Fallout: Equestria - Burning Earth

The feral ghouls left after some time, their prey too difficult to catch. After, waiting for a few moments in silence, Dirt slowly opened the wooden barn door to see if the coast was clear. When it had become evident that they were alone, he motioned with a hoof for Fizzy and Night to follow him out.

They made their way out of the farmland. Dirt kept his one eye open for any ghoul ambushes. He noticed that Night was sticking closer to Fizzy's side, checking the entire perimeter for danger. He, however, decided to stay a bit ahead of the group to ensure that, if he did trigger any trap, the others would be out of harm's way. The last thing he needed was for something to happen to Fizzy. Despite the fact that she was difficult at times, and still complained about the lack of Sparkle-Cola, she was one of the most important things to him. In a way, she was like family at this point. The filly didn't want to leave his side, and he didn't want her to either.

"Hey, Fizzy," he began, "how far are we to Dust?"

She checked her PipBuck. "Nearly there. Can I ask you something, though?"

"Shoot."

"As soon as we get to Dust, will you promise to check yourself in to the nearest clinic? You can't let your injury get any worse than it already is." She tilted her head, shooting him a pleading look.

He touched the bandage over what was left of his eye. "But there are so many other things we can spend our caps-"

Fizzy shook her head. "No. If something happens to you, where does that leave us? Stuck in the middle of nowhere with no idea where to go. You're the only one of us three who knows this place. I lived in a Stable all my life and Night was up in the clouds. Without you, we're clueless."

Dirt sighed. "Okay, you've made your point. I'll see what they can do." He returned his focus to the path. In the distance, if he looked very closely, he could see Dust. They were close enough that he could even see that another train line, different from the one that they had ridden, passed through the town from the opposite direction. A small cargo train was stopping in front of the town as he watched.

"Too bad our train wasn't going this way," Night Shade muttered, echoing Dirt's thoughts. He looked back at her and gave an empathetic smile.

Dirt was about to say something to the pegasus, but a brilliant flash of light blinded him and dashed away any thoughts he had. The others saw it, too, and covered their eyes with a foreleg.

Then came the explosion. They were assaulted with the loudest sound they had ever heard, a deafening roar that left them torn between covering their eyes or ears. Dirt instinctively reached for Fizzy and Night, pulling them to the ground and laying prone. Not a moment later, a shockwave pushed at them, sending dust and debris into their faces. If they had been standing, they would have been blown away like leaves against the wind.

Dirt gritted his teeth, waiting for it to be over. Yet, after a solid minute, he could still hear the roar. Hesitantly, he raised his head off the ground and looked up, rubbing at his eye with a hoof.

Where the town of Dust had been just a moment ago, there was now only a fiery mushroom cloud towering above them. He stared in disbelief at the destruction in front of them. But he could only stare so long before he began to feel the heat.

He stood up, surveying the damage the explosion had done to him. He had scorch marks all along his forelegs and back, where the wave of heat and radiation had caught him.

To his right, he heard Fizzy's PipBuck clickity-clacking in alarm, possibly to alert her to her radiation level. Slowly, panic began to rise in him. If they were caught that close to the explosion, what would the long-term damage be?!

"Is everyone okay?" he managed, though his throat was rough and sore.

Night stood up, examining her scorched and singed coat. She coughed, spattering the ground with fine crimson droplets. "I'm fine. What about you, Fizzy?"

Fizzy still lay on the ground, unmoving and unconscious. She had been injured just as badly, but she was much smaller. Dirt scooped her up in his hooves, pressing his ear against her chest.

"Thank Celestia. She's just passed out. But I think we've all got a bad dose of rads." He looked at Night. "We have to go to Tenpony Tower, and fast. It's the closest place where we can get medical attention."

Night Shade nodded, but she showed the faintest amount of doubt. "Can we even afford it?"

"Do we have a choice?" Dirt shot back. He glanced back at Fizzy. "It's not far. We just have to get through Manehattan." With that, he hefted Fizzy onto his back and began at a gallop in the direction of the city. Night Shade followed behind, but both of them were beginning to feel the immediate effects of the blast. Their burns made it nearly unbearable to move, but Dirt simply ignored the pain. Fizzy needed help, and that was all that mattered.

No sooner had they started, though, Dirt began to feel weak. His muscles refused to cooperate with him, and he couldn't continue at the pace he was going at. Night, too, slowed down.

"Dirt," she said between drawn-out breaths, "we can't make it. The radiation... is screwing with us. We have to stop for a moment. Rest."

"No!" Dirt barked. "We can't. We..." He didn't even finish his sentence. He collapsed to the ground, his energy drained. Fizzy, still unconscious, toppled off his back and landed with a light thump, her breath becoming shallower by the minute. Night limped toward the filly and lay down next to her.

"Fizzy." Her voice was weak. "Please wake up. You've got to stay awake." But the unicorn did not stir. Night Shade shook her with a hoof. "Fizzy..." The pegasus closed her eyes and lay still.

Dirt was the last one conscious. He had neither the energy to stand up nor to call for help. Who the hell would he call for? They were alone, stranded and dying in the middle of the Wasteland. They had no chance. His eyelids shut, and the world slipped away from him.

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A scuffling of hooves in the dirt. Raspy voices, speaking slowly and matter-of-factly. A rustling of cloth, and the clink of glass on baked ground. Someone poured liquid down Dirt's throat. The taste of oranges. The stallion coughed once, twice. He heard hoarse words, most likely addressed to him.

"Little ponies, you have been given a second chance. A new purpose, a new goal. You shall be the courier for our message. Do not fail us."

Just like that, the voice stopped. The hoofsteps became quieter and quieter as the pony (ponies?) trotted away. Dirt felt strength return to him somehow. When he had gathered enough energy to open his eyes, he saw that it was snowing. He looked to his side, where his companions were still breathing. They were okay!

He felt the snow fall onto his shoulders and mane, but it did not melt. Then he realized something: it wasn't snow. It was falling ashes.

He saw the empty potion bottles, as well as the plastic I.V. bags with remnants of a strange orange liquid in them. RadAway. His eyes drifted to the side of these items, where an envelope lay. It was even stamped with a green wax insignia: a glowing sun. Written on the envelope was, "To DJ Pon3 of Tenpony Tower. From The Enlightened."

Curious, he stood up and picked up the letter, shaking off the ashes. Then, he shook his companions awake. "Wake up," he told them.

Fizzy awoke with little difficulty. "Oof. What the hay happened?"

Night groaned, placing a hoof on her head. "What...?" she said, opening her eyes. "Am I dead?"

"No," Dirt replied. "We're very much alive. And it appears that we've become couriers, for the time being." He showed her the letter.

She blinked. "The Enlightened... Where have we heard that before?"

"On the train. They were being delivered parts for something." He slipped the letter in his saddlebag and furrowed his brow in thought. "I've got a feeling that what's happened here is big. More important than we can possibly fathom."

Fizzy glanced at her PipBuck. "Did those Enlightened ponies heal us? My radiation level is at zero."

Dirt nodded. "I think so. If they did heal us, then delivering this is the least that we can do."

Night stretched her wings, testing them. "That healing potion was just what I needed. I think my wing's fixed." She flapped and managed to raise herself a few feet in the air.

"That's great," Dirt replied absentmindedly. He stared at the smoking remains of Dust, now just a crater in the middle of nowhere. However it had happened, and for whatever reason, somepony had deemed it necessary that it be nuked. Whoever had access to that kind of technology was a force to be reckoned with. "We should get going as soon as possible. Is everypony ready to go?"

The other two nodded. "Yeah," spoke Fizzy. "I'm ready for anything."

Dirt ruffled the filly's mane with a hoof. "Don't get too eager. It's not gonna be easy getting there. I've heard there's monsters, bandits and Celestia-knows-what out there. I've been considering this ever since those ghouls chased us, but... you may have to learn some combat spells."

Fizzy's eyes widened. "I don't know how!"

"You've already proved that you have the ability when you saved us back in Appleloosa. All you need to do is read that book and practice."

"But, but..." She sighed, resigning to his decision. "Okay. I just hope I never have to use it."

Night patted her on the back. "Hon, this is the Wasteland you're talking about. You'll have to use them eventually. That's why it's better that you learn them now, so you're prepared." She got an idea. "In fact, why don't you try that spell right now?"

Fizzy looked unsure. Nevertheless, she took a few steps away from her companions and braced herself. She narrowed her eyes in concentration. Then, after a moment of silence, her horn began to pulse with purple energy. She spread her stance a bit, clenching her teeth and focusing. But her horn abruptly fizzled, ending the spell prematurely.

She gave her friends an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. I can't."

Dirt shrugged. He figured that she wouldn't be perfect at her first try, and there was no shame in that. "It's okay. I'm sure you'll learn along the way. In the meantime, just stay close to us." He glanced to the skyscrapers a few miles away. "We should get going, before we lose what's left of our daylight."

"Right," Night Shade agreed. They set off for Tenpony Tower, their goal still fresh in their mind.

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Dirt and company trotted through the ruins of Manehattan, each lost in their own thought. Dirt was thinking over the annihilation of Dust. That town had been around for as long as he remembered, and he had been there more times than he could count. Not only that, but Daisy Petal had been heading in that direction. If she - and his gun - were in town when the bomb went off, then his journey was for nothing.

Night noticed his look of worry and placed a hoof on his shoulder. "Are you okay? You look concerned."

"Something dear to me was in Dust. My father's old gun. It was a family heirloom."

She seemed to understand. "I've lost my fair share of things. My Enclave armor is still back in New Appleloosa, under a dumpster." She elaborated: "Sure, I'm a deserter now, but I'd had it for most of my life. Funny. You get attached to the littlest things after a while."

Fizzy was marveling at the skyscrapers, which quite fit their name. "Wow. I've only heard stories about Manehattan from Stable 6. It really is as impressive as they described it."

Dirt felt like telling her that it was hardly any different from the rest of the Equestrian ruins, but he felt that she should at least have this moment to marvel at it. "As long as you're looking around so much, why don't you keep an eye out for trouble?" he asked.

She nodded. "Okay." The filly kept her eyes peeled.

"I think we're getting close," said Dirt. He looked to the building, now visible just half a mile away. Although the distance was short, one would have to account for the massive amount of debris between them and their goal.

Out of the corner of his eye, Dirt spotted something leaned up against the side of a nearby building. He turned his head to get a clearer look. It appeared to be the lifeless corpse of a mercenary, still clutching a laser rifle between its forelegs. "Look," he addressed his companions.

Night Shade grinned at the sight of energy weaponry. "Dibs on the rifle!" She cantered over to the body, eager for her share of the spoils.

Dirt scratched his head in thought. "Wait a second, Night." He hurried after her.

The pegasus ignored his warning, dragging the corpse over so she could get a better grasp at his saddlebags. That's when Dirt saw the live grenade roll out from behind the body.

Time seemed to slow down for a second as Dirt went on autopilot, instinctively kicking out a foreleg at the apple-shaped explosive. The object went soaring over their heads before ultimately detonating in midair. They were showered with debris that bounced harmlessly off their heads.

Dirt wondered if he had ever mentioned how much he fucking hated grenades.

The stallion could feel his heart pounding in his chest. "You idiot!" he shouted at Night. "You nearly got yourself killed!"

"I could have kicked it away," the pegasus argued back. "Stop worrying so much." She claimed her prize, examining it with great interest. "It was worth it, anyway. This rifle is in pristine condition!"

Dirt groaned. "Is that all you can think about? Your precious laser rifle?"

A shot rang out from down the street, ricocheting off of the concrete and embedding itself in the wall of a building. Dirt tensed, looking for cover from the unexpected shooter. He spotted a nearby carriage wreck and pointed it out to his companions. They all got behind it just as the second shot rang out, landing where they had been not a moment ago.

"We're not out of danger yet!" Dirt said, raising his shotguns.

Fizzy covered her eyes, planted firmly behind the carriage to avoid becoming a target. "You think?"

Night aimed down her rifle's sights, trying to spot the attacker. She fired a volley of shots in quick succession, then peered over the side of the carriage to draw the sniper's fire. It did not elude Dirt that this was an efficient military tactic; clearly her time in the Enclave had been worth something.

Another shot sounded, striking the carriage and narrowly avoiding Night's head. She leaned back behind cover. "The shooter's in the building across from us. Center window, first floor."

Dirt nodded, knowing what he needed to do. "You suppress him with your rifle and I'll close in for the kill." He rushed out of cover as soon as Night resumed firing, occasionally ducking behind trash cans and other debris for protection. Then he made his way to the building, shotguns poised to fire.

He kicked the door open, whirling around to face the shooter. But to his surprise, the shooter wasn't a raider.

It was just a colt, no older than Fizzy, holding a weathered cowboy repeater. Dirt was prepared to kill almost anypony to keep his group safe. From ghouls to Steel Rangers to Hellhounds. But he was not prepared to start killing foals.

The colt was midway in raising his gun to Dirt's head when the stallion trotted over and knocked him out with a swipe of his hoof. The boy collapsed in a heap.

"Didn't your momma ever tell you not to play with guns?" Dirt muttered before trotting back out and rejoining Night and Fizzy.