The girls looked around as the gates clanged shut behind them. The entire settlement of Megaton was built around a huge crater. The buildings were all constructed on different levels, with walkways going between many of them high above the floor. At the very bottom of the crater, jutting out of a pool of filthy water, was a huge statue of a dropped bomb. A makeshift staircase led down the crater towards it. Everything, from the buildings to the walkways, was made out of the same rusty old scrap metal.

“Well, this is Megaton,” Simms said. He pointed up to a large building near the rear of Megaton; a sign above the door identified it as Moriarty’s Saloon. “You’ll find Moriarty up there most of the time. If anyone in this town knows where your friends went, it‘ll be him. But be careful. Moriarty doesn’t give out anything for free, and he certainly isn’t someone you can trust, no matter what he says.”

Sunset smiled at him gratefully. “Thanks. We‘ll be careful.”

Simms just nodded. “Is there anything else you want to know about the town?”

“There is one thing.” Sunset had been wondering about a certain problem at the back of her mind ever since they left the Vault, one she hadn’t had to deal with since she first left Equestria. “What sort of currency do you use out here?”

“I don’t know what you used in that Vault, but out here we use caps.” Simms fished one out of his pocket and held it up.

The girls just stared at it in bemusement. It was Rarity who finally said what they were all thinking. “Is… is that a bottle cap?”

“Yep,” Simms replied simply.

“Seriously? You guys use bottle caps to buy stuff out here?” Rainbow asked.

Simms laughed softly and slipped the cap back into his pocket. “It’s all we can use, really. Paper’s too fragile, but caps are light, tough, and they’re too small to have any other use.”

Applejack gave Pinkie a playful nudge. “Well at least those colas you picked up aren’t completely useless, even if we can’t drink ‘em.”

“Actually, I had a question about that,” Twilight asked suddenly. “I understand there’s medicine that can purge radiation from our bodies, but do you have any technology that can scrub it from food, too?”

“I wish,” Simms grumbled, “We’ve got a water processor here that gives us clean water from rainfall, but food is a whole other story. Anything we can hunt, scavenge, or raise is going to be tainted with radiation in some way or another, and don’t even get me started on how hard it is to try and grow stuff.”

Fluttershy shifted awkwardly. “So, um, what do we eat when our supplies run out?”

“If you’re worried about rads from the food, your best bet would be to pick up some radaway or something from Doc Church down at the clinic, but for that you‘ll need caps,” Simms explained, pointing to a small hut near the bottom of the crater. “Same goes for the water, I’m afraid. We just don’t have the reserves to go handing out clean water to strangers for free.”

“Wonderful.” Rarity pouted. “Well, I suppose between the seven of us we can come up with some way of raising an income.”

“If and when we need to,” Sunset agreed. “Come on, girls, the sooner we find out where James and Adam went, the sooner we can catch up. Thanks again, sheriff.”

“Alright, you girls look after yourselves. Just make sure to mind your manners and don’t go causing any trouble. If you need anything else, just holler.” The sheriff turned to walk away, then stopped and called back over his shoulder. “Oh, almost forgot. Watch out for the Church of Atom.”

“The what of what now?” Rainbow asked.

Simms just chuckled darkly. “You’ll see.” With that cryptic comment, he left, strolling away around the edge of the settlement. Sharing a confused glance with her friends, Sunset led the way down the staircase and deeper into the crater. Several residents passed the girls by as they walked. None of them spoke, though all of them eyed the girls suspiciously, some of them muttering things that Sunset was privately glad she couldn’t quite hear.

“Well, ain’t that somethin’.” Sunset looked around to see what Applejack was talking about, pulling her attention away from a two-headed mutant cow being milked outside the clinic. The others stood nearby, gazing up at the huge statue of a bomb standing proud in its little lake. Stepping over to join them, Sunset was not at all reassured by the faint green glow that emanated from the surface of the pool.

They weren’t the only ones looking at the statue. A small group of residents was gathered near the edge of the water, all listening intently to the words of a man standing in front of them. Knee-deep in the glowing water, the man was delivering a sermon while facing the statue, his eyes closed and his arms held out to his sides as if bathing in its glory. He looked like a priest of some sort. “Let those who dwell here in his favored land attend now to the words of the prophet of Atom. Come forth, and drink the waters of the Glow, for this ancient weapon of war is our salvation, it is the very symbol of Atom’s glory. Let it serve as a reminder of the division that has occurred in the past, and the promise of the resplendence of our division, in the times to come. Give your bodies to Atom.”

Sunset listened with a mix of fascination and concern as the priest droned on. He clearly had a few screws loose.

“Do you think he’s alright?” Fluttershy asked suddenly, looking over as well. “Standing in that water can’t be good for him.”

Twilight frowned at the priest. “He’s probably going to get either radiation poisoning or some sort of cancer. Maybe both.” She raised an eyebrow as she surveyed the gathering. “Are they… worshipping the statue?”

Applejack shook her head in disbelief. “Looks to me like they’re a few bushels short of a tree.”

“I suppose it makes sense, if you think about it’” Fluttershy put in. She blushed as the others turned to look at her. “Um, well, I mean, it was bombs like this that ended their civilization two hundred years ago. The face of the whole planet must have been changed.”

Sunset thought about what Fluttershy was saying. “Remolding a planet, ending civilizations, that does sound like the power of a god.” Or perhaps Discord, she thought privately. The thought of what that must have been like, watching civilization burn as the bombs fell, flickered across her mind again. Sunset shivered. That was not something she wanted to picture, especially while standing next to a representation of one of those bombs.

“It appears his little congregation has noticed our attention,” Rarity said warily.
Indeed, several members of the group were nudging their fellows and pointing at the girls. Their reactions couldn’t have been further from those of the other Megaton settlers. Their eyes widened in shock, many of them smiling at the girls or clapping their hands to their mouths in excitement.

“At least they look happy to see us!” Pinkie grinned.

“Well duh, it’s about time someone around here realized how awesome we are!” Rainbow replied, sticking her hands on her hips and standing tall.

The priest frowned and opened his eyes slowly as he turned to see why his followers had stopped paying attention. Following their gazes, he soon spotted the little group of friends. Still blinking in the sunshine, it took him a moment to register what he was seeing, but when he managed to focus on the girls his eyes practically popped out of his skull. The priest clasped his hands together as he called out joyfully, “Oh my, but you are clearly blessed by Atom! Dear children, welcome! Welcome to Megaton!” He spun around to face his flock again and flung an arm out towards the girls. “Look, my dear brothers and sisters! Look upon these blessed daughters of Atom who stand before us and bask in their glorious presence!”

Rainbow slowly turned to look at her friends, confusion etched on her features. “Uh, what the heck is this guy talking about?”

“Not a darn clue,” Applejack replied flatly, looking wide-eyed at the mad priest.

“I have no idea either, darling, but I could certainly get used to it,” Rarity purred. She flicked her hair over her shoulder and struck a dignified pose, clearly enjoying the positive attention.

The priest turned back to the girls, waving them over. “Please, come closer, honored sisters. Do not be afraid.”

Reluctantly, the girls approached the priest, being extra careful not to touch the water. The people around them shifted to give the girls plenty of room, their expressions ranging from awestruck to reverent.

The priest spread his arms wide and smiled widely as the girls stopped before him. “Welcome again, blessed children. I am Confessor Cromwell, prophet of Atom and humble shepherd of this faithful flock. It is truly an honor to meet such favored daughters of Atom.”

“Er… thanks,” Sunset replied awkwardly, taken aback by the fervor of his welcome. “I’m Sunset Shimmer and these are my friends.” Each of the girls nodded or waved a little as Sunset introduced them in turn, Rarity flicking her hair again and flashing a dazzling smile while Fluttershy did her level best to hide behind Applejack.

Cromwell bowed deeply. “It is truly a blessing to meet you all.” He raised a hand to indicate the statue beside him. “I noticed you blessed sisters were interested in the bearer of our salvation.”

“Oh, er, yes.” Twilight smiled nervously. “It’s an impressive, uh, monument. A very accurate representation of an early nuclear bomb.”

Pinkie nodded vigorously. “Yep, it’s a really cool statue.”

A look of confusion passed across Cromwell’s face. “Forgive me, did you say statue?” He grinned and shook his head, chuckling quietly, “My dear children, this great monument is no mere imitation or simulacrum. This holy idol is a relic of the ancient conflict, a reminder of the great division that has occurred in the past and a promise of further division yet to come.”

Applejack just blinked in confusion. “Say what now?”

Sunset felt the blood drain from her face as she realized what the Confessor meant. “It’s a real bomb. A real… nuclear… bomb…”

There was a moment of horrified silence as each of the girls just stared at the bomb.

“Oh, sugar honey iced tea,” Applejack breathed.

“So that’s seriously a real atomic bomb?” Rainbow asked quietly. “That… is… so… awesome!” She yelled, punching a fist in the air.

“Atom left us this instrument of his will that we may know of his glory and look forward to the great division to come,” Cromwell intoned. “It is proof of Atom’s will that one so blessed by his Glow would seek to understand the mechanism by which he brings forth new life. Please, feel free to enter the waters of the Glow and take a closer look.”

“You‘re kiddin’ me right? You’re not seriously sayin’ you built a town around a real live atomic bomb!?” Applejack blurted out.

Cromwell smiled sadly at her. “I understand your concern. It can be difficult to resist the natural fear inspired by the power of the great division, even for those who enjoy the blessing of Atom. It is only by overcoming this fear, and accepting the warm embrace of the Glow, that we can truly consider ourselves to be one with Atom.”

“Don’t worry Applejack, it’s probably safe,” Twilight said bracingly. “After all, if the bomb hasn’t gone off in the last two centuries, I can’t imagine why it would suddenly go off now for no reason.”

Rarity took a few paces backwards anyway. “Much as I trust your intellect darling, I would feel a lot safer if we were to go, oh, I don’t know, perhaps somewhere as far away from here as possible?”

“Come one, guys, this is awesome!” Rainbow exclaimed loudly, grinning up at the bomb. “How many people we know can say they’ve been this close to a real atomic bomb!”

“Technically, calling it an atomic bomb is a misnomer. After all, the energy only comes from the nucleus of the atom,” Twilight piped up.

Rainbow just rolled her eyes. “Sure thing, egghead.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow at her nerdy friend. “Okay, Rainbow I get, but why do you sound so happy about this?”

“Come on, Sunset, you have to admit it’s fascinating!” Twilight exclaimed. “I wonder why the bomb never went off originally?”

“Maybe the detonator was damaged?” Sunset wondered aloud, interested despite herself. “Or maybe it wasn’t primed properly before it was dropped?”

Cromwell looked delighted. “You are knowledgeable in the ways of Atom’s great instruments?”

Sunset shook her head. “Not really, I just read somewhere that nuclear bombs actually require a very complex and precise detonation process or they won’t go off.”

“It depends on what type of bomb it is,” Twilight interjected. “This looks like an old implosion-type, which would require a very precise detonation sequence to cause a complete nuclear detonation. Though, I suppose an accident of some sort could still cause a partial detonation from the conventional explosives stored inside.”

Sunset folded her arms, considering Twilight’s words.

“Anyone mind explainin’ what the heck she just said?” Applejack asked, clearly having trouble keeping up.

Surprisingly, it was Pinkie who answered, “She said the bomb won’t go off with a really, really, big boom, but there is a chance we could get a regular big boom.”

Sunset grimaced at that. “The town would probably survive, but I still wouldn’t want to be standing anywhere near here if that happened.”

Cromwell reached out and stroked the bomb, almost lovingly. “By Atom’s will, this wonderful relic has stood proudly here for over two hundred years. It shall only be by His will that the great division shall come again. Fear not, for when it does so it shall not be the pale imitation of mere accident, but the full might of Atom‘s glorious will.”

Sunset stared blankly at him. “Uh, right. Well, as interesting as this has been, we really need to get going. There’s something important we have to do and we‘re running late as it is.”

Cromwell turned back to face the girls, disappointment coloring his features. “Oh, of course. Forgive me, blessed children, I shall keep you no longer.” He pointed to a building on the far side of the bomb. “Should you ever find yourselves in need of guidance or succor, please do not hesitate to call upon us. The Church of Atom would be honored to welcome such distinguished guests.”

“We’ll bear that in mind, thanks again!” Sunset gave him a forced smile and turned to leave. Thankfully, Cromwell’s followers immediately parted to allow the girls to pass. Once they were away from the group, she looked around, trying to get her bearings. “Does anyone have any idea which way the saloon is?”

“Up this way!” Pinkie pointed to a little signpost nearby. The girls followed as she skipped up the indicated staircase, trying to put some distance between themselves and the bomb. Together, the seven friends made their way up and out of the crater and onto the walkways of Megaton, ignoring the stares and mutterings of the other residents that passed them by.

While the others discussed the sheer lunacy that was the Church of Atom, Sunset was content to simply take in their surroundings. The view when they reached the upper walkways was particularly impressive. Looking down on the sprawl of Megaton, Sunset realized it had a sort of dilapidated, haphazard charm to it. She was still imagining how fun it would be to be let loose on the town with her paints when they finally arrived at the saloon.

Inside, the saloon was made of the same grimy scrap metal as the rest of the town. Several small round tables and chairs were dotted around the place, and there was a long counter lined with stools for the patrons. There were a fair number of customers spread around, as well as two people standing behind the bar. One was sharing a laugh with a woman sitting in front of him while the other, the man serving drinks,made Sunset do a double-take as her gaye swept over him. The poor man, at least, Sunset assumed he was a man, looked like some sort of zombie out of an old horror flick. The whole place was filled with a hubbub of conversation, all of which stopped the moment the girls walked through the door.

Sunset felt an unpleasant shiver down her spine as every single person in the room turned to stare at them. A small squeal and a nudge on her pack told her that Fluttershy had hidden behind her, right in the middle of the group. Sunset glanced nervously around the room. There were plenty of frowns, scowls, and looks of complete shock on the faces of the patrons but, unlike the Church of Atom, no-one looked happy to see them. Suddenly a man shouted from one end of the bar. “What the fuck? Moriarty, have you put fucking Jet in the booze or something?!”

Most of the other patrons laughed uproariously at him and turned back to their drinks. Grinning nervously, Sunset and the others stepped over to the counter, walking up to the man standing behind the bar.

Sunset assumed this must be Moriarty. He was wearing a long, sleeveless leather coat over a clean white t-shirt, while his hair and scruffy little beard were both iron-grey. He looked far cleaner and more well-maintained than anyone the girls had met since leaving Vault 101.

“Well now, this isn’t something you see every day. Colin Moriarty, at your service!” Moriarty gave an easy smile, running his eyes over the girls as he started polishing a glass. “And what brings such well-dressed and, dare I say, exotic looking ladies to my fine establishment?” Moriarty spoke with an interesting accent that Sunset couldn’t quite place, though it sounded like one of the islands off Trottingham. He certainly seemed friendly, though she remembered what Simms had said about trusting the man.

Sunset wondered if he would be anywhere near as friendly if they had been dressed in Vault suits instead of their own clothes. “Hi, I’m Sunset Shimmer. We’re actually looking for a couple of people, and the sheriff said you might be able to help. Two Vault residents called James and Adam. We heard they passed through here?”

Moriarty raised an eyebrow. “News travels fast. I happen to know for a fact that this is the first time Adam has been out of that Vault since he was a babe, which begs the question, how do you girls know about him?”

“We spent some time in the Vault ourselves,” Sunset replied, “Can you tell us where they went? It’s really important that we speak to James.”

“Is that a fact?” Moriarty put the glass down and looked Sunset in the eye. “Alright, here‘s how it is. Yes, James was here, and then he left. Young Adam came in afterwards looking for James himself, and in exchange for the information he did me a little favor. You see, information is a commodity.” He smirked slightly, folding his arms. “Sadly, I don’t have any errands that I desperately need doing right now, so how about we say… three hundred caps, and I tell you exactly where James and Adam went.”

Sunset glanced uneasily around at her friends. “We don’t have any caps.”

“Technically we have two,” Twilight cut in brightly. Her smile faded quickly as the others turned to frown at her. “I guess that doesn’t really make a difference.”

Moriarty sighed theatrically and placed his hands on the counter. “Now you see, that right there is a problem.” He sucked his teeth loudly, “Hmmm, how about those pretty little necklaces? You give me those and I’ll call it even.”

Sunset grabbed her Geode protectively. “Our necklaces are not for sale.”

Rarity suddenly stepped forward, slipping one of her gold bracelets off and placing it on the counter. “How about this instead? I’m sure such a refined gentleman as yourself can see the value, and for such a simple piece of information, hmmm?” She smiled up at Moriarty, fluttering her eyelashes.

Moriarty just frowned at her. “Are you trying to swindle me with fake crap?”

Rarity’s eye twitched as her voice dropped dangerously. “Fake?”

“Listen here, girlie. Even if that little trinket is real, there’s no fucker out here who’d be stupid enough to buy it, meaning it’s completely fucking useless to me. You want information you bring me caps, not fucking paperweights.”

Moriarty stepped back, folding his arms again. “I’ll tell you what, since you girls obviously have no fucking clue how things work out here in the wastes, I’ll help you out. Out of the kindness of my heart and all. What we’ll do is this; you girls work for me here at the bar, and I’ll pay you for the work you do. There’s seven of you, so each of you only has to work one day a week if that’s how you want it. Very reasonable.”

Sunset frowned at him. It certainly sounded reasonable, but there was no way Sunset wanted to wait around even a day, let alone a whole week. Not to mention that Moriarty hadn’t mentioned how much he would pay them, or exactly what their work would entail. As she considered, Sunset spotted something out of the corner of her eye. The zombie who had been serving drinks was glancing surreptitiously her way, subtly shaking his head. That was enough for her. “Sorry, Mr Moriarty, but I think we’ll find our own way of raising the money you want.”

Moriarty snorted and picked the glass back up. “You’re more than welcome to try. Now, if you don’t mind, this establishment is for paying customers only.”

Sunset threw him a glare and led her friends back out of the saloon.

“What a creep,” Rainbow said, leaning against the railings of the walkway.

“That’s a polite way of putting it,” Rarity scowled as she slid her bracelet back onto her wrist. “Fake indeed!”

Applejack sighed and leaned next to Rainbow. “Now what are we supposed to do?”

Sunset groaned and rubbed her temples. “I didn’t want to do this but… I think we should split up. We’ll go through this whole settlement and see if we can find any odd jobs that people need doing.”

Pinkie‘s hand shot into the air. “Oh oh! Like planning a party? Or babysitting? Or baking a cake?”

“Anything that will get us the caps we need as quickly as possible,” Sunset replied.

“Sounds good to me, who’s going with who?” Applejack asked.

Sunset looked around at her friends. “Rarity, you go with Rainbow Dash. Applejack and Pinkie can go together. Twilight, Fluttershy, you come with me. We’ll meet back at the entrance to Megaton as soon as we can. Does that sound good?”

There was a chorus of agreement from the others, then they all went their separate ways.

Sunset, Twilight and Fluttershy’s job hunt did not go well. First, they tracked down the sheriff to see if he had any ideas. He directed them to a restaurant down by the bomb, but they weren’t willing to hire any of the girls, nor did they or any of their patrons have any odd jobs that needed doing. From there, they tried asking people around the common house, but that went south quickly. Hardly any of the settlers were willing to even talk to the girls, let alone pay them for anything.

“I hate this town,” Sunset moaned, folding her arms and slumping against a wall.

The three girls had given up for now and decided to have a little lunch out of their remaining Vault supplies.

“The people here aren’t very friendly,” Fluttershy muttered, “It’s even worse out here than it was in the Vault.”

Twilight just nodded, quietly munching away on a slice of cake Pinkie had baked a few days before. How it hadn’t gone stale yet, Sunset couldn’t guess. She sighed heavily. “I guess we’ll just have to keep trying. Hopefully the others are having more luck.”

“I doubt it,” Twilight said miserably. “The people here really don’t seem to like us. I guess we’re just too different.”

“Perhaps I can be of some assistance.” The girls jumped as a voice called out from a nearby alleyway. A man was standing in the shadows, wearing a smart grey business suit along with a fedora and sunglasses. “Sunset Shimmer, I presume?” The man tilted his hat in greeting. “My name is Burke. I have a proposition for you.”

Sorry for the slight delay in this chapter, work has been pushing overtime lately and frankly 3am starts suck.

One thing I've never really noticed until I started this story is just how different the spelling can be between British English and American English, u's and s's and z's all doing different things. Definitely glad this site has a spell checker!

Comments and criticisms greatly appreciated as always, and thanks for reading!