The Vault’s main entrance was deathly quiet, with only a faint drip of water breaking the silence. Sunset liked it that way.

Thankfully, the abandoned dead bodies had finally been taken away by Applejack and Fluttershy, who had taken them to rest somewhere more dignified. The rest of the Rainbooms, along with the entirety of the Vault population, were gathered in the Vault’s atrium to hear an important announcement from the Overseer.

Sunset had to admit that she was impressed. She had expected there to be a much longer period of negotiation, maybe some tense meetings between the opposed parties, but when faced with Adam and Fluttershy the Overseer’s resolve had collapsed like a house of cards. The fact that only about three or four people in the whole Vault actually supported him had probably contributed to that.

Now, with the security team forcibly pacified and the Vault on the brink of genetic stagnation, the Overseer had finally given in and accepted that they had to interact with the outside world. Sunset had of course been asked to attend the address he was giving, where he would officially hand power over to Amata, but the prospect of some peaceful solitude was too just enticing to pass up. Besides, there was more drama going on in the sidelines than Sunset was willing to deal with. Officer Gomez was utterly appalled about the fact that his wife had willingly joined the attempt to lynch Adam and Fluttershy, while Allen Mack had flown into a rage upon learning that his eldest son had been killed. Sunset had actually felt a little bad for him when Rarity had used her powers to restrain him again.

The sound of the door opening behind her made Sunset turn around. To her surprise, Allen Mack stepped into the room, followed by Adam in his power armor, Amata, Officer Gomez, and the rest of the Rainbooms. “Uh, hey guys. What’s going on?” Sunset asked.

Applejack adjusted her hat before replying, “We’re all done here, figured it was time to head on back out.”

“Really? That was fast.” Sunset glanced at Amata. “Are you sure you don’t want us to stick around a little longer, just in case?”

“We’ll be alright,” Amata replied, her gaze flicking shiftily around at each of the Rainbooms. “We’ve got Andy and that assault rifle now, so I don’t think anyone will try kicking up a fuss for the time being.”

The way she was looking at each Rainboom with a subtle mix of curiosity and awe made Sunset wonder if someone had told her the truth about their origins, but she decided to let it lie for the time being. Instead, Sunset jerked her chin towards Allen. “What about him? What’s he doing here?”

Allen clenched his fists and glared at her, earning himself a warning look from Amata. “My father’s last act as Overseer was to banish him from the Vault, a punishment I wholeheartedly agree with,” she explained.

“If you think I’m going anywhere with the freaks that murdered my son...” Allen began.

“You don’t have a choice, now keep your mouth shut or I’ll shut it for you,” Adam growled.

Amata snorted and turned back to Sunset. “We were hoping that you could take him with you when you go. Not far, just enough to make sure that he actually leaves instead of lurking around the Vault entrance.”

Sunset nodded. “Sure, that’s fine with me, but what about you?” She looked up at Adam. “Are you sure you don’t want to stick around for a while and catch up?”

“No, I’m good.” Adam glanced at Fluttershy, who smiled warmly back at him. “This isn’t where I belong anymore. My place is out there in the wastes.” He shrugged. “The war may be over, but I’m willing to bet that there’s a whole bunch of people out there who still need help. I’d rather be out there doing something about it than sitting here with my thumb up my ass.”

“Fair enough.” Sunset offered her hand to Amata. “In that case, I guess this is goodbye for now.”

Amata smiled and shook her hand. “For now, but you’re welcome to come back here whenever you want. Just try not to bring any outside problems in with you.”

“We’ll try,” Sunset replied with a chuckle. She glanced around at the others, then pulled the lever to open up the Vault. Sirens blared and metal squealed as the massive Vault door was pulled inwards and hauled aside. A brisk breeze wafted in from outside. “Alright, everyone, let’s move.”

Sunset took the lead as they headed out of the Vault and out of the tunnel, while Adam brought up the rear, giving Allen the occasional shove to make sure that he moved. The temperature dropped rapidly as the group neared the doorway to the outside until, shivering with the cold, they emerged once more into the wasteland.

“Damn, I forgot how cold it is out here!” Rainbow hissed.

Sunset huffed a laugh and looked back at Allen. He was shivering and rubbing his arms roughly, but at the same time he was looking around in wide-eyed wonder. She could hardly blame him. As cold as it was, the thick blanket of snow turned the wasteland into a hauntingly beautiful vista. Unfortunately, as beautiful as it was, the fact that it had started snowing again meant that travel was about to get even more difficult. “We’ll head back to Megaton first,” Sunset said. “We’ll grab some more supplies in town, then see if we can make our way to the Regulator HQ.”

“If the going is too rough, we can always drop in on the Family in Meresti again,” Twilight noted.

“Sounds good to me,” Sunset agreed. “Adam, after you.”

Adam nodded and stepped to the front, handing the duty of shepherding Allen along to Applejack and using his power armor to bulldoze a trench through the snow for the girls to follow. The route that the group had taken on their trip up the hill was still clearly visible, but having Adam act as a living snow-plow would make things a little easier in any case.

“What are we going to do with our little tagalong?” Rarity asked as the group headed down the hill once more.

Sunset glanced back at Allen, who was struggling to walk through the snow without falling over. She realized with a mild jolt that it was his first time ever even seeing snow, let alone trying to walk through drifts of it. “I don’t particularly want to dump him on the Disciples. I’d suggest making him work up at the Saloon, but it wouldn’t be fair to make Gob deal with him, either. Maybe we can palm him off on Sheriff Simms?”

“What the heck?” Sunset almost walked into Adam as he stopped abruptly. Peering around him, she was surprised to see a certain Super Mutant lumbering up the hill towards them, his makeshift Brotherhood armor dusted with snow. “Hey, Fawkes! Up here!” Adam called out, waving down to him.

Fawkes looked up and waved happily.

“What the fuck is that?!” Allen exclaimed. He yelped as Applejack slapped him upside the head.

“A friend, so watch your mouth, or Ah’ll wash it out with soap,” she said firmly.

Any response was drowned out by the crunch of snow as Fawkes approached, holding his arms out wide in greeting. “It is good to see you all once again, my friends. I hope you are all well.”

“We’re fine, buddy,” Adam replied cheerfully. “What’s up? What are you doing all the way out here by yourself?”

Fawkes swiped the worst of the snow from his shoulders. “The Enclave contacted Elder Lyons and urgently requested the presence of the Rainbooms at their Exodus facility. As the majority of the Brotherhood forces are preparing for tomorrow’s mission to Raven Rock, I volunteered to come and find you.” He glanced over his shoulder in the direction of Megaton. “I fear I may have accidentally spooked the gate guard at the nearby settlement. However, to my good fortune, he deigned to offer directions as to your location instead of shooting on sight.”

“Oof, I bet Stockholm is wondering if someone spiked his water,” Pinkie said with a giggle.

“He did seem very surprised to see a Meta Human who was not immediately hostile,” Fawkes noted, letting out a low chuckle himself.

“What do the Enclave want to see us for?” Sunset asked.

Fawkes shook his head. “I am afraid I do not know. However, I was told that it was very urgent. They have requested that you make your way to the Exodus facility post-haste.”

“That don’t sound good,” Applejack muttered.

“Unless they’ve got the portal up and running?” Rarity put in hopefully.

“That’s extremely unlikely,” Twilight said bluntly, quashing any hopes before they could start. “We should hurry over and see what they want before we start letting speculation run wild.”

Sunset nodded. “You’re right.” She patted Adam’s shoulder. “What are you going to do? Are you coming with us?”

Adam looked back at the girls, glanced at Fluttershy, then sighed heavily. “I’d like to, but there’s something I want to look into first.”

“Canterbury Commons?” Fluttershy asked, getting a solemn nod in return.

Sunset thought back to the local geography she had studied with the Brotherhood. “Isn’t that a settlement way off to the Northeast of here?”

Adam and Fluttershy both nodded. “Yeah, it’s supposed to be one of the bigger ones behind Rivet City and Megaton,” Adam replied. “Me and Fluttershy heard over the radio that they were having trouble with a pair of costumed nutcases, back when we went to check on the Holy Light Monastery.”

“It’s in roughly the same direction as the Regulator HQ, so we were going to see if we could stop in after we cleared Applejack’s record,” Fluttershy added. She looked anxiously up at Adam. “Um, I wish I could go with you, but-”

“If the Enclave needs the Rainbooms, then it’s probably magic that they need help with, and they might need all of you. It’s okay, I get it,” Adam told her. “You go help the Enclave out, and I’ll see what I can do about the mess in Canterbury Commons.”

“I shall assist you,” Fawkes said quickly. “You will need at least one person capable of reading a map.”

Adam sighed heavily. “Yeah, you’re probably right.” He looked back over his shoulder, then walked back to Allen and grabbed his arm, dragging him to the front of the group. “You can come with us as well.”

“G-get your hands off me!” Allen spat. “You can’t make me march in this weather! I’ll freeze!”

Fawkes titled his head to the side curiously. “Who is this fellow?”

“An asshole,” Adam replied. “I’ll give you the details on the way.” He shoved Allen in front before turning back to Fluttershy. Kneeling before her, he took her hand and pressed it to his helmet’s forehead. “I’ll see you as soon as I can.”

“I look forward to it,” Fluttershy replied. Her cheeks were burning red, and somehow, Sunset didn’t think it was just because of the cold.

Adam nodded and got back to his feet, then strode quickly down the hill, waving as he went. “See you later, ladies!”

Fawkes sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I had better catch him before he gets lost, as I very much doubt he knows the way.” Quick as a flash, he snatched up Allen and tossed him over his shoulder, ignoring the former Vault resident’s protests. “Farewell, my friends.”

The Rainbooms waved goodbye as the mismatched trio made their way down the hill. A loud thump was carried through the wind a few seconds later, followed by a cheerful ‘I’m okay!’.

“He forgot that snow is slippery, didn’t he?” Sunset asked.

“I think so,” Fluttershy replied with a sigh.

“How the hell did that guy survive childhood?” Applejack asked flatly.

Sunset just shook her head. “I have no idea.” She glanced around as Pinkie tapped her on the shoulder. “What’s up?”

“Uh, shouldn’t we be following them, or are we going to find our own way down?” Pinkie asked.

The other Rainbooms blinked dumbly as they processed what she had said, then alternated between swearing and putting a palm to their foreheads as they realized that they were going to have to travel through the snow without their power-armored plow.

“I don’t know about you, darlings, but I think I’ve had enough of trudging through the snow for a moment. Stand back, please.” Rarity ponied up, then spread her arms wide and raised them with a dramatic flourish, summoning an elegant crystal staircase that headed down the hill in a more direct route towards Megaton than the road. “There. That should be a little easier.”

Relieved that they didn’t have to forge a path through the snow, the girls were quick to praise her and climb carefully down the stairs. Instead of creating one large staircase that stretched all the way to the bottom of the hill, Rarity created short, winding stairways, summoning a new section whenever they reached the bottom of the current one. This served the dual purpose of saving her energy, and making sure that the snow didn’t have time to pile up on the stairs enough to become a hazard. When they reached the cliff, she created an elaborate circular staircase that led safely to the bottom.

With the descent out of the way, the girls were back to forging a path through the snow. However, to make things easier, Rarity summoned a wedge-shaped crystal that she propelled along the ground like a plow, while Twilight used her magic to grab huge piles of snow and toss them aside, along with the occasional boulder.

Despite the snow, it didn’t take long for the girls to make their way back to Megaton. The sight of Stockholm in his nest, bundled up beneath his patchwork umbrella, was relieving to see. Apparently, Stockholm was just as relieved to see the girls, as he leaned over when they neared and called down to them, “It’s a good thing you’re here! There’s something weird going on!”

“If you’re talking about Fawkes, he’s perfectly benign, don’t worry!” Twilight called back.

Stockholm shook his head and pointed into the town. “Not him, something’s going on in town! You’d better speak to the Sheriff!”

Sharing a concerned look, the Rainbooms hurried in through the gate. The snow had kept most residents indoors, but at least a dozen or so people were gathered together at the bottom of the crater, right outside the temple. Simms, Primrose, and Joshua were right in the middle of the crowd, discussing something.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Sunset called out as the girls approached. “Stockholm said something weird was happening.”

The residents all looked relieved when they spotted the Rainbooms. “Thank God you’re here,” Simms said with a heavy sigh. “There’s something really freaky going on up at the Saloon.”

Sunset looked up at the Saloon. Other than the name change, she couldn’t see anything different or out of place about it. “What do you mean?”

“I mean anyone who goes anywhere near it at the moment starts feeling sick, or seeing things that aren’t there,” Simms replied. “I damn near puked my guts up when I tried to go up there. And no-one inside will come out or even respond, no matter how hard we try to get their attention.”

“I hate to say it, but I’ve got a hunch that something very bad is going on up there,” Primrose added.

Rainbow shivered and looked up at the Saloon uneasily. “You don’t think it’s Moriarty’s ghost, do you?”

“D-don’t be ridiculous!” Applejack snapped. “There ain’t no such thing as ghosts!”

“Given how crazy everything else in this world has been, I wouldn’t be surprised,” Pinkie put in quietly, getting anxious glares from almost everyone nearby.

Sunset frowned, thinking hard. She didn’t think it was likely that the Saloon was haunted, but Primrose had a hunch that something bad was going on, and that was more than enough reason to be worried. “Ghosts or not, we’d better check it out. The rest of you stay here.” Ignoring the worried looks of those around her, as well as her own fears, Sunset headed towards the ramp that would take her up to the Saloon’s level. The crunch of snow told her that the others were right on her heels.

Just as Simms had warned, Sunset started feeling sick as they climbed towards the building. It started off as a mildly unpleasant sensation in her gut, but it built the closer they got, until it got to the point that every step sent a wave of nausea through her. A quick glance revealed that the others were all feeling the effect just as badly.

“What the hell?!” Rainbow exclaimed, making the others stare at her in surprise. She stared in disbelief down an empty alleyway for a few seconds, then shook her head to clear it. “Sorry. Thought I saw something.”

As they resumed walking, Sunset noticed the other girls occasionally flinch or do a double-take, even if all they were walking past was a blank wall. Finally, they stepped out onto the walkway that led to the Saloon’s entrance. Almost as if on cue, all of the other girls suddenly shivered.

“What was that?” Sunset asked curiously.

“Nothing. Nothing at all,” Twilight said in a deadpan voice. “Let’s keep walking.” Each of the others just nodded in unison.

Watching them carefully, Sunset nevertheless did as suggested, leading the way around to the entrance. There was nothing obvious or untoward about it, but she still felt nervous as she reached for the handle and slowly opened the door.

Inside, the Saloon didn’t look any different than usual. Gob was serving drinks behind the counter, Nova was standing by the radio smoking a cigarette, and there were plenty of patrons sitting around drinking and chatting happily. Sunset would have thought that it was just any other day at the bar, if it weren’t for a worryingly familiar energy she could sense from somewhere nearby. Equestrian magic was at play. “Spread out and see what you can find out,” she said quietly. “I’ll see if Gob has noticed anything.”

Suiting actions to words, Sunset stepped over to the bar. Gob looked up as she approached. “Hey, what can I do for you?”

“Have you seen anything weird going on in here?” Sunset asked bluntly. “Simms says there’s something weird happening up on this level.”

Gob shook his head. “Nope. There’s nothing strange going on here.” He glanced around as someone called for a drink. “Sorry, I’d better get back to work.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. That had been a little bit of an abrupt dismissal, but it didn’t seem like he had been lying. As she was pondering what to do next, she noticed someone sidle up alongside her.

“You’re Sunset Shimmer, aren’t you?” The speaker was a young woman, around Sunset’s age, with long black hair that reached down to her waist, and pale gray eyes that sparkled with curiosity.

“That’s me,” Sunset replied, glancing around the room again. “And you are…?”

“Unity,” the girl replied. “I’m new in town.”

Sunset nodded. “Right. This may be a weird question, but have you seen anything odd around here?”

“You mean other than the temple, the church, or the atomic bomb?” Unity shrugged. “I spent most of my life working in Raven Rock’s laboratories, so my definition of weird might be a little skewed compared to everyone else’s.”

“You’re Enclave?” Sunset asked, now giving the girl her full attention.

“I used to be,” Unity replied. “Now, though, I’m looking to complete my mother’s research, and finish what my father started.” In response to Sunset’s curious look, she smiled. “Have you ever heard of the Mariposa Military Base?”

That was the last name that Sunset had expected to hear. “Yeah, I’ve heard of it. It’s an old facility on the west coast of this country.”

Unity nodded. “That’s right. Well, a few decades ago, my mother went there as part of an Enclave research team. While they were investigating the ruins, she discovered a hidden storage room. Inside were several vials that turned out to be gametes, sex cells, and a research log, all of which belonged to one of the base’s former inhabitants.”

Sunset grimaced, suddenly getting a sneaking suspicion as to where this was going. “Melkhior.”

Unity’s laugh sounded like tinkling glass. “I don’t think Melkhior was ever smart enough to try something like that. No, they belonged to the Master.”

A shiver ran down Sunset’s spine at the mention of that old monster. The thought that that psychic FEV abomination had stored some of his own sperm for future purposes was terrifying, especially when one considered that he had tried to raise a Super Mutant army to conquer the world. The only thing silver lining was the fact that FEV rendered sex cells sterile, meaning that the stored sperm was effectively useless.

“I see you recognize the name.” Unity smiled wryly. “According to the research notes, the Master stored his gametes when he realized that his body was mutating to the point where it wouldn’t be able to make them anymore. Maybe if he had bothered to examine them before he stored them, he would have realized that his plans weren’t as viable as he believed, but that’s all ancient history. The point is, my mother found them, and kept them, keeping their existence hidden from the rest of the Enclave.”

Sunset knew that she should be focusing on finding out what was going on in the Saloon, but hearing about the hidden intrigue within the Enclave had her enthralled. “Hold on, surely your mother would have realized pretty quickly that the gametes weren’t fertile. Why did she bother keeping them? Why did she even bother hiding them in the first place?”

Unity shook her head, annoyance flickering across her features for just a second before the smile was back. “My mother loves her secrets. She is also one of the world’s leading authorities on FEV research. She has no real interest in Super Mutants, as far as I can tell, but she has used the FEV to create treatments that slow the aging process and prolong her life. She’s obsessed with cracking the secret to living forever.”

With a jolt, Sunset realized that she knew exactly who Unity’s mother was. “Are you telling me that you’re Senator Lily’s kid?!”

Unity smirked. “Before she changed her name, she went by Doctor Liliana Vess. Anyway, she kept the gametes, and experimented on them relentlessly until, eventually, she succeeded in creating a viable embryo.”

“The Master has a child?!” Sunset spluttered. She anxiously looked around, hoping that no-one realized what they were talking about and started a panic, but strangely enough, nobody was paying the pair even the slightest bit of attention.

“In a manner of speaking,” Unity continued. “The child was still a creature of FEV, and didn’t exactly resemble what you might call a ‘normal’ child. Still, it grew and developed slowly. “A flash of disgust marred Unity’s expression. “Until mother abandoned them when Raven Rock was destroyed.”

Sunset frowned, apprehension filling her mind. “Wait a second, you’re talking about the thing that’s still lurking under Raven Rock. I heard that that creature was a spawn of Melkhior, not the Master.”

“Ah, yes.” Unity smiled innocently. “I am sorry that I had to lie to Eden about that, but I couldn’t risk the Brotherhood of Steel sending an expedition until I was strong enough to deal with them. It was scary enough having to deal with Horrigan when he entered Raven Rock. I’m just glad that he left after I healed his colleague.”

The blood drained from Sunset’s face as cold dread coiled in the pit of her stomach. She could hardly believe what she was hearing.

Unity nodded to herself, her eyes glazing over as her thoughts turned inwards. “I’ve learned much from the minds of others since I’ve left Raven Rock. Magic will help overcome the obstacle of mortality that my mother so despises, and with my powers I can even command the actions of others, allowing me to fulfil my father’s dream.” Her gaze suddenly sharpened as she stared at Sunset. “The only person who seems to be immune to my mind is you. Why is that, I wonder?”

Sunset clenched her jaw. Mind control was a topic she was intimately familiar with. “What do you mean, you can fulfil your father’s dream?” She asked quietly.

“It’s simple, really. I’m going to end despair,” Unity replied with another smile. “I’ve already acquired the loyalty of everyone in this room, including your friends, and I can use the crystal beings of Raven Rock to extend my range even further. With enough time, I’ll be able to bring together the whole world together in perfect unity.” Her grin widened. “No more fighting, no more arguments, no more misery. Just everyone working together in perfect harmon-”

In the blink of an eye, Sunset whipped out her Nova Pistol and blasted a hole in her forehead. Unity collapsed to the floor with a surprisingly loud thunk, and suddenly everyone else in the Saloon was groaning and gasping for air as if they had run a marathon.

“What the fuck was that?!” Applejack spat. Sunset didn’t answer. Instead, she just sagged against the counter, letting her shoulders slump as the tension drained from her body. “Hey, whoa there, are you okay, sugarcube?”

Sunset nodded and looked up at her. She could see the others looking around fearfully out of the corner of her eye. “I’m fine, I think.” Sunset sighed heavily and shook her head. “Fetch the Sheriff. He’ll want to know what-” She was cut off as Applejack suddenly grabbed her wrist, then slammed a fist into her belly. Sunset doubled over, gasping for air. Someone snatched her Nova Pistol out of her hand and tossed it away, then several pairs of hands grabbed her arms and pinned her against the counter, while someone looped an arm around her neck to hold her in place.

Immobile and in pain, Sunset could only watch in abject terror as Unity calmly stood up. The wound in her head was rapidly healing, multi-colored crystal swirling and expanding inside her head until it filled the hole and turned flesh-colored, leaving no evidence that she had ever been shot in the first place.

“That was rude,” Unity said flatly. “I was going to try to convince you to join me, since your mind appears to be incompatible with my powers, but I suppose that just isn’t going to happen. No matter.” She pointed an arm at Sunset and raised an eyebrow. Unity flicked her arm, and Sunset felt herself hurtle through the air. She slammed through the Saloon’s door and rolled until she crashed into the railings of the walkway outside.

Sunset shook her head, trying to clear it and get her bearings, and forced herself to her feet. Before she could even begin to ready her plasma rifle, she felt an invisible force smash her through the railings and dangle her in the air, holding her precariously over a drop right to the bottom of Megaton’s crater.

“You have a choice,” Unity said as she strode calmly out of the Saloon, her arm extended towards Sunset. “I can rip your arms off, rendering you helpless, and you can serve me as an advisor, or I can just drop you right here and-”

The choice was snatched away as a single gunshot rang out in the clear air. Unity’s head snapped back, sparks flying from the impact, and Sunset’s stomach lurched as the power holding her up suddenly disappeared.

Cold wind whipped past Sunset’s ears. She let out a terrified scream as the ground hurtled towards her, only for something heavy to slam into her just before she hit the ground, knocking her sidewards and sending her tumbling across the snow-coated ground.

The whole world was spinning wildly. Even after she skidded to a halt, it was several seconds before Sunset could even begin to work out the difference between up and down. Pushing herself shakily to her hands and knees, Sunset looked around to see Rainbow lying in the snow a few feet away, ponied up and wiping snow from her face. “Thanks for the save,” Sunset called out.

“No problem.” Rainbow got to her feet and whipped out Flashburn, glaring up at Unity. “What is that bitch?”

“What the hell is going on?! Are you two alright?!” Simms exclaimed as he and several other residents came hurrying over.

Sunset allowed Primrose to help her up. “We’re fine. That bitch up there is psychic. Mind control, telekinesis, the whole works.” She looked up at Unity, who was covering her head with an arm as another bullet cracked into her chest. “She’s got everyone in the Saloon under her control.”

“Aw hell no. That shit isn’t gonna fly here in Megaton.” Simms shrugged his assault rifle off his shoulder and brought it up in one smooth movement, sending a barrage of bullets up at Unity. Primrose and a handful of the others joined in, pulling out a variety of guns and opening fire without hesitation. Unity staggered under the onslaught and backed out of sight.

“I’ve got her!” Rainbow snarled.

“No!” Sunset lunged and grabbed her hair just as she tried to leap into the air, yanking her back down with a yelp. “We can’t risk you getting mind controlled again! If she gets her claws in your mind properly, we’re all screwed!”

A sudden worryingly familiar whirring sound grabbed Sunset’s attention.

“Stockholm!” Sunset whipped around at Simms’ shout. Her stomach dropped as she saw that the metal walls around Stockholm’s nest had been shredded like paper.

“Uh oh. Guys, we have a big fucking problem!” Rainbow yelled.

Every muscle in Sunset’s body tensed as she looked back up at the Saloon. Applejack was standing by the ruined railings, pointing her minigun at the group with a blank expression on her face. “Get in cover! Get in fucking cover, now!” Sunset screamed.

Everyone scattered as Applejack opened fire. Minigun rounds churned the ground, kicking up puffs of snow and frozen dirt. Sunset slipped and scrambled out of sight down an alleyway. She knew that Megaton’s rusty metal walls wouldn’t offer even the slightest bit of protection against such a heavy weapon, but she hoped that being out of sight would make her at least a little less likely to get turned into finger paint.

Thankfully, the deadly fusillade only lasted for a few seconds. Sunset doubted that Applejack had run out of ammunition so quickly, which meant she had either backed away for some reason, or she was busy looking for targets.

A quick glance revealed that, by some miracle, no-one was lying dead in the snow, so Sunset risked peeking out from behind cover. Applejack was out of sight. “Anyone got eyes on AJ or the psychic bitch?!” Sunset demanded loudly. A chorus of negative responses echoed through the crater. Cautiously, scanning every possible avenue of attack, she stepped out of the alleyway. Rainbow soared up into the sky, taking care to stay well out of possible mind control range, then dove back down to land next to Sunset, trembling with barely-suppressed rage. “Unity’s escaping over the back wall. She’s taking the rest of our friends with her.”

“Shit.” Sunset gritted her teeth and pressed her fists to her forehead, trying desperately to figure out what her next move should be. Her entire world had collapsed in the span of only a few minutes.

Crunching snow announced the approach of one of the residents. “I realize that this magic crap is your arena, but would someone please tell me what the hell just happened?” Simms asked roughly.

Sunset fought down the urge to blow up at him. “I’ll explain everything later, but right now, we have shit to do. Rainbow, I need you to head to the hill behind the school in Springvale and see if the Enclave outpost is still there. Tell them what’s happened, then get your ass to the Citadel as fast as you can and warn Elder Lyons.”

“Got it.” Rainbow disappeared in a blur and a puff of snow.

“Sheriff, you should check on everyone in town and make sure no-one was hurt. Minigun bullets will tear through this old metal like its paper, and ricochets are no fucking joke,” Sunset continued. “Get Primrose and the Disciples to help you out.”

“What are you going to do?” Simms asked.

Sunset clenched her fists and strode towards the ramp back up to the Saloon. “I’m going to find my pistol, then I’m going to try and think of a way to fuck that bitch up permanently.”

Residents looked warily out of their doors as Sunset passed, asking in hushed voices what had happened, but she ignored all of them. The urge to sink to the ground and scream to the heavens was almost overwhelming. All that kept her putting one foot in front of the other was the knowledge that her friends needed her, she didn’t have the time or the luxury to let herself go to pieces.

The Saloon was buzzing with conversation when Sunset arrived. The chatter died almost instantly when everyone saw her, then a second later every patron rushed towards her and started apologising profusely, fervently explaining that they hadn’t been able to control themselves, as if they were mere spectators watching what their own bodies were doing. Frankly, Sunset wasn’t in any mood to care, and she brushed their concerns away with as much politeness as she could muster. One of the patrons at least had the good sense to fetch her Nova Pistol for her, which Sunset took with a muttered thanks before turning and walking back outside.

With her pistol back and the major factions of the Capital Wasteland warned, Sunset walked slowly back down towards the temple, reloading her pistol as she went and pondering Unity’s boasts about her power. The idea that she could extend her psychic abilities through any of the crystalline creatures living under Raven Rock was terrifying. Of course, Sunset didn’t have any proof that Unity was capable of such a thing, but it hadn’t felt like she was trying to be deliberately intimidating. She didn’t need to.

Sunset weighed the Nova Pistol’s ammunition crystals in her hand. She briefly feared that Unity might be able to extend her power through them as well, given that they had originally been mined from Raven Rock, but if that was the case, then she would have almost certainly have done so much sooner. Either Unity was lying, or something about the refining process interfered with her channelling abilities, or she had been telling the truth when she mentioned that it only worked through crystal beings instead of just the crystals themselves. As that thought went through her mind, a sudden, terrible realization brought Sunset up short.

Eden.

The former President was one of Raven Rock’s crystal beings, and he was currently spending a lot of time acting as an advisor to Elder Lyons himself. Unwitting spy, saboteur, and amplifier, sitting right in the middle of the Citadel. Right where Sunset had just sent Rainbow Dash.

Sunset sank to her knees, the strength leaving her body as the sheer enormity of what was happening finally hit her.

A new Master had risen, and she had already made her first move.

Next Chapter: Chapter 130 - Reeling Estimated time remaining: 14 Hours, 19 Minutes