Balefire Visions: Three Little Ponies

by earthrise

Rating: teen
Tags: Adventure, Crossover, Tragedy, Dark
Length: 1755

The CMC get more than they bargain for with their cutie-marks: a warning from the future.

The Cutie-Mark Crusaders get what they've always wished for- but at a terrible price.

Can they save pony and zebra alike from the dark future that looms ahead?

Who will save them from themselves?

Based on KKAT's Fallout Equestria.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2011-11-12 05:59:20 UTC

How Did It Come To This?

AN: I don't own Fallout, MLP:FIM, nor am I KKAT.

Balefire Visions

Chapter 1: How Did It Come to This?

Three little ponies looked at the moon.

They had done it.

The ultimate heresy, and they had done it.

It was far easier than it ought to have been—the hardest part had to have been dealing with Applejack's inherent ability to sniff out lies.

Luna hadn't even woken up until the ritual was almost complete, but by then there was nothing she could do. Her terrified sobbing nearly broke the trio's resolve, but they were ready for what came next.

Celestia arrived, an angry solar flare in pony form, tearing through walls as if they were made of paper, ready to strike down whatever had dared attack her beloved sister.

It was exactly what Apple Bloom had planned for.

As soon as she entered the room, the circle seized the alicorn, completing the spell.

Chains of ether grew from the circle and began to drag the Sisters into the ground. Celestia roared in anger and the flames in her mane flared brighter than the very sun that they were drawn from, only to be absorbed into the arcane trap that bound her.

Celestia tried to think of a way to escape, but in the end could only stare in shock and betrayal at three of her littlest ponies that sat in the corner of the room.

“W-why?” She asked.

“It's the only way to save everypony,” said Sweetie Belle.

“We're sorry,” said Scootaloo.

Celestia's eyes widened as she sunk further into the eldritch design.

“And T-twilight?”

“She'll be fine Princess. Ah'm sorry about everything. But this is best for everypony,” said Applebloom.

Luna was now gone entirely, and only Celestia's head could be seen protruding from the circle.

She gazed at the three fillies who stared at her, their eyes dark and haunted. She searched deep within them, finding regret, apology, and a great and terrible determination that frightened even her, a millennia old demi-goddess.

The Alicorn closed her eyes.

"I forgive you."

With that, she ceased her struggles, letting herself be pulled to her fate. With nary a sound, both princess and circle disappeared, leaving them alone in the room.

Three little ponies looked at the moon.

Two sad ponies looked down at the world.

A Chance To Save Us All

AN: I don't own Fallout, MLP:FIM, nor am I KKAT.

Balefire Visions

Chapter 2: A Chance To Save Us All

Three little ponies woke up screaming.

Scootaloo's throat burned raw as she fought down the sheer horror of what she had witnessed

Ponies lived on in rotten flesh, and were slowly cooked alive by an invisible menace that could permeate air, food, and water.

Scootaloo generally enjoyed the freedom of living alone. Her apartment was spartan in its furnishings, but that was how she liked itThis was one of the few times she ever cursed not staying at the orphanage, because she could sure use some positive attention right now.

Because she knew, as sure as Celestia made the sun rise each morning, that that had not been a thrice-damned nightmare. Her eyes crept toward her flank, and sure enough, this time there was something there.

A rad symbol stared back at her.

~~~

Sweetie Belle woke up screaming.

A dark and malevolent fire devoured all in its wake, buildings and ponies alike.

What a horrible nightmare.

"Still, just a nightmare," she said to herself sternly. "It doesn't matter how well I can recall it-there's no way it could have been anything but a nightmare."

She calmed down a bit, and got out of bed, walking over to the vanity in her room.

Something was on her flank. Several emotions flashed through her.

Confusion. What was that?

Excitement. A cutie mark!

And finally a slow shivering horror as she inspected it.

It was balefire.

~~~

Apple Bloom woke up screaming.

A single flash. Cities gone in an instant, flesh burning off of bones and shadows forever seared into concrete.

She shook herself, and Applejack poked her head into her room.

"Everything alright Sugarcube?"

"Just a nightmare, sis. Just a nightmare."

Apple Bloom finished getting ready, and headed downstairs to get some breakfast.

Applejack looked up from where she was making pancakes in the kitchen, and gave her an odd startled look.

Apple Bloom returned her look, and was about to ask her sister what was wrong before a giant grin appeared on her sister's face, surprising her and making her forget what she was going to say.

Applejack didn't give her sister time to recover. "So anything new darlin'? Getting good marks in school?"

Big Mac peered at her as well with a small smirk on his face.

"Uh, Ah jest gave ya mah report card on Friday Applejack. Ah'm doin jest fine."

The pancakes were delicious as always, but Applejack kept saying weird stuff, and Big Macintosh just wouldn't quit smirking.

"It's such a shame that Appleoosa's been havin' a bad year. Why, they've had to mark up prices somethin' fierce!"

"Eyup."

Her big brother's stupid smirk got bigger and threatened to turn into an actual smile.

"Mark mah words, thing's are gonna be crazy during this next winter wrapup."

Apple Bloom couldn't take it anymore.

"An' they say little sisters are supposed ta be the annoyin' ones. Ah'm headin' ta school before y'all get any weirder!" She stomped her hooves for emphasis.

Big Macintosh started guffawing, and rolling on the floor, and her sister looked like she was fixing to join in. Apple Bloom slowly backed out of the room, away from the crazy ponies her brother and sister had become.

Her brother and sister's strange antics had the unfortunate effect of making her late to class. Though she ran as fast as she could, she was still going to get that look and another lecture from Miss Cheerilee.

As soon as she stepped in the door though, ready to make her excuses, Miss Cheerilee spoke up.

"Oh, Apple Bloom, how wonderful! I suppose I can excuse your lateness just this once, if you would do the class a small favor."

"What's that?" Asked Apple Bloom suspiciously.

"Why, explain your cutie mark of course."

Apple Bloom froze, and turned her gaze toward her flank.

A mega-spell.

It was a Celestia-damned mega-spell, pictured on her flank for all to see.

Memories of Manehatten, consumed in a single instant, swamped her and she couldn't keep her breakfast down anymore, fortunately aiming successfully for the trash in the corner of the room.

A cacophony of shouts of disgust began, but she paid them no mind, taking a few moments to gather her wits, and wipe off her mouth. She had to get out, had to run.

"Miss Cheerilee," said Applebloom with a barely noticeable quiver in her voice, "Ah'm goin' home now." Before there could be any protest she was off and running again.

She didn't go home. Instead she went to the clubhouse, hoping to get a little time to herself.

It was not to be.

She had been beaten there by the other crusaders, who were looking at her with grim eyes.

They all broke down in tears, because after some shocks, that's all you can do.

Good Intentions

Three little ponies wept in a clubhouse, and three little ponies swore an accord. They would do anything to prevent that terrible future.

But first, they needed a plan.

~~~

Twilight Sparkle disappeared a month before The Change.

Spike woke up in the morning with a small pile of gems tucked in next to him, with a note from Twilight saying that she would be back in two weeks time, that she had to do some special research, and to keep the library clean.

Spike grumbled and didn't think anything of it.

Twilight didn't write that note.

~~~

Sweetie Belle stood next to the open window. Owlowicious, for all his verbal eccentricities, may as well have been a clockwork owl. Every night, at precisely 11:45 PM, he would go out and hunt for precisely one hour. One hour in which the only occupants of the library were a dead to the world baby dragon, and a purple unicorn straining to keep her eyes open just a little bit longer.

Sweetie sighed, and began the performance.

"Hush, now, quiet now,

It's time to lay your sleepy head,

Hush, now, quiet now,

It's time to go to bed."

Her voice was a gentle river, and the over-studious unicorn began to float away with it.

"Drift, drift off to sleep

The exciting day behind you,

Drift, drift off to sleep

Let the joy of dreamland find you."

Twilight finally did fall asleep to the last notes of the lullaby.

When she woke up, she was blindfolded, gagged, tied up, and had some magic restricting device clamped onto her horn. She fought the urge to struggle wildly, and instead cautiously tested the strength of her restraints.

"Hey there Twilight," said a voice.

Twilight recognized that voice. It was Apple Bloom!

"Hey Twilight," echoed another two.

Ah, and that had to be the other two Crusaders. She was saved!

"We're awful sorry," said Apple Bloom. "I would've preferred if you hadn't woken up for this."

Twilight's heart skipped a beat. Nothing good could come of that statement.

"If it doesn't work, we'll make sure Spike is looked after," continued Apple Bloom.

At this, Twilight began frantically squirming and wriggling, but the ropes held fast, the blindfold stayed on and the gag stayed in.

"Splrnhcth," said Apple Bloom.

Twilight felt a terrible tearing sensation in her brain, and then nothing at all.

"Did it work, Apple Bloom?" Scootaloo asked.

Apple Bloom nodded, closing the disturbing spell book with a shudder before quickly bandaging the wounds on her forelegs.

"You do have phase two ready, right Scootaloo?" She asked.

"Yeah, it's in the box over there. I swear you picked me for that just because of what happened on the sleepover at Fluttershy's."

Sweetie Belle untied Twilight and removed the twenty-five horn pacifiers they had "borrowed" from the local day-care.

Between the three of them, they managed to get the drooling Twilight arranged in a decent pose, staring at a flap in the side of the box.

Scootaloo opened the flap, and Twilight Sparkle became a statue for the second time in her life.

~~~

Three little ponies slept uneasily in a treehouse, wondering if good intentions were really an excuse.