Chapter 1: A Break in the Routine
Horizon
“Be a vanguard,” they said. “See the world,” they said. Well, I became a vanguard and I’m seeing the world. Only problem with that is the world is flat. You do see huge swaths of land long before anypony else lays eyes on it. Thing is, all you see is more desert earth and sand, the same distant mountains, and the occasional oasis… The oases are nice, at least.
“Hey Horizon! Got a bogey coming in low and fast. Looks like he’s making a bee-line for our cloud bank!”
And bandits. Can’t forget those… *sigh*
“I’m on it, Sweep,” I reply as I angle myself for a dive.
I flick out my hoof spikes and dive forehooves-first to intercept the intruder. This part of the job would almost be fun if it didn’t make me almost feel sorry for the poor fools trying to raid us. This one doesn’t even have any back armor.
A perfect collision: My foreleg hoof spikes impale the would-be thief, he screams and then gurgles his surprise at getting caught, gets shoved off of my spikes by my rear hooves, and plummets to take a very extended nap in the sand and sun. I shake a bit of bandit juice off of my spikes and flick them back up, another encounter resolved.
Well, that fills this week’s “excitement” quota. Now it’s back to watching dirt, and making sure it doesn’t do anything suspicious. I guess there’s a chance somepony else might go for our clouds, but I doubt there’s another bogey for days. Would be nice if we came across some lost supplies. Happens once in a blue moon, but one time Sweep and I found a skin of te— Now what do we have here?
“Sweep, there’s something on the ground. It looks like a pony. I don’t remember dropping this one. Looks weird, too.”
“How weird?”
“For one thing, I can’t see any wings.”
“Huh. You don’t figure it’s a—”
“Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. Whatever it is, it probably won’t last long in this heat. Sweep? Get some nugget to cover my airspace. I’m going in.”
“Wait! What if it’s a siren? Or a succubus? Or a vampire?!”
“Or maybe it’s a leprecorn and it’ll show me to its pot of gold,” I snark with an aileron roll to go with my rolling eyes.
“Really though,” I assure him, “I think I’m safe. It would have burned up by now if it were a vampire. If it’s a siren, it’d have to drag me a long ways before it found a pool to drown me in, and I trust you to save me long before it comes to that. And if it’s a succubus? Well, at least you’d have something interesting to report back about my demise. Maybe I’ll even get her to name a poniculus after you.”
“Okay, whatever!” he said in a fluster, “Just be careful, okay Rize?”
“Don’t worry, Sweep, I’ll be fine.”
And so I begin my downward spiral. Maybe it’ll be nice, picking a pony up off the ground instead of shooting him down there.
Getting closer, I can see the downed pony better. For starters, it, or really she, clearly doesn’t have wings. Didn’t lose them either. No nubs or scars on her back I can see; just never had any to begin with. I guess that coat of hers might be hiding some scars, with how fluffy it is. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. Time to land and get a closer look.
Actually, she doesn’t look that bad, aside from being a bit on the chubby side. Not too bulky, either; she’s no rabid ground pounding berserker, that’s for sure. Wonder how she’d look without all the mats and sweat in her fur?
Unconscious, but still breathing, so that’s a good sign. Is there anything useful in those saddlebags?
Wow. These things are a lot bigger on the inside. Salt, ladels, cakes, weird metal contraption… It’s like someone took the entire mess tent and stuffed it in a room. And yet there’s not a drop of water to be found. How’d she even get this far?
Well, better prep her for transport.
Okay. Commandeer her saddlebags so they don’t slide off on the way over, do your best to slip some water down her throat, and take her pointed gold, silver, and purple hat off of her head and put it into her bag so it doesn’t fall off in transit. What kind of characters usually wear hats like that again? Wizards? Explorers?
There was a horn under that hat. Huh.
Today’s looking to be a bit less boring than expected.
—_(\\_/\_//)_—
Amber Spice
Urgh… how much did I have to drink last night to deserve this? So hot, and my head hurts like… something that really hurts.
I wiggle a bit, to find I’m waking up in somepony’s arms. Huh. That’s… actually never happened before. Oh for the love of Lanthanum, don’t let it somehow be Pierce. Whoever it is is holding me up pretty tight.
Holding me up. That’s weird… I’ll worry about that once my head hurts less.
“Urgh… Stocky, this is the last time I try your salmonberry brandy, honeyjack, and saffron cocktails,” I mumble not quite coherently as my head lolls to the side.
“She’s awake, and she talks. This day keeps getting more and more interesting,” the stallion carrying me muses aloud.
That’s not a voice I’m familiar with at all. A little distressing, but not unheard of. His word choice felt a bit oddly insulting, though, like I’m an animal he just found on the side of the road.
Wait. Carrying. With all four legs. Something isn’t quite adding up here.
It sure is windy here, and turbulent. Where the hay am I? Gee, Spicy, maybe you should actually pry your eyes open and look down to find out.
“Ack! It sure is bright out here.”
Okay. Lots of orange-brown crackly earth and golden sand. Like a dessert I’d invented for the King. Dessert…
Desert. Oh. That’s the Pegasopian Desert below me. Never seen it this close.
Below me.
Below me.
Well. That explains the draft, at least. That doesn’t explain how I’m up here, though. Maybe the stallion carrying me has an idea?
I look back up, and I see some leather, some metal bits, and sweet-merciful-Terra-I-think-those-are-wings.
My eyes snap shut again.
‘Okay, Spicy, take a deep breath. There’s no need to panic. Yet.’
“Excuse me, but are you a p-p-pegasus?”
“Yep.”
“And you’re flying away with me?”
“Also yep.”
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!”
Stats
Page generated in 0.025 seconds
Total duration
877 users online
554,968 hits today, 2,054,621 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
And there you have it! The first hint of Spicy's forays into the unknown wilds. It's finally here.
Be sure to leave a comment if there's anything that needs fixing, particularly with the story's tags. I've never quite really understood Fimfiction's story tagging system, no matter how many times I browse the FAQ, so any hints there would be great. Also, based on what's here so far, was I right to label this as "teen" instead of "everyone?"
Here's hoping everyone enjoys reading this story as much as I enjoy writing it, and possibly more!
Oh, this is gonna be fun...
3769727
I dunno....do mild alcohol references warrant a teen rating? If not, then there hasn't been anything so far that would require it. But with that romance tag up there, depending on how close she gets to Horizon......it might be warranted for later if things get a little.....suggestive......
Anyway, so far I like the start. I just read the prequel, and it did not disappoint, so I'm expecting big things from this one as well.
3774959
I sure hope so! I cannot tell you how long I've been waiting to write this.
3775505
Thanks for the input. I was mainly worried about the level of violence being a bit strong for an "everyone" rating. Since that seems to be a non-issue so far, I'll bump this story back down forthwith!
Really glad to hear you're enjoying both stories so far, too. I'm not going to disappoint.
Huzzah! More of one of my favorite alternate universes! Eagerly looking forward to more. Especially what provisions the pegasi have for those who can't walk on clouds. Assuming that's an issue, of course...
Eh, I'll find out when the time comes. Until then.
3775696
.......I had totally forgotten that that one guy died...... It was so "clean", and Horizon was so nonchalant about it, that it almost didn't even register as an act of violence. I mean, I've seen more graphic death scenes in Disney movies. With violence in mind, I would say that the rating would depend on what kind of role you want it to have in the story.
If you want the raiders and the violence that they cause to be a fairly important plot point, either throughout the story or even for just a key scene, then it might be worth keeping the teen rating so that you can make it as graphic as it needs to be to have the impact you want. But if it's just kind of one of those things that's there, a part of Horizon's monotony, but not really important to the overall story, then an everyone rating with a few PG references here and there would be fine.
tl;dr - This one scene wouldn't warrant a teen rating to me. but if you plan to have more, or make them more graphic later then you'll probably need it.
3777779
Thanks. I'll try to keep that "Disney Rule" in mind.
3776202
Clouds are a fairly scarce resource in the desert, so she won't be needing to figure out how to walk on them, sadly. She'll have other things to adjust to, though!
Looking on the bright side of things, I like this fellow.
And that went about as well as expected given her upbringing.
Finally, first contact! For her, anyway. Looking forward to the rest of this, it's gonna be fun :)
3783032
Horizon is a bit of an odd duck. "Morbid optimism" isn't a phrase you hear often, but I think it has a home in desert pegasus culture. "Looking on the bright side of the Sun" is an interesting figure of speech they have.
And yes, there is plenty of fun in the sun ahead.
Win. Amber Spice's adventures continue, and she gains a new member for her culinary party.
*Watched, Tracked, Faved, Upvoted. LIKE A BOSS*
3785259
Horizon, Pegasus Vanguard, has joined the party! *Final Fantasy VII victory theme plays*
And thanks for the kind words.
*Grins* Probably not the best choice but still amusing nevertheless.
3786551
Praytell, what are you refering to as not the best choice? I'm glad it's amusing, whatever it is.
Oooh, this is going to be good.
I wonder what she'll blow up this time. Ooh! Spicy rainbow food?
3786626 Proceeding to scream your lungs out and flail around while being carried high in the air but another being.
3792463
Yeah, I can see that being less than perfectly wise.
this will be fun
*sits back for the ride*
Ohhh now we are off to a promising start now aren't we?
"something interestingto report back"
"something interesting to report back"?
8951544
Turns out that was caused by a rogue italics tag. Weird.