?”

The two boys exchanged a look and then nodded. “Thank you Queen Luna,” they said simultaneously before running into the caverns, metaphorical tails tucked between their legs.

Then Luna turned to the last child, the one with the assault rifle. “I don’t believe you ever gave us a name,” she said neutrally.

The boy’s eyes widened and then he nodded before he began to speak.

"Okay I’m Mayor MacCready and here are the rules of Little Lamplight mungo,” he stated as if he was giving a well rehearsed speech. He then turned to Sarah and glared harshly up at the woman. “Rule number 1: no mungos. You’re the one exception. Rule number 2: if you draw anything bigger then a fucking butter knife I’m shooting you in the god damned face. Rule number 3: if you break anything I shoot you. Rule number 4: you threaten anyone and I-”

“You shoot me,” Sarah finished dryly, catching the general theme of the lecture.

“Fuck no; I punch you in the vag and then I shoot you!” MacCready replied with a smirk. “Don’t try to outsmart me you dirty fucking mungo!”

Yes, he’s so obviously intellectually superior to us, Nimn stated wryly.

“Is that all?” Sarah asked.

“Yeah, just don’t piss me off,” MacCready said before turning to Luna. “So... you’re a Queen?”

“Indeed I am,” Luna replied with a smile.

“And... you’re also an alicorn,” he said. “So... you’re an alicorn queen like Diana from the comics?!”

Sarah’s eyes lit up. “Yes, that’s exactly what she is!” the woman said rapidly. “She is Queen Luna of Equestria, protector of the night!”

“Stop being so overly dramatic you fucking mungo,” MacCready stated flatly before looking back at Luna. “Do you give pony rides?”

Luna smiled. “Why of course, though I must ask that you not speak to my servant in such a manner. She is hardly deserving of it,” Luna replied. “In fact, I will only give you a ride if you speak to her properly.”

“But-but she’s a mungo!” the boy protested as if it was obvious.

“I suppose she is, but that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t deserve to be spoken too properly,” the alicorn said pointedly. “Do you understand me?” she added, her eyes narrowing on the boy and making him shiver. “Good. Now apologize.”

“I... okay,” MacCready replied, nodding his head before turning to Sarah. “Er... Sorry.”

“It’s fine...” Sarah said as she stared at Luna. I... how is she doing that? Sarah asked Nim in confusion.

Luna has always been rather good with children, Nim replied with a small mental shrug. It was always one of her better points.

“So... what did you two want here anyways?” MacCready asked as he glanced between the pair. “I mean... I don’t think you’re just here to rest are you?”

“We’re looking for Vault 87,” Sarah answered as Luna lowered herself down and allowed the boy to hop into her saddle, a look of intense joy crossing his face as the three began to walk forwards.

“You don’t want to go there...” MacCready said slowly as he glanced over at Sarah. “That’s where the monsters live. We got pretty good at keeping them out,” he said before snorting. “Probably better then you could.”

“Monsters? What kind of monsters?” Luna inquired curiously.

“The big ones. You know, the ones who kind of look like people except they’re all... wrong,” the kid shook his head. “The good thing is that they’re really stupid. Stupider than most mungos even!”

Sarah sighed, it appeared that this was going to be a recurring theme with the boy. “So, you’re saying that we could get to Vault 87 by going through this place and that there are super mutants there,” Sarah summarized.

“Yeah; that’s what I just explained wasn’t it? Are you stupid mungo?” MacCready asked her with a snort.

“Be polite,” Luna intoned pointedly, turning to look at the boy who gulped nervously.

“Sorry,” MacCready replied, looking down. To be completely honest... he hadn’t had a ‘mother’ figure glare at him in... forever so he had no real defense from it. “Anyways; yeah, that’s all right.”

“Good... then we’ll head through after Luna has-” Sarah was about to continue when there was a massive exclamation and Luna was suddenly surrounded by children, all of whom were hugging her legs as if they were pillars.

“YOU GOT US A PONY!” several of the girls shouted, and for once Luna didn’t have it in her to correct them.

MacCready let this go on for around a minute before he shouted. “OI! Give the Queen some god damned room before I shoot the lot of you cocksuckers!”

“Now, now, they were fine,” Luna said, the biggest grin Sarah had ever seen on her face adorning her muzzle. The children stepped back, staring at in awe at Luna’s smiling visage.

“She... she can talk?!” one of the girls, an obviously young one, demanded with wide eyes.

“Very well in fact, little one” Luna replied while smiling down at the youngster. Then she blew a wave of hot breath on her and the girl giggled making Luna smile even wider.

My word, I believe our dear Luna has died and gone to Heaven, to borrow a human expression I found while rooting around up here, Nim stated with a small mental chuckle, though it was clearly affectionate in nature.

Looks that way, yeah, Sarah said, a soft smile on her face as she watched her lover interact with the children. The woman slowly walked up to Luna and placed a hand on her neck. “You’re exhausted remember?”

The mare frowned for a moment and then a massive yawn exited her lips. “Ah yes... thank you Sarah,” Luna said with a shake of her head before looking at MacCready. “If you would be so kind as to point my maid servant and I to a place where the two of us may rest undisturbed then that would be of great service.”

MacCready frowned for a moment before saying. “By rest undisturbed do you mean sleep or fuck?”

I believe he is growing on us, Nim commented within Sarah’s mind as Luna’s cheeks flushed.

“Err... sleep,” Sarah said, answering for Luna who had been caught so off guard by the question coming from the lips of a child that she hadn’t been able to form an answer. “Just sleeping.”

“Alright; I think I can find you something,” MacCready replied, frowning. “I think there’s a few full sized beds in the medical building...”

“Well... that was quite a day,” Luna said, yawning after the first day.

“Tell me about it,” Sarah agreed as she leaned against the alicorn’s soft side, her fingers gently working their way through Luna’s fur. “At least we managed to get in here without getting shot by that punk MacCready.”

“I wouldn’t hold too much resentment towards him,” Luna replied, moving her head to nuzzle Sarah a bit. “He is far too young for the amount of responsibility placed upon his brow.”

“I guess,” Sarah said her fingers still moving within the alicorn’s fur. “So... where did the whole ‘maid-servant’ stuff come from?”

Luna blinked twice before chuckling. “Ah yes, I was attempting to be as over dramatic as possible. I know that children occasionally enjoy that type of ‘act’ and I believed it would get us inside faster,” she stated.

“Yeah... but Luna don’t you think you could have come up with anything more impressive then a ‘maid-servant’?” the woman asked as she looked into the alicorn’s eyes. “Is that really what you think of me as?”

Luna regarded Sarah for a moment before she leaned down and gave Sarah a kiss. “No, I view you as my loyal friend and the woman I love the most,” she replied simply. “Besides; there is nothing wrong with being a maid-servant. I know several who have proven themselves incredibly useful.”

Sarah smiled softly, she hadn’t really thought Luna meant anything by calling her one but it was always best to check. “Oh good... you know... I feel like there’s something of yours that needs cleaning... but I can’t exactly do it here.”

Allow me to make a suggestion, Nim stated within both of their minds. Join us within Sarah’s mind... perhaps that way the three of us can truly bond?

Sarah frowned and looked at Luna. “Can you do that?”

“I see no reason why not...” Luna frowned for a moment before smiling. “Yes... it should be doable.”

Sarah smiled and then a thought struck her. “But what about the kids... as ‘mature’ as they seem to be... I don’t really feel comfortable doing this with them around.”

Once he led us here he gave the order that everyone should ‘stay the fuck away from the fucking mungo and the Queen’. As far as we can tell, there is no one around. Besides... we are going to be within your own mind Sarah. There would be nothing to see.

Sarah glanced at Luna who shrugged. “Why not?”

“Let’s give it a shot then,” the woman replied with a smile. “Nim; we’re coming.”