//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: The Journey of a Lifetime // by sqarishoctagon //------------------------------// Wind Surfer watched in horror as the slate dragon arced toward her, as if in slow motion. His fangs were bared, and his eyes gleamed with the success of the hunt. Determined as he was, he missed the rustle of scales to his right. A sand colored missile burst through the dune and barreled into the dragon, smashing him off course. The sound of shattering bones and a simultaneous roar from the missile snapped Wind Surfer out of her stupor. “Fly, missie! Fly! Ah’ll deal wit’ this lot!” Dune recovered from his charge in time to send a raging inferno towards the other dragon. It was too slow to avoid the blast, and caught the full force of the flames. Enraged, it dove behind the nearest dune. Wind Surfer did not need to be told twice as she rocketed into the sky, veering south, towards Everfire. The larger of the two dragons tried to follow, but its tail was seized by Dune. “No, ye don’t, ye bloody cross-tooth!” Dune growled between clenched teeth. He dragged him back, and smashed him into the smaller dragon, compounding injuries. He didn’t leave me! Hope swelled within her, even as the roars of the fight faded as Wind Surfer put on a new surge of speed away from them. She landed several miles away, and waited. As far away as she was, Wind Surfer could still hear the fight; several roars, punctuated by the sounds fire racing through the air. Every now and again, the dunes came alight with huge columns of flames, rising high into the night. Still, she waited, flinching at the sounds of battle. A final roar punctuated the night, and Wind Surfer instinctively knew the fight was over. She saw a single form rise up from the battle-zone, and fly towards her. She kept her eyes on the form, and readied herself to fly. It soon became apparent that she would not need to. Dune alighted on the sand a few yards from her. His snout was bathed in blood, and he was covered in scratches. His form shuddered with the heat of battle. “A - are you alright?” She asked tentatively. Wind Surfer was taken aback by his fearsome appearance. “Aye. Nothin’ a few days can’ heal.” With each breath, he calmed down, began cleaning his snout and soon began looking like himself. “Those blasted tricksters. Can’t find their own bloody meal, so they went after ye.” “But I’m alright, thanks to you.” As he calmed down, the pegasus realized that she had little to fear from him. Dune was in control of himself, regardless of how scary he became. The old dragon nodded. “We’ve tarried long enough. Let us be off!” With that he reentered the air, with Wind Surfer close behind. They flew in silence, each caught up in their own thoughts of the fight. Finally, Wind Surfer worked up the courage to ask something that had been bothering her since they began flying again. “Dune?” “Yes, missie?” “Back there- for a second- I thought you had led me into a trap. I mean, it’s obvious that you didn’t, but, uh… Would you? Would a dragon do something like that?” Dune remained silent for a time, before he answered. The gleam in his eye caught her attention, and she glanced over to him. “No. Ah would ne’er do such a thing. Those dragons be of a newer generation. No respect, no rules. Only one thing fills their minds: a lust fer blood. It dinnae matter where that blood comes from, so long as they tas’ it.” “What do you mean?” “Ah mean that they dinnae follow the same rules tha’ govern us older dragons. We used to be a proud race, strong an’ true. Now, though… them blasted dragons jus’ be in the fight for blood. They’ve nothing to fight fer. They jus’ fight. An’ that be why I sent those two to the Black Dragon o’ the Beyond a might bit early.” “The ‘Black Dragon of the Beyond’?” “Aye. Death ‘erself. The las’ judge o’ a dragon’s life. One o’ her foremos’ rules it tae alway’s remain at yer companion’s side. ‘tis not jus’ because the Black Dragon rules it. ‘e rules it because it is our nature. It goes against a good dragon’s very nature to abandon ‘is companions.” “A ‘good dragon’?” Wind Surfer repeated. “Aye. As Ah’ve said afore: those dragons a’int a part o’ the old race.” “But… How? Shouldn’t one generation be following the steps of the last?” “Aye, yes, they would. But these young dragons, these… Impostors decided tha’ they woul’ follow their own blasted rules. Where I fought for honor, territory, recognition, they go for blood.” “And now there is a rift between dragons, young and old?” “Ah, missie, ye’ seem tae become a wee expert in this kind o’ thing no?” Wind Surfer eyed him dubiously at the compliment. “Fine: when I was but a young’un, I always dreamt of taking me father’s territory from him. ‘e trained me to become a better warrior than he was. So, when the day finally came to, he was proud as Ah marched ‘im tae meet the Black Dragon.” She nodded, until sudden realization struck.“You killed your father?!” Shocked, she almost veered into Dune. “Ooch, missie! Whatch where ye be flyin’!” Dune growled. “Aye, Ah did. Tha’s ‘ow the rules were: ye ‘ad tae be the strongest tae fight yer father. If’n ye weren’t, ye didn’t deserve ‘is territory. ‘tis a great honor, tae die by yer son’s claw. It shows tha’, even though they know the old ways, they still be sharp enough tae outwit their ol’ dragon. Tha’s the true mark o’ a dragon’s honor. Imagine me disappointment when Ah realized that none o’ me sons were comin’ tae face me fer me territory.” The old dragon looked away, his eyes betraying his feelings. He sighed. Wind Surfer broke the silence. “So… Why didn’t they?” She asked, tentatively. “They’d gone an’ gotten caught up in all this ‘bloodlust’ nonsense tha’s got the young’uns acting like a bunch o’ fools,” Dune growled. “One got eaten by a bigger dragon; serves the fool right, if ye ask me... Another died o’ his wounds from a fight over bloody meal o’ all things! The las’ two… Wheel, ye met them already.” “Those two dragons were your sons?!?” It was all the pegasus could do to keep from flying into Dune again. “Why didn’t they stop? Didn’t they at least recognize you?” “Ah- Ah don’ know… Perhaps, they don’ care anymore?” Dune then met her gaze, a hard glint in his eyes. “But make no mistake: Ah’ve no regrets, sendin’ the pair o’ them off like that. They were weak, yes, but so was I once. Most importantly, they dinnae hold the same values as me. Ye saw ‘ow quick they were tae try an’ eat ye, even if ye were in me company.” He shuddered, taking a moment to calm himself, and continued. “Look, missie: Ah dinnae wan’ tae talk aboot this anymore…” Wind Surfer nodded respectfully. The pair fell silent, as the dunes sailed on beneath them. Wind Surfer’s eyes grew heavy, and soon she began drifting off course. “Oy, missie!” Dune shouted, jolting Wind Surfer out of her daze. “Ye nearly done me in tha’ time!” “I’m sorry! I’m just tired, is all. How much longer are we going to keep this up?” “A few more miles, is all. Then we’ll be near the middle o’ me territory. Ah’ve got a cave there that we’ll stay the day in. These parts o’ the desert can boil a dragon such as meself in ‘is own ‘ide.” Before long, they arrived at Dune’s destination: a small, rocky outcrop with a few sparse trees. They alighted at the edge of the outcropping, just as the sun’s rays began peeking over the horizon behind them. Dune crawled towards one of the larger trees, and disappeared into a unusually large hollow in its roots. Wind Surfer followed suit, stumbling down into the cavern. “Careful, missie. It’s quite a fall if ye-” Dune addressed his guest, only to find her lying facedown on the stone, fast asleep. “Oh, wheel, Ah suppose Ah’ll jus’ move ye a tad…” With deft movements, he removed her packs and set them to the side. Then Dune lifted Wind Surfer up onto a natural shelf in the cavern. He stepped back to admire his handiwork. “Wheel, if’n she don’t roll while she sleeps, Ah think she should be jus’ fine up there,” he muttered to himself. With that, he curled up in the opposite corner of the cavern and fell asleep. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Day 3: The Desert Crossing Loyalty is a most revered characteristic in many different walks of life. Today, I met a dragon, Dune Crest, who put his own life on the line to protect a complete stranger -me- from harm. Though he barely knew me, he did not hesitate to do this, just as he refused to let me traverse the desert alone. This bond of loyalty is powerful among older dragons, though it dies as newer generations pass. Their system of honor, while crude, and in some ways, sickening, is undoubtedly stronger than any in Equestria. It is an old tradition, though, and is giving way to a new trend. Dune’s very sons became a part of this new trend, forgoing the old ways, in favor of more barbaric, self-destructive methods of sustenance and honor. He was not happy, to say the least. They all have perished, some by his own claw, in pursuit of nothing more than a bloodlust. He met a pony, named Silver Thread, some four hundred years ago. This pony, though he had only spent a few days in Dune Crest’s care, earned a place in Dune’s own hollow, where he will rest forever more. Yet another demonstration of the powerful bond that loyalty plays among older dragons. As a note: Until further notice, I will be writing in the evenings, before my flights. Dune was strongly against traveling by day, for obvious reasons. I never once thought that the same life-giving force that graces Equestria’s skies could also bring a desolate scape such as this one. Wind Surfer looked up from her journal in thought. It now was an hour before sunset, and Dune had still not returned. Whether he was gone out of need for food, or was scouting ahead remained a mystery. Wind Surfer took the opportunity to examine the cave in detail, as there was little else to do. The evening light filtered through the narrow opening to the surface, basking the cave in a warm glow. She looked around, and back up at the shelf upon which she had woken. There isn’t much to this cave, is there? She glanced back at the cavern floor and noticed a strange shape in the dust. Curious, Wind Surfer trotted over and began examining it. It’s some kind of carving… There must be more to this cavern than I thought. She took a deep breath and spread her wings. Flapping a few times, Wind Surfer was able to clear most of the dust away from the carving. Her jaw dropped. Before her was a carving of an alicorn. Though the details had long since faded, it was clear that this alicorn was neither the Solar nor the Lunar princess. The alicorn depicted was decidedly male, judging from the shape of his snout and the relative size of his wings. He stood upon what appeared to be a field strewn with debris, stretching across the cavern floor. It was impossible to tell what kind of debris, though, largely due to the amount of scratches sustained by the carving. His cutie mark had been scratched away too, as if the artist had tried erasing it from history. She flapped her wings again, revealing more of the carving. The more she revealed, the more confused she became. The alicorn, it seemed, was part of a larger depiction. Though the carving could have easily depicted multiple ponies, she found that only three survived the artist’s purge: the male alicorn and two females, both of whom she recognized. The rest of the carving had been scratched out, to remain lost to the ages. “Ah see ye’ve found the carvings, alright.” Dune’s dry voice cut across her wanderings. Wind Surfer jumped, and turned to face the old dragon. “What is this place? Who made these? Why-?” Dune silenced her with a wave of his claw. “Those be questions fer yer Princess when ye get back. Ah canno’ answer them. All Ah kin tell ye is that they were there long afore meself, an’ will remain long after Ah’m gone.” “But, this goes against everything that ponies believe!” Wind Surfer gestured at the carving. “Then it looks like ye’ll have tae change yer views.” The dragon settled in a corner of the cave, away from the carving. “Is that a journal? Write it down there. Ye wouldn’t want tae forget such a thing. Is me belief that ye be the firs’ pony tae lay eyes upon it since ‘twas buried.” “How long ago was that?” Wind Surfer asked, quizzically. “Come, now. D'ye really think Ah’d know that?” Dune frowned. “But, it must’ve been there fer a very long time, ‘cause tha’s the same way it looked when Ah found it.” “When did you find it?” “Almos’ seven hundred years now. But Ah’ve been around longer than that. Come on. Ye’ve got tae fill that journal, and we best be off soon.” He remained silent as Wind Surfer described the drawings in her journal (she also discovered a knack for drawing). When she was finished, Dune stood up, and stretched. “Come. Ye’ve got tae fill yer pack up, afore we leave.” Wind Surfer followed him deeper into the cavern, and arrived at a small underground pool. The pool itself was clear and deep, filled with cool, still water. Surrounding it were stones, each hewn to the same size, and carved with a different rune. It was obvious that the pool had been a well sometime in the distant past. Wind Surfer filled her water pouch and drank gratefully from the pool. When she was finished, she looked up to find that Dune had already gone aboveground. She added the detail of the well to her journal, and soon joined him. “All set missie?” She found him at the westernmost edge of the outcrop. She smiled up at him. “Yes, sir!” “Good. Let us be off.” With that, he trotted some distance away, and took off into the sunset. Wind Surfer followed suit. Presently, the sun dipped below the horizon, and Everfire soon shone clear and uncontested across the land. They flew in silence for a time, until Dune finally sighed. “Missie. Ah’ve been meanin’ tae ask ye: what brings ye out here? No pony in their right mind comes out this way, much less takes up companions wit’ a dragon.” “I’m going to fly around the world,” she replied simply. “That’s all there be tae it? Wheel, I think ye must be out mus’ be out o’ yer bloomin’ mind.” “No, I’m not.” Insulted, Wind Surfer glanced over at him. “Ye’ve got something tae prove? That’s what it be, innit?" “Yea. To everypony who told me I was no better than the dirt on their hooves.” “Ah. To shove it intae everypony else’s face,” Dune grinned wickedly. “A sound reason tae me. For the glory of bein’ the best o’ the best.” “That sounds about right.” They flew on for several miles more. The endless sea of sand shifted, even as waves moved to crash on a distant shore. Before long though, Wind Surfer broke the silence. “Where were you earlier?” Dune smiled, his teeth glinting in the glow of Everfire. “Eatin'. Predators ‘ave eatin' habits that’ll make ponies like ye’self sick. So, Ah decided tae spare ye, and eat a ways away from the cave.” “Oh,” she said, rather foolishly. “Wait! I thought dragons ate gemstones!” “We do. When we can. Y’see, us dragons be omnivores, meanin’ we eat anything and everything, whenever we can. ‘specially ‘ere in the desert, ye’ll need all the sustenance ye can get.” “So, basically whatever fits down your throat?” “Tha’s the size o’ it, yes.” “Isn’t that dangerous? I mean, if you just eat, like, anything, how do you know it won’t kill you?” “In me case, Ah’d gobble it down, an’ ‘hope fer the best! But, when yer as old as me, ye’ve got some buddies tha’ demonstrated whats safe tae eat, an’ what’s not,” Dune chuckled. The landscape sailed past them as the miles wore on. It changed little, as one sand dune sailed past the last. Eventually, Dune signaled to a larger hill, its crest larger, and flatter than the rest. “Le’s settle ‘ere. Ye can eat yer snack and wheel be off soon enough.” Wind Surfer alighted on the dune, and the old dragon followed suit, landing in the trough between her dune and the next. He crawled up just as she finished unpacking. “‘ow are ye fer supplies?” He asked. “Fine, for the next several days. The border patrol was more than happy to donate some of these MRE’s.” “Is tha' so?” WInd Surfer nodded, and they looked towards the horizon, sharing Everfire’s glow. Before long, Wind Surfer had finished and they were both aloft in due time. This time, Dune filled the flight with various dragon legends, starting with Everfire. It was an epic that every old dragon knew by heart, and Dune was more than happy to share it. From there, he moved on to the tales of the Black Dragon, and how she became the final judge of all dragons. They fell silent after a time, and flew on. Before long, Wind Surfer was yawning again. “How much longer are we going to fly tonight?” “Not much longer, now. We’re making fas’ work o’ the desert, and we'll soon be through. In fact, Ah do believe that the nex’ stop ‘ll be the last one we’ve got tae fly tae by night.” “Finally! I can’t take much more of this desert! It just keeps going on and on!” Wind Surfer said, filled with relief. Dune looked hurt. “Easy does it, missie! Tha’s me home yer insultin’ there!” “Sorry, but… Still…” Dune threw a mock-threatening glance at her, and put on an extra burst of speed. “Hey! What gives!? You know I’m tired!” Wind Surfer yelled. “Ah thought ye wanted tae get out o’ the desert!” He yelled back, mockingly. “Fine!” Wind Surfer rose to the challenge, and began closing the distance. Just as she began catching up, Dune arced towards the ground, angling towards a ring of rocks. Wind Surfer saw him, noted his destination, and pushed forward into a dive. The wind whistled past her ears as the ground raced closer towards her. At the last possible second, Wind Surfer unfurled her wings and strained against the air, slowing herself down. She landed hard among the stones, sending up a cloud of sand. Coughing Sind Surfer looked around for her challenger. “Wheel, Ah’ll be. In all me years o’ flyin’ that ‘as tae be the most impressive dive an’ landing Ah’ve ever seen!” Dune circled overhead, and perched on top of one of the stones. “Yea, well, I was trained by the best! The Wonderbolts, no less!” She proclaimed loudly. “Is tha’ so? Wheel tha’ don’ mean nothin’ if ye can’t put it tae use!” “Says the dragon who lost to a pony…” Wind Surfer shot back, smugly. She turned to take stock of her surroundings. It was a circle of massive stone pillars, each worn down from countless centuries of abuse from the desert. Upon closer examination, Wind Surfer found that the pillars used to carry incredible detail, though long gone. She paced around, and discovered that she was standing in a shallow basin, long devoid of any liquid. Wind Surfer wandered around, each observation leading to one fact: at some point in time, it was a building. What purpose it served, however, was best left to the ponies at The University of Equestria’s Archeological Department. Dune watched with great interest as the pegasus examined the ruins. She turned to regard him. “What is this place?” “No idea. Been ‘ere afore me, and ‘ll probably remain long after Ah’m gone.” He had not moved from his perch atop the pillar. “What do you think this place was?” “Again, Ah’ve got no clue. A dragon don’ build things tae the likes o’ this. We like caves and things o’ that nature.” “So you think this was built by ponies?” “Aye. Mos’ likely explanation ye can find. Come! Ah’ll show ye tae the cave, an’ we can look aboot some more.” He leaped off of his perch and glided to another hollow, hidden among the rocks. Wind Surfer followed suit. Once inside, the pair dusted themselves off. Wind Surfer was about to go back outside, but Dune mentioned otherwise. “Ah want tae talk tae ye, afore we go back out there.” He said, seriously. “Alright, what do you want to talk about?” Asked Wind Surfer, surprised at the sudden change in his voice. “Yer Princesses. ‘specially the older one.” Wind Surfer eyed the dragon suspiciously. “Why the sudden interest?” She said, cautiously. “Things like this; yer goin’ tae write ‘em down in that there journal, right?” “...Yes.” Wind Surfer was hesitant now, unsure where the conversation was going. “Why do you ask?” “She mightn’t like the fact that a pony ‘as gone an’ taken an interest in a subject that’s a might bit touchy wi’ her. Yer Princess is… wary… Ah suppose that’d be the word… ‘bout the past. Ye’ve ne’er ‘eard aboot where she and ‘er sister came from, Ah’m Ah correct?” Wind Surfer shook her head. Theories ranged from biological mutations to them simply appearing in Equestria. Wind Surfer’s personal favorite was that they had always, simply been. But nopony ever really knew where they were from. “Ah thought so. Now, Ah can imagine, after all this time’s passed, the pas’ is a tricky subject when ‘tis brought up wi’ the Princesses. Per’aps now, she’d shed a little light, if somepony brought back evidence tae make ‘er speak.” “B-but documenting this is a good thing, right?” Wind Surfer was disturbed at the idea of forcing the princesses to reveal anything about themselves. There was no telling how they would react. “Absolutely,” Dune said, firmly. “Now les’ ‘ave a closer look at these ‘ere stones, shall we?” The pair wandered back outside to further investigate the ruins. All told, there was little more to the structure that what could be seen at a first glance. Everything else had long since eroded away. Wind Surfer took the opportunity of the growing light of dawn to make a proper sketch of the stone ring and basin. She was about to start looking elsewhere for more ruins when she was interrupted. “Alright, missie. Ye’ve ‘ad yer fun. Now ye need tae eat, and rest up for the las’ part o’ the desert crossin’.” Dune ushered her inside, despite her protests. “Ah know, but the light’s comin’ up fast, and ye don’ wan’ tae be caught out ‘ere wit’ the heat and all, do ye?” “No, I don’t. Since when were you my mother?” Wind Surfer glared at him as he settled into an alcove. “Since Ah became a dragon, and saved yer ungrateful ‘ide, tha’s when! Now take a res’! Ah wan’ tae reach the nex’ cave afore midnight tomorrow, so ye can start flying by day.” Dune curled away, and promptly went to sleep. Hmph. Wind Surfer shot him another annoyed glance, and settled down with her journal. Day 4: The Desert Crossing Dragon lore is most interesting, considering most of it is passed by word of mouth. Their chants tell of epic battles between good and evil, life and death, and most of all: light and dark. I cannot help but find the many similarities between these tales, and the ones that I was taught in school. To see the stars by the darkness of the desert is a sight unlike any other. Here, the sky is a canvas, with great brushstrokes of color everywhere. I believe that when our Princess, Luna, brought forth the night for the first time, this is how she intended it to be. It truly is a sight to behold. Tomorrow, I shall resume flying by day, and finally be rid of this desert. Dune Crest can finally go home, and I’ll be on my way, far into the west. What lies ahead, not even he might know.