>Gazing over the great plains before you, there was no mistake.
>This was the badlands.
>You had heard stories from ponies who were brave enough even to speak of this arid wasteland.
>This spit of land held nothing of value they said.
>None of those stories ended particularly well for their protagonists.
>Well you sure as fuck weren't a protagonist.
>You're a scavenger, hunter, survivor and most importantly, Human.
>Your arrival in equestria went relatively well, Princess Luna took quite a liking to you.
>Her advances however were quite... unsettling.
>So you decided to get the hell out of dodge, without a whisper to anyone, lest the moonstalker find out.
>Advancing at a steady pace along the dusty road, your headwrap protecting your skin from the vile sand.
>A few minutes keeping pace had rewarded you with what looked like a small settlement on the edge of the mirage.
>You looked to your right towards the desert
>Storm's a brewin'
>Looks like you're gonna have to put on your polite face and hold up in that town for a while
>Pushing out your chest and keeping your back high, you strode towards the town
>First impressions are everything afterall.
>As the settlement came closer into view, turns out this is not a pony town. Oh no.
>This was Diamond Dog country.
>Bipeds like other bipeds right?
>Only one way to find out
>The dust dissapated and revealed a rickety sign reading "NO PONYS"
>You continued on but your advance was halted by a shriek
>"EY, SOMETING'S OUT DERE!"
>A dog with what looked like a beanie and long dread locks pointed at you
>You wave in response
>"IT AINT NON'A'DEM PONIES!"
>You decide marching forward wouldn't be the best option.
"I'm looking for a place to stay out of the storm!" Your stick a thumb over your shoulder
>The dog looks at you wearily
"I'll pay for a room if there is one."
>You see yellow fangs slide out from is chops, in a grin.
>Great, they understand money.
>"Ahright, we don't like pony folk, but you don't look like any a dose' rasclats. Welcome to de Kennel stranjah"
"Where can I find a room to stay in?"
>The dog points one of his claws to your right.
>"Ova dere's de inn, be nice to de ownah, she's my special somepuppy"
>You nod and spin on your heel, thanking the dog for his time
>Pushing open the doors to the inn, the interior was actually... pleasant.
>A few tables, a bar, couple of dogs inside staring at you
>Nothing out of the ordinary.
>A female dog stood behind the bar, washing a tankard with a tea towel that she just spat in.
>Forget ordering drinks, infact it would probably be better to avoid all forms of food and water in here.
>Atleast the roof was tall enough.
>"Whatcha want stranger?"
>The dog juts her head at you
"I hear you have a spare room."
>"Rooms ain't cheap round these parts, stranger."
>You reach into your pocket, pulling out a ruby and an emerald.
>Her eyes widen and latch onto the stones, welded by their brilliance
"I'll take it for the night."
>You drop the gems on the counter and she frantically grasps them and hides them away
>She ducks under the counter then pops back up with a key, throwing it to you.
>"First 'n yer left, down that corridor." She gestures to the room.
>Nodding, you walk towards the door, the key slides in and with a satisfying *click* your humble abode is revealed.
>A bed, a cabinet, and a rug.
>Classy.
>You turn around and close the door behind you, looking at the two dogs who gave you the hairy eye earlier.
>Looks like they noticed you flashing those gems.
>Guess you're going to be sleeping with an eye open tonight.