Character bio; (WARNING: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!!)
Twilight Sparkle: Twilight is a unicorn mare with a smart mind and a resident of the Lunar Republic. She's the student of Princess Luna. She is 16 years-old and wears a school-like uniform first and later, a white T-shirt, a purple skirt and a sweater vest with the Wonderbooms sign on the back. Although she was raised in the Lunar Republic, she was born in the Badlands, until her parents asked Lady Celestia to send her away to somewhere safe before they were killed by bandits. When she returned to the Badlands years later, she joins the Wonderbooms sand pirates to search for Lady Celestia and her home village. She has a strong rivalry with Trixie Lulamoon.
Spike the Dragon: The childhood friend of Twilight Sparkle and close friend of Dragon Lord, Ember. He wears a green T-shirt and black shorts. He's the same age as Twilight, although he seems like a 13 year-old. When he and Twilight end up in the Badlands and join the Wonderbooms, he gains feelings for Rarity. He and Twilight both become navigators of the Wonderbooms.
Rainbow Dash: A rainbow-coloured mane Pegasus and captain of the Wonderbooms. Rainbow was born and raised in 'Junkyard Region' and set out on an adventure two years ago. She wears a captain's uniform and a pair of steampunk goggles. She's a huge fan of the Badland sport, Dune-Boarding. She has a childhood friend and partner-in-crime, Indigo Zap. She has a strong rivalry with Lightning Dust. Rainbow has strong feelings for Soarin, a member of the Badland Guard.
Rarity: A 16 year-old, purple-maned unicorn and clothing designer/cook of the Wonderbooms. Rarity was born in the most legendary part of the Badlands, Dead City, the ruins of the former Canterlot City. She wears a designer cloak, a purple silk scarf and a pair of sunglasses. Rarity is a girl of fashion, always about what to wear. She has a crush on Spike, thus, has a love-rivalry with Trixie Lulamoon.
Applejack: 16 years-old and your basic country earth pony, Applejack(AKA, AJ) works as the marks-woman/shipwright of the Wonderbooms. She was born in Dodge City, the harvesting part of the Badlands. She's also a lover of apple cider. She wears a red, buttoned Y-shirt, brown jeans, a pair of leather boots, gloves with fist-spikes and her favourite hat. Applejack has strong feelings for Digger Heatwave(My OC) which creates her love-rivalry with Jubilee.
Fluttershy: Fluttershy is a timid and shy 15 year-old pegasus mare. She works as the medic/nurse of the Wonderbooms. She wears a nature themed gown, a pair of bunny-shaped slippers and a pink flower piece in her hair. Fluttershy was born from the most forbidden place in all of the Badlands, the Everfree Jungle, the only spot in the Badlands with trees and water. Raised by her loving family and living with the animals, she grew up as an animal-lover. She's also childhood friends with Rainbow Dash.
Pinkie Pie: As a 15 year-old, pink earth pony, Pinkie is a bubbly girl with the dream of making everypony in Badlands happy and smiling! She wears a pink 'poofy' shirt, a short skirt with balloons on it, a pair of clown shoes and a sailor hat. Although she's quite odd sometimes, Pinkie is a good friend to her loving friends. She works as the lookout of the Wonderbooms. She was born in the 'Lower Graves' part of the Badlands, on her family's rock farm. How her personality came to be, no-pony knows.
Sunset Shimmer: 16 years-old, kind-hearted and brave, Sunset is a red and orange-haired unicorn mare. She works as the ship's driver of the Wonderbooms. She wears red dungarees, a blue T-shirt, a leather jacket, a pair of leather boots and leather gloves. She was born in Dead City, the same as Rarity. She's quite nervous when it comes to making new friends, but she gets along well with Twilight and the others. She built the ship when she was young and named it, 'Floating Hope!'
Zecora: A wondering zebra of the Zebra Clan from Zebra Village. She's mysterious and always speaks in rhyme, which gets on Rainbow's nerves. Whenever/where-ever she's needed, no matter where they are, she's always there.
Trixie Lulamoon: Trixie is a travelling unicorn mare and a professional thief. She wears a blue hoodie, dark-blue shorts, a pair of black boots, a show-pony cape and a magician hat. She vows to rob every single sand pirate in all of the Badlands. Now, she has set her sights on the Wonderbooms. She later gains a strong hatred and strong rivalry with Twilight Sparkle. Trixie was born in the same place as Twilight was. She also has strong feelings for Spike, always trying to seduce him and threaten to take him away from them, thus, making her love-rivalry with Rarity.
Digger Heatwave: A 16 year-old, blue earth pony, Digger wonders all over the Badlands, working as a traveling tunnel-digger. He wears a brown coat, wrapped around his upper-body, baggy shorts, a pair of sandals, half a boat packed on his back, a scarf-hood, a whole lift-hand glove and a fingerless right-hand glove. He digs tunnels and mines all around to earn money. He was born in the underground village of Diamond Hound. He journeys towards Zebra Village to help himself find inner-peace. He also gains feelings for Applejack.
Lightning Dust: A Pegasus pony and a professional Dune-Boarder. She wears a ripped-up T-shirt, jeans with lightning bolts on each leg, boots with spikes on the toe-caps and bandages wrapped around her hands. Born and raised in the 'Junkyard Region', Lightning has dedicated herself to one thing and one thing only, to win, even if she has to cheat. When she got beaten by Rainbow Dash long ago, she's been her rival ever since. She's the twin sister of Indigo Zap.
Badland Guard: The Badland Guard is a royal guard force, who's duty is to protect Lady Celestia and maintain order in Dead City and keep the chaos in all of Badlands to a minimum. It is led by Lady Celestia's bodyguard and Twilight's older brother, Shining Armour. The Badland Guard armour is a golden chest armour plate, scrap-metal shoulder pads and an iron belt-buckle in the shape of Lady Celestia's symbol. The 'Out-Post' team is made up of Spitfire, Fleetfoot, Soarin, and Whiplash, the four most toughest ponies of all of Badland Guard. This small group has a task of hunting bandits and sand pirates.
Soarin: He is a 17 year-old Pegasus pony and a member of the Badland Guard. He wears the Badland Guard armour, a pair of blue boots and his favourite wing-gloves. He loves eating pies and catching bandits and sand pirates. Being in the Badland Guard has been in his family for generations, making him feel like he has a purpose. Being the kind pony he is, he hates beating up criminals, as its against his family's code of honour. Soarin gains feelings for Rainbow Dash, which cause his team-mates to hit him on the head for falling for a sand pirate.
Spitfire: An 18 year-old Pegasus and leader of the 'Out-Post' team of the Badland Guard. She wears the Badland Guard armour, bandages wrapped around her feet and a silver helmet. Spitfire dedicates herself to her role in the Badland Guard, taking her job very seriously. She has a rule about 'no chatting with lowly scum', meaning bandits and sand pirates. She even hates outsiders from any of the four countries, hating how they say terrible things about the Badlands, in other words, her home. She's also a professional Dune-Boarder. She always shouts and hits Soarin for falling for Rainbow Dash, a sand pirate. She has a crush on Whiplash(another OC).
Fleetfoot: Fleetfoot is 17 years-old, a Pegasus pony and a member of the Badland Guard. She wears the Badland Guard armour, pants with multiple pockets and a bandanna over her mouth. Fleetfoot, like Spitfire, takes her job very seriously. Unlike Spitfire, she mostly prefers to use her skills to help other members of the Badland Guard. She's extremely hot-headed and always gets into arguments with Spitfire. She has a habit of picking on Whiplash and laughing sarcastically.
Whiplash: A 17 year-old grey Pegasus stallion and a member of the Badland Guard. He wears the Badland Guard armour, black pants, white boots and a pair of aviator goggles. He's quite out-going on missions but he has motion sickness, making him sick whenever he's on the Guard Ship, a large airship for the Badland Guard. Although he lacks physical strength, Whiplash's true strength is his knowledge of machines and warships. He uses his skills to help out with the Guard Ship. He gains feelings for Spitfire, who always stands up for him whenever Fleetfoot teases him.
Indigo Zap: Indigo is the twin sister of Lightning Dust and childhood friend of Rainbow Dash. She wears a sleeveless, grey shirt, baggy jeans, a pair of sandals and her favourite goggles. As a fellow Pegasus pony, she was born in the 'Junkyard Region', same as Rainbow. She still lives there, but lives as a Dune-Boarder and a worker at the local pawn shop. She's the vice-president of the Wonderbooms fan-club. She even travels to other Dune-Boarding tournaments, getting to see Rainbow from time to time. She does get annoyed by her sister's ramblings on getting revenge on Rainbow Dash.
Lady Celestia: Once a princess, like her sister Luna, Celestia still rules over the former country, only now with a slightly different way of ruling. Now ruling the Badlands, she protects her precious wasteland with all her might. She even made a law about no-pony being allowed to leave the Badlands unless being banished or if they have her personal permission to. She accepted Twilight's parents' request to send her to the Lunar Republic but was too late to save them, thus, made respected graves for them. She wishes to one day, be reunited with her sister.
Princess Luna: Sister of Lady Celestia, Luna rules over the Lunar Republic and serves as its protector and as Twilight's teacher. Luna rules with kindness and love, just like her loving sister. She represents the moon, as the citizens of the Lunar Republic worship her and the moon and have festivals/celebrations representing the might of the night. When she found out about Canterlot and Celestia's downfall, she was extremely heart-broken. She knew that her sister was still alive and spent her free time searching for her. She gets a few letters from Celestia a few times, just to let her know that she's okay. She always knew that the Badlands was not all bad as other ponies say it is. When she received a prophecy about her student, Twilight, venturing through the Badlands, Luna put her very trust in this prophecy and her student, hoping that Twilight would find her sister.
Scootaloo: A young 9 year-old Pegasus filly and president of the Wonderbooms fan club. Scootaloo is friends with Sweetie Belle and Applebloom and is the biggest fan of Rainbow Dash, who sees Scootaloo as a little sister. After her parents died from an accident with their boat, Scootaloo was taken in by the Dashes and lived with Rainbow, looking up to her as if she was her real sister. Growing up a 'Junkyard Region' pony, she became a huge fan of Dune-Boarding and dreams of one day, becoming a Dune-Boarding champion!
Applebloom: Born in Dodge City as the little sister of Applejack, Applebloom is a playful 9 year-old Earth pony filly and is friends with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Being raised by her Granny Smith, big brother 'Big Mac' and big sister Applejack, Applebloom hopes of one day making her very own apple farm and go on adventures, just like her sister. She likes dungarees and rodeo sports. Whenever somepony says she's 'too little' for something, she always gets mad by saying 'Hey! Ah'm a BIG pony!!'
Sweetie Belle: Sweetie Belle is a 9 year-old Unicorn filly and the little sister of Rarity. She is friends with Applebloom and Scootaloo. She was born and raised in Dead City and learned how to sew clothes and make new capes for her and her friends. She tries her best to help the ponies of her neighbourhood. All she wants is to be helpful as she can be. Her dream is to be an official 'Dead City Helper'! She does intend to get into trouble every now and then, causing things to fall down and cause a huge mess within the house.
Vast Winds: Badlands' one and only Bat-pony and the owner/announcer of the Dune-Boarding tournaments. Vast Winds acts as a oracle-speaking traveller, but that is all an act. He's really a gem-loving dealer and uses his quick thinking to sweet-talk himself into any deal and out of any trouble. He will accept any bribe from anypony, even from those who are willing to cheat. His favourite Dune-Boarders are Rainbow Dash, Spitfire and Lightning Dust.
Captain Sombra: An all powerful Unicorn and captain of the bloodthirsty sand pirates, the Shadows. His goal is to steal every last gem from every last corner of Badlands. He'll even sacrifice one of his own ponies to do it. He and his pirates are in partnership with the savage bandits of the Silent Void, promising them a way back to their home countries. Sombra aims to use the legendary Crystal Heart to teleport him and his pirates to the Crystal Empire, where he is free to wreck havoc upon the crystal country. All his life, all he ever wanted was all of the crystals and gems in world.
Warlady Chrysalis: This Unicorn was once a being of love, until her home was attacked and her body was filled with bullet holes. Surviving such pain and loss, her heart changed, yearning for revenge. Now, she's a being of pure hatred and disharmony. Chrysalis is now the war-lady of the Badlands, aiming to take over the dystopia and rule over it with an iron fist. She, along with her legion of a thousand berserkers, rampages all across Badlands in hopes of destroying Lady Celestia and taking her throne. She has a strong hatred of sand pirates, thus her being at war with Captain Sombra and his Shadows. Where she goes, no-pony is safe!
Discord: A unique creature, a draconequus in fact, who lives for chaos. Discord is the mayor of Freedom's Paradise, the sand-pirate haven and lets any form of chaos run wild and free in his town. He's a trickster and, what many might call, a swindler. He always tricks ponies into giving him what he wants. He once wanted complete rule over Badlands but, as time marched on, lost interest in the goal. He now only aims to control all the chaos and crime within Freedom's Paradise. Be careful not to trust this guy. Whatever he says, might make you want to regret meeting him.
Blood Horizon: A dangerous Unicorn stallion and deadly bounty hunter. He wears a brown and torn cloak with a bamboo hat and a gas mask, covering only his mouth. He has grey pants, grey boots and wears a left-handed glove which he uses to wield his Katana blade. Blood Horizon, along with his partner Aria Blaze, travels all around the Badlands hunting down the most dangerous criminals and collecting the highest bounties ever! Together, they are 'Blood-Blaze', the two deadliest freelance bounty hunters ever to exist or ever will exist. Blood had a run-in with 'The Shadows' a long time ago when he was little as they stole everything from his family and killed them, leaving him all alone. Ever since then, he vowed to rid the Badlands of every last 'scum' out there. Partnering up with Aria, he hunted down and exterminated all of they're targets. They're at the point where ponies would call them assassins rather than bounty hunters, but Blood prefers to end a hunt, permanently!!!
Aria Blaze: A Pegasus mare and deadly freelance bounty hunter. She wears a sleeveless green jacket, wearing only a black bra underneath. She also wears blue short-jeans, a pair of black boots and silver steampunk goggles over her neck. Aria Blaze is one of those 'I don't care as long as I get my money' type of ponies. She doesn't seem to care about anything except hunting and money. While Blood Horizon does it for vengeance, she does it for money and only money. Growing up a small time thief, she grew from needing money to wanting money. She met Blood and partnered up with him, forming 'Blood-Blaze' and hunted down and exterminated every single 'prey', as she calls them. They're at the point where ponies would call them assassins rather than bounty hunters, although Aria would 'love' to 'correct' them.
Badland location info:
The Badlands are what's left of the great country of Canterlot. Leaving only sand and ruins behind, the great tragedy caused many deaths of many innocent ponies. While most ponies fight for survival, some still follow Lady Celestia's rule of friendship. Money is now only used as antiques for collectors to find and display in their homes. The only currency in the Badlands are seeds and gems. Despite the destruction that goes on within this dystopia, magic and friendship still run through the veins of these ponies. The Badlands are protected by Lady Celestia, its powerful and benevolent ruler.
Junkyard Region: The Junkyard Region is a small town, where everything, including the houses, is made out of pieces of scrap metal and junk. Here, everything rough and tough can be found. As a small Pegasus town, Pegassi live in this place to train to survive the Badlands and practice the famous Badlands sport, Dune-Boarding. Led by the General named Storm Teller, any criminal out there regrets messing with this town and its ponies!
Dead City: This place is the main capital of the Badlands. It is what's left of the capital city of the old country Canterlot, Canterlot City. Home to many Unicorns, Dead City is rich with seeds and gems, making it the most powerful city in all of the Badlands. Although the ponies of Dead City don't let their city's reputation go to their heads, they do pride themselves on style and magic lessons. If you want to live a safe and stylish life, Dead City is the place for you.
Dodge City: Home to many Earth-ponies and the only harvesting grounds around in the Badlands. Dodge City is filled with fields and small houses made of wood. The ponies of this fair city work themselves all the way to the bone, a few even worked themselves to death. The only times when no-pony is working are when they are celebrating their monthly cider festivals. Here, seeds are made and sent out towards other ponies to use and/or exchange. It may be hard work, but the ponies of Dodge City love and are proud of their life here and think nothing more of it.
Diamond Hound: An underground village, where anything gem is dug up from this place and shipped out to the surface. Diamond Hound is home to many professional diggers like Digger Heatwave. Only a few ponies are allowed to go up to the surface, acting as delivery ponies in order to ship the gems to other ponies of the Badlands.
The Silent Void: A deadly section of the Badlands, where banished ponies and Griffins alike, from the four countries become bandits and attack anypony passing through, including other bandits. Most ponies go in, few come out. But it's the only quick route from Diamond Hound to Dead City.
Tragedy Graveyard: A large place filled with destroyed homes and wooden crosses, placed as graves. These graves are those whose lives have been lost. The red crosses represent the graves of those who have lost their lives in battle in the Badlands. The golden crosses represent the ponies who've died during the great tragedy, from the old country, Canterlot. These golden graves are the most respected by all ponies, even the vile and evil ones.
Zebra Village: In this small yet mystical village, Zebras live in peace within this sandy country. Most Zebras welcome visitors with open arms. Think of it as a shaman village, where Zebras learn all types of mystical magic from long before the great tragedy. This village is led by their kind chief, Chief Loco.
Everfree Jungle: This is the most forbidden place to enter in all of the Badlands. It is the only place with tress, water and animals. It is home to many animals and a small animal-loving family named the Shy's. Despite many wanting its endless supply of water, no-pony ever dares to go into this jungle.
The Death Dunes: This is where the most dangerous and deadliest of all Dune-Boarding games are held. On this track, dangers lurk ahead while the competitors play the game at the same time. Even deadly bandits engage the players in battle.
Castle Ruins: This is where Lady Celestia lives and watches over her beloved wasteland. With only one large section of the castle still standing and sturdy, Castle Ruins serves as a symbol of hope to all of the peaceful living ponies out there. When the great tragedy happened, the castle it once was, Royal Sun, fell to rubble and reduced to ruin, along with every other former city within the Badlands. It's just a few miles away from Dead City. You can't miss it.
Angel's Hope: This town is the birth place of Twilight Sparkle and Trixie Lulamoon. This is where knowledge is being revived from the ashes of the past and into the future generations of the Badlands. It was led by its most greatest researchers ever, Night Light and Twilight Velvet. Once attacked by savage bandits, causing the entire town to evacuate until the bandits were caught by the Badland Guard. When its leaders were killed during the raid, the town is now led by Researcher Moondancer. The town still waits for the day that the beloved daughter of their fallen leaders would return.
Freedom's Paradise: This small town is where sand pirates from all over the Badlands come and relax/have fun from all of their venturing. With no law in this town, the residents are free to steal, destroy and even riot when ever they want. The only time when it isn't filled with fights and riots is when the Badland Guard are in town, making its residents all nice and quiet for one whole day. Led by its mayor, Discord, chaos is nothing more than a way to spend your average day. The most famous place in this town is its famous bar, the Mad Rage, where any sand pirate can relax, sit back and have a drink with no cares at all.
1. Enter the Badlands: part 1.
Long ago, in the peaceful world of Equestria, there were five countries. Each country has its own ruler and way of life.
The first country was the Crystal Empire, the famous kingdom of crystal ponies and royal celebrations. Ruled by the princess of love, Princess Cadence.
The second country was prideful city of Griffonstone, the city of treasure and inventions. There, Griffins collected treasure from ruins and invented machines used in Equestria today.
The third country was the great Dragon Country, the only place to find the great civilisation of Dragon-kind. In charge of this country in a family line of Dragon Lords, passed down from generation to generation.
The fourth country was the Lunar Republic, the wonderful place that represents the moon and stars of night. Ruled by the beautiful and fair Princess Luna, the citizens of this republic grace themselves on the pride of the night.
The fifth country was Equestria's biggest country of all, the kingdom of Canterlot! With its great capital, Canterlot City, Canterlot is ruled by the most powerful princess in all of Equestria, Princess Celestia, known for being blessed with so much magic.
There was a visitor from unknown parts mysteriously came, paying Celestia a visit in Canterlot City. He was wearing a black hood, covering up his face so no-one would know who he was. Celestia spoke, "So visitor, what do you wish to speak with me about?" The stranger just stood there, staring at her.
This made the princess feel that something bad was going to happen. And she was right! The stranger spoke, "Destruction, Your Highness."
Celestia's eyes widened when he said that. "W-what?" she asked.
The stranger grinned. "The destruction of Canterlot, to be precise. This country has been prideful for too long. The ponies of this land have been relying on magic too much. They must know what it's like to do things without it. Canterlot is the symbol of corruption and I intent to put an end to it."
Celestia stood right up and glared at him. "HOW DARE YOU COME IN HERE AND THREATEN TO DESTROY MY COUNTRY?!!! I shall not allow you to harm my ponies!!" she shouted.
The stranger just smirked and said, "Well, if you won't let 'your' country be destroyed, I'll see if there are others I could destroy." And with that, he disappeared into dust. Celestia was shaking with fear. Others countries were going to be destroyed in Canterlot's place! She couldn't allow that to happen!
Soon, after writing her message to her sister Luna, the princess sent a message to everyone in Canterlot, telling them about the destruction upon Equestria. The ponies all thought long and hard about this. After a few days, the ponies of Canterlot all sent Celestia letters, all of them agreeing to sacrifice themselves for survival of the rest of Equestria.
On the day the destruction spell was cast by the stranger, Celestia cast strong force-field magic upon the other four countries, leaving Canterlot exposed. A wave of green clouds rushed towards the great country as the stranger smiled in satisfaction. Celestia and the ponies of Canterlot all closed their eyes and excepted their fate as the clouds destroyed everything and everyone within its range.
By the time Luna had received her sister's letter, it was too late. Canterlot had been laid to waste, reduced to an empty desert with no signs of life, what-so-ever. Luna was heartbroken.
She saw the letter and read the final words of Celestia. 'Although I will survive, along with a few others, I do not wish carry on in this world. The other great countries must live on without Canterlot! I must stay and rule over what is left of this country. Do not search for me and please, live on for me. Your dearest sister, Princess Celestia.'
After the great tragedy, Canterlot was no more. Only four great countries remain. As more and more ponies are born and living within the sandy ruins of Canterlot everyday, the destroyed country became one with few laws. One of them, 'survival to the fittest'. Another, 'friendship is a powerful thing'. As cruelty and madness spread across the place, friendship and magic still flared through other ponies of this land.
Therefore, a new name was given to the fallen country. Canterlot was no-more. They were, forevermore, known as...
The Badlands!
(4,000 years later)
It was morning and Twilight Sparkle, resident of the Lunar Republic and faithful student of Princess Luna, was already running late for her special meeting with the princess. She ran downstairs and grabbed her bags before running outside towards the castle. As she held her pen and notebook in her hands, she avoided bumping into other ponies. "Excuse me! Pardon me! Sorry!" she said to all the other ponies around her. After running across the town, Twilight ran inside the castle as the guards let her through.
When she walked into Luna's study-room, all out of breath. When she caught her breath, she spoke, "Princess, did you need me for something?" The room was filled with ancient scrolls of the fabled Badlands. While no-one ever dare goes into the Badlands, there were a few who got banished from their own countries and forced to go into the Badlands.
These scrolls were made by those who were banished, in order to survive the cruel former country. The only way for these scrolls to make it to the Lunar Republic was for them to be carried by those who were banished from the Badlands. Other than banishment, nopony goes out of the Badlands without its ruler's say-so. Luna had been secretly searching for ways to find her sister.
Luna answered her student's question, "Yes, Twilight. I did." As she got up from her throne, she walked towards Twilight and explained her summoning. "Twilight, you have researched the ancient history of the Badlands, have you not?"
Twilight nodded and said, "Yes, Your Highness! I've studied every last detail on every single dangerous and deadly spot/history of the place!" The princess only gave a small smile, showing that she was pleased the Twilight studied but not showing that she was tired of hearing that death and war was all the Badlands was. She knew that there was more good in the Badlands than there is of bad.
"Ahem, well, thank you, young one. I shall let the Dragon Lord know when you are ready." she said.
Twilight was confused. "Wait!" she said to her teacher. "I-I'm sorry. I'm just having a hard time understanding. Ready for what? Why exactly did you want me to study the Badlands? Nopony ever goes/lives in those terrible deserts. Why study them?"
Luna turned around to face the purple unicorn girl. "Because, my faithful student, I have a special journey for you. This journey involves the history of the Badlands. You must be ready for your journey to the boarder of Hope's Loss. There, you must discover true nature of the Badlands from the boarder." she told her pupil.
As Twilight was still confused by this, Luna told her that she can bring her childhood friend, Spike the dragon. That made Twilight very happy, seeing as she hasn't seen him in four years.
Soon after, Luna had contacted Dragon Lord, Ember, the current ruler of Dragon Country and closest friend to Spike, to let her know that Twilight was ready to pick Spike up and prepare for their journey.
Just after Twilight had left, Luna stated to stare out of the window. This particular window was her favourite. You see, it was facing the exact direction of the Badlands, the home of her beloved sister. Despite Celestia's wishes to not be found, Luna still searched for ways to be reunited with her sister again.
The princess picked up the nearest blank piece of paper and started to write. The words she wrote were to her sister, 'Dear sister, you were right about this very day. The time has come for Twilight Sparkle to return to her true home. I remember from your previous letters about you telling me all about her parents, Night Light and Twilight Velvet.'
'No need to worry, sister. I have been taking good care of their daughter, making sure she has grown into a wonderful young mare. I can tell you, she has. She has been a wonderful student and although it saddens me to see her go, I will not interfere with the prophecy.'
'My only request of you is this; make sure Twilight reaches to her destination safely and that she doesn't over-react. I've seen it happen before and it WILL NOT end well! My advice to your, Tia. If Twilight makes any friends, even with some of those 'Wonderbooms' sand pirates, let her keep them.'
'Your loving sister, Princess Luna.' And with that, Luna rolled up the letter and cast a spell on it and it disappeared into smoke. The ashes flew out of the window, going to the direction of the Badlands. Seeing it fly off into the distance, a small tear drop fell from Luna's cheek.
After a long trip to the train station, Twilight saw her friend, Spike as they hugged each-other and talked about how their lives have been the last four years. They laughed together for a while until their train was ready. They rode the train all the way across the great jungles, the lands in-between the four countries and the Badlands. When the train finally arrived to their destination, Twilight and Spike both came to the great, yet undisturbed boarder-line into the Badlands.
On their side, the ground had blooming green grass while on the other side of the line, sand covered the whole entire land. The sign beside the line said, 'Boarder of Hope's Loss. Do not cross under any circumstances! Unless you're being banished, DO NOT ENTER!!!'
Unknown to them, there was another sign behind that sign. This one said, 'Boarder of Lady's Punishment. Do not cross under any circumstances! Unless you're being banished or have the Lady's permission, DO NOT EXIT!!!'
Twilight looked around and saw nothing but sand. She didn't why Princess Luna would sent her out here. "So, Twilight," asked Spike, catching her attention. "Where's that plane guy we're suppose to find?" She looked around, but couldn't see anything.
The plane ride was to help them study the boarders of the Badlands from above. "I don't know, Spike." she said, still looking around. "He said that he was suppose to meet up with us right here."
"You looking for me?"
They turned around and saw a Pegasus pony with a small aeroplane. "Hey there! The name's Hunter Light and I'll be your pilot for this morning." he said. Twilight and Spike were uncertain of the idea of flying in that specific plane. 'Are we really gonna fly in that thing?' thought Twilight.
Hunter Light opened the plane door and said, "Well, come on in, folks!"
'Yep, we are.'
After getting in the plane and taking off, the plane was over the Badlands. Twilight looked out the foggy window and saw only sand. She wondered why Princess Luna would send her here. Brushing the question off, she still did her task and studied the boarders as she was instructed. The plane travelled from Griffonstone to the Crystal Empire, taking Twilight and Spike to the different boarders from the four countries into the Badlands.
Throughout the entire trip, the plane never once landed within the Badlands. The law of the four countries was that no-pony enters the Badlands unless they are being banished. Only the bravest and most powerful soldiers of each country can enter. The thing is, none had returned.
After a long trip and finally finishing the studying, Twilight asked, "Ok, we're done here. Can you take us back?"
"Sure thing!" replied Hunter.
As they turned around, Hunter spotted an incoming sandstorm. "Hold on tight, folks! Incoming sandstorm!" he warned. Twilight looked up ahead and saw the sandstorm as well.
"B-b-b-but can't you fly higher to avoid it?!" she screamed. Hunter shook his head.
"Nope! Sandstorms in the Badlands go higher than any plane. That thing will catch up with us in no time!" With that said, Twilight and Spike both buckled up and held on tight.
As the plane entered the sandstorm, Twilight and Spike held tighter and tighter to their seats. The plane started to shake, like and earthquake, as the sand scratched the windows. "Come on, old girl. Come on!" whispered Hunter as he tried to keep the plane steady as possible. The storm raged harder and harder by the second. Soon, they saw a huge sand tornado.
Spike even spotted a few wooden boats being pulled up and ripped apart by the storm. 'Sweet Luna! This is... Insane!!' he thought.
As the plane soared through the sandstorm, parts of it were beginning to fall off, being ripped apart by the storm. Hunter turned and saw one of the engines get ripped off of the wing. "Uh oh." he said, worrying Twilight.
"Uh oh? What do mean by 'Uh oh'?!" screamed Luna's student.
"Um, I don't wanna alarm you but..." Twilight's face was filled with worry while Spike was about to panic. "...We've just lost an engine to the storm." Suddenly, a loud sound of metal tearing was heard. Hunter gulped. "Make that two." he said.
It was that moment when the plane had lost all of its power and started to fall. "AAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!" screamed Twilight and Spike as they held on to each-other. Screaming was all that was heard in the falling plane. As the plane fell, Hunter turned to his two passengers. He got up and quickly gathered some stuff and shoved them in two bags. Food, clothing, water flasks, hand-held fans and all things need to survive.
"Um, w-what're you doing?" Spike asked, still hugging Twilight tightly as she was with him.
Hunter turned around and gave them the two bags. "Sorry, guys." he said as he pushed them towards the door. He placed Twilights arms around Spike and his around her, giving the two one parachute. He then stood back and held onto a nearby pipe while his other hand was on the door handle. "This, I'm afraid, is where you two get off."
Just as Twilight realized what he was planning to do, it was too late. Hunter pulled the handle, causing the door to rip off and fly off into the storm.
This caused the air and wind to enter the plane, making everything fly right outside, including Twilight and Spike. "No, wait!! Wait-AAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!" was all Twilight could say before she and Spike flew out of the plane and into the storm, falling downwards.
Hunter, who held on to the pipe, stayed behind in the plane as he climbed his way back to his seat and tried to steer and avoid a crash-landing. This attempt failed as the plane fell faster and faster. Everything went slow-motion for Hunter as he turned and saw a picture of him as a 5 year-old with his beloved mother, who passed away years ago. "Mother..." he whispered. "I'm coming to see you again." He closed his eyes and stretched his arms out, accepting his fate as a small tear fell down on his cheek.
The plane soon crashed into the ground, causing a huge explosion that can be heard for miles. As this happened, Twilight and Spike continued to fall. Sand blew all around the skies as the wind howled, fiercely.
The sandstorm was long gone. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky as the sun shined so bright, it could melt an ice-cube within seconds. Twilight opened her eyes with a groan. "Ehhhhh. W-where am I?" she spoke with a groggy voice.
She suddenly had the images of the plane crash rush through her mind, all at once. As she snapped out of her daze, Twilight's eyes widened in fear as she zipped her head up from the ground and looked around for Spike.
"Spike? SPIKE!!" she cried, hearing her own echoes surround the area. Just then, a groan was heard nearby.
Spike pulled himself up from the sand, shaking the sand off his head. He let out another groan before asking, "H-hey Twilight, where are we?"
As Twilight looked at their surroundings, being nothing but sand as far as the eye can see, her eyes widened as she said, "Oh no. Nononononononono!! This is bad! This is very, very bad!"
"What? What's wrong?" asked Spike.
Twilight's body began to shake. "Spike," she said. "We are in the middle of the Badlands, right now!" Soon, Spike too, was worried out of his mind. As Twilight panicked, she suddenly stopped herself and took a deep breath to calm down. "Ok. Let's think about this. We're stranded in the middle of the Badlands, our only means of transport is completely destroyed and we only have about a two month supply of food and water. Think, Twilight, think!"
Meanwhile, Spike was looking through the stuff Hunter had given them before the crash. They had food, water and even a compass to help them navigate through the dystopia. Then, off in the distance, he saw a few small boats with ponies on them. He couldn't quite make them out, with the heatwave troubling his point of view, but he was able to tell that they wore armour and they were screaming in war-cries.
"Um....Twilight?" he said, trying to catch Twilight's attention, which was failing, of course.
Twilight just shook her head. "Not now, Spike. Can't you see I'm trying to think of a way to get us back home?" she replied to him, completely oblivious to what Spike was trying to warn her about.
Spike gulped in fear as he continued to tap on Twilight's shoulder. "Well, can you think a little faster?" he asked.
"Why?" wondered the lavender Unicorn teen.
"Well, I think we might have company...."
Twilight turned around and saw the same boats that Spike saw. The boats became bigger and bigger as they got closer and closer to the two survivors of the crash. Soon, the boats caught up with them and started circling around the two. As they stopped the circling, a young Earth-pony stallion stood up and spoke, "Well, what do we have here? A pair of misfits from the Lunar Republic? Ho ho ho! The boss WILL be pleased with this catch!"
Soon, the group of bandits jumped out of their boats, grinning and walking towards the two wanderers. Twilight and Spike were both scared as they hugged each-other in fear.
Later on, Twilight and Spike were both tied up on one of the bandits' boats as the bandits sailed across the sandy dunes. The bandits laughed while the two hostages continued to fear for their lives.
Just then, the leader called out, "Hold it! HALT!!!!" The boats stopped so quickly that it nearly gave Twilight and Spike whiplash.
Off in the distance, the bandits saw a big ship heading their way. The ship looked ginormous as it got closer and closer. It had yellow and red stripes flowing across the sides and had a rainbow coloured sail with a Pegasus shadow print on it. The ship also had a statue of a Pegasus mare wearing an explorer's hat tied to the very front.
"L-l-let's get out of here!!!!" shouted the bandit leader. But, alas, it was too late. The ship had already arrived as it came to a full stop. Suddenly, a young rainbow maned Pegasus mare stood up on the side of the ship and drew out her sword as she gave out a loud battle cry.
Soon, a few other pony mares jumped off of the ship and ran towards the bandits, who were gulping in fear as they drew out their swords to fight. As the fight began, Twilight and Spike struggled to get loose from the rope that was keeping them tied up. Thankfully, Spike's scales were just thick enough for him to slowly cut his way through the rope. "Aha! Got it!" he said as he started to untie Twilight.
Meanwhile, the bandits were fighting...and losing! Soon, most of the bandits were knocked out, leaving only two left standing. Those two bandits were trembling in fear as the rainbow maned mare walked up to them with a death-glare. She stared at them for a few minutes before speaking, "Go. Now! And never let us spot you and your little gang again!"
The two bandits ran like their lives had depended on it. They gathered their friends put them in the other boats before sailing off into the distance, leaving only the boat with Twilight and Spike in it behind.
Both Twilight and Spike were shocked after witnessing this. They both turned to face the Pegasus mare, who stared at them for a few seconds. They both sweated bullets in fear, to afraid to wonder what would happen to them next.
Suddenly, the rainbow maned Pegasus just gave them a huge smile as she spoke to them, "Hey there! You two alright? Cause, you know, after witnessing my shire awesomeness can take a HUGE 'wham!' on ponies, am I right?"
The Unicorn and the dragon just stared at the young mare as they quickly fainted into the boat. The Pegasus and the other ponies ran up to them to see if they were alright.
"Oh dear! I-I-I hope they're okay." whispered the yellow Pegasus mare.
"Don't worry, Fluttershy. I'm sure they're just fine. Probably just shocked of what just happened to them, that's all." said the yellow and red maned Unicorn mare.
"I know, right? I mean, they were all like 'AAAAGGHHH!' while those meanies were all like 'MUWAHAHAHA!' then we came along and went like 'AHA!!!' and those two were like 'WHAAAAAAA?!!!' and then we-" rambled the pink, poofy-maned Earth-pony mare, just before someone covered her mouth to keep her quiet.
"I....think we get it, Pinkie." said the rainbow-maned Pegasus, who had her hand covering the pink pony's mouth.
"Well, I vote we help 'em out! They look like they've been through a lot." suggested the orange Earth-pony mare. The others seem to agree with her idea.
"How splendid! We must place them in two separate rooms!" spoke the purple-maned Unicorn mare, earning confused looks from her crewmates.
"Um....why two rooms, Rarity?" asked the yellow and red-maned Unicorn.
The purple-maned Unicorn just leaned towards Spike as she cupped her hands over his face with a dreamingly look in her eyes. "Well, so I could look after this handsome hunk of dragon.(Giggles)" she said.
Everypony just rolled their eyes as they agreed to her terms. Soon, they all carried Twilight and Spike on board their ship and placed them in the cabins.
After several long hours of sleeping, Twilight woke up and rubbed her eyes. She got up and looked at her surroundings. She was in a room, what looked like a small cabin. She was wearing a nightgown while seeing her clothes on a chair, which was on the other side of the room.
She slowly got out of the bed she was sleeping in and saw the door. 'I so hope I'm not where I think I am....' she thought with a whimpering tone in her thought's voice.
Twilight walked up to the door to open it. But before she could even touch the door knob, the door already opened with somepony there. It was the red and yellow maned Unicorn mare from before.
The mare was wearing some dungarees with a blue T-shirt while wearing leather boots, gloves and jacket over them. She smiled as she said, "Oh! good. You're awake! I was hoping you were okay after what happened earlier." The concern in her voice led Twilight to a high level of confusion.
"It's okay, just take a few breaths. I know it's a lot to take in, you know, being stuck in the Badlands and suddenly be rescued by sand pirates." said the Unicorn, still smiling.
That last part of the sentence, however, didn't work so well at calming Twilight down. "WHAT?!!!! SAND PIRATES?!!!!" she screamed. "Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no!!!!! I can't be captured by pirates!!! What do I do now?"
The Unicorn could clearly tell that Twilight was panicking. Said panicking Twilight turned to her and screamed, "Who are you, anyway?! What do you want with me?! WHERE'S SPIKE?!!!!" The Unicorn raised her hands to calm her down.
"Don't worry. Your friend is okay. He's just in the other cabin, being cared for by our nurse, Fluttershy." she assured Twilight, who sighed in relief, knowing Spike was okay.
The mare continued to speak, "As for your other questions, I'll start with the easy ones I can give right now. My name is Sunset Shimmer, the ship's driver. Nice to meet you!" The mare, now known as Sunset Shimmer, offered her hand to Twilight for a hand-shake.
Twilight was sceptical at first. She heard many things about sand pirates and not a lot were good. But this particular sand pirate was nothing like that. Heck, she even told her that her friend was being well taken care of. So, she decided to take to offer and introduced herself.
"H-hi. I'm Twilight Sparkle. I'm the student of Princess Luna from the Lunar Republic." As soon as she said that, Sunset was all up in her face, having this surprised look in her eyes.
"Really?!!! You're Princess Luna's student?!!! Oh my gosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh!!!! I have SOOOOO many questions about her! Is she really as beautiful as the night sky? Does she have any favourite foods? How does she rule her country? When-" Sunset was stopped by Twilight's hand on her mouth.
Twilight gave her new friend a friendly, yet confused, look. "E-easy now. I'll answer your questions in due time AFTER you answer mine. Deal?" As she let Sunset's mouth go, Twilight offered HER hand this time.
Sunset blushed in embarrassment. "Hehe! Sorry. Ahem! Deal!" she said as she shook Twilight's hand in agreement.
Twilight cleared her throat and asked away, "Okay, first question; where am I?"
"Well, you see, you are on our ship, the Floating Hope! This ship has been our home for a long time. In fact, I could give you a tour of the place while I answer your other questions, if you like?" said Sunset.
Twilight looked around the room and then gave Sunset a small smile. "Sure! Why not?" The two Unicorns then walked down the small hallway while talking.
Sunset continued on, "I recall you asking who we are, right? Well, we are the Wonderbooms, the greatest sand pirates to sail these sandy dunes!" she then looked at Twilight, who gave her a sceptical look as she raised one eyebrow. "Well, at least, that's how our captain says we are anyway."
Twilight chuckled at that statement. "Okay then, second question; why am I here?" she asked.
Sunset answered, "Oh! Yeah, we brought you in after you we captured by those bandits we defeated and scared off. We thought we could help you two recover after such an ordeal like that."
"Oh! Thank you! I hope me and Spike weren't too much trouble with you and your crew. You know, taking up much of your time and duties." said Twilight.
Sunset smiled, "Oh, no! It's no trouble at all. If anything, we were happy to help." Then, they both went though a door that led them to the surface of the ship.
The ship, as Sunset called it, Floating Hope, was quite big and was sailing through the sand below. As Twilight looked around, she saw that not many ponies were on board. 'Must be a small crew. she thought.
Sunset smiled as she spoke, "I know this crew is not that much in numbers, but we're perfect in our own way and that's fine with us." She then walked Twilight down the steps, which led down to the deck.
"You see, Twilight, we're not like other sand pirates out there. Unlike them, who plunder for gold and chaos, WE on the other hand, do what we do for the adventure!" Sunset stated, knowing that Twilight was wondering about that not long ago.
"Still got more questions to ask?" asked Sunset. Twilight just shook her head as she gave Sunset a slightly bigger smile.
"No thanks. I'm good for now. Maybe later" answered Twilight.
Sunset smiled back. "Great! So, uh, let me introduce you to my friends." she said. They both walked up to the nearest pony on deck, who was the orange Earth-pony from before. She wore a red, buttoned-up Y-shirt, brown jeans, a pair of boots and wearing a cowboy hat with the initials 'A.J' on the side.
Sunset introduced Twilight to this mare. "This here is our marks-woman and/or shipwright, Applejack. She's the most honest of all ponies within the Badlands."
The Earth-pony, known as Applejack, blushed as Sunset said that about her. "Aw, shucks! Ya'll makin' me blush~! So, whose this friendly gal?"
"This is Twilight Sparkle, A.J. She's the student of Princess Luna from the Lunar Republic." said Sunset. Just then, Applejack took Twilight's hand and shook it so hard, Twilight could swear the ground was shaking.
"Well, howdy Twilight! Nice to meet ya! Ya'll must be in pretty high livin' if you're Luna's student." greeted Applejack as she finally stopped shaking Twilight's hand, which made her arm go all numb.
Twilight just smiled awkwardly and said, "Nah, I'm not really living 'high and mighty'. I'm just studying under her wing, that's all." While saying this, she tried to wiggle the feeling back into her arm.
Applejack laughed at Twilight's predicament, seeing as she has seen this happen to ponies before many times. She still hasn't got full control of her own strength.
"Well, Ah'm mighty glad to meet ya, Twilight! Ah know being with a bunch of sand pirates looks bad at first, but trust me, there ain't a single pirate crew more friendlier and nicer than us. And that's the honest truth!" She said, giving Twilight a thumbs-up. "Ah'll leave you to your tour then."
With that, Applejack resumed to her work, leaving Twilight and Sunset to meet the other crew-members. Soon, they walked over to the yellow Pegasus mare.
The Pegasus looked over to see Twilight walking up to her, making her wince in nervousness. She then noticed the young student extent her hand to her in friendship.
Sunset spoke up, "This is Fluttershy. Fluttershy, this is Twilight Sparkle. Fluttershy is our caretaker and/or medic. She provides all first aid for our comrades. She even helped nurse you while you were asleep."
"Wow." said Twilight. "Thanks! I'm not sure what Spike and I would do if you hadn't found us." Fluttershy smiled back at Twilight, accepting her hand in friendship.
"Oh, it was no trouble at all. I just like to help ponies. And animals. To be honest, I was a little excited to see a 16 year-old dragon in real life." she said.
Twilight replied, "Yeah, well, not many countries get to have a dragon citizen among them. I've known Spike for as long as I can remember. He's like a little brother to me. In fact- wait, how did you know he was 16? Most ponies confuse him with a 13 year-old."
"Oh! Fluttershy has read A LOT about dragons. She knows how the appearance age of a dragon is slightly slower than a pony's. She could tell that your friend was 16." said Sunset.
Fluttershy blushed at Sunset compliment. "Oh my. I-I-it's not a big deal. I just love to learn about animals, you know. I only know about them from the books. I've always wished that I would get to know a dragon personally."
Twilight knew how Fluttershy felt. Despite all the knowledge from the books, it would've been nice to know things from a personal point of view.
"Well, when I find Spike, would you like to ask him some questions? I'm sure he'll be happy to answer as a thank you to the pony how looked after him while asleep." She offered, receiving a hopeful smile from Fluttershy.
"Oh really?! Oh, thank you!" She quickly covered her mouth. "I-I'm sorry! I-I mean, I humbly accept your offer." she said with a kind bow.
Twilight bowed back. "No problem." Sunset just quietly giggled at the two mares being so 'honourable' to each-other.
Fluttershy got straight back up again and said, "But, just to let you know, I wasn't the one who took care of him."
Twilight tilted her head in confusion. "You're not?" she asked.
Fluttershy shook her head. "No. The one who looked after him was our cook and fashion designer, Rarity."
"Rarity provides us with the proper clothing for a certain adventure and cooks for us. She insisted that she was the one to look after him." Sunset said, rolling her eyes when she said that last part.
Twilight noticed the eye-roll on Sunset, making her wonder what she meant by that. "Well, I'm really hoping to meet this 'Rarity', so I can thank her in person." she said.
"Sure thing, Twilight." said Sunset. After saying goodbye to Fluttershy, the two Unicorns continued to walk all over the ship until they found Spike, wide awake and being motor-boated by the purple-maned Unicorn mare from earlier.
She was wearing a long designer cloak with a silk scarf, loosely around her neck. She also was wearing a pearl bracelet on her right wrist. She was staring at Spike dreamingly while Spike was blushing so madly, his face was as red as a shiny apple.
Twilight blushed a little herself while Sunset just facepalmed. "Rarity?" Sunset called out, catching the fashionista's attention. "The Unicorn's awake."
Rarity let go of Spike, who took very deep breathes, and stood up to walk over to Twilight. She examined the lavender Unicorn, who was beginning to feel uncomfortable.
"Shameful."
Twilight tilted her head. "U-um, excuse me?"
"Your mane style! It's completely SHAMEFUL!!! It's simply out of date, it's not catching any eyes of stallions AND looks so-Ugh!-creasy!!" Rarity panicked. "My dear, when was the last time you shampooed your hair?"
Twilight thought about the question. Seeing as she was always busy with her studies, she never really had time to wash her mane. She considered studying more important than anything else.
"I....guess about three weeks ago? I mean, I guess I never really cared about that stuff. I thought it so....unimportant." she said.
Soon, Rarity was acting like she was having a panic attack as she gasped really loudly and then grabbed a paper bag and started to breathe in and out of it.
"Not important?!!!!" she shouted, making Twilight back away a little. "Why I never!! Mane styles and clothing fashions are ABSOLOUTLY IMPORTANT! In fact, your clothes were such a mess, I went through the liberty to make you some brand new clothes! Would you like to see?"
Twilight was still confused by Rarity's outburst, thus, not giving her time to respond as Rarity grabbed her arm and pulled her into the nearest door. Sunset sighed as she walked off after them.
To be continued.......
Author's Note
I don't own any of the MLP characters! They rightfully belong to Hasbro.
The only things I do own are some of the OCs within this story.
