Fallout: Equestria - Sands of the Palominoby chimeChaptersIntroduction - A Story Around the FireChapter 1 - GulchstuckChapter 2 - EscapeIntroduction - A Story Around the FireThe San Palomino desert. It could be said that it's one of the most inhospitable places in the wasteland, next to the harsh irradiated conditions of Fillydelphia or the clouded inside of Old Canterlot. So inhospitable, even the Enclave and the local S.P.P. Tower were unable to maintain cloudcover above it from a lack of moisture in the air. With hundreds of miles of sand surrounded by knife-like mountains, a myriad of creatures that'd make even the most experienced adventurer meet their end, and a continuous barrage of storms comprised of rock and dust, the Palomino earned its namesake as the "forbidden frontier" of the wastes. Giant pits of radioactive glass lay scattered across the sandy landscape, the once-beautiful and bustling oasis towns now reduced to slag and rubble. With them are the wretched Husks that shamble around at night, glowing a brilliant green like a field of balefire flame - formerly regular ponies who lived their own fulfilling lives, transformed by the bombs. Legends say that they're always seeking a source of water to replenish their dried, crusty skin, and will eat you if they think you've got any. If you told somepony from the mainland that you were even thinking of venturing out into the Palomino, they'd probably tell you to buy a casket for yourself first. Yet, despite all the hardships, there existed a small rag-tag team of ponies without a direction who figured they'd give it a shot. The settlers of Death Gulch, pioneers of the Palomino, were the first outsiders to truly take the wild desert by its horns about twenty years before the Lightbringer exited her stable, taking shelter in a secluded earthy hallway of winding canyons and crevices. Amongst them were former mercenaries, farmers, prospectors, even the occasional ranger or two - but they weren't without extra company upon arrival. It turns out, that very gulch was the home of a secluded tribe who’d remained there since the last day, 200 years in the past, surviving from desert cultivation techniques passed down from the earthpony farmers before them. They taught the settlers how to survive, ultimately adopting them as members in exchange for protection and, of course, marriage. Trade routes were established with settlements near the desert's border; food, clothing, and weapons given to them in exchange for exotic foods, crafts, or even passage through the desert itself. For ten years they thrived, ultimately undisturbed by the happenings in the wasteland; Unity had no desire to send her alicorns to a barren landscape with little to no life, Red-Eye saw no benefit in throwing wanton fodder to a sandy tomb, and raiders were incredibly uncommon sightings due to the lack of anything shiny or druggy in the area. The only connection they had left to the outside world was through merchants and a seldom few radios, singing whatever the DJ-PON3 played on air. Things changed when the Lightbringer broke free from the confines of her stable, however. It didn't directly affect the Palomino at first, but as miracle after miracle occurred, the residents of Death Gulch found that others had begun to trot out into the desert's coarse borders, most finding a grim end only miles in. That was, of course, until the day of Sunshine and Rainbows, a series of sky-shattering rainbooms from every S.P.P. Tower in Equestria that caused a massive scramble for territory all throughout the land. Thousands of slaves once held in chains rejoiced as they earned their hard-fought freedom, droves of minds held captive by unity were left confused, left to wander the wasteland for purpose, and a fight for power was felt by everypony that remained. There was the side of righteous justice; The New Canterlot Republic, formed out of Junction R-7 and striving to "clean up" the lands around them so that some level of peace could be established. There was the side of evil "order"; Remnants of Red-Eye's slavers that splintered into warlords and gangs began to slowly seep into the Palomino, seeing it as a land to conquer before anypony else could claim it. And, as any good wasteland should have, the side of unfiltered chaos; raiders still roaming around in scattered bands, some getting absorbed by warlord posses. The gulch residents eventually found themselves in a fight for their home - though it didn't last long. The most notable of the Palomino warlords, a ferocious stallion named "Reck-Room" who stood taller and brawnier than a New Appleloosan train tugger made quick work of anypony who resisted his expansion. A former slave under Red-Eye who notoriously gained his position as a soldier through Fillydelphia's pit, he razed through whatever untrained and under-equipped fighters the gulch had sent his way, swiftly ending their lives or having them placed in slave collars. He cut a swath of land into the previously-unclaimed desert with efficiency that had been unseen for years, surviving on the labor of unwilling ponies and the knowledge of captured natives. Hope began to dwindle amongst the gulch with each captured fighter, their numbers thinning as the days went by. It would take nothing short of a miracle to put an end to what appeared to be their doom. The Equestrian Wasteland was prone to sudden miracles, thankfully for them, and their prayers were answered in the form of fallen angels. After Operation: Cauterize, the Enclave had found themselves splintered and broken. Some sought to rebuild the life they had in the clouds, actively seeking out dashites on the ground to continue branding and ridding them from the land. Others found that resistance towards the quickly-expanding NCR was futile, supporting them in their advance through the wasteland and assisting in rebuilding what was lost. For the crew of the Altonimbus, however, the concept of choice was slowly dwindling into nothing. The battle of Neighvarro and the clearing of the sky left their cloud generators wounded, barely puffing out enough steam to keep them steadily afloat. The crew worked day and night tirelessly to keep the mighty ship airborne, but their bodies soon suffered from exhaustion. With a lack of food, clean water, and ponypower, their acting commander Gallant Feather made the choice to willingly begin descent into the wasteland below, and more particularly... The Palomino. "And then what happened?!" I loudly exclaimed, slamming my hooves into the sandy ground. The old stallion telling the story ahead of me looked up, smiling warmly. "Well," he chuckled gruffly, "Ah guess you're just gonna have t'find out tomorrow night, lil' spud. It's gettin' to be past 'yer bedtime." A cacophony of other colts and fillies' protesting arose, mine included. "Noooo!" I shouted, "at this rate, we're NEVER gonna finish, Mister Snowcone!" Mister Snowcone raised an eyebrow, cracking a wicked grin across his face. Leaning in, he began to whisper in a low voice. "But if you don't get'cher selves to bed, then th' MAULWURF might get'cha." Another uproar amongst the children began, panicked in nature, and they began to huddle amongst one another... Except for me. A malwurf wasn't scary at all! It was just a big, dumb mole. Only babies were afraid of that sort of thing, and I was no baby. "Yeah right!" I shot back, crossing my hooves. "Everypony knows that the expeditionary force protects us from the animals." And my parents were the best ones! I knew practically everything about animals from my mom and dad. A pink-coated filly shot me a glare, her blonde mane strewn across her eyes like door curtains. "Zip it, Rhapsody!" She huffed, berating me with a hushed yell. "You'll probably attract one anyways with how loud you always are!" Ugh. It was Bubblegum. That rat-faced filly never knows when to shut her trap. I was about to raise my voice to defend myself, when suddenly, Mister Snowcone interrupted. "Alright, alright." He waved his hoof between us, stepping in the middle. "That's enough 'fer today, now. Why don't you go on back t'yer homes, it's gettin' dark." He said to the still-huddled fillies, smiling warmly at them. "Go on, 'git." Slowly, they all dispersed, saying their goodbyes to him and one another. Bubblegum shot me another mean glare before turning back and trotting away, deeper into the canyons. Part of me hoped she got eaten by a maulwurf. As I began to follow behind to go home, I was stopped by the older stallion. "Hold on, now, Rhapsody." Said Mister Snowcone, placing a dirty, granite-colored hoof on my back. "Ah want t'talk with you about something right quick. 'Yer 'ma an' pa won't mind, I already told'm ah was gonna keep y'round." Feeling his rough, grainy hoof on my back made me shudder. Mister Snowcone was a friendly old stallion, I didn't mind him, but he really knew how to delay things. What the hay did this geezer want with me? "What do you need?" I asked, albeit a little worriedly, looking up at his grey-bearded muzzle. Did I forget to lock the radbunny pens again? Worry began to course through me, my ears pressed against the back of my skull. "D-did I do something wrong?" Might as well save face and at least LOOK like I feel guilty. Mister Snowcone, to little surprise, gave a mighty guffaw. "Ha-ha! No, not at all, son!" He said, patting my back again. "C'mere, take a seat. Ah wanted t'get you a lil' something 'fer that birthday of yours that's comin' up, y'see? Ah know you're wantin' t'be a part of the expeditionary force just like 'yer parents, so ah figured ah'd get'cha a lil' something to help you out along the way." He reached around behind him, pulling out a small metallic box from his saddlebags. Oh. Right. My birthday. I'd nearly forgot about it! I was so busy with today's chores that I'd barely had time to consider the troubles of turning 12 years old. "Oh!" I exclaimed, rubbing the back of my head. "Sorry Mister Snowcone, I guess it just kind've slipped my mind." Examining the box closer, I could make out an odd, dirty logo on the top of it. S-T-B... T-E...? The words were muddled and corroded from the years gone by. "Uh... What is it?" My head flopped to the side, confused. Mister Snowcone snorted, setting the box on the ground in front of me. "Well, it ain't just a box, spud. Open 'er up!" He exclaimed, gesturing towards it. I looked down at the box, carefully bringing my hoof across the top, wiping off some dust and sand. I could read the words much better now. "Stable... Tec? What's that?" I looked up to the geezer for any clues, but he didn't say a word, only gesturing me to open it again. Right. I should have just done that to begin with. Lifting a side of the cover off, I quickly "unwrapped" my present. Inside the box was something I'd never seen before. While I was stuck trying to figure out what was staring back at me, Mister Snowcone erupted with excitement; "It's your very own Pipbuck! Well, it used t'be MY very own pipbuck, but I didn't quite need it no more. Ah'm too old to go out and fight those desert demons. So, ah figured you'd get some use out've it." I sat there, open-mouthed. A pipbuck? I'd only HEARD about them before. Taking it in my hooves, it felt a lot lighter than it looked. A squeaky hinge wiggled back and forth, dangling half of the pipbuck's wrist-locking mechanism near the ground as if it were beckoning my foreleg inside. "Can I...?" I looked to the geezer. "Put it on! Let's see how it'll fit you. These things are practically a one-size-fits-all, provided y'ain't too much of a smallfry. It'll adjust as y'get older an' bigger." Excitedly, I shoved my foreleg inside of the pipbuck's carapace, and latched it shut. Immediately, its soft velvety interior began to mold to my leg like a warm hug. It wasn't too uncomfortable, rather, it felt... Right? I stared at the pipbuck's black screen, waiting for it to do something. Suddenly, it flashed a brilliant tech-y green, displaying an array of words and commands that I didn't fully understand. It whirred like an angry motor, and I began to grow a little nervous that it was going to explode on my leg. After a moment of watching nonsense fly up the screen, the screen went black once more, before the letters "STABLE-TEC" popped up one by one. A display flickered onto the screen, showing a flurry of information - none of it in my scope of knowledge. It was practically gibberish. Mister Snowcone supervised me intently. "Ah can help you get it set up while y'wait for 'yer parents t'get back from th'glasslands. They should be returnin' pretty soon now, ah'd say by the end've the hour. You don't mind stayin' up a little bit past your bedtime, do you?" He asked, showing an imperfect, near-toothless smile through his thick beard hair. I didn't mind one bit. Nodding excitedly, I began to briskly trot forward, deeper into the winding canyons. Excitement built up inside of me like a stick of dynamite ready to blow, and I couldn't help but bellow, "I'm gonna be a super-explorer!" "Now, just wait up! Ah ain't as quick as ah used t'be, spud!" Said Mister Snowcone, trying to catch up, but to no avail. I was already sprinting full-kilter deeper into the canyons, hooting and hollering for everypony to hear. This was the best day of my life! I looked up at the bustling city of rock above me, a ginormous hunk of shaped metal and fabric painted a dirty blue, wedged inbetween the walls. While lanterns and lights hung loosely from it like they were stars, ponies of the night market traded and haggled fervently under their dim brightness. As I passed through, I couldn't miss the real sky shining above it; true stars twinkling amidst a sea of black abyss, the moon shining brilliantly down upon me. It filled me with resolve. After minutes of running as fast as my long, skinny legs could go, I made it to the other end of the gulch, making my way up the wooden scaffolding and rickety pathways to reach the primary entrance of the mighty crack in the earth that I, and many others, called home. It took me several moments to fully catch my breath, but I was able to finally gaze out at the barren desert that would someday await me. Sparkles in my eyes, I felt the winds from the east brush against my face, clouds of sand twirling around me. Looking out into the vastness of the desert, I came to a realization that both disheartened me and motivated me. It wasn't like I didn't know, but there was still a plethora of training I had to go through until I could become a real member of the expeditionary force. Sighing wishfully, I knew one thing was for certain: There was a long way to go. FALLOUT EQUESTRIA: SANDS OF THE PALOMINO Author's Note Alright, that's a wrap for the introduction! This is my first long-term project, so any critique at all is welcome. I definitely plan to write more if people are interested! Thank you in advance to everyone who gives this a read. Chapter 1 - Gulchstuck"Come on! Gimme your best shot you overgrown radmole!" I shouted, holding an elegant-looking sword in my mouth. My eyebrows furrowed intensely as I stared down the largest sand maulwurf i've ever seen, a growing sandstorm surrounding us. It had to be at least the size of two hellhounds, with claws sharp as knives and teeth like giant stakes. "Oh, Rhapsody, save us!" Cried a mare behind me, accompanied by several others - who, of course, were comprised of the most beautiful mares in the gulch. "Don't worry." I smugly remarked, putting on my awesome shades. "This thing is about to be... Mauled." I could hear a Roc screech in the background, its shrill cry signaling that I needed to do something awesome. As the maulwurf finally charged, I leapt up into the air, slicing it in half with a single blow! A distant explosion was heard, probably out of respect for my awesomeness. "Rhapsody! Oh, Rhapsody! You're our hero!" Cried my personal harem, as I awesomely landed behind the maulwurf's now-dead body, blood spewing everywhere in an epic display. "I know. I'm just that cool." I said, the sandstorm blowing away from the sheer force of my blade skills. "Rhapsody! Rhapsody! Rhapsody!" They chanted, though, they were slowly becoming more and more... Masculine? And old. Their faces shifted from the hottest females in the palomino to a single, decrepit stallion. "RHAPSODY!" RHAPSODY S - [4] P - [6] E - [7] C - [5] I - [4] A - [7] L - [3] "RHAPSODY!" Shouted an elderly pony next to my head, "Andale, Get your flank up already!" I awoke with a startled yell, quickly scrambling onto my hooves. "Gah! Can't you ponies wake me up in a way that doesn't involve shouting right into my ear?!" I barked, holding an assortment of blankets around my body like a disheveled poncho. Unfortunately, my life never got to be as awesome as the dream I'd just had. Instead of fighting off giant monsters surrounded by a dangerous sandstorm, the only thing I ever got to fight against were my grandparents' early wake-up calls. It was my eighteenth birthday in just a few weeks, and I'd amounted to... Nothing, really. My flank was bare as the desert around us, not like I'd even know what that looked like - I'm basically chained to this place by these overprotective geezers. "I've been trying," said Gramps, hobbling out of my hole's entrance with a disgruntled snort. "Breakfast's cooking, niño. Get up and get ready." I rolled my eyes, gradually setting the blankets back down onto my uncomfortable bedroll. It felt like sleeping on a rock most nights, but it was better than sleeping on the ground where I'd get even more dirt in my mane. Looking around my "room", I took note of the cracks that were forming in the ceiling. That's what you get when you live in a cave on the side of an even bigger crack in the desert, I guess. It definitely didn't help when the residents above were always stomping around, knocking sand on my face and blankets. "I'll be out in a minute!" I sleepily groaned, rubbing my eyes and stepping in front of a very decrepit-looking mirror that rested in the corner of my room. I tried my absolute hardest to look my best every morning so that maybe I'd get the chance of wooing a pretty merchant mare from the greener parts of Equestria. Atleast, I'm told they're green. "Okay, hotshot," I said to myself, slicking my clay-toned mane back. It was pretty long and messier than your average prim-and-prissy merchant, but it wasn't like I had easy access to a shower. Nopony in this sandtrap did. "You're gonna get out there and make some noise today. Huah!" I flexed my foreleg as hard as I could, some semblance of muscle rippling through my fur. It wasn't much, but it made me feel nice for some reason. My already earthy-colored coat was dirtied by muck and, of course, sand, but it didn't bother me. As long as it didn't mess up my mane too much, I didn't mind it. It was kind of like my war paint in a way, something to tell everypony "I'm still standing! I'm small and dirty, but I'm a fighter!", even if it gave them even more ammunition to berate me with. You'd think being a blank flank rapidly nearing adulthood and having dead parents is bad enough, but no - ponies will find every reason they can to put me into the ground. I'm surprised I didn't get my cutie mark in being a punching bag! I can already see it, a mini-caricature of myself getting thrown around like a radalope in a game of hoofbunny. Self-deprecation aside, I shoved those thoughts somewhere else and took a deep breath. Today was going to be a new day, and I was going to do what I did best. I might not be the strongest, the most agile, or the most good looking, or... Alright, I wasn't really much of anything, but I had a strong work ethic! After all, that's why I was placed chief janitor of the Altonimbus, the HEADQUARTERS of the Expeditionary Force. Well, no. I was the only janitor, but I was good at what I did - and if I was the only one, that meant I was the chief. Feeling content with my appearance, I turned away from the mirror and gave a momentary scornful glance towards the glorified technologically-advanced paperweight on my ramshackle wooden desk, also known as a "Pipbuck". I never had any use for it after I was practically barred forever from joining the force by my grandparents. "Rhapsody!" Gramps' voice called from the other room, sounding more impatient this time. "Vamonos, you're going to be late for work again!" Snorting in response, I briskly trotted out into the kitchen-room filled with the lovely aroma of cacti and radalope. It wasn't exactly a "kitchen" like the ones I'd seen in magazines, rather, a pot or a skewer over an open fire that was surrounded by some darker-looking rocks. Next to it were hoof-crafted clay pots filled with assorted grains or water, matching the dirty tones of the rest of the cave. I saw Granny crouched over the fire, slowly turning a skewer over the flame. Just as my nose suspected, over it was ripe Palomino agave with some seasoned meat on the side. "La comida está casi lista. Hurry up! Vamos, vamos." She said, beckoning me closer with a hoof while keeping her pinpoint glare on the food. Before the original settlers came, the ponies that inhabited the gulch were descendants of stable dwellers, who were descendants of Palomino and mainland Equestrian nobles. I don't really know what they did or how they got into a stable, but by the end of their stay, they spoke a mix of both languages. My mom was a native to this place, so her parents spoke the language fluently. My dad, on the other hoof, always had trouble understanding. "Seré rápido, Abuela, I'm doing my best!" I replied, trotting over towards her while she began to place the skewers on pieces of cloth for Gramps and I. Granny hated speaking Equish, she always thought that the gulch would lose its traditions if more ponies started speaking it over the more traditional Palomino dialect. Gramps, on the other hand, didn't care as much. Looking to one of the windows outside, I saw a crack of sunlight peek through the top of the gulch's mouth. I was going to REALLY be late if I was any slower! Breakfast would have to wait until later. "Sorry, gotta go! ¡Hablo contigo más tarde!" I exclaimed before trotting through the door adjacent to the room. "¡¿Para qué hice toda esta comida?!" I could hear Granny yell at me, displeased with my decision to skip out on breakfast, but she'd have to wait. If I wanted to have any chance at all to even POSSIBLY be considered for the expeditionary force scouting team, I'd have to get in good cahoots with Captain Trotter, which means I have to be on time, on the dot, on the floor, every day. Regardless of the fact that I hadn't succeeded in a single try-out for the past four years, I wasn't about to give up. I felt the sun hit my face as I stepped outside, immediately getting smacked by a drier-than-dry heat. I'd gotten used to it, but most foreign merchants that came here always complained that it felt like they were sitting in a boiling cauldron. Thankfully, most of the sun's glare was kept out by the gulch's upper lip - an outwards protrusion of rock that nearly covered the whole crack in some parts of it. Other parts like the crash of the Altonimbus, however, weren't so lucky. The other side of the rocky crevice was filled with other caves and small dwellings just like mine, each with ponies inside, living their lives. Their boring, dull lives. Not like me, though - I was more or less a fully-fledged member of the coolest ponies in the desert! I broke out into a sprint towards the broken airship, hopping up, over, and around various constructs that'd been built on the walls - connected by ladders and tunnels. I took a moment to look down towards the bottom of the gulch, both sides sloping down into a "v" shape. It was nothing short of an earthpony miracle that anyone managed to build here. After maneuvering my way through the sandy corridors and dwellings, I made it into the market bazaar, right outside the crash of the Altonimbus and a place where all the merchants that come through stay to barter their wares to us. The Palomino-native merchants often brought humpbacks as their pack animals - tall, dull creatures with two large "humps" on their backs. Humpbacks came in all kinds of colors, just like ponies, but there was practically nothing behind those dull, unthinking eyes of theirs. Sometimes, though? It was as if they understood whenever ponies were talking about them. Creepy! Shuddering at the thought, I found myself having to squeeze through chattering ponies just as I did through the rocks. It looked like the NCR and their odd-looking caravan brahmin were here too, which meant they had plenty of caps to spend and lots of goodies to buy. Everypony tended to gather when they showed up, to my displeasure. "'Scuse me! Coming through! Trotting along, here!" I vocalized over the crowd, slipping past a menagerie of unwashed flanks. I barely noticed the smell anymore, thankfully. Trotting up to the entrance of the wreck, I stopped in the crowd to look up at the brilliant scrap-metal sign that hung above the fallen raptor's starboard entrance. EXPEDITIONARY FORCE - SAVING LIVES FROM PRYING EYES Painted on with a red dye, it was a brilliant display of their ruggedness and adaptability. Or, at least, that was how I thought of it. Most of the ponies around me weren't outside-the-box enough to think about it as in-depth as that. It was so hard being seventeen years old and the smartest pony in the gulch at the same time! My moment of intellectual and philosophical thought was interrupted by a rude shout from my rear. "Hey, colt!" A butch mare's voice shouted, "Keep it moving, tiny! You're holding up the crowd flow!" Turning around, a little embarrassed to be pointed out like this, I found that the offender was one of the ponies from the NCR's caravan: a stout, muscular-looking earthpony mare with a dirty red beret and sunglasses on her head, auburn mane tied in a neat bun. Her fur was as yellow as a flare wasp, and frankly, she looked as if she could sting like one too. Flanked by two armed griffons sporting similar uniforms on either side of her, she impatiently waved me off as if I were a simple commoner! Ugh. Sometimes I wish that we never had to endure their presence. Part of me hoped that someday we could go back to how things used to be: isolated, happy, and free of their meddling. I even heard whispers from Abuela and Abuelo that they were pressuring Chief Bighoof to allow them to set up an embassy nearby! Scrunching up my muzzle and sticking my tongue out at the mare to blow a raspberry, I turned my head and trotted into the Altonimbus. Immediately, a rush of cool air hit me as I brushed past the warm, metal doors - a product of the still-active atmospheric control talismans within the ship. I always hated it. The warmth of the gulch was something I was used to, but the pegasi who crash-landed here ten years ago were acclimated to a much colder environment. Something about it being colder in the sky, I could barely remember all that boring stuff Captain Trotter rambled on about. Inside the ship, ponies idly chatted with one another, recovering from an expedition or preparing to embark. My eyes sparkled in awe while I watched them sit there, they were the coolest! But, I had a job to do. Grabbing a broom, I got to work on the dirty floor, sweeping the sand and muck that came through into a neat pile. Plenty of idle conversations went on inside the room, all of which I tended to eavesdrop into. "They've been spotted this far south, I wouldn't be surprised if they were practically on our doorstep within the week. Trotter needs to get his muzzle out of his flank and do something already, if not convince Bighoof to quit sitting on the fence about that NCR deal." I heard somepony say, almost annoyed in tone. "They wouldn't dare march this far down, no chance. It's supposed to be one of the hottest summers we've had in years, they'll all cook! Just relax, Jumper, you're being paranoid." Somepony else replied, teasing. I sighed. None of these conversations were juicy OR explorer-y. I dully awaited the day I got to hear about somepony fight off a bloodthirsty pack of dune hounds, or take out an entire horde of husks. Focusing my eyes on the dirty floor, I tuned the rest of the voices out and went into my own imagination. It was gonna be another long, boring day. Completed: Get to work! Started: Clean the Altonimbus! Author's Note MONTHS LATER, I pick this project back up. I'm currently in school to get my aircraft maintenance certificates, so things have been a little rough with motivation. Thankfully, I have found my muse again, and will be trying to release at least two chapters per month. To all of you who never gave up hope: thank you! To those who DID give up hope... You aren't invited to my birthday party. Chapter 2 - EscapeSomething about living in a desert meant that nothing ever stayed "clean" for long. This was the case for my job as "chief janitor" aboard the Altonimbus, and today was one of those days where it felt like I was fighting an uphill battle. Diligent as a warrior, however, I continued to stand guard at my post - dusting out the sand just as quickly as it came in. I took a moment of respite to think about how I got where I was today, and how important it was that I continued my dutiful service. It felt like yesterday that Captain Trotter vigilantly awarded me my position after years of "negotiating" a spot within the Expeditionary Force, tasking me with the all-important job of keeping this room - and ONLY this room - spotless as-can-be! Of course, my grand achievements were occasionally lost to some ponies. Here came some now... "Well, well, well. If it isn't Crapsody," an unfortunately familiar high-pitched bratty voice announced from behind me. "Slain anything lately? Oh, wait..." She paused, giggling. "That's right, you're just a dust collector." Hearing her friends giggle and laugh behind me, it took all my resolve not to snap back at her. She was just a dumb filly, after all, she didn't know what she was talking about! Taking a deep breath in, I mercifully allowed her to continue her day without any shame. "I'm busy, Bubblegum. What do you want?" I asked, rolling my eyes. "Oh, nothing," she responded, flipping her silky golden hair to the side, "I dropped by the market, and I thought I smelled a brahmin in here. Turns out, it's just you." Another chorus of laughter erupted from her backup dancers, her "friends". I narrowed my eyes, feeling my cheeks flush with embarrassment. Ever since she turned sixteen, she'd been ruthless towards me. I'd never even done anything to her! Sometimes, it felt like she and her dumb friends picked on me just for the sake of doing it, and it frustrated the hay out of me. In fact, ever since my parents had disappeared, she'd treated me like I was suddenly lesser. Anger welled up inside of my body upon the tail-end of this series of thoughts, and I snapped, letting go of my previous resolve to let her off easy. "If you're just going to run your mouth off, go harass somepony else!" I barked, trying my best to tune out their jeers and giggles. In a moment of frustration, I swept my broom towards her, kicking up sand and dirt directly into her pristine coat and hair. Feeling content, I narrowed my eyes, grinning wryly. Bubblegum hated anything as filthy as I was, and seeing her get put down onto "my level" felt only like karma. The consequences of my actions, of course, did not cross my mind. Bubblegum gasped loudly, peering down at her now-dirtied fur. "You... Stupid. Dirty. BLANK FLANK!" She yelled, attracting the attention of everypony in the room. Seeing her stomp towards me like this, it felt as if I was staring down the barrel of a gun, her words zipping through me like bullets. I swiftly regretted my choices as she continued to blabber. "You know what's funny Rhapsody? That every time you come in here and pretend like you're a real member of the Force, everypony knows that you're just a PITY-HIRE." Snarled the bratty pink filly, forcing me further and further back until my flank was at the wall. "My daddy heard from Captain Trotter himself that you kept BEGGING him to be let in, so he made you a FLOOR SWEEPER just so you'd stop annoying him!" I felt a flurry of emotions hearing that. It was hard to admit, but the other members of the force had a tendency to look down on me or even pity me. I can't remember a day where I didn't catch somepony looking at me with an expression that screamed "I feel sorry for you". Thankfully, before I could make a hastily-worded retort to the pink menace's outburst, my saving grace arrived. "Bubblegum! That's enough out of you!" I looked to my side to see an old friend and guardian angel - Lieutenant Sunchaser. He was buddy-buddy with my dad before everything happened, and I've looked up to him as something of a cool uncle ever since I was capable of thinking. He stuck up for me more than anypony else in the entire ship. Finally, I had somepony on my side of the ring! He was like a coach to a boxer, standing right beside me to cheer me on! Sunchaser's hooves clacked against the steel floors of the raptor, still clad in his suit of pegasus power armor. While not every pegasi still had a working set, the ones who did were considered to be top-of-the-line. Bubblegum looked like she was about to blow a fuse upon getting called out. "He got his dirt on me! I didn't even do anything to him!" She whined, stomping her hoof down. Sunchaser didn't look convinced, however. "You came in here with your friends just to berate the poor colt. He could've done much worse. Now scram, before I let your father know that you've been sneaking out again. Last I checked, you were still grounded for that stunt you pulled in the market last week." I winced at the words "poor colt", further proving Bubblegum's outburst, but I wasn't about to interrupt him. Contrary to my statement about having somepony on my side, it felt like my "coach" had just tripped me with a belt. Bubblegum looked like she was about to blow a fuse, opening her mouth to retort, but ultimately deciding against it. With a puff from her nostrils, she gave a mean glare back at me before flipping her chin up and trotting out. "Fine! It's too dirty in here for my tastes, anyways." Watching her and her wordless yet giggling and sneering troop of friends leave, I let out a sigh of equal frustration and relief. It was unfortunately short-lived when I realized the older stallion's gaze turned soft towards me in an all-too-familiar look of pity. I hated that look. I was practically an adult, I didn't need ponies like him to fight my battles for me, and I certainly didn't need him to feel sorry for me. "Rhapsody, don't take her words to heart," he said, putting a metallic hoof on my shoulder. The cold surface made me shiver. "You're... Doing your part. Alright? I know your mother and father would be proud regardless of what you did." And there it was: the knockout. Not from Bubblegum, but instead, Sunchaser - storming the ring and deciding to uppercut my psyche himself. It never felt good when I got the "mom and dad would be proud" spiel, but these days it was practically unavoidable. "Ye-yeah. Thanks, Lieutenant. I'll remember that." I muttered, hiding my true feelings behind an unassuming grin. I felt a bittersweet tightness in my chest. "There's a good colt. Tell you what, take the day off early. Your grandfather told me that he and your grandmother had a surprise for you when you got back, something about an early birthday present." Sunchaser ruffled my already-messy mane, turning around to go back to whatever business he was in the middle of before coming to my aide. The prospect of an "early birthday present" lifted my spirits a little, at the very least. Of course, I'd already peeked at most of the ones that Abuela had hidden, but nothing in her stash seemed like it would be special enough to show early. I watched Sunchaser disappear deeper into the halls of the airship until I couldn't see him anymore, the lingering feeling of shame from him fighting my battle still clinging onto me. Maybe Bubblegum was right. Sighing, I trotted out the door with bitter frustration in my gait, propping my trusty broom in the corner as I left. The sun setting on the Palomino cast an orange glow across the open sky. With the day turning to night, the air felt slightly cooler, a dry breeze fluttering through and spinning sand around my hooves. Most ponies had left the market by now, and with no more clientele to shake for caps, the diverse group of merchants began to pack their wares and leave. All except the NCR, that is. The gruff senior mare who pestered me previously was barking orders at her younger-looking griffon companions. She must have been the boss, and she did not look happy. Now without sunglasses, I could see her frustrated expression and sandy-colored eyes more clearly. "Move! It! Have you two shitheads never replaced a wheel before!?" She barked, standing before their wagon. Two wheels laid upright against its wooden carapace, one looking newer and overall in better shape than the other. The caravan's absent-minded looking brahmin and its second, sickly head stared blankly ahead, completely unaware of its predicament. I grimaced a little when I noticed a fifth leg jutting out oddly from behind its right foreleg, hanging limply near the ground. Most merchant caravans liked to get moving before sundown, but the NCR always seemed to hang on until the very last minute, waiting for some officer-looking types to return from talks with Chief Bighoof. I was sure they wouldn't be out until at least an hour after, given the klutziness of the griffons trying to replace the broken wheel. "We're trying our best here, Sergeant!" The younger-looking of the two squawked, wiping his forehead with a yellow set of claws. His fur was a dark brown, and his feathers looked to be about the same hue. "Can't get sand out of the bearings, Sergeant!" Said the other, larger of the two. He was similarly-colored, but sported a nasty-looking scar that gashed across his face. The mare groaned, stomping towards the back of the caravan until she was out of my sight. As I walked past, I got a glimpse of some goods inside of their wagon from a tear in the front, all kinds of junk within. I'd always wanted to climb inside and look around, but every time I tried to work up the courage to ask, all I got were odd looks or scowls. Seeing the sky go from orange to a dark blueish-violet, though, I knew that I needed to quickly hurry back. Abuela would likely have my head if I was late for whatever this surprise was. Quickly, I made my way home, trotting back through the ravines and ledges of the gulch until I made my way to the cave. I saw Abuela over the fire again, and the smell of cooking meat entered my nose. "I'm home!" I called out, expectantly. Abuela, too busy with cooking, uttered an idle greeting towards me without looking away from her pot before I saw Abuelo walk into the room. He gave me a smile and wrapped his foreleg around my neck, bringing me into a deep hug. I got a whiff of tobacco and liquor on his breath, to which I grimaced at. "Oh, my Rhapsody, almost grown up into a stallion." He cooed as I tried in vain to struggle out of his oddly-firm grip. "You used to be bien pequeño, tiny foal. Look at you now!" I felt him ruffle my mane before letting me go, to which I'd voiced my displeasure immediately. "Abuelo, I HAVE grown up into a stallion!" I groaned, pushing his hoof away while I walked to our small dining table in the middle of the room. I was already dealing with the stress of having to be treated like I was some poor colt to begin with, and his patronizing didn't help. From her position in front of the fire, Abuela clasped her hooves together after placing a thick stone lid on the pot she was using. "Ayyy, mi pichuelo, ¡Ya casi eres un adulto!" She'd exclaim, quickly rushing towards me now that her focus was away from her craft. "Recuerdo cuando tu abuelo tenía tu edad. Qué semental tan fuerte. ¡Tu serás igualito!" I heard Abuelo snicker. Silently, I cursed under my breath while the aged mare fawned over me like I was six. It drove me nuts absolutely nuts sometimes. "Your Abuela and I have been talking for some time about this, but she couldn't wait another week to tell you." Abuelo said, taking a seat next to me. "I tried to get her to be patient, believe me, but... You know, mares." He smirked, earning a warning glare from Abuela while she hobbled back to the fire. "I spoke with, ah... A merchant friend of mine. Señor Dune - maybe you've heard of him! He'd been looking for somepony to help him with supplies and unloading. Maybe to, say... Take a very lucky colt in as an apprentice." Abuelo leaned back in his chair with an amused look on his face. The more he spoke, the more I realized what was being implied. For a moment, there was silence, besides a crackling fire and the rummaging of a stick on stone in the background. "You mean... He wants me?" I asked, confused. "But- but what about the Altonimbus? I'm so close to getting on that team, Abuelo!" Abuelo, as if he knew this was coming, sighed. The older stallion leant forward, looking me in the eye. "Nietito, you know your Abuela and I care very, very much about you. But... Capitán Trotter hasn't let up for the past three years. It's time to move on! Feed on greener pastures." I slowly understood what was happening. They were trying to pull me away from my dream, just because they wanted to keep me here, rotting in this dump. It wasn't fair! "This- that's not fair, Abuelo! I'm so close! I- I can just feel it calling to me!" I exclaimed, standing up from my chair and putting my hooves on the table. "I'm so sick of everypony telling me that I can't do it!" Abuelo didn't back down, firmly knocking the table. "Rhapsody, that's enough! I'm not going to argue with you. The outside lands are far too dangerous, they-" "I don't care!" I cut him off, slamming my hooves down in defiance. "You can't just make that decision for me! I have a life too, I have- I have a legacy! I'm not meant to just stand around and kick dirt like everypony else here! Mom and dad-" "Tu madre y tu padre están muertos por culpa de estas tierras, ¡No voy a dejarte morir también!" He shouted, standing just as I was. His brows furrowed and his mouth curled into a frustrated scowl. I could hear him snort angrily through his nose before sitting himself back down. "I won't let you die like them." My vision became blurry as tears quickly formed in them. Sniffling, I rubbed a hoof across my face, and got off my chair. "Rhapsody, you aren't dismissed!" Abuelo sternly commanded, but it didn't stop me as I stomped angrily towards my room. Everything was so unfair. How could any of them understand what I go through on a daily basis? Keeping my head low to the ground, I made my way past the door beads and flung myself towards my bedroll. Today was awful. I felt tears course down my cheek and land on my blanket while I stared grimly at my pillow, dim light shining through my window and twinkling against the falling droplets. I buried my face into the old, musty-smelling package of fluff and sobbed quietly, images of days gone by coursing through my head. I missed my parents. I missed when everything was right in the world, when I knew what I was going to be doing with my life. After a few minutes, I brought my head up, sad strings of snot clinging to the pillow. With a quivering lip and trembling legs, I pushed myself off my bedroll to trot over towards the one window in my room - a hole in the wall. Looking up at the bright moon above, I clenched my eyes shut and said a prayer that Mamá had taught me to do whenever I was feeling down. "Hermana Luna, Diosa de la Noche," Sister Luna, Goddess of the night, "Líbrame del miedo, líbrame del terror," Deliver me from fear, deliver me from fright, "Sobre una estrella que brilla tan intensamente," Upon a star that shines so bright, "Deseo que mañana todo este bien." I wish tomorrow will be alright. Dragging myself away from the window to slink back into bed, I paused, noticing the light shining against my small, deteriorating wooden dresser in a peculiar way. Illuminating the Pip-Buck on top with a gleam, I moved towards it, the tears in my eyes drying. It was the last gift I'd gotten from Mister Snowcone before he passed that same year, only a few weeks after Mamá and Papá disappeared. It was the last piece of the childhood I had from when I was still blissfully unaware of what had taken place that day. I hadn't touched it much since then. Taking the device in my hoof, I held it up, blowing a thick blanket of sand off the screen. It was light in my hooves despite its thick stature, a product of the enchantments within. Mister Snowcone had always raved on about the power held in one of these things, but not once did I get to test it out. I never felt like I deserved to - not until I made it onto the Expeditionary Force. I felt the need to put it on. To feel like an adventurer. Sitting down on my haunches, I held the Pip-Buck's inner cushioning up against my foreleg, clasping it down. I felt the same sense of awe I did the first time I put it on when the enchantments within magically bound it to my leg. It was as if it were a part of me - near-weightless. Natural. Bright-green text flashed on the screen, lines of linear code coursing up and down as if it were a busy pre-war rail station. For a moment, the screen went black. When it came back on, I was overwhelmed with information. Bodily health, bone structure condition, any traces of radiation, and a plethora of other things I had no idea about. I scoffed in amusement. Why hadn't I bothered to use this before? It would've caught me all the mares. I spent the next five minutes scrolling through the Pip-Buck's contents. In the "map" section, I found that "Death Gulch" was oddly called "Agave Canyon", and a brief look in the "Radio" section brought light to several different signals across the Palomino... But they were nothing but static. I was ready to call it a night until I noticed I hadn't touched the "Data" section yet. Scrolling over, I found a single untouched entry titled: "Adventurer's Log, Entry One" I pressed play. A faint whirring sound began with a click. "This iiiiis... Rhapsody Recital, up-and-coming explorer of the Palomino! I'm standing at the mouth of Death Gulch, surrounded by... Uh, sand. Lots of- lots of sand. Uuummm.... I'm twelve years old, and I like to hit things with sticks. Oh! And, it's my birthday." I stared blankly at the Pip-Buck's verdant glare while I listened to the much younger version of myself prattle on about nonsense. I couldn't help but smile a little. I was happier back then, truly happy. The audio of the recording sounded grainy, gusts of wind carrying sand swishing against the built-in voice recorder. "I'm waiting for Mamá and Papá to get back from the outer lands. They're on some scavenging mission to the Glasslands, I'm pretty sure. I want to go there someday even though Papá keeps telling me about how dangerous it is. I think it's really, really cool." "I want to be out there someday, chasing danger, chasing... Anything at all. It's so boring here." "I know that I'm gonna see it someday. All of it. And nothing's gonna stop me!... Ooh, I think that's them now! Okay, uh... Log over!" The whirring stopped, silence filling the room again. I'd amounted to nothing since that day. Every idea that I had of my future since then was swept away like the sand around me, blown into the wind, never to be seen again. I was going to be an eighteen year-old nopony in two weeks. Frustration quickly welled up inside of me. Why did I accept that fate? Why did I let myself get chained here by two geriatric geezers with no understanding of who I really am? Why haven't I done anything about it? Turning to the hole in the wall, I rushed back over to gaze at the sky. Stars filled my eyes, and with it, a sense of purpose - a sense of destiny. I belonged out there, wild and free. I wasn't going to let anything get in my way from now on. On my foreleg, I held a tool for adventure: one that I'd sworn never to use until I'd earned it. Today, that changed. I was going to carve my own destiny, without- My ears shot straight up as I heard a sudden shuffle from the room over. Quickly, I hid myself and the Pip-Buck underneath the covers on my bedroll, pretending to be fast asleep. I heard the sound of beads clacking together, gentle hoofsteps shuffling their way inside my room, and the smell of cooked meat. It was Abuela. Why was she here? For several moments, I heard nothing, only the sound of an old mare's gentle breathing. She brushed her hoof against my cheek, bringing it up towards my hair, and planted a light kiss on my forehead. "Yo siempre te amare, no importa lo que hagas, mi conejito." She whispered, nuzzling my face one last time before quietly stepping out of my room, beads clacking together once more to signal her exit. Ugh. What did she even know? These oldbags have been the bane of my life ever since that fateful day. Looking over my shoulder to ensure that she was really gone, I pulled my Pip-Buck up to my face, and quickly began to make a new "Quest". I titled it the one thing I could think of at the moment: Escape. I wasn't going to rot in this sand-crack any longer. Weighing my options, I quickly thought back to the off-schedule NCR caravan from earlier. Maybe they were still here? Looking out into the other room one last time, I swept my thin blanket off my bedroll, fashioning it into a proper poncho before making my way towards the hole in the wall. It was now or never. I leapt out of the hole, and into the open air - no longer the same colt as before. I was free. New Quest: Escape! Gained Perk: Filly Killer - 10% more damage towards mares! Author's Note THAT took a while! So much for "two chapters a month", right? I figured it'd be nice to provide a list of translations: [Abuela] "Ayyy, mi pichuelo, ¡Ya casi eres un adulto!" - My little sugarbun, you're nearly an adult! [Abuela] "Recuerdo cuando tu abuelo tenía tu edad. Qué semental tan fuerte. ¡Tu serás igualito!" - I remember when your grandfather was your age! Such a strong stallion. You'll be the very same! [Abuelo] "Tu madre y tu padre están muertos por culpa de estas tierras, ¡No voy a dejarte morir también!" - Your mother and father are dead because of these lands, I won't let you die too! [Abuela] "Yo siempre te amare, no importa lo que hagas, mi conejito." - I'll always love you no matter what you do, my little bunny." As always, critique and any edit recommendations are welcome in the comments below. If you'd like to chat about the worldbuilding or have any other advice, contact me on Discord at Scumfiend#1582!
Introduction - A Story Around the FireThe San Palomino desert. It could be said that it's one of the most inhospitable places in the wasteland, next to the harsh irradiated conditions of Fillydelphia or the clouded inside of Old Canterlot. So inhospitable, even the Enclave and the local S.P.P. Tower were unable to maintain cloudcover above it from a lack of moisture in the air. With hundreds of miles of sand surrounded by knife-like mountains, a myriad of creatures that'd make even the most experienced adventurer meet their end, and a continuous barrage of storms comprised of rock and dust, the Palomino earned its namesake as the "forbidden frontier" of the wastes. Giant pits of radioactive glass lay scattered across the sandy landscape, the once-beautiful and bustling oasis towns now reduced to slag and rubble. With them are the wretched Husks that shamble around at night, glowing a brilliant green like a field of balefire flame - formerly regular ponies who lived their own fulfilling lives, transformed by the bombs. Legends say that they're always seeking a source of water to replenish their dried, crusty skin, and will eat you if they think you've got any. If you told somepony from the mainland that you were even thinking of venturing out into the Palomino, they'd probably tell you to buy a casket for yourself first. Yet, despite all the hardships, there existed a small rag-tag team of ponies without a direction who figured they'd give it a shot. The settlers of Death Gulch, pioneers of the Palomino, were the first outsiders to truly take the wild desert by its horns about twenty years before the Lightbringer exited her stable, taking shelter in a secluded earthy hallway of winding canyons and crevices. Amongst them were former mercenaries, farmers, prospectors, even the occasional ranger or two - but they weren't without extra company upon arrival. It turns out, that very gulch was the home of a secluded tribe who’d remained there since the last day, 200 years in the past, surviving from desert cultivation techniques passed down from the earthpony farmers before them. They taught the settlers how to survive, ultimately adopting them as members in exchange for protection and, of course, marriage. Trade routes were established with settlements near the desert's border; food, clothing, and weapons given to them in exchange for exotic foods, crafts, or even passage through the desert itself. For ten years they thrived, ultimately undisturbed by the happenings in the wasteland; Unity had no desire to send her alicorns to a barren landscape with little to no life, Red-Eye saw no benefit in throwing wanton fodder to a sandy tomb, and raiders were incredibly uncommon sightings due to the lack of anything shiny or druggy in the area. The only connection they had left to the outside world was through merchants and a seldom few radios, singing whatever the DJ-PON3 played on air. Things changed when the Lightbringer broke free from the confines of her stable, however. It didn't directly affect the Palomino at first, but as miracle after miracle occurred, the residents of Death Gulch found that others had begun to trot out into the desert's coarse borders, most finding a grim end only miles in. That was, of course, until the day of Sunshine and Rainbows, a series of sky-shattering rainbooms from every S.P.P. Tower in Equestria that caused a massive scramble for territory all throughout the land. Thousands of slaves once held in chains rejoiced as they earned their hard-fought freedom, droves of minds held captive by unity were left confused, left to wander the wasteland for purpose, and a fight for power was felt by everypony that remained. There was the side of righteous justice; The New Canterlot Republic, formed out of Junction R-7 and striving to "clean up" the lands around them so that some level of peace could be established. There was the side of evil "order"; Remnants of Red-Eye's slavers that splintered into warlords and gangs began to slowly seep into the Palomino, seeing it as a land to conquer before anypony else could claim it. And, as any good wasteland should have, the side of unfiltered chaos; raiders still roaming around in scattered bands, some getting absorbed by warlord posses. The gulch residents eventually found themselves in a fight for their home - though it didn't last long. The most notable of the Palomino warlords, a ferocious stallion named "Reck-Room" who stood taller and brawnier than a New Appleloosan train tugger made quick work of anypony who resisted his expansion. A former slave under Red-Eye who notoriously gained his position as a soldier through Fillydelphia's pit, he razed through whatever untrained and under-equipped fighters the gulch had sent his way, swiftly ending their lives or having them placed in slave collars. He cut a swath of land into the previously-unclaimed desert with efficiency that had been unseen for years, surviving on the labor of unwilling ponies and the knowledge of captured natives. Hope began to dwindle amongst the gulch with each captured fighter, their numbers thinning as the days went by. It would take nothing short of a miracle to put an end to what appeared to be their doom. The Equestrian Wasteland was prone to sudden miracles, thankfully for them, and their prayers were answered in the form of fallen angels. After Operation: Cauterize, the Enclave had found themselves splintered and broken. Some sought to rebuild the life they had in the clouds, actively seeking out dashites on the ground to continue branding and ridding them from the land. Others found that resistance towards the quickly-expanding NCR was futile, supporting them in their advance through the wasteland and assisting in rebuilding what was lost. For the crew of the Altonimbus, however, the concept of choice was slowly dwindling into nothing. The battle of Neighvarro and the clearing of the sky left their cloud generators wounded, barely puffing out enough steam to keep them steadily afloat. The crew worked day and night tirelessly to keep the mighty ship airborne, but their bodies soon suffered from exhaustion. With a lack of food, clean water, and ponypower, their acting commander Gallant Feather made the choice to willingly begin descent into the wasteland below, and more particularly... The Palomino. "And then what happened?!" I loudly exclaimed, slamming my hooves into the sandy ground. The old stallion telling the story ahead of me looked up, smiling warmly. "Well," he chuckled gruffly, "Ah guess you're just gonna have t'find out tomorrow night, lil' spud. It's gettin' to be past 'yer bedtime." A cacophony of other colts and fillies' protesting arose, mine included. "Noooo!" I shouted, "at this rate, we're NEVER gonna finish, Mister Snowcone!" Mister Snowcone raised an eyebrow, cracking a wicked grin across his face. Leaning in, he began to whisper in a low voice. "But if you don't get'cher selves to bed, then th' MAULWURF might get'cha." Another uproar amongst the children began, panicked in nature, and they began to huddle amongst one another... Except for me. A malwurf wasn't scary at all! It was just a big, dumb mole. Only babies were afraid of that sort of thing, and I was no baby. "Yeah right!" I shot back, crossing my hooves. "Everypony knows that the expeditionary force protects us from the animals." And my parents were the best ones! I knew practically everything about animals from my mom and dad. A pink-coated filly shot me a glare, her blonde mane strewn across her eyes like door curtains. "Zip it, Rhapsody!" She huffed, berating me with a hushed yell. "You'll probably attract one anyways with how loud you always are!" Ugh. It was Bubblegum. That rat-faced filly never knows when to shut her trap. I was about to raise my voice to defend myself, when suddenly, Mister Snowcone interrupted. "Alright, alright." He waved his hoof between us, stepping in the middle. "That's enough 'fer today, now. Why don't you go on back t'yer homes, it's gettin' dark." He said to the still-huddled fillies, smiling warmly at them. "Go on, 'git." Slowly, they all dispersed, saying their goodbyes to him and one another. Bubblegum shot me another mean glare before turning back and trotting away, deeper into the canyons. Part of me hoped she got eaten by a maulwurf. As I began to follow behind to go home, I was stopped by the older stallion. "Hold on, now, Rhapsody." Said Mister Snowcone, placing a dirty, granite-colored hoof on my back. "Ah want t'talk with you about something right quick. 'Yer 'ma an' pa won't mind, I already told'm ah was gonna keep y'round." Feeling his rough, grainy hoof on my back made me shudder. Mister Snowcone was a friendly old stallion, I didn't mind him, but he really knew how to delay things. What the hay did this geezer want with me? "What do you need?" I asked, albeit a little worriedly, looking up at his grey-bearded muzzle. Did I forget to lock the radbunny pens again? Worry began to course through me, my ears pressed against the back of my skull. "D-did I do something wrong?" Might as well save face and at least LOOK like I feel guilty. Mister Snowcone, to little surprise, gave a mighty guffaw. "Ha-ha! No, not at all, son!" He said, patting my back again. "C'mere, take a seat. Ah wanted t'get you a lil' something 'fer that birthday of yours that's comin' up, y'see? Ah know you're wantin' t'be a part of the expeditionary force just like 'yer parents, so ah figured ah'd get'cha a lil' something to help you out along the way." He reached around behind him, pulling out a small metallic box from his saddlebags. Oh. Right. My birthday. I'd nearly forgot about it! I was so busy with today's chores that I'd barely had time to consider the troubles of turning 12 years old. "Oh!" I exclaimed, rubbing the back of my head. "Sorry Mister Snowcone, I guess it just kind've slipped my mind." Examining the box closer, I could make out an odd, dirty logo on the top of it. S-T-B... T-E...? The words were muddled and corroded from the years gone by. "Uh... What is it?" My head flopped to the side, confused. Mister Snowcone snorted, setting the box on the ground in front of me. "Well, it ain't just a box, spud. Open 'er up!" He exclaimed, gesturing towards it. I looked down at the box, carefully bringing my hoof across the top, wiping off some dust and sand. I could read the words much better now. "Stable... Tec? What's that?" I looked up to the geezer for any clues, but he didn't say a word, only gesturing me to open it again. Right. I should have just done that to begin with. Lifting a side of the cover off, I quickly "unwrapped" my present. Inside the box was something I'd never seen before. While I was stuck trying to figure out what was staring back at me, Mister Snowcone erupted with excitement; "It's your very own Pipbuck! Well, it used t'be MY very own pipbuck, but I didn't quite need it no more. Ah'm too old to go out and fight those desert demons. So, ah figured you'd get some use out've it." I sat there, open-mouthed. A pipbuck? I'd only HEARD about them before. Taking it in my hooves, it felt a lot lighter than it looked. A squeaky hinge wiggled back and forth, dangling half of the pipbuck's wrist-locking mechanism near the ground as if it were beckoning my foreleg inside. "Can I...?" I looked to the geezer. "Put it on! Let's see how it'll fit you. These things are practically a one-size-fits-all, provided y'ain't too much of a smallfry. It'll adjust as y'get older an' bigger." Excitedly, I shoved my foreleg inside of the pipbuck's carapace, and latched it shut. Immediately, its soft velvety interior began to mold to my leg like a warm hug. It wasn't too uncomfortable, rather, it felt... Right? I stared at the pipbuck's black screen, waiting for it to do something. Suddenly, it flashed a brilliant tech-y green, displaying an array of words and commands that I didn't fully understand. It whirred like an angry motor, and I began to grow a little nervous that it was going to explode on my leg. After a moment of watching nonsense fly up the screen, the screen went black once more, before the letters "STABLE-TEC" popped up one by one. A display flickered onto the screen, showing a flurry of information - none of it in my scope of knowledge. It was practically gibberish. Mister Snowcone supervised me intently. "Ah can help you get it set up while y'wait for 'yer parents t'get back from th'glasslands. They should be returnin' pretty soon now, ah'd say by the end've the hour. You don't mind stayin' up a little bit past your bedtime, do you?" He asked, showing an imperfect, near-toothless smile through his thick beard hair. I didn't mind one bit. Nodding excitedly, I began to briskly trot forward, deeper into the winding canyons. Excitement built up inside of me like a stick of dynamite ready to blow, and I couldn't help but bellow, "I'm gonna be a super-explorer!" "Now, just wait up! Ah ain't as quick as ah used t'be, spud!" Said Mister Snowcone, trying to catch up, but to no avail. I was already sprinting full-kilter deeper into the canyons, hooting and hollering for everypony to hear. This was the best day of my life! I looked up at the bustling city of rock above me, a ginormous hunk of shaped metal and fabric painted a dirty blue, wedged inbetween the walls. While lanterns and lights hung loosely from it like they were stars, ponies of the night market traded and haggled fervently under their dim brightness. As I passed through, I couldn't miss the real sky shining above it; true stars twinkling amidst a sea of black abyss, the moon shining brilliantly down upon me. It filled me with resolve. After minutes of running as fast as my long, skinny legs could go, I made it to the other end of the gulch, making my way up the wooden scaffolding and rickety pathways to reach the primary entrance of the mighty crack in the earth that I, and many others, called home. It took me several moments to fully catch my breath, but I was able to finally gaze out at the barren desert that would someday await me. Sparkles in my eyes, I felt the winds from the east brush against my face, clouds of sand twirling around me. Looking out into the vastness of the desert, I came to a realization that both disheartened me and motivated me. It wasn't like I didn't know, but there was still a plethora of training I had to go through until I could become a real member of the expeditionary force. Sighing wishfully, I knew one thing was for certain: There was a long way to go. FALLOUT EQUESTRIA: SANDS OF THE PALOMINO Author's Note Alright, that's a wrap for the introduction! This is my first long-term project, so any critique at all is welcome. I definitely plan to write more if people are interested! Thank you in advance to everyone who gives this a read.
Chapter 1 - Gulchstuck"Come on! Gimme your best shot you overgrown radmole!" I shouted, holding an elegant-looking sword in my mouth. My eyebrows furrowed intensely as I stared down the largest sand maulwurf i've ever seen, a growing sandstorm surrounding us. It had to be at least the size of two hellhounds, with claws sharp as knives and teeth like giant stakes. "Oh, Rhapsody, save us!" Cried a mare behind me, accompanied by several others - who, of course, were comprised of the most beautiful mares in the gulch. "Don't worry." I smugly remarked, putting on my awesome shades. "This thing is about to be... Mauled." I could hear a Roc screech in the background, its shrill cry signaling that I needed to do something awesome. As the maulwurf finally charged, I leapt up into the air, slicing it in half with a single blow! A distant explosion was heard, probably out of respect for my awesomeness. "Rhapsody! Oh, Rhapsody! You're our hero!" Cried my personal harem, as I awesomely landed behind the maulwurf's now-dead body, blood spewing everywhere in an epic display. "I know. I'm just that cool." I said, the sandstorm blowing away from the sheer force of my blade skills. "Rhapsody! Rhapsody! Rhapsody!" They chanted, though, they were slowly becoming more and more... Masculine? And old. Their faces shifted from the hottest females in the palomino to a single, decrepit stallion. "RHAPSODY!" RHAPSODY S - [4] P - [6] E - [7] C - [5] I - [4] A - [7] L - [3] "RHAPSODY!" Shouted an elderly pony next to my head, "Andale, Get your flank up already!" I awoke with a startled yell, quickly scrambling onto my hooves. "Gah! Can't you ponies wake me up in a way that doesn't involve shouting right into my ear?!" I barked, holding an assortment of blankets around my body like a disheveled poncho. Unfortunately, my life never got to be as awesome as the dream I'd just had. Instead of fighting off giant monsters surrounded by a dangerous sandstorm, the only thing I ever got to fight against were my grandparents' early wake-up calls. It was my eighteenth birthday in just a few weeks, and I'd amounted to... Nothing, really. My flank was bare as the desert around us, not like I'd even know what that looked like - I'm basically chained to this place by these overprotective geezers. "I've been trying," said Gramps, hobbling out of my hole's entrance with a disgruntled snort. "Breakfast's cooking, niño. Get up and get ready." I rolled my eyes, gradually setting the blankets back down onto my uncomfortable bedroll. It felt like sleeping on a rock most nights, but it was better than sleeping on the ground where I'd get even more dirt in my mane. Looking around my "room", I took note of the cracks that were forming in the ceiling. That's what you get when you live in a cave on the side of an even bigger crack in the desert, I guess. It definitely didn't help when the residents above were always stomping around, knocking sand on my face and blankets. "I'll be out in a minute!" I sleepily groaned, rubbing my eyes and stepping in front of a very decrepit-looking mirror that rested in the corner of my room. I tried my absolute hardest to look my best every morning so that maybe I'd get the chance of wooing a pretty merchant mare from the greener parts of Equestria. Atleast, I'm told they're green. "Okay, hotshot," I said to myself, slicking my clay-toned mane back. It was pretty long and messier than your average prim-and-prissy merchant, but it wasn't like I had easy access to a shower. Nopony in this sandtrap did. "You're gonna get out there and make some noise today. Huah!" I flexed my foreleg as hard as I could, some semblance of muscle rippling through my fur. It wasn't much, but it made me feel nice for some reason. My already earthy-colored coat was dirtied by muck and, of course, sand, but it didn't bother me. As long as it didn't mess up my mane too much, I didn't mind it. It was kind of like my war paint in a way, something to tell everypony "I'm still standing! I'm small and dirty, but I'm a fighter!", even if it gave them even more ammunition to berate me with. You'd think being a blank flank rapidly nearing adulthood and having dead parents is bad enough, but no - ponies will find every reason they can to put me into the ground. I'm surprised I didn't get my cutie mark in being a punching bag! I can already see it, a mini-caricature of myself getting thrown around like a radalope in a game of hoofbunny. Self-deprecation aside, I shoved those thoughts somewhere else and took a deep breath. Today was going to be a new day, and I was going to do what I did best. I might not be the strongest, the most agile, or the most good looking, or... Alright, I wasn't really much of anything, but I had a strong work ethic! After all, that's why I was placed chief janitor of the Altonimbus, the HEADQUARTERS of the Expeditionary Force. Well, no. I was the only janitor, but I was good at what I did - and if I was the only one, that meant I was the chief. Feeling content with my appearance, I turned away from the mirror and gave a momentary scornful glance towards the glorified technologically-advanced paperweight on my ramshackle wooden desk, also known as a "Pipbuck". I never had any use for it after I was practically barred forever from joining the force by my grandparents. "Rhapsody!" Gramps' voice called from the other room, sounding more impatient this time. "Vamonos, you're going to be late for work again!" Snorting in response, I briskly trotted out into the kitchen-room filled with the lovely aroma of cacti and radalope. It wasn't exactly a "kitchen" like the ones I'd seen in magazines, rather, a pot or a skewer over an open fire that was surrounded by some darker-looking rocks. Next to it were hoof-crafted clay pots filled with assorted grains or water, matching the dirty tones of the rest of the cave. I saw Granny crouched over the fire, slowly turning a skewer over the flame. Just as my nose suspected, over it was ripe Palomino agave with some seasoned meat on the side. "La comida está casi lista. Hurry up! Vamos, vamos." She said, beckoning me closer with a hoof while keeping her pinpoint glare on the food. Before the original settlers came, the ponies that inhabited the gulch were descendants of stable dwellers, who were descendants of Palomino and mainland Equestrian nobles. I don't really know what they did or how they got into a stable, but by the end of their stay, they spoke a mix of both languages. My mom was a native to this place, so her parents spoke the language fluently. My dad, on the other hoof, always had trouble understanding. "Seré rápido, Abuela, I'm doing my best!" I replied, trotting over towards her while she began to place the skewers on pieces of cloth for Gramps and I. Granny hated speaking Equish, she always thought that the gulch would lose its traditions if more ponies started speaking it over the more traditional Palomino dialect. Gramps, on the other hand, didn't care as much. Looking to one of the windows outside, I saw a crack of sunlight peek through the top of the gulch's mouth. I was going to REALLY be late if I was any slower! Breakfast would have to wait until later. "Sorry, gotta go! ¡Hablo contigo más tarde!" I exclaimed before trotting through the door adjacent to the room. "¡¿Para qué hice toda esta comida?!" I could hear Granny yell at me, displeased with my decision to skip out on breakfast, but she'd have to wait. If I wanted to have any chance at all to even POSSIBLY be considered for the expeditionary force scouting team, I'd have to get in good cahoots with Captain Trotter, which means I have to be on time, on the dot, on the floor, every day. Regardless of the fact that I hadn't succeeded in a single try-out for the past four years, I wasn't about to give up. I felt the sun hit my face as I stepped outside, immediately getting smacked by a drier-than-dry heat. I'd gotten used to it, but most foreign merchants that came here always complained that it felt like they were sitting in a boiling cauldron. Thankfully, most of the sun's glare was kept out by the gulch's upper lip - an outwards protrusion of rock that nearly covered the whole crack in some parts of it. Other parts like the crash of the Altonimbus, however, weren't so lucky. The other side of the rocky crevice was filled with other caves and small dwellings just like mine, each with ponies inside, living their lives. Their boring, dull lives. Not like me, though - I was more or less a fully-fledged member of the coolest ponies in the desert! I broke out into a sprint towards the broken airship, hopping up, over, and around various constructs that'd been built on the walls - connected by ladders and tunnels. I took a moment to look down towards the bottom of the gulch, both sides sloping down into a "v" shape. It was nothing short of an earthpony miracle that anyone managed to build here. After maneuvering my way through the sandy corridors and dwellings, I made it into the market bazaar, right outside the crash of the Altonimbus and a place where all the merchants that come through stay to barter their wares to us. The Palomino-native merchants often brought humpbacks as their pack animals - tall, dull creatures with two large "humps" on their backs. Humpbacks came in all kinds of colors, just like ponies, but there was practically nothing behind those dull, unthinking eyes of theirs. Sometimes, though? It was as if they understood whenever ponies were talking about them. Creepy! Shuddering at the thought, I found myself having to squeeze through chattering ponies just as I did through the rocks. It looked like the NCR and their odd-looking caravan brahmin were here too, which meant they had plenty of caps to spend and lots of goodies to buy. Everypony tended to gather when they showed up, to my displeasure. "'Scuse me! Coming through! Trotting along, here!" I vocalized over the crowd, slipping past a menagerie of unwashed flanks. I barely noticed the smell anymore, thankfully. Trotting up to the entrance of the wreck, I stopped in the crowd to look up at the brilliant scrap-metal sign that hung above the fallen raptor's starboard entrance. EXPEDITIONARY FORCE - SAVING LIVES FROM PRYING EYES Painted on with a red dye, it was a brilliant display of their ruggedness and adaptability. Or, at least, that was how I thought of it. Most of the ponies around me weren't outside-the-box enough to think about it as in-depth as that. It was so hard being seventeen years old and the smartest pony in the gulch at the same time! My moment of intellectual and philosophical thought was interrupted by a rude shout from my rear. "Hey, colt!" A butch mare's voice shouted, "Keep it moving, tiny! You're holding up the crowd flow!" Turning around, a little embarrassed to be pointed out like this, I found that the offender was one of the ponies from the NCR's caravan: a stout, muscular-looking earthpony mare with a dirty red beret and sunglasses on her head, auburn mane tied in a neat bun. Her fur was as yellow as a flare wasp, and frankly, she looked as if she could sting like one too. Flanked by two armed griffons sporting similar uniforms on either side of her, she impatiently waved me off as if I were a simple commoner! Ugh. Sometimes I wish that we never had to endure their presence. Part of me hoped that someday we could go back to how things used to be: isolated, happy, and free of their meddling. I even heard whispers from Abuela and Abuelo that they were pressuring Chief Bighoof to allow them to set up an embassy nearby! Scrunching up my muzzle and sticking my tongue out at the mare to blow a raspberry, I turned my head and trotted into the Altonimbus. Immediately, a rush of cool air hit me as I brushed past the warm, metal doors - a product of the still-active atmospheric control talismans within the ship. I always hated it. The warmth of the gulch was something I was used to, but the pegasi who crash-landed here ten years ago were acclimated to a much colder environment. Something about it being colder in the sky, I could barely remember all that boring stuff Captain Trotter rambled on about. Inside the ship, ponies idly chatted with one another, recovering from an expedition or preparing to embark. My eyes sparkled in awe while I watched them sit there, they were the coolest! But, I had a job to do. Grabbing a broom, I got to work on the dirty floor, sweeping the sand and muck that came through into a neat pile. Plenty of idle conversations went on inside the room, all of which I tended to eavesdrop into. "They've been spotted this far south, I wouldn't be surprised if they were practically on our doorstep within the week. Trotter needs to get his muzzle out of his flank and do something already, if not convince Bighoof to quit sitting on the fence about that NCR deal." I heard somepony say, almost annoyed in tone. "They wouldn't dare march this far down, no chance. It's supposed to be one of the hottest summers we've had in years, they'll all cook! Just relax, Jumper, you're being paranoid." Somepony else replied, teasing. I sighed. None of these conversations were juicy OR explorer-y. I dully awaited the day I got to hear about somepony fight off a bloodthirsty pack of dune hounds, or take out an entire horde of husks. Focusing my eyes on the dirty floor, I tuned the rest of the voices out and went into my own imagination. It was gonna be another long, boring day. Completed: Get to work! Started: Clean the Altonimbus! Author's Note MONTHS LATER, I pick this project back up. I'm currently in school to get my aircraft maintenance certificates, so things have been a little rough with motivation. Thankfully, I have found my muse again, and will be trying to release at least two chapters per month. To all of you who never gave up hope: thank you! To those who DID give up hope... You aren't invited to my birthday party.
Chapter 2 - EscapeSomething about living in a desert meant that nothing ever stayed "clean" for long. This was the case for my job as "chief janitor" aboard the Altonimbus, and today was one of those days where it felt like I was fighting an uphill battle. Diligent as a warrior, however, I continued to stand guard at my post - dusting out the sand just as quickly as it came in. I took a moment of respite to think about how I got where I was today, and how important it was that I continued my dutiful service. It felt like yesterday that Captain Trotter vigilantly awarded me my position after years of "negotiating" a spot within the Expeditionary Force, tasking me with the all-important job of keeping this room - and ONLY this room - spotless as-can-be! Of course, my grand achievements were occasionally lost to some ponies. Here came some now... "Well, well, well. If it isn't Crapsody," an unfortunately familiar high-pitched bratty voice announced from behind me. "Slain anything lately? Oh, wait..." She paused, giggling. "That's right, you're just a dust collector." Hearing her friends giggle and laugh behind me, it took all my resolve not to snap back at her. She was just a dumb filly, after all, she didn't know what she was talking about! Taking a deep breath in, I mercifully allowed her to continue her day without any shame. "I'm busy, Bubblegum. What do you want?" I asked, rolling my eyes. "Oh, nothing," she responded, flipping her silky golden hair to the side, "I dropped by the market, and I thought I smelled a brahmin in here. Turns out, it's just you." Another chorus of laughter erupted from her backup dancers, her "friends". I narrowed my eyes, feeling my cheeks flush with embarrassment. Ever since she turned sixteen, she'd been ruthless towards me. I'd never even done anything to her! Sometimes, it felt like she and her dumb friends picked on me just for the sake of doing it, and it frustrated the hay out of me. In fact, ever since my parents had disappeared, she'd treated me like I was suddenly lesser. Anger welled up inside of my body upon the tail-end of this series of thoughts, and I snapped, letting go of my previous resolve to let her off easy. "If you're just going to run your mouth off, go harass somepony else!" I barked, trying my best to tune out their jeers and giggles. In a moment of frustration, I swept my broom towards her, kicking up sand and dirt directly into her pristine coat and hair. Feeling content, I narrowed my eyes, grinning wryly. Bubblegum hated anything as filthy as I was, and seeing her get put down onto "my level" felt only like karma. The consequences of my actions, of course, did not cross my mind. Bubblegum gasped loudly, peering down at her now-dirtied fur. "You... Stupid. Dirty. BLANK FLANK!" She yelled, attracting the attention of everypony in the room. Seeing her stomp towards me like this, it felt as if I was staring down the barrel of a gun, her words zipping through me like bullets. I swiftly regretted my choices as she continued to blabber. "You know what's funny Rhapsody? That every time you come in here and pretend like you're a real member of the Force, everypony knows that you're just a PITY-HIRE." Snarled the bratty pink filly, forcing me further and further back until my flank was at the wall. "My daddy heard from Captain Trotter himself that you kept BEGGING him to be let in, so he made you a FLOOR SWEEPER just so you'd stop annoying him!" I felt a flurry of emotions hearing that. It was hard to admit, but the other members of the force had a tendency to look down on me or even pity me. I can't remember a day where I didn't catch somepony looking at me with an expression that screamed "I feel sorry for you". Thankfully, before I could make a hastily-worded retort to the pink menace's outburst, my saving grace arrived. "Bubblegum! That's enough out of you!" I looked to my side to see an old friend and guardian angel - Lieutenant Sunchaser. He was buddy-buddy with my dad before everything happened, and I've looked up to him as something of a cool uncle ever since I was capable of thinking. He stuck up for me more than anypony else in the entire ship. Finally, I had somepony on my side of the ring! He was like a coach to a boxer, standing right beside me to cheer me on! Sunchaser's hooves clacked against the steel floors of the raptor, still clad in his suit of pegasus power armor. While not every pegasi still had a working set, the ones who did were considered to be top-of-the-line. Bubblegum looked like she was about to blow a fuse upon getting called out. "He got his dirt on me! I didn't even do anything to him!" She whined, stomping her hoof down. Sunchaser didn't look convinced, however. "You came in here with your friends just to berate the poor colt. He could've done much worse. Now scram, before I let your father know that you've been sneaking out again. Last I checked, you were still grounded for that stunt you pulled in the market last week." I winced at the words "poor colt", further proving Bubblegum's outburst, but I wasn't about to interrupt him. Contrary to my statement about having somepony on my side, it felt like my "coach" had just tripped me with a belt. Bubblegum looked like she was about to blow a fuse, opening her mouth to retort, but ultimately deciding against it. With a puff from her nostrils, she gave a mean glare back at me before flipping her chin up and trotting out. "Fine! It's too dirty in here for my tastes, anyways." Watching her and her wordless yet giggling and sneering troop of friends leave, I let out a sigh of equal frustration and relief. It was unfortunately short-lived when I realized the older stallion's gaze turned soft towards me in an all-too-familiar look of pity. I hated that look. I was practically an adult, I didn't need ponies like him to fight my battles for me, and I certainly didn't need him to feel sorry for me. "Rhapsody, don't take her words to heart," he said, putting a metallic hoof on my shoulder. The cold surface made me shiver. "You're... Doing your part. Alright? I know your mother and father would be proud regardless of what you did." And there it was: the knockout. Not from Bubblegum, but instead, Sunchaser - storming the ring and deciding to uppercut my psyche himself. It never felt good when I got the "mom and dad would be proud" spiel, but these days it was practically unavoidable. "Ye-yeah. Thanks, Lieutenant. I'll remember that." I muttered, hiding my true feelings behind an unassuming grin. I felt a bittersweet tightness in my chest. "There's a good colt. Tell you what, take the day off early. Your grandfather told me that he and your grandmother had a surprise for you when you got back, something about an early birthday present." Sunchaser ruffled my already-messy mane, turning around to go back to whatever business he was in the middle of before coming to my aide. The prospect of an "early birthday present" lifted my spirits a little, at the very least. Of course, I'd already peeked at most of the ones that Abuela had hidden, but nothing in her stash seemed like it would be special enough to show early. I watched Sunchaser disappear deeper into the halls of the airship until I couldn't see him anymore, the lingering feeling of shame from him fighting my battle still clinging onto me. Maybe Bubblegum was right. Sighing, I trotted out the door with bitter frustration in my gait, propping my trusty broom in the corner as I left. The sun setting on the Palomino cast an orange glow across the open sky. With the day turning to night, the air felt slightly cooler, a dry breeze fluttering through and spinning sand around my hooves. Most ponies had left the market by now, and with no more clientele to shake for caps, the diverse group of merchants began to pack their wares and leave. All except the NCR, that is. The gruff senior mare who pestered me previously was barking orders at her younger-looking griffon companions. She must have been the boss, and she did not look happy. Now without sunglasses, I could see her frustrated expression and sandy-colored eyes more clearly. "Move! It! Have you two shitheads never replaced a wheel before!?" She barked, standing before their wagon. Two wheels laid upright against its wooden carapace, one looking newer and overall in better shape than the other. The caravan's absent-minded looking brahmin and its second, sickly head stared blankly ahead, completely unaware of its predicament. I grimaced a little when I noticed a fifth leg jutting out oddly from behind its right foreleg, hanging limply near the ground. Most merchant caravans liked to get moving before sundown, but the NCR always seemed to hang on until the very last minute, waiting for some officer-looking types to return from talks with Chief Bighoof. I was sure they wouldn't be out until at least an hour after, given the klutziness of the griffons trying to replace the broken wheel. "We're trying our best here, Sergeant!" The younger-looking of the two squawked, wiping his forehead with a yellow set of claws. His fur was a dark brown, and his feathers looked to be about the same hue. "Can't get sand out of the bearings, Sergeant!" Said the other, larger of the two. He was similarly-colored, but sported a nasty-looking scar that gashed across his face. The mare groaned, stomping towards the back of the caravan until she was out of my sight. As I walked past, I got a glimpse of some goods inside of their wagon from a tear in the front, all kinds of junk within. I'd always wanted to climb inside and look around, but every time I tried to work up the courage to ask, all I got were odd looks or scowls. Seeing the sky go from orange to a dark blueish-violet, though, I knew that I needed to quickly hurry back. Abuela would likely have my head if I was late for whatever this surprise was. Quickly, I made my way home, trotting back through the ravines and ledges of the gulch until I made my way to the cave. I saw Abuela over the fire again, and the smell of cooking meat entered my nose. "I'm home!" I called out, expectantly. Abuela, too busy with cooking, uttered an idle greeting towards me without looking away from her pot before I saw Abuelo walk into the room. He gave me a smile and wrapped his foreleg around my neck, bringing me into a deep hug. I got a whiff of tobacco and liquor on his breath, to which I grimaced at. "Oh, my Rhapsody, almost grown up into a stallion." He cooed as I tried in vain to struggle out of his oddly-firm grip. "You used to be bien pequeño, tiny foal. Look at you now!" I felt him ruffle my mane before letting me go, to which I'd voiced my displeasure immediately. "Abuelo, I HAVE grown up into a stallion!" I groaned, pushing his hoof away while I walked to our small dining table in the middle of the room. I was already dealing with the stress of having to be treated like I was some poor colt to begin with, and his patronizing didn't help. From her position in front of the fire, Abuela clasped her hooves together after placing a thick stone lid on the pot she was using. "Ayyy, mi pichuelo, ¡Ya casi eres un adulto!" She'd exclaim, quickly rushing towards me now that her focus was away from her craft. "Recuerdo cuando tu abuelo tenía tu edad. Qué semental tan fuerte. ¡Tu serás igualito!" I heard Abuelo snicker. Silently, I cursed under my breath while the aged mare fawned over me like I was six. It drove me nuts absolutely nuts sometimes. "Your Abuela and I have been talking for some time about this, but she couldn't wait another week to tell you." Abuelo said, taking a seat next to me. "I tried to get her to be patient, believe me, but... You know, mares." He smirked, earning a warning glare from Abuela while she hobbled back to the fire. "I spoke with, ah... A merchant friend of mine. Señor Dune - maybe you've heard of him! He'd been looking for somepony to help him with supplies and unloading. Maybe to, say... Take a very lucky colt in as an apprentice." Abuelo leaned back in his chair with an amused look on his face. The more he spoke, the more I realized what was being implied. For a moment, there was silence, besides a crackling fire and the rummaging of a stick on stone in the background. "You mean... He wants me?" I asked, confused. "But- but what about the Altonimbus? I'm so close to getting on that team, Abuelo!" Abuelo, as if he knew this was coming, sighed. The older stallion leant forward, looking me in the eye. "Nietito, you know your Abuela and I care very, very much about you. But... Capitán Trotter hasn't let up for the past three years. It's time to move on! Feed on greener pastures." I slowly understood what was happening. They were trying to pull me away from my dream, just because they wanted to keep me here, rotting in this dump. It wasn't fair! "This- that's not fair, Abuelo! I'm so close! I- I can just feel it calling to me!" I exclaimed, standing up from my chair and putting my hooves on the table. "I'm so sick of everypony telling me that I can't do it!" Abuelo didn't back down, firmly knocking the table. "Rhapsody, that's enough! I'm not going to argue with you. The outside lands are far too dangerous, they-" "I don't care!" I cut him off, slamming my hooves down in defiance. "You can't just make that decision for me! I have a life too, I have- I have a legacy! I'm not meant to just stand around and kick dirt like everypony else here! Mom and dad-" "Tu madre y tu padre están muertos por culpa de estas tierras, ¡No voy a dejarte morir también!" He shouted, standing just as I was. His brows furrowed and his mouth curled into a frustrated scowl. I could hear him snort angrily through his nose before sitting himself back down. "I won't let you die like them." My vision became blurry as tears quickly formed in them. Sniffling, I rubbed a hoof across my face, and got off my chair. "Rhapsody, you aren't dismissed!" Abuelo sternly commanded, but it didn't stop me as I stomped angrily towards my room. Everything was so unfair. How could any of them understand what I go through on a daily basis? Keeping my head low to the ground, I made my way past the door beads and flung myself towards my bedroll. Today was awful. I felt tears course down my cheek and land on my blanket while I stared grimly at my pillow, dim light shining through my window and twinkling against the falling droplets. I buried my face into the old, musty-smelling package of fluff and sobbed quietly, images of days gone by coursing through my head. I missed my parents. I missed when everything was right in the world, when I knew what I was going to be doing with my life. After a few minutes, I brought my head up, sad strings of snot clinging to the pillow. With a quivering lip and trembling legs, I pushed myself off my bedroll to trot over towards the one window in my room - a hole in the wall. Looking up at the bright moon above, I clenched my eyes shut and said a prayer that Mamá had taught me to do whenever I was feeling down. "Hermana Luna, Diosa de la Noche," Sister Luna, Goddess of the night, "Líbrame del miedo, líbrame del terror," Deliver me from fear, deliver me from fright, "Sobre una estrella que brilla tan intensamente," Upon a star that shines so bright, "Deseo que mañana todo este bien." I wish tomorrow will be alright. Dragging myself away from the window to slink back into bed, I paused, noticing the light shining against my small, deteriorating wooden dresser in a peculiar way. Illuminating the Pip-Buck on top with a gleam, I moved towards it, the tears in my eyes drying. It was the last gift I'd gotten from Mister Snowcone before he passed that same year, only a few weeks after Mamá and Papá disappeared. It was the last piece of the childhood I had from when I was still blissfully unaware of what had taken place that day. I hadn't touched it much since then. Taking the device in my hoof, I held it up, blowing a thick blanket of sand off the screen. It was light in my hooves despite its thick stature, a product of the enchantments within. Mister Snowcone had always raved on about the power held in one of these things, but not once did I get to test it out. I never felt like I deserved to - not until I made it onto the Expeditionary Force. I felt the need to put it on. To feel like an adventurer. Sitting down on my haunches, I held the Pip-Buck's inner cushioning up against my foreleg, clasping it down. I felt the same sense of awe I did the first time I put it on when the enchantments within magically bound it to my leg. It was as if it were a part of me - near-weightless. Natural. Bright-green text flashed on the screen, lines of linear code coursing up and down as if it were a busy pre-war rail station. For a moment, the screen went black. When it came back on, I was overwhelmed with information. Bodily health, bone structure condition, any traces of radiation, and a plethora of other things I had no idea about. I scoffed in amusement. Why hadn't I bothered to use this before? It would've caught me all the mares. I spent the next five minutes scrolling through the Pip-Buck's contents. In the "map" section, I found that "Death Gulch" was oddly called "Agave Canyon", and a brief look in the "Radio" section brought light to several different signals across the Palomino... But they were nothing but static. I was ready to call it a night until I noticed I hadn't touched the "Data" section yet. Scrolling over, I found a single untouched entry titled: "Adventurer's Log, Entry One" I pressed play. A faint whirring sound began with a click. "This iiiiis... Rhapsody Recital, up-and-coming explorer of the Palomino! I'm standing at the mouth of Death Gulch, surrounded by... Uh, sand. Lots of- lots of sand. Uuummm.... I'm twelve years old, and I like to hit things with sticks. Oh! And, it's my birthday." I stared blankly at the Pip-Buck's verdant glare while I listened to the much younger version of myself prattle on about nonsense. I couldn't help but smile a little. I was happier back then, truly happy. The audio of the recording sounded grainy, gusts of wind carrying sand swishing against the built-in voice recorder. "I'm waiting for Mamá and Papá to get back from the outer lands. They're on some scavenging mission to the Glasslands, I'm pretty sure. I want to go there someday even though Papá keeps telling me about how dangerous it is. I think it's really, really cool." "I want to be out there someday, chasing danger, chasing... Anything at all. It's so boring here." "I know that I'm gonna see it someday. All of it. And nothing's gonna stop me!... Ooh, I think that's them now! Okay, uh... Log over!" The whirring stopped, silence filling the room again. I'd amounted to nothing since that day. Every idea that I had of my future since then was swept away like the sand around me, blown into the wind, never to be seen again. I was going to be an eighteen year-old nopony in two weeks. Frustration quickly welled up inside of me. Why did I accept that fate? Why did I let myself get chained here by two geriatric geezers with no understanding of who I really am? Why haven't I done anything about it? Turning to the hole in the wall, I rushed back over to gaze at the sky. Stars filled my eyes, and with it, a sense of purpose - a sense of destiny. I belonged out there, wild and free. I wasn't going to let anything get in my way from now on. On my foreleg, I held a tool for adventure: one that I'd sworn never to use until I'd earned it. Today, that changed. I was going to carve my own destiny, without- My ears shot straight up as I heard a sudden shuffle from the room over. Quickly, I hid myself and the Pip-Buck underneath the covers on my bedroll, pretending to be fast asleep. I heard the sound of beads clacking together, gentle hoofsteps shuffling their way inside my room, and the smell of cooked meat. It was Abuela. Why was she here? For several moments, I heard nothing, only the sound of an old mare's gentle breathing. She brushed her hoof against my cheek, bringing it up towards my hair, and planted a light kiss on my forehead. "Yo siempre te amare, no importa lo que hagas, mi conejito." She whispered, nuzzling my face one last time before quietly stepping out of my room, beads clacking together once more to signal her exit. Ugh. What did she even know? These oldbags have been the bane of my life ever since that fateful day. Looking over my shoulder to ensure that she was really gone, I pulled my Pip-Buck up to my face, and quickly began to make a new "Quest". I titled it the one thing I could think of at the moment: Escape. I wasn't going to rot in this sand-crack any longer. Weighing my options, I quickly thought back to the off-schedule NCR caravan from earlier. Maybe they were still here? Looking out into the other room one last time, I swept my thin blanket off my bedroll, fashioning it into a proper poncho before making my way towards the hole in the wall. It was now or never. I leapt out of the hole, and into the open air - no longer the same colt as before. I was free. New Quest: Escape! Gained Perk: Filly Killer - 10% more damage towards mares! Author's Note THAT took a while! So much for "two chapters a month", right? I figured it'd be nice to provide a list of translations: [Abuela] "Ayyy, mi pichuelo, ¡Ya casi eres un adulto!" - My little sugarbun, you're nearly an adult! [Abuela] "Recuerdo cuando tu abuelo tenía tu edad. Qué semental tan fuerte. ¡Tu serás igualito!" - I remember when your grandfather was your age! Such a strong stallion. You'll be the very same! [Abuelo] "Tu madre y tu padre están muertos por culpa de estas tierras, ¡No voy a dejarte morir también!" - Your mother and father are dead because of these lands, I won't let you die too! [Abuela] "Yo siempre te amare, no importa lo que hagas, mi conejito." - I'll always love you no matter what you do, my little bunny." As always, critique and any edit recommendations are welcome in the comments below. If you'd like to chat about the worldbuilding or have any other advice, contact me on Discord at Scumfiend#1582!
