Night was falling on the city of Canterlot, and the Grand Galloping Gala was about to begin. Inside the nearby University of Canterlot, Dusty Relic was preparing himself for the prestigious festival. He was an Earth Pony, originally from Dodge Junction. As a young colt, he loved digging in the ground and finding bits of the past. He distinguished himself in school, and was appointed by Celestia herself to attend the University of Canterlot and study Archeology. This was his first week in Canterlot, and he decided to attend the Gala to meet some of the locals and maybe land himself a job in the Museum. He straightened his red bow tie and headed towards the castle.
“I've always read about the display of artifacts at the Gala, but never thought I'd see them myself!” he thought as he entered the castle.
He stopped near the Ballroom to listen to the Quartet playing, as he was a fan of Classical music.
“That Cellist is beautiful...” he thought to himself. “Never mind, I need to get back on task” Dusty never was very popular with the mares, with his dull gray hide and duller personality. He found the museum wing and marveled at the immense collection of ancient artifacts. He was mesmerized by a worn statue of an alicorn when a voice startled him.
“You there!” He whirled around to face a large white unicorn wearing a monocle. “You're the new student at the University, aren’t you! Very well versed in ancient civilizations, I hear.”
“Y-yes, I am” Dusty said.
“Pardon my manners, I have forgotten to introduce myself” “My name is Fancypants, and I am organizing a grand expedition to the uncharted Eastern Deserts.”
“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Fancypants” said Dusty.
“I am in need of a relic expert on my team, in case we find some interesting trinkets out in those sands. All of the resident Archaeologists in Canterlot are far too old or out on another dig, so would you be interested in joining me?” Said Fancypants.
“Yes! Yes, of course I would!” Dusty said. A whirlwind of thoughts went through his head. He had always been thrilled of stories of the great explorers of old, and had dreamed of one day embarking on a great journey.
“Very good, very good.” said Fancypants. “This venture should prove to be most intriguing, old boy” He said. “I have hired a master mechanic from Manehatten to construct a magic powered machine designed to traverse the desert. I have named it “The Dunecrawler” spiffing name, isn’t it?” “Anyway, be ready to board my air yacht on Monday. What day is it? Ah yes, Friday. Pack light, the Dunecrawler will allow 70 pounds of luggage per pony.” Fancypants walked off, a crowd of reporters following him.
Dusty enjoyed himself that night, and even befriended the mare in charge of the Canterlot Museum. He had a restful sleep, and the next morning headed towards the shopping district to purchase supplies for the upcoming journey. He was not missing class, however. The University was very relaxed, and the students were allowed to use the facilities to study, as long as they paid for a dormitory room, credited their discoveries to the University and participated in official projects.
Dusty entered the shopping district and marveled at the massive array of shops to choose from. He chose a hiking gear store that catered to the brave souls that climb the mountain next to Canterlot. He purchased a pair of tough rubber boots and several durable water bottles. He continued walking and stopped near a bookstore, where lots of noise was coming within. He entered and saw a huge crowd of ponies, and a massive line stretching the length of the store. The famous adventurer Daring Do was there for a book signing! He decided to come back later to ask her about survival techniques in the desert. The book signing ended at 1:00. He checked his pocket watch: 11:34
Dusty wandered the shopping district and ended up with a safari jacket, a tan pith helmet, and some Archaeological tools. He galloped back to the bookstore, and ran into Daring Do at the entrance.
“Whoa there!” she said. “Do you want a book signed too?”
“No, Miss Do, I would like to ask you about survival in the desert” he said.
“What's a smarty-pony like you doing in the desert?” she said. “No offense”
“I have been chosen as team Archaeologist in Fancypants's expedition.” he said.
“No kidding!” she said. “He chose me to go on that trip too!” “Just in time, I'm getting tired of sitting in bookstores all day.”
“What do we need to know about the desert?” he said.
“The first thing is the heat, and the dryness” she said. “Once I almost didn't make it, I crawled across the sand for days, but eventually found an oasis. I've brought water with me ever since” “The second thing is the scorpions and snakes, they are deadly poisonous.” “The third is the sandstorms. One time I was searching the southern desert for the Golden Scepter of King Zecoram, and a HUGE sandstorm swept across the dunes. It's real disorienting, and gets sand everywhere” “And the fourth is the mirages. Fake images, a trick of the eyes. You can see a big pool of water, but it's really only sand. A cruel prank of nature if you ask me.” “That should be about it, just remember to keep hydrated and shaded”
“Thank you Daring Do!” Dusty said. He galloped off, towards the University dormitory.
“Poor kid won't last a minute.” Daring Do muttered.
Over the next few days, Dusty went over his gear, and helped a fellow student restore one of the Ancient tomes kept in the University library. It was hard to concentrate on the faded book with adventure on his mind, however. He still had not made very many friends. Monday morning dawned, and he made his way to the Canterlot airship dock, where Fancypants's sky yacht awaited.
