"Ugh, I hate this stupid Vault," Sunset moaned as she trudged back towards her quarters. Her shoulders were slumped from exhaustion, and she was spattered with oil, dirt, and blood. Thankfully, none of it was her own.

Twilight trudged along with her. The crisp white lab coat she had been given was covered in the same muck that now decorated Sunset. "He didn't take it well, then?"

"Nope," Sunset replied.

Twilight groaned. "Did he say how much trouble we're in?"

Sunset shook her head. "Thankfully, none. He agrees it was Wally's own stupid fault for sticking his hand in there after we told him not to."

Twilight hung her head with a sigh. "That's a relief."

"Hey, you guys!" They both looked up as they heard a voice and spotted Fluttershy just returning from the clinic.

"So, how's Wally?" Sunset asked.

Fluttershy smiled, unrolling her sleeves. "It's just some minor burns and a few bruises. Jonas should have him all better in no time."

Sunset nodded. "And Officer Armstrong?"

Fluttershy winced. "He‘s still sore, but his nose has stopped bleeding and he‘s feeling a lot better now."

"That‘s good," Twilight said quietly.

Sunset looked over at Fluttershy as they walked along. She and Twilight were the only ones who had been given lab coats to wear when working. After the G.O.A.T Sunset was being trained as an engineer. Twilight was now a Systems Programmer, Rarity had been made a Vault Stylist, Pinkie the new Vault Baker and Rainbow Dash a Physical Trainer. Poor Applejack had been stuck in the maintenance department. As for Fluttershy… "How're you finding being a nurse?"

"It's nice. James is teaching me all sorts of things and Jonas is being really kind to me," Fluttershy answered, smiling sweetly.

"I'm amazed you can deal with the needles and blood and things," Twilight admitted.

Fluttershy shrugged, tucking her hair behind her ear. "It was a little scary at first, but I'm starting to get used to it. James has been teaching me how to just focus on what you have to do and put off worrying about it until later."

"So… doctor mode, followed by freak-out?" Twilight asked.

Fluttershy smiled serenely. "Yep."

The three of them laughed softly as they made their way slowly back to their quarters, Sunset and Twilight particularly looking forward to getting some sleep. Jabbing the door button, they saw Pinkie, Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity sitting around the table waiting for them.

"We're back," Sunset called sleepily.

"Well it's about time," Applejack huffed, then did a double-take as she saw them. "Good gravy! What the heck happened to you two?"

Twilight collapsed onto a sofa. "We decided we'd try and fix the jukebox before we turned in for the night."

"Did you find out what was wrong with it?" Pinkie asked eagerly.

Sunset grimaced as she dropped down next to Twilight. "We found a dead radroach in there, it looked like it had gotten fried on the motherboard."

"Cool." Rainbow grinned. "What happened then?"

Twilight groaned, shrugging off her lab coat. "We were taking a break and having a drink when Wally came in."

"Oh dear. I think I see where this is going," Rarity muttered darkly.

Sunset nodded. "Yep, he starts fiddling with it. We told him to leave it alone but he just ignored us as usual."

"So of course he got electrocuted," Twilight waved her hands halfheartedly.

"Good riddance," Applejack mumbled under her breath.

Sunset huffed a laugh and curled up into a ball. "Yeah, but while he was flailing around he managed to smack Officer Armstrong in the face, so we ended up having to take both of them to the clinic then go and report it to the Overseer."

"Well, at least now you're back we can all get some sleep," Rarity said, stifling a yawn. "Whose turn is it on the sofas tonight?"

Sunset groaned. "Mine and Twilight's."

Applejack chuckled. "Alright, we'll see you in the morning, then. G'night, you two."

The girls all said goodnight to each other. Twilight and Sunset set up blankets on a sofa each as the others retreated to the bedroom. Sunset sighed as she heaved her utility jumpsuit off, her tools hitting the floor with a heavy thud. As she climbed under the blankets, she looked over at Twilight. "How did the experiment with James go?"

Twilight frowned as she placed her glasses on the arm of the sofa. "Not good. I don't think we can replicate the technology he was using when we got dragged here. I'm going to ask the Overseer tomorrow if I can check the old maps of the outside. Maybe we can find out where that tool he was using came from."

"It's worth a shot. It's hard to believe we've been here over a month already." Sunset yawned widely, too tired to be upset about this most recent failure. "Goodnight Twilight."

"Goodnight Sunset," Twilight replied.

Sunset rolled over and tried to sleep. She hated sleeping on the sofa; she could never quite get comfortable. When she finally did manage to drift off, she slept fitfully, the sound of sirens filling her dreams. What felt like only moments after she had fallen asleep Sunset was shaken awake. As she came to, she saw a familiar figure standing over her.

"Well it's about darn time!" Applejack exclaimed. "How can you manage to sleep through that racket?!"

"Huh? What's wrong?" Sunset asked groggily. Hauling herself up, Sunset realized that the sirens hadn't been part of her dreams at all, but were blaring loud and insistently through the room. It was only because of how exhausted she had been that she had slept through them at all. All of the other girls were sitting at the table, fully dressed.

"A radroach infestation, I think," Twilight replied. "Those alarms have been going off for a while now, and the Overseer has been on the P.A system telling everyone to stay in their quarters."

Sunset groaned and wrapped the blanket around herself. "Why did you bother waking me up?"

Rarity patted her on the shoulder. "Just in case, darling. Come on now, you'd better get dressed."

Sunset groaned again and got to her feet, shrugging off the blanket. A sudden urgent knock at the door made her grab the blanket and throw it around herself again. Pinkie looked back to make sure Sunset had covered her underwear before she opened the door. The girls gasped as Officer Gomez lurched into the room, supporting another security officer whose leg was utterly drenched in blood.

"Sweet molasses, what happened to him?!" Applejack exclaimed as she and Rainbow rushed forward to help. Between the three of them they managed to maneuver the injured officer onto the sofa Sunset had just vacated.

"Radroaches, I think," Gomez panted, shifting out of the way so Fluttershy could get to the sofa. "I found him slumped outside the doc's quarters, figured it would be better to bring him straight to Fluttershy than try and drag him up to the clinic first."

"Someone get my first aid kit!" Fluttershy snapped, pulling the officer's helmet off and anxiously checking his pulse. Sunset recognized him as Officer Kendall; a nice enough man, but strict and very no-nonsense. His skin was deathly pale and he was moaning in pain, barely even conscious.

"Why didn't you take him straight to James?" Sunset asked, frowning at Officer Gomez as Rarity hurried over and thrust the first aid kit into Fluttershy's hands.

Officer Gomez raised an eyebrow, still breathing hard. "You haven't heard? James is gone. He left the Vault."

The girls stared at him, all except Fluttershy who was busy tending to the vicious wound on Kendall's leg, stuck in ‘doctor mode' as she put it.

"What do you mean he left the Vault?" Applejack asked incredulously. "Ah thought this place had been shut tight for darn near twenty years?"

"It has. Hell, the only reason it hasn't been shut for longer is because we let him in. We needed a doctor and he needed a safe place to raise his son, seemed like a fair deal." Gomez shook his head. His face was dripping with sweat, "I just wish I knew why he left now. As far as we can tell, he escaped during all the confusion of this latest radroach infestation."

"What about Adam?" Sunset asked. From all that James had told her about how dangerous the Wasteland was, she couldn't imagine him taking his son with him out there. Not after all the trouble he had gone through to bring him into the safety of the Vault in the first place.

"He's gone, too. As far as I can tell, James left without telling Adam anything. He just up and went during the chaos these radroaches have caused, must have been planning for Adam to stay here." Gomez shook his head sadly. "Of course, the moment Adam found out what his dad had done, he went charging off after him."

"Good gracious," Rarity breathed.

Sunset shared an anxious look with Twilight. James was their only real hope of getting back home. "How long ago did they leave?"

"No idea how long James has been gone, but Adam? Maybe a few hours. I'm not really sure." Gomez sighed heavily. "To be honest, I spoke to Adam before he left. I was supposed to bring him in for questioning, but I let him go. He's a good kid, he didn't deserve this." Gomez suddenly looked shiftily around at each of the girls. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention this to the Overseer."

"Don't worry, Gomez, we won't rat you out." Rainbow smiled and gave him a friendly thump on the shoulder.

"Thanks, girls." He huffed a laugh, then frowned as he looked back at his fellow officer. "How is he?"

Fluttershy jerked her head noncommittally. She had cut away the leg of his jumpsuit and was just finishing applying a bandage. "He's lost an awful lot of blood, but I've disinfected the wound, stitched it up, and given him a stimpak to help with the clotting and lost fluids." She tied the bandage off and stood up, wiping her bloody hands on a towel. "I don't think his life is in immediate danger any more, but we should get him to the clinic so we can hook him up to an IV and get Jonas to take a good look at him." Fluttershy's hands started to shake slightly as she spoke. "Oh my goodness, that was so scary," she muttered to herself.

Gomez' face fell when Fluttershy mentioned Jonas. "I'm afraid it's just you."

"What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked, perplexed. Her eyes widened as she dropped the bloody towel. "Oh no! Jonas isn't hurt is he?!"

Gomez looked sadly at her. "I didn't want to be the one to tell you this but… Jonas is dead."

There were cries of shock and grief from each of the girls. Fluttershy stared at Officer Gomez, as if hoping this were some sort of sick joke. "I'm sorry," he said quietly.

Fluttershy shook her head, tears welling up. Sunset dropped the blanket and threw her arms around Fluttershy, not giving a damn that she was still in her underwear as her friend started to sob.

"How did… how did it happen? The radroaches?" Applejack asked, pulling her Stetson off and holding it over her heart.

"N-no." Gomez cleared his throat. "No, it was on the Overseer's orders. He thought Jonas knew where James had gone. He ordered Chief Hannon to beat the information out of him but Officer Mack… he…" Gomez sighed and shook his head again. "He was out of control."

Sunset's blood felt like ice in her veins as Fluttershy sobbed harder in her arms. The thought of Officer Mack beating poor Jonas to death, on the Overseer's orders no less, shook her to her core. Sunset and her friends had dealt with danger before, sometimes even putting their lives on the line, but they had never actually had to deal with a death like that. Magic, luck and friendship had always seen them through before the worst could happen.

Clutching Fluttershy tightly, Sunset realized she only cared about one thing right now. She would get her friends home safely, no matter what it took. To do that she needed James, and to find him…

"We have to leave the Vault."

A moment of silence followed her little proclamation.

"You said it, sister," Applejack agreed firmly.

"That might actually be what the Overseer wants. He wants to speak to you as soon as possible. That's the only reason I was on my way down here in the first place, until I found Kendall," Gomez admitted.

Rarity nervously twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "I must admit, I heartily agree with leaving this wretched place… no offence darling-"

"None taken."

"-but where are we going to go?"

"We don't really have a choice, we have to try and find James," Twilight replied. "He's the only one who can help us get home."

"First we have to get Officer Kendall to the clinic." Fluttershy said thickly. She pulled slowly away from Sunset, accepted a tissue that Rarity held out, and blew her nose loudly. It wasn't until Rarity held out some tissues to her too that Sunset realized her shoulder was covered in tears and snot.

As Sunset absently wiped the mess away, Rarity placed a hand on Fluttershy's shoulder. "Are you alright, sweetie?"

"No… yes… I'll be okay." Fluttershy blew her nose again. "We need to get officer Kendall to the clinic, he really needs an IV."

Sunset nodded. "Alright, we'll carry him upstairs, then we'll go and see the Overseer."

Rarity coughed delicately. "You may want to put some clothes on first."

"Ah, right. Yeah." Sunset whipped her hands around herself as she remembered she was almost completely nude in front of a man, before realizing Officer Gomez had his back to her, his gaze fixed on the opposite wall to preserve her dignity. Relaxing slightly, Sunset was about to pick up her jumpsuit when an idea struck her.

Picking up the blanket instead and wrapping it around herself again, Sunset turned to the others. "Right, here's what we'll do. Applejack? If you and Officer Gomez carry Kendall up to the clinic with Fluttershy, the rest of us will meet you up there once I'm dressed. From there we‘ll go to the Overseer, find out what he wants, and tell him we‘re leaving."

"Sounds good to me," Applejack said, popping her Stetson back on her head.

Officer Gomez turned around. "Here, I'll carry him for you."

Applejack just chuckled as she slid her hands under Officer Kendall and hefted him easily. "Don't you worry none, Ah'm stronger than Ah look. You just keep his leg straight for me. Make sure we don't pop his stitches."

As soon as they were out of the room and on their way to the clinic, Sunset turned and headed into the bedroom. Rifling through the drawers, Sunset found her clothes neatly folded away; the ones she had been wearing when she first arrived in the Vault.

"Whatever are you doing, darling?" Rarity asked as Sunset started pulling them on. "You know we have to wear these ghastly jumpsuits as long as we're in the Vault, or believe me I wouldn't be caught anywhere near one."

"But we're leaving the Vault," Sunset reminded her. "I don't know about the rest of you, but if we have to go trekking through the wasteland I'm doing it in my own clothes."

"Count me in!" Rainbow grinned as she grabbed her clothes out of the drawer.

"Me too!" Pinkie cried as she skipped over.

Rarity didn't say a word. She just unzipped and slipped out of her jumpsuit in one smooth, elegant motion.

"What about Applejack and Fluttershy?" Twilight asked, undoing her own jumpsuit.

"We'll take clothes for them up to the clinic, they can get changed there." Sunset dug around under the bed and pulled out several backpacks they had been provided with. "We should pack some spare underwear in these, plus any supplies we'll need like food, water, and stuff."

"I'm not sure the Overseer will like that. After all, these are Vault property," Twilight said worriedly.

Rainbow raised an eyebrow at her. "So?"

"We've fixed that stupid generator we broke, not to mention kept his dirty little secrets for him. He owes us this much." Sunset frowned as she shoved bottles of water into her pack. "Besides, after what's happened with Jonas, there's no way I'm just going to roll over and do whatever he says anymore." Almost as an afterthought she grabbed her utility jumpsuit, detached the tool belt, and stuffed it into her pack as well, throwing the jumpsuit back on the bed.

"Wait a minute. Do you hear that?" Pinkie asked.

They all stopped and listened for a moment.

Rainbow scratched her head, puzzled. "Hear what?"

Pinkie shrugged. "The alarms have stopped."

Sunset blinked, wondering how long it had been since that happened. "Huh, I didn't even notice."

"In our defense we have been somewhat… distracted?" Rarity said.

The girls quickly finished changing and packing their bags, including one each for Applejack and Fluttershy as well as their clothes. Making sure to grab Fluttershy's first aid kit, left behind in her rush to get to the clinic, the four left their quarters.

The corridors outside were dark. The lights were usually kept on permanently to discourage radroaches but something had switched them off. Sunset hoped it was merely a malfunction or electrical fault and not something more sinister.

A trail of red droplets led from the girls' door around the corner to James's quarters, where they found several squashed radroaches and a disturbingly large pool of blood left behind by poor Officer Kendall.

Leaving the grim scene behind, the girls hurried through the empty corridors. They heard muffled crying coming from the diner as they passed, but didn't encounter anyone until they arrived at the clinic. The corridor was littered with the charred, still-smoking remains of what Sunset assumed had been radroaches.

Inside, they found Officer Kendall lying unconscious on a bed, an IV drip poking out of his arm as Fluttershy solicitously checked him over. Applejack and Gomez, standing quietly out of her way, looked over as the girls entered the room.

"There you are, we were wondering how long you were… what's with the clothes?" Gomez frowned as he noticed what they were wearing.

"We figured, since we're leaving anyway, we wanted our own clothes back." Sunset handed Applejack her backpack. "Yours are in here along with some necessities and supplies."

Fluttershy looked around in surprise as Rarity handed her a pack too. Her eyes were red, but she had managed to compose herself. "Shouldn't we really speak to the Overseer before we get changed?"

Sunset shook her head. "No, I think we should leave as soon as we've spoken to him. The longer we wait, the further away James and Adam are going to get."

"Oh, okay." Fluttershy clutched her pack and hurried into the clinic's back office to change with Applejack.

Gomez shook his head helplessly. "I'm not sure this is a good idea. The Overseer won't be happy to have you girls wandering around dressed like that."

Sunset shrugged. "Most people are still going to be in their quarters until the Overseer announces the all-clear, so I don't really see it causing any problems as long as we‘re quick."

"You may be right about that, but are those clothes really going to be practical for exploring the Wasteland?" Gomez pressed.

Sunset had to admit that he had a point. The only one who wasn't going to be running around in a skirt or dress of some sort was Rainbow Dash. She was starting to second-guess herself when Rarity saved her the trouble of responding.

"Let us worry about the practicality, darling. Besides, if the Overseer is so desperate to keep the outside world, well, outside, then having us wandering around in a uniform that broadcasts exactly where we came from is probably not something he would appreciate."

Rainbow snorted. "Somehow, I don't think he'd let us keep the Vault's jumpsuits when we leave anyway."

"That's if he even lets us leave," Pinkie added darkly.

"Why wouldn't he let us leave?" Sunset asked, her thoughts about the clothes derailed for a moment, "He's wanted us gone since we first arrived."

Pinkie folded her arms with a frown. "I don't know, but I've got a bad feeling about today."

Sunset shared a concerned look with the others. Before they could comment on Pinkie's unusual negativity, Applejack and Fluttershy returned from the back room, Applejack back in her old skirt and t-shirt and Fluttershy in her light, fluttery dress.

"Now that feels better, these boots just ain't comfortable to wear over a jumpsuit." Applejack chuckled. She patted the tool belt secured around her waist, "The Overseer ain't going to let me keep these tools, is he?"

"Probably not, sorry," Sunset replied, deciding not to mention the tools she'd stowed away in her own pack.

Applejack just shrugged and threw her pack over her shoulder. "Well, it's worth asking, Ah suppose. We all set?"

"What about Officer Kendall?" Fluttershy asked. "He'll be alright for now, but we really should leave someone to keep an eye on him just in case."

"Stanley should be back here any minute, he's only gone to switch the emergency lights back on." Gomez stepped to the door and motioned for the girls to follow. "Come on, let's get you to the Overseer before anyone spots you dressed like that."

Stepping gingerly over the roasted radroaches outside the clinic, the group made their way through the now-familiar corridors. Small scenes of violence greeted them every few meters. Squashed radroaches and the odd splatter of blood dotted the way, the remains of miniature battles between the security team and the invading wildlife. Sunset sincerely hoped no-one else had been hurt, but she had an awful feeling that Jonas and Officer Kendall weren't the only casualties of the morning's events.

Two security officers were waiting when they arrived in the Overseer's reception area. Sunset recognized them as Richards and O'Brian, two of the less pleasant members of the security team. O'Brian in particular was a nasty piece of work along the same lines as Officer Mack. Thankfully, the girls had hardly interacted with them. They had stayed out of trouble and the officers had seen fit to leave the girls alone.

The two officers eyed the girls' clothes curiously as Gomez stepped up to the office door. Raised voices echoed from inside; it sounded like the Overseer and his daughter were having a screaming match. The shouting stopped abruptly when Gomez knocked smartly on the window. "Officer Gomez, reporting to the Overseer," he called.

"Enter," the Overseer replied curtly from within.

Gomez cracked the door open and poked his head in. "Overseer, I've brought the North Wing girls with me, sir."

"Finally," the Overseer huffed. "Bring them in."

Gomez peeked over his shoulder at the girls, then back into the office. "Er, do you want to speak to them privately, sir?"

"Just bring them in, Gomez!" The Overseer snapped.

"Yes, sir." Gomez opened the door fully to let the girls in. The Overseer's office was spacious and brightly lit. The room was dominated by a huge round desk made of solid metal with a small space in the middle for the Overseer to sit. A large display covered most of one wall, displaying conditions and power levels from across the entirety of the Vault, while the opposite wall contained a round window that looked down on the Vault's Atrium.

The Overseer himself stood at his desk, glaring furiously at Amata. The girls gasped as Amata turned to them. Her face was a mess of bruises. Blood trickled from a split in her lip, and her eyes were red-rimmed, one of them so puffy and swollen she was forced to squint. Before anyone had a chance to comment, the Overseer snapped angrily at them. "What the hell do you think you're doing wearing those clothes! Gomez! Why did you bring them up here dressed like that?!"

Gomez snapped to attention. "They insisted, sir. They wanted to speak to you, and almost everyone else is still confined to their quarters so I decided to let it slide for now, sir."

The Overseer glared at Gomez, but relented. "Fine. First, we shall discuss why I had you brought here, and I will listen to what you have to say. As soon as that is done you will go straight back to your quarters and get changed back into your jumpsuits or I will have you thrown in the brig for insubordination!"

"Where did you even get those clothes?" Amata asked quietly.

"That is none of your concern!" The Overseer snapped. He snatched up a sheet of paper from the desk and scanned it briefly. "As you have no doubt been made aware, there are no longer any fully trained medical staff in this Vault."

"Thanks to you," Amata mumbled.

"That's enough, Amata!" The Overseer barked. "As I was saying, there are no medical staff left. In light of this, I am appointing Fluttershy as the new Vault Doctor."

"Um, m-me?" Fluttershy spluttered, "But I-I'm not qualified. I'm only a trainee nurse, and besides-"

"You have at least basic medical training," the Overseer interrupted. "I am assigning Twilight Sparkle to be your new assistant. Between the two of you, I expect you to be able to reach at least a moderate level of competence."

Sunset folded her arms, frowning. "Don't the security all have basic first aid training? Not to mention Mr Brotch-"

"Secondly," the Overseer loudly interrupted again, "I am removing Applejack from the maintenance department and placing you in charge of all waste management and recycling facilities."

"Huh? But ain't that Tom's job? He ain't hurt too, is he?" Applejack asked worriedly.

The Overseer dropped his notes back on the desk, averting his eyes. "Sadly, he and his wife were killed earlier this morning."

"You mean those two meat-heads out there murdered them!" Amata snapped.

Sunset put a hand to her mouth. She wasn't sure how much more of this she could take. First Jonas,then Officer Kendall, and now the Holdens? How many more people were going to turn up dead or seriously hurt?

Applejack put her head in her hands, moaning softly. "Oh this ain't happening. This is just a bad dream. Someone wake me up already. Ow! Hey, what gives?!" She glared at Pinkie, rubbing her arm where it had been pinched.

Pinkie shrugged sadly, "Worth a shot?"

"Officers O‘Brian and Richards were simply doing their duty," the Overseer remarked coldly. "Tom and Mary left their quarters despite strict orders to the contrary, and attempted to force their way out of the Vault."

Sunset couldn't believe the indifferent manner in which he was discussing the deaths of the Vault residents, the people he was supposed to protect and care for. She wondered morbidly who had caused the most damage to the Vault population; the radroaches, or the Overseer. The old fool couldn't hold a candle to Princess Celestia. Then again, Sunset supposed, there probably weren't many who could.

Either not noticing or not caring about the distinctly frosty looks he was getting from all of the girls, the Overseer continued talking, "There is one last thing I would like to speak to you girls about."

"What is it?" Sunset asked warily. She was starting to get concerned. They had expected the Overseer to order her and her friends out of the Vault. Instead, he seemed to be making plans for them to stay and take on more responsibility.

The Overseer looked them all over, almost appraising them. "The recent infestation and subsequent events have taken quite a toll on the Vault population."

Rarity scoffed. "Perhaps if you stopped having people murdered, then-"

"The next person to speak out of turn will be thrown in a cell with a beating to go with it!" The Overseer snapped, slamming a palm on the desk. When no-one replied, he drew himself up and folded his arms, evidently forcing himself to speak calmly, "Now, a few days ago I was provided with the results of your genetic screening. It appears that, aside from your pigmentation, you are genetically no different from ordinary humans."

Sunset raised an eyebrow, wondering if that was true. It was possible, of course, but she wouldn't have been surprised if their magic had caused some unusual results. If so, perhaps James had covered it up. The real question was why the Overseer was bringing it up. Sunset had an idea of where he was going with this, and she did not like it one bit. "Your point being?"

The Overseer paused to consider his words. "My point being that given the… depletion… of the Vault's genetic reservoir, I am permitting, indeed encouraging, the seven of you to seriously consider procreation."

Yup, I knew it, Sunset thought.

Twilight shot him a look of disgust. "That's why you want us to stay, to help the Vault remain genetically viable."

Applejack stuck her hands on her hips. "Are y'all trying to tell me this guy wants to use us as breeding stock?"

"Pretty much." Sunset sighed.

There was a brief, awkward silence at that. Sunset had managed to restrain herself from snapping at the Overseer only with great difficulty. Rarity was quivering with suppressed rage, while Fluttershy had blushed so deeply she was almost the same color as Sunset's hair.

"I thought he didn't want us doing sexy things with the other people in the Vault?" Pinkie asked bluntly.

The Overseer nodded. "Indeed I didn't at the time, but now that I know you are genetically stable I see no reason to leave that particular resource untapped. Of course, out of all of you, Applejack is the only one who can really blend in with the Vault population, but Sunset, Rarity, and Fluttershy are not so utterly alien that it will be impossible for you to find partners. As for the rest of you…" He glanced at Pinkie, Twilight and Rainbow. "Well, there's no accounting for taste."

It took all of Sunset's self control not to slap him as hard as she could. All of the others seemed to be facing the same internal struggle, even Fluttershy was scowling at him.

"You, sir, are by far the most repugnant person I have ever had the misfortune of meeting," Rarity spat through gritted teeth.

"You're out of your gosh darn mind," Applejack growled.

"You said it, AJ," Rainbow added with a glare.

"You know what, that makes this next bit so much easier to say." Sunset stepped forward and looked the Overseer straight in the eye. "We're leaving the Vault."

The Overseer blinked, taken aback. Recovering swiftly, he leaned forward and rested his fists on the desk, his face a mask of fury. "There's no way in hell I‘m letting you out of this Vault."

"It's not up to you," Sunset said firmly, trying to keep her temper under control. "We're going to see if we can track down James. He's our only chance of finding our way back home."

"Home?" Amata asked.

Sunset whipped around, startled. She had completely forgotten that Amata was even there.

"I knew it. The Vault has been opened before," Amata muttered quietly, "You aren't from the North Wing at all, you came from outside." She looked at her father. "It was all a lie, wasn't it? We're born in the Vault, we live in the Vault and we die in the Vault, it's all bullshit!"

"Enough, Amata!" The Overseer roared. "Officer Gomez!"

Gomez snapped to attention. "Yes, sir?"

"I want you to take these girls, except Miss Shimmer, back to their quarters, and have them change back into their jumpsuits. Then I want you to gather everyone into the Atrium." The Overseer jabbed a finger in Sunset's face. "As for you, I am going to have you stripped down and beaten, in front of the whole Vault, as an example of how we deal with insubordinate scum."

"That ain't happening," Applejack said darkly, stepping up alongside Sunset.

The Overseer snarled at her. "You'll go to your quarters this instant or you'll suffer the same punish-"

WHAM.

Applejack slammed her fist down on the desk, the metal crumpling like paper under her magical strength. She glared at the Overseer as she wrenched her hand out of the dented desk. "Ah said. That. Ain't. Happening."

"Nice one, Applejack!" Rainbow whooped as the Overseer cowered away, the blood draining from his face.

Sunset couldn't resist smirking at the look on his face. "As I was saying," she said mockingly, "we're leaving the Vault." Sunset glanced meaningfully down at the crumpled dent in the desk. "Unless you want to try and stop us?"

The Overseer shook his head slowly. Shaking like a leaf, he looked over at Gomez. "Officer Gomez, I want you to escort these young ladies to the exit. Make sure they leave, and seal the Vault shut behind them."

"Y-yes, sir," Gomez replied, his voice quavering as he stared at Applejack. "R-right this way, girls."

The girls followed Gomez out of the office, Amata close behind. Officer's O'Brian and Richards were still waiting in the reception area, watching the group warily until the Overseer called them into the office.

"I guess this is where we say goodbye then?" Amata said suddenly.

Sunset nodded sadly. "I guess so. What are you going to do now?"

Amata shrugged. "Honestly? I'm not sure. Now that I know the Vault has been opened before, I have a lot to think about."

Sunset shifted awkwardly. "Are you going to be alright here?"

Amata raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Sunset inclined her head to the Overseer's office. "Those bruises, that was him wasn't it?"

"It was on his orders, I helped Adam escape." Amata shook her head slowly. "Don't worry about me, I can handle myself."

Sunset sighed heavily. "I'm sorry it had to end like this."

"Don't worry about it. You just worry about finding Adam and James. Try and find your way home, wherever that really is," Amata said with a smile, before turning to head to her quarters.

Smiling after her, Sunset followed Gomez and her friends out of the reception and back through the Vault. Truth be told, she felt somewhat bad about leaving, especially in such unpleasant circumstances. As much as Sunset hated the Vault, she had gotten used to life there.

None of the girls spoke as they walked along, each lost in their own thoughts. The corridors were still deserted save for the dead radroaches, a fact Sunset was privately glad for. She'd barely been up for an hour or two and already the day had been almost more than she could take.

Entering the Atrium, Gomez led the girls down a corridor they had never ventured down before. Large splotches of blood marred the floor with a trail of red droplets leading back into the Vault proper, as if someone had carried a heavily bleeding body out of there. As she followed the others into the corridor, Sunset looked up and back. The Overseer was standing in his office, glaring down at the girls out of his window. Sunset threw him the filthiest look she could muster before she passed out of his line of sight.

Gomez led the way up a set of steps and into a large dark room with grimy walls. It reminded Sunset of nothing so much as the Vault's Reactor Level. Set in the wall directly opposite them was a massive gear-shaped door. They were finally at the main entrance of Vault 101.

A set of railings lined a small path leading to the door itself. At the near end of those railings was a control panel. Gomez stepped up to it and yanked down the only lever sticking out of it, causing an alarm to immediately start blaring. Hydraulics hissed furiously as a huge piston descended from the ceiling, shifted forward, and slotted into a hole in the door. The piston retracted, dragging the gear-shaped door backwards with an almighty grinding sound, then rolling it aside to reveal a long rocky tunnel leading up and out of the vault.

"So, this is it," Twilight said quietly.

"It sure is," Applejack put in.

Fluttershy looked sadly back down the stairs. "Will everyone be alright in there? They don't have a doctor anymore, what if they need me?"

Gomez patted her on the back gently. "Don't worry too much about it, all of the security officers have basic first aid training and so do a few of the others. We'll manage. We did before."

Rainbow grinned as she started down the path. "Come on, guys, this is going to be awesome!"

"Going by how the rest of this day has gone, I highly doubt it," Rarity grumbled as she followed Rainbow.

"Hey! Wait for me, guys!" Pinkie called, skipping down the path.

As Sunset made to follow the others, Gomez put a hand on her shoulder, holding her back. "Did James ever tell you anything about the Wasteland around here?" Sunset shook her head. "I probably shouldn't be telling you this but…" Gomez sighed. "They call it the Capital Wasteland. There's a settlement not far from here, I think they called it Megaton, at least, that's what I can remember from Old Lady Palmer's stories. That's probably the best place to start looking for James."

Sunset smiled gratefully at him. "Thanks, Gomez."

"Don't mention it, you girls just take care of yourselves out there," Gomez replied.

As Sunset turned to leave, the door they had come through was slammed open and Officers O‘Brian and Richards stepped through, clutching pistols and grinning evilly.

"The Overseer says he wants you freaks properly... taken care of." O'Brian chuckled as he leveled his gun at Sunset.

"Run!" Gomez yelled, diving at O'Brian and forcing the gun away.

Not wasting another moment, Sunset vaulted over the railings and belted after the others as they fled out of the vault. Several gunshots rang out and bullets sparked off the floor and walls around her, making her flinch. Sprinting out of the door, Sunset tripped and almost fell over a skeleton lying outside. As she ran, she saw there were several of them tangled up in the tunnel, many of them still clutching dusty placards. She wondered if they had died trying to get into the Vault.

The other girls had gotten to the end of the tunnel and passed through a little wooden door already. Sunset kept running as she heard shouts and more gunshots behind her. Suddenly, the alarm rang out again, signalling that the door was closing. As she heard the horrific grinding of the Vault being sealed once more, Sunset charged through the wooden door and out into blinding sunlight.

Another release!

It took me a while to decide on the name for James's son, but after considering all of the biblical references (and specifically mentions of Eden) in Fallout 3 I figured Adam was probably a decent choice.

Constructive criticism would very much be appreciated on things so far, and thanks for reading!