All of his life, Close Call has only ever known the grey, steel walls of Stable 81. That is, until an alternate path is laid out for him: an enigmatic research expedition into the outside world to learn just what has happened to everypony else. What he'll find, he does not know. Civilization? Death? War? There is only one way to be certain, and Close Call may find there are more questions than answers in the Equestrian Wasteland.