"OK, girls," Sunset Shimmer said, "we need to check all of our loot and see if we require more items. We have already bought five RegenStims, two Med-X syringes and one AMFAK-10 bag, but I think we may require more. We also need to ensure we are well stocked on ammunition - who knows whom or what we may encounter on the way, and what prices others charge."

"Brightlight has slightly higher prices for essentials," Rarity replied, "but not what I would call a robbery. However, the shop at the casino does have inflated prices. They also have rare items, though."

"We also need a cap recount. I think the stash of caps that Appletown got as its share of loot from the prison is still in the town, right, Applejack?"

"Eeyup, Big Mac has already decided who gets how many caps. Curve Blade has amassed quite a sum, although he squandered much on Crimson Hands. Part of our share goes into Appletown's treasury, and part is distributed among militiamen and other folks. Y'all are entitled to a part as well."

"Glad to hear it. Given the prices, more caps would not hurt."

"Regarding ammunition," Twilight spoke up, "Applejack, is there a chance we can get a share from Appletown's ammo stack for one last time before we leave?"

"Ah don't think Big Mac would say no, and hey, you've done so much for Appletown, Ah hardly imagine anyone saying anything against it. Y'all are practically heroes here for taking on Curve Blade. The only thing is, we don't have fancy ammunition like .308 sniper rifle ammo or anything for energy weapons. We only have ammo for assault rifles, hunting rifles and 10mm pistols and SMGs, plus some boxes for the LMG me an' Big Mac use in turns."

"Speaking of said LMG, are you taking it?" Sunset inquired.

"Big Mac said Ah could have it, so why not? Besides, the guys from Brotherhood of Steel recharged the microfusion power pack for mah power armour, so Ah can easily lug an' fire that big bad boy."

"Rarity, what weapons are you going to bring?"

"My MSR-90 sniper rifle and the silenced pistol most definitely, plus combat knife and balisong. I was not thinking of bringing anything else. I do have a marksman carbine, also with a silencer, but that's not my first weapon of choice, because it's more for open combat than sniping, which I don't usually do."

"Given the latest events, Rarity, Ah think open combat may be in your future," Applejack spoke up.

"Fair point, Applejack, but I cannot lug too many weapons at a time, it severely limits my mobility. If either Twilight or Sunset were to give one of Buffalo SMGs to me, then I can deal with open combat well enough."

"Take mine," Sunset offered. "I am not really much into infiltration tactics."

"Much obliged, darling, thank you."

"I am concerned about ammunition for your weapons, though."

"Do not worry about that, Sunset. I can restock from my hideout. I may even have some spare 9mm ammo for Buffalo SMGs I can share."

"Twilight, Sunset," Applejack took over, "are you bringing your energy weapons?"

"Most definitely, especially if we risk encountering super mutants," Twilight replied. "Ammunition for those might be a pickle, though, but I think we can try scavenging from the military base."

"No can do, Twi, Ah spoke with Flash an' he said that Brotherhood already stripped it clean."

"Drat. Given that we're on better terms now, do you think they will trade extra energy batteries and microfusion cells?"

"Ah doubt it, but who knows? Ask Flash or Aegis, if that metal soccer ball of his happens to fly around."

"I will."

"Ah also heard 'bout one big merchant caravan comin' here in an hour or two, so if y'all have a chance, look at what they have."

"Thanks, Applejack."

"Alright y'all, let's get our share of caps an' move on."

As it turned out, Curve Blade did leave quite a sum behind, which was divided into shares depending on everyone's contribution to the fight. Twilight was amazed that Appletowners did not get into serious fights over each and every cap, but Big Macintosh told her that while there were some squabbles, the town council (of which he was in charge) was well-respected and listened to, so no one raised a ruckus.

Twilight and Sunset got 800 caps each, Applejack (as a former leader) got 1000, and Rarity got 700 due to her rather late joining in battle. Nobody protested their income, so everyone left pleased.

Twilight asked Flash about the possibility of refilling their supply of energy weapons ammunition via Brotherhood of Steel, but the answer left her rather disappointed.

"Even if Elder Aegis does prove amenable to the idea, he'll most definitely overcharge you for them, and chances are he would give you recycled batteries and microfusion cells instead of fresh ones, so I would not recommend it - you would be better off buying from merchants, if you meet one who sells this sort of things."

"Recycled?"

"Spent batteries and cells still have some leftover charge, which can be recollected and directed into another battery or cell, if you have the right workbench and skills for it," Flash explained. "This helps to spare some caps, but recycled ammunition for energy weapons has a negative effect on its circuits, which worsens the weapon's overall condition. Which is why Brotherhood is not keen on using recycled batteries. They are left for those outsiders whom the command trusts and are sold for a rather overblown price."

"Drat. We aren't that poor with energy weapon ammunition, but I hoped to get a good stash - who knows how long will we be in Trottingham? I have heard that super mutants are rather active there, and I would rather avoid spending all our reserves on them."

"I know, Twilight, but that's the actual truth. I am sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry for, Flash."

"If it helps, I can tell that super mutants' heads are still quite vulnerable to bullets. And high-caliber ammunition is still devastating on them. I think that if you encounter those, you can rely on Applejack's LMG or Rarity's sniping to take them out quickly. I think that you'd be better off using laser rifles if you encounter five or more of them at a time - super mutants are very dangerous when they hold a numerical advantage over you, and that's when you must negate it ASAP. Also you can use energy weapons to bring down super mutants with LMGs and miniguns, if you encounter those - even power armour can't hold for long against those."

"Thanks for the advice," Twilight smiled, receiving a smile in return.

"You're welcome."

Some time later, Rarity left Appletown in order to re-stock on ammunition that she could not find in there, namely .308 and .22 ammo. The trip took her three hours overall, which prompted Applejack to comment jokingly on Rarity taking time to stock on fanciness and others to laugh at former fashionista's expense. Rarity pouted and frowned, but took the joke in good stride.

A merchant caravan arrived to Appletown while the alabaster-skinned girl was absent, offering a variety of goods. The girls took the chance to sell the unnecessary items they had (including their hunting rifles, .32 ammo and spare weapons they did not need). Twilight earned 620 caps that way, and Sunset earned 797.

The girls bought 9mm ammo for Buffalo SMGs, since they almost depleted their reserves in the latest days, coughing up 300 caps in total. Sunset also bought spare ammo for her shotgun for 144 caps and five energy batteries for her laser pistol for 390 caps, while Twilight bought twenty-one .44 magnum ammo for 63 caps. Both girls also bought four frag grenades each, spending 240 caps.

As for assault rifle and 10mm ammunition, the girls went to the arsenal of Appletown. As promised, Big Macintosh allowed them to restock free of charge before they left, so each girl got herself fifteen clips worth of ammo for assault rifles. Twilight got restocked up to twelve spare SMG magazines and five full N99 pistol magazines. Sunset decided not to take more pistol ammo, as she had enough of those.

As the girls recounted their caps, they discovered that Twilight now had 1401 cap and Sunset had 917. Applejack brought 1199 caps with herself (all of her savings plus recent prizes) and Rarity brought 1636.

As the time to leave the friendly town drew to a close, Sunset gave her Buffalo SMG and all spare ammunition for it to Rarity, who accepted it with thanks. Applejack stepped into her T-72d power armour, and Twilight closed it, turning the wheel to firmly lock it in place. The blonde girl looked at the Pip-Boy connected to the armour, and smiled upon seeing that microfusion power pack's charge was at 100 percent.

Finally, they assembled at the edge of Appletown, with Big Macintosh, Apple Bloom, Flash Sentry, Hunter Rose, Lyra Heartstrings, Bon Bon and (surprisingly) Vinyl Scratch coming to see them off.

"Surely wish Ah could come with you, lil' sis," Big Macintosh said.

"Don't worry, Big Mac, we'll do fine. An' Ah'm not little."

"Just like Ah'm not little to ya, big sis?" Apple Bloom smirked, and Applejack sputtered as everyone chuckled.

"Ya'll always be mah little sister to me, Applejack," the eldest Apple brother spoke in an unusually soft voice. "Even though you're all grown up now an' almost tower over me with this power armour of yours."

"Ah hay's bails, Big Mac," the blonde girl lowered her voice, "an' ya'll always remain the biggest brother in the world ta me. And Apple Bloom, ya'll still remain a little sis ta me."

"You're the best sister Ah could ask for," Apple Bloom drew Applejack into a hug (or tried to), which was returned. The red-haired girl could not help but let some tears loose, and Applejack also visibly struggled to cry solely on the inside as she first hugged her younger sister and elder brother.

"I hope you will succeed in your quest, Twilight," Flash told the lavender-skinned girl.

"Me too, but I am not alone now. We'll look out for each other, I promise."

"That said, Elder Aegis asked me to pass along a message. A patrol of Brotherhood went missing in Trottingham, we can't establish contact. If it's possible, he wants you to find out where they are or bring back their holotags if they're dead."

"We'll keep our eyes open for that."

"Thanks. Be careful out there. Look out for each other, and may the Steel be with you," Flash carefully hugged Twilight. The equine-turned-human returned the affectionate gesture, but hesitated as they released each other.

Then she rose on her toetips and kissed Flash on the left corner of his mouth.

Both of them felt as if some electric current ran between them for the brief moment and blushed, mouths agape, as they slowly moved away from each other. Twilight drew her gaze away, abashed, while Flash simply stood shocked.

Finally, both of them looked each other into the eyes, and Twilight said:

"Well... take care, Flash. And... er, see you again."

"Thanks, take care as well," the ex-rocker regained some control over himself. "See you later."

"Hey guys," Vinyl Scratch approached the quartet (plus Spike), "thanks again for all you did for CWN. If you have a chance to drop by our flat, will you look through it?"

"We'll see if we get a chance," Sunset said. "This is somewhat farther than we need to go, but it may be possible."

"Hey, it's not urgent. And do something impressive, so the listeners of CWN get awed by Daring Duo, or should I say Daring Quintet now?" the girl smirked.

"Seriously, stop it."

"Good luck," Hunter Rose told the girls, "and shine your light upon the Wastelands."

"Thank you, Mr. Rose," Rarity replied. "Ahem, are you sure you want to keep your hat like that?"

"Eh, it'd be hard to try and repair it, so I think I'll keep it like that. Makes me look more badass."

"OK then. Take care, sir."

"Hey you," Lyra came up to them, "thanks for saving Bon Bon and keeping me from... well... my revenge quest."

"You're welcome, Lyra," Twilight replied. "Sure you don't wanna join?"

"I wish we could," Bon Bon said, "but I'll be busy trying to find out who set me up, and that's gonna take us in different directions from yours. So no, not this time at least."

"Sorry to hear that. Good luck to you."

"You as well."

"Alright everybody," Applejack declared, moving the bolt of her LMG and listening to the click-clank of the firing mechanism, "it's time."

After the last round of hugs and bye's, Twilight, Sunset, Applejack, Rarity and Spike started to go away from Appletown in direction of Trottingham. Everyone who saw them off looked at them until they disappeared out of sight.

At one moment, Applejack turned back to look around, but Appletown was already below the horizon line. A look of sadness crossed her face, and she stood in place for a couple of seconds before turning around and hurrying to catch up to other girls.

One hour or so later, the group came up to the railroad that was going in the direction of Trottingham. The girls and Spike went parallel to the tracks, keeping eyes open for any potential threats.

"Merchants told me that sometimes raiders used trolleys for transport," Applejack mentioned, "so keep an eye on both sides. And be careful."

"Understood," Sunset replied, lifting her R91 assault rifle and looking down the sights. Rarity did the same with her sniper rifle, turning back periodically to ensure that an enemy was not creeping up on them from behind.

The railroad went into a forest that used to be lively and green, but the drought caused by atmospheric changes that occurred after atomic explosions made both grass and trees yellowish, resulting in a rather depressive mood. The plants surrounded the railroad track on both sides, and the girls had problems seeing deep into the forest.

"Urgh," Rarity complained, "my sniper rifle is virtually useless here."

"Think you should switch to SMG?" Sunset asked.

"Sounds good, but I still think we need better visibility on 12 and 6 o'clock, so maybe I'll cover those directions, and you will do flanks?"

"If this were in Equestria, it might have sounded soooo wrong..." Sunset muttered, taking place near Twilight and behind the ex-fashionista; Applejack moved forward, to the left of Rarity.

They moved forward, not seeing any enemies (be it raiders or mutated animals) for approximately twenty minutes. Several times they heard the familiar click-click-click of radiation detectors in their Pip-Boys, which lead to them sprinting forward so as to pass the dangerous area more quickly. Still, over that course, all of them received 18 rads.

"Horseapples," Sunset swore, "if it goes on like that, we might go down with radiation sickness."

"Don't worry, there has never been more than five rads per second in this area," Applejack replied.

"That won't be comforting if there are dozens of these areas or if an area is quite long."

"Merchants travel along this road all the time, Sunset, don't worry. This area is better than other ways, according to them - either there is more radiation or that area is infested with packs of dangerous animals. People regularly meet a yao guai or several if they stray off this path."

"Do they come here?"

"They shouldn't, but ya never know."

Crack!

"Y'all hear that?"

"Yes," Twilight said, "and I don't feel that it's anything good. Weapons ready!"

More cracks followed, coming closer in their direction. A minute later, a massive hulking figure of a mutated bear climbed out of high bushes that hid its approach, and roared.

"Speak of a motherfuckin' demon an' he'll come! Fire!" Applejack bellowed, unslinging her LMG and pulling the trigger. The massive weapon spat out bullets in a deafening staccato, followed by Twilight's and Sunset's assault rifles. Roaring in pain, the beast lunged at the blonde farmer, swiping at her and forcing her to duck and move away, stopping her onslaught.

Meanwhile, Rarity managed to detach the optical sight on her sniper rifle, using ironsights instead. Dropping onto one knee, she opened fire at the yao guai's left hind leg, aiming to shatter its knee. She managed to release three shots before the monster jumped at her.

"Aaaaaargh!" the indigo-haired girl shrieked, diving into the bushes. The beast turned its left side to Twilight and Sunset, and both Equestrians did not hesitate to use that to their advantage as they unleashed 5.56mm bullets on the already-wounded leg. Their combined fire smashed the damaged limb to pieces, resulting in a roar of pain. The yao guai limped into their direction, intending to swipe at the girls. However, Applejack stood in its way and aimed at its head.

"Nope," she said, and pushed the trigger.

Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-dat! Heavy 7.62mm bullets smashed the skull of the creature, piercing its brain and making it topple. Not satisfied, Applejack jumped into the air and landed hard on the beast's head. With a sickly crunch, the head came apart, dirtying the feet of the power armour.

"Eurgh," the farmer groaned, "yao guai brains."

"Oof!" Rarity untangled herself from the bushes, several scratches on her face. "Oh, I should've put on the mask when I went after ammo! Now there are scratches on my face!"

"Just dab some disinfectant an' ya'll be fine," Applejack said. "Ah don't know how to get this brain matter off now," she grumbled, wiping the boots on the grass.

"Ew, gross," the former fashionista went green in the face, but held the vomit reflex back.

Suddenly, all of them heard some whining from the side where the now-dead yao guai came from.

"The heck?" Sunset spoke up, and everyone went in that direction. What they saw beyond the bushes surprised them.

Four little mutated and ugly cubs were whining, cuddled together in a small hole in the ground.

"Yao guai cubs?!" Sunset gasped. "Well that's something I have never seen before..."

"We stumbled upon the mama bear, it seems. Or should Ah say mama yao guai? Eh, whatever," Applejack said. "This must be dealt with."

"Dealt with? Applejack, what're you..." Twilight started, but a loud burst from the blonde girl's LMG interrupted her.

Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-dat!

Several pitiful shrieks, and four descendants of a mutated bear lay still, unmoving.

"What in the name of... APPLEJACK!" the lavender-skinned girl shrieked.

"Whassamatter, Twi?" the farmer spoke up, totally unconcerned.

"I know that yao guai are dangerous and all, but... should you have just... shot all of the cubs?"

"If Ah don't, either those cubs will get eaten by someone else or they grow up an' become a problem. Ah'd rather not have them grow up."

"That's... cold."

"You've been in the Wastelands long enough, Twi. Surely ya know how dangerous those beasts are? An' a yao guai cub will always grow up as a yao guai - a horrifyingly massive, aggressive, fast and dangerous yao guai."

"I get the logic. Just... I wouldn't have done that, to be honest."

"Well, it's your choice. But many folks would not understand that. They aren't Fluttershy, ya know that," Applejack lowered her head, and everyone else stood in silence, their mood dampened.

We have found each other... but we are still lacking some of our friends. This thought ran through their heads in one form or another.

"OK y'all, let's go," the blonde girl offered. "Ah don't wanna risk someone else following the noise of our guns."

"Agreed," Rarity spoke up.

"Come on, then."

As everyone left, Twilight spared one last glance at the dead bodies of small mutants.

This isn't right, she thought.

Really? Is it better to have them grow up as vicious killers? And have some poor sod die at their claws? Another voice, one she was all-too-familiar with right now, flared up.

We can't kill someone on mere what-ifs!

Didn't you kill White Knives and go after Curve Blade following the same what-ifs?

That's different! We knew already they were bandits and murderers, and I am not that sorry that they are gone. But can we kill anyone else on the mere notion that someone will grow up as a murderer? Like, well, killing a baby raised by raiders?

Bad example. Human kids are not animals. You can take that baby from raiders and raise him or her as a good individual. But a yao guai cub will always grow up as a yao guai. And you know that these beasts are awfully dangerous.

This is still so wrong and not fair.

Well, life is not fair, but I think we can agree on that. But if you want to survive, you must fully adapt to this world; become a part of it.

I am NOT a part of this world! I am from another dimension, for Celestia's sake!

And yet you aren't in THAT dimension. You're in THIS dimension. And your return to that dimension... is not guaranteed. At all. If you want to return, you must survive. And I already told you what must be done.

And if I lose myself in this world? I won't fit in back home!

People change. They shouldn't be surprised once you tell them what you have been through. Heck, I don't think they have ever fought a raider.

Thanks, Captain Obvious.

You're welcome... Private Sparkle. Heh-heh-heh.

Why you..!

Shaking her head, Twilight focused on the road ahead, quickening her pace so as to not get lost behind.

As the girls went out of the forest, the sun was lowering in the sky, making them squint slightly as it shone up their faces.

"Blast," Sunset muttered, "this sunlight has us at a disadvantage. Should have foreseen this, given that we are going west-south-west at this moment and the sun sets in the west."

"Ah don't think it will be an issue for long, Sunset, it's 17:49 now an' the sun sets somewhere around seven o'clock p.m.," Applejack responded, looking at the Pip-Boy secured on her power armour.

"Still not pleased."

"The road is turning to the left up ahead," Rarity spoke, looking through her optical sight.

"Mind that your sight does not catch the sun," the fiery-haired girl advised.

"Sunset, I am a fropessional, surely you don't think I did not know that?"

"Fropessional?"

"What are you - oh goodness, I misspoke, didn't I?" Rarity's face was flushed from embarrassment at her orphoepic faux pas.

"You did."

"Oh snap," the alabaster-skinned girl facepalmed, but said nothing else. Applejack chuckled, earning herself a mock-outraged glare.

"Oh shut up," Rarity snapped at her power-armour-clad friend, but was unable to resist a small smile at her own expense.

"Hey guys," Twilight interrupted, "is it me or there are figures up ahead?"

"I smell humans as well," Spike spoke up.

"Let me see," Rarity adjusted the focus and the magnification on her optical sight, and responded, "Yes, I see some humans in the distance, their backs are turned to us."

"Everyone drop!" Sunset ordered, and the girls lowered themselves on the ground, weapons ready - except Rarity, who dropped herself on one knee, since the high grass would impede her visibility.

"I have counted... six armed humans... scratch that, seven... eight... yes, eight armed humans, and I also see unarmed humans as well, four... no, five... oh, there's another armed human, nine in total... unarmed humans are standing behind the armed ones... wait... the ones who are unarmed... their hands are tied behind their backs!"

"What?!" Twilight gasped.

"Quiet!" Sunset hissed at her.

"Yes, it is as I said... oh... unarmed humans have dropped on their knees now. They are forced to sit in an uncofortable position... wait... I see collars on their necks?"

"Collars?" Applejack spoke confusedly, but then her face was split by a scowl and she snarled, "Slavers!"

All the girls felt like they had stepped into a cold shower and liquid ice was flowing down their spines as they realized that they have met one of the most detestable and dangerous threats that they could encounter. Applejack and Rarity frowned immediately, while Sunset and Twilight kept more concerned expressions.

"I see the image of two dice, six and six, on their backs," Rarity continued. "I recognize the emblem. It's Traders Sixty-Six, one of the most notorious salave trading groups. They themselves have a number of slaves, but as far as I know, they operated mostly in Western Canterlot Wastelands and near Whinnyapolis. Seems they have expanded."

"What do we do?" Twilight asked. "We can't let slavers detain these people, right?"

"Right you are, Twi," Applejack nodded, "but we need to act carefully. We need to ambush them."

"There's too much open ground," Sunset interjected, "and from this distance, only Rarity can work well enough."

"I wouldn't be so sure, there's a wind blowing," Rarity spoke up. "Plus, I am afraid I might hit one of the prisoners from this distance. We have to come closer."

"They might notice us," Sunset said.

"How about we try to approach them, but showing no hostility?" Twilight offered. "Pretend we don't care, and when they don't expect it, we fire?"

"Nice idea, Twi, although that might be sorta hard ta me," Applejack admitted.

"Plus, you might be more recognizable with your Stetson, Applejack," Rarity noted. "Take off your hat and put on this mask, it will hide your facial expression," she said, taking out the object in question.

"Alright then, if ya say so," Applejack muttered, following the instruction.

"I might try something as well," Sunset spoke, taking out a bandana and tying it so it would cover her face below the eyes.

"Interesting," Rarity said. "Twilight, put Spike inside your bag, just in case."

"I agree. Spike, come here."

"Can I at least jump into their faces?" the pup asked.

"If we get the chance."

The group went forward, weapons pointing down or in relaxed stance. Sunset stepped forward, while Applejack was on her right. Twilight went behind Applejack. Rarity, however, slagged slightly behind.

"Cloaking," she said, and tapped her wrist, activating the Stealth-Boy. As Twilight turned back for a moment, she could not see Rarity anymore, and only a slight light distortion which indicated her presence. She (and others) still heard her say:

"I will take the best position I can; once I open fire, hesitate slightly and then attack."

"Understood," Twilight muttered barely audibly.

The group approached the slavers with confidence, and soon enough, they were noticed. One of the slavers stood up from the ground and said:

"Hey! Whacha doin' here?"

"Just passing by, man," Sunset replied in an authoritative tone, "wanna try our luck in Brightlight."

"Ah, ya wanna play some poker in there? Sounds good to me, I haven't been there in month. Just need to get to Trottingham and drop off the load," he pointed his gun at the tied up prisoners. "Say, you wanna stay with us? You look like you know your way with guns, and, well, safety in numbers and stuff. Especially with that butch in power armour."

Applejack growled and stepped forward, but Sunset stopped her with a hand gesture.

"Be more polite to her, man," she said. "Last guy who tried to mouth off at her got his balls literally torn off. By bare hands."

"Hey, it's cool, I meant no offense. So are you staying or not?"

"For how long are you pausing here?"

"Ten minutes tops, gotta drop something into our bellies."

"Fine by me, we'll just hang around until then."

The slavers went back to their food, except for the guards who kept their eyes on prisoners rather than the girls. Sunset and others maintained some distance from them, pretending to look around for any threats. Applejack kept her back to the girls, casting furtive glances at the Traders 66 themselves. She noticed (not without pleasure) that the slavers were looking a little bit intimidated when in her presence. She also recounted them; as it turned out, there were ten Traders Sixty-Six in reality.

Dang it, I hope Rarity reacts accordingly - ten is worse than eight, she thought, looking at the slavers as they ate and drank.

As the slavers finished eating, several of them threw the remains at their captives, forcing them to twist themselves so as to catch the food with their mouths, but they only collided with each other, falling to the ground in a heap.

Traders laughed uproariously at the display, enjoying the pitiful sight as their prisoners tried to untangle themselves. Sunset remained impassive, Twilight clenched her teeth, and Applejack snarled quietly:

"Thrice-cursed motherfuckin' beasts! Just ya wait, until..."

Suddenly, one of the slavers jerked forward and fell down, exposing the hole in the back of his head. A second later, another slaver's head came apart, splattering brains around. At this point, others stopped laughing and looked into all directions

"What the..." one of them began, but promptly caught a bullet into his temple.

"SNIPER!" Sunset shouted, dropping onto one knee and firing blindly in a random direction; Twilight added her own bullets to the mix. "Over there!"

Other slavers opened fire in the same direction, exposing their backs to the girls. Twilight nodded to Applejack, and the blonde girl grinned maliciously, aiming her LMG at the slavers and pulling the trigger.

Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-dat!

"Surpsise, motherfuckers!" she shouted, as Twilight and Sunset turned their guns on the slavers as well.

Ba-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta! Bra-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-tat!

"The fuck - oh shit, we've been had!" shouted one of the Traders, dodging to the side and firing his AP-79 at Applejack. However, his bullets were unable to penetrate the heavy power armour, and he fell quickly as a .308 bullet entered his larynx.

Very quickly, there were only two slavers left. One of them ran out of ammunition at the same time when the girls emptied out their magazines and tried to charge at them with a combat knife. However, before he was able to swipe at Twilight (who was the closest to him), Spike jumped out of the rucksack and swiped his claws across the Trader's eyes. Surprised, he stumbled and fell down onto his back, which allowed Twilight to whip out her revolver and shoot him to the head as Spike jumped off him. Meanwhile, Applejack took her LMG as an improvised club and charged at the remaining slaver who frantically was trying to reload his R91 assault rifle. He only managed to insert the maagzine as the blonde farmer hit him viciously across the face, knocking him out.

Silence reigned for several moments as the girls reloaded their weapons.

"No other targets in the vicinity," Rarity spoke, decloaking. "We got 'em."

"And one of 'em is still alive to sing like a canary," Applejack gave a none-too-gentle kick to the surviving raider, taking off the mask and putting her Stetson hat back on, while Sunset uncovered her face.

"Damn, wearing bandana like that is uncomfortable," she said.

Twilight approached the prisoners who were gazing up at her with a mixture of surprise and shock.

"Are you all OK?" she asked, concerned.

"Well," a gruff voice sounded from below one of the bodies, "if you help us untangle ourselves, it's gonna be better."

"Sunset, help me," Twilight asked, and two girls took apart the small pyramid of bodies. Once they got to the bottom of it, Twilight saw a blotched, mutated face with no eyelids and few hair remaining, skin blistered and raw.

"Oh shit!" she swore uncontrollably, and Sunset jerked a bit.

"Yeah yeah, I am ugly as a mole rat's ass, now, care to untie us, smoothskin?" said the same gruff (and raspy, as Twilight noted) voice.

"Please excuse my friend," Sunset spoke, cutting the ropes with her knife. "The only ghouls she and I have seen were feral, so... no offense meant."

"Hmpf. None taken, then," the ghoul stood up and rubbed his wrists, "since you didn't shoot me at sight."

"Why would I do that?" Twilight inquired.

"Because most folks can tell a feral apart from a non-feral only by coming close, and people don't wanna risk their sorry behinds, smoothskin."

"So they shoot first and ask questions later?"

"Change "later" for "never" and you got it right."

"Hey Sunset, any ropes out there for this fella?" Applejack called.

"How about these?" Sunset showed the relatively intact ropes she took off from the last prisoner.

"Perfect, gimme."

The fiery-haired girl moved away as Twilight stood in front of the group of three men, one woman and one male ghoul.

"Anyone needs medical assistance?" she asked.

"No," one of men replied, "we're fine enough. They don't want spoiled goods, after all," the hatred was clearly discernible in his voice. "But we're quite hungry."

"Please wait a moment," Rarity called from one of the bodies, "I am almost done looting these ruffians. They have got some food and water."

"Thank you for saving us," the woman spoke, looking into Twilight's eyes. "You have spared us from a horrible fate. They were planning to sell us to Hominus Trent!"

"Who is he?"

"A guy who got himself a coal mine somehow and now does a big business selling coal to anyone who wants to make energy out of it," the ghoul said. "And since not everyone can have something nuclear-powered here, he rakes in big money. But he doesn't want to work himself, so he has slaves doing that for him. I tell you, finding yourself there is a fate worse than death. Only TODC concentration camps can compare to that, and I'm not convinced they would win."

"Where is he?"

"Somewhere in the desert in the Western Wastelands, around Appleloosa, but where exactly, no one knows."

"Alright y'all," Applejack approached them, hauling a now-conscious slave trader by his collar, "now's the time to ask him some questions. Ya hear me, partner?" she shook him.

"I ain't tellin' ya, bitch," he snarled.

"Well too fucking bad. Sunset?"

The fiery-haired girl took out her pistol and shot the slaver to the leg below the knee.

"AAAARGH! You bitch! You shot my fuckin' leg!"

"Quit whining," Sunset replied in a bored tone, "the bullet didn't get your bone. That's bullshit, not a wound. Next time, I won't be so nice. Now, where you were taking these people!"

"Fuck off!"

Bang!

"AAAARGH!"

"Now it gets serious," Sunset warned. "I wanted to go for your kneecap, but now that you have soiled your tongue with such language, I think I'll just shoot your balls off if you refuse to answer my questions again."

"You can't be serious," the slaver sneered.

Bang! Another bullet entered his hip, very close to a man's prized organ.

"Oops. My wrist twitched. Won't happen again," Sunset inhaled deeply, and then suddenly shouted into his face, "Now tell me right fucking now where you were taking them or I will castrate you without anesthesia!"

"All right, all right! We were going to trade them off to a guy named Cream Wuss! He works for Hominus Trent, transfers the people to his mine from here!"

"How much did he pay you?"

"He promised six thousand caps on delivery!"

"That's a nice sum," Sunset whistled. "Except I don't think you would have gotten everything, right?"

"Right, the boss takes ten percent from any transaction."

"And the boss is..?"

"Silver Shackle, surely ya heard that?"

"Rumours were going about change of power."

"Nah, that's bullshit."

"Well, thanks for the info. Now, what to do with you? Hey guys," Sunset addressed the liberated persons who took some weapons and ammo for themselves, "you wanna have some fun with him?"

"You know, lass," the ghoul answered, "that might be a good idea."

"Well, that's settled!" Sunset declared brightly, and promptly delivered two shots to the slaver's kneecaps; Aplpejack tossed him on the ground. "I think we'll take what's left, if there's anything nice, and then we'll part ways."

"Works for us. Thank you."

"Heh, you're welcome."

"Now, pretty boy," the ghoul and others approached their recent captor, "wanna play the same "bondage game" you played with us, but with role reversal?"

"No-no-no-no-NO!" the slaver repeated quickly until a dirty boot to the face silenced him.

When the girls were done picking their loot and decided to part ways, the slaver was hanged from a nearby tree, his corpse ridden with bullets. The bullet holes were added after the hanging.

"Eugh," Twilight commented, "gross."

"Ah dunno, seems fittin' for the scum like him," Applejack commented offhandedly, as the girls made their way further...

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. As the sun almost fully sat down, the girls stopped in order to eat, and continued their way along the rail tracks. By that time, they could already see the outline of the city, and the feeling of being close to their target rejuvenatted them.

Finally, both girls came close to the husks of the nine-storey buidings and remains of skyscrapers that made up most of the surroundings of post-apocalyptic Trottingham.

"That's where I lived before the Day of Burning," Sunset mused. "That seems so long ago."

"Seven years does count as long ago," Rarity agreed. "I had come here on several occasions, to sell dresses or for charity events designed to get people into the Vaults... if only I knew their true purpose..."

"Hey," Twilight put her hand on ex-fashionista's shoulder, "don't blame yourself. It's not your fault. It's those higher-ups that deserve to burn in Tartarus."

"Agreed," Applejack put her own hand on another shoulder, making Rarity stumble slightly, "ya can't be blamed for that."

"Thank you," the indigo-haired girl breathed out. "Pardon me my small moment of weakness. Let's move. Brightlight is not far from here."

As they approached the (in)famous settlement, they could hear some gunfire up ahead.

"What the hay?" Sunset asked, and everyone quickened their pace.

As they approached the gates into the city, they saw the reason. People in various types of armour, from ramshackle raider stuff to Crimson Hands armour to some of the White Knives' and armed with an assortment of weapons, were attacking the gates of Brightlight. The guards of the town were desperately fighting, but the attackers were equal to them in terms of numbers, and some of them had superior armaments.

What's worse, Twilight and others clearly saw two figures in unmistakable Brotherhood of Steel power armour.

"What the fuck?" Sunset asked. "Why are there Brotherhood troopers with raiders and bandits in White Knives' armour?"

"Wait, I caught a radio signal on my Pip-Boy," Twilight said, and seconds later, they heard:

"This is Brightlight authorities to any traveller approaching Brightlight, be advised - hordes of... zombie-like people are attacking. Yes, sounds ridiculous, but the attackers are a mixed bunch that would never work together under normal circumstances, so bear with me. We are offering a bounty of one thousand caps to any traveller willing to assist in our defense. If you agree, go to the north-eastern gates! messgae repeats. This is Brightlight authorities to any..."

"We are actually near the north-eastern gates," Rarity spoke. "I count twenty-five or so attackers. We can get them in pincers, they can't hide from two sides at once, but we need to eliminate the opposition as fast as possible, and these Brotherhood soldiers, if they are indeed from Brotherhood, really worry me."

"Can we deal with them?" Sunset asked.

"It's possible," Twilight spoke, "but tricky. I know for certain that Applejack's LMG may give them problems, and laser rifles can as well. Rarity, how good is your sniper rifle at penetrating armour?"

"Unfortunately, I don't have armour-piercing ammunition, and standard ammo can reliably punch only through the visors," the indigo-haired girl replied.

"What about microfusion power packs? Can they be disabled via shots?"

"I hardly think that creators of power armour would be so careless as to not think of that, but one may try," Rarity said. "There is one point in there, hitting which could disrupt the power supply."

"Then try to hit at least one of them in such a point," Twilight said. "Applejack, try and dispose of as many attackers in as short time as it is possible - it won't do us any good if we are overwhelmed by bulletstorm. Me and Sunset will act according to situation, but best option is to melt the other Paladin's helmet and fry his head or disrupt his power pack as well."

"I got ya, Twi," Applejack moved forward, two Equestrians lagging behind her and Rarity being the last with her Stealth-Boy turned on. The girls hid behind concrete slabs of which there was no lack; Twilight and Sunset took out their laser rifles.

"Rarity, you ready?" Twilight called.

"I am!"

Suddenly, one of the Paladins jerked, hit by a .308 bullet. Rarity missed the first time and the shot went below her intended target, ricochetting to the side. Before the Paladin recovered, however, Rarity fired again and this time she was able to hit the small joint which transferred power from the microfusion power pack to the whole armour.

This particular joint was a design oversight by the creators of T-72d power armour. Since it was believed that Mechanized Infantry would take most fire to the front, the power backpack was not armoured as properly as it should have been, and while non-AP ammo were still rather ineffective against the titan-kevlar-carbon polyalloy that comprised the armour, two "joints" (as they were commonly called) that served as power conduit to the whole system were not placed efficiently enough (below some less thick plates), and with luck, one could disrupt the power flow by hitting said "joint". Said disruption rendered the armour into a metal casket, as one joint could not compensate for the loss.

Which is why when Rarity hit one of the "zombie" Paladins, he dropped his minigun as it has become too heavy for him to hold, as well as the armour. The other Paladin received a barrage of lasers into his back, but the armour held and he turned around, raining suppressive fire on Twilight and Sunset from his minigun. However, he did not account for Rarity and Applejack: the latter started peppering him with bullets, and the former managed to land a perfect shot through his visor - from a third attempt, though - and the armoured transparent plastic did not hold against a sniper bullet. The Paladin went down in a heap.

Applejack immediately began raining indiscriminate fire at other "zombie-like" attackers who began raining fire down on them. The distraction provided by girls turned out to be costly, however - the defenders seized their chance and at least half a dozen frag grenades bounced across the battlefield, cutting down seven attackers at once. Applejack managed to kill three and severely wound two with her fire, and Twilight and Sunset were merciless as well - although Twilight felt physically sick each time as she hit another target with a laser beam.

Fifteen attackers were remaining as the enemies tried to charge the girls, apparently deciding that they stood a higher chance of surviving if they could get out of the crossfire (there was no way to retreat to the sides, as the passages were blocked by collapsed rubble), which put them in a predicament. Rarity could snipe the targets relatively easily, and Applejack, Twilight and Sunset were relentless, but when the enemy came too close for comfort, there were eight left. What's worse, all the girls expended their magazines for primary ammunition, which led to an unpleasant situation of close quarters, and the defenders could not fire for fear of hitting them.

Twilight whipped out the "Burning Flash" pistol, Sunset took out her own laser pistol and held a knife in her left hand in a reverse grip, and Applejack took out her N99 sidearm in her left hand while holding a quite vicious-looking large knife in her right hand. A string of "phut-phut-phut-phut" sounds indicated that Rarity brought out the Buffalo SMG. A cacophony of gunfire sounded, as laser beams, 10mm bullets and 9mm bullets raced towards their targets, but in the confusion, only two attackers were killed, and six were remaining, while the girls (except Rarity, who was still covered by tactical cloak) received several bullets to torsos (fortunately, few of them penetrated, and those that did stuck close to the surface). Without hesitation, the enemies split into pairs of two and charged, brandishing various knives.

Applejack fired several times at her attackers, until a click signified a lack of ammunition. Not deterred, she pistol-whipped one of her enemies, sending him flying to the side, and drove a knife into another "zombie"'s left side. Amazingly, he did not even flinch. Applejack took out the knife and drove it again, this time to the throat. Turning to another one, she only saw bullet holes appear as more phuts sounded, and then she saw Rarity with her hand outstretched, Buffalo SMG in it.

"Thanks," the blonde girl said.

"No problem," she replied, and quickly whipped out a balisong, throwing it in a direction somewhere behind Applejack.

Sunset fired her laser pistol several times, hitting one of the attackers to the torso. The female in raider armour went on undeterred, and slashed at the unicorn-turned-human, but Sunset sidestepped her and drove her knife straight to the heart. Not bothering to pull it out, she fired at her other attacker, igniting him and turning him to ash.

"Help!" Twilight shouted, who had the worst luck. Her attackers were milspec armour, and while "Burning Flash" was rather effective in armour penetration, she did not manage to kill them quickly and was forced to run away, firing blindly until the energy battery was empty. None of the attackers died, and once Twilight began wearing out, they caught up to her. Rarity's balisong hit the neck of one of them, making him fall, but another one dropped the lavender-skinned girl to the ground, pinning her and trying to hit her with his knife while Twilight used her hands to stop his hand from lowering down and delivering the fatal blow.

As she fought, she noticed something strangely unnatural... the eyes of her attacker were purely white.

There was no retina, no pupil, no iris - only the whites. The image was very disturbing and disgusting.

Is that why they were called "zombie-like"? Because I am pretty sure this is not natural!

After what seemed like an eternity to her, she saw an alabaster-skinned hand hold a knife to her attacker's throat and slice it. Bright red blood flowed freely, showering Twilight's face and her armour. The last "zombie" fell down, pushed aside by another hand of the same color.

"Urgh," Rarity made a face as she helped her blood-stained friend stand. "Sorry about that, darling. I promise, if we find a source of water, I'll help you clean."

"Thanks, Rarity, but I think I'll manage."

"Nonsense, you need some special detergents to get clean of those stains. I'll look into them once we go inside."

"Hey!" a new voice sounded, and several people in green armour vests came close to the girls. "Thanks for the help. Anyone needs medical attention?"

"We took some shots," Sunset spoke, "doesn't seem serious, but won't hurt to check."

"Let us see. My name is Chip Drop, I am the head of security here. Gonna tell me your names?"

The girls introduced themselves in turn while Brightlight guards helped them with first aid and bandages.

"Nice armour you've got there, that helped you avoid more serious consequences," Chip Drop commented. "Anyway, I promised you a reward, each of you, so we now need to clear that with Round Risk, the local mayor."

"Sounds good to me," Sunset said to the contentment of the other girls.

"OK then. And, while this is not how we tend to invite our guests, still... welcome to Brightlight."

Level Up!

New Perk (Twilight Sparkle):

To Punish the Enslavers: You no longer gain negative Karma penalties from "Make Friends, Not War!" Trait when killing slave traders and slave owners - and anyone else who deals in the deplorable business of trading humans for caps.

New Perk (Sunset Shimmer):

Hey, Not Fair! (requires Level 15 and Perception 6): If your enemy has twice as many people as you and your companions (at least), you gain +10% weapon damage bonus and +15 Damage Threshold bonus. Level the odds!

Author's Notes:

Yay, I did the new chapter!

Now that our heroines left the safety of Appletown, they need to be careful with their resources again (good thing I have a Google Doc now that helps me with that), as well as be careful in general, for new threats await!

Hopefully, in 20-30 days I will be able to cough up a new chapter depicting what our heroines are up to in Brightlight. They still have a long way to go to Sunset's magic book!

I may also create another document, depicting the world of Fallout: Equestria Girls in general. I find myself overwhelmed with keeping information about the world in my head more and more often, and while I really don't trust any cloud services, I can't avoid that anymore. This may also take time, although it is not as limiting as the recounting I have made previously after posting Chapter 25.

Thoughts, comments and criticism are always welcome in comment box.

Stay tuned!