*Buzz Crackle*

“Well hello everypony, this is your ever-vigilant Dj Pon3 here. I’m here to bring you your daily weather report, which is more sunshine over the wasteland. I know, I know. It’s been sunny for weeks now. With everything drying out, you all are asking, isn’t our hero supposed to be controlling the weather?”

“Well if you have been following my other broadcasts, I had on a pegasus cloud scientist, who explained how the enclave was able to keep so much water through air currents and other crazy stuff. I also ran it on reruns for a week, just so you all got to have heard it. Yet I’m still getting angry letters on why the Light brighter will not just make more rain… ya, to spell it out to you upset ponies, to make it loud and clear, right now there is no rain! This is a process that will take time, but trust me, it’s being worked on. So just hunker down, conserve your water, and be patient.”

“In other news, reports are coming out west about a large airship traveling along the coastline. It is armed with some big guns and vertibucks. It is still unknown what their intentions are, but I advised you ponies. I double this warning to those Steel Ranger hardheads to not antagonize the big super airship.”

“In other, but still just as strange news coming out west, there is some sort of cybernetic cult popping up who are aiming to bring bright equality to all. Currently, they are giving out free food and water, so it’s best to just let them do their thing, but if anypony still remembers Redeye, I can understand why you're suspicious of a colony of cyborgs.”

“Now since we're talking about the west, might as well remind you all to keep an eye out for the New Goddess Army. Those poor mutated ponies should be considered extremely dangerous. If seen, it’s probably best to shoot or run. If they don’t eat you, they will turn you into one of them, so be careful.”

“Anywho, let’s stop talking about the epicenter of crazy that is the west coast, and…”

*Crash*

That hurt a lot, but nothing felt cracked, so I could only guess my bag broke my fall.

First, I needed to check if I hurt my head. Concussions were no joke.

“Names Azure Dice. Home is the jade crystal deep rift, and stupidly took a job exploring the miasma fringes…” I sighed, still regretting going on this cursed expedition, but I’m relieved that I didn’t seem to be suffering from brain damage.

“What in Celestia’s glorious burning flank was that?!” A loud masculine voice shouted.

“I think something crashed into the scrapyard, Pa.” This time it was a scratchy strained voice of a younger male.

“Then go see what it was, colt. If it’s a thief, shoot ‘em. We got barely two caps to rub together as is,” the older male grumbled.

“On it, Pa!” the younger male shouted, followed by the sound of metal moving around. “Where are ya? I’m not going to hurt ya, just shoot ya,” the younger male spoke softly as he moved the scrap around.

Unsure what was to do, I just sat where I had fallen. I at least knew running off now would only get me shot.

Eventually I came eye to eye with the young male… horse… no, a pony. Staying still, I waited to see how he would respond, but the adolescent pony stallion just squinted at me before moving on as though he didn’t see me at all, which was impossible due to the fact that I glowed.

After several more minutes, the scrawny pony jumped off the pile of scrap. His hooves clopping on the ground. “Nothing there, Pa. Maybe a toaster exploded. My pal told me it happens sometimes.”

“Braman shit colt, if we had a toaster, I’d sell it by now and we not owe the Golden Harvest farmer's union a damn cap,” the older pony shouted, “Fucking vultures”

“But didn’t they give us all this crop to grow?” the younger pony asked.

Feeling safe, I poked my head out to finally see where I was. It was a vast dry land which expanded before me. Near me was a sack made from rotting wood and rusting metal siding. Next to it was a large field of what looked to be corn, yet it all looked sickly and brown, if not outright dead.

“Ya, fuck ta crops,” the older pony grumbled as he spat on the ground. “I don’t even know what a corn was or how ta grow ‘em. Worse, we ain't got no rain in weeks. If dis keeps up, that Golden Harvest bitch is going to take our land.”

“No matter how things change, they stay the same,” I whispered to myself as I pulled out my sketch pad. With the ponies attention elsewhere, I had time to plan on what to do next. That plan was to find the mare Harp. This is probably her world and she may know how to find the time-space distortion that could get me out of here, but first, I probably needed to find a disguise. I was still unsure how any pony would respond to seeing a lurker, and getting shot was not on my list.