The rest of the day was spent on resting from the ordeal of the attack on the prison from which now-late Curve Blade staged his attacks. Twilight and Sunset agreed that hurrying to Trottingham was not in their best interest, especially given that they were already suffering from combat weariness, and decided that spending a few more days in Appletown would not hurt them at all.

Privately, Twilight felt that she was reluctant to leave the relative safety of the small town where they were living. Appletown was inhabited by decent people who simply wanted to get on in the post-apocalyptic world, and desired to take nothing that did not belong to them. But not all people were like that, and the Princess of Friendship privately feared that Curve Blade was not the worst kind of human in the world.

For now, though, she was content to enjoy whatever moments of relative peace they had before their quintet of her, Sunset, Applejack, Rarity and Spike left their "base".

The news of White Knives' destruction made their way pretty quick throughout the Northern Canterlot Wastelands, as several merchant caravans already made their way through Appletown and stopped to trade their items for apples and fresh water. Some of them traded weapons, ammunition and equipment, and all the girls used the possibility to stock up on important items. Unfortunately, none of the merchants could offer military-grade armour plates, or ammunition for energy weapons, but they all had some medicines, which were readily bought - Appletown expended a lot in the recent attacks.

The girls also decided to try and see whether there was worthy loot left on the base of 9th Mechanized Infantry battalion. The Brotherhood of Steel was still in the process of looting it; in fact, they encountered Brotherhood Knights on the base when they arrived there. The Knight-Sergeant was surprised to see them, but allowed them to try and see if there was something left. The girls made their way out with some laser pistols and rifles - albeit in rather poor condition. Said weapons were stripped down for any spare parts that could be used to fix their own laser weapons.

Fortunately, there was a rather decent cache of energy batteries and microfusion cells, which were promptly taken.

Twilight and Sunset received a surprise one day when they saw a familiar face coming in with one of the caravans with purified water. One of the guards with a shotgun turned to them and exclaimed:

"Well I'll be impaled by a radscorpion, if it isn't Sparkle and Shimmer! I hear you got to be big damn heroines here?"

"Point Blank!" both of them exclaimed in joy, and Sunset asked, "What brings you here?"

"Well, we're selling some water from Vault Village and got here to trade for some apples; we had bought them here several times before raider attacks made it too risky. Now that you helped with Fast Grabber and kicked Curve Blade where it hurt, we can relatively safely go around again."

"How's Vault Village going?"

"Fine, more or less. Security personnel can't be replaced, but more folk joined our militia lately. Some two-bit raider gangs tried to mess with us and paid for it with their lives. But they aren't as bad as White Knives used to be. Thanks for helping everyone in the Wastelands to get rid of the bastards. For that, you can stock up on purified water free of charge."

The girls saw little reason to go against the suggestion, and took ten bottles of purified water each.

While discussing how to try and find Sunset's magic book, every person who was planning to go on said quest (Twilight, Sunset, Applejack and Rarity) were thinking on how to get to the south-western area of the city remains. Rarity, as it turned out, had been there under the disguise of Black Widow on several occasions, and knew the general layout of the area well enough.

"Normally, the best approach would be the outer radial line of Trottingham underground, or rather its section that starts in the nortern area. One could use it to get to the western area and then it's not too far from the places where Sunset used to live," she said. "Unfortunately, this area has recently been taken over by a group of ghouls that calls themselves "Metro Survivalists", and while they do not seek to hurt others deliberately, they react with deadly force if someone wants to pass there."

"I'd rather avoid needlessly antagonizing anyone," Twilight said.

"Why Metro Survivalists?" Applejack asked.

"Most likely because when the nuclear attack sirens wailed, they found themselves in the underground tube, which was built with the intent to house people in case of nuclear bombardment," the fiery-haired girl explained. "While nowhere as reliable as Vaults and built before the invention of the most powerful thermonuclear bombs, the underground system could still help in sheltering the population at least for some time. Given that this section is occupied by ghouls, however, it appears that radiation must have seeped its way down there."

"Where Metroists - that's their common denomination - now reside, there's little to no radiation," Rarity took over. "Many people got pissed at them because of that, and there were talks of massing an attack, but the chances of success aren't that big - the Metroists are numerous and rather well-equipped."

"What would be the other way?"

"If we arrive to the north-eastern section and go south, we will encounter a settlement known as Brightlight. This place had some of grandest casinos in Trottingham with neon lights and stuff, and someone managed to restore power there. Now one can find a small casino there, known as "True Trot", and nearby buildings are occupied by anyone who decided to work there or live near it. We can stop by there and continue through eastern and south-eastern sectors. There we'll need to be careful: earlier, this area was divided between several raider gangs who swore fealty to Curve Blade; now that they have been exterminated, this is a no-man's land where super mutants, looters and feral ghouls battle. I think we can slip by unnoticed to the southern area, where is another settlement, known as Horseshoe Highway. From there, it's not far. It would be quicker if we could cross through the city centre, but that area is the ground zero of a nuclear explosion; I think I do not need to tell why we cannot go there."

"How will we pass the no-man's land?" Applejack asked.

"That part might be tricky," Rarity admitted. "Earlier, when disguised as Black Widow, I simply used my Stealth-Boy; keeping silence helped me slip by any hostiles unnoticed, no matter where I went. But since I have only one device left now, this is obviously not an option."

"Can't we use underground to slip by them in that zone?" Twilight questioned.

"Only if you're ready to fight horde after horde of feral ghouls, darling. They have positively infested the tunnels down there, according to the locals. That is, assuming some of the sections did not collapse; as far as I know, the tunnels in that area were built closer to the surface for some reason, and the shockwave could have damaged them too heavily. No, Twilight, that will not work."

"I see."

"What do we need to know about Brightlight and Horseshoe Highway?" Sunset inquired.

"Brightlight, as I had said, has a casino; the whole settlement is simply centered around it. People go there to win - or lose - caps, and there are shops that offer a rather diverse set of merchandise. Some people live there because the casino and the area around it are more or less suitable for defense, and attacking it will see the whole town united against whoever dares to do that; that's why this place is attacked only by super mutants. On the other hand, though, Brightlight allows the sort of riff-raff that any decent town will not let in; you are quite likely to see raiders, mercenaries, drug addicts and other unlikeable people in there. Even slavers appear there once in a while, although only under heavy protection - even for Brightlight, these people are a blight upon the face of the Wastelands, and tolerated only as long as they spend money."

"Figures," Applejack spat, unamused. "They'd drink with demons of Tartarus if said demons would spent money like a sailor in a whorehouse."

"Really, Applejack?" Rarity huffed. "Must you use that idiom of all things?"

"What? That ain't true?"

"...point taken. Still, your choice of language for the matter was rather poor."

"An' the Miss Prim and Proper is back," Applejack grumbled, but the mirthful grin she had took out the sting of her words, and Rarity smiled wryly. Twilight and Sunset exchanged smiles, too.

"And the Horseshoe Highway?" Twilight asked.

"A rather small settlement, nothing really remarkable about it, except that it is located at the control point which in turn was on the highway that led to Canterlot from there. That gives the settlement marginally better defense capabilities and an access to a small armaments stash, but nothing more. No idea why they picked the name "Horseshoe Highway", to be honest. As for the people, they are regular Wastelands' inhabitants, growing their own crops and brahmin. As I said, nothing truly remarkable."

"OK then," Sunset said, "I think we follow Rarity's suggestion and avoid the Survivalists. Anything else to discuss?"

"There is one thing," Twilight said.

"What is it?"

"Elder Aegis asked me a favour. There is a Vault-Tec office in Trottingham, and he asked me to investigate it."

"He still believes you're this world's Twilight?" Applejack butted in.

"He does, and he apparantly really wants to pick my brains."

"What for?"

"The other me is apparently responsible for at least several breakthroughs in human technological progress, microfusion energy being one of them. The works she had worked on are classified, however, and my "amnesia" does not let me "recall" the details."

"But why would he need you?"

"Brotherhood of Steel is dedicated to retrieving and restoring pre-apocalypse technology. Imagine what they would gain if they managed to recover the theory at least from the source?"

"Ah got it. It would make him look real good."

"Indeed. He hinted that he considers me - the other me, that is - the very reason why Brotherhood of Steel exists."

"Wouldn't that be the truth," Sunset spoke. "When microfusion energy hit the world, it was as if science fiction made its way into real life. The military must have been praising the other Twilight's name as if she were a goddess. Their wet dreams came true."

"Wet dreams?" Twilight asked, puzzled.

The fiery-haired Equestrian blushed slightly and whispered something into the lavender-skinned girl, which prompted a blush as well.

"Oh."

"Figuratively speaking, of course."

"Right."

"Alright y'all," Applejack spoke up, "Ah think we can spare some time to see the HQ of the goldurn Vault-Tec in Trottingham if we have time. Anybody got an idea where it used to be?"

"South-eastern area of Trottingham, 77 Fulltrot street, almost at the edge of the city," Sunset replied. "I remember because I had to ride there for quite a number of times before I managed to get my Vault 75 admission papers."

"So you can guide us there, if necessary?"

"Provided that some landmarks still exist and the building at least partially survived, yes. But I am not for making this a priority. We need to get my magic book and send a message to Equestria, to at least let everyone out there know that Twilight's actually alive, at least. I dare not imagine what might happen if they declare her dead."

"I'd rather not think about it," Twilight replied.

"When do we move out, then?" Rarity asked. "I would like to know so that I can recover some important things from my stash."

"Ah'd prefer if that was the day after tomorrow," Applejack said. "Ah need to arrange some things before Ah go with y'all. An' that power pack needs a recharge - the goldurn Brotherhood did not give me a fresh one back then."

"Fine by me," Sunset replied.

"No objections," Twilight said.

"Works for me as well," the indigo-haired girl said. "I can do it tomorrow at dawn, while the majority sleeps. I would rather not be followed."

"Then it's settled."

As everyone exited the room, Twilight spoke to Sunset:

"I've got to thank you?"

"What for?"

"I was told that someone gave me first aid while I was unconscious before everyone else found us."

"Wha... Twilight, I... didn't do that."

"You didn't?" Twilight's eyebrows were in danger of disappearing.

"No... when I saw you, I just ran to you and scooped you into my arms, bawling my eyes out. I thought you were... d-d-dead," Sunset hiccupped at the last word. "I did not give you any first aid."

"Yet Scribe Redheart said someone did, and if not for that, I would have died... But who else if not you?"

Sunset shrugged her shoulders, and Twilight felt a sinking feeling in her stomach.

Twilight and Sunset spent the next several hours by doing nothing specific; aside from maintaining equipment and checking whether their armour was still sturdy enough, there was nothing currently to do, and both girls had no desire to interfere with Appletowners' everyday business.

When they had dinner with the Apple family, Apple Bloom looked better than before; while the red-haired girl was still not as chipper, she was much less withdrawn, and actually smiled. She stated that teh stories that Flash, Twilight and Sunset shared with her helped a lot.

"Ah'm still not feelin' one hundred percent, but Ah'll manage. It's just... hard to adapt."

"Ah'm sorry, little sis," Applejack spoke up, saddened. "Ah tried mah best to protect you from the Wastelands, but that wasn't enough."

"Applejack, Ah'm not a baby, you know. Ah would've hadta experience that sooner or later; you just tried to make "later" happen rather than "sooner". Ah know you're always protective, but... you can't be here all the time, AJ."

"Yeah, 'bout that... Ah made a promise to Twilight and Sunset that Ah'd help them out on a quest, and we're gonna go to Trottingham for that."

"When're you leavin'?" Big Macintosh asked.

"Day after tomorrow - that's what we agreed on."

"Have you thought who'd lead Appletown?"

"Ah hope that would be you, Big Mac, although probably we need to let the folk decide."

"You'll hold a gathering?"

"Yep."

"When?"

"This evening."

"Ah see. Ah'll spread the word around."

The rest of the meal was spent in silence, and everyone spread around. Twilight was pleasantly surprised to see Flash Sentry still being in the town, and asked him on what he was doing.

"Elder Aegis asked me to present Brotherhood's good face, so to speak," the ex-rocker replied. "Since the local folk are apparently more trusting of me - at least, they don't shy away, even if they still are slightly worried when being around me."

"How is it going within the Brotherhood?"

"Fine, more or less. People mourn the dead, cremate them and move on. Many were pleased to see Curve Blade dead, though; and discovering that Shock Gauntlet actually escaped hurt when confronting you impressed even those who does not think much of "tribals". You and Sunset are the talk in the Brotherhood; there's even talk that you should be initiated into our ranks."

"Initiated?"

"That's how we call accepting into the Brotherhood."

"...wow. I am not sure what to think."

"Well, consider this a compliment. Even Elder Aegis was impressed with what you two have done, although he called the decision to go after Curve Blade and Shock Gauntlet "the most unintelligent and half-arsed decision in combat", quote for quote."

"In retrospect, it was."

"Still, if you two wanted to join the Brotherhood, I don't think he would refuse."

"I thought Brotherhood does not really like getting volunteers that aren't ex-military or related to science?"

"Depends on an Elder, actually. Since there are too few possible assets in Northern Wastelands to draw from, Aegis can't be too choosy. Other Elders may actually be like you described; in fact, the Elder Council once gave flak to Elder Aegis for getting tribals into our ranks, but he candidly told them that if they don't like it, he always can take some of their own people. And an Elder doesn't like losing their followers; that gives them a bad image."

"There's something else I want to know."

"Shoot."

"Shock Gauntlet seems to be a rather well-known person. How come?"

"Well, Crimson Hands by themselves are rather famous, but some of them are even more so. Anyone who is a capable fighter is sooner or later heard of, either by rumours or with help of CWN. Shock Gauntlet is a former UFE soldier; he had participated in several battles for cities under control of TODC, so he knows his way around urban warfare. During war, he received an award for single-handedly wiping out a squad of TODC assault troopers - not a small feat - but fell out of favour with Commissariat for his rather loud and cynical words that UFE high command and government were worse than those of TODC, and almost got brought up on sedition charges. No one truly knows why he thought that; probably he encountered a less-than-savoury fact and was severely disappointed, because he used to be quite patriotic. Nowadays, he is a rather cynical person who looks out for himself mostly, and runs with Crimson Hands because the job gives him caps and something to shoot at - he cares little at whom he shoots."

"So he was a good man?"

"Was is the key word - whoever he was before the apocalypse, that man is dead."

"But he is dangerous?"

"You saw that first-hand. He is one of the best mercenaries; for you to survive for more than five minutes is nothing short of impressive. If you don't mind me asking, how did you react?"

"I tried my best to reconnect with Sunset; I hoped that if I made him fall behind, we would overwhelm Curve Blade and turn to him, or at least fall back. But he did his best to cut me away, and caught me as I was, apparently, very close to Sunset."

"You were, in fact. As Sunset told me, she killed Curve Blade a mere minute after she heard your scream of agony."

"That's when he shot me with that high-caliber pistol of his."

"Ouch," Flash winced, "that's some pain. 12.7mm ammo is something to be feared even in power armour. Maybe not from a pistol, but TODC had a model of 12.7mm submachine gun for their special forces; when loaded with armour-piercing ammunition, these things made mincemeat of Mechanized Infantry troops."

"Ponyfeathers."

"Did you just cuss?"

"Bad examples are infectious," Twilight wryly smirked.

"Please don't. I never liked it when girls swore."

"Sorry. Will try to avoid it."

"Thank you."

"In any way, Flash, what do you plan on doing?"

"I don't really know. I was thinking of leaving Brotherhood and joining to help you."

"You would do that for me?" Twilight's eyes widened.

"Why not? I only joined the Brotherhood of Steel because neither me nor my men had anywhere else to go. But we never really fit in, and honestly, I am not sure I am feeling that loyal to the High Elder Gear."

"I... get the feeling, Flash, but are you sure that's the best way to help me?"

"You have something else in mind?"

"Please keep it a secret," Twilight leaned closer to him while looking around. Determining that no one would hear them, she whispered:

"Elder Aegis thinks that I am Twilight from this world, and she invented a number of things that Brotherhood likes. He really wants to pick my brains. I do not want him to know my... peculiar background, and I don't want to become his pawn. He seems honourable enough, but looks out for himself more than others, and I want someone whom I can trust to help me in case of something, since this is not the last time I deal with him."

"Well... if you're sure..."

"Very sure."

"Then your words make sense. I hate not being able to help you, but..."

"Trust me, Flash, it's better that you and your men stand ready to support me in worst case. Because if there's something I don't want to take on without serious assisstance, it's Brotherhood of Steel."

"OK. Deal."

"Thank you," Twillight smiled, and Flash's heart fluttered inside. "And besides, I do appreciate that you would like to stand by my side. But currently, I need reliable allies in the Brotherhood, and you are the only one who fits the bill."

"I understand. When do you leave?"

"The day after tomorrow - that's the plan, anyway."

"OK; maybe I'll get to see you off. There's currently no plan on pulling me back into the bunker."

"See you then. Bye."

"Bye," Flash replied after a slight hesitation, watching Twilight walk away from him.

A turmoil was raging within him; he did not want to see his crush leave, and yet he did not want her to see even more of the depravities of the Wastelands either.

What I had seen after the Apocalypse and before joining the Brotherhood is worse, and more deplorable than White Knives. Curve Blade, despicable as he was, still had some lines he would not cross...

I hate to see her go, but if she sees something worse than raiders... No. No, she must succeed in her quest. And I must help her. Even if it breaks my heart.

The next thought filled his heart with something resembling lead.

Even if I... will never see her again...

Closer to 18:00 local time, Applejack collected the inhabitants of Appletown in an area that served as central street of sorts. Standing on a small crate, she spoke:

"Listen folks; we've all accomplished a great deal here, with killin' Curve Blade an' his pack of gangbangers an' murderers. We've lost many of our people to them, but with the help of our friends from CWN, as well as Paladins from Brotherhood of Steel, we've made them all pay."

A cheer interrupted her speech, and Applejack waited until the emotions died down.

"An' Ah'm very grateful to y'all for puttin' your trust into me. Stars as my witness, Ah did mah best to lead ya... but Ah don't think Ah made a great job of it."

Now, surprise and shock overcame the crowd; everyone was watching the blonde girl with surprised eyes.

"Ah've been too stubborn on some things, an' that nearly cost us everything. In truth, the real leaders here are mah friends, Twilight an' Sunset. Without them, Ah'd never have thought of tryin' to make peace with Brotherhood of Steel, or gettin' CWN militia to help us. Ah wanted us to deal with everythin' on our own, an' that nearly cost us all we had. They helped me to realize where Ah was wrong, and corrected mah mistakes."

"But you led us into fights, too!" shouted one of the Appletowners.

"Ah did, but Ah only attacked in broad daylight, when them Knives could fire back. Ah never attacked at night because Ah felt that was dishonourable, even though the raiders never were above that. Had Ah overcome mah stubborness, maybe more folks would be alive right now. Ah'm a good farmer, and Ah'd like to believe Ah'm a good fighter, but Ah'm not a good leader. Ah didn't listen to people when needed. And Ah don't feel Ah should be the leader anymore."

Another gasp ran through the crowd.

"That's right y'all; Ah'm steppin' down from mah position of Appletown's de facto leader, an' I hope that y'all could elect someone else, who can do a better job."

"But whom?" one of the Apples asked. "The Daring Duo won't stay here forever, right?"

"Right; in fact, Ah'm plannin' to help them with a very important quest, an' Ah'll need to leave Appletown."

Murmurs ran through the assembled crowd, as everyone processed the news. Many were surprised, some of them were saddened. However, Sunset thought she saw a fleeting expression of grim satisfaction among a small group of people, and frowned.

That's... strange.

"I nominate Big Macintosh as our new leader!" shouted Golden Delicious, silencing the crowd.

"Why me?" asked the Apple de facto patriarch, surprised as a deer caught in headlights.

"Big Macintosh has interests of Appletown at heart. He had risked his life virtually every time when Appletown and its people were in danger. He had given valuable advice to Applejack and all of us when it came to running our town, or growing crops. Now that the threat of White Knives is gone, I believe he would make the best candidate for our leader."

A murmur of approval, mostly among Apples, ran through the crowd.

"Anyone else wanna be a candidate?" Applejack asked, but the only answer she got was silence.

"Then we've gotta vote. Who's for makin' Big Macintosh the new leader of Appletown instead of me?"

A literal forest of hands rose into the air. Even at first glance, it was obvious that the majority were in agreement with the motion.

"Who's against?"

Not a single hand rose; Twilight noticed that some people who did not vote for Big Macintosh did not vote against him either.

"Then it's settled; Big Mac, come 'ere."

Big Macintosh came forward and stood on the low crate, still clearly uncomfortable.

"Do ya promise to protect Appletown an' to see it prosper to the best of your abilities, Big Mac?"

Silence reigned for a few seconds before the eldest Apple brother answered in his usual manner:

"...eeyup."

Chuckles were heard among some of the Apples.

"Then Ah step down from my position of a leader an' announce you as the new leader of Appletown! Congrats, Big Mac!"

"Hooray!" Apple Bloom shouted, jumping up to hug her brother, and an applause thundered from the crowd.

"Thank y'all," Big Macintosh spoke up, "thanks for the trust you put in me. Ah promise Ah'll do mah best. Now, let's move on."

The people of Appletown went in different directions.

As the sun was about to come down, Twilight and Sunset were re-checking their equipment when Apple Bloom burst into house, frantic and out of breath.

"Twilight! Sunset! Is Applejack home?"

"Ah'm here, lil' sis, what's the matter?"

"There are Crimson Hands mercs! Three of them!"

"Three?" Sunset asked in disbelief. "That doesn't seem an attack."

"One of them has a white flag an' he's askin' for Twilight and Sunset!" Apple Bloom continued.

"Ah'm not lettin' them go there alone!" Applejack declared, grabbing her AP-79.

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh, who ran down at Apple Bloom's voice, also cocked his own assault rifle.

"Let's see what they want with us," Sunset grumbled, moving the bolt of her R91. The weapon gave a click-clank. Twilight opted for a laser rifle instead. Spike joined the group as everyone ran out of the house.

The quartet (Apple Bloom was ordered to stay inside) made its way to the edge of Appletown. There indeed were three Crimson Hands mercenaries, one of them (the apparent leader) had a small stick with a white handkerchief tied to it. Every merc had their weapons slung behind their backs. Appletowners were aiming their weapons at the intruders, still remembering what chaos had ensued because of Crimson Hands; Twilight and Sunset felt pleasure at seeing unmistakable profile of Rarity aiming her sniper rifle at the leader's head. Hunter Rose (his hat now having a bullet hole in it) was doing the same from the other barricade.

"What do y'all want?!" Applejack barked, none too pleased to see them. Others also did not bother to hide their hostility.

"To talk. I am Slip Swipe, and I was tasked to pass several messages from my boss," said the lead mercenary. "Let me say what I must say, and we'll leave."

"Fine."

"First and foremost, I must inform you that since Curve Blade is dead now, the contract to harass Appletown, as well as the contract for assassination of Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer, is no longer in effect. As such, unless there is another contract with similar stipulations, Crimson Hands will not be hostile to you. However, we expect that none of you try a revenge attack on our personnel or our bases, for we reserve the right to defend ourselves from such attacks with lethal force."

"How about you never come to Appletown ever again an' we won't need to shoot ya?" Applejack snarled.

"Are you banning us?"

"Well, Ah'm not the leader anymore, but Ah think Big Mac shares mah sentiment."

"Mr. Macintosh, I believe you do not want to let any Crimson Hands operatives into Appletown?"

"Nope."

"Very well. This term is acceptable. Second, we would like to inquire whether you would return the possessions of deceased Crimson Hands to us."

"Nope," BigMacintosh repeated.

"Didn't think so, but the boss had to insist. Lastly; Miss Twilight Sparkle," Slip Swipe took out a folded piece of paper, "Shock gauntlet asked me to pass you a letter."

"What?" Twilight lost control of herself for a moment. "Why did he write me?"

"I have no idea. I did not read the letter. Will you accept it?"

"Eh, whatever," Twilight took the letter and unfolded it. The letter said:

Twilight Sparkle,

in case Slip Swipe, the one who gave you the letter, did not tell you, it is me, Shock Gauntlet. I wrote this letter because there are some things I need to tell you without risking getting pumped full of bullets while coming to Appletown. Besides, I am under another contract already, so I cannot tell you anyway.

First, Slip Swipe must have told you that Crimson Hands are no longer obligated to kill you; that means that I am not returning to finish you off either. At least unless I get hired to kill you again. Given what kind of person you are, you are likely to piss off another person with will and caps to hire someone to get rid of you, which means that you and Crimson Hands are likely to cross swords again, metaphorically speaking. If said person is generous enough, it might as well be me who will come after you. So watch your step.

Second: you already know that, but I am way above you. You might be red in anger right now, but it is the truth. And yet... I must admit: you impressed me. Vigilantes like you or Regulators who are concerned with pre-apocalyptic justice and morals do not end well in Canterlot Wastelands. They either die prematurely and their corpse becomes a nutrition for wild mutated animals in a ditch somewhere, or they gradually lose themselves and become no better than those they claim to oppose. Your track through Canterlot Wastelands was already enough for either of said options to happen, yet it did not. And despite me having a big advantage over you, you managed to hurt me, and survive long enough for your friend to kill Curve Blade, thus eliminating the contract between him and Crimson Hands. However, you were still on the verge of death, and could not have survived without first aid.

Twilight felt something slowly make its way into her stomach, as she read the words. She remembered how Scribe Redheart told her that without first aid, she would have died, yet Sunset told her she did not do anything of sorts...

Casting her eyes at the letter again, she continued to read:

Yes. It was me who gave you first aid.

You might ask: why, if only seconds ago I had tried to kill you? Primarily, it is because Curve Blade died, and no one would pay us for your death right now. But there is another reason. There is something... different about you, Twilight Sparkle. I am curious as to what it is, and would like another chance to see it.

Besides, unprofessional as it is from me, I would like to see how you would fare if we were to battle again.

Also, remember me telling you that I would have gladly shared a drink with you under other circumstances? Well, the offer still stands. Drinks are on me.

(From someone like me, such an offer is a compliment.)

Until we meet again (and I am sure we will),

Shock Gauntlet,
Captain of Crimson Hands Mercenary Group

The equine Princess slowly folded the letter into its original shape, putting it in her pocket. Then she stared at Slip Swipe.

"Should I pass anything to Shock Gauntlet?" the latter asked impassively.

"Yes," Twilight said in a clipped tone. "Please tell him that I am thankful for his first aid."

Other people gasped at what they heard, but the lavender-skinned girl paid them no heed.

"Also tell him that should we meet again as enemies... he will not find me as easy of a target."

The venom in her voice surprised even her. Her part said, Twilight turned around and started walking away, head high and posture rigid.

Slip Swipe looked at her back and said:

"Well, this is everything I was instructed to pass. Can we go away now?"

"You can," Big Macintosh said. "An' never darken our borders again."

The mercenary "diplomat" ignored the venomous spat and left with his "bodyguards" in tow. Everyone kept their weapons trained on them until they disappeared over the hill. Only then did some of the people lower their weapons. As soon as they did, Sunset hurried back to the home Applejack shared with them.

When she entered their room, she saw Twilight looking out of the window, tense as a coiled spring.

"Twilight?" the unicorn-turned-human probed. "You OK?"

"I will be... in a moment. Just... let me collect my thoughts alone, Sunset, OK?

"If you insist," Sunset said unsurely, but left the room. Silence took over for a few moments, until Twilight uttered, looking out of the window:

"So you helped me... just because your employer died and you lost your cash. And you felt impressed with me because I was somehow different. Well, Shock Gauntlet... I have never been an ordinary person. If only you knew how unordinary I am..."

The equine Princess fell silent, reliving her memories of Equestria and her friends. She closed her eyes, fighting the tide of tears. When she opened them again, the image was misty, and she furiously blinked to get it away.

"So you say you will meet me again? Because someone else as deprived as Curve Blade, Celestia banish him to the moon, would hire you to get rid of me because I would step in his way? And you will let yourself become a weapon in their hands? Well, it's your choice, Shock Gauntlet. But remember this..."

Inhaling deeply, Twilight spat out all her negative emotions that she was feeling for the elite mercenary at that moment:

"I will not be merciful to you if you ally yourself with such people. And you will regret preventing my death at that prison. That I promise."

Shock Gauntlet listened to what Twilight Sparkle passed to him. As Slip Swipe went, he decided to look out of his window.

"Of course you won't be an easy target, Miss Sparkle. But I won't be as lenient either..."

Reputation decreased: Crimson Hands

Repeated firefights between you and this group have strained your relationship to outright hostility. While the group is happy to leave you alone if you do not attack them, they will jump at another chance to get even, since many will not forget the deaths of their comrades at your hands.

Quest Perk added (Twilight Sparkle):

Nemesis (Shock Gauntlet, Crimson Hands): This character has become your nemesis. Both of you are tied by the bounds of hostility beyond usual. Given the chance, this character will be hunting for you, and should you kill him or her, you will gain 400 XP.

Loyalty Perk won! (Applejack)

Stubborn Fortitude: As long as designated character is loyal to you, you gain +5% bonus to your Damage Resistance and Damage Threshold, and +10% bonus to your maximum HP count.

Applejack may be very stubborn, but said stubborness allows her to prevail in situations where others may falter; now, she will share her fortitude with you.

Author's Notes:

I had to change my plans in pacing. Travelling to Trottingham will start in the next chapter. For now, some more aftermath.

I am sorry. Since I have changed my job, I am adapting to it, and I also need to get into good graces. This gives me less possibilities to write than I would like to.

On a more optimistic note, I am getting inspirations here and there in Fallout 1 and Fallout: New Vegas, so I have an idea what characters will do on the way to Trottingham and in there. So the story is not going on hiatus, officially at least. I will write when I have a possibility and strength.

Before that, however, I will need to do something else. Before Twilight and Sunset arrived at Appletown, I was doing a careful count of their caps and ammo count and equipment. And now, for practically 25 chapters, I did not. Primarily because in Appletown they could get a share of ammo free of charge, courtesy of Applejack. Now, however, that changes, and we have four characters travelling together, so it's impossible to keep info in my head.

So I will also need to make a revision of what the girls have in term of equipment and cash, and put them in a separate off-site document. This will take time. I have a lot to recount.

Thoughts, comments and criticism are welcome. Once again, sorry for the shortness and delay in plot advancement.

Stay tuned!