Chapter 17

Canterlot Wastelands Wubs

Fortunately for the quartet of girls, the way back from Brotherhood of Steel was free of any trouble. Once they got back to Appletown, they were greeted by Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom, who gave Applejack a very strong hug.

"Thank heavens you're OK, big sis!" the youngest Apple exclaimed. "We were so worried!"

"We're all fine, Apple Bloom. Big Mac, how's it going? Any trouble?"

"Nope. Ah think Curve Blade doesn't want to risk more people after that last good kicking, but we aren't relaxing, 'cause who knows if Crimson Hands will try something. Or Black Widow..."

"Black Widow?" A thunder of emotions appeared on Applejack's face. "Did she kill someone again?"

"None of ours, AJ, don't worry. But yes, she did."

"Ah have a recording," Apple Bloom held a pre-war dictophone and turned it on. The distorted yet distinguishable words sounded, spoken with a familiar voice:

"...that was not cool. And that's not the only karmic justice for Crimson Hands. Two of their mercs were found dead later, and a familiar image of a spider was found on their corpses. You guessed it right, kids - the Black Widow has struck again! One may question why she did so. Sorry, folks, no answer on that one. Last I heard, she killed decent people, too. Who knows - maybe these guys offered her a threesome? What're you laughing at? I wouldn't put it past Crimson Hands. The last insult is that one of the mercs pissed themselves. Totally not sorry for spoiling your appetite. But I'll make up for it with music..."

Pushing a stop button, Apple Bloom turned off the recording.

"Wouldn't those be the two mercs that remained alive when you two bailed us out?" Sunset addressed Big Macintosh and Applejack.

"Could be," the eldest Apple brother answered. "Ah know that at least two were still alive. If there were only two, could be that Black Widow mopped up the mess, so to speak."

"But why would she do that?" Twilight asked, surprised.

"Beats me."

"Maybe she was hungry for a kill thrill," Applejack snorted derisively, "and decided to off someone?"

"Could be, but... if those two are in fact the only survivors from that ambush, then it means she could be there at the same time with us!"

Everyone felt as if a brick fell into their stomach.

"Wait, were those really the same mercs?" Sunset stopped her train of thoughts.

"Ah didn't record it earlier, but CWN did say 'bout six mercs found dead with machine gun and assault rifle wounds, and the same village was named."

"Well blast. Then she really was there."

Everyone present remembered some swear words of their own. Naturally, no one liked the idea of having an assassin very close to them. Twilight and Sunset felt particularly uncomfortable, blood draining from their faces. If Black Widow were to be after them specifically, Applejack and Big Macintosh would most likely have found their corpses in that village, with accurate bullet holes in their heads.

Privately, Twilight felt glad that Black Widow was not an assassin for hire. Curve Blade wouldn't have missed an opportunity to deal with her and Sunset in that way, despite the fact that the mysterious assassin had killed his second-in-command. This fact, however, raised an important question - just what made other people her targets? What made her want to see their heads in crosshairs and pull the trigger?

And how to avoid becoming her target myself?

"That said," Big Mac's words interrupted her line of thoughts, "there's a guy here, who claims to work for CWN. He wants to see Twilight and Sunset."

"Yeah?" the fiery-haired girl raised an eyebrow. "Where is he?"

"In Berry Punch's bar. Rented a room, but last I saw him, he's waiting for you in the bar. The guy with black hair and red eyes, dressed in green camo. Name's Ear Drum."

"Thanks. We'll see him. But why'd he ask for us?"

"Well, he was asking for Daring Duo, to be more exact."

"Ponyfeathers, will this name never go?"

As Twilight and Sunset entered the bar, they saw that there were more people in the bar than the last time they had been there. However, the guy in green camouflage was still noticeable, his hair black as coal. His eyes were covered by sunglasses, but once he took them off to see the newcomers (i. e. the two Equestrians,) the latter saw that his eyes were indeed red.

The CWN's emissary (as they privetely dubbed him) also had an assault rifle behind his back, and a holster on his right hip held an easily recognizable N99 10mm pistol. He didn't have any visible armour, but his clothes were somehwat baggy. Sunset suspected that he was wearing armour underneath, but didn't see it showing. In his hand, he was holding a glass of beer, which was two-thirds full.

As he noticed the girls coming in, he waved them over with a smile. Twilight went in his direction, Sunset slightly following behind her, failing to resist an eye-roll.

"A pleasure to see you, ladies," the "emissary" spoke. "I'm Ear Drum. Been wanting to speak to you, but you were absent on some important business, or so I am told."

"We were," Sunset said shortly, giving a hint that the man should not inquire further.

"I see. Well, I was asked by CWN boss to tell that they would like it very much if you visited them in their HQ. They asked me to pass this phrase: Go, Canterlot Wondercolts. No idea why this one."

Both girls looked at each other for a second, before turning back to Ear Drum.

"I take that was a password of sorts?"

"Of sorts," Twilight said, falling into Sunset's routine of divulging as little information as possible.

"OK. So do you want to visit them or not? They also wanted me to tell you that they could offer you some assistance against White Knives, if you helped them to settle an issue with Brotherhood of Steel."

"Why am I not surprised?" Sunset said after a sigh.

"This is getting ridiculous," Twilight agreed.

"For once, I'd like to ask for help, and hear: "Sure, let's go, right now, no strings attached, but noooo," the fiery-haired Equestrian grumbled, "it's never like this in the Wastelands."

"Sorry, girls, I'm just telling what the boss wanted me to tell. Don't shoot the messenger and stuff," Ear Drum interjected.

"No prob, Ear Drum. We've just had a rough day and stuff. Anyway, yeah, let's meet your boss, whoever he or she is."

"Great! Here's the magneto-optic data disk for you two," the emissary slid over a data storage device for a Pip-Boy, "it has the coordinates for the HQ of Canterlot Wastelands News. Kindly don't spread it around."

"Thanks," Twilight replied, taking the disk. "And we won't."

"Appreciated. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back there," with these words, Ear Drum drank the last of his beer, and rose to leave. As he did, Sunset spoke:

"Drat, I'm getting thirsty. I wonder if there's cold beer left?"

"Sunset, it's not healthy to consume alcohol at will."

"It's a bar, Twilight. Their purpose is to sell such beverages. Berry Punch doesn't sell anything else here, it's a trip to someone else for other stuff."

"Horseapples. Fine, let's drink this "beer", but I swear, if I get cirrhosis, I'll banish you to the moon."

Sunset snorted, trying and failing to suppress her laughter, earning a glare from her royal friend.

"Sorry, Twilight. Couldn't resist at you proclaiming this with that "dead serious" face."

"I am dead serious."

Once Sunset and Twilight gulped down their beers (which turned out to be surprisingly well-preserved and better yet, cool), they joined Applejack, Apple Bloom, Big Macintosh and Bon Bon in the house which they currently occupied.

"Hey, Twi," Applejack spoke, waving. "Ya mentioned earlier that we had serious business to talk about."

"Yes, we have," the Princess of Friendship sat down on the couch.

"So what is it?"

"You all remember that I have a mirror twin here? Well, it appears that she has done her part in pre-apocalyptic technological progress. As I have been told, she was the one who invented microfusion energy cells, opening the path to energy weapons, power armour and, apparently, some other stuff. And while this was not something spoken openly about, it appears that certain people who had connections to the higher-ups do know about... other me. And Elder Aegis is one of them."

Apple Bloom gasped, hands covering her mouth in an instant, Big Macintosh and Sunset swore under their breaths, Applejack almost lost her jaw, and Bon Bon muttered:

"Well, that is certainly going to make things interesting, especially around those not in on our CHS secret."

"That explains them being generous with your treatment," Sunset spoke up. "They believed they were helping out the person who basically made the existence of their organization possible. And you stuck with amnesia story, right?"

"Right. But I don't know if he bought it or not. He showed me two letters, one to a Dr. Sharp Nerve from some unknown source, and another one which was basically his reply."

"Sharp Nerve?" Bon Bon interjected. "I heard of him. Head of military R&D deprtment, or at least the public head. He had some contacts within Directorate of Intelligence who threw ideas of hiring this or that scientist. These letters must've been someone from DOI telling him about the other you and invention of microfusion cells, if his correspondent's name is redacted out."

"Did he ask anything else?" Applejack inquired.

"Well, before he dropped the bomb on me, he was chatting about morals. Like "it's unusual to meet a selfless person", "I am surprised to see you helping Appletown and our Paladins" and stuff. Must have been gauging my stance and comparing it to other Twilight."

"Drat. Did he demand anything?"

"No. But he dropped a hint that he would like it very much if I "remembered" something, and told him that."

"Ah'm surprised he didn't try to "cure" you."

"I don't think Brotherhood of Steel has anti-amnesiac medicines," Sunset butted in. "The development of such stuff took a big hit when the war began. If anyone happened to have memory loss, it was easier to remake them as a soldier. It was never out there in the open, of course, but... I heard about such things back in Trottingham. And the tones with which this was spoken about indicated that this was true... at least partially."

"UFE government sucks."

Everyone turned to the equine-in-human-form who just put her attitude to the higher-ups of United Federation of Equestria into a form no royalty would dignify themselves with (although Twilight would argue that since this world did not have royalty, she was allowed some leeway), shell-shocked expressions on their faces.

"What? That not true?"

The question hung in the air until Bon Bon snorted, emitting repressed laughter.

"What's so funny?"

"More like ironic. When someone from another world tells you that your government sucks, then most likely it really sucks."

"Y'all mind not using that kinda language in front of mah sister?!" Applejack interrupted, irritated at the losses of brain-to-mouth filters.

"Applejack, Ah'm not a little kid!" the redhead Apple spoke up. "Ah hear Appletowners say worse words everyday, like "shit" and "fu..."

"Apple Bloom!!!" This time both of her siblings gave her an angry glare along with a reprimand.

"OK, OK, Ah'm sorry..." the youngest Apple shrunk visibly in her seat.

"Swearing aside," the farm girl took over, "Ah can't say Ah disagree with the sentiment. Twilight - this world's Twilight, Ah mean - had writtn long ago that military was hirin' her for a load of money, and she didn't tell much after - in fact, her MyStable account was deleted later. Gosh, I hope she didn't get mixed up with Vault-Tec or any other varmints..."

"Military R&D had many people, some of them decent, some not. But when the war took a turn for the worse, they started giving out some... heavy tasks, as far as I have heard," Bon Bon said. "And morally ambiguous as well. All in the name of victory."

"That's not the end of it. Many freedoms were getting revoked or repressed," Big Macintosh spoke up for the first time. "Government was overrun by spymania and you couldn't sneeze without the police knowing it. Total surveillance, all in the name of security an' safety. Ah don't say it was a bad idea per se, not after Manehatten Massacre, but some of the things..."

"Wait," Twilight interrupted, "what is Manehatten Massacre?"

"The worst terrorist attack in the history of the Federation," Sunset spoke. "Even the Solstice of Horrors in December 2061, which claimed the lives of forty thousand or so people, pales into insignificance before it. And it was performed by TODC agents."

"What happened?"

"A terrorist cell brought a new weapon of mass destruction - some sort of advanced bio-virus," Big Macintosh took over. "They made several bombs laced with it, and blew them up all around Manehatten. The virus was very contagious, and quite deadly - the rumours were that it suppressed immune system and killed various cells, causing catastrophic organ failure and death. Even corpses could be contagious."

"Corpses?!" Twilight exclaimed, horrified. What monster would create such a weapon?!

"Yes. It was... "horrible" doesn't cut it even. Horrendous, maybe? Nah... beyond that. Thousands of people died in first hours, tens of thousands on the second day. Out of nineteen million people living in Manehatten, only two and a half million survived the event," the eldest Apple brother finished, struggling with his emotions. Apple Bloom had tears running down her cheeks.

"Babs... Babs Seed and Sunflower lived there... we managed to make peace with each other... hoped to see each other... but they..." unable to speak anymore, Apple Bloom rushed into Applejack's hug, beginning to cry silently. Twilight herself felt her eyes water, and tears rolled down her cheeks at hearing the level of atrocity TODC leaders had stooped to.

"Yep..." the blonde girl spoke, "that's how bad it was. After that, the folk were furious beyond belief. An' the higher ups introduced the Commissariat. Even in mah grief, Ah really wished they didn't."

"And Commissariat is?.."

"National Security Commissariat, or simply NSC, a governmental agency with very few limits to what they can't do," Sunset took over. "Like the police, but higher. Catching spies, terrorists, insurgents, TODC sympathizers and other riff-raff. Good thing, except that simply wanting peace could get you labeled a sympathizer for the enemy. They imprisoned and executed innocents not once and not twice, brushing everything off with "better kill an innocent than let a guilty one go, remember Manehatten, pity is treason, yadda yadda yadda" and all that jazz. In the end, I think people hated them as much as TODC."

"They were that bad?"

"Remember me writing to you about bad consequences of getting caught without a passport or any other identificating document? If that happened, one should have prayed it were the police and not the Commissariat. The latter could take you away for interrogation, which would have involved torture - yes, they were allowed to torture - and chances were no one would have seen you again."

An uncomfortable silence hung in the air as everyone processed the information about the repressive ways of UFE.

"So..." Applejack decided to change the topic, "what did Ear Drum want to talk to you about?"

"He said that his boss at CWN, whoever he or she or they may be, wanted to see us, and promised help against White Knives," Sunset replied.

"Sounds good to me. Ah'll be ready to go as soon as I can."

"Actually, Applejack, the guy implied that CWN boss wanted only us."

"Are y'all crazy?! Did ya forget what happened last time y'all went alone? You were nearly done in by Crimson Hands, and Ah'd rather not bet on Black Widow keeping ya safe!" Applejack burst into indignant rage.

"I remember that. But we won't be able to stay here forever. And Appletown needs you as a defender - Big Macintosh can't shoulder this burden alone."

"Ah still don't like that. Bon Bon, maybe you can dissuade them?"

"Sorry, Applejack, I don't think I really can. Plus, I have noticed that you don't have any snipers or marksmen. What if Appletown is attacked? I know that there are several other raider gangs around here, and if they join White Knives out of fear that you'll destroy them, they can boost their numbers quite well."

"Ah hay. An' Ah can't really get the car this time. Blast. OK, if that's what you want, fine. But be careful, an' look around. Stars know that this area's becomin' less and less safe. Is it far from here?"

"No, actually. Several hours there and back, no villages on the way."

"Well, OK, when y'all are ready, let me know."

An hour and a half later, once Twilight and Sunset restocked their ammunition and got themselves food and water reserves, they left Appletown for Canterlot Wastelands News HQ.

Twilight was carrying her preferred AP-79 in her hands, while keeping her Buffalo SMG on her hip and .44 magnum revolver hidden on her back. Sunset had R91 and combat shotgun, along with her own Buffalo SMG. They decided not to take too many weapons with themselves, since carrying everything would slow them down tremendously. (Although Sunset really didn't want to leave her laser rifle behind.)

The Princess of Friendship was currently listening to the radio broadcast by CWN. The loud speaker of her Pip-Boy was ringing out the words:

"...cut through White Knives and super mutants like nobody's business. Once more, I reiterate that messing with Brotherhood of Steel is a bad idea. Stay out of their way, guys and gals. Unfortunately, I can't help but wish that they were more willing to protect the folk. I have just been told that several raider gangs that used to operate independently have aligned themselves with White Knives, boosting his numbers up to two hundred bandits. Some gangs are still thinking on whether survival is better than independence, and I'd rather they choose independence. So be careful if you venture in the area between Hoofington and Trottingham - that place may unexpectedly become a war zone. And now, for some music! Today, it's - once again - "The Wanderer"!"

"Oh, can you please leave it on? I love that song," Sunset spoke up.

"Sure," Twilight replied, as the jazz sounds filled the small area around them.

Fortunately, the fates were kind upon the "Daring Duo", and very soon they came to the coordinates pointed out in the file given to them by Ear Drum. The latter was waiting for them, assault rifle in hands. In the distance, a building was visible, antennas visible on the top of it.

"Ah," his face gained a smile, "you came here! Excellent! Please follow me, I'll show you the way."

As they approached the HQ of Canterlot Wastelands News, both girls could discern some haphazardly created walls and watch towers, as well as some barbed wire designed to close the gaps where the guard did not want anyone else to enter.

The entrance to the area around the building was made from various lists of metal primitively welded together and set on a mechanism resembling gates. As the group approached the gates, the guards on watch towers moved without a word, and the lists went apart to the sides with loud clanking and creaking, making the entrance available. When they entered the area, the gates closed behind them, clanking once again. Ear Drum led the girls inside the building, nodding to a bored "guard", who nodded back.

"Did everyone here expect us?" Sunset asked, frowning a bit.

"Not quite. But you're with me, which in our group means you're OK."

"Aren't you worried about the possibility of infiltrations?"

"The guards here work on voluntary basis, coming and going. Wasteland wanderers aren't interested in making CWN silent, even raiders, aside from the nastiest ones. Plus, should the worst come to pass, the boss has some surprises for the intruders."

"Like what?"

"Darned if I know. Boss's silent on that."

"OK, fine."

"Listen," Ear Drum stopped, turning to the girls, "I must go tell the boss you're here, but it may take time. To the left of you there is a bar, you can have whatever alcohol and soft drink you want, and food - if you dare to call rations food. Of course, not for free, but we pride ourselves on affordable prices. You OK with that?"

"Heh, OK then. Just don't take too long, please. We're busy."

"Wouldn't expect Daring Duo not to be," the man flashed a grin and went away, ignoring Sunset's angry muttering. Deciding not to stand out in the open like idiots, the girls went to the "bar".

The place had the atmosphere of a small but cosy frontier town saloon, with good (albeit artificial) lighting, tables and chairs put in accurate rows, men, women and children sitting around, eating, talking, and some of them were playing cards. The selection of alcohol and soft drinks was surprisingly rich for such a place; Sunset managed to recognize a couple of alcoholic drinks which were considered elite and cost a lot more than your normal beer or whiskey.

Behind the bar stood a man in his early thirties (at least he looked like that) with dark brown hair, bright emerald green eyes and very tanned skin, a rifle slung behind his back. When he turned for a moment, both girls were able to see the optical sight on it, recognizing that this man had a preference for sniping. A holster on his hip held a .44 magnum revolver, the same model that Twilight had. As both Equestrians approached the bar, he looked up at them, and his face split into a smile.

"Welcome to Canterlot Wastelands News HQ Bar, ladies. It's rare to see such beauty walking around these parts," he spoke, giving the girls a wink. "Anything I can offer to you?"

"Nuka-Cider, please," Twilight replied.

"Me too," Sunset added.

"Two Nuka-Ciders coming right up," the bartender said, taking out two bottles (that turned out to resemble rockets) and two quite clean glasses - much cleaner than some of the others, as Twilight has noticed - and took care to pour the fizzy drink into the glasses.

"Here you are, ladies," he said, giving them the drinks.

"How much?" Sunset asked, her hand coming into a pocket with bottle caps.

"For beautiful girls like you two, it's on the house," the bartender flashed both of them a grin. "You may even keep the caps."

"Wow. Mighty generous. Thanks," Twilight spoke, taking her cap and her drink.

"You're both welcome. And call me Mr. Rose or Hunter Rose. Yeah, strange name a bit, but I prefer it."

"Thanks, Mr. Rose."

"Anytime, beautiful."

Twilight blushed a bit at his words. Although she was in human body and not equine, she could not really recall anyone calling her "beautiful", not even Flash Sentry. But then again, her experiences with opposite gender were quite... limited. So she decided not to ponder on it and lifted her glass of Nuka-Cider to her lips.

Her taste-buds got assaulted with a sweet but not saccharine mixture of fermented apple juice and fizzy bubbles. As she swallowed and felt the liquid rush down, she smiled a bit.

If that cider was made from apples from the Apple family farm, I can see why it was so popular.

"Tartarus-damned flirt," one of the men sitting nearby grumbled. "Won't stop bugging if you forget a single cap, yet two pretty faces come here and he's all lovey-dovey..."

Unfortunately, the "plaintiff" didn't bother with lowering his voice, which allowed not only for Twilight and Sunset to hear him, but for the bartender too, and the latter didn't hesitate to go on counter-offensive:

"That's because your memory is worse than one of a feral ghoul, Fathat. Also, with an attitude and manners toward women like that, no wonder you can't find a girl willing to sleep with you, even for money."

"Shut up, Hunter!" Fathat shouted, apparently very hurt by the insinuation against his manliness. "Like you're any better, chasing after every skirt that comes here! Don't presume to teach me!"

"First, I do not "chase after every skirt", as you put it, I compliment the girls who oh-so-richly deserve it, especially since the Wastelands seem to consist of more and more people like you, Fathat. And second, I am being polite, and you are not. Did your momma never teach you manners? I can always compensate for that," with these words, Hunter Rose moved his hand to his revolver, very uncovertly.

"As if your manners ever got you laid!"

Twilight and Sunset looked around and noticed that the scene was attracting a crowd of curious bystanders who were edging closer to a bar.

Uh-oh. This is going to deteriorate fast.

"And now I think you need eye surgery as well," Hunter Rose showed a wedding ring on his finger. "This ring disproves your claim."

"Yeah, that was like, more than seven years ago," Fathat snorted. "If you want a woman so badly, then for Tartarus' sake, just get one and fuck her. I bet one of these two will gladly open her legs..."

Even if Twilight did not understand the implication, the death glare that Sunset and Hunter Rose were giving Fathat now told volumes of how insulting that man was now. However, what really ticked her was that some of the men were actually nodding along. She left her Nuka-Cider and discreetly brought her hand to the revolver, cocking the hammer.

"...or get them both, damn it. I bet that lavender-skinned one is still a virgin and will be screaming like a whore bitch once you - AAAAAARRRRRRGH!!!"

Those insults Twilight understood perfectly, but before she rose up to do anything, Sunset launched herself at Fathat like a wound-up spring and delivered a strong kick to his testicles before anyone managed to react somehow.

The rude man collapsed to the ground in pain, rolling around and insulting Sunset with very dirty swear words regarding the circumstances of her birth, the mutual fidelity of her parents, her own sexual preferences and so on, until...

BANG!

A loud revolver shot almost deafened everyone present, and Fathat saw the wood in front of his face splinter under the impact of a .44 magnum bullet. Raising his eyes, he saw Twilight holding her revolver in his direction, smoke coming out of a barrel.

"You missed," he taunted.

"I wasn't aiming at you. This time," the Princess of Friendship growled, feeling positively un-friendly to the man right now. "But next time, I might consider shooting your dirty tongue off. Or better yet, your testicles!"

Several people who were standing close to Fathat thought it wise to back away from him. Twilight looked like she was ready to beat the man with the handle of her own revolver.

"You are banned from this bar, Fathat," Hunter Rose growled at the rude excuse of a male. "Like, forever. Get outta here before I'll make you leave this place legs first."

Geting up, Fathat gave all of them a glare and turned away. As he was nearing the exit, he was heard muttering:

"...stupid asshole, and the bitches, too..."

BANG! BAT!

The hat that was sitting on his head flew off, pierced by two bullets - one of Twilight's, and one of Sunset's (the latter was holding her assault rifle). Fathat hurried out of the bar, clutching his destroyed hat, at an impressive speed.

"Anyone else has a problem with me and my friend?!" Sunset shouted to everyone, her face twisted in fury. People wisely decided to reassure her otherwise, and dispersed, going back to their places. One of the men who wanted to support Fathat stopped to look at Sunset again, who gave him a death glare, making him scurry away.

"Sorry about that, ladies," Hunter Rose spoke, putting his revolver back into the holster. "That guy has been trouble before, but this went too far."

"Why is he even here?" Twilight asked, going back to her Nuka-Cider.

"He can hold a gun and fight, and this place is relatively well protected, so he used to contribute to safety. But now he has become a lazybones who thinks he saves the whole CWN single-handedly every day. The boss will kick him out soon if this goes on."

"And what was that about the stuff... well... about women?"

A sad look crossed the bartender's face.

"Oh, sorry, I'm..."

"Nah, it's fine. The thing is, I had a wife. Met her in Baltimare while I was travelling around the country, doing my tour of "thank heavens I survived the war" around UFE. While I never hesitate at giving compliments to beautiful women, I believe in treating them with respect. Her name was Rose Essence, and she captured my heart, like, in an instant. We dated for a while, seven or eight months, before I proposed. My friends were thinking I was stupid for waiting that long, with war and what not. But none of us regretted it. I loved and cherished her, and she loved and cherished me, and we were happy. But... the Day of Burning came. Long story short, we were trying to evacuate when the shockwave collapsed the bridge our car was on, and we fell. I survived... but she didn't."

Pausing a bit, he looked the girls into the eyes and continued:

"Since then, no girl had captured my heart like Rose Essence did. And while I am a flirt, I also pride myself on being a gentleman, and I am not looking for one-night-stands."

"I wish there were more people like you, Mr Rose," Sunset muttered, taking a swallow of Nuka-Cider.

"So do I; then pretty ladies like you two wouldn't need to don weapons and armour to defend yourselves when there's no good man nearby."

"You really think we are pretty?"

"Why not? The nature certainly wasn't greedy when lavishing you with beauty," Hunter Rose gave a smile that faintly resembled those of Pinkie Pie. "That, and your spirits only add to it. You," he turned to Sunset, "give off a fiery passionate aura, like "I can be the best companion in your life if you are a good guy and I can become your bane if you piss me off", and you," he turned to Twilight, "are like "hug me, I'm adorable" with a hint of "I can be badass adorable" thrown in. And that makes you two even more alluring."

Both girls felt blood rushing very quickly to their faces, and they quickly tried to cover that by gulping down the rest of their Nuka-Cider. Further blushing was prevented by Ear Drum who told them that "the boss" was ready to see them, so the girls left (Hunter Rose refused to accept caps when they tried to pay him) and went into the heart of CWN.

"Heh, you girls are lucky," Ear Drum said as they were going upstairs. "Few have ever spoken to the boss personally."

"Really?" Twilight raised an eyebrow.

"Yep, even I haven't seen him or her personally. They're quite secretive. Then again, you piss off raiders and other scum, you need a tougher place. Oh, here we are."

The man went to an intercom and spoke into it:

"Boss, they are here."

"Let them in."

The steel doors near the intercom opened, revealing the short corridor with another door.

"Step in. The system won't let anyone through until the door is closed."

The girls looked at each other, and then at the corridor. Not noticing anything suspicious, they decided to go in. The door closed behind them.

"Please put your weapons into the crate," a voice spoke from upstairs, too garbled by electronic noises to discern whether the speaker was a man or a woman. As the girls did so, the second door opened and the same voice spoke:

"Come in."

On entering, Twilight and Sunset gasped at the sight.

The sanctum of Canterlot Wastelands News looked like a musical geek's wet dream. Various machines designed for checking on the status of the radio were standing near walls, recording equipment stood here and there, a DJ panel was in the farthest corner, and a door to recording room was in the far end.

That door opened, and two figures tumbled out of it, one with electric blue hair, white sporting clothes and purple shades covering her eyes headphones on her neck, and another one with lime-green hair, a pair of expensive-looking headphones and a sports uniform of vinous colour that vividly reminded Sunset of the latest Friendship Games.

"Oh, hi there!" they spoke in unison, and rushed forward to hug their guests. Twilight and Sunset lost their jaws, shell-shocked, and only when the hug was broken did they take a better look at the boss - or rather bosses.

In front of them stood Vinyl Scratch and Lemon Zest.

"Oh my, Vinyl," the former Crystal Prepper laughed, "we sure gave them a shock."

Vinyl gave a thumbs up.

"So you're the bosses of CWN?" Sunset asked.

"Yep!" Lemon replied. "All news that tell the truth, no matter how hard it is, and awesome music to boot!"

"Well, then... Why in Equestria did you two come up with a moniker of "Daring Duo" and put a flipping target on our backs?!" Sunset's sudden mood twist took everyone by surprise.

"Whoa, there!" Vinyl spoke up. "A target?"

"Didn't you know? Fucking Crimson Hands are after us! We nearly died in an ambush by them!"

"Sunset, please calm down," Twilight said. "I know that this didn't play in our favour, but don't go off like that."

"...you're right. I'm sorry. But I do worry about our safety, and seriously, who came up with that moniker?" the fiery-haired girl inquired.

Vinyl quickly pointed to Lemon.

"...why am I not surprised?"

"What? It's good!" the acid-green-haired girl spread her hands in an I-really-don't-get-what-all-the-fuss-is-about gesture.

Sunset facepalmed.

"Your emissary mentioned you had some business to talk about?"

"Yes," Vinyl spoke. "Let's come inside, this place is too stuffed."

"Me and Lemon have managed to get control of several stealth Commissariat eye-bots, that's how we get our news along with couriers," the favourite DJ of Canterlot High spoke, taking off her shades. "Recently, we have found out that several independent raider gangs have joined White Knives, and more are coming. We can't let Curve Blade lick his wounds. As you have noticed, we have a reinforced position and a volunteer force, so we can spare some people... or we could have if not for the Brotherhood of Steel. Because of them, I can't risk leaving HQ defenseless."

"What does the Brotherhood want?" Sunset inquired.

"This building has powerful siganl transmitters, and they want those, since their communication capabilities seem to be... limited. If they gain access to it, they can communicate with their cells over this whole sector and other ones. However, they want full and total control, but I am not ready to give up CWN to them, since they care little about plight of others. Neither me nor Lemon are good fighters, but our job here helped a lot of people."

"And Daring Duo moniker?"

"You may not know it, but once your example was broadcasted, many people became more willing to stand up for themselves against raiders, bandits and slavers. You have become a symbol of hope in dire circumstances. You helped save the Vault Village and wiped out the remnants of Fast Grabber's gang by yourselves. You arrived in Appletown, and soon, Curve Blade lost more people in a single day than in the last three months. You have become heroines to the people, and while that is a risk... I can't take away the heroines from other people."

"I see. So you want us to find a compromise with them?"

"More or less. Actually, this radio hub has enough bandwidth that both sides can be pleased... but I lack a microfusion core to power up the extra transmitters. And those are super rare. If you can find one or trade it out of Brotherhood, excellent. If not... yeah, try to find a compromise."

"Twilight? Thoughts?"

"Can a military base have microfusion power cores?"

"Well, yeah, but..." Lemon Zest gasped. "You want to assault the Mechanized Infantry base?!"

"We'll need to go there for other stuff anyway."

"Wowzer, guys, you do have guts. So, you agree?"

"I do. Sunset?"

"We already have a lot on our plate, but yeah, can't refuse my friends," Sunset smiled.

"Cool!" Vinyl said. "Hey, while you're here, wanna see our music collection?"

"Heh, why not? We could use some break from the Wastelands."

Everyone followed the DJ into another room, where several terminals stood upon tables, and cabinets were stacked with magneto-optic data drives with music recorded on them. Sunset and Vinyl took off in one direction, while Twilight stayed behind and looked at the disks. The names of some songs sounded familiar, but she was quite shocked to discover that some songs she had heard were from 2040's and 2050's. She did not believe that anyone would listen to the music that old.

Maybe I can ask Vinyl about this... she mused, looking at the electric-blue-haired girl and her Equestrian compatriot, who were already digging some song which sounded in Vinyl's headphones. The sight was certainly relaxing. Turning back to the shelves, she was pleased to discover several songs by the Rainbooms.

"Dude!" her thoughts were interrupted by beaming Lemon Zest, who was holding her own headphones. "You've got to hear this!"

Before Twilight realized what happened, the headphones were on her head, and loud sounds of electric guitars and bass drums were BLARING INTO HER BRAIN.

ARGH! How can she listen to music this loud?!

Level Up!

New Perk (Twilight Sparkle):

Quick Draw: Makes weapon equipping and holstering 50% faster, which makes you 20% cooler.

New Perk (Sunset Shimmer):

Balls Shot: Sometimes you can deal +20% damage to characters of male gender if you hit their, ahem, testicles.

Canterlot Wastelands Survival Guide Entry

National Security Commissariat

One of the most notorious and controversial organizations in pre-apocalypse UFE, National Security Commissariat (NSC or Commissariat for short) was an organization aimed at protecting the Federation, its government, secrets and citizens at any cost. Its roots lie in Manehatten Massacre, a terrorist attack made by TODC agents that claimed the lives of 16.5 million people which involved a bio-weapon later identified as "Omicron 7". The following investigation indicated that this attack was made possible thanks to a betrayal from within, and that factor, coupled with the theft of important military secrets, made the government adopt extreme measures, thus giving birth to NSC.

Compared to police or Counter-Terrorist and Security Division, Commissariat's authority was much greater. NSC members could enter everywhere, tap every comm line, arrest anyone on mere suspicion, and apply forbidden torture techniques. Many lawyers claimed that Commissariat had supra-legal authority, and they were, in essence, correct. While these methods allowed for the capture of a good number of deep cover TODC intelligence operatives, many innocents experienced physical or mantal trauma or even died when arrested and interrogated by NSC. Any accusations of going too far were rebuffed by the mantra "better let an innocent die than let a guilty one to kill a million of innocents", and later, accusations of unpatriotism. A number of anti-war protests or demonstrations for peace were mercilessly crushed by NSC forces, which fostered an atmosphere of fear.

After the Day of Burning, surviving Commissariat operatives dispersed around the area and deny any involvement with it, since the general attitude towards them is highly negative, and their deaths are rumoured to be the stuff of nightmares. The fact that they tend to have higher quality weapons and armour also makes them a more attractive target. However, such a target will be quite difficult to kill, since NSC operatives were very well-trained, and a number of them could be serious rivals to Directorate of Intelligence Black Ops task forces. The Commissariat also had several Vault-like hideouts, but no one aside from those involved with the organization knows their locations.

Perhaps the most evil irony lies in the fact that National Security Commissariat was based on Ministry of State Security of Minotauritania, the country ruled by a dictator which was one of the countries that created TransOceanic Defense Coalition and remained the most bitter enemy of United Federation of Equestria until the Day of Burning.

Author's Note

Closer to holidays, more hectic my job is. I wasn't even able to squeeze 7500 words out.

As usual, next chapter will be in 10-20 days, hopefully before New Year. I hope you are pleased that Vinyl Scratch is still alive and that I introduced a first Shadowbolt - Lemon Zest. I tried to avoid building this meeting on Fallout: Equestria, but I'm not sure I succeeded. Please mention in the comments whether I did or not. Much as I enjoy Kkat's story, I want to avoid relying on it for advancement of my own story.

Ideally, I would like to write the next chapter before Christmas, but my brain is kinda empty right now, so who knows. If possible, I'll write a Christmas-themed one-shot in Equestria Girls universe.

Also, you may have noticed that this story has new cover art. This is a gift to me by the user SamRose, who drew me this awesome picture free of charge. Show him some love, and consider supporting him on Patreon, or commissioning art from him.

Or at least...

You heard the President!

Thoughts, comments and criticism are welcome in comments box. Stay tuned to Canterlot Wastelands