Applejack sat alone in one of the Temple's refectories. Mismatched tables and chairs filled the room, set aside for people to eat communally. They were one of the few parts of the Temple that outsiders were permitted to enter, with appropriate permission, and she was anticipating a visitor from outside the Temple fairly soon.

Thankfully, the Disciples were keeping everyone else away from the refectory for the time being. Applejack didn't doubt that they would inform the rest of the Rainbooms the second they woke up, but she could hardly blame them. Applejack herself had barely slept a wink, kept awake by pain and guilt, though the latter had little to do with what she had done and everything to do with how much trouble it was going to cause her friends.

As if summoned by the mere thought of her, the door opened and Sunset stepped inside. She took one look at Applejack's knuckles, so bruised and swollen she couldn't even move her fingers, and sighed heavily. "Yeah, she's here," Sunset said to someone just outside the room. "Twi, can you and Pinkie go and check on Rarity? We'll handle this."

Applejack just stared at the table as Sunset, Rainbow, and Fluttershy entered the room. Fluttershy cursed under her breath and dumped her nursing kit on the table, rifling through it as Rainbow and Sunset took seats opposite.

"The Disciples have heard some interesting stuff around town this morning," Sunset began. "Apparently, Moriarty has gone missing."

"Right," Applejack said quietly. Instead of giving anything away, she just focused on not wincing as Fluttershy got to work on her hands.

Rainbow scowled and leaned forward. "Look, just tell us what happened, AJ. We know something went down."

"Y'all ain't dumb. Ah reckon you can figure it out," Applejack replied. She hissed as Flutters stuck a stimpak in her arm.

Sunset sighed and shook her head. "Moriarty is dead, isn't he?"

Applejack lowered her head, hoping that her hat would cover her eyes. "Yeah."

"And you did it?" Rainbow asked.

Applejack was about to nod when Sunset cut in, "Of course she didn't, and Applejack doesn't lie, so we don't need to ask her."

"Right, silly me," Rainbow said, quickly getting the point.

"What?" Applejack looked up to see the others nodding grimly to each other. "But, you all know that Ah-"

"Hurt yourself after you helped Rarity get to bed last night," Sunset said firmly. "You must be in a lot of pain, and pain makes people say dumb things, so if people ask you silly questions you should keep your mouth shut."

Applejack glared at her. "But-"

"That's an order, Knight," Sunset replied with a glare of her own.

"Just do what you're told or I'll fucking sedate you," Fluttershy added menacingly.

The growled threat from the sweet little vampiric nurse struck Applejack more than anything else, as much for the swearing as the actual threat itself. When Fluttershy got mouthy, you knew something wasn't right. That, or she was behind on her blood consumption. Either way, Applejack decided not to push her luck.

With her capitulation, Sunset and Rainbow sighed and slumped over. Applejack felt terrible. Not because she had killed Moriarty, his death didn't weigh on her conscience in the slightest, but because of the hassle and worry she was causing her friends. "Ah'm sorry, girls."

"Don't be," Sunset replied. "It's not like I can really say much, and that asshole deserved it after what he tried to do to Rarity."

"How is she?" Applejack asked.

"Not great," Sunset admitted. "Everything seems to have caught up to her this morning. She's not exactly having a meltdown, but she's not on top form, either." She ran a hand through her hair. "I think you and Rarity should sit out Moira's requests today. In fact, we should probably get you up to your room before-"

A soft knock on the door interrupted her. "Too late," Fluttershy muttered.

The girls all looked up as the door opened and Primrose looked in, an uneasy expression on her face. "Sheriff Simms is here. He wants to speak to you, Ladies."

"Of course he does. Okay, send him in." Sunset settled herself into a nonchalant pose, giving Applejack a glimpse of the old alpha bitch of Canterlot High just in time for Simms to enter the room. Fresh snow dusted his hat and coat.

The Sheriff looked around at each of the girls until his gaze settled on Applejack's hands, not betraying any emotion beyond a slight narrowing of his eyes. "It seems you all had a busy night last night."

"I'd say a rough night," Sunset replied evenly. "If you want to speak to Rarity, she's upstairs, but we can call her-"

"You know she's not the one I need to talk to," Simms said pointedly. "Moriarty's body was just found outside the walls. He had been worked over something fierce, and mole rats had been at the corpse, but it was definitely him."

Sunset shrugged and stared up at him with a neutral expression. "Sounds like he walked into some of that, what did you call it, wasteland justice?"

Simms snorted, his attention still focused on Applejack's hands as Fluttershy bandaged them. "I'd tell you to cut the shit, but Jericho told me an interesting tale this morning. Turns out, Moriarty hired him to give you girls a message to stop messing up his business, especially you, Sunset, and Rarity. I'd consider Jericho himself a suspect, if he still had the use of his legs."

"I'm not apologizing for that," Fluttershy said quietly. "I'm just sorry that I was forced to do it."

Simms shook his head. "You're not in trouble, you were protecting your friend." Applejack didn't like the emphasis that he put on you. "I do wonder who it was who got to Moriarty first, though."

Applejack looked up to see him staring her in the eye. Simms wasn't dumb. He knew exactly what Applejack had done, he was just waiting to see what she did. Hesitating for just a moment, Applejack stood, making Sunset and Rainbow tense up, but she shook her head. "Don't. I ain't interested in kickin' up fuss. So, what happens now, Sheriff?"

Silence fell as everyone waited for Simms' answer. After several long seconds, Simms sighed. "I don't see that there's much I can do. It looks to me like Moriarty went outside for some illicit deal or other and got ambushed. The wastes are dangerous like that." He gestured to Applejack's hands. "Best stay inside until that's healed. Wouldn't want folks to see it and get the wrong idea."

Applejack nodded as the others signed with relief. "Thanks, Sheriff, that's good advice," she said gratefully. "Ah guess Ah owe you one."

"You're damn right, you do. If you want to pay it off, here." Simms pulled a note out of his pocket and put it on the table, sliding it across to Applejack. "Go to this location. I know some folks there who'd be happy to have your help." He straightened up and doffed his hat. "I'd best be going. Try and stay out of trouble."

The instant the door closed behind Simms, Rainbow let out a breath and sank down in her chair. "Thank fuck for that. I thought I was going to have to figure out a way to bust you out of jail."

"Yeah, that was good of him," Sunset agreed. "What's that note he gave you?"

Fluttershy picked it up and unfolded it. "It's a map leading to a place called Regulator HQ."

"Huh, weird." Sunset stood up and stretched. "Well, whoever the Regulators are, they can wait until we're done with Moira's book. Flutters, do you mind staying here and keeping an eye on Applejack and Rarity for us?"

"No problem," Fluttershy replied.

Applejack cleared her throat loudly as Sunset and Rainbow prepared to leave. "Ah just, uh, Ah wanna say thank you, for not bailin' on me."

"Pfft, you know I wouldn't do something like that, and Sunset isn't that much of a bitch," Rainbow replied.

"Oh, fuck you," Sunset huffed.

"Nah, I'm good," Rainbow retorted. She dodged a retaliatory swipe and darted out of the room, calling back over her shoulder, "Later, AJ!"

---

The snow hadn't stopped at all, making the trip up to Craterside Supply incredibly treacherous, especially when the girls got particularly high up. They found Adam waiting for them outside the store, blowing into his hands to warm them up. "How's Rarity doing?" He asked.

"About as well as can be expected, really," Sunset replied.

"Yeah, that's fair," Adam said softly. "Fluttershy and Applejack staying to look after her?" Sunset just nodded, deciding that he didn't need to know details just yet. "Groovy. Alright, shall we finish this thing off?"

"If this really is the last bit," Rainbow grumbled as Adam pushed the door open.

Moira looked a lot more chipper this morning than previously, leading Sunset to assume that she'd finally gotten enough sleep. She had also set up a couple of space heaters, turning Craterside Supply into a heavenly bastion of warmth compared to the snow-filled crater outside.

"Hey, I was wondering when you'd all show up!" Moira said by way of greeting. "Are you ready for the last part of this section?"

Sunset resisted the urge to swear loudly at the implication that there were more sections to go. "Sure. What's the next task?"

Moira grinned at her. "I want you to go to the library!"

"There's a library?!" Twilight exclaimed excitedly.

Moira nodded eagerly. "Books are where the old world kept its knowledge, and libraries are where it kept the books, and there's supposed to be one in Arlington."

"That's just around the corner from the Citadel," Rainbow noted.

"Good," Sunset said. "The less distance we have to cross in this snow, the better."

Moira opened her folder and spread out a small map for the girls to look at. "The library should be about here. See if it's still there, and if you can download the records from its computer. Information dumps like those would be invaluable for rebuilding humanity! If you can't get those, then even just the card catalog would be useful."

"We'll find the archives," Twilight said bluntly.

Sunset rolled her eyes. "Alright, I guess we're going to Arlington. We'll head past the Citadel. It'll be safer than going the long way around."

Saying a quick goodbye to Moira, the group stopped off at Adam's house to pick up his armor, then headed out of Megaton.

Stepping through Megaton's gates, the group paused as they saw the scale of the task ahead. Snow blanketed the ground, deep enough to reach Sunset's shins, and yet more was still falling from the sky. Travel was going to be difficult.

On the other hand, aside from the cold and the treacherous footing, the snow had one big saving grace, at least as far as Sunset was concerned. Climbing carefully to the top of the hill outside Megaton, she paused and gasped at the glorious tableau spread out before her. The blasted ground had been thoroughly covered in a layer of pristine snow, turning it from a depressing image to a sparkling vista brimming with mystery.

Still, Sunset didn't drop her guard. She knew as well as anyone that the veneer of beauty didn't make the wastes any less dangerous. Quite the opposite, in fact. Despite the group's concern, though, the journey to the Citadel proved to be fairly uneventful. The snow appeared to have driven most of the wildlife and wastelanders alike to ground, and the few raiders that were abroad didn't dare to pick a fight with such a well-known and dangerous team.

When they found themselves on the approach to the Citadel, the group discussed whether they should bother going inside or not.

"I could really use some more ammunition," Sunset put in. "I know you picked some up on your way to Rivet City yesterday, but I've still only got enough for about three reloads."

Adam shook his head. "I got as much as they'd let me take. The quartermasters are being stingy since they've got that big operation to Raven Rock coming up."

"Typical." Sunset heaved a sigh. "Alright, I guess that means we're carrying on."

The Knights guarding the Citadel's entrance called out in greeting as the group passed. The team replied in kind, but carried on past and headed south, turning around to the west as they followed the perimeter of the Citadel.

"According to Moira's map, the library should be somewhere in this general direction," Sunset said. "Anyone have any ideas on how to find it?"

"Look around until we get lucky?" Adam suggested.

"I suggest we divide the area into separate sections and search each one systematically," Twilight put in. She glanced around as the group walked past the edge of one building and stopped in her tracks, then pointed off to the left. "Or we could try that building right there."

The others looked at the building she pointed at. It was a concrete box, much like every other building in the D.C. ruins, but it was also lined with decorative pillars, and had intricate bas-reliefs running along the edge of the roof. Decorations like that were usually reserved for government buildings, museums, and libraries.

"I think you're on the right track," Sunset said.

At the base of the building, the group came across an odd steel cylinder, about seven feet tall. At first, Sunset thought it was some sort of telephone booth, or even a public toilet cubicle, but as she got closer she spotted signs on it indicating that it was a fallout shelter, operated by Pulowski Preservation Services.

"Is that seriously a bomb shelter?" Rainbow asked.

"Apparently." Sunset frowned when she spotted a little coin slot next to its sealed door. "It's coin operated? Seriously? What's the fucking point in that?!" She spat incredulously. "It's not like the company is still around to collect the money from these damn things!"

"Why don't we just see what's inside?" Pinkie racked the coin slot and, astoundingly, the door slid right open. A skeleton was hunched over on the floor of the shelter, along with a couple of boxes of bullets, a copy of Guns 'n' Bullets magazine, and a single 10mm pistol.

Letting pragmatism take over, Sunset collected up the bullets, trying to ignore the single bullet hole in the skeleton's temple. She also grabbed the magazine, just in case it had any tips on weapon maintenance.

"We've got company," Pinkie said suddenly. Everyone turned to see her pointing up at a ruined building opposite.

A single raider was standing in an upper-floor window, aiming a gun at them. It was too far away for Sunset to tell what weapon he was using, but she could tell that he was hesitating, which had probably saved one of their lives. There wasn't any cover close enough for them to dive behind before he pulled the trigger.

Without a word, everyone who had weapons drew them, hoping to intimidate the raider into backing down. Lacking a gun of her own, Twilight raised a hand and a purple aura seized a nearby car. The metal creaked loudly as it was lifted several feet into the air. That was enough for the raider, who rapidly withdrew his gun and scampered out of sight.

"Asshole," Rainbow muttered.

Safe once again, Twilight dropped the car with a crash and the group followed the perimeter of the building, looking for an entrance. It wasn't long before the group found a pair of Brotherhood Knights standing guard outside a door.

The two saluted the instant they spotted the girls. "Rainbooms? We wondered what the noise was. What are you doing here?"

"We're looking for the Arlington Library," Sunset replied. She jerked her chin at the door. "Is this it?"

"Yes, ma'am," one of the Knights replied. "We're part of a small joint task force hoping to retrieve the old archives stored inside."

"We could really use some backup," the other Knight admitted.

Sunset huffed a laugh. "Well, you're in luck. It turns out we're after the archives, too. Who's in charge?"

"Scribe Yearling," a Knight replied. "She's just inside."

Thanking the Knight, the group opened the door and stepped into the lobby.

Ordinarily, the large circular counter where ancient receptionists worked would have been the main feature in the high-ceilinged room. Now, however, that distinction went to the five Brotherhood Knights and two Enclave soldiers gathered around it. A single Scribe stood incongruously in the middle of them all, with tousled brown hair and a battered laser rifle dangling from her robes. Scattered gunfire echoed from deeper within the building.

One of the Enclave soldiers spotted the group first and muttered something to the others, who all looked around. The Scribe's eyes widened at the sight of the group. "The Rainbooms and the Lone Wanderer? What are you doing here?"

Sunset noted from the woman's insignia that she was a Senior Scribe, a rank higher than her own of Knight-Captain, and saluted accordingly. "Senior, we're hoping to gain access to the library's archives and it's card catalog. The Knights outside said you were after the same thing, so we figured we'd offer our help."

The Scribe let out a drawn-out breath. "Your timing is impeccable. I'm Scribe Yearling, Order of the Word, I'm in charge of this garrison. If you want the card catalog, it's on the terminal right here, but it appears that it's lost its connection to the central computer. We've been trying to get through to said computer, but the library is occupied by a powerful raider gang. They've got some dangerous magic on their side."

"Their minigun emplacement is the main issue," a Knight grumbled. "Fucking thing can't penetrate our armor, but it's got some magic in it that makes our armor's joints seize up when it hits. We were just considering trying to flank them but, until you showed up, I didn't think we had the numbers to pull it off."

"Well, you do now," Sunset told him confidently, though inside she was cursing the thought of facing yet more raiders, this time armed with magic. "First things first, Twilight, download the card catalog. Next, where's the minigun emplacement?"

The Knight pointed to a door on the other side of the room. "Through there. The corridor splits into two, then reconnects at the entrance to the library's main book room. The emplacement is set up at the top of a set of stairs covering the door. We can't push through."

Sunset nodded. A quick check of the Knights' insignia's showed that none of them were ranked higher than Knight-Sergeant or, in the Enclave's case, Corporal. She was the highest ranked actual soldier present. "Okay, I have an idea." Sunset glanced over at Scribe Yearling, who was supervising as Twilight downloaded the card catalog onto her Pip-Boy. "Senior Scribe, permission to assume tactical command?"

"Granted," Yearling replied immediately. "I'm a librarian, not a soldier."

With the formalities out of the way, Sunset straightened up and looked over her new subordinates. "Alright, I want two Knights to stay here and guard Scribe Yearling, the rest of you are with us. Us Rainbooms will take out the minigun, then we'll split into two teams. Do any of you know exactly where the central computer is?" Three of the Knights and one of the soldiers held up their hands. "I want one of you to accompany us, we'll push for the archives directly. The rest of you will focus on clearing the building section by section, until every hostile is neutralized. Is that clear?"

The others quickly assented, standing tall and readying their weapons.

"I think Twilight should stay here with Scribe Yearling," Rainbow put in. "This is a bit big for her first real firefight."

"I'm coming with you," Twilight said in a tone that brooked no disagreement. She glared at Sunset, who just sighed and shrugged.

"Fine, but be careful, and stay behind me." Sunset gestured for the Knights to proceed. "Come on, let's take these bastards down."

Leaving Scribe Yearling behind with her designated guards, the much stronger group headed through the door at the back of the room and split up at the fork the Knight had mentioned, with the Rainbooms and Enclave soldiers going left, while the Knights and Adam went right. A handful of Nuka-Cola vending machines were spaced out throughout the corridor, all of which Pinkie ransacked on sight.

It didn't take long for the group to find where the corridors rejoined. As the Knight had said, there was a large doorway right where the corridors met. Another Knight and an Enclave soldier were already waiting for both teams there, trading fire with people inside the room ahead.

"Hey, we've brought backup," one of their accompanying Knights called out.

"What have we got? Where's the minigun?" Sunset asked quickly.

The pair looked back and did a double-take when they saw who the backup was, but they recovered quickly. "It's directly opposite this door, on the second level," the Enclave soldier replied. "It's got some sort of magic shield, so our guns don't affect it."

"Typical," Sunset muttered. "Pinkie, you're up. Wait until I give the signal."

"Got it," Pinkie replied.

Sunset glanced around the troopers and saw Adam with the other Knights lining up on the other side of the door. She gestured for Pinkie to take up a position by the doorframe, then signalled for Adam and he Knights to draw the enemy fire in Brotherhood combat signals.

The Knights nodded and immediately stepped out of cover, blasting away at the raiders inside. Almost instantly, a loud whine filled the air as hundreds of bullets clattered against the Knights' power armor. Instead of shattering in a shower of sparks, the bullets exploded in puffs of grey dust that clung to what they struck.

With the gun emplacement distracted, Pinkie took the chance to step out of cover, aim her Party Cannon, and launch a bottle of sugary death. The resulting blast knocked a tide of dust from the ceiling.

Pinkie ducked back behind the wall just in time to avoid a storm of bullets. "The minigun's down, but I think we upset the rest of the raiders!"

"Good!" Sunset grinned. "You heard her, people, now get in there and sort those assholes out!"

As one, the power-armored troopers roared and charged into the room, bullets spanking off their armor as they laid waste to the startled raiders. The Rainbooms waited for the Knights and soldiers to get the attention of everyone else before entering the room themselves.

The scene inside was one of utter bedlam. They were in a large room, with dozens of short, wide bookcases spread out on the lower floor, and a staircase in the corner led up to a second floor balcony. A few scattered raiders were still shooting on the balcony, but most of them were already dead or dying. A smoking pile of slag dripping off the balcony showed where the minigun used to be. A few more seconds was all it took for the Knights and soldiers to put the last of the raiders down.

"That was easy," Rainbow said flatly.

"Yeah, well, now comes the tricky part," Sunset said roughly. "Grab one of the Knights and let's make a push for those archives. And remember, there's going to be shots of all kinds flying around all over the place, so make sure you don't go diving into combat recklessly."

"I'll be careful, I don't particularly fancy getting shot," Rainbow promised as she flagged down a Knight.

The team quickly regrouped once they were certain that the raiders were incapacitated. Sunset reiterated her plan, ordering the Enclave soldiers and most of the Knights to clear the building section by section, while Adam and one last Knight were to join the Rainbooms in their hunt for the central computer.

With the plan ready, the Knight led the Rainbooms through a door on the lower floor. "The media archives are this way," she told them.

A short corridor on the other side led to a set of stairs. Muffled gunfire echoed through the walls, but the path the girls were on was strangely undefended. Just as they reached the top of the stairs, the Knight held a hand up to halt the group and knelt down. "Pressure plate," she said quietly. "Must be a trap somewhere."

Sunset readied her plasma rifle and crept up the last couple of stairs to peek carefully around the corner. A long corridor stretched out before her. A single side door led off from it, and at the far end a pitching machine was set up as a weak trap.

Looking carefully, Sunset could just make out the tip of a gun barrel poking out around a corner near the pitching machine. She almost laughed at how obvious the ambush was, but another flaw caught her eye. The pitching machine was tilted at an angle. Too much of an angle to hit anyone coming up the stairs.

Following the angle, Sunset saw that the machine was actually tilted to fire at the wall, ricocheting balls off it to land in the centre of a large tire leaned against the opposite wall. She fought the urge to slap a palm to her forehead. The pitching machine had, presumably, originally been set up as a trap, but some idiot had moved it to turn it into a toy. The raiders were either incredibly stupid, or arrogant beyond reason.

With a grin, Sunset used Brotherhood hand signals to convey that an ambush was waiting ahead, then quickly outlined her plan. It was simple, really.

Pinkie swapped places with Sunset. She peeked around the wall, then stepped into the corridor and raised her Party Cannon. When she was ready, she very deliberately stamped on the pressure plate. The pitching machine rattled as it kicked into life. Raiders whooped and yelled, but their cries were cut off almost instantly as Pinkie fired at them.

The echoes of the blast hadn't even begun to fade as Pinkie slipped back into cover, letting Adam and the Knight take the lead. Together, the two marched side by side down the corridor, efficiently dispatching any raiders that were still dumb enough to continue fighting.

Sunset waited a few seconds before leading the Rainbooms into the corridor. She couldn't see past the power-armored pair, but the reek of death filling the air told her exactly how the raiders were faring.

Just as Adam and the Knight walked past the side door it was yanked open, and more raiders charged out of it. The first swung a baseball bat at the Knight ineffectively. Before anyone else could react, Rainbow appeared right next to them, Flashburn blazing as she hacked away at her opponents. The one-sided fight lasted barely a few seconds.

"This room's clear!" Rainbow called out. She turned back to the others, but one of the apparently dead raiders at her feet suddenly grabbed her ankle. He had a grenade in his other hand.

Time seemed to freeze as Sunset screamed a warning. Almost in slow motion, a purple aura surrounded the raider's arm, then wrenched it off in a welter of blood and hurled it into the side room, slamming the door behind it.

The explosion rocked the door on its hinges.

Rainbow let her breath out in a whoosh. "Holy shit. Nice save, Twi." She jammed Flashburn through the raider's head just to make sure he was down permanently.

"See, I can be useful," Twilight said pointedly.

"We never said you can't, you're just less experienced than the rest of us," Sunset replied, a little concerned about how easily Twilight was handling such extreme violence. "Also, Rainbow, what the hell have I said about making sure that the enemy is dead?"

"I thought he was! His fucking guts are hanging out, for crying out loud!" Rainbow countered.

The Knight looked down at the corpse. "He was probably on something. It's pretty common for raiders to use dangerous chems to make themselves stronger or tougher. Some Knights do it too, actually."

"Shit." Sunset ran a hand through her hair. "Okay, from now on, make sure you stick an enemy in either the heart or the head. It's the only way to be sure."

Rainbow nodded and yanked her sword out of the raider's head. "Got it."

Leaving the miniature battlefield behind, the squad rounded the corner and headed up another set of stairs only to find themselves hindered again, this time by a handful of landmines.

Sunset scanned the corridor ahead as Pinkie got to work clearing the mines. The stench of rotten flesh filled the air, accompanied by the frenzied buzzing of flies, making her wish that she had a mask or something to cover her face.

When Pinkie was done, the group pressed on cautiously. Maggot-ridden corpses had been laid out on mouldy beds or dangled from the ceiling in chains, revealing the source of the smell and the flies. In several places the floor had fallen through entirely, making the path ahead treacherous.

The reason for the lack of raiders was revealed as the group rounded yet another corner. A wide room lay at the end of the corridor, filled with a whole mess of computer banks and printing presses, many of which had been knocked on their sides and reinforced with barbed wire and wooden planks to form makeshift barricades. Two machine gun turrets were attached to the ceiling, and at least a dozen raiders were hunkered down in the room.

"Aw, shit," Rainbow muttered.

The girls all dove back around the corner as a storm of bullets tore apart the space where they'd been standing. Even Adam and the Knight were forced back by the sheer volume of fire. The Rainbooms dropped to the ground as the raiders' kept firing, the occasional bullet punching through the concrete wall in puffs of dust.

"What now?" Pinkie asked.

Rainbow spat on the floor. "Wait for them to reload, then I'll run in and fuck up their day."

Before Sunset could disagree, a loud crash brought the gunfire to an abrupt end. The group shared confused looks. Sunset gasped as a towering figure lumbered around the corner.

The creature technically looked like a man, but it stood head and shoulders above even Adam in his armor, and that wasn't counting the black horns that curled up from its head. It was topless, revealing an obscenely muscled torso, and had little more than a shredded pair of shorts covering its lower half. Glowing gray crystals were set in its belt.

A minotaur, Sunset realized with a jolt.

Adam snapped his weapon up, but the minotaur shoved him off his feet, making Sunset and Pinkie dive aside to avoid getting squashed. Sunset rolled and whipped her gun up, only to hesitate when she saw a purple aura surrounding the beast. Veins bulged as the minotaur struggled against the magic holding it.

"I don't like bullies." Twilight strode up to the straining minotaur, holding him still with casual ease. She smiled nastily up at him. "Still, I suppose I should thank you. You've given me the opportunity to prove just how useful I can be. Now die." Twilight twisted her wrist and, with a horrific crunch, the minotaur's head flopped onto its shoulder.

Sunset watched in horror as Twilight strode calmly into the line of fire, using her magic to levitate the dead minotaur in front of her like a meat shield. Sunset dove after her friend, intent on getting her back behind cover, but it was too late.

Thrusting her arms forward, Twilight launched the corpse into the room full of raiders, knocking aside barricades and people alike. She made a grasping motion, then used her magic to rip the turrets from the ceiling and hurl them at the shocked raiders.

Paralyzed by shock and horror, Sunset could only stare in mute disbelief as Twilight advanced on the raiders. Wherever her power touched, carnage reigned. One raider found his assault rifle grabbed by magic and yanked around, spraying his comrades with bullets before a twist of a wrist pulled its barrel up and forced the unfortunate man to blow his own brains out. Barbed wire snaked around the neck of another, twisting and tightening as it hauled the raider up and hung her from the ceiling.

"What the hell are you doing?! Stop!" Pinkie yelled.

Twilight raised her hands and encased the remaining raiders in her magic before glancing back over her shoulder. "What? You were going to kill them all anyway. This is more efficient."

Sunset blasted the raider still struggling in the barbed wire, putting her out of her misery. "This isn't efficiency, you're torturing them! What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

"Wrong with me?!" Twilight snarled. "I had to sit and watch the rest of you go into battle, putting your lives on the line against monsters like these, while I sat in a wheelchair and waited to find out whether one of you had been injured, or raped, or worse! No more! These people are what's wrong, and I'm going to give every one of these sick bastards what they deserve!" She clenched her fists tightly, crushing the skull of every raider in her magical grip into a gory paste. "That's efficiency."

Twilight turned on her heel and strode up to the flabbergasted Knight. "Which way are the archives?" The Knight pointed a shaky hand towards one of the side doors. "Thanks."

"Twi, wait!" Sunset tried to grab her shoulder as she walked away, but a purple aura pushed Sunset gently away.

"Don't try to stop me," Twilight said firmly.

The others all stared after her as she stormed through the door. They shared an uneasy look, not quite sure what had just happened, then barrelled through the door after Twilight.

Upstairs was even worse than the previous level. Dismembered corpses had been arranged in twisted poses everywhere, and many of the walls had gaping holes in them, leaving a carpet of dried gore and debris all over the floor. The raiders had apparently given up their attempts at organized ambushes, instead opting to just stand and hold each hole or doorway as best they could.

Twilight strode through it all, blissfully unconcerned by the stray bullets that zipped past her. Every raider she came across had their weapon ripped from their hands, then either their heads crushed by magic or their bodies broken apart by flung debris.

"Twi, get in cover!" Sunset snapped, shooting a raider who was trying to flank them.

"I'm fine!" Twilight called back. "I've got this, so stop-"

"Behind you!" Adam shot a raider who lunged out of a hole that Twilight had just passed, making him stumble and miss with the heavy sledgehammer he was swinging. The hit didn't put the raider down, but before he could attack again Twilight whipped around, snaring him in her magic. She snarled and ripped the man apart at the waist, flinging the halves of him aside in an explosion of blood and entrails.

Twilight smirked, utterly caked in gore. "See? I can handle mys-" She staggered as someone shot her in the back.

Sunset put the offending raider down with two shots of plasma to the chest, then sprinted over to Twilight just as she sank to her knees. "Are you okay?!"

"I got shot," Twilight said quietly, as if she couldn't quite believe it.

Sunset inspected her armor, her blood running cold as she saw the smoking hole in it, then ordered the others to cover her while she stripped off Twilight's armor to check the wound. "It's alright, I've got you, I- oh, for fuck's sake." Sunset almost cried with relief when she saw the bullet protruding barely half a centimeter through the inside of the armor.

"Am I going to die?!" Twilight yelped.

"No, you fucking idiot, you've just got a scratch." Sunset used her knife to poke the bullet back out of the armor, then helped Twilight get it all back on. "You're a lucky bitch. Remember, you aren't combat trained like the rest of us, so calm your tits and stay the fuck behind me!"

Twilight just nodded shakily. The brush with death had apparently knocked some sense back into her.

Satisfied that Twilight wasn't about to go on another psychotic rampage, Sunset snatched up her plasma rifle and rejoined the fight. "Pinkie, make sure this idiot doesn't get herself killed! Knight, get us to that central computer!"

Together, the group pushed forward, making their way through the upper floor step by bloody step. The raiders were getting more desperate the more they were pressed. More than once several of them tried to mob Adam and the Knight, attempting to drag their assailants down through sheer weight of numbers. Rainbow proved herself invaluable at those times, wailing on the mobs with Flashburn while Sunset and Pinkie worked together to pick off stragglers.

Finally, after what felt like hours, the Knight yelled out, "We're almost there! The computer is in the next room!"

Pressing on, the group rounded a corner and saw the aforementioned room ahead of them. Another makeshift barricade had been constructed inside, layered with wood and barbed wire. At first, Sunset thought that the room was devoid of enemies, then a terrifying figure rose to its feet from where it had been kneeling behind the barricade.

The figure was clearly the leader of the raiders. It was clad in a patchwork set of power armor that looked like it had been nailed together from several different suits. The armor had been daubed with blood, leaving it crimson and reeking of death, and scraps of metal rebar had been welded to the helmet to give the impression of horns. "I am Ghoritch," the figure rumbled, its voice somehow reverberating through the air. "Your blood shall be a worthy tribute."

"Get fucked!" Sunset blasted the monster relentlessly, swiftly joined by Adam and the Knight. Pinkie raised her Party Cannon, but Sunset stopped her. "No! You might destroy the central computer!"

Ghoritch growled. "Pathetic." He raised his arms and a sphere of blood coalesced in front of him. Another gesture sent the orb hurtling towards Pinkie, who barely managed to jump aside in time. The blood splashed against the wall and ate through it like acid.

"Alright, fuck this!" Sunset dropped her plasma rifle and whipped her Nova pistol out just as Ghoritch created another sphere of blood. The blast from the Nova pistol lit up the whole room like a miniature star.

The blood Ghoritch had conjured fell to the floor in a splash. Ghoritch himself looked down at the gaping hole punched clean through his chest, slumped to his knees, then finally keeled over and lay still.

"Damn…" Adam glanced at Sunset. "Why don't you use that thing all the time?"

Sunset grimaced at the steam leaking out of the Nova pistol's ammo chamber. "It takes one shot per crystal, and I've only got three crystals. They recharge, but that takes an hour or so at least, so it's not exactly practical." She eased the crackling red crystal out of the ammunition chamber, popped it in a special insulated pocket sewn into her pants, then slipped in a new crystal. "Is everyone okay?"

The others all replied in the positive.

"We're clear," the Knight said with a sigh. "All we have to do now is find the central computer and wait for the others to catch up."

Sunset nodded and led the group into the room. It didn't take long for them to find the terminal they were looking for, tucked away in a corner. "Okay, Twilight, you're up."

"Right," Twilight said sheepishly. "Um…"

"We'll talk about what happened back at Megaton," Sunset said heavily. She leaned against a shattered desk and ran a hand through her hair, not caring about whatever muck was caked in it. "Everything else can wait until we're out of this shithole."

Next Chapter: Chapter 118 - Wasteland Survival Guide: Dangers of Magic Estimated time remaining: 17 Hours, 3 Minutes