“Confirm the crit,” Fancy Pants instructed.

Shining Armour frowned at his dice roller, the little box shaking slightly in his magic as he tried to keep it in the air. Cadance sat beside him and smiled encouragingly at her still recovering husband. Beside the two sat Donut Joe who was too busy trying to figure out which Feat he should use next turn to pay attention to Shining’s plight. Further over was Lyra whose lyre was setting an intense backdrop of ambient noise.

Shining let out a small sigh of effort as he picked up the d20 again and forced it into the small cylinder and gave it a swift shake before turning it upside down. He watched with bated breath as the small plastic dice bounced and spun on the wooden table. Finally it came to a stop, on the 20.

A hush swept over the table and Lyra’s lyre fell silent.

“Well, look at that,” Shining said with a small smirk as he glanced at Fancy Pants who was staring at the dice with a mixture of incredulity and intense hatred. “Looks like your Tzitzimitl just got smited by my holy blade.”

“But... I just started this encounter!” Fancy Pants cried in frustration. “This was supposed to take you guys like half an hour!”

“Well, that’s the way the dice roll, Fancy,” Cadance replied with a small chuckle as she gave Shining a nuzzle and a light pink glow emanated from her body. Shining remained perfectly still during the nuzzle, as if resisting the urge to flinch away, but he still smiled as Cadance continued. “Don’t get mad at us, get mad at them.”

“I’m not mad, just astonished,” Fancy Pants replied, glancing at Shining with a small flush. “I can't believe you just did that...”

“Freaking Paladin stealing all the kills,” Joe complained goodnaturedly.

“Oh yes, because the Ranger never does that,” Lyra retorted with a roll of her eyes

Joe was about to reply when the door to the basement opened and bright light flooded the room. “Fancy, I’m home!” a posh female voice called as Fleur descended the stairs and walked into the basement. The long legged model smiled at the others as she sauntered over and gave her husband a kiss on the mouth and then took up the seat beside him and pulled her character sheet out. “Sorry for taking so long, you know how busy the station can be.”

“Yeah, I’m not sure how they manage to get anyone off of that thing in a reasonable time,” Shining agreed. “Trust me, it’s a good thing that we’ve never had to evacuate the city, that train would make it a nightmare.”

“It’s not that bad,” Lyra said as she resumed her lyre playing. “Well, unless it’s Saturday night and... ah, sorry, Fleur.”

Fleur just chuckled. “It’s quite alright, it’s hardly your fault,” the mare said as she deftly pulled her rogue out of the box behind Fancy. “Now then, where were we?”

“I just got two twenties and killed Fancy’s boss in one hit,” Shining answered.

“It was pretty awesome,” Joe added with a chuckle.

“The boss that he’s been building up this entire time?” Fleur asked with a raised eyebrow as she glanced over at her husband.

“Err... yes,” Fancy answered with a grumble. “Lucky Paladin, I’ll have to find a way to pay you back, Shining.”

“Bring it on, Celestia Protects,” Shining replied smirking.

“Can we get back to killing stuff?” Lyra asked, having grown bored with the bickering.

“I... give me a few minutes, you just wrecked my plans for the night,” Fancy stated slowly as he began to dig through his papers. “The adventurers decide to camp for the night in front of the giant pile of decaying undead, talk amongst yourselves.”

“Heh, so, Fleur, how was Manehatten?” Joe asked the pink mare.

“Oh you know, stuffy and prim as ever,” Fleur answered, smiling as she shook her head slightly. “That is the only thing I regret about my choice of occupation, the ponies are awful.”

“Yes, my mother may be able to overhaul the way the nobles live, but even she cannot touch the modeling industry,” Cadance agreed with a small chuckle. “Still, I hope your trip wasn’t too bad.”

“Oh no, do not misunderstand me, I do still love the city itself,” Fleur said with a small smile as she thought about the bustling metropolis. “The lights, the fashion, the stores, even the average lay pony is full of interesting things to learn and new conversations.”

“That and the food is great,” Lyra added, chuckling. “I remember one time I got a gig there and they fed us stuff that would make Celestia blush from the price.”

“Unless it was cake, I don’t think she’d care that much,” Shining interjected. “That’s the only kind of food she really likes.”

Cadance rolled her eyes and jabbed Shining lightly with her hoof. “Now now Shining, my mother isn’t that obsessed with cake.”

“I don’t know, I was at the wedding and I swear she had fifteen pieces,” Joe stated, raising an eyebrow slightly. “That seems like an obsession to me.”

“Well, she did beat the stuffing out of that changeling queen, I bet that helped her work up an appetite,” Lyra reasoned.

“Even so, she’s never looked anything but healthy,” Fleur pointed out as she glanced down at the board and moved her rogue a little bit closer to Joe’s ranger. “Of course, those are just by my standards and they might be a bit... skewed.”

Fancy Pants looked up from behind his GM-ing screen and let out a sigh. “Okay, I’ve got something, want to get back to it?”

“Sure,” Shining said with a smile. “How much exp...”

“So, how’d it go?” Spencer asked her as the three of them sat in her house. The Ex-Enclave officer was gently stroking his dog’s head. He and Fawkes had found the mutt in the middle of a scrap yard when they’d been on a case to hunt down the man funding Talon Company.

“Confusing,” Sarah replied with a shake of her head. “Very confusing.”

“Isn’t everything you do confusing in one form or another?” Fawkes inquired as he leaned against the wall. “First it was the Aliens! Then it was talking brains! Then it was simulations!”

He is right you know, we have had a rather odd six months, Nim commented.

“Yeah, well none of it was morally confusing,” Sarah muttered as she looked into her Nuka Cola. “This was... not really my area of expertise.”

“Did it involve math?” Spencer asked with a raised eyebrow. “Or thinking critically?”

Sarah shot him a dark look but couldn’t help but smile at the joking smirk he wore. “Not unless you count weighing people’s lives against the future of a city math,” the woman answered, her voice lacking humor.

“Ah, sorry,” Spencer replied, looking down for a moment. “You know, you could always just stick around and help Fawkes and I solve some cases we’ve got.”

“Indeed! We would love to have you with us once more!” Fawkes agreed with a wide smile. “Four companions combing the Wasteland for lost items and missing persons!”

Sarah looked at the smiling mutant and chuckled. “Yeah... I just might do that,” the woman agreed, a hint of her smile returning to her lips.

That does sound rather fun, Nim admitted with a smile. Mayhaps we should take them up on this offer.

Maybe, we’ve still got to make a run for the Citadel tomorrow first, Sarah replied. “Thanks, you guys,but I’ve got to run by the Citadel tomorrow. If you’re still in town when I get back, then I should be free to help you out.”

“We should be,” Spencer replied.

“Well, it’s getting late, would you guys mind leaving?” Sarah asked, rather abruptly really but the road home had left her pretty tired.

“Err... sure,” Spencer said as he rose from his chair, he gave the woman a smile and headed towards the door, Dogmeat following along beside him.

“I look forward to having you accompany us once again!” Fawkes said happily as he walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder. “You have been alone for too long, Sarah.” The last line was delivered solemnly.

“Thanks, Fawkes, but I’m fine, really,” Sarah replied, smiling weakly up at the big mutant. “I’m just tired.”

“It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one, Sarah,” Fawkes told her flatly. Then he smiled. “Have a good night.”

As the mutant walked through her front door Sarah felt what little happiness she’d managed to gather about herself flow out the door after him. She let out a sigh and slumped against the couch.

That mutant is certainly very perceptive, Nim stated as phantom wings settled around Sarah. But you know, he is wrong, you are not alone.

“Yeah, I know,” Sarah replied with a small shake of her head as she got up from the couch and headed up the stairs. She really was exhausted from the trip to the Pitt, emotionally and physically. “Do you mind if I just sleep tonight?”

Of course not, Sarah, I was not going to suggest making love, Nim replied. Neither of us are ‘in the mood’ so to speak.

“No, I meant just sleep,” Sarah replied slowly. “As in... just fade to black and then wake up like a normal person.”

Nim was silent for a moment before answering. If you wish it to be so then it will, Nim answered calmly. Though I can’t help but wonder why exactly you’d want that.

“Well... I don’t know really,” Sarah answered. “I’m just not in the mood tonight.”

As you wish then, Nim replied.

Sarah smiled slightly. “Thanks, Nim, I love you.”

And I you, Nim said as she began to withdraw from the edges of Sarah’s mind.

Sarah let out a sigh as she pulled Daybreaker’s scabbard off of her back and lay it down on the rack she’d created that rose up from her desk. Then in a few simple motions she stripped off her vault undersuit and slid beneath the blanket, resting her head down against the home knit pillow.

She closed her eyes and just lay there. It had been a long time since she’d done that. Ordinarily she always slept with Nim, but tonight? She wanted something different. Maybe it was a touch of reality after the stressful and rather fantastical life she’d been living lately. Sometimes, there were days she wished she’d never met Luna, not many, but they existed.

That was as far as her thoughts traveled before sleep took her.

*CLANG*

Sparks flew everywhere.

*CLANG*

More sparks.

*CLANG*

Luna smiled.

*HISSSSS*

She dipped the metal into the water and steam rose up from it. The mare smiled more as she stepped away from the forge and removed her newly stained apron. Upon the suggestion of her sister, she had decided to take the day off of looking for ways to bring Sarah to her and instead focus on something else. So that is what she had decided to do.

Blacksmithing was something that she’d picked up on a whim centuries ago and found it enjoyable. Hammering into a piece of metal was a surprisingly good way to relieve stress. Well, there were some drawbacks. For instance, she was incredibly hot and sweat lined her fur and her normally flowing mane was plastered against the back of her head. In short, she was in terrible need of a shower.

The alicorn shook her head and turned away from the forge. She hopped into the air, her wings pumping massively against the still mid-morning air. In truth, it felt liberating to be outside of the library for once in a great long time for something other than eating in the great hall with her sister or attending public events.

Speaking of public events, Luna’s Day was approaching again and despite herself Luna’s heart soared high at the thought of having her own day devoted to her. Especially one that involved the sun not rising for the entirety of a it.

Luna smiled, sure, she was a bit narcissistic, so would anyone who had lived for as long as she had. She grinned even wider as a refreshing breeze swept over her wings and she glanced up to see Jackdaw pass her. The pegasus didn’t say much in the morning, according to him ‘it took all morning for his wit to wake up’.Even if his wit wasn’t awake yet, he most certainly was and the stallion’s wing beats were steady and even.

She landed heavily upon the balcony of her room and walked through the enchanted doorway, holding it open just long enough for Jackdaw to walk through after her. Then she gave the stallion a nod and walked into the sizeable washroom.

If there was one thing she had despised about the Wasteland, it was the lack of proper bathing places. Sure, she had managed to take a shower or two in Project Purity, but the water had been icy cold and had an off putting brown color. She didn’t even want to think the toilets, there were some things better off forgotten.

Her washroom on the other hand was a beautiful thing to behold. A full sized mirror ran across the upper half of one of the walls along with a sink that was littered with several combs and the like. She may not have gone through the elaborate ‘beautification ritual’ that Celestia did each day with a billion different conditioners and shampoos, but Luna still enjoyed having a straight mane.

Of course, the main focuses of the washroom was of course, the shower and bath. The shower was a simple thing really, but the water it projected from itself was pleasingly warm and the pressure was always strong enough to beat any of Luna’s cares away. The bath itself on the other hand was closer in description to a drainable pool than that of a bathing fixture, as befitted a mare of her size, it was fully walk in.

Luna smiled as she walked up to the shower and turned the handle until it was on full power with medium heat and let out a sigh as the water ran over her fur. She also flipped a handle or two by memory behind her and water began to fill the bath itself. The alicorn spent quite some time beneath the shower before she turned and walked into the true bath. As the water submerged her, the mare’s thoughts began to wander.

What shall I do with the rest of my day? she asked herself. I’ve already forged a few new sword designs and I don’t really want to take another shower until tonight... her thoughts trailed off as a sigh of true relaxation escaped her throat as the water’s temperature increased.It reminds me of the hotsprings in father’s cave... father.

She blinked twice as her eyes widened in surprise at her own foolishness. “I should see father!”

The mare couldn’t believe she had been so forgetful and selfish, she hadn’t actually gone to visit Jonathan since she’d returned!

This thought in mind, the joys of the bath no longer interested her and the mare teleported out of it, four towels immediately leapt off of a nearby towel rack at the command of her magic and the mare quickly set about drying herself in front of the mirror. As she did so, she couldn’t help but notice the small lines of grey within her astral mane. They were very faint amongst the constellations and stellar bodies, but still very obvious under studied observation.

The mare turned away from them. She’d gotten them saving the life of James, Sarah’s father. In the end, it had been for naught, but she still would have done it again if she had the chance. At any rate, only Celestia knew that they were unusual and in truth, it had been one of the hardest parts of the story to tell her sister.

That... and everything relating to Nim.

Still, even those thoughts couldn’t bring Luna down from the high that thoughts of seeing her father again brought to her. She practically skipped out of the washroom, causing Jackdaw’s eyebrows to rise in surprise.

“Wow, Lu, you’re looking peppy,” he said with a small smile. “Did those anti-depressant pills I’ve been slipping into your drinks finally start to take effect?”

“I’m going to visit my father!” Luna replied, the snarky comment passing right between her ears, for the most part. “And no, I’ve been returning the favor and swapping our drinks.”

“Oh, well that explains why my ale kept tasting like water,” Jackdaw joked as he followed Luna as she pranced down the hallway, sending a pair of confused maids scurrying in opposite directions as she all but crashed into them.

Celestia sat at the breakfast table within her private room, reading over the day’s news as she used her magic to peel an orange and levitated one of the slices up to take a bite of it. Spike sat beside her, slowly eating his way through a fire ruby. Shining and Cadance were nowhere in sight, though Celestia supposed that was because they had stayed up so late the night previous. Tornado watched from the doorway, prepared for anything and anyone to burst through the door.

“I really must find the time to visit this Blackstone unicorn,” Celestia murmured as she read over the day’s headlines. “He’s a very good fighter, but the fact that all of the buildings he enters catch on fire means that there’s still something he could learn about control.”

“From what I heard he’s not big on authority,” Spike commented as he took a sip of water to wash down the ruby. “Anyways, what have you got planned for the day, big sis?”

Celestia smiled down at him, she still enjoyed the title very much. “Not a great deal, little brother, I just need to meet with a farm pony named Applejack about a new shipment of cider and the prices on it for the upcoming holiday,” she answered. “Aside from that, I simply have to await the arrival of Queen Aurora.”

“May I be there when you two meet?” Spike asked curiously. “I’m interested to see what she’s like.” A small bit of fire licked around the side of his mouth. “And I’d like to be there if she tries anything.”

“I’ll handle it, Spike,” Celestia replied, though she smiled at her little brother’s spirit. “Though you’ll have the chance to meet her at some point soon. You are an Equestrian Prince after all.”

Spike frowned but shrugged. “Then it’s fine I guess...”

“Don’t worry, Spike, I’ll be there to make sure she’s alright,” Tornado Kicker added from the doorway, a smile on his face. “Trust me, we’ve prepared for this.”

“Alright, if you’re sure,” Spike said with a sigh. “I guess that means I’m still scheduled to hold court today then?”

“Yes indeed,” Celestia replied, leaning over to nuzzle him. “And an excellent job you’ve been doing of it so far by the way.”

“Thanks, it’s not too hard, I know more than enough about the different subjects to make decisions,” Spike replied casually, though his voice still held a very obvious note of pride.

Celestia smiled and then glanced towards the door, which was opened a second later by Luna who was smiling what must have been the biggest smile Celestia had seen her wear in the last two and a half years.

“Good morning, sister,” Celestia said, a wide smile rising up to envelope her own face at the sight of her sister’s. “I did not think that forging a few swords could bring you so much joy.”

Luna shook her her head. “No, though it did help rid me of quite a bit of agitation that had been building up,” the alicorn replied, chuckling lightly. “No, I am happy at the chance of seeing our dear father.”

Celestia’s face went blank for a moment and then she grinned. “I’m sure he will enjoy that greatly Luna, a wonderful idea!”

Luna smiled back. “I thought as such,” she said before glancing at Spike. “Would you care to accompany me... little brother?” she asked slowly. Even after two and a half years, the prospect of no longer being the youngest sibling was... strange for her.

“I saw dad a month ago,” Spike replied with a small shrug. “Besides, I’ve got court stuff today. Tell him and mom I say ‘hi’ though.”

Luna nodded and walked over to give Celestia a nuzzle along with one to Spike. “I’ll be off then, contact me if you need my help with the changeling today.”

“I doubt I will need to, but I thank you for the offer,” Celestia replied, returning the nuzzle. “You remember how to get to father’s cave?”

“Oh yes, it isn’t that difficult if my memory serves, it’s only been around five years...” she trailed off as she glanced at Celestia whose eyes had a slightly misty appearance to them. She frowned and then gave her sister another nuzzle. “At any rate, I will return either tomorrow or the day after.”

“Right, right, have a good time sister,” Celestia said as she shook her head and her eyes cleared.

“Oh, I’m sure I will!” Luna told her, turning back towards the door. “But first, a stop by the armory so that I may show him my new weapon!”

Celestia smiled after her sister even once the door was closed, it was good to see her smile for some reason other than being tickled into submission. The alicorn’s mind then returned to the monumental task that was rapidly approaching her and her mood darkened. The meeting with Queen Aurora was not going to be ‘fun’ by any definition of the term.

Sarah pulled on her modified hellfire armor and quickly went through a mental list of her equipment.

Ammo?

Enough .44 and 5.56 rounds to drown a few dozen men in their own blood, Nim answered.

Guns?

Strapped to your back and your hip respectively, Nim replied, her tone bored. The Stimpacks are in their place in your pack which is slung across your free shoulder.

And I know my blades are here, Sarah said as she patted the trusty shocksword on her right hip and reached around to let Daybreaker’s refreshingly cold hilt rest against her gauntleted hand.

It seems that we are ready, Nim said with a mental smile. Shall we get underway?

“Yeah, lets,” Sarah said with a small smile, it was time to visit the closest thing she still had to a father.