"Stop, stop!" an exasperated voice groaned from all around. "Back to your quarters!"
The ponies around Amber immediately halted what they were doing, some even breathing sighs of relief as they trudged back to wherever they'd come from.
"Newcomers!" the voice turned its focus to Amber and Minty. "What brings you to our humble realm?"
The mare standing beside her chuckled, backing away.
"Hmf. That was some excellent performance there then, Missy. I expect you to bring me more by tomorrow."
"No," Amber stamped her hoof in the ground. "You --whoever you are-- do you even realize what you've been doing to the ponies you send out there?"
"I send my champions out of the safety of our realm in order to invite others that may be less fortunate. Do you not understand that? These ponies are battle-hardened, and it is their choice whether they wish to leave or not. From how few of them ever return, I presume that most opted to leave, unfortunately."
Amber groaned. "No, no! You aren't getting the point! The reason why so many ponies seem to 'leave' is because they're dying out there!"
"Ah, well, I suppose I'd might as well take the two of you on a tour of the place. Missy, you may return to your quarters for the day. You will be joining these two in combat tomorrow to show them the ropes."
Did he just ignore her entirely? Amber looked around. She still couldn't see who the voice was coming from. Either way, he seemed more than just a little full of himself-- he was willing to send ponies out to die just to further his cause of 'inviting' in ponies!
A stallion emerged from the shadows, flinging his headset aside, where it grew a set of legs and skittered away. He held out his hoof. "Please to meet the two of you. My name is Mil 'round these parts."
Amber stepped back from Mil. "You're... a pegasus."
"Yes, and?" Mil boasted, "In this new realm, anypony has the capability of using magic, no matter what tribe they hailed from!"
"That's... great?"
"Indeed it is!" Mil continued, wrapping a wing around Amber. "My realm is a utopia, and my hardened warrior-messengers spread the knowledge of its existence all around!"
Maybe it was better to shut up for the time being. It's not like Mil was really listening, anyway. At least by sticking with him, it'd be easier to figure out just what the heck this place was.
"And over there is the living quarters," Mil gestured with a wing. "It's not much, but it's honest work. My own magical abilities are still pretty shaky at the moment, to be honest. A unicorn such as yourself that has the ability to generate their own realm out in the open is just the kind of pony we need around here!"
They passed a couple of ponies. Amber couldn't help but notice their glares.
"Wait up!" Minty squeaked, running as fast as her short legs could carry her. "You grown-ups walk too fast! I was just stopping to look at what some foals over there were playing with, and then when I turned around, both of you were gone!"
Mil chuckled, ruffling the filly's frizzy mane. "You're a little young to be lookin' like Pinkie Pie, aren't you?"
Minty looked to Amber, who in return shrugged. "She didn't have a body anymore, so I had to make her one. The first thing that came to mind was Pinkie Pie, so..."
"Make her one?" Mil raised a brow. "Now that is something I'd like to hear about! Come, let's find a place to sit. We can discuss what you bring to this realm over drinks. Anything you prefer?"
"Hot cocoa!" Minty peeped, grinning.
"...Water's fine," Amber sighed. Maybe she'd be able to prevent any more bloodshed by teaching Mil some of the spells she knew. At the very least, that way he could perhaps make sure that the ponies he sent out were better protected.
Mil nodded. "Cocoa and water it is, then! Let's grow a happy little tree right here for some shade."
He unfurled his wings, a light aura developing around his entire body. It was strange watching a non-unicorn perform direct magic-- without a horn, or really anything specialized in regards to channeling mana, it instead just... appeared, regardless of where the spell would be directed.
Mil took a deep breath, grinding a forehoof into the ground as he muttered something under his breath. Slowly but surely, a thin trunk began to emerge from the ground. He opened an eye, peeking at the spindly stick of a tree he'd grown. He grunted in annoyance, returning his concentration to the spell. It was clear that he struggled to cast really anything, so the fact that he was able to create... well... all of this amazed Amber all the more.
A few more minutes of spellcasting came and went before there finally was a decently-large tree to sit under. Simply out of courtesy, both Amber and Minty decided to turn down the drinks-- Mil had struggled enough already, regardless of whether or not he actually knew what was going down out there.
"So," Mil sat down with a grunt, gesturing for Amber and Minty to do the same. "I... if you'd like, you could ask some questions first. I know I was being all big and boastful earlier, but..." he leaned in close. "To be honest, that's really just for show. Very few ponies here seem to respect me. Only reason why they don't revolt is 'cause they don't have anywhere else to go."
...He was absolutely clueless, wasn't he?
Amber rolled her eyes, frowning. "Well, I'd might as well start, then. Mil, do you have any idea just how deadly it is out there?"
"Uhm... maybe?"
Amber facehoofed. "Okay, first off, tell me how you managed to even survive the disaster. You don't exactly strike me as the kind of pony who can survive on sheer wits alone like I did."
"To be honest," Mil chuckled, scratching his head. "I'm pretty sure it's more or less been dumb luck that's kept me alive all this time. When I woke up, I was already protected by this..."
"Bubble?" Minty chirped.
"Sure, we'll go with that. In any case, I never had to worry about being unprotected like a lot of others did. I did find a couple friends early on, though we went our separate ways trying to find anyone else that we recognized, and... well, we never saw each other again."
Was that why he kept sending ponies out to their deaths? Was he really just hoping that one of his friends would be brought in one day?
"Anyway," Mil continued, "You were saying?"
"You..." Amber shook her head, gesturing at the fortified bubble walls. "You should just come with me. You need to see things for yourself."
"What do you see, Mil?"
The stallion shaded his eyes with a hoof, peering at the endless stretches of white.
"Nothing."
"Exactly," Amber nodded. "And now, look down, near the entrance of your bubble. What do you see there?"
"I..." Mil hesitated. "I see grey."
"Yes, and what does that grey look like?"
The same metallic groan from before came from below. They could barely see the tip of the next pony's muzzle beginning to emerge.
"What does it look like, Mil?" Amber repeated. "Tell me!"
"Ashes!" the stallion sputtered, "It looks like ashes! There, I've said it!"
"And where do those ashes come from?"
Minty whimpered, backing away from the two.
"It..." Mil hung his head. "It comes from my ponies."
"Then call off the next expedition," Amber ordered, "We don't need any more ponies dying as it is."
His head sunk even lower. "Okay."