Hearing the gates of Megaton slam shut was both a balm and an annoyance. On the one hand, it meant that the wastes, and all of the attendant bullshit, was safely locked outside. On the other, it also meant that the Rainbooms were back to being the center of attention, and Sunset wasn't sure whether or not she could handle that at the moment.

In an attempt to distract herself, Sunset glanced back at the liberated slaves. The boy was looking around with awestruck curiosity, while three of the others kept their heads down, as if expecting a reprimand simply for not being utterly docile. Darla was glancing around furtively, clinging to Tina as if she was a lifeline. Thankfully, the baby was moving around and grizzling in the spare shirt Rarity had given her. Given how cold and unresponsive she had been, Sunset had feared that Tina wouldn't survive the trip.

"They'll be okay," Applejack said quietly. "For now, what are we doing with these supplies?"

Sunset glanced sidelong at her, still marveling at the fact that the farmer was balancing four metal boxes full of supplies and weapons on her shoulders. Adam had another two tied to the back of his armor, and Twilight was carrying another four in her magic.

Shaking her head to bring herself back in the moment, Sunset cleared her throat and replied, "We'll drop them and our new friends off at the Temple, then sort through everything tonight. Some of the ammunition and supplies we'll keep for ourselves, the rest can go to the Temple. Any excess weapons can be sold to Megaton through Simms or, if he isn't interested, we'll see if Moira wants the lot wholesale. Any profit can be split between us and the Temple."

"Sounds good to me." Applejack nodded at something ahead. "Let's go and see what Joshua says."

Looking up, Sunset realized that they were right at the foot of the Temple. "Huh, okay."

A queue of people was waiting outside the Temple. All of them watched the group, with varying degrees of subtlety. Ignoring them, Sunset led the way up the steps and inside, only to find Primrose and a handful of other Disciples waiting for the group in the welcome room.

"Welcome back, my lady." Primrose ducked her head in deference. "Forgive me, but Joshua felt it best if we opened up the Temple to the residents now that you had all gotten yourselves settled, though we are only letting a few people in at a time for the moment."

"Fair enough," Sunset replied. "We're not staying long, I'm afraid, but… I kinda have a favor to ask." She glanced back at the former slaves, aware that she was about to make a pretty awkward request. "Would the Temple be able to look after these five for a little while? Just until they're healthy and happy enough to go their own way?"

Primrose nodded. "Of course, Miss Shimmer. I have already taken the liberty of preparing accomodations for them, and one of the other Disciples has agreed to help out as a wet-nurse for the baby."

Sunset stared at her in amazement. "How did you know…?"

"Just a hunch," Primrose replied with an enigmatic smile.

"A hunch?" Sunset raised an eyebrow. She was about to enquire more, when a tiny sneeze from Tina reminded her that they had more important things to do. "Well, good work. I'd appreciate it if you could send word to Doc Church for me, ask him if he'll come over and check on the baby, just to be safe. I'll cover the bill."

Primrose nodded. "Of course. The doctor is actually here already, seeing to the daughter of one of the Disciples, so that shouldn't be a problem."

"That's a relief." Sunset turned to the slaves. "Okay, the people here will look after you until you're fit and well, then you're welcome to go and do whatever you want. You're free."

The boy and girl both thanked her profusely, tears of relief forming in their eyes. The old man, on the other hand, looked as if he didn't quite understand what was going on. Sunset had to wonder just how long he had been a slave for. Darla, naturally, was still looking around at everyone suspiciously and trying to keep Tina safely coddled away.

As the slaves were led into the Temple by the waiting Disciples, Applejack grunted and shifted the boxes on her shoulders. "Right, that's sorted, so what are we doin' with these here supplies?"

"We'll drop them in my room for now," Sunset replied. She quickly outlined her plan to Primrose.

"I'll send someone to speak to the Sheriff," Primrose promised. "Is there anything else I can do?"

"No, that's it, thanks." With the arrangements made, Sunset had everyone drop the supplies in her bedroom. Even Adam was allowed in to help, though, once he was done gawping at the flaming cauldron, he was asked to leave his armor in a corner so as not to damage the stairs.

Once everything had been squared away, the group left the Temple behind and made their way back up to Craterside Supply. Of course, getting there without getting stared at was impossible, but Sunset did her best to put it out of her mind.

Moira was waiting behind the counter when the Rainbooms arrived. She looked up eagerly as Adam held the door open for the others. "So, how's the scavving been? Got the food and medicine from that Super Duper Mart?"

Adam nodded. "It wasn't easy, but we managed to find both."

"Really? You did?" Moira's face lit up as she realized that Adam wasn't lying. "You did! Well, all right! Tell me all about it!"

"It sucked," Rainbow said flatly.

"That's an understatement," Rarity huffed.

Moira cocked her head to the side, confused, so Sunset explained, "A large gang of raiders was using the Mart as some sort of base. They were fairly well- equipped and successful, too, going by the fact that they had their own slaves and even a few magic crystals."

"They kept their best gear in the pharmacy out back," Adam added. "The place was surprisingly well defended."

Moira hummed thoughtfully. "I guess I'm not the only one who thought about those old stores. If they managed to acquire a well-protected stash, though, then maybe there's other hidden treasures around the wastes, protected by all sorts of monsters!"

"It makes sense," Sunset put in. "Places like that offer shelter from the elements, a safe place to sleep, a defensible location in case of emergency, and an excellent place to find and store supplies. Any wasteland group would be interested in a base like that, but only the strongest would be able to hold it for any length of time."

"You make some very good points. I'll make sure to put them in the book." Moira smiled at the group. "Well, keep any of the food and medicine you found. I just traded for a big shipment, myself. Here-" she fetched a plate of iguana bits off one of the shelves behind her and placed it on the counter, "-take a bit, my treat. The taste kind of… grates after a while. Oh!" Moira dove under the counter, then popped back a moment later with an odd little box in her hands and plonked it on the counter. "You can have this, too!"

Sunset inspected the little box curiously. It had what looked like vents on one side, and a little fan on top.

"Is that an old food sanitizer?" Adam asked.

"Yep!" Moira beamed. "Just carry it with you and it should automatically make most food and drink more, um… better."

Twilight leaned in to give the little sanitizer a closer look. "That's impressive. How does it work?"

"I'm not sure. One second, I've got an instruction manual around here somewhere." Moira ducked back down to rummage under the counter.

"Does it also scrub radiation from food?" Sunset asked, grabbing Fluttershy's wrist as she reached for an iguana bit.

"No, it just cleans away any bacteria and stuff," Moira replied. She looked up from under the counter, frowning curiously. "Why?"

Sunset grimaced. "We can't eat radioactive food. Not if we want to avoid increasing our chances of getting cancer even more."

"Cancer? But most wastelanders are naturally… oh." Moira's eyes widened as something clicked in her mind. "Three Dog was telling the truth. You girls are from a different reality! That's so cool! It's going to make the next part of the wasteland survival guide a lot harder, though."

"Uh, how come?" Applejack asked warily.

Moira straightened up, sliding the food sanitizer's instruction manual across the counter to Twilight. "I want to study radiation poisoning up close. I know lots about it from books, but I never seem to get a live sample. Not for long, anyway."

"Unchecked radiation poisoning does sound rather fatal," Rarity said quietly.

"Hey, it didn't kill me back at Vault 87," Rainbow cut in.

"You were incredibly lucky," Fluttershy shot. "And don't forget just how much Radaway I pumped into your arm on the way to Raven Rock."

Rainbow winced and nodded, subconsciously rubbing the crook of her elbow where the needle had been put in.

"Now hold on just a tick." Applejack fixed Moira with a suspicious look. "Are you tellin' me that you want one of us to go out and get radiation poisonin' for the sake of this book?"

"If you wouldn't mind, it would really help with my research," Moira replied. "Not a deadly dose, of course, I can fix you up before that!"

"Yeah, that's not happening," Sunset said bluntly.

Moira slumped over the counter, her cheery mood popping instantly. "Awww, phooey."

Fluttershy raised a hand tentatively. "Um, I think I can do it." She blushed as everyone immediately shifted their attention to her, but pressed on, "Well, um, the FEV should make me immune to cancer, and the negative effects of the radiation, so… oh, wait."

"You have FEV in your body?" Moira asked, curiosity perking her right back up.

"It doesn't have to be one of you girls though, right?" Adam asked, glossing over the FEV revelation. "If we can find a wastelander, someone helpful who will have that natural resistance… to…" He looked around at everyone warily. "Uh, why are you all staring at me?"

---

Sunset fought the urge to giggle. Several residents stopped to stare in bafflement at what the group was doing, but most of them bailed rapidly the moment they spotted Moira.

"This is not cool," Adam huffed. The hapless volunteer was currently stripped down to his underwear, sitting cross-legged and hunched over in the pool of sketchy water that surrounded Megaton's resident atomic bomb. "It's freezing out here, and this water feels weird."

Rainbow snorted. "Come on, it's not that cold."

"It's November," Fluttershy retorted.

"Yeah, but the water must be warm from all of that radiation." Rainbow grinned maliciously. "If you want to warm him up, you can always strip down and join him in there." Fluttershy just shot her a glare.

Sunset sighed and gave Rainbow a half-hearted swat. "Stop messing with her, you pervert, or I'll tell the Disciples that you enjoy collecting artistic representations of dicks."

Rainbow shuddered. "Alright, I'll behave. I had enough of that crap back at Rivet City."

"Oh?" Sunset smirked and arched an eyebrow. "What happened between you and dicks in Rivet City?"

"Nothing," Rainbow insisted. "How long is this gonna take, anyway?"

Fluttershy sighed. "A while. This would be a lot easier and more controllable if we had a radiation trap, but…"

"Oh, hey, I've got one of those in the store!" Moira noted brightly.

The others turned to stare at her. "You have a radiation trap back up at the store?" Sunset asked in annoyance.

Moira nodded. "Yep! It's up with the… ooohhh, yeah, let's use that."

---

The gentle hum of the elevator was oddly soothing to Tara. It was her first time back at Project Exodus since the treaty, and she was looking forward to seeing how the new portal technology was faring. Becky was still stuck at the Adams Air Force Base, thanks to her new position, but Tara didn't let that get her down.

A soft chime rang out as the elevator reached the bottom. The doors creaked open, and Tara smiled as she spotted Sienna waiting for her. "Hey, it's good to see you."

Sienna nodded. "Likewise. How did everything go back at Command?"

"We've got the resources we requested," Tara replied, allowing Sienna to escort her towards the main office. "Any equipment we need, we'll get. We've also got the Rainbooms scouring the wastes for another SDT, just in case."

"Do you think they'll find one?" Sienna asked.

Tara shrugged. "Who knows? It's worth looking, in any case. Given that the first one they knew about was destroyed when the first portal opened, I'd rather have spares available just in case." Sienna nodded sagely. Tara kept her voice deliberately even as she added, "Horrigan is also going to be reattached to Project Exodus. He'll be arriving tomorrow."

"Good. The Super Mutants have been quiet recently, but I'll feel better having that big lug here to keep our backs safe." Sienna scowled. "Especially given the most recent development."

"What development?" Tara asked quickly.

Sienna glanced sidelong at her. "You remember Michaels?"

"The Sigma trooper that got infested by magic and has been in a coma since the Rainbooms blasted him," Tara replied. "Of course I remember him. Why? Is he awake?"

Sienna nodded. "Awake, and mutated."

---

"Uh… Adam? Are you okay?" Sunset asked tentatively.

Adam just gave her a mordant look. "I've been better." He coughed wetly, and Fluttershy anxiously rubbed his back.

The group was back at Craterside Supply. Moira, Fluttershy, and Adam had all disappeared upstairs to find the radiation trap, and had reappeared a couple of hours later, with Adam looking like death warmed up.

"He'll be fine, he just needs some rest," Moira said brightly, earning a glare from Fluttershy. "The radiation poisoning is all cleared up, meaning my own little radiation cure works. That's good news. It's just, um..."

"What happened?" Applejack asked flatly.

Moira winced. "My radiation cure may have had a little side effect. A teeny, tiny…"

"She mutated him," Fluttershy hissed.

"She what?!" Sunset exclaimed.

"It seems to be benign!" Moira put in. "At least, so far."

Sunset groaned and rubbed her temples. "What kind of mutation are we talking about?"

Fluttershy gently brushed a stray hair out of Adam's face. "Luckily, it seems to be something beneficial. The tests Moira ran to make sure that the radiation cure was working also showed that Adam's cells were somehow absorbing the radiation and using it to repair themselves."

"Wait, so radiation fixes you, now?" Pinkie gasped loudly. "Does this mean that you and Fluttershy match?! Aww, your mutations echo each other, that's so cute!"

"It'd be nicer if having radiation poisoning didn't suck ass," Adam huffed. "It heals my cells, and makes me feel like absolute crap, all at once."

Moira chuckled nervously. "Yeah, sorry about that." She trotted over to a shelf and pulled off a mixed box of assorted Rad-X and Radaway, pressing it into Adam's arms. "Here. Take a few radiation chems, as my little way of saying 'I'm sorry I twisted your DNA like a kitten with a ball of yarn'."

The look on Fluttershy's face was slowly ticking a little too closely to murderous, so Sunset decided that it was best to end the conversation there. "It's getting late. Let's head back to the Temple, and we can get some more work done on the survival guide tomorrow, okay?"

"Good idea," Rarity agreed quickly.

"Yeah, I think that's a good plan," Adam said with a nod. "I finally get to check out my new house, too."

Sunset smiled, glad to have a decent excuse to leave. "Okay, Fluttershy, drag your boyfriend up to his house. The rest of us will wait for you at the Temple."

The group said their goodbyes to Moira, some of them distinctly frosty, and headed outside. Fluttershy and Adam split off to walk along the edge of the crater, while the others walked down the ramp that led most directly to the Temple. Sunset hung back slightly, letting the others go on ahead. "I know you've seen him in his underwear now," she whispered, "but if you're going to repay the favor, please be quick about it. Okay?"

As planned, Fluttershy twitched, her enhanced hearing picking up what the others missed. She glared over her shoulder, a luminous blush just visible on her cheeks, prompting Sunset to giggle and hurry to catch up with the others.

Once again, as if she had had yet another 'hunch', Primrose was waiting when the girls entered the Temple.

"Okay, seriously, how do you do that?" Pinkie asked. "Do you have a Prim Sense?"

"Uh…" Primrose blushed as the few residents in the main room turned their attention towards the group. "Forgive me, but may we discuss this elsewhere? I have the offerings and the supplies you brought ready for inspection, if you wish?"

Sunset nodded, trying to hide the fact that she had completely forgotten about the offerings. "Sure. Lead the way."

Primrose bowed and took the girls up to the second floor. Sunset looked around with interest as the group moved through a narrow corridor. Various rooms off the corridor contained people meditating, studying, or working on magical crystals.

"Just in here," Primrose said suddenly, holding a door open for the Rainbooms.

The room was wide and sparse, with the only decorations being the Rainbooms' cutie marks painted on the walls, and a metal box on a raised dais that almost looked like an altar. Rarity's cutie mark took pride of place behind the altar. The boxes of supplies the girls had brought back from the Super Duper Mart were stacked in one corner, and a whole bunch of other items were laid out in front of the dais on animal skin rugs. A pair of Disciples bowed as the group entered, each of them bearing purple bands around their upper arms.

"This is the Altar of Generosity," Primrose explained. "All offerings left by the good people of the wastes are brought here."

Rarity coughed delicately. "I assume there are more altars dotted around the Temple?"

"Yes and no," Primrose replied. "There are several sections around the Temple dedicated to each of the seven Aspects of Harmony, but not all of them are altars. Eventually, the plan is to have each of the dedicated sections maintained and organized by Disciples who specifically dedicate themselves to that Aspect, or Goddess, but we don't have enough members just yet." She gestured to the offerings. "Would you like my assistance, or would you prefer privacy?"

"You should stay," Sunset told her. "We'll get through all of this quicker if we work together and, as much as I hate to say it, most of this stuff probably stuff we aren't going to be able to use. May as well catalogue it all and let the Temple keep and use whatever we don't take."

Primrose dipped her head. "As you wish. Where should we begin?"

"Uh, pick a box, I guess?" Sunset suggested.

"What are we looking for?" Applejack asked.

Sunset shrugged. "Anything we can use, I guess." She looked at the spread of items before her. Imperishable food, Nuka-Cola, alcohol, tools, ammunition, magical crystals, household items, medical articles, caps, and assorted bric-a-brac. "Try for anything we might need in the wastes. 5mm ammo for the minigun and, if we're lucky, any microfusion cells. We'll split medicine, magic crystals and caps between us and the Temple. All of the food can stay with the Temple, they'll need it more than us."

Rainbow nodded and cracked her knuckles. "Okay. Let's do this."

Next Chapter: Chapter 111 - Wasteland Survival Guide: Minefield Estimated time remaining: 19 Hours, 32 Minutes