Moira smiled and ducked behind the counter, then popped back up a moment later to drop a thick binder on the countertop. "Let's see…" She flicked through the binder until she found what she was looking for. "Here! Okay, the first chapter will have to be about surviving day-to-day dangers. Things like where it is and isn't safe to find food, the dangers of radiation, and how to avoid and even profit from dangerous landmines."

"Sounds… fun?" Applejack said unsurely.

"It does, doesn't it?" Moira replied brightly. "Which do you want to do first?"

Adam shrugged. "Finding food doesn't sound too bad." He glanced around at the others. "What do you think?"

"Sounds good to me," Sunset agreed. It certainly sounded less unpleasant than the other two options. "Okay, so you want us to go out into the wastes and find food?"

"And medicine," Moira confirmed. "Everyone needs them once in a while, right? So they need a good place to find them!" She tapped the page in her binder. "There's an old Super Duper Mart not far from here. I need to know if a place like that still has any food or medicine left in it."

"Isn't that the one we passed when we first headed into the DC ruins?" Rainbow asked.

Applejack nodded. "Yeah, where we met those ghouls."

Rarity frowned curiously. "Won't any food in there have rotted a long time ago?"

"Going by the amount of preservatives people stuffed into their food pre-war, not likely," Pinkie replied.

"Either way, it's worth a look," Sunset put in. Scavenging in a local supermarket wasn't something Sunset had expected to be doing anytime soon, but it seemed an easy enough job. She glanced at Moira. "You just want us to check whether or not there's any food and medicine in there, right?"

Moira nodded vigorously. "That's right. Food is most important, but see if you can find medicine, too. And if there's nothing to find, just come back in one piece, okay?"

"Got it." Sunset gestured to the others. "Alright, girls, let's get going. We'll pick up anything we need from the Temple and head straight out."

Moira waved enthusiastically as the group left.

Getting back to the Temple was surprisingly simple, much to Sunset's relief, thanks to a long ramp outside Craterside Supply that led directly down into the crater. It also meant that the group was in plain sight of half of Megaton as they descended. Sunset was slowly starting to get used to the staring and the hushed whispering, but it still made her somewhat uncomfortable.

A Disciple was waiting in the Temple's welcome room when the group arrived. He bowed low as the girls stepped inside. "Welcome back, your Graces."

Sunset greeted him casually, noting that Adam's power armor was safely tucked away in a corner. "Right; Adam, suit up. The rest of us will grab our gear and meet you at the gate."

"Roger." Adam actually snapped a half-decent salute as Sunset pushed open the doors to the Temple proper.

Several Disciples were going about their routines in the main chamber. They bowed when they saw the girls, stepping aside so as not to get in the way as the group made their way upstairs. Waiting at the top of the stairs, as if she had known they were coming, was Primrose.

"Welcome back," Primrose said with a bow. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Not right now," Sunset replied.

Primrose stood aside as the girls split off towards their own rooms, then fell into step behind Sunset. "I hope Moriarty didn't cause any problems, my lady."

Fighting the urge to reprimand the handmaiden for being so formal, Sunset shook her head. "Nothing I couldn't handle." She paused in front of her door as a thought occurred to her. "Actually, I'm pretty sure I've just jumped to the top of his shit list, so ask everyone in the temple just to keep an eye out. I'd hate it if he takes his temper out on the Disciples."

"I'll let everyone know," Primrose promised.

"Thanks." Sunset unlocked her door, marveling again at her little magic key, and stepped inside, holding the door open for Primrose. "We won't be staying long, sorry. We're just getting our gear, then we're heading back out into the wastes."

Primrose nodded. "Would you like me to help you into your armor?"

"Thanks, but I've got it," Sunset replied. "We shouldn't be away for more than a few hours. We're just checking out the Super Duper Mart for Moira."

"Moira?!" Primrose exclaimed. She blushed as Sunset turned to raise an eyebrow at her. "F-forgive me. Moira is a good person, but her experiments can be a little… unstable."

Sunset smiled sourly as she slipped her armor on. "I figured as much. Thankfully, we're just helping her with research for a book. No experiments."

Primrose let out a sigh of relief. "That's good. Oh, I wished to ask, would you be happy with me entering your room to clean while you are absent?"

"Won't you need a key?" Sunset asked.

"Er, I actually have a spare," Primrose admitted sheepishly. "I just didn't want to use it without permission."

Sunset shrugged and tightened the straps on her armor. "Sure, if you're ok with it." She fetched her plasma rifle and slung it over her shoulder. "Alright, I'm off."

"Would you like to see your offerings before you leave?" Primrose asked.

A sudden feeling of foreboding settled in Sunset's gut. "Offerings?"

"Many of the Disciples brought gifts for each of your Gra- er, each of you, as have many of the Children of Atom and other believers from around the wastes," Primrose explained. "There are several set aside for you downstairs. Would you like to see them?"

Sunset's eyebrow twitched. Taking up residence in the Temple was one thing, but accepting random gifts from total strangers on the basis of some misguided faith was a whole other can of worms. Picking up on her discomfort, Primrose continued in a low voice, "I know this might feel weird, or even wrong, but you have helped a lot of people since you arrived in the wastes, both directly and indirectly. People just want to give something back, and help keep you safe."

We've also hurt a whole bunch of people since we got here, Sunset thought, though she couldn't bring herself to say it. Instead, she just sighed and said, "We'll take a look tonight. For now, me and the girls have got a job to do."

"As you wish, my lady," Primrose replied with a bow.

After giving her equipment a quick check over, Sunset headed back down to the welcome room. Rainbow and Applejack were already there, waiting impatiently, but the others arrived in short order.

Leaving Megaton was easy enough. People stared, most of them relatively subtly, but thankfully no-one was brave or stupid enough to get in the girls' way. Adam was surrounded by a gaggle of residents by the gates, but they got out of the way swiftly as the Rainbooms approached.

"Are they scared of us or something?" Pinkie asked.

"Pretty much," Adam confirmed. "Half of them thought that the stories about your powers were just propaganda, even with the rest of the wild magic floating around. Since Rainbow went ahead and confirmed what you can do earlier, they're a little concerned about how to deal with you."

Applejack snorted, looking around at the residents who were warily looking on. "As long as no one tries to pick a fight with us, we ain't plannin' on causin' any trouble," she said loudly.

"I don't think that's helping," Twilight put in quietly.

"Let's just get this over with," Sunset huffed. She waved up at Stockholm in his nest, then led the way out through Megaton's gates.

True to form, Adam immediately turned North and took the lead. "Okay, let's go!"

"Wrong way, nitwit," Rainbow said with a snigger. "We want to go East instead."

"Oh, right." Adam glanced around, somehow managing to appear embarrassed even in his armor. "Uh, why don't all of you lead the way?"

A powerful wave of nostalgia hit Sunset as the group tramped up the hill to their right. Last time the girls had gone this way, they had been fresh from their first battles with raiders, and yet, even with Rarity getting shot, they had had barely any idea of how truly dangerous the wastes really were.

That naiveté had been quite thoroughly beaten out of them over time.

Much like last time, the trip to the Super Duper Mart was uneventful. A sleepy mole rat hissed in annoyance as the group's passage woke it up, but Fluttershy quickly soothed it and had it return to its nap.

As the group crested the hill and started down the other side, the Super Duper Mart coming into view at the bottom, Fluttershy held a hand out to stop everyone. "Hold on, there's someone on top of the building."

Everyone quickly got into cover, getting out of sight. Sunset crouched and held a hand up to shade her eyes as she stared down at the Mart. Sure enough, two people were patrolling the Super Duper Mart's roof like sentries.

"They both have wings, and it looks like they both have rifles, too," Fluttershy noted.

"So they've got some magic crystals, and they've figured out to use them." Sunset squinted, but she couldn't make out any details. "What do you think? Wastelanders? Or raiders?"

Fluttershy shook her head. "I'm not sure. They're dressed pretty, um, roughly, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything."

"Want me to do some aerial recon?" Rainbow asked.

"No, there's too much chance of them spotting you, and I'd rather avoid a fight if I can help it." Sunset pointed to a ruined overpass just beyond the Mart. "Run around the perimeter and see if you can get up there without getting spotted. That should give you a perfect vantage point to check out the parking lot and the entrance."

Rainbow nodded. "On it." There was a rustle of wind as she darted off. Less than a minute later, pebbles rattled as she returned. "Definitely raiders. They're stringing some poor guys up on the canopy. Hopefully they're dead already, but I'm not certain."

"Great," Sunset muttered.

"There were raiders here the first time I came through," Adam offered. "Do you think it's the same group?"

"No, when we came through there were just a few ghouls camping out," Sunset replied.

Adam hummed thoughtfully. "Maybe the raider group we saw moved on, then came back? Or maybe another group has taken their place? Either way, this is probably going to turn into a fight."

"Probably," Sunset admitted. "Still, I think we should try and avoid a battle if we can. They may just be a bunch of half-wit raiders, but all it'll take is one stray bullet to really ruin our day."

"Yes, I know that feeling all too well," Rarity grumbled, flexing her arm.

"Okay, so… how are we going to do this?" Twilight asked. "Do we fight? Or do we go back and tell Moira that the place is infested with raiders?"

"Why not both?" Applejack suggested. "If they're raiders, Ah'm guessin' they ain't exactly masters of strategy. Rainbow, reckon you can take out those guys on the roof without raisin' a stink?"

Rainbow shrugged. "I can take one out, sure, but I might not be able to get the second one before they make a noise. Depends on which way they're looking when I go in."

"I can tell you where they're looking," Fluttershy told her. "Just be ready to fly, and I'll tell you when they're facing opposite directions."

"Alright, just make sure none of them are looking this way, either," Rainbow reminded her, drawing Flashburn and ponying up.

Fluttershy nodded and stared intently at the building. Seconds ticked by slowly, then Fluttershy raised a hand. "Get ready… go!"

Rainbow disappeared in a multi-colored blur. "One down… two down," Fluttershy counted off. "She's giving us a thumbs up, so I don't think the raiders in the parking lot have noticed."

"Good." Sunset straightened up and readied her plasma rifle, gesturing for the others to follow. "Let's get down there and see what we're dealing with. If we have to take the raiders out to get inside safely, then we do it quickly and quietly. No guns if we can help it. Twi, Rarity, that means your magic will be best for this."

"Very well, darling," Rarity replied.

Twilight looked down at her hands, a purple aura flickering into life around them as the group stalked down the hill. "Is this the sort of thing you girls were doing while I was stuck in that wheelchair?"

"Pretty much," Sunset admitted. "At least this time it's only raiders. Not Deathclaws or power-armored soldiers. And hey, we've got you with us this time, so we've got another advantage." She glanced at Twilight uneasily as a thought occurred to her. "Uh, actually, you should probably leave this but to us." Sunset winced as Twilight gave her an indignant look. "Well, I mean, you haven't actually, y'know… killed anyone before."

"I'll be fine," Twilight insisted in a low tone.

Sunset wasn't entirely convinced, but she let it go as the group reached the back of the building. They edged around and along the side, making sure to stay as quiet as possible, until Fluttershy stopped them. She held up five fingers and whispered, "Five raiders. Just around the corner."

The other nodded in understanding. Glancing up, Sunset saw Rainbow looking down at them from the roof. The two nodded to each other, then Sunset gestured for Rarity to move to the front of the group. Twilight scowled and joined Rarity at the head of the group as well.

Seeing that she wouldn't be dissuaded, Sunset shrugged and held up three fingers for the others to see. She dropped her fingers one by one and, when she reached zero, stepped around the corner with the others.

The raiders were laughing and jeering at a trio of corpses they had strung up on the canopy using thick chains and hooks. None of them so much as looked around as a pair of razor-sharp crystal spikes embedded themselves in two of the mens' skulls. Before they had even hit the floor another pair of crystal spikes took out the next two raiders. Just as the final raider realized that something was wrong, Rainbow dropped down behind her and lopped her head off with one sweep of Flashburn.

Twilight stared in blank confusion, her arms half-raised. "What just happened?"

"Exactly what we planned, dear," Rarity replied.

Adam chuckled at Twilight's expression. "You'll need to work on your reflexes if you want to keep up." He patted her gently on the shoulder. "Don't worry, it just takes practice."

"Practice can wait, right now we've got a supermarket to ransack," Sunset cut in. "Fluttershy, is there anyone inside?"

"There's no one right inside the entrance, but…" Fluttershy crept to the nearest door and gently pulled it open a couple of inches. She listened for a few short seconds, then closed it again. "There's a bunch more inside. I'm not sure exactly how many, but they definitely outnumber us."

"No surprise there." Sunset glanced around at the others, thinking quickly. "Do you think we could sneak in and out without getting caught?"

Fluttershy shrugged. "I'm not sure. Maybe?"

"It's worth a shot," Sunset decided. "Rarity, Flutters, you're with me. We'll sneak inside and try to find the food and medicine for Moira. Applejack, Pinkie, you two wait out here in case any more of them show up. The rest of you, if you hear any fighting inside, storm the place and sweep it aisle by aisle."

The others agreed, taking up positions around the entrances. Sunset checked her weapon over quickly, glanced at Rarity to make sure that she was good to go, then nodded for Fluttershy to open the door. Silent as death, the three ghosted into the building.

Just inside the entrance was a tiny little atrium, with a vending machine and a bench. Beyond that was the main section of the Super Duper Mart. Long rows of thick gondola shelves made up over a dozen aisles. Many of them had wooden slats placed against them forming ramps up, or across the aisles, forming bridges across them. Barely any of the ceiling lights worked, leaving the interior shrouded in darkness.

Sunset could see the shadowy figures of raiders walking around the aisles and on top of the shelving, and she could hear more deeper in the store, laughing and arguing, utterly unaware of the intruders. "We need to avoid as many of them as possible," Sunset whispered. "Which way?"

Fluttershy gestured off to the right. The three slipped into the room and crept right, taking cover among the row of dilapidated cash registers. Just past the last register was the counter of what must have once been a storage area or collection point. As the trio reached the last register Fluttershy halted them, evidently sensing that someone was approaching.

The trio waited with bated breath. After almost a minute of waiting, Fluttershy let out a breath and gestured for the others to follow before silently clambering over the counter and ducking into the store room. Sunset followed her, rolling over the counter as quietly as she could, and Rarity vaulted over a second later.

The storage area was thankfully devoid of raiders. Several metal boxes were stacked on top of an island unit in the middle of the room, while more rested on skeletal metal shelving units in the corner. A fridge sat somewhat conspicuously next to the shelves. The girls set about ransacking the unit and boxes, finding a nice little supply of ammunition and stimpaks to add to their own stash, then turned their attention to the fridge.

Bingo. Sunset grinned at the sight of a whole feast's worth of food crammed into the fridge. "They must have taken everything off the shelves and thrown it in here. Either way, that's one done. Now we just need to see if there's any medicine," she whispered.

"That'll probably be in a first aid kit in a back room," Fluttershy told her. "If they moved all of the food for safe keeping, I doubt anyone would leave something so valuable as medicine just lying around on the shelves."

Sunset nodded. "Alright, let's see what we can find. Fluttershy, you first."

With their first objective clear, the trio left the storage area through a door near the fridge, finding themselves right at the edge of the supermarket. Almost immediately, the three came across their first major obstacle.

A pile of shopping carts had been haphazardly thrown together right in the way of the nearest two aisles. While the raiders likely weren't paying any real attention to their surroundings, it was too much to expect that they wouldn't investigate the noise of someone kicking aside a bunch of carts.

With no other options, the girls were forced to go through the next aisle in, far too close to the sounds of rowdy conversation for Sunset's liking. Fluttershy proved invaluable, pinpointing where the wandering raiders were with her enhanced senses and guiding the other two around safely. There was one near miss as a raider sneezed, turning around abruptly, but luckily he didn't spot Rarity quickly ducking back behind a shelving unit.

Eventually, the girls managed to reach the rear of the store without incident. Another small counter could be seen at the back, leading into another 'employees only' area, but even Sunset could see the raider calmly strolling up and down behind the counter, puffing on a cigarette. Worse, the shelving came to an end well before the counter, meaning the girls would be horribly exposed as they tried to get over the counter.

Of course, killing the raider from a distance would be easy, especially with Rarity's magic, but Sunset couldn't be sure that someone wouldn't hear his body hitting the ground, and that was if they managed to kill him silently with one go. As Sunset racked her brain, trying to figure out a way of taking the raider down silently, Fluttershy took matters into her own hands.

There was a brief flicker of magic as Fluttershy vamped out, then she darted towards the counter. She easily cleared it in a single bound. Sunset held her breath, half-expecting to hear the sound of combat, but her fears proved ill-founded as Fluttershy reappeared by the counter and waved the others over.

As they climbed quietly over the counter, Sunset grimaced at the sight of blood dripping from Fluttershy's claws. The raider lay dead in a corner, his throat brutally torn open. Turning her attention away from the raider, and deliberately ignoring the altogether disturbing look of hunger in Fluttershy's eyes, Sunset set about exploring the little area they were in.

Small tables were dotted around the area, and a coffee machine on one of them suggested that this might have once been a break room. Several metal boxes and battered ammunition crates had been stacked around the other tables. A quick search revealed a small stash of extra supplies for the girls, along with, intriguingly, a key with a tag marked as for the 'Super Duper Pharmacy'.

"There must be medicine here after all," Fluttershy said quietly.

"We just have to find it," Sunset whispered.

Pressing on, the girls passed through a staff door and found themselves in a back corridor. They were clearly in the employee sections of the supermarket now, as the faded posters on the walls were no longer adverts for products and instead mentioned staff bonuses and responsibilities.

A short way further in the girls found an old fire exit blocked by rubble. As they passed it, Fluttershy suddenly held up a hand to stop them. Whatever she could hear, it evidently wasn't good, as her expression hardened by the second. "Five people in the next room," she said in a clipped tone. "At least one of them is a slave." She flexed her claws as she looked up at Sunset. "They haven't been treating her very nicely."

Sunset immediately caught her meaning. She breathed in deeply through her nose, then let it out slowly through her mouth. "And here I was hoping that we could get through this using just stealth. Alright, time to go and pick a fight."

"It's not a fight, darling, it's a lesson in interpersonal relationships," Rarity put in.

Sunset snorted and strode ahead. The other two immediately fell into step behind her, and as one Sunset and Rarity ponied up, all pretense at stealth cast aside. Just around the next corner they found a door to the room that Fluttershy had mentioned. Long counters lined one side of the room, opening up into the shop floor, indicating that it was intended for employees interacting with customers. A computer terminal sat on a little table opposite the counter, next to another door.

Five people were in the room, as expected. Two of them looked to be slaves, judging by the heavy metal collars around their necks and the fact that their only clothes were tattered loincloths. One of the slaves, a boy no older than fifteen or sixteen, was frantically scrubbing filth off a metal breastplate in the corner. The other, a woman, was cowering against the wall as a hulking brute of a raider sneered and spat insults at her. The last two raiders were leaning against one of the counters, sucking something out of small inhalers. Something told Sunset that it wasn't asthma medication.

None of the people in the room noticed as Sunset walked in, raised her plasma rifle, and blew the biggest raider's head open. The two at the counter whipped around, and immediately fell as a pair of baseball bat-sized gemstone spikes slammed into their chests.

The slaves stared at the girls in a mixture of shock and terror. "You two, get on the ground and stay there!" Sunset commanded, feeling a twinge of shame as they quickly obeyed. She hated the thought of ordering them around, but it was the best way for them to avoid getting caught in the coming firefight.

That firefight wouldn't be long coming. The raiders in the aisles were already shouting out queries, and Sunset could see several shadowy figures approaching down the aisles and across the top of the shelving units. She suspected that the only reason they weren't attacking yet was because the abysmal lighting made the girls unrecognisable from a distance.

Sunset swore under her breath. "We need to get the attention of everyone outside."

"Consider it done." Rarity raised a hand and a large circular gemstone materialised in front of her. She flicked her wrist to set it spinning like a saw blade, then thrust her arms forward and sent it whizzing lethally through the air. The gemstone messily bisected one of the raiders atop the shelves before crashing into the far wall hard enough to release a deluge of dust from the ceiling.

"Be careful!" Fluttershy hissed. "We don't know if there are more slaves out there!"

Sunset ducked behind the counter as the nearest raiders opened fire. "Simple, the ones shooting at us probably aren't slaves!" She popped up, shot an oncoming raider in the chest, then ducked again and scampered a few meters across to the left. "Don't forget to keep moving! These counters won't stop bullets!"

Rarity squawked as a bullet chose that moment to tear through the counter next to her, missing her by an inch. "Duly noted!"

The two traded fire with the raiders. Luckily, the surprise attack from behind had confused them, and they attacked in a disorganized mess rather than as a coordinated unit. Green, purple, and blue flashes from the front of the store spoke of the arrival of Adam and the others.

Caught between two hostile teams in a place they thought safe, the raiders went from surprised anger to panic. Sunset saw more than one of them try to run away, or throw their weapons down and cower on the floor with their hands above their heads.

As Sunset picked off another raider foolish enough to make himself a target, a sudden blur made her flinch and whip her weapon around.

"Don't shoot! It's me!" Rainbow cried, backpedaling swiftly.

"You fucking idiot, I nearly shot you!" Sunset snapped.

"Right, my b-" Rainbow yelped and ducked as a bullet spanked off her armor. "Damn it!"

Sunset quickly put a bolt of plasma through the offending raider and dropped to the floor. "What's going on?"

"I was just making sure none of you were injured," Rainbow said quickly. "You all alright?"

"We're fine, I think," Sunset replied. She glanced at Fluttershy, who was keeping the slaves laying down safely in a corner. "We found a pair of slaves the raiders had, and there might be more out there, so keep your eyes open."

Rainbow glanced at the trio in the corner, her eyes narrowing as she saw the state of them. "Fucking assholes. I'll go check." She dashed off with a flash. Sunset glanced into the shop floor just in time to see a heavy gemstone spike pitch another raider off her feet. Before Sunset could find another target, Rainbow reappeared at her side. "There's another two in the toilets, but they're safe for now. There's none on the shop floor."

"Good," Sunset replied. A clatter of bullets caught her attention, but it was cut off by a crackle of plasma and, as if a switch had been flipped, an oppressive silence fell.

"Is that all of them?" Rarity asked.

Fluttershy got up and hurried over to the others at the counter. She cocked her head as she listened, then shook her head. "There's three surviving raiders, but it sounds like Adam and Twilight have them captive. Look, there they are."

Sunset looked up to see Adam and Twilight approaching, with three unarmed raiders being dragged along behind them in a purple aura. As they reached the counter, Twilight hauled the raiders forward and dumped them unceremoniously on the floor. "Is that everyone?"

"Not quite," Sunset replied. "We found a pair of slaves here, and there's two more in the toilets. Fluttershy, can you go and fetch them?" Fluttershy nodded and made to do as asked, but Sunset stopped her with a hand. "You might want to de-vamp, first."

"Oh, right." Fluttershy pulled a blood pack out of her kit and drained it, shifted back to normal, then, for no apparent reason, decided to pony up before trotting off to find the slaves.

Sunset sighed and shook her head. "Rarity, have you got any spare clothes for these two?" She gestured to the almost naked slaves still cowering in the corner.

"Of course I have clothes, darling," Rarity replied, as if it had been the dumbest question in the world, which, Sunset supposed, it might have been. Rarity pulled her pack off and stepped lightly over to the slaves. "I'll see what I can do about those collars, as well."

"Y-you can't!" The boy stammered, shaking uncontrollably. "They're bombs, if you try to take them off they'll explode!"

Appalled silence filled the room. Sunset gritted her teeth and turned to Rainbow. "Get Applejack and Pinkie in here and let them take a look. The rest of you keep an eye on those raiders while I check for medicine in the back." She stepped over to the door, readying her plasma rifle, and cautiously turned the handle, but it turned out to be locked. A quick check revealed that it didn't even have a keyhole. "Typical. Twi, can you see if that terminal unlocks the door, please?"

"Sure." Twilight got Adam to help boost her over the counter, then hurried over to the terminal. "Yeah, it's an electronic lock. Here."

A loud clunk echoed through the room as the door unlocked. "Thanks." Sunset readied her plasma rifle again and carefully opened the door.

Beyond was evidently some kind of store room. Rows of skeletal metal shelving piled with boxes filled most of the room. Sunset slowly moved further in, sweeping her plasma rifle around as she checked for any targets. As she reached the back wall the rows opened up on her right. Just past them lay a small clearing, with a dusty desk and a robot charging pod pressed against the wall. A padlocked first aid box hung on the wall above the desk.

"Gotcha." Sunset shouldered her plasma rifle and hurried over to the desk, pulling the pharmacy key out of her pocket. "I hope this works." Her spirits lifted as the padlock unlocked easily. "And what's inside… jackpot!"

Faded packs of painkillers, decongestants, and cough syrup sat next to stimpaks and assorted chems that other occupants had added over time.

Sunset was about to start stuffing the meds into her pack when she heard a soft whine from behind. She whipped around, her plasma rifle instantly up and ready. No immediate threats jumped out at her, but she didn't dare let her guard down.

A slight movement in a dark corner of the room caught Sunset's attention. Edging around a wrecked shelving unit, she tensed at the sight of someone crouched in the corner, clutching something to their chest. "I can see you back there. Come out into the light, slowly, and no funny business."

The figure shifted and got to their feet. As they shuffled slowly into the light, Sunset realized that it was a young girl, barely into her teens, wearing the same ragged loincloth and explosive collar as the rest of the slaves. She was clutching a tiny baby to her chest. The slave was shaking uncontrollably, staring at Sunset as if she were some kind of monster.

Sunset immediately slung her rifle over her shoulder. "Sorry, I thought you were a raider." She took a step towards the girl, but the girl shrank back away from her, clutching the baby protectively.

"P-please! Don't hurt us!" The slave said anxiously.

Sunset stopped and held her hands up to show that she was unarmed. "It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you." She tapped a finger on her chest. "I'm Sunset. What's your name?"

The slave stared at Sunset warily. "Darla," she answered timidly.

"Darla. Nice to meet you." Sunset smiled and gestured to the baby. "And this little one?"

"Tina," Darla replied.

"Tina, that's a pretty name," Sunset said honestly. "Is she your little sister?"

Darla backed away another step, turning slightly so Tina was further from Sunset. "My daughter," Darla said quietly.

Sunset tried to keep a warm smile on her face, even though Darla's words felt like a punch to the gut. She couldn't stop herself from asking in a dull monotone, "Is one of the raiders the father?" Darla just nodded faintly. "Do you know which one?"

Her voice barely above a whisper, "Darla replied, "No."

"Okay." Sunset held a hand out, trying to coax Darla forward. "Come on, you're free now. Let's get you some food and clothes then get you somewhere safe."

Darla hesitated, understandably wary, but the promise of food or sanctuary overrode her caution and she shuffled over to Sunset.

Placing a gentle hand on Darla's shoulder, Sunset couldn't help but notice that the poor girl was icy cold, and her concern for the baby shot up even further as she guided the pair out of the room. "Rarity? I need another set of clothes, and anything you have that would be safe for a baby."

"A baby? What do you-" Rarity gasped at the sight of Darla and Tina. "Oh my- right away!" She instantly snatched her pack up and started rummaging around in it while Fluttershy hurried over.

Leaving the utterly stunned Darla to the tender care of Rarity and Fluttershy, Sunset glanced over at the other slaves. The two from the toilets, an old man and another girl around Sunset's age, had been retrieved, and all four had been clothed in an assortment of simple pants and t-shirts. Their explosive collars lay forgotten on the floor in the corner.

Satisfied that they were safe, Sunset stepped over to where the other Rainbooms and Adam were standing by the counter. The surviving three raiders were kneeling together in the muck on the shop floor, their hands bound behind their backs by gemstone handcuffs.

"That baby, it's hers, isn't it?" Rainbow asked quietly.

Sunset nodded grimly. "And the father was one of the raiders. She doesn't know which one, though," she said in an undertone.

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "How can she not know? Unless…" Her expression clouded over as she realized the answer.

"Yeah." Sunset clenched her fists so tightly her knuckles hurt. "I found medicine in the back. I want everyone to gather up as much of the supplies, weapons, and ammunition from here as we can. Use some of the metal boxes if you have to. Destroy anything we can't carry. We'll take the liberated slaves to the Temple and have the Disciples take care of them until they're healthy to go their own way." She glanced back over her shoulder. "Rarity? Can you raise a thick wall up between us? Just some extra privacy for the baby, y'know?"

"Of course." One elegant gesture later, and a thick wall of opaque crystal blocked the slaves and their carers from view.

"What's that about?" Rainbow asked.

Sunset clambered over the counter. "I didn't want to scare the baby when I did this." She snatched up a heavy tire iron that one of the raiders had dropped and launched herself at the captives. Terror flitted across their faces as they realized what was about to happen, but none of them had a chance to move before Sunset was on them. She laid about herself like a madwoman, dealing each of them a savage blow to the head to knock them down, then reaching down to continue her onslaught on their prone forms.

By the time Sunset was finished, the gore-soaked tire iron was bent beyond all recognition. Her chest heaving with effort and spent emotion, Sunset tossed the tire iron away and straightened up, wiping blood and sweat from her face. "Alright, let's get to work."

Next Chapter: Chapter 110 - Wasteland Survival Guide: Radiation Estimated time remaining: 19 Hours, 45 Minutes