It is two hundred years after the end of the Great War.

The pre-war Whinnysota Territory, which had already suffered from years of being on the front lines of the war, bore some of the worst damage from the apocalypse. Now known simply as the Territory, anarchy and lawlessness prevail despite the efforts of independent towns, factions, and above all, the rapidly-declining yet once-powerful Territorial Commonwealth. Organized gangs, raiders, and wildlife rule over the Territory from the desolate villages to the ruined capital city of Buckley, and no one has lived to tell of what lurks in what were once the trenches which held Equestria's valiant defenders.

Turquoise, a hard-working mare fallen on hard times in the trading town of Quarton, is forced to borrow caps from a shady, mysterious stallion. What would ensue after she fails to repay the loan would force her into adventures across the dessicated wasteland no one wanted to start - least of all Turquoise, who wished only to return home.

This is her story, and that of those who, by chance, were sucked into the same maelstrom.