> Fallout Girls: Side Stories
>  by Universal Librarian
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1 - New Arrivals
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

James looked around warily as he crept through a maze of dark corridors. His thick black hair and matching beard, both liberally streaked with gray, combined with the lab coat he perpetually wore over his Vault-issued jumpsuit, lent him a distinguished air that suited his position as the only qualified doctor of Vault 101. For now, however, he was about to engage in an experiment that the Vault's Overseer would not approve of.

The lower levels of Vault 101 were usually fairly empty, but it wasn't uncommon to encounter Stanley or Andy performing maintenance, a member of the security team checking for radroach infestations, or even one of the other Vault residents seeking out a quiet area for an illicit tryst. Luckily, James didn't encounter anyone on his secret trek.

In the deepest depths of the Vault, James finally found what he was looking for; a cramped room dominated by one of the spare generators intended to provide power to the Vault in an emergency. 

Glancing outside to make sure no one was around, James closed the door and locked it before pulling a small bundle wrapped in cloth out from under his lab coat. He carefully unraveled the bundle, revealing an egg-shaped metal object with curious little green crystals at each end. 

Truth be told, James didn't have a clue what the damned thing was, which was why he had been sneaking down here whenever he got a chance over the last few months and hooking it up to the spare generator. Unfortunately, pretty much all he'd been able to figure out so far was that the crystals glowed softly whenever electricity was applied to it. He was positive that it was doing something, though, and he wasn't one to simply give up when his curiosity was piqued.

With an ease born of practice, James quickly and efficiently connected the bizarre device up to the spare generator and laid it on the ground. The output of every generator was monitored from the Overseer's office upstairs, but he was confident that such a small drain wouldn't be noticed. After all, it hadn't been so far.

As usual, the crystals on the device started glowing the moment it was connected up properly. James nodded and went to check his Pip-Boy; a boxy little computer worn on his left forearm, when a strange beeping sound grabbed his attention. The egg-shaped device that normally did nothing more than glow was now letting out a soft beeping noise. 

"That's peculiar." James quickly checked the generator over to see if anything was different, but nothing had changed. He had heard that a damaged wire had been replaced recently, but that alone shouldn't have caused any particular changes.

The beeping slowly got louder and more insistent, prompting James to back away from the generator slowly. He threw an anxious glance at the generator's terminal. The amount of power the device was using had spiked rapidly, enough that the Overseer was sure to notice and come looking to see what the problem was. It was time to go.

Thankfully, James had a plan prepared for just such an occasion. He was moderately confident that the generator wasn't going to explode, and even if it did, the Vault's safety measures would keep it from doing too much damage to the surrounding area. At least, so he hoped.

Ducking out of the room, James hurried through the corridors until he was an acceptable distance away, then straightened up and strode along purposefully, cupping his hands to his mouth so he could call out, "Stanley?" He had to wander for several minutes, calling out occasionally, until finally he got an answer.

"James? Is that you?" Stanley stepped out of a side room, wiping his hands on a cloth. A skinny man on the far end of sixty, with thinning white hair combed over his bald scalp, he was Vault 101's primary maintenance worker. "What brings you down here? Did you need something?"

James shook his head. "Actually, I have something for you." He reached into his pockets and pulled out a bottle of water and a couple of Aspirin. "I know you haven't had time to pick up your refill yet, so I figured I'd bring some down for you."

"Oh, you're a lifesaver!" Stanley gratefully took the Aspirin and knocked them back with a swig of water. "My head has been killing me for the last hour or so."

James opened his mouth to reply, but was distracted by the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps. He schooled his features into an expression of mild curiosity as, as if on cue, two men hurried around the corner. The first was wearing an armored security jumpsuit and a matching helmet with a reinforced plastic visor; clearly one of the Vault's security officers. The man that appeared a step behind him had dark brown skin and close-cropped grey hair, and was wearing a standard blue Vault 101 jumpsuit. Overseer Almodovar.

"James? What are you doing down here?" The Overseer asked suspiciously.

"I noticed that Stanley hadn't had a chance to pick up a refill of his prescription, so I brought him some myself while I had a quiet period." James gave the Overseer a look of innocent curiosity. "Has something happened?"

The Overseer nodded, easily accepting the lie. "I received an alert that one of the backup generators was experiencing a power surge, so I was going to fetch Stanley and go to investigate. Officer Gomez joined me in case it has been caused by vandalism or illicit activities." He paused and looked thoughtfully at James. "Come to think of it, you have some experience with machinery, and since you have a quiet period there's nothing stopping you from coming along as well."

"You took the words right out of my mouth, Overseer," James said smoothly. "Which generator are you having trouble with?"

"Sub-generator 4," the Overseer replied.

Stanley frowned and scratched his head. "Jenny 4? That's weird." He pointed down the corridor. "It's just down here, follow me."

The others followed Stanley as he led them to the generator, James keeping to the rear of the group and trying not to look guilty.

"In here," Stanley said when they reached the right room. He pushed the door open, then stepped back and cried out in shock. "What the hell?!"

Over Stanley's shoulder, James could see a dazzling display of rainbow-coloured light swirling around in the middle of the room. He wasn't sure whether to be relieved or not that the light show hid his device entirely from view.

"What in god's name is that?!" The Overseer exclaimed.

Officer Gomez cautiously stepped into the room. The others followed him in warily, Stanley with visible reluctance. 

"What the hell is it?" Gomez asked quietly.

"How should I know?" The Overseer snapped. He glanced at James. "Do you have any ideas?"

James shook his head. "I've never seen anything like it in my life," he replied honestly.

The four men jumped as the strange lights disappeared with a loud crackle. In their place, a thick black cloud formed out of thin air above the generator. As the other three cried out in shock, their attention stolen by the cloud, James focused on trying to spot his secret device. His stomach sank as he saw a mangled mess where he had left it. Even as he watched, the remnants of his little secret crumbled to dust. 

Perhaps fortunately, the black cloud didn't give James any chance to regret the loss of his little secret. The cloud pulsed with a faint light. Then, to everyone's immense shock, a person was flung out of it to land heavily on the floor with a loud, "Ow!"

The four men stared at the person in stunned disbelief. They barely had time to register that she was a teenage girl; with purple skin, two-tone purple hair and an outfit that had never been seen or even imagined in a Vault, when another two girls were dumped out of the cloud. These two were strangely-colored too; one had amber skin with red and yellow hair, while the other was, in a word, pink. Only seconds later another pair appeared out of thin air and landed on their predecessors; white skin and purple hair paired with blue skin and rainbow-coloured hair, followed by yet another pair. The first of this pair had yellow skin and pink hair, but the final girl at least looked to have ordinary Caucasian skin, if a little tanned, and blonde hair. As if to cap off the bizarre spectacle, a single cowboy hat wafted out of the cloud and landed on the floor next to the pile of girls.

With all of the visitors apparently through, the cloud began to writhe madly until, with a rumble that shook the room, it finally dissipated, leaving behind a ringing silence broken only by the pained groans of the visitors and the hiss and crackle of smoking machinery. 

The four men stared at the new arrivals in stunned silence. 

"What in the heck was that?" The blonde girl asked in a stereotypical Southern accent as she tried to clamber off the pink one.

"I have… no idea," the amber-skinned girl huffed, trapped beneath the albino one. "Is everyone okay?" She called out.
 
The albino raised her head with a dazed look. "I think so?"

James' mind whirled as the girls grumbled and tried to disentangle themselves. He had known that the secret device was far more advanced than any other technology he had ever seen, but it had never given off any indication that it was capable of something like this. The girls' coloration wasn't the only odd thing about them; their clothes were like nothing that James had ever seen, either in the Vault or in the wasteland outside.

As James silently freaked out, the purple girl picked her glasses up off the floor, put them on, and rolled onto her hands and knees. She froze like a mole rat in torchlight as she spotted the four men. "Uh… girls?"

Finally noticing the men, the girl quickly helped each other to their feet and turned to face them. A tense standoff followed as each group stared at the other, neither apparently willing to break the silence. Eventually, the amber girl said quietly, "Er… hi?"

Her nervous greeting broke whatever spell of frozen shock the men were under. The Overseer recovered first. "What in the world? What the hell is going on here?!"

Stanley, never the bravest of men, let out a fearful whimper and retreated several steps. "They must be some kind of mutants from outside! I mean, Jesus, look at their skin! And their hair!"

"Mutants?" The purple girl asked quizzically. She and the other girls scrutinized each other carefully, obviously puzzled.

"And what exactly is wrong with our hair and skin?" The albino asked testily.

"Easy now, Rarity," the southern girl said quietly.

James noted the albino's name, determined to burn every facet of this encounter into his brain. The amber-skinned girl slowly raised her hands. "I think there's been some sort of misunderstanding. We didn't mean to come here. We were involved in an accident and-"

She took a step forward, but flinched and stopped in her tracks as Gomez pointed his baton at her. "Don't you come any closer! I'm warning you!"

The girl quickly stepped back. "Please, we don't mean any harm."

The Overseer snorted loudly. "No harm indeed! Where the hell did you… things come from?"

James suddenly realized that things were going to quickly get out of hand if someone didn't break the tension in the room. "I think we all need to calm down here before anyone gets hurt," he said quickly before turning to the Overseer. "These people don't look dangerous, Overseer," he said evenly. "Surely we can give them a chance to explain themselves."

There was silence as the Overseer crossed his arms and glared at the girls. James silently prayed that the Overseer would keep his head and allow the group to explain themselves. 

"Very well, James," the Overseer said, much to James' relief. "You… girls… have one chance to explain yourselves. But be warned, if you do anything that seems even remotely like a threat, I'll have Officer Gomez put you all down in an instant."

"I'd love to see you t-mph!" The rainbow-haired girl's challenge was cut off as the southerner clamped a hand over her mouth.

James fought the urge to sigh with relief. The last thing this encounter needed was an overly aggressive participant on both sides. 

The amber girl glanced around furtively, and James got the impression that she was doing some very quick thinking, before taking a breath to calm herself. Sensing that an explanation was about to present itself, James focused all of his attention on her. "My name is Sunset Shimmer. Me and my friends were working on some experimental equipment when something went wrong. I don't know exactly what caused it, but a mass of energy like the one you just saw sucked us in and somehow transported us here."

It took all of James' willpower not to wince at the thought that he and his experiments might have caused the issue.

"Never seen a backup generator do anything like that before," Stanley muttered.

"Quiet, Stanley!" The Overseer snapped, before turning back to the girls. “You expect me to believe that you seven were working on some sort of highly advanced technology that just happened to go wrong and randomly teleport you straight into our Vault?”

“It’s the truth,” the purple girl said earnestly. “We picked up some strange electrical readings coming from somewhere we couldn’t figure out, but we didn’t have a chance to shut down the machinery before everything went wrong.”

James blanched as he realized that his device was more than likely the source of the strange electrical readings. 

The Overseer looked over his shoulder. “Stanley! When was the last time you checked this backup generator?”

Stanley flinched as if he had been struck. “Day before yesterday, sir. I make sure to check it twice a week as per regulations.”

“Did you find anything suspicious?” the Overseer asked.

Stanley shook his head. “Looked the same as always. A Radroach had chewed through one of the wires but I cleaned it up and replaced the wire just like it said in my report.”

The Overseer turned back to glare at Sunset. “Where exactly have you girls come from?”

“Canterlot High,” she replied quickly.

The Overseer raised an eyebrow. “Canterlot High?”

“That’s the school we were at when all of this happened,” the purple girl supplied.

“A school?!” The Overseer spat incredulously. “You honestly expect me to believe that there is some decrepit school out there in the Wasteland with access to that kind of technology?!”

“I’ve heard of it,” James lied quickly, hoping that the girls would pick up that he was trying to help. “I think it’s a part of the Institute, up north in the Commonwealth.” He winked at the girls, putting a finger to his lips then whipping it away a heartbeat later as the Overseer turned to him.

“You’ve never mentioned this before,” the Overseer said suspiciously, narrowing his eyes.

“You did ask me to avoid speaking of my time outside at all costs,” James replied evenly. Sometimes he surprised himself with just how easily the lies poured from his own mouth. “There were rumors circulating that they were a rogue element experimenting with dangerous teleportation technology. I never believed it might actually be real, though.”

Looking more perturbed than ever, the Overseer turned to the girls again. “Is this true?”

“Er…” Sunset hesitated, prompting James to subtly nod his head. Thankfully, the girl decided to roll with it, as she replied, “Yes, sir, it is. We thought the safety features we had implemented were adequate but... apparently we were wrong.”

“Clearly,” the Overseer sneered.

Sunset finally lowered her hands. “Please, we don’t want to cause any more trouble. We just want to find a way home.”

“And what’s to say there aren’t going to be more of you turning up out of thin air and causing even more havoc?” the Overseer asked.

Sunset gestured to the still-smoking machinery behind her. “Frankly, the last I saw, the equipment on our end was in even worse shape than this.”

The Overseer mulled this over for a bit. “Alright, let’s say I believe you about this being an accident.” He gestured vaguely at the girls. “It still doesn’t explain your grotesque mutations.”

Rarity squawked indignantly. “Grotesque!?”

“Easy, Rarity,” the southerner said again, though she was frowning at the Overseer herself in a way that made James wary.

The purple girl looked around at the others in confusion. “What do you mean by mutations?”

James noted how the girls checked over themselves and each other. It was clear that their unique coloration was nothing unusual to them, but he had to redirect the Overseer's attention before he got any more suspicious. "Perhaps it’s a side effect of whatever energy is given off by the teleportation experiments?” James suggested quickly.

“Radiation levels?” the Overseer asked instantly, nervously checking the Pip-Boy computer on his forearm.

“Nothing I can detect from here,” James replied, frowning at his own Pip-Boy in an attempt to better sell the distraction. He stepped up to Sunset, ignoring a hissed warning from Gomez. “May I?” he asked, holding out his arm.

The girl simply nodded, staying perfectly still as James passed the device on his forearm over her body. Still frowning, he turned to the Overseer. “It seems they aren’t giving off any radiation whatsoever.”

Stanley let loose a sigh. “Well that’s one less thing to worry about, I suppose.”

“Might I suggest we keep them quarantined for the time being,” James said as the Overseer glared at Stanley. “Let me run some tests to check for infections. If they are clean, then we can decide what to do with them from there.”

The Overseer didn’t seem to like that idea, but he soon relented. “Very well. stand down, Officer Gomez.” Gomez relaxed slightly, much to James' relief. “I want these girls kept contained here on this level. Put them in storage room D for now,” the Overseer ordered.

“Storage room C might be better sir,” Stanley put in. “It’s got a toilet,” he added quickly as the Overseer rounded on him.

“Fine," the Overseer huffed. "Stanley, you will lock these girls in room C, and then I want you to stay down on this level until James has given these girls a complete inspection.”

James nodded, glad that things had finally calmed down, not to mention the fact he'd get a chance to speak to the girls in private. “I’ll have Jonas handle the clinic while I run the tests I need. He can manage for a few days.”

“Good. I also want you to check for any genetic aberrations while you are at it," the Overseer instructed him. "Officer Gomez, I want you to make sure these girls do not leave the storage room until I say so. If they attempt to leave you are to treat them as hostile and deal with them accordingly.”

“Yes, Sir,” Gomez replied.

“I shall have Andy sent down to cover you for breaks, but I want you to stay on this level as well until we are sure that all is safe.” The Overseer looked back to the girls. “I want you all to follow along quickly and quietly. Should you try to run or do anything foolish you will be dealt with immediately, and severely.” The amber girl nodded obediently, prompting the Overseer to nod to Stanley. “Now then. Stanley, lead the way.”

The girls followed as Stanley led the way out of the room and into the corridors. James took up a place at the rear of the group with the Overseer and Gomez, ostensibly to keep them from trying anything foolish, but in James' case he was using the opportunity to think hard and fast about what had happened.

The testing of the secret device had been a factor in this, that much was undeniable, but how and to what extent were impossible to tell right now. The girls were even more inscrutable. James had never seen their like either outside or inside the Vault. He supposed it was possible that the girls actually we're from the Commonwealth, but that was unlikely going by their reactions. 

The girls' clothes were far too flashy and impractical to belong to a wastelander, meaning that they were likely from a self-contained mad isolated community with little to no interference from the outside world. Perhaps the Enclave, or the rumored Big MT, or even another Vault.

The sound of Stanley hauling open the door to the storage room snapped James from his thoughts. Once the door was open Stanley stepped aside and gestured for the girls to enter. A few large crates were stacked against one wall, with several smaller ones scattered around haphazardly. A toilet was visible through an open door in the corner.

The girls stepped inside, looking around worriedly at their surroundings. Sunset turned as James and the Overseer entered the room after them. “How long will we be in here for?”

“Until I decide that it is safe to do otherwise with you,” the Overseer responded imperiously.

Ignoring the pompous idiot, James stepped forward, pulling a little notepad and pencil out of his pocket. “I’d like to take down your names, if that‘s alright?” He nodded to Sunset. “You said your name was… Sunset Shimmer, correct?”

“Yes, and this is Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie,” Sunset replied, indicating each of the girls in turn.

“Interesting names,” James muttered, smiling faintly.

The Overseer snorted and stepped over to the door. “You are to stay here in this room until I decide otherwise. James will be down periodically to perform whatever tests he deems necessary.” He looked them all over one last time. “So long as you behave yourselves, I shall have someone sent down with food for you at appropriate times.”

“Are any of you girls allergic to anything?” James asked, eager for even the smallest tidbit of information.

The girls all shook their heads. The men both left the room and closed the door behind them. There was a loud clang as it was locked.

The four stood silently outside the room in a confused daze.

"This was not how I expected my day to go," Gomez muttered.

"Yeah, no kidding," Stanley agreed.

"Shut up, the both of you!" The Overseer snapped. "Stanley, go and check over the sub-generator and see if it can be repaired. Gomez, keep an eye on this door. Make sure the girls don't try to leave. James, we're going to the clinic."

James nodded. "Of course, Overseer. I suggest that we keep our distance from the other residents as we walk, just in case the girls have brought something contagious with them."

"Good idea," the Overseer agreed, gesturing for James to follow as he set off through the corridors. "But until we get to the clinic, I don't want a single mention of what has occurred down here. I don't want the other residents knowing about the breach until we have decided what to do with those girls."

"Of course, but if we run into someone we'll have to tell them something to keep them from getting too close." James briefly considered what plausible lies they could spin. 

The Overseer hummed thoughtfully. "We'll tell them that we were inspecting some equipment underneath the old North Block, and believe we have been exposed to an unusual form of radiation or contagion. That should be enough to keep people away from us and out of the maintenance levels."

James fell silent as the pair climbed the stairwell into the main section of the Vault. Thankfully, they didn't run into many people, and the few they did encounter left them alone when they heard the Overseer's explanation. Walking as quickly as they could without making a fuss, it didn't take long for the two to reach the clinic.

Inside, James' assistant Jonas was busy cleaning all of the work surfaces in case any patients came in. A bespectacled young man with dark brown skin and cropped black hair, Jonas had been assigned to the clinic ostensibly to keep him out of trouble, but he had quickly become James' only true confidant in the Vault.

"Jonas, I need you to wait outside for a moment," the Overseer commanded. "This is going to be a confidential discussion."

"Actually, it would be better if we brought him into the loop," James said quickly. "That way he knows what's going on, what potential issues we might have to deal with, and he can run the necessary precautionary tests on you while I go and do what I need to downstairs."

The Overseer considered for a moment, then agreed with a nod. "You make a good point. Alright, James, grab what you need for our new arrivals and get going. I'll bring Jonas up to speed."

James nodded and wasted no time as he rummaged through the clinic, quickly and efficiently gathering what he needed to perform some quick tests on the girls. He stuffed the necessary bits and pieces into a spare medical kit, then darted out of the room before the Overseer could stop him.

This was James' chance. Getting Gomez to wait outside the room while he performed basic tests wouldn't be difficult, giving James a brief window during which he could speak to the girls alone and try to figure out exactly what had happened. It was perfect.

The doctor hurried through the occupied areas of the Vault as quickly as he could without drawing too much attention, but he gave up on decorum the moment he set foot in the lower levels and broke out into a jog. He sped around the last corner, accidentally startling Gomez. "Sorry, Herman. The Overseer wanted me to hurry."

"It's alright, I imagine the old coot is going to be riding our asses like never before thanks to all of this," Gomez said wearily.

"Have they said or done anything?" James asked, referring to the girls.

Gomez shook his head. "Not really. They've been talking amongst themselves, but I can't really hear them from out here."

"They're probably just as confused as we are," James suggested. "They don't look far off Adam's age, and I know he probably wouldn't handle something like this anywhere near as well."

Gomez grimaced, clearly imagining his own son, Freddie, in such a situation, as James had anticipated. "Do you really think them coming here was an accident?"

"If it was an attempt to infiltrate the Vault, I imagine that whoever was responsible would send an armed squad, not a group of frightened teenage girls," James replied.

Gomez's shoulders slumped. "God, they must be terrified."

James smiled. Security officer or no, Gomez was a gentle soul at heart, and a good man. "With any luck my tests won't turn up anything horrible, and we can work on making them more comfortable." He gestured to the door. "May I?"

"Sure, one sec." There was a loud clang as Gomez unlocked the door and stepped through. 

James followed him eagerly, looking around at the girls as he entered. They were spread around the room, half of them sitting on crates, the rest of them standing and staring at the men. They were all clearly nervous, but that was only to be expected. “Are you all alright?”

Sunset ran a hand through her hair. “We’re okay, just a little overwhelmed by what’s happened.”

James smiled slightly. “Understandable. You gave us all quite a fright too to be honest.”

Sunset sank onto a nearby box. “We’re sorry, we didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”

“Well, you haven’t caused any real harm yet,” Officer Gomez said bracingly. “I’m sorry I was a bit aggressive with you earlier. As long as you girls behave, I’m sure we’ll have you out of here just as soon as the doc gives the all clear.”

“And I’d like to get started on that right away,” James said, holding up his medical kit for emphasis. “Would you mind waiting outside while I examine them, Herman?

“Alright, doc, if you insist. Just shout if you need anything,” Gomez replied, thankfully accepting James' reasoning without question. He left the room without another word, closing the door gently behind him, 

James set down his medical kit and checked the door before turning back to the girls. It was time to come clean. “I’m sorry about this, I fear it may be my fault that you’ve been brought here,” he said with a somber look.

The girls exchanged glances before looking back at James. “What do you mean?” Twilight asked.

James sighed heavily. “I’ve been doing experiments in secret down here with my assistant. One of the experiments I was working on was testing a device I discovered before I gained entry to the Vault. I haven’t really had a chance to test it until recently.”

“What sort of device?” Sunset asked.

“Honestly, I’m not sure," James replied. He hated to admit it, but it was the truth. "I’ve never seen anything like it before. I’ve been setting it up, testing it, and putting it away without anyone noticing for a little while now, hoping I could use it to help with my research.”

“What does it do?” Twilight asked curiously.

“I thought at first it was some sort of energy converter, but, when I switched it on today, it started pouring out that dark cloud that you girls came out of.” James shook his head in confusion. “Tell me, what kind of technology were you working on?”

Sunset paused, clearly wondering whether he was trustworthy. James couldn't blame her. Seeing her hesitation, Twilight spoke up, “It was a machine designed to detect magic.”

“Magic?” James asked, half-certain that he has misheard her. “What do you mean, magic?”

Twilight touched the necklace she was wearing, a purple stone with a stylized starburst engraved on it, and extended her arm. A purple glow surrounded one of the boxes, and it smoothly rose several feet into the air, as if floating.

James stepped back, gazing at Twilight in shock. For a brief moment, he actually believed that she had magic, but he quickly recovered himself. It seemed that the girls really were from a faction with highly advanced technology. He smiled and shook his head again. “I see, some sort of technology that manipulates magnetic fields, I assume? Very impressive. I hardly see any reason to call it magic though.”

“Oh really?” Sunset asked coyly, grinning at the other girls.

Applejack chuckled as she hefted one of the heavy crates and held it above her head one handed, scraping it against the ceiling. James’ mouth dropped in amazement. Rarity held out her hands and a complex arrangement of gemstones materialized above them. There was a rainbow-colored blur as Rainbow Dash darted all the way around the room several times, finally stopping and leaning against the wall with a smug look on her face.

James stood slack-jawed in amazement. “Incredible,” he breathed. “Simply astonishing.” He looked in disbelief at Twilight. “I never believed magic existed.”

“Perhaps it doesn’t in this world,” Fluttershy put in quietly. “It didn’t in our world at first, either.”

“Your world?” James raised an eyebrow at her, struggling to keep his wits about him.

“Yep. Our world used to be ordinary ‘til a connection got opened up to Equestria,” Applejack replied.

“Equestria?” James asked weakly, feeling the situation spiralling further and further out of control.

“It’s the world I’m originally from, it‘s where all of our magic comes from,” Sunset answered.

Twilight nodded. “Recently, we’ve been having trouble in our world with magical artefacts and creatures that came to our world from Equestria. That’s why we built a machine that could detect magical anomalies before they become a problem.”

“It also allowed us to communicate with our friends in Equestria, which is what we were doing when everything went wrong and we were sucked through to here," Sunset said sadly.

James scratched his beard, putting everything together in his mind. “You say you were communicating with another world, Equestria, when you were brought here. Do you think that is what the tool I found was? Some sort of… magical transportation device?”

“I don’t think so, we didn’t detect any magical signatures other than our own,” Twilight replied with a frown. “Perhaps it’s some kind of dimensional technology that interfered with our portal when you switched it on?”

“Could we take a look at it?” Sunset asked.

James shook his head grimly, wishing he had any other answer to give. “I’m afraid not. It was completely destroyed when that dark cloud consumed it.” He gave the girls a moment to acknowledge that fact before continuing, “I‘m glad you were quick on the uptake earlier, when I lied about the Commonwealth. I was trying to protect you and buy some extra time. The Overseer will go to extreme lengths to protect the safety of the Vault.”

“Does this Commonwealth really exist?” Twilight asked hopefully.

James nodded. “I think so, I’ve heard rumors about them over the years. Nothing about teleportation, though. They were simply the only group I could think of that the Overseer won’t know much about, so he wouldn’t be too suspicious.”

“Do you think they could help us?” Pinkie asked.

“I doubt it, to be honest," James admitted. "Even if they could, getting there across the Wastes would be an almost impossible journey, even for girls with abilities such as yours. Incidentally, I wouldn't let the Overseer or anyone else know about your powers, we don’t know how they may react.” James started digging around in his kit. “First of all, let's get these tests done. If everything comes back clean, I’ll see if I can convince the Overseer to let you stay in the Vault. At least until we can find you a way back home.”

“Thanks, James,” Sunset said gratefully. “What tests do you need to do?”

“For the moment, just a cursory examination for any rashes or lesions, nothing too severe or intrusive," James replied. "Plus a few blood samples from each of you, if that is alright?”

Sunset nodded with a sigh. “Whatever you need.” The other girls all agreed too, allowing James to quickly examine and take a sample from each of them. He worked quickly and efficiently, trying to hold back his enthusiasm at being able to study humans from another world. Fluttershy was a little intimidated by the needle for the blood test at first, but it wasn't difficult to keep her calm enough to get a decent sample.

When James was finished he quickly turned to leave the room, eager to get started on the tests right away, but as he opened the door he turned back to the girls, smirking as a thought occurred to him. “This is something I never thought I would find myself saying to anyone,” he muttered, half to himself.

“What is it?” Sunset asked curiously.

James smiled grimly. “Welcome to Vault 101.”
> Chapter 2 - Fallout
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

James sat at his work desk, feverishly poring over test results like an obsessive lunatic. Several blood tests had already been performed. A full set of blood cultures would take a few days to show anything, but the few results he did have indicated that the new arrivals were perfectly healthy. That was some good news to placate the Overseer with, at least.

The sound of the clinic door opening made James look around. Jonas walked in carrying an armful of blankets, followed by Adam lugging bundles of food.

James smiled at the sight of his son. At 19 years of age, Adam looked exactly the way his father had all those years ago, though he was far cleaner and better built than James had ever been. Such were the benefits of living in a Vault instead of the Wasteland.

"Okay, we've got the food and blankets you asked for," Adam said as he dumped his burden on the examination table. "What do you need all of this stuff for, anyway?"

"Stanley and Officer Gomez have had to be quarantined down on the lower levels," James replied. He hated lying to his son, but over the years it had at least gotten a little bit more bearable. "I thought it would be best if we sent some things down to make them a little more comfortable."

Adam winced. "That's a downer. What happened down there? There's not some freaky new disease leaking in from somewhere, is there?"

"Thankfully not," James replied, though he wasn't exactly far off the mark. "We believe that there's some sort of contamination underneath the old North Block, and the two of them were exposed to it."

"Whoa, are they okay?" Adam asked worriedly.

James nodded. "They're fine. Don't worry, I've got this all in order. Why don't you see if Amata is free? Together, you might be able to convince the Overseer to take a small treat or two down to them, to keep their spirits up."

"Good plan, I'm on it!" Adam rushed out of the room, closing the door behind himself.

"Are you sure that we shouldn't let him know what's really going on?" Jonas asked once the lad was gone.

"I'm sure," James said firmly. "The Overseer is going to be watching us closely to make sure we don't reveal the truth, or what he thinks is the truth. Adam is safer not knowing." He took the blankets off Jonas, then asked him to stack the bundles of food on top. 

Jonas raised an eyebrow as James struggled to keep the pile balanced. "Are you sure you don't need a hand?"

"I'll be fine," James replied, sounding more confident than he felt. "Just get the door for me, would you?" Jonas complied with a sigh. "Thanks. I'll be back up as soon as I can. Could you finish those tests for me while I'm gone?'

"Gladly!" Jonas said eagerly. "Don't hurry back."

James rolled his eyes as Jonas closed the door behind him. He couldn't help feeling a little envious that his assistant would be the first to see any new test results, but at the same time James was happy to forgo the pleasure in return for the opportunity to meet the girls again in person.

Tottering slowly through the corridors, James found an unpleasant surprise waiting for him at the stairway leading down to the lower levels. Chief Hannon, the head of Vault 101's security team, was standing to attention at the top of the stairs.

"Doctor." Hannon stiffened when he saw James coming. "The Overseer informed me of the situation on the lower levels, and instructed me to make sure that secrecy is maintained."

James resisted the urge to swear loudly. Hannon was obsessed with acting with military efficiency and poise, but he had absolutely no idea on how to actually do that, nor did he possess enough intellect to realize that if you wanted to keep a secret, maybe don't mention having one out in the open where any random asshole can hear you. "I'm glad to hear it," James said in a forcibly light tone. "Would you mind helping carry these downstairs?"

Hannon scowled, as if the thought of assisting another person with something so trivial was beneath him, but he relented when James pointed out that they couldn't ask anyone else to help without risking compromising secrecy.

The two carefully made their way down the stairs and headed towards the storage room. James spent most of the walk towards the visitors' makeshift quarantine trying to figure out how he could get rid of the security chief. 

Thankfully, an idea popped into his head just as the two turned the corner to the storage room.

Gomez was standing alert in front of the door, clearly having heard the men approaching. "Gentlemen," he said evenly in greeting.

"Good afternoon," James replied brightly, before turning to Hannon and nodding at the bundles in his arms. "If you could just balance those back on top of mine, I'll drop them inside now." Hannon opened his mouth to protest, but James shot him down quickly. "We don't want too many people to come into direct contact with the girls, just in case they do have something contagious that we can't cure."

Hannon baulked and hastily piled the bundles back into James' arms. 

"Much obliged." James nodded to Gomez, who opened the door for him. 

The girls inside all looked up as James entered. He waited for Gomez to close the door behind him before speaking, "Here. It's not much, but I've brought you some food and blankets."

"Oh, thanks!" Sunset got up and hurried over to give him a hand with the bundles, swiftly followed by the rest. 

James stood aside as the girls shared out the provisions. "I'm sorry I can't bring any more than this, but the Overseer is being particularly strict with how things go."

"It's okay, we understand," Sunset replied.

"Should you really be getting so close to us?" Twilight asked. "We could be exposing you to any number of diseases that aren't native to this reality."

James smiled. "I'll take my chances. Frankly, going by what I've seen of your blood so far, there doesn't seem to be any real difference between us beyond the colour of our skin and hair."

"Well, that's some good news," Applejack huffed.

"It's better than nothing," Sunset said flatly.

Sympathy and excitement warred in James' mind. On one hand, he didn't want to press the girls when they were clearly in such a stressful situation, but on the other their very existence posed innumerable questions, not to mention the fact that they had magic. It was a scientist's dream.

Still, the girls' health and safety came first. Biting his tongue, James waited until the seven were settled and eating before he sat cross-legged in front of them on the floor. "How are you all feeling?"

All of the girls stared at him blankly. 

"Tired, stressed, confused," Sunset replied simply.

"And wondering how we're getting home," Twilight added.

"Not to mention wonderin' why we're cooped up in this storage room like a bunch of old furniture," Applejack put in.

James gave them a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry. Even discounting your magic, you girls are like nothing this Vault, and maybe even this world, has ever seen before. The Overseer is simply being cautious. Honestly, I don't blame him in this regard. He has the safety of Vault 101 to consider, after all, and having seven girls appear out of thin air in the middle of a sealed environment is enough to spook anyone."

"What do you mean by sealed environment?" Sunset asked. "You said this place is Vault 101. Do you mean like a bank vault, or…?"

"I wish," James said with a chuckle. His expression swiftly turned somber as he asked, "Your world.. is it, alright?" He shook his head at the confused stares he received. "What I mean is, are there, or have there been, any particularly large wars or conflicts going on?"

The girls shared confused looks. "None that we know of," Twilight answered warily. "Why? Is something going on in this world?"

"Not anymore." James sighed heavily. He had already suspected that the girls were from a world that was more peaceful and affluent than this one, their flashy clothes and general cleanliness were good indicators of that. Unfortunately, James had a feeling that they weren't going to like what they were about to hear. 

Taking a deep breath, James decided to just get it over with. "Around two hundred years ago, a devastating nuclear war engulfed the world. Subterranean Vaults such as this one protected a portion of the populace, and some people managed to survive in shelters on the surface, but civilization as we knew it was wiped out."

Shock and horror flickered across the girls' faces, save for Rainbow Dash, who looked torn between horror and excitement.

"Global nuclear war?" Twilight whispered. "What could possibly cause that?"

"Greed," James replied sadly. "Resources started to run out, especially oil, which led to intermittent wars over whatever was left. Eventually, tensions between the two most powerful nations, China and the United States of America, reached breaking point. They launched full-scale nuclear bombardments at each other. Every other nuclear-capable country joined in, giving in to old enmities and hatreds, and the ensuing holocaust engulfed the whole planet."

Appalled silence filled the room. "That's… that's awful," Rarity said quietly.

James nodded gravely. "The environment was devastated, too. Almost everything outside the Vault is a blasted wasteland." He sighed heavily. "It's worse around here. Washington DC was the capital of the old United States, so, of course, it was hit much harder than anywhere else."

"You said some people survived outside, though, right? Alongside the people in the Vaults?" Twilight asked.

"A number of people survived, yes," James replied.

"Then, you can rebuild?" Twilight pressed hopefully.

James shook his head. "Maybe, but it's not that simple." He scratched his beard, wondering how best to explain. "The situation outside the Vault is… unstable. The survivors are fractious, the environment is dangerous and the wildlife even more so. Rebuilding is not an easy process."

A loud knock at the door grabbed everyone's attention. The door formed as it opened, and Officer Gomez poked his head in. "James? The Overseer wants to have a word with you."

"Of course he does." James sighed and got to his feet, struggling to avoid rolling his eyes. He felt oddly guilty as he looked at the girls, all of them clearly and understandably confused, disturbed by what he had told them, and almost certainly worried about what was going to happen to them. "I'll be back down as often as I can. Just try and make yourselves comfortable, and I'll push to get this quarantine over with as quickly as I can."
> Chapter 3 - North Block
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset ran a hand through her hair, trying to come to terms with what James had told the girls. 

"This ain't good," Applejack said quietly. "How the heck did we get dropped in a world that's been darn near wiped out by war?"

"That can't really be true, can it?" Rarity asked.

Twilight bit her lip and looked to the door. "I think it is. Why would he bother lying about something like that?"

"To keep us from trying to escape, maybe?" Sunset said, though her heart wasn't in it. The thought that they might have actually been dropped into such a terrible world made her head spin. "Either way, I guess we're stuck here for now. If it is true, I suppose we should just be thankful that we're safe inside here instead of outside in a wasteland."

"I heartily agree," Rarity put in.

Sunset sighed heavily and took a bite of her sandwich. With little else or say or do, the others all turned their attention to their food, too. They ate in silence. The girls had managed to psyche themselves up only minutes earlier, certain that even being unexpectedly transported to a strange world was something they could handle together easily enough, but the conversation with James had squashed that confidence already.

"Do you think this place has a bakery?" Pinkie asked suddenly.

The others all shared surprised looks. "Probably?" Applejack replied.

"I hope so," Pinkie continued blithely. "Nothing helps cheer up a dismal place like cake!"

"If the Overseer even lets us have cake," Rarity grumbled.

"As long as he lets us out of this room at all, I'll be happy," Fluttershy said quietly.

Rainbow snorted and crossed her arms. "If he doesn't, we can always make our own door. Right, Applejack?"

"Let's save violence until there's absolutely no other options," Sunset cut in quickly. "James is on our side, clearly. We should give him a chance to get things done."





As far as James was concerned, the Overseer's office had to be one of the worst places in the Vault. To be fair, that was largely due to the presence of the Overseer himself. James had been called to the office only to find Officer Gomez and Chief Hannon waiting inside as well.

"James," the Overseer said by way of greeting. "Now that you're here, we can begin. I've called you all here to discuss our new… visitors."

"I fail to see why we can't keep them where they are," Hannon said roughly. "They're intruders from outside, we shouldn't bother going out of our way to make them feel welcome."

Officer Gomez shook his head slowly. "Those girls aren't intruders, they're just kids."

"And scared ones, at that," James added. "I've spoken to them further, and I can assure you that they have no interest whatsoever in staying here."

"How can you be certain?" Hannon demanded.

James shrugged. "I can't, not really, but nothing they have said or done indicates that they are lying in any way. Besides, as I pointed out earlier, sending a group of unarmed girls not even out of their late teens to infiltrate a Vault just doesn't make any sense."

"I believe you," the Overseer said, much to James' surprise. "However, I still think it would be best for the safety of the Vault if we keep them where they are until we can figure out a way of getting them back to wherever they came from."

"Why not just shove them out of the door and tell them to walk?" Hannon asked.

"Because we're not monsters," James shot.

The Overseer held a hand up to silence the pair. "I would prefer to keep the girls here where I can keep an eye on them, rather than kicking them out and having them spread the word that they managed to get inside the Vault. It might give people ideas. Besides,-" he lowered his voice and glanced briefly at the door again, "-if someone else does arrive out of thin air, looking for the girls, it would leave a better impression if we've kept them safe instead of kicking them out at the first opportunity."

James nodded appreciatively. He knew that genuine altruism was beyond the Overseer's emotional capacity, but as long as the old coot's paranoia worked out in James' interests, he'd take what he could get.

"That still leaves the question of how to integrate them into the Vault without arousing suspicion," Hannon pressed.

"I have already given some thought on how we could deal with that," the Overseer replied. "We simply inform the other residents that the girls are from the old North Block." 

The others all stared at him in surprise.

"No-one has lived in North Block for decades," Hannon said flatly.  

"Which is why it's a perfect cover," the Overseer said smugly. "We will simply say that when the North Block was originally sealed off, a number of residents refused to leave and have been living there in isolation ever since. These girls will be presented as the last living descendants of those residents."

Hannon frowned and crossed his arms, evidently not convinced. "We've had security officers going in and out of there for years, checking to make sure that the old generator isn't leaking and keeping the radroaches under control. Some of the residents will find it suspicious that none of the officers mentioned these girls before now."

"Not when I tell them that I ordered the officers not to speak of any North Block residents, to keep any of our more reckless youths from trying to explore," the Overseer countered. "Of course, I'm sure that many of our older and wiser residents will be able to figure out part of the truth, but they can be trusted to keep quiet." He glanced meaningfully at James, not-so-subtly reminding everyone that the older residents were already keeping one secret from the youth. “Thankfully, the only security officers who have been in North Block are our more competent and trustworthy members. All anyone else needs to be told is that the generator in North Block has finally broken down, and so the girls are being reintegrated into the main Vault population.:

“We can even blame their coloration on unusual radiation from the generator,” James added.

“Precisely.” The Overseer narrowed his eyes. “Of course, this all depends on the results of their tests. If they are harbouring some form of wasteland disease I will not tolerate their presence in the main Vault.”

James nodded curtly. “Naturally,” he replied, though he was already trying to come up with ways to deal with said problem if it did occur. “On that note, I should probably get back to the clinic and help Jonas with those tests. The sooner we get them done, the better.”
> Chapter 4 - The Reveal
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Several days had passed since the Vault had received its unexpected visitors. James had spent every spare moment of those days running tests, learning as much as he could about the girls’ home reality, and lying through his teeth to anyone who asked what was going on on the reactor level. 

Now, finally, he could throw the results of those tests in Hannon's face.

James and Hannon had once again been summoned to the Overseer’s office, and now were waiting as the other self-important prick in the room added the finishing touches to some paperwork. 

Finally, after five minutes of waiting in awkward silence, the Overseer put his pen down and leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers as he looked up at the two. “Well, James, I understand you’ve completed your tests on the girls?”

“All of the most pressing ones, yes,” James began. “None of the girls are carrying any concerning pathogens whatsoever. Miss Rarity has a slightly elevated white blood cell count, and there’s traces of rhinovirus in her system, but the clinic is more than equipped to handle a case or two of the common cold. Other than that, none of them have any injuries or medical conditions that we need to worry about.” He made a show of looking through the notes on his clipboard. “All that remains to be done is genetic analysis, but that’s going to take at least a couple of weeks.”

The Overseer noted that down on one of his reports. “Get it done as soon as you can. I doubt those girls will be staying long enough for procreation to become a concern, but it pays to be prepared.”

“Of course,” James replied. Something about the Overseer’s words didn’t quite sit right with him, but he focused on the obvious implication therein. “Does this mean that the girls are going to be introduced to the Vault population?”

The Overseer crossed his arms and hummed thoughtfully. Seeing that perhaps his mind wasn’t fully made up, Hannon piped up, “I still think this is a bad idea. The best thing we could do is kick those freaks out  of the Vault and slam the door shut behind them.”

It took all of James’ willpower not to tell the ignorant asshole to keep his mouth shut. “We’ve already discussed this, at length. It is far more prudent for us to treat the girls well.”

“Indeed. There’s no sense in potentially antagonizing a faction that can bypass our Vault’s security with ease,” the Overseer added, though it looked like he was talking more to himself than Hannon. James once again mentally patted himself on the back for coming up with the lie about the Commonwealth as the Overseer straightened up in his chair. “Very well. I shall make the announcement to the Vault tonight. Chief Hannon, have all Vault residents gathered in the atrium for 6pm sharp. James, I want you to prepare room 48b for the girls to move into tonight. One room should suffice for the time being. And remember, not a word to anyone about the girls until I have made the announcement.”





The corridors were pleasantly quiet as Adam made his way towards the atrium. Usually, there’d be at least a couple of people wandering through this section of the Vault at this time in the evening, running errands or visiting friends’ rooms, but almost everyone had already gathered to hear the Overseer’s announcement. 

Adam was snapped out of his idle thoughts as someone called out to him, “Adam, wait up!” 

He turned to see the Overseer’s daughter hurrying towards him. “Oh, hey, Amata. Are you running late, too?”

“Yeah, my dad had me doing a bunch of theoretical paperwork as practice. I only just finished it in time,” she replied. She was of Hispanic descent, just like her father, but the other residents always said that the sleek black hair she kept tied back in a ponytail, and her generally pleasant personality, made her resemble her mother more. “You’d think that maybe he would lay off since he wants to hold this mandatory assembly, but apparently not.” 

“Do you have any idea what it’s about?” Adam asked. 

“Not really,” Amata replied. “I asked, but he just said that it was about North Block then made me write up documents about moving people into new rooms.”

Adam frowned at the mention of North Block. His father had assured him that the recent generator leak in the old abandoned block was contained, so he couldn’t imagine why the Overseer would drag everyone together for a full Vault assembly about it. Not unless something had gone wrong. “He’s not about to tell us that the North generator is leaking again or something, is he?”

“Not a chance, he was way too calm for it to be something like that,” Amata said with a wry smile. 

The two shared a chuckle as they climbed up the stairway to the atrium. Officer Taylor, a wrinkled old man who was by far the oldest member of the security team, was waiting at the top for them. “You’re nearly late, the meeting is due to start any minute. Everyone else is already here,” he admonished. 

“Don’t worry, we’re here now,” Amata assured him. “Do you have any idea what this is about?”

Officer Taylor took a deep breath and let it out again slowly, a faraway look entering his eyes. “The whole security team was briefed just before this assembly, but your father doesn’t want us to breathe a word about it beforehand, so…”

“I understand, I don’t want to get you into trouble,” Amata said quickly. 

I appreciate it, Miss Amata,” Taylor said gratefully. “Come on, let’s get in there before we’re late.” He opened the atrium door and ushered the two through first.

The atrium was the largest room in the Vault, able to fit a thousand people, the full capacity of the Vault, though at a push. Seeing less than a tenth of that number waiting inside, even with every single resident gathered, was a stark reminder of just how depleted Vault 101’s population was. Adam briefly wondered what it must have been like to live here back when it was full. 

“Ugh, Butch is staring over this way again,” Amata said in an undertone. 

Adam frowned and looked around for the person in question. Butch wasn’t exactly hard to find, given that him and his cronies were the only people in the Vault who wore snazzy leather jackets over their blue jumpsuits, so Adam quickly spotted him lurking with his little gang on the edge of the gathering. Just as Amata had said, he was leering over at her like some sick creep. Adam raised a middle finger at the asshole, earning an enraged glare, but before Butch or his posse could retaliate, Chief Hannon called for silence and attention at the front of the atrium. 

All of the assembled residents automatically looked up at a round window high above the atrium floor. It was part of the Overseer’s office, allowing him to look down on his subordinates like the self-important asshole that he was, though Adam was careful not to call him that to his face. Most of the time, anyway. 

After making everyone wait for several seconds, the Overseer finally appeared in the window with his hands clasped behind his back and a stern look on his face. “Good afternoon, everyone. I have called you all together today for a very important announcement.”

“No shit,” Adam muttered under his breath, making Amata struggle to keep a smirk off her face.

“As you are all aware, the generator in the old North Block is damaged and has been leaking low levels of radiation for several decades,” the Overseer continued. “Due to the obvious risks posed by the radiation, my predecessor moved the North Block residents into other sections of the Vault before sealing it off.” Concerned whispers broke out amongst the residents as everyone wondered if the leak was getting worse. The noise died out immediately as the Overseer carried on, “However, what only our eldest residents will know, as well as myself as Overseer and select members of the security team, is that not all of the North Block residents agreed to leave that section.”

Adam stared up at him in blank shock, then whipped his head around as he looked for the older Vault residents. Several of them were senile, dementia-ridden, or heavily medicated, sometimes all three, but those that weren’t were looking up at the Overseer with guarded expressions.

“Wait a minute,” Amata said with a look of dawning comprehension. “Does this mean-”

“Those few residents, and their descendants, have been living isolated in the North Block ever since, until now.” Loud gasps and exclamations of disbelief met the Overseer’s words, prompting the security team to demand silence again. “In light of recent issues, which I will not go into, the remaining seven residents in North Block have been offered a place with the rest of us in the main Vault.”

This time, nothing could stop a hiss of excited whispers from breaking out, especially among the younger residents. The Overseer allowed it to go on for a little while before saying imperiously, “If you would kindly let me finish, there are some important details I must go over.” The conversations swiftly died down once more. “As I was saying, the new residents will be moved out of North Block tonight, at around 8pm. To minimize disruption and allow them to settle in peacefully, everyone except the security team will be confined to their quarters from 7pm precisely. Anyone who so much as peeks outside their door during that time will be dealt with severely. Due to the circumstances involving the generator, each of you are also expressly forbidden from asking the girls about their life in North Block, or attempting to sneak into North Block itself.”

“Girls?” Amata noted hopefully. 

Adam didn’t blame her for being intrigued. There weren’t many girls her age in the Vault, and most of them tended to keep her at arms’ length because she was the Overseer’s daughter.

The Overseer in question was watching the crowd to make sure that everyone was paying the appropriate attention to his instructions. “You will meet your new neighbors tomorrow, but until then, all you need to know is this; first, the new residents are all young women around the age of eighteen.”

Almost every young man in the Vault pricked their ears up at that. Adam had to admit that even he was one of them, though he refrained from wolf-whistling like one or two of the others did. 

“Secondly, these girls are used to a life and routine wholly unlike that which we are accustomed to.” The Overseer pressed on as if there hadn’t been any disturbance. “I expect each and every one of you to show our new residents the values and work ethic that we pride ourselves on.”

“If we had pride in our values we wouldn’t have a dumbass greaser gang harassing young women and the elderly,” Adam grumbled. Amata nodded grimly along with him. 

The Overseer took a deep breath and squared his shoulders, as if he was reluctant to say the next part. “Finally, as a result of unusual radiation from the damaged generator, and a few other factors, the girls look a little… different, to ordinary folk. Their skin and hair, especially, are far from what we would consider normal. However, there is no need for concern, as James has given them a thorough examination over the course of several days, and they all have a clean bill of health.”

More whispers broke out in response to his words, though this time there was a tinge of apprehension in them, despite the Overseer’s assurance. 

The Overseer looked over the gathering one last time, then nodded curtly. “That is all, you may now return to your duties. James, Amata, I wish to see both of you in my office immediately. The rest of you, remember that tonight’s curfew begins at 7pm.” Without another word he turned and strode away from the window, leaving the entire Vault reeling from the bombshell he had just dropped. 

A cacophony of loud conversations broke out the second he was gone, forcing the security team to step in and make sure that everyone who still had work to do went and actually did it.

“I’m not hallucinating, am I?” Amata asked incredulously. “Did my dad seriously just dump the biggest news we’ll ever hear on us then go back to work like it was nothing?!”

“It sure as hell seems that way,” Adam replied, though privately he was more annoyed that his own father hadn’t said anything about it. “Come and see me if you get a chance once you’ve spoken to your dad. If not, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Sounds good to me.” Amata darted off to the Overseer’s office, while Adam turned on his heel and made his way back to the clinic. James would have to go back there at some point before the curfew, and Adam was adamant that he would be waiting when he arrived.
> Chapter 5 - The Tour
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Amata’s heart pounded as she stood in front of the door to room 48b. An awful mix of anxiety and excitement coursed through her in equal measure, making her hands shake as she tried to work up the nerve to knock on the door. Everyone in the Vault knew each other pretty much from birth, so this was her first time ever meeting new people, but it was also the first time she had ever had to give a good first impression. Failure was not an option. 

“Are you okay there, Amata?” Officer Gomez asked.

“I’m okay!” Amata squeaked, blushing a moment later. She cleared her throat before trying again, “I’m okay, just nervous.”

Gomez smiled softly. “Don’t worry, they seem like nice enough people. Better than Butch and the Macks boys, that’s for sure. If you need anything, I’ll be waiting right outside.”

“Thanks, Gomez.” Amata gave him a bright smile and turned back to the door. “Come on, girl, pull yourself together,” she muttered to herself. She mentally ran through the simple greeting she had prepared one last time before knocking on the door. The few seconds that followed felt like the longest in Amata’s life. A flicker of fear and anticipation knotted in her stomach as she heard the handle turn, only to be blown away by the sight of the girl behind the door. 

Vault 101 had never seen anything like her. She had clear amber skin, though far more natural-looking than the terrible self-tan that Christine had tried once, and her long hair was a striking combination of red and yellow stripes. Thankfully, the Overseer had warned Amata about how North Block had affected the girls, and this girl wasn’t really that shocking, so she wasn’t too thrown off. “Good morning! My name’s Amata Almodovar, I’ll be in charge of showing you around the Vault and helping you get settled in today.”

The girl relaxed slightly, clearly just as nervous as Amata. “Thanks, my name’s Sunset Shimmer.” She stepped aside and gestured into the room. “These are Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy.”

Amata’s brain stalled when she saw the rest of the girls. One of them, Applejack, looked like an ordinary white girl, but the rest were utterly out of this world, ranging from pale yellow skin with pink hair to bright blue with hair streaked with all the colors of the rainbow.
“Wow, he really wasn’t kidding,” Amata said quietly. Sunset raised an eyebrow at her, and she realized with horror what she had just said. “I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to offend you, it’s just that my father said that you girls were a little different, but, honestly, I thought he was exaggerating.” Amata forced herself to stop babbling as she realized that she was just digging herself deeper. 

Sunset gave her an awkward smile. “It’s alright. I suppose we are a bit out of place here,” she said, smoothing over the awkward moment.

Blushing furiously, Amata struggled not to shrink in on herself. “Do you mind if I come in? There’s some things I’d like to go over before we start the tour.”

“Oh, of course. Uh… come on in.” Amata smiled brightly as Sunset stepped aside to let her in, her earlier excitement coming back in full force. Sunset closed the door and sat down before looking up at her expectantly. 

Trying vainly to ignore the way her heart was pounding, Amata looked around at each of the girls before reciting the speech she had memorized this morning struggling to keep her excitement under control, “Okay, first of all, I’d just like to say how exciting it is to have you join us all here in the Vault.” She had considered saying main Vault, but that sounded too dismissive. Next was an embarrassing confession to hopefully earn some trust. “There aren’t really that many people around my age here, and I’m not great friends with the other girls, so when I heard that we were getting seven new girls out of the blue, I couldn’t believe it! Honestly, I always thought the north wing was totally trashed, I had no idea people were still living in there!”

The new girls all seemed to relax slightly at her words. “Well, it’s nice to finally meet someone who’s happy to see us.”

“Hear hear!” Rarity exclaimed. “I must say that being constantly treated like freaks is starting to wear a little thin.”

Amata fought the urge to wince. She knew how harsh her father could be on the best of days, and being forced to accept seven girls as unique as these into the main Vault would almost certainly put him in a bad mood.

“Oh, but James doesn’t treat us like that,” Fluttershy put in earnestly, oblivious to Amata’s concern. 

Rarity averted her eyes and twirled a strand of hair around her finger, apparently not quite in agreement. “True, but he does get a little too… clinical?”

“He’s an egghead, what do you expect?” Rainbow said. 

“Hey!” Twilight exclaimed indignantly, earning a chuckle from all of the others. 

Amata giggled along with them, trying to ease into their friendly banter. “James can get a little too much into doctor mode.”

Thankfully, rather than getting offended, Twilight just rolled her eyes and took her glasses off to wipe them on her sleeve. “In his defense, it must be fascinating to meet people so different from those he would normally interact with.”

“It’s amazing, I’ve never seen anything like your skin before,” Amata said appreciatively. “James told me it’s caused by something in the air in the North wing; something that alters the pigmentation in the skin and hair?”

“Something like that,” Sunset replied, averting her eyes. “We aren’t really supposed to talk about it.”

“Ah, right, I’m sorry. The Overseer told me he had forbidden anyone from asking you about the North wing.” Amata fought the urge to roll her eyes at the memory of her father’s repeated warnings, even after the gathering in the atrium. “I can’t think why, though.”

“It was getting too dangerous in there for us to stay,” Sunset said quickly. 

The Overseer had said the same thing, but Amata had secretly been hoping that there were more hidden secrets waiting to be uncovered. “That makes sense. I suppose some of the more idiotic residents might get stupid ideas about trying to get in if they heard too much.” She gave a nonchalant shrug, hoping the girls would get her subtle hint on just how dumb some of the residents really were. “Still, we may not be able to talk about that, but I would love to get to know each of you better!”

“Sounds good to me!” Applejack said with a grin.

Amata felt a wave of relief at the fact that things were going so well. “First things first though, let's get on with the Vault 101 guided tour!” Suiting actions to words, she turned on her heel and opened the door.

Gomez greeted the newbies with a smile and a nod when they left the room. “Morning, girls. Sleep well?”

 “We did thanks, Officer Gomez,” Sunset replied politely, if a little stiffly. 

Thankfully, Gomez either didn’t notice or just didn’t mind. "Good to hear, and it’s nice to have you properly joining the Vault too, girls. Let me see, now..." He furrowed his brow and pointed at each of the girls in turn. "Sunset… Twilight… Rarity… Pinkie… Rainbow… Fluttershy, and… Applejack?"

Twilight nodded and smiled. "Well remembered."

"Well, to be honest, with most of you I just matched the names to the hair," Gomez replied with a smirk. 

Amata quickly turned to Sunset to provide an explanation, "The Overseer was adamant that we be escorted by a security detail, and I thought Gomez would be the best choice since he’s already met you. A friendly face, you know?" 

"Where to first, Miss Amata?" Gomez asked.

She made a show of considering, putting a finger on her chin to sell it. "I’m thinking… breakfast first. What do you girls think?" The newbies all agreed enthusiastically, so Gomez turned to lead them through the corridors. Amata made sure to fall into step alongside Sunset as they walked, since she seemed to be the leader of the new girls. "There won’t be many people in the diner this morning. I figured it would be best if there aren’t too many new faces crowding around you at breakfast," Amata explained, talking loudly enough for all of the girls to hear.

Sunset gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks. We really do appreciate everything you're doing for us." 

Amata waved a hand dismissively, trying to hide the fuzzy feeling she got from hearing it. "Don’t mention it. To be honest, this is the first time any of us have ever really met someone new, so this is a bit of a special day for us." 

Unfortunately, the universe picked that moment to try and ruin her good mood, as an unpleasantly familiar voice echoed down the corridor, "Jesus! What the hell kind of freaks are you?!" Amata looked ahead to see Butch clutching a tray of food and staring at the group in disgust.

Gomez practically growled at him. "You watch your mouth with these girls, Butch. They’ve been through enough." 

"What the hell are you doing down here anyway?!" Amata snarled. She had deliberately arranged to have him run a full stock check on all of the barber and salon products in the Vault precisely to avoid him coming into contact with the newbie so soon. 

Butch just sneered at her. "Easy, alright, I’m just taking some food down to my mom. Didn’t expect to be walking into a circus right outside our quarters."

"Circus?! Where?!" Pinkie yelled, earning a disbelieving stare from Amata.

"And just what in the heck is that supposed to mean?" Applejack growled.

"Calm down, girls," Gomez warned. "Just get to your quarters, Butch. And I’m warning you, one more harsh word out of your mouth and I’ll have you in confinement. You know what the Overseer said." 

"Alright, alright, I hear you," Butch replied, though it didn’t stop him from grumbling as he turned down the corridor to the quarters he shared with his mother. 

Gomez turned to the newbies with an apologetic look on his face. "Sorry about that, girls. Butch is a bit of a rogue."

"A bit of an asshole, you mean," Amata muttered darkly, though she softened when she saw the newbies’ worried expressions. "Look, don’t worry about Butch. There are a few thugs in here who think like him, but most of us are just excited to meet new people, whatever they look like."

"Thanks, I guess?" Sunset said with a forced smile. 

"Come on, let’s get you some breakfast. You’ll all feel better after food," Gomez said bracingly. Amata could see that the girls weren’t convinced, but she couldn’t think of anything to say as they followed behind Gomez, listening to him hum tunelessly the whole way until he stopped in front of the diner. "Well, here we are. I‘ll be waiting outside here if that‘s alright, Miss Amata."

"Thanks, Officer Gomez,” Amata replied, using his official title to set a good example for the newbies after Butch’s assholery. She hitched a smile onto her face before placing a hand on the door’s button. “Come on then girls, breakfast time." 

Just as Amata had planned, the diner was largely empty at this time in the morning, with most people having already eaten and started their workday. The only people inside were Floyd and Christine sitting at one of the benches, while Old Lady Palmer was pottering about by the diner’s serving counter. Floyd was a balding and bespectacled old maintenance tech, Christine was his assistant and one of Amata’s old classmates, and Old Lady Palmer was a retiree who had been alive for almost half of the Vault’s operational history. They were harmless enough, so they were the perfect residents of the main Vault for the North Block Newbies to meet first. All three of them looked around as the girls filed in. 

Amata gestured to the trio in the room and tried to inject some of her earlier excitement into her voice, "Good morning, all! Girls, I would like you to meet Lucy Palmer, Floyd Lewis, and Christine Kendall. Everyone, please welcome Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash." The girls nervously greeted the room as they were named. 

Floyd and Christine both stared in stunned silence, but thankfully Old Lady Palmer bustled over before it became too awkward. "Oh, hello, dears! So good to see new faces. It doesn’t happen anywhere near often enough." The surprisingly open-minded old woman beamed as she shook each of the bemused girls’ hands in turn. "Do you know, I honestly thought young James was pulling my leg when he told me about you girls, but here you are! Looking all colorful and exotic! I‘ve never seen anything so spectacular in all my life."

"Well, thank you kindly." Applejack replied, tipping her hat. 

"No need to thank me, dear, it’s just so good to meet new people again after all these years." Miss Palmer put a hand to her mouth. "Oh but look at me rambling on, you must be hungry. Come on in and take a seat. There‘s plenty of food on the counter, so just help yourselves, dears."

The newbies all thanked her and hurried over to the breakfast buffet on the counter. Amata offered Old Lady Palmer a grateful smile and followed them, grabbing herself a plateful of toast and sitting at a table with Sunset, Applejack and Twilight.

Floyd eagerly turned in his seat and adjusted his glasses. "So you are the new girls we’ve heard about, we were just wondering when you’d be up and about. How are you finding the main Vault so far?" 

"So far so good," Sunset replied warily.

"Yeah, the folk we’ve met so far have been pretty nice. Or at least most of them have been," Applejack added.

Amata tried not to wince as Floyd gave her a querulous look. "We had a little encounter with Butch on the way up here." 

Floyd nodded knowingly. "Oh, that little ruffian. Him and his Tunnel Snakes are a pain in the ass down here." 

"Tunnel Snakes?" Twilight asked.

"It’s a gang he set up a few years ago with some of the other young lads in the Vault,” Floyd replied. "They‘re always harassing someone or other."  

"Oh, I hope we don’t run into them very much," Fluttershy moaned.

Amata tried to think of some way to reassure the girls, but Christine got there first. "Don’t worry, my dad’s in security, and he says the Overseer wants you kept away from any trouble."

Miss Palmer waved a hand in exasperation. "Oh, enough about those young hooligans. This is your first time having a proper meal here, so let’s not have any miserable talk. Why don’t you tell us a little about yourselves?"

The question was innocuous enough, but Sunset still hesitated, leaning back in her chair to consider her answer. "I’m not sure how much we can say. The Overseer told us we aren’t allowed to speak about anything from before we were allowed into the main Vault."

Amata deflated, feeling more than a little guilty. "I’m sorry, he’s being really fierce on this. It was a nightmare convincing him that we could be trusted to eat breakfast without a security detail."

"You don’t need to apologize to me, my dear," Miss Palmer said with a huff. "I know better even than you what your father is like about his rules and secrets." 

Twilight looked over at Amata. "Your father… the Overseer?" 

"Yeah, though to be honest I’ve always seen him more as ‘The Overseer’, if you get what I mean," Amata replied honestly.

Christine looked over as well. "So, I’ve got to ask… are those your real names, or are they just nicknames?" 

“They’re real,” Applejack replied with a raised eyebrow. “Why, what’s wrong with them?”

“There’s nothing wrong with them, dear, no need to fret,” Old Lady Palmer cut in with a disarming smile. “They’re just a little flashier than we’re used to down here in this old Vault. Goodness knows I haven’t heard names like yours since I was a young ‘un myself.” 

Floyd glanced at her curiously. “Seriously? I never knew people used to have names like that in the Vault.”

“Oh, it was never really a common thing, just something you’d hear every now and again,” Old Lady Palmer replied with a vague shake of the head. 

“Well, whatever your names are, I’m just glad to see some new faces around here,” Floyd said simply. “It doesn’t happen anywhere near enough.”

Once she saw that the new girls had finished eating, Amata stood up to address them. “Alright then, girls, if you’re all finished, it’s time for your guided tour of Vault 101.”

“Do you want us to help with the dishes first?” Fluttershy asked as the girls got to their feet.

Floyd huffed a laugh. "No, it’s alright, thank you. Now that we’re all done, I can test the dishwasher; see if Christine repaired it properly." He chuckled, earning a glare from Christine. The girls said their goodbyes and followed Amata out of the Diner to where Officer Gomez was leaning against a wall, chatting to James. 

“Good morning, James,” Amata said as she saw him.

“Good morning to you, too. And to all of you as well,” James said, smiling as the new girls greeted him too. "How are you finding the Vault so far?"

Rarity planted her hands on her hips, faint traces of disappointment visible in her expression. "Well, the décor is a little drab, and frankly the fashion sense here seems a little… standard, but I suppose we’ll have to make do for now."

"I can’t deny that," James replied with a laugh before Amata could say anything. "Now if you’ll excuse me, I hear my breakfast calling." 

Officer Gomez pushed away from the wall as James disappeared into the Diner. "Ready to carry on?"

"Absolutely. Lead on," Amata replied.

"Alright. Follow me then, girls," Gomez said brightly.

Fluttershy glanced between him and the diner door. "Aren’t you going to have anything to eat?"

Gomez shook his head. "No, I’ve already had my breakfast. Early mornings when you’re in Vault Security."

Turning down another corridor, Amata and Gomez led the girls through Vault 101. Amata described each section and what they were used for as they passed through each area, well aware that the winding corridors of the main Vault must feel like a maze to them compared to the relatively small North Block. 

The group met several other residents on the little tour. Most of them were understandably wary of the new girls given their bizarre appearances, but most of them were at least able to be civil. A few of the more tactless residents were rude right off the bat, including some of the older residents who should have known better, but a sharp glare from Gomez was enough to make them apologize and fall in line.

Once the main part of the tour was over, mostly just showing off the residential and recreation sections of the Vault, Amata took the girls up to the security office. Chief Hannon and her father had both been insistent on speaking to the girls as soon as their first contact with the main population was finished, and no amount of cajoling from Amata was enough to convince them otherwise. Thankfully, the girls didn’t seem too put off by the idea, so Amata said her goodbyes and reluctantly left the girls in the hands of Officer Gomez. 

It was time for her to prepare the next stage of the new girls’ welcome.  





Hannon waited impatiently in his office for the North Block girls to arrive. As the head of Vault 101’s security, it was his solemn duty to impress on the girls the importance of following the laws as laid down by the Overseer, and the equal importance of the one in charge of enforcing those laws. 

Finally, Hannon heard a group arriving outside the office. He brushed a non-existent speck of dirt off of his uniform, making himself utterly presentable as a good military man should, just before the door opened and the girls were ushered in. Hannon felt a rush of revulsion at the sight of their unnatural colors, but he kept his expression neutral as Gomez stepped into the office and saluted. "Chief Hannon, we’ve completed the preliminary tour of the Vault."

"Did any of these girls cause any problems during the tour?" Hannon asked.

"No, sir. They’ve been good as gold," Gomez replied crisply.

"Were there any issues with the other residents?" Hannon pressed, ready to crack down harshly on anyone who dared to break the rules.

Gomez shook his head. "Nothing major. Had a bit of lip from Butch, but nothing to worry about."

Hannon grunted, unsurprised, but annoyed nonetheless. The Overseer always allowed the Tunnel Snakes a little more leeway than some of the other residents, but messing with the new girls was strictly forbidden for the time being. "Typical. Very well, please report to the Overseer for further instructions." 

As Officer Gomez snapped another salute and left, Hannon turned to the girls, clasping his hands behind his back and throwing his shoulders back like an officer before his troops. “I am Security Chief Hannon. I command the Vault 101 Security Force, and it is my job to ensure that the Overseer’s rules are followed to the letter.” Hannon cleared his throat, making sure that the girls were all listening before continuing, “The Overseer has ordered me and my team to keep you lot out of trouble. Having you follow the rules will make my job a lot easier, and if you make my job easier, then I‘ll do what I can to make your lives here easier. If you do run into any problems with the other residents, do not go around picking fights; you report it straight to me, and I will deal with it. Is that understood?"

"We understand," Sunset replied. He narrowed his eyes at her, and she promptly added a respectful, “Chief Hannon.” At least one of them was quick on the uptake. 

“Good. With that out of the way, the Overseer wants to see you before you go back downstairs.” Hannon stepped past the girls and gestured for them to fall in behind him. “Follow me.” The girls obediently followed him back out of the Security Office and around to the Overseer’s reception area. “Wait here. The Overseer will call you in when he’s ready.” Without so much as a backwards glance, Hannon turned and walked away. The meeting had gone well, or so he felt, but his job wasn’t over yet. It seemed that Butch needed reminding about just how far he could push the rules. 
> Chapter 6 - Welcome Party
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Whispered conversations filled the Diner as everyone got into position. Amata quickly did a last-minute check to make sure everything was ready, from the food and decorations to making sure that the jukebox was ready to play. This was the first surprise party she had been permitted to prepare in years; everything had to be perfect. 

Everyone looked around as the door suddenly opened and Tom Holden, the Vault’s waste management specialist, hurried inside. “They’re on their way!” He said breathlessly. 

Amata’s heart rate immediately went straight through the roof. “This is it! Places, everyone!”

There was an outburst of rustling and sharp whispers as everyone readied themselves, then dead silence fell in the diner. Amata hardly even dared to breathe as she waited anxiously for the new girls to arrive. Time seemed to tick by excruciatingly slowly, each second feeling like an eternity, until, finally, voices were heard just outside the diner.

The tension in the room finally exploded as the door slid open. “Surprise!”

Cracks and pops filled the air as everyone set off party poppers, showering the new girls in confetti and glitter. 

Sunset grinned widely as she led the others into the room. “Wow. What’s all this?” 

“It’s your welcoming party!” Amata called out as she hurried to the front of the group, grinning like a Cheshire Cat. “We decided we’d hold it after you’d seen a little of the Vault and met a few people already. Less overwhelming and all that.”

Pinkie gleefully threw her hands up in the air and bounded into the diner screaming, “Woohoo! Best surprise Vault welcoming party ever!” 

Most of the other newbies followed Pinkie into the crowd to mingle, but Sunset hung back with Amata. “This is amazing. You really didn’t have to go to all this trouble.”

“It was nothing,” Amata lied easily. Convincing her father to let her go all-out had been about as pleasant as getting teeth pulled, but it was worth it. Amata was so happy about pulling off a successful surprise party that she was practically giddy. “We don’t have events like this very often. Having new people in the Vault is a once in a lifetime thing, so we figured we’d go all out.” She gestured into the room. “Go ahead, have fun.”

"Come on, Sunset, they have cake!" Pinkie called out excitedly.

Sunset grinned and headed into the crowd. Amata was glad to see several of the residents that had spoken to the newbies on their tour earlier going back for another chat. Security officers were keeping a close eye on proceedings to make sure no one broke the gag order about North Block, but Amata was sure that most of the people in attendance weren’t dumb enough to try it.

After grabbing herself an ice-cold Nuka Cola, Amata wandered around the edge of the party, anxiously watching and hoping that everyone could integrate without any issues. Thankfully, it looked like everything was going along swimmingly.

Pinkie was by far the loudest of the newbies, skipping all over the place, throwing around way more confetti than Amata had known that the Vault possessed, and eating a frankly astounding amount of cake. Rarity, on the other hand, was surrounded by a group of the Vault’s more fashion-conscious women, while Sunset was casually chatting with a stream of different people while keeping a close eye on the others. 

Things soon got particularly loud in one corner. Amata went to check on it, worrying that the security officers might kick up a fuss, only to see that it was security officers who were making most of the noise. Some idiot had apparently challenged Applejack and Rainbow to a contest of strength, and now the two were taking it in turns to arm-wrestle half of the security officers who were supposed to be keeping an eye on things. 

The only newbie left was Fluttershy. Amata looked everywhere in the crowd, but couldn’t find her anywhere. Finally, right when she was wondering if the newbie had slipped away somewhere, Amata found Fluttershy lurking safely in a corner between James and his young assistant, Jonas.





James called out with all of the others as the Rainbooms entered the diner. Thankfully, they all seemed delighted by the surprise party, so that was one hurdle out of the way. As he watched the girls start to mingle, he realized that that wasn’t quite right. In fact, he couldn’t see a particular one of the girls at all. Fluttershy was nowhere to be seen. 

“Um, is it alright if I sit over here with you?” The girl in question asked, having somehow managed to slip through the crowd in a matter of seconds. 

“Of course.” James stepped aside so Fluttershy could slip onto the bench next to him. She hesitated, seeing someone else sitting there already, but James smiled reassuringly at her. “That’s my assistant, Jonas. Don’t worry, aside from his cooking, he’s harmless.”

Jonas sighed and shook his head. “Did you really have to mention my cooking?”

“In the interest of keeping our new residents safe, yes,” James replied with a grin. 

Jonas gave an exaggerated sigh, but Fluttershy giggled and slid onto the bench next to him, clearly feeling a little more at ease. Still, it was clear that she wasn’t comfortable being the center of attention, so James sat on the bench as well. It wasn’t ideal, but hopefully having Fluttershy safely nestled between him and Jonas would shield her from the worst of the peanut gallery. 

“Well, as you’ve just been told, I’m Jonas. I help this old grump out in the Vault’s clinic.” James made a mental note to throw a bunch of paperwork his way for the ‘old’ crack. “What’s your name?”

Naturally, James had already told Jonas everything about the new girls, despite the Overseer’s order, but it was good to see that he was keeping up the charade. 

“Um, I-I’m Fluttershy,” she replied in a voice barely above a whisper. 

Jonas nodded, though James wasn’t entirely sure that he had heard her. “Nice to meet you. So, what do you think of the Vault so far?”

“It’s, um, nice,” Fluttershy said quietly. 

“It’s just a shame that the Overseer isn’t,” Jonas added in an undertone.

James agreed with the sentiment, but it still wasn’t something that should be spoken aloud near members of the security team, even under the cover of a party. Not at a time where keeping their heads down was of the utmost importance. “Say, Jonas, do you mind grabbing some drinks and snacks for us before they all disappear?”

The sudden question clearly took Jonas by surprise, but realization flickered across his expression and he quickly stood up. “I’ll be back in a second.”

James watched him go before turning to a mildly confused-looking Fluttershy. “A word of advice-” he said quietly, “-the Overseer doesn’t really take criticism well, and most of the security team will happily report even the smallest and pettiest of insults. Be as respectful as possible when talking about him.”

“O-of course,” Fluttershy replied anxiously. 

“Don’t worry too much, the Overseer hasn’t kicked me or my son out, yet, and there aren’t many people in the Vault who annoy him more than my boy,” James reassured her. 

“What’s your son’s name?” Fluttershy asked. 

James smiled softly. She clearly wanted to talk about something less stressful, and it certainly wasn’t a topic that he disliked. “Adam. Technically, he’s a pedicurist, but most of the time he helps me out in the clinic as an assistant. He’s not far off your age, now that I think about it…”





Amata couldn’t help grinning as she watched the North Blockers all mingling without any issues. The only problem, if one could call it that, was that she couldn’t really join their conversations without butting in. Being the Overseer’s daughter had plenty of drawbacks to it. Only Adam treated her just like everyone else, but he was stuck doing paperwork in the clinic while James and Jonas were absent. 

Right as Amata was about to give up and grab herself another slice of cake, she saw Tom, his girlfriend Mary, and Twilight Sparkle all get up from a table, leaving Sunset on her own. Amata took the opportunity to slip onto the bench opposite her. “So, what do you think?” 

“This is amazing,” Sunset replied brightly. “Really, I can’t thank you enough.”

Amata grinned at her. “It was nothing. I’m amazed so many people turned up, to be honest. Though, I suppose I shouldn’t really be surprised given the circumstances. None of us have ever met anyone new, let alone anyone so… out there!” Sunset just smiled back at her, so Amata asked a question that had been on her mind since the tour earlier. “So I guess you’re kind of the group leader?”

“Who, me?” Sunset asked, apparently caught off guard by the suggestion. “No, not really.”

Amata gave her a surprised look. “Really? The others seem to look to you for guidance, so I just assumed that you were the one in charge.”

“That’s because she is, or at least she may as well be,” Applejack cut in suddenly, leaning over the back of Sunset’s bench.

"I agree,” Twilight added as she returned with a plate of cake and the other North Blockers. “We really could use a group leader, and Sunset would be the most logical choice.”

Rarity nodded and slid onto the bench next to Amata. “Indeed. You’re the perfect person for the job.”

“Absolutely,” Applejack agreed. “Ah’m surprised that you ain’t kicking up a fuss over it though, Rainbow?” she added with a raised eyebrow. 

Rainbow grinned and shook her head. “Nah, Sunset’s got this. Besides, leaders get all the responsibilities and stuff; if Sunset’s leader then it just gives me more room to show off how awesome I am.”

“Sunshim’s large and in charge!” Pinkie exclaimed. Amata thought for one horrified second that it was meant as a fat joke, but no-one else batted an eye.

“I agree, Sunset’s definitely the leader,” Fluttershy said with a smile.

Something about their ready agreement clearly meant something to Sunset, as she said quietly, “Wow, uh… thanks, guys.” 

Fluttershy giggled softly. “I can’t believe how much things have changed since the Fall Formal.”

“The Fall Formal?” Amata asked, remembering a second too late that she was treading dangerously close to breaking her father’s rules. The new girls clearly weren’t so careless, as they all shared an awkward look. 

“It was a sort of… party that we held in the, uh, North block,” Sunset finally said. 

Rarity nodded slowly. “Back then we weren’t exactly on the best of terms with each other.”

“Thanks to Sunset!” Pinkie added with a smirk.

“Wait, what?” Amata glanced at Sunset in surprise. It was clear that the other girls trusted her, perhaps even admired her, so it was a little hard to imagine them being at odds in any way. 

Sunset ran a hand through her hair, apparently trying to hide her embarrassment. “I was, well… not a very nice person back then.”

“Meaning she was a devious, backstabbing, manipulative, raging she-demon determined to grab power at any cost,” Applejack clarified so bluntly it was almost cruel. "No offense," she added with a wink at Sunset who, surprisingly, just smirked back at her. 

Amata stared at Sunset in shock. It was hard to reconcile the affable girl sitting in front of her with a description that better suited half of the Vault’s main population. “Wow, sounds like you were a real bitch,” Amata said without thinking.

Sunset frowned and averted her gaze. “Uh, yeah.” 

An awkward silence fell, giving Amata plenty of time to silently curse her own big mouth. She was a representative of not only the Overseer but the entire Vault population, she should know better than to run her mouth like that without thinking.

After a few excruciating seconds, Rarity thankfully cleared her throat and broke the unbearable silence. “Yes, well, it all worked out in the end, at least.” 

“Sorry,” Amata said sheepishly, vainly trying not to squirm from sheer embarrassment. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“It’s alright, I got used to it a while ago,” Sunset replied in a tone that said she was anything but used to it, then brushed off her lap and stood up. “I‘m just going to go to the restroom. Is there one near here?”

Amata wasn’t fooled for an instant, she was well-versed in making excuses to get some time alone, but she gave directions to the nearest restrooms anyway. Sunset nodded and gave a half-hearted thanks before leaving. 

“Did you seriously just call her a bitch?” Rainbow growled the instant Sunset was out of the room. 

“Rainbow! Language!” Rarity snapped in a scandalized tone. 

Amata shook her head and waved her hands frantically. “I wasn’t saying that she is one! It just, sort of, slipped out?”

“If that’s the kinda language that just slips out of you, Ah’m a mite concerned about what sorta people y’all got here in the Vault,” Applejack put in. “The only time Ah ever heard anyone cussin’ so casually was when Granny Smith caught her thumb with a hammer back when Ah-” She was cut off as Pinkie suddenly slapped a hand across her mouth. 

Hearing any little facets about life in the North Block was fascinating, but one particular implication was more surprising than it should have been. “Wait, you girls don’t swear?” They all shook their heads with varying degrees of emphasis. “Wow. I mean, it’s not exactly encouraged here in the main Vault, but…” 

The new girls shared a worried look, and Amata suddenly had a sudden realization that they might well be even more sheltered than the rest of the Vault population, at least in some ways. Just as she was trying to come up with a way to bridge this unexpected gap her father called for her over the P.A system. With a heavy sigh, Amata apologized to the girls and told them that she’d be back as quickly as she could. It was time to report what she had gathered about each of their personalities so far.