Sunset stepped outside the Temple doors and stretched in the morning sun. It had finally stopped snowing, at least for the moment, and a break in the clouds was letting a little light and warmth through. Admittedly, the bright light reflecting off snow and metal forced everyone who dared step outside to squint or risk snow-blindness, but that hadn't stopped people from taking advantage of the brief respite to run some errands.

Glancing up towards the tavern, Sunset smiled as she saw that the sign had been altered, with the word 'Moriarty's' painted over with 'Gob's' in big white letters. Since the not-quite-unfortunate demise of its previous owner, and in the absence of any written will, Sheriff Simms had decided that the establishment would be passed down to its oldest employee.

"What are you thinking?" Fluttershy asked.

Sunset turned to see the rest of the Rainbooms filing out of the Temple behind her. "Not much. Just getting a breath of fresh air. AJ, how are your hands?"

Applejack flexed her fingers experimentally. "Well Ah ain't gonna be strummin' the bass anytime soon, but they'll do."

"Please tell me that wasn't a euphemism," Twilight muttered.

Rainbow smirked at her. "If she needs help strumming, all she has to do is ask Rar-ow! Fucking bitch tits!"

"Ah can still give you a dead arm, you foul-mouthed strumpet," Applejack growled, rubbing her knuckles.

"Enough," Sunset cut in as Rainbow stuck her tongue out. "Rainbow, are you still good to go to the Citadel?"

Rainbow nodded and rolled her shoulders. "Yeah, yeah, just gotta warn them about the parasprites, right?'

"And let Elder Lyons know that music might be effective as a means of containment or control. That's how Equestria's Pinkie dealt with them," Sunset reminded her. "Make sure he passes the message on to the Enclave, and they can decide amongst themselves whether they're going to go with opera or ordnance. And don't forget to keep an eye out for that other speedster."

"I will," Rainbow promised. "I'll make sure I have my super speed switched on the whole way there and back, so my reflexes are maxed out. That skank won't get the drop on me again."

"Good girl. If we're not in Megaton when you get back, just wait here at the Temple for us," Sunset told her.

Rainbow nodded again. "Got it. Later!" There was a quick flash of light as she ponied up followed by a blur as she soared into the air and away.

The girls stared after her for a few moments, but the cold quickly convinced them to hurry on up to Craterside Supply. Adam was waiting outside the store for the group . Inside, as always, Moira was standing behind the counter, intensely scrutinizing her file. "Oh, hey!" She said brightly when she spotted the girls. "I was wondering when you were going to get back."

"We actually got back last night, but the store was already closed," Sunset replied.

"Sorry, I closed up early last night." Moira eagerly snatched up a pen and a clipboard. "Okay, did you check out the diner? What about the disposal site? Tell me everything!"

Sunset and leaned against the counter. "The diner didn't have any weird animals. It was just raiders who had managed to get their hands on some magic. The disposal site, though… that was something else."

"What do you mean?" Moira asked.

Together, the girls explained about the parasprites, and told her to spread the word that, should more creatures matching their description be sighted, the Brotherhood and the Enclave must be notified as quickly as possible.

"Fascinating, and a little concerning," Moira said as she noted it all down. "And with that done, I think it's time for payment!" She reached under the counter and lifted up a small box containing a handful of what looked like oversized stimpaks and a pair of tin cans with wires sticking out of them. "Here. I had these super stimpaks imported directly from the Mojave Wasteland."

"Super stimpaks?" Fluttershy picked one up gingerly. "I've heard of these. They're supposed to be effective, but dangerous if not used carefully."

Pinkie plucked one of the tin cans out of the box. "What are these?"

"Nuka Grenades," Moira said proudly. "I made them myself. Be careful with them, I'm told they go off with a pretty big bang."

"All yours, Pinkie," Sunset said quickly, before anyone suggested that they give one to Rainbow Dash. "So, what's next on the agenda?"

Moira grinned. "You know those magic crystals that are popping up all over the wasteland? Well, I was hoping that you could help me figure out how to use them properly, and we could put that in the book. It would help keep people from making the same dangerous mistakes that I made when I was experimenting with them."

"Ah don't know. Ain't that information a little dangerous to be spreadin' around?" Applejack asked. "What if raiders get hold of it? Or worse?"

Twilight shrugged. "It's a fair point, but pretty much all of the information in this survival guide could be dangerous in the wrong hands. Plus, some raiders have already figured out how to use the crystals. At least this way people are less likely to hurt themselves with them."

Sunset was inclined to agree, but telling the world how said crystals could be used to enhance weaponry just seemed to be asking for trouble. She doubted that the Brotherhood of Steel or the Enclave would be particularly happy about it either. A compromise was in order. "We can tell you how to know which crystals are safe to use, and how to pony up with them, but that's it. You'll probably be best off saying that experimenting beyond that is dangerous, or you might get the Brotherhood of Steel breathing down your neck."

"Fair enough. It's a shame, but I see what you're getting at." Moira flipped to a blank page in her file and held her pen up expectantly. "Ready?"

"Actually, if you don't need me for this, I'm going to head out to the Holy Light Monastery," Adam cut in. "One of the Children of Atom told me that the Apostles were hoping for a word."

"I'll come with you," Fluttershy said quickly.

Once the pair had left, Sunset sighed and turned back to Moira, who was staring at her pointedly. Explaining how the crystals worked wasn't too difficult, especially with the rest of the Rainbooms chipping in with their own experiences of ponying up.

When Moira had finished writing everything down, including the many warnings the girls gave her of the dangers of the crystals, she stood up and braced herself against the counter, staring down at the file in awe. "It's finished. My Wasteland Survival Guide… it's finished."

"Really?" Sunset asked. Moira just nodded slowly.

Applejack coughed awkwardly. "You, uh, don't need us to go and get it printed for you, do you?"

"No," Moira replied with a shake of her head. "I was originally going to ask you to get the manuscript to the old Hubris Comics building for me, but I managed to make my own arrangements instead."

"Wow." Sunset looked down at the file with an odd mix of relief and disappointment. "I guess... that's that, then?"

Moira nodded. "That's that. All I have to do now is polish up the manuscript and get it printed. Oh! And your rewards! One second!" She darted out from behind the counter and disappeared into a back room, only to reappear a few minutes later carrying a heavy-looking box and a particularly large bomb. She hefted them onto the counter and patted dust off her hands. "There. The last of the magic crystals that my toaster didn't eat, and my mini-nuke. I was saving it to dig a well, but it mostly just makes me nervous."

"Did you just say a mini nuke?!" Pinkie asked incredulously. "I found one of those in the Super Duper Mart. I've been keeping it next to my bed! Where I sleep!"

"Yeah, I wouldn't do that if I were you," Moira told her. She patted her file affectionately. "Still, I can't believe that we've actually finished the guide, and it's all thanks to you. I'll make sure to put in the book that all of you were instrumental in getting this done, and I'll keep the first copy aside as a gift for you as soon as I get it printed."

Sunset smiled at her, glad to have finally gotten something right since arriving back at Megaton. "I'm just glad that we were able to help." She directed Applejack to grab the crystals and the bomb, then said her goodbyes to Moira and headed out of the store. It had already started to gently snow again. "Okay. What next?"

A tense mood filled the Citadel's Great Hall. Elder Lyons fought back a faint feeling of nausea and looked around at the gathered Brotherhood leadership, silently lamenting those who had fallen at the air force base, and appraising the new faces around the table who were replacing them.

Eden skittered around on the table in front of Lyons, drawing wary looks from many of those present. "No Maxson today?"

"No, I sent him and Squire Peters with the Wonderbolts to reinforce the Galaxy News outpost," Lyons replied. "It's about time the lad got a taste of what the wasteland is like."

"They're going to be meeting an Enclave fireteam there, so he's probably going to get a taste of diplomacy as well, given Three Dog's feelings on the Enclave," Sarah added.

Paladin Bergen grimaced. "Shouldn't the Wonderbolts be staying here to assist with the assault on Raven Rock?"

Several of the other Knights nodded and murmured their agreement, prompting Sarah to speak up, "We don't want to commit all of our strength to this one assault, just in case something goes wrong. Rest assured, I will personally be leading the Lyons' Pride on this assault, and we'll have plenty of additional troops there to back us up."

"What of Liberty Prime?" One of the Scribes asked.

"Liberty Prime will continue protecting the water caravans," Elder Lyons replied. He raised his voice as several of the assembled leaders voiced their disapproval, "The cramped confines of the mountain would render Liberty Prime almost useless, so he would be better used protecting our interests elsewhere in the wastes."

"And the Rainbooms?" A Knight piped up. "We're going to be facing magic. Why aren't they here?"

Elder Lyons shook his head. His response to that exact question had been well-rehearsed. "The Rainbooms are not going to be with us forever. We have to learn how to fight magic without their aid. Besides, the Enclave is going to be sending troops of their own to supplement our strike force. President Shoichet has promised that Horrigan will be placed at our disposal." He smiled grimly at the shocked looks on the others' faces. "I don't think I need to tell you how much of an asset that, ahem, soldier will be."

"How long until we are ready to strike?" Bergen asked.

"President Shoichet is currently overseeing an important experiment at the Exodus building," Elder Lyons replied. He felt his pulse quicken at the thought that the Enclave was, at that very moment, preparing to test their interdimensional portal. "Therefore, she will be sending her forces to meet ours here tomorrow at noon. That is when we will march on Raven Rock."

Deep in the bowels of Raven Rock, a young woman sat on a throne of glowing amethyst, secretly watching the Brotherhood of Steel's meeting through the clueless eyes of Eden. She sighed heavily when she heard that the Brotherhood and Enclave would finally be sending troops after her. "Oh well, I suppose it was only a matter of time."

The woman stood, and the magic of the mountain pulsed as she related her psychic command through it to every crystalline creature and spirit that lived within. "The time has come. Go to the Citadel and await my command."

An orchestra of chiming notes filled the mountain as the mutated inhabitants all moved as one to fulfill their new orders. The woman fingered her Geode idly as she walked through the tunnels towards the surface. "The Rainbooms are a threat, but they may also be the key to success. I believe that they are still at the settlement known as Megaton. Perfect." A wicked smile worked its way across her face. "I shall deal with them personally."

This is the last chapter of the Wasteland Survival Guide, and the last chapter of the first Act of Fallout Girls. From here on out, the girls are going to be exploring more of the Capital Wasteland and beyond. New characters are going to be introduced, and old characters are going to return, though not all of them will survive.

Before all of that, however, I've got one little thing to go through. The fic is going to start having a few more sex scenes going forward (mostly for character development purposes, the gratuitous stuff will be saved for Side Stories), and I'm wondering if and how people would prefer a warning, so you can skip past them if they aren't your sort of thing. At the moment, the two methods I'm thinking of are either a page break before and after, or a simple message saying (sexy times) - (sexy times over) on either side.

Thoughts?