The Voyage to Asclepius

The only two (2) companions I've ever had in this world have left me for dead. Misaki May, a filly whose only goal is to find out who she really is, has been angered by my cruel and harsh words. Shrubbery, a timberwolf that is loyal to the filly, was most likely the mode of transport for Misaki. I theorize that she loaded all the supplies onto the timberwolf, and then left in an unknown direction. She probably didn't want me to follow her, maybe she thinks she can handle this entire situation on her own.

Fortunately, she didn't take Shrubbery's paw prints into account. He had left a trail of triangular claw marks in the sand that lead off towards the sunrise. There's nothing to pack up, so I guess I'll start following these tracks.

I begin walk through the sand, a light breeze is blowing grains of sand past my hooves. The sun rises above the sand dunes in the distance, and I'll soon be staring directly into it. I trot closer and closer to dunes, but they to be getting farther away from me. The giant boulder behind can still be seen, which proves that I haven't been walking for very long. But it seems like an hour has passed already, I fear I'll never find those two at this rate.

I'm starting to tire, my legs can't carry me any further. I've reached the top of a sand dune, and my body collapses onto the sand head-first.

"Where in the world are you two..." I muffle through the sand.

The sun is showering me and the sand around me with boiling hot rays. If I could get up, I could. But this heat is unbearable and I can't even move my head up from the sand to look over the dune. My eyes are shut tightly, so sand can't get inside. But something makes me scramble to my hooves rapidly. A noise echoes in the distance. It's a... Purring noise? It's very quiet, and soft. But it's gradually becoming louder and louder. Is it... Getting closer?

My head shoots up to see what's making the noise. I never thought to look past the dune. My first thought was to collapse and catch my breath in the sand. Looking up, I see three (3) blurry objects in the distance. Whatever they are, they're approaching me. And at a fast pace as well.

I'm betting that those things aren't as friendly as I hope they are. But on the other hoof, they might know where Misaki and our timberwolf could have gotten off to. That is, if they're sane enough to understand me. Then again... Everything I've seen in this world seems pretty intelligent...

I think the first thing I should figure out is what exactly is coming my way. 'They' are too far away to see clearly. However, I can see their numbers quite well. Three (3) blurry objects speed towards me, and I attempt to trot down the steep sand dune. But as soon as I take a step, another loud noise rings out.

*BANG*

Something speedily flies into the sand below me. I may not know who I am, but I do know what bullets are. And bullets come from guns, and it takes a somewhat intelligent being to handle a gun. Now I know for sure that these are some relatively sound creatures. But my guess is that they don't plan on giving me directions, seeing as they just began shooting at me.

It doesn't seem like I can do anything in this situation. Fighting back is out of the question, and I probably wouldn't get very far by running away. There's a slim chance that negotiation could work, but I have nothing to bargain with; seeing as a certain somepony made off with all of my food and water.

Well looks like none of those are an option now, aside from negotiations, as the three (3) creatures are within sight now. The first thing I notice is their transportation, motorbikes? The gas powered machines stop at the foot of the sand hill, and I can clearly see the creatures on motorbikes.

My assailants are... Dogs?! Before I can question this strange turn of events any further, one of the dogs shouts at me.

"Oi! You up there! Git down here before I pop one in 'yer noggin!" He yells with a thick accent that I can barely understand.

I nod, and proceed down the dune. As I reach the base of the sand hill, I see the dogs more clearly, as well as their guns. The one on the right carried a long shotgun on his shoulder, and the one on the far right had a long barrelled rifle hanging from his neck by a strap. Then there was the dog in the middle, he certainly looked like the gang-leader type. A short barrel revolver hung from a holster that was stitched into the sash on his chest. The roaring of their motorcycles, along with the smoke emitting from their exhaust pipes, amplified the toughness of these 'dogs'.

I build up the courage of "Excuse me, but could you--"

The right-hand dog immediately pulls out his gun and fires a bullet to my right.

*BANG*

"Hey hey hey! Easy there pal, I just wanna know if you saw a filly and a timberwolf anywhere around here!" I shout at the top of my lungs. In retrospect, that probably wasn't the smartest idea in the world.

The dog on the left speaks up in a flat, rather dumb-sounding voice, "Oi boss, didn't we see sometin' sorta like 'dat a little while back?"

Then the dog on the right shouts in the same dumb-sounding voice, but a little more aggressive, "Shat yer' trap Brown! Don't tell 'em nothin!"

Their accents are ridiculously annoying, I can barely understand a word they're saying. Fortunately, the middle dog seems to have an understandable accent.

He holsters his gun, and begins to speak, "I'm terribly sorry for my companions' behaviour. Now, about that timberwolf..."

"You've seen them?!" I ask.

As I ask, the dog on the right quickly takes aim at me with his rifle, "Don't bite 'da hand 'dat feeds ya mate! Let him finish!"

I take a step back slowly, and the dog in the middle raises his paw to signal the other canine to back off as well.

He sighs, "I cannot express how sorry I am, I'll deal with him later. But the two individuals you're looking for just happen to pass by through by our base. Or rather, through our base."

"Through?" I ask.

"That wolf of her's trampled through camp, and happened to take down one of our medical tents. The armoury collapsed too, that timberwolf packs a punch I'll tell ya that!"

Shrubbery doesn't look like he's able to act without commands. Why would Misaki tell him to do something like raid a camp? Wait... Camp...

I've come to a realization, that there are other life forms in this damn desert. But I can't dawdle on this new fact, I need to find my original companions.

The middle dog continues, "After that filly and her 'Branch-Mutt' trashed our base, they headed off towards Caduceus."

My eyes light up, and my ears perk high, "Caduceus?!"

"Uh... Yeah. It's north-west of our base camp. Why? You looking for something there?" He asks.

"Yeah, you can say that. I-If it's not too much trouble, could I please get a ride to your camp?" I ask desperately.

He looks to his left, and then his right, and then straight at me.

"Sure. In fact, maybe you can help us catch that filly."

I nod, and approach the centre dog's bike. He pats the empty seat behind him. I climb on, and try to avoid any physical contact with the dog. He revs the motorbike up, and smoke begins to rise behind me. Soon, the bike begins to move. His companions follow us as we do a complete loop and head off in the opposite direction of the sand dune.

I raise my voice over the sound of the engine, "By the way, what's I never asked what your name!"

"My name? It's Black! Black Blizzard! What about you?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out..." I reply in a quiet volume, but he seems to notice regardless.

Now I have a plan. Find Caduceus, and in turn, find Misaki. And if the right cards are played right, I'll find out who I am.

We zoom through the desert, and I see something in the distance. It looks like... A building.