Vertibirds were by far the best way to travel across the wastes, Sunset was certain of it. Sure, they were noisy, and pretty cramped, and when they didn't reek of sweat they stank of oil and whatever vile chemical the Enclave used for cleaning, but the speed and safety they provided vastly outweighed any other considerations.

"We're coming up on Megaton now," the pilot called back. "Get ready to land."

"Roger!" Sunset glanced around at the others. The rest of the Rainbooms were crammed into the crew compartment, along with Adam and an Enclave fireteam.. "Alright, girls, you heard him. Check your gear and make sure everything is still secure."

Rarity shot a wary look at the heavy barrels strapped down at the end of the crew compartment. "Who's going to check that those are secure?"

"Don't worry, we checked them before we left," one of the Enclave soldiers assured her. "They're not going anywhere."

"Not unless someone shoots the Vertibird down!" Pinkie said loudly and proudly, earning herself a glare from the others.

Smoothing over the awkward moment, Sunset turned to Adam. "Alright, we've got the gist of what's going on, but do you have any details for us?"

Adam shrugged. "Scribe Bigsley sent a shipment of Aqua Pura to Megaton a couple of days ago, but a letter came through yesterday saying that it hasn't arrived and demanding another one."

"Aqua Pura?" Twilight asked.

"That's the name the Scribes gave it to differentiate it from pure water, which is used for science experiments instead of drinking," Adam replied. "Anyway, the Knights who delivered it are adamant that it was handed over to a group of Megaton citizens waiting outside the gates." He shook his head. "That shipment should have lasted a week. A month, if they rationed, plus whatever they get from their own purifier. Bigsley wants us to figure out where the shipment went while these fellas-" Adam jerked his head at the Enclave troopers, "- deliver this shipment."

Sunset opened her mouth to reply, then shut it and settled for a nod as the Vertibird started to descend. Vertibirds tended to land with a bump, and she had no interest in accidentally biting off her own tongue.

The ramp for the crew compartment opened almost as soon as the Vertibird touched the ground. The Rainbooms were the first ones off, checking around for threats out of habit, then the Enclave soldiers unloaded the water barrels with practiced efficiency.

Hardly anyone was around. The only people in view, other than Stockholm lurking in his usual guard post above the gates, were a handful of people gathered around a battered protectron. Bizarrely, the protectron was wearing a cowboy hat that would impress Applejack, and sported a shiny sheriff's badge on its torso. All of them were staring at the Vertibird with a mix of curiosity and apprehension.

Sunset glanced back at the Enclave troopers. "You guys get that water unloaded and take it into the city. Make sure you give it all directly to the sheriff: Lucas Simms. We'll try and figure out what happened to the last batch."

"Got it," one of the soldiers called back.

Feeling an odd sense of nostalgia, Sunset waved to Stockholm and made her way up towards the group. "Where did the robot come from?" She asked quietly as she walked.

"It must be Deputy Weld," Applejack replied. "It guards the gates and welcomes visitors. Apparently, it was in for repairs the last time we were here. Ah guess they fixed it."

"Huh." Sunset shoved the odd robot to the back of her mind as she strode up to the group of people. "Hey, guys. Mind if we ask you a few questions?"

"Are you the Rainbooms?" One of the men in the group asked flatly.

Sunset's eyes twitched at the man's ignorance. "Yeah. Anyway, we were hop-"

"Are you really angels sent by Atom?" The man interrupted.

"Shut up, you dumbass." A woman shoved him aside and stepped forward. "Sorry about him; he hasn't long moved here from Canterbury Commons and he didn't believe that you really existed. What do you want to know?"

Sunset threw an irritated look at Applejack, annoyed that the silly 'angels of Atom' rumors were still flying around, before replying with a sigh, "First of all, we're not angels, and second, we heard that a shipment of water went missing around here a few days ago. We're here to try and find out where it went."

Everyone in the group sagged with audible relief. "So are we," the woman replied. "The Brotherhood and the Rivet City caravans are usually pretty good with deliveries, but for some reason the most recent shipment never turned up."

"The Knights who brought it swear that they handed it over to a group of Megaton citizens outside the gates," Applejack told her. "Do you have any idea what might have happened to it? Could someone have smuggled it in, or hidden it, or somethin'?"

"What about Stockholm, did he see anything?" Sunset asked.

The woman frowned and crossed her arms. "Stockholm was off-duty at the time, but Deputy Weld did report a bunch of former citizens wandering around outside. And then there's this." She pulled a sheet of paper out of her pocket and gave it to Sunset.

"What is it?" Twilight asked.

Sunset raised an eyebrow as she read it through, her temper rising with every word. "It's some kind of pamphlet. 'Good people of Megaton, your salvation is at hand. We are the Apostles of Eternal Light. To heal this wounded city, we are willing to provide any and all supplicants with cleansing holy water. Come to our monastery in Springvale, and Brother Gerard will minister to your every need. We will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the Water of Light.'"

"The Apostles of Eternal Light?" Rainbow muttered. "What is that, some new cult?"

"That almost sounded like something from the Bible. Like the verse that my mother used to love," Adam said in a hollow tone. Fluttershy leaned into him reassuringly.

Sunset scowled and crumpled the pamphlet in her fist. "It sounds to me like some assholes stole the water and are trying to use it as some sort of bargaining chip to gain new followers." She looked up at the woman, who took a fearful step back at the look on her face. "Where did you get this?"

"T-the Apostles have been posting and handing them out all around town," the woman replied. "They've been handing out samples of their so-called holy water from their monastery as well."

"Do you have any?" The group whispered amongst themselves, and someone quickly produced a bottle and passed it to Sunset. She eyed the water suspiciously. It was sparklingly clean and clear, just like the water from Project Purity.

A label had been wrapped around the bottle, covered in religious scripture written in elegant calligraphy, but another label could just be seen underneath. "Hang on." Carefully peeling off the label, Sunset's scowl deepened as she saw that the label beneath said 'Aqua Pura' in bold letters, with the symbols of the Brotherhood of Steel and the Enclave stamped on it. "It looks like we found what happened to the last shipment."

"Let me see that." Fluttershy took the bottle and held her Pip-Boy over it.

"What are you…" The words died in Sunset's throat as Fluttershy's Geiger counter started ticking insistently.

"Those rat bastards," Applejack growled. "Are you seriously tellin' me that those cultists are stealing the clean water and replacing it normal radioactive crap?!"

Fluttershy shook her head. "No. This water is much more radioactive than the ordinary water you'll find laying around in the wastes." She poured the water out onto the ground and looked grimly at the others. "They're irradiating the water deliberately."

An appalled silence greeted her proclamation.

"You've got to be kidding me," Rainbow muttered under her breath.

"What the hell are they trying to pull, doing somethin' like that?!" Applejack snapped.

Rarity bit her lip and looked up at Megaton's gate uneasily. "You don't think they might be part of the Church of Atom, do you?"

"If they are, then Confessor Cromwell is going to get a visit from me that he is not going to like." Sunset looked around at the small group of locals. "The Enclave boys have brought some more water for the town. Can you make sure that Lucas Simms signs for it?"

"O-of course," the woman replied.

Sunset nodded. "Good. We'll be back later to make sure everything's going smoothly, but first we're going to go and have a chat with these Apostles." She turned and gestured for the Rainbooms to follow. "Come on, girls."

The others followed as Sunset strode purposefully away from Megaton.

"What's the plan?" Applejack asked.

"Go to Springvale, find the monastery, and hope that the Apostles can be convinced to stop whatever the hell they're doing peacefully," Sunset replied.

"And if they can't?" Fluttershy asked tentatively.

Rainbow brandished Flashburn meaningfully. "Then we see how reasonable they are when they're missing a few members."

"As boorish as it sounds, I'm with Rainbow on this," Rarity put in. "We have been through far too much in the name of bringing clean water to the wastes to allow these monsters to continue."

"Let's just hope that they can be convinced," Adam said quietly.

Silence fell as the group made their way over the rocky terrain towards the nearby town ruins. When they came out from amongst the boulders, the first thing everyone spotted was that the nearest skeletal shell of a house was looking far less abandoned than the last time they had passed through. The building itself hadn't been touched, at least as far as Sunset could see, but a crude wooden fence had been erected around it and reinforced with corrugated metal.

Walking around to the front of the building, the group found a man standing guard in the empty gateway. He was wearing the patchwork clothing typical of a wastelander, and was bald save for a small ring of vibrant ginger hair and a matching goatee. His right forearm was covered by a bulky metal contraption that resembled a glove.

"That looks like a power fist," Pinkie said quietly.

"A what?" Applejack asked.

"Doubles the users Strength but reduces their Initiative to 1," Pinkie explained cryptically.

"I don't care what it does, if he uses it on us, he's dead," Rainbow growled.

The man glanced around at the sound of the group approaching, then did a double-take when he saw who was coming. "The Angels of Atom?! You have returned! Oh, what a blessed day thi-"

"We're looking for the Apostles of Eternal Light," Sunset interrupted roughly.

"You have found them," the man said brightly. He swept an arm out to indicate the ruined building behind him. "This is the monastery of our modest order."

Applejack squinted at him. "Ah think Ah remember you. Weren't you one of the Children of Atom?"

The man nodded and grinned, ecstatic at having been recognized. "I was, yes, until our blessed leader, Mother Curie, received a vision from Atom, explaining the truth of how to honour his welcoming Light. Now, I, Brother Gerard, humbly guard the purity of our holy monastery, and provide our holy water to any and all who are athirst. I always hoped that you would return, and bless our order with the grace of your approval."

"Well, you're shit outta luck," Rainbow spat. "What the hell do you think you're doing, stealing water from Megaton and poisoning it?!"

Gerard blinked in surprise. He looked around at each of the others in turn, then turned back to Rainbow, blank confusion in his eyes. "It is not poison, but the blessed light of Atom."

"It's radiation, you fuckwit!" Sunset snapped. "I don't give a shit what you Apostles do to yourselves, but where the hell do you think you get the right to steal clean water from a settlement full of people who don't share your beliefs?!"

"I…" Gerard stepped back, his eyes flicking around as if expecting someone to leap to his defence. Finally, he stepped aside and gestured for the group to pass. "M-maybe you should speak to our leader."

"Oh, we're going to have words with her, alright," Rarity hissed.

The girls passed through the gate without issue, but Gerard held a hand up as Adam tried to pass. "F-forgive me, but I cannot allow anyone else to pass unless they have proven that they possess the Light of Atom."

Fluttershy glanced back, then scowled at the cultist. "You mean you want him to irradiate himself?" She asked in a dangerous tone.

"I'm sorry, but it is part of our rules," Gerard replied meekly. "We should not allow him to even converse with us unless he has partaken of our holy water first, to cleanse his tongue of unclean speech."

Rainbow smirked. "He's had Fluttershy's tongue in his mouth, if that counts as enough of a blessing for you."

Fluttershy's cheeks burned, but Gerard just looked confused. "He… has? I don't understand, unless…" His expression softened as he came to a sudden conclusion. "I see, you lowered yourself to resuscitate this poor man in a time of need?"

That was enough to make Rainbow snort with amusement, while the others either winced or, in Sunset's case, glared at her impatiently. "More like she likes playing tonsil tennis with him," Rainbow snorted. She glanced at Fluttershy. "Hey, that's a point. You haven't blessed him by sucking his dick yet, hav- ow! Motherfucker!"

Rainbow rubbed her arm where Fluttershy's fist had made a swift and sudden connection.

"You deserved that, you knucklehead," Applejack muttered.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry," Rainbow replied. "Anyway, are you letting Adam in, or not?"

Gerard just stood with his mouth open, apparently utterly thrown off by what he had heard. As if taking pity on him, Adam sighed and shook his head. "It's fine, you girls go on ahead. Honestly, I'd rather not go down there, anyway."

"Are you sure?" Fluttershy asked, her cheeks still tinged with pink.

Adam nodded. "Yeah, I'll go and check on Silver while you deal with this mess." He said a quick goodbye, then turned on his heel and strode away, heading further into the ruined town.

"Who's Silver?" Pinkie asked.

"Someone he met when he first left the Vault," Fluttershy replied. "How do we get into the monastery?" She asked Gerard.

The man jumped as if startled. "I… uh… just go through the trapdoor to the cellar. Our members gather down there."

Sunset didn't bother replying as she strode into the ruined house. She spotted the trapdoor in a corner, but when she tried to pull it open, she found that it was locked tight.

Gerard gasped and reached into his pocket. "Oh, I have a key. One mo-"

Waiting wasn't something Sunset was prepared to do. She had already wasted enough time getting into the monastery, she sure as hell wasn't going to let a locked door get in her way. Pulling her plasma rifle off her shoulder, Sunset blasted the lock a couple of times to make sure it was broken, then wrenched the trapdoor open.

"Nice," Rainbow murmured appreciatively.

Sunset slipped her plasma rifle back over her shoulder and, ignoring the scandalised look Gerard gave her, descended the ladder beyond. The cellar was brightly lit, with clean wooden walls that were in surprisingly good condition. Several benches had been laid out in rows before a pulpit, like a miniature church.

A handful of ghouls were sitting in the benches, and an old woman with short white hair stood behind the pulpit. Disturbingly, a pair of feral ghouls, one glowing one, and one with skin that burned with a flame-like aura, stood on either side of the woman like a dark honor guard. All of the assembled cultists looked up in surprise as the girls entered the room.

"Oh, you have come, at last!" The woman placed a hand on her chest and smiled serenely. "I knew this day would come eventually." She looked out at her gathered ghouls and proclaimed loudly, "Look, blessed ones, our Angels have returned to bless-"

"Don't even start," Sunset cut in. "We're not your angels, we're not here to validate your beliefs, and you can be damn sure we're not here to give you our approval. Are you Mother Curie?"

The woman hesitated, taken back by the sudden aggression. "Yes, that's me. Marie Curie the Third. What explanation do you desire, your divi-"

"You can start by telling us why you stole the shipment of water that was meant for Megaton," Sunset interrupted again.

"Stole?" Mother Curie looked utterly bewildered by the accusation. "I swear by my life, I did no such thing."

Applejack raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, the minigun across her back clanking as she shifted. "That's funny, 'cause we came up here lookin' for stolen water, and we found your so-called holy water in the bottles that it was delivered in. Care to try that again?"

The ghouls muttered and whispered amongst themselves, apparently unaware of this detail, prompting Mother Curie to say quickly, "The water was a gift to our order! I didn't steal it, and I can prove it." She gestured towards the benches. "Please, why not take a seat while you hear my tale."

"I'll stand," Sunset growled

"I'll sit, if that's alright," Twilight said. "My back is killing me."

The other girls spread themselves out across the benches, leaving only Sunset, Rainbow and Applejack standing. When they were settled, Mother Curie sighed and placed her hands on the pulpit, though her calm façade was slightly ruined by the anxious glance she shot at Sunset. "Ever since I was small, I knew I was destined for great things, but I suppressed this knowledge, quietly allowing fate to guide my path."

"You're not helping your case," Sunset said flatly, understanding all too well how easily such conviction could send someone down a dark path.

"It is true, I sought no station beyond what life gave me," Mother Curie said earnestly. "And life led me to the Children of Atom. But even then, something felt off. One day, I fell asleep during one of the good Confessor's sermons, and it was then that Atom sent me a vision."

Sunset fought the urge to groan. She had half a mind to actually ask Princess Luna to visit the wastes, if they ever found a way home, and teach people the difference between visions and dreams.

"In my vision, Atom told me the truth of his will," Mother Curie continued blithely. "The great Division, that dire belief that we are all meant to break apart, is nonsense. It is only in Atom's warm and welcoming Light that we are-"

"Get to the point already," Rainbow huffed.

Mother Curie flinched. "Of course, you already know the truth of the Light. How foolish of me. I tried to convince Confessor Cromwell of this truth as well, but he wouldn't have it. The very next day, the truth arrived on our doorstep in the form of your divine Graces."

"Oh for-" Twilight cut herself off and took a deep breath. "Look, we get it, you had a philosophical disagreement with Cromwell. But what does this have to do with the water?"

"It was Atom's will, he chose me," Mother Curie insisted. "A few days ago, this truth was made clear. As I meditated outside, pondering the best way to spread enlightenment to all across the wastes, Atom's angels of war appeared before me."

Sunset raised an eyebrow. Neither she nor any of the other Rainbooms had been anywhere near Megaton in a couple of months.

Seeing that Sunset was curious, Mother Curie seemed to relax. "When these angels heard that I was from Megaton, the seat of Atom's worship, they provided me with barrels full to the brim with Aqua Pura; water that was clearer and cleaner than anything I had ever seen before. They told me to spread the water among my people, and of course, I knew immediately what they meant."

"The Brotherhood of Steel," Applejack muttered, bringing a palm up to her face and shaking her head.

"Indeed," Mother Curie said happily. "The Aqua Pura was so clear and free of impurities, I knew at once that it would make a perfect vessel for Atom's glorious Light."

"So, instead of taking the water off to Megaton and distributing it among the residents, your people, you decided to bring it down here and pump it full of radiation. Is that about right?" Twilight asked.

Mother Curie cocked her head to the side. "But… spreading enlightenment through our holy water is the will of Atom. This truth was proved irrefutable when I added the crystals containing your divine angelic Light to the holy wat-"

"You added our magic to radioactive water?!" Sunset exclaimed incredulously.

"Y-yes?" Mother Curie stammered. "Was that wrong?"

"Yes, it was wrong!" Sunset snapped. "You better not have been handing that shit out to everyone as well!"

Mother Curie shook her head rapidly. "We haven't, I swear! The holiest waters are kept only for our most enlightened members." She gestured vaguely to the ghouls on the benches.

Sunset sighed heavily. "Well, at least that's one less thing to worry about." Relief flashed across Mother Curie's face, and Sunset quickly spoke up before she started getting any more ideas, "You're not out of the woods yet. You still have to answer for the water you stole."

"Stole?" Mother Curie looked confused again. "I just told you, Atom's angels of war gave us the water-"

"Because they thought you would take it to Megaton, you moron!" Sunset struggled to resist the urge to give her a good slap. "We fought alongside the Brotherhood to get the purifier up and running. We put our lives on the line, and a lot of Knights died so the wasteland could have water that was free of radiation. You adding radiation back into the water is at best a giant middle finger to everyone who died!"

The blood drained from Mother Curie's face as the message finally sank in. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't realize."

"Try turning on a radio, dumbass," Applejack shot.

Mother Curie sank back against the wall, tears welling in her eyes as her worldview took a savage beating. Sunset sighed and rubbed her temples. As dangerous as the woman's actions had been, she wasn't malicious. She was just a misguided old coot who was genuinely trying, in her own bonkers way, to try and help the people of the wastes. "Look, if you and your followers want to keep on doing whatever it is you do with Atom's Light, that's fine. But stop using the Aqua Pura for it. Find something else to use as a vessel. Hell, I'll even let you keep whatever magic you have as long as you promise to restrict it to certain members only."

Mother Curie looked up at her hopefully. "Our path is not wrong?"

"Irradiating Aqua Pura is wrong, but apart from that, who am I to judge?" Sunset gave her a sharp look. "I'm serious about the magic, though. Don't mix them together, and do not let anyone near it unless it's actively calling for them. Understand?"

"Of course," Mother Curie replied earnestly. "I shall see to it that the remaining Aqua Pura is returned to Megaton, as well."

"Good. Just remember, if any more of it goes missing and finds its way down here, the Brotherhood will not be happy." Sunset turned and strode back towards the ladder. "Come on, girls. We're done here."

Next Chapter: Chapter 105 - Not So Subtle Estimated time remaining: 21 Hours