Sunset felt a quiet sense of melancholy as she looked around at the assembled Rainbooms. It was the first time the girls had gathered together for an expedition into the wastes since the portal had been destroyed and, while they were hiding it well, it was plain to see that none of them were happy about it. Sunset knew that they had all been secretly hoping that they would be home by now, but bad luck and the actions of one corrupted asshole had fucked things up for them.

With a sigh, Sunset reassured herself that at least the Rainbooms were more prepared and better equipped than ever.

Everyone was wearing their combat armor, while Rainbow was wearing her crystallized version with Flashburn sheathed at her side and her knives strapped to her boots. Fluttershy had her sniper rifle and Vampire’s Edge, Pinkie had the Party Cannon and her new shotgun, and Applejack was hefting her prized minigun. Sunset herself had her plasma rifle slung over her back and her Nova Pistol at her hip. Only Rarity and Twilight weren’t carrying any obvious weapons, though Rarity was wearing the hat she had gotten from Moira and a new trench coat under her armor, making her look like a post-apocalyptic private eye.

The Rainbooms all looked around as Elder Lyons entered the room, followed by Adam and Fawkes.

“Good, you’re all here.” Lyons gestured for Adam and Fawkes to join the girls, then drew herself up and looked around at each of them. “Alright, you all know why you’re here. The Brotherhood has managed to regroup over the last week or so, but we’re still critically low on manpower. Recruiting from here in Rivet City isn’t going to do much to bolster our numbers in the short term, even with Three Dog encouraging people to join us, so we’re going to have to search elsewhere.”

“And that’s where we come in,” Sunset finished.

Lyons nodded curtly. “Exactly. There’s an organization here in Rivet City that I’m in talks with about recruiting from outside the Capital Wasteland, and I’m planning on sending an envoy to the Brotherhood Outcasts, but-”

“The Outcasts? I thought they were only interested in hoarding old tech?” Adam cut in.

Lyons raised an eyebrow at the interruption, but didn’t comment on it. “They are, but access to Liberty Prime, Enclave tech, and our own research on Equestrian magic should be powerful bargaining chips,” she explained. “Moving on, Fawkes, I want you and Adam to head to Underworld and see if any of the residents are interested in joining us.”

“The ghoul settlement? Sure thing!” Adam replied with a grin.

Despite Adam’s clear enthusiasm, Fawkes looked pensive about the idea. “As eager as I am to invite the residents of Underworld to join us, I am concerned that certain other members of the Brotherhood will not appreciate this course of action. Many Knights and Paladins were resistant to my inclusion. I do not imagine that they will be any more welcoming of ghouls into their ranks.”

The Elder’s face twisted with irritation. “Some of our more… conservative members are against this, but frankly they can get fucked. We desperately need troops, and I’m not going to let a handful of dumbass bigots jeopardize the future of the Brotherhood. Just let anyone who’s interested know that they might face some shitty behavior from some of the bigger assholes.”

“Will do,” Adam assured her.

With that out of the way, Lyons turned to Sunset. “As for the Rainbooms, I know that the Regulators want to have a word with you, so you can go and meet with them first. Ask them if there’s anything they are willing to do to help us out while you’re there. After that, you’re free to investigate any sites where you believe you might find the missing part for the portal. Having the people see you out and about in the wastes should at least reassure them that we’re not finished just yet.”

“We’ll do what we can to help anyone who needs it.” Sunset would have preferred it if they could just focus on finding a way home, but she knew that there was no way that any of them could ignore someone in dire need of help.

Lyons gave them all an appraising look, then snapped a salute. “Good luck out there, all of you.”

Everyone returned the salute before filing out of the room. The group was largely silent as they made their way through Rivet City. Something must have shown in their expressions, as every resident that they passed quickly got out of their way, none of them daring to address the squad.

Rivet City’s bridge was already extended when the group got outside. The snow had, mercifully, stopped for the moment, but the clouds above were low and heavy with the threat of more. Traveling through the thigh-high drifts that covered the ground wasn’t going to be easy, but waiting for it all to melt was just not an option.

It wasn’t until the group had crossed the bridge and stepped out of the embarkment building that Adam finally broke the silence, “Which way are you girls going to go?”

“We’re going to skirt the edges of the D.C. ruins first, then we’ll see what the terrain looks like and decide what to do from there,” Sunset replied. “What about you two?”

Fawkes pointed to the nearby metro tunnel entrance. “We shall venture that way. Underworld is located in the Mall, and Adam’s Pip-Boy map indicates that the tunnels are the most expedient way to get there.”

Sunset nodded. “Sounds good. Just be careful, when we came through that way we caused a massive cave-in.”

“We appreciate the warning.” Adam hefted his plasma rifle and offered the girls a nod. “Look after yourselves out there. See you soon, Flutters.”

After exchanging brief goodbyes, the two groups went their separate ways.

For the Rainbooms, the going was easy at first. Constant power-armored traffic between Rivet City and Project Purity, coupled with the efforts of the clearing teams, meant that there was a clear path down from Rivet City to the riverbank.

When they reached the river, just before the walkways surrounding the Jefferson Memorial, the girls turned north and followed the river along the edge of the ruins, keeping to Rivet City’s side of the waterway. The snow was a little deeper along this route, but the relatively regular patrols of Brotherhood Knights had left a trench that could be followed without difficulty.

Just like the last time the girls had wandered through the ruins, the girls fell into a somber mood as they passed ancient relics of a happier, more peaceful time. Old trash bins and lampposts poked up out of the snow, and at one point they found a collection of old payphones in booths with screens that were apparently used for video calls, and even the desiccated remains of large potted plants that would have once provided a splash of greenery in the old city.

It didn’t take long for the Rainbooms to reach the path that Liberty Prime has smashed through the ruins to Galaxy News. Beyond that point, there clearly hadn’t been any foot traffic for a while, as the road alongside the river was covered with thigh-deep pristine snow. Rarity and Twilight used their magic to clear a path through, but even with their help the group was still forced to slow down.

One thing Sunset was surprised about was the complete lack of Super Mutants they encountered. She knew that they were less active than usual, but she was sure that there would be at least a handful lurking in the area. Even Fluttershy couldn’t pick out any sign of them beyond the smell of old camps and the faint sound of conflict echoing from deep within the ruins.

In fact, the girls didn’t find any signs of life whatsoever, aside from the occasional mirelurk drifting through the river, until they found a raider camp built from scraps of metal and plywood. Thankfully, the raiders were all wrapped in blankets and huddled around a small fire, neither willing nor particularly able to fight. Sunset felt uncomfortable leaving them be, but murdering them in cold blood wasn’t an option. In the end, the raiders gave the girls information on other raider gangs that might be in the area, and in return Rainbow used Flashburn to make their fire a little bigger and warmer.

Some way further on, the girls found a building that was clearly occupied. There were wooden walls built around it, but what made it obvious that people were living there was the sound of loud music thumping away inside, accompanied by the equally loud sounds of at least two people who were clearly in the middle of something intimate. None of the girls were eager to interrupt, so they quickly moved on.

Eventually, the Rainbooms left the main bulk of the D.C. ruins and entered a more open area, with only a few big buildings spaced out relatively evenly. Even these enormous concrete edifices soon gave way to a handful of bombed-out old houses. Beyond the last of the houses was a large hill, crowned with the collapsed remains of an old overpass.

“Well, ain’t that somethin’,” Applejack said, tilting her hat back to get a better view.

The view from the top of the hill was spectacular. Rolling slopes stretched out ahead of the girls, entirely covered in untouched snow that glittered even in the wan daylight, broken only by the dark shape of a factory way off in the distance.

Closer at hand, down to the groups’ right at the bottom of the hill, was the empty shell of an old concrete building. A little further on from it, the distinctive form of a radio tower reached up out of the snow.

“Do you think we could extend the range of our radios if we got that thing working?” Rainbow asked.

Twilight shrugged. “Maybe, but I don’t think we should waste our time with something like that until the snow has gone.”

“Definitely not,” Rarity agreed. “I have no intention of staying out in this cold for even a second longer than I have to.”

“I’ll second that. Let’s keep moving,” Sunset finished firmly.

As they continued on, the girls noted gratefully that the terrain was near enough as smooth as the snow made it look. They were still careful to take their time and push forward warily, but the lack of debris or craters allowed them to make good progress at first. The further they got across the snow fields, however, the more the temperature plummeted for no apparent reason, until the girls were shivering even through their heavy winter gear.

“What the hell is going on? Why’s it getting so fucking cold?” Rainbow demanded. She pulled out Flashburn and ignited it, providing the group with a welcome burst of heat, but even the blade’s magical flame couldn’t completely banish the biting chill that pervaded the area.

“This ain’t natural, it can’t be,” Applejack muttered as she rubbed her arms for warmth.

Fluttershy, trailing just behind Twilight and Rarity at the front of the group, tightened her grip on her rifle and glanced back at the others. “The cold isn’t our only problem.”

“What can you sense?” Sunset asked, immediately on guard.

Flutters jerked her chin towards the next slope. “I can hear something breathing, just ahead of us. I haven’t got a clue what it is, but it’s big.”

Pinkie bit her lip anxiously. “Should we go around?”

“Going around will take time, and it’ll be just as risky,” Twilight put in.

“I could always just speed over and see what it even is,” Rainbow offered.

The other Rainbooms all turned to Sunset, clearly expecting her to make the final decision. She sighed internally and hefted her plasma rifle. “We’ll see what it is, first. If it’s a threat, then we either avoid it or kill it, depending on what it does.”

Her simple plan was met with nods and murmurs of assent from the others. They all readied their weapons and, taking up formation behind Rarity and Twilight, cautiously edged forward. Sunset couldn’t suppress a loud gasp when they reached the top of the slope.

A massive creature was lying stretched out on the snow ahead. It bore a vague resemblance to a horse, but it was almost entirely transparent, the back half of its body trailed off into a diaphanous cloud of icy mist, and it was easily the size of a city bus.

“A windigo,” Sunset whispered fearfully.

“A who-go?” Pinkie asked in confusion.

“A windigo,” Sunset repeated quietly. “A winter spirit that feeds on conflict and hatred.”

The others all glanced at her in shock. “You mean one of them monsters from the old Hearth’s Warming myths?” Applejack asked incredulously.

“They aren’t myths in Equestria,” Sunset told her in a haunted tone. “They almost wiped out the three most populous pony tribes back in pre-Equestrian times.”

Applejack gave the windigo an appraising look. “Well, like this one ain’t up to causin’ trouble at the moment. Looks like it's asleep.”

Twilight cocked her head to the side curiously. “I don’t remember reading anything in the legends about them needing to sleep. Actually, considering that it’s the middle of winter in a reality like this, shouldn’t this be the time when it’s most active?”

“Maybe it’s overfed?” Pinkie suggested.

“That… huh.” Sunset crossed her arms and frowned as she considered the possibility. Windigo usually spread a thick layer of ice wherever they went when feeding, turning even the lushest and most vibrant regions into a frigid wasteland, but this one only seemed to be making things a little colder than normal. Of course, there was always the chance that windigo simply worked a little differently in this reality, but Sunset wasn’t sure. “You might be onto something there, Pinkie.”

Fluttershy tentatively raised a hand. “Um, maybe we can just politely ask the windigo to head north where it’s naturally colder?”

Sunset wanted to point out that trying to have a reasonable discussion with a windigo was absurd for a whole host of reasons, but before she could so much as open her mouth the windigo suddenly stirred and let out a low moan that sounded like the north wind come to life.

“Oh, um, we’re sorry. We didn’t mean to bother you,” Fluttershy said earnestly.

“What did it say?” Sunset demanded.

“She says that her and the others are planning to leave as soon as winter is over and the weather starts to get warmer,” Fluttershy replied. “Also, she wants us to stop being so loud so she can rest.”

The fact that there were other windigo loose in the wasteland was terrifying. On top of that, Sunset was utterly baffled by the fact that a windigo, a monstrous spirit that fed on strife, had effectively just asked for some peace and quiet. It seemed that Pinkie had been right about the overfeeding. “Okay, you heard her. Let’s, uh, let’s go.”

Confused beyond belief, but relieved to have somehow avoided a fight, the Rainbooms cautiously walked past the windigo, taking a wide berth just in case. The more distance they put between themselves and the spirit the more the temperature rose, until it was back to a more natural level of cold.

“That was fucking weird,” Rainbow said flatly.

“Tell me about it,” Sunset agreed. “Of all the crazy shit that has happened, a peaceful windigo was the last thing I ever expected to fucking see.”

Sonata was annoyed.

She had been trying to find an opportunity to join her new crystal to her broken amulet for days, but between Luna, Trixie, and the Raingoons, she had barely had a second to herself.

Even the toilets and showers weren’t safe. At least one of the others always seemed to be somewhere within listening distance, and Sonata wasn’t sure how much noise the amulet would make when it was fixed. The first time she had made one, it had immediately drawn out her voice upon being completed. There was no point in repairing the amulet only to have it taken away the moment it was done.

To make matters worse, the security team had been watching Sonata like a hawk ever since she returned from fetching her new crystal. Sunset swore that they hadn’t been given details, but they had been told that she was to be kept away from magic at all costs, and the fact that she had been awol for a little while was enough to put every single security officer on guard. Sneaking back down to the bottom decks was going to be impossible.

The only upside so far was the fact that the Rainbooms were leaving on some mission into the wastes. Luna and Trixie had both gone up to the flight deck to watch them leave, so Sonata had a few minutes where she could sit in a common room without the two of them standing over her shoulder. She had considered taking the opportunity to leave the city and find somewhere secluded in the nearby ruins, but Luna had made it clear that she would come and find her the moment the Rainbooms were gone.

“It’s not fair,” Sonata huffed.

“What isn’t?” Someone asked. Sonata jumped out of her skin and looked around to see a young man in a tatty but clean set of clothes sitting next to her. He smiled apologetically. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I’m Diego, the acolyte for Saint Monica’s.” Sonata just gave him a blank look, prompting him to continue, “It’s a church, here in Rivet City. One of the last ones left.”

“Tryin’ to convert a goddess to Christianity?” An old guy called out from the other side of the room. “Given up on Staley’s daughter already, have you?” He added with a cackle.

Diego blushed and stammered out, “I-I was just trying to see if sh- uh, if Miss D-Dusk needed any help!”

The old man snorted loudly. “Bah, she’s just mopin’ ‘cos the Rainbooms have fucked off and left her here.”

Sonata was enjoying the fact that she had been recognized as a goddess, so it took a couple of seconds for the old man’s words to get through her skull. “Huh? The Rainbooms are gone?” She asked, cutting off Diego babbling something about having faith in friends.

“Yeah, about five minutes ago,” the old man said with a nod.

“But where are Luna and Trixie?” Sonata asked bluntly.

“I saw them up on the flight deck just before I came down here,” Diego replied. “I suppose they’re probably still up there.”

The old man grinned at him. “Eyein’ up random women on the flight deck, eh? Naughty, naughty.”

Sonata ignored the two as the bare bones of an idea started to come together in her mind. The Rainbooms had left, and Luna and Trixie were still upstairs, which meant that she had an opportunity.

“I gotta go, thanks, bye!” Sonata said rapidly as she leapt to her feet and ran to the door. She wrenched the door open, sprinted down the corridor, and scrambled down the stairs as fast as her legs would carry her, eliciting loud curses from the surprised residents who had to dive out of the way.

When Sonata finally reached the entrance, she paused just long enough to smooth her hair and compose herself before opening the door and walking out as innocently as possible.

Two security officers turned to her as she stepped outside. “What are you doing?” One of them asked.

“I’m just going to get some air,” Sonata replied naturally.

She tried to walk past them, but the one who had spoken stepped in front of her with a suspicious expression. “Without your cold weather gear?” He pressed.

“The cold doesn’t bother me,” Sonata told him honestly.

The man still didn’t budge. “If you just want air, why don’t you go up to the flight deck?”

Sonata froze as her plan suddenly met a problem. Luckily, the other officer came to her defense, “To be fair, there’s more snow on the flight deck than there is over there. I doubt there’s a problem with letting her over the bridge. Besides, where could she possibly get her hands on magic out there?”

The officer in her path sighed and stepped aside. “Fine. Just be careful, and don’t go out of sight of the water registration officers. Just because we’ve got new recruits doesn’t mean we can spare people for a search party.”

“Okay, I’ll do that!” Sonata lied easily. She walked briskly across the bridge, trying to look natural while also trying to get as far out as possible before Luna came charging after her.

At the other side, Sonata was half-expecting someone to demand that she be accompanied by a security officer, but all of the personnel there were either too busy or too cold to pay her much attention. A female officer warned her to stay in the cleared parking lot nearby and not to go too far, and she was left to her own devices.

The maintenance teams had actually done a pretty good job of clearing the parking lot. All of the debris had been shoved to a pile on one side, a bunch of broken down old cars with really odd designs had been lined up on the other, along with an old bus, and the snow had been roughly shoveled away and dumped into the river.

Sonata looked around, wondering where the best place to hide and fix her amulet would be. Squeezing into one of the old cars or the bus could work, but heading into the ruins seemed like it might be a better idea.

As she wandered further and further away from the embarkment building, Sonata spotted what looked like a steel and glass awning or covering of some kind, out in the snowy area that hadn’t been cleared yet. A closer look revealed that it was very much a covering for a set of steps that led underground, into what looked like an old subway station. Perfect.

Glancing over her shoulder to make sure that no-one was watching, Sonata grinned and hurried down the steps.

Next Chapter: Chapter 163 - In The Metro Of Madness Estimated time remaining: 9 Hours, 7 Minutes