A Bridge Between Brothers

by Rammy

That Plans

ബഐബഐബഐ Twixt'd ബഐബഐബഐ

I thought that they would never fall asleep. Silver was the first. No surprise there, he really needed more rest before trying to fly as far as we did. Spike was the last holdout. He just sat there staring into the fire, brooding. Something that he did all the time since I met him but tonight it seemed worse the normal. I could guess why... or whom...

'What is his,' 'what is mine...' I've heard those same lines from pimps, gang leaders, and drug lords when they threaten or killed anyone that 'worked, for them prostitutes, 'mules,' etc. They treated them like disposable property, it was disgusting. To think that I once looked up to the 'Cloaked Shadow.' All that talk about be orphaned and despised and understanding was just talk to lower my guard or trip me up. He was no better then those scumbags and I needed to find a way to get Spike away from him...

I doubt I could grab Spike and just fly off. He would probably chase us to the ends of the world. That was unless... Hurting him enough for him to back off much less killing him would be hard, though, as the dragon was an extremely skilled fighter and was fast, too fast. The only way I could have a chance was surprising him, but for Spike... I could not and will not let him go through what I did on the streets of Traxti.

I looked up to the dragon, thinking. He was standing guard on a large rock that rose out of the ground at an angle elevating him above everything else. Worse still the moon was high in the sky blanketing the ground all around him with light. Even though there wasn't much cover I was sure I could sneak up on him... I had to try... before it was too late.

---

It had been slow going but I managed to make my way within a few dozen yards from the dragon without tipping him off.

"All he sees and hears is H.K...." The dragon suddenly spoke.

I fought the urge to gasp, gulp, or stop breathing. If I did I would surely tip him off that I was nearly upon him. It was possible that he was merely talking to keep himself awake while by talking out a problem they were facing. It seemed to be a common thing for night guards in Traxti City to do. It usually had something to do with their mates...

"And now I need to do something that will only reinforce that..."

Okay, it sounds like he's psyching himself to do something that I assume Spike, and thus I, would not like. Par for course for the guy.

"Who do you say I am?"

Damn it... did he see or hear me? I wondered as I kept myself still. There was a slim chance...

"You are no longer around the campfire."

Damn it, he did out me. It getting very infuriating. How was he able to do that over and over!? Twice at the library and now here?! I had waited until everyone was in a deep sleep, I waited until the fire was down to only a few coals so that he wouldn't be able to see if I was still there or not, and I made even sure that as I approached I did it with slow and steady low to ground movements. Heel to toe, heel to toe. I even doubly made sure that I hid my belly scales especially with them still glowing. I did everything possible to mask my approach and yet he still noticed me.

Fucking magick! It had to be magick! I HATE MAGICK!

"Well?" The dragon slowly turned his head just enough that I could see his purple eye glinting in the moonlight. "Who am I?"

"Fucking magick, magicked H.K. something, something so now he can't be named H.K." I growled, waving off the stupid question. I mean what kind of a question is 'who am I?' anyway? He clearly isn't suffering from a blow to the head even though he should suffer from a few. "How the hell should I know, and why should I care?"

"I could see how one could say that." The dragon nodded his head as turned away. "He and I look very much alike... we sound alike... but we are not the same being. I never was H.K... though I was suppose to become him if things had gone the way they should have... but it never happened so hence the question 'Who am I?' Until... Until I woke under that tower I had no name, no identity, no sentience, and with my purpose gone... Instead of being fully whom I was suppose to be I've had to piece it together from what little of him that I do have..."

I raised an eyebrow... maybe I was wrong about the blow to the head... He had been acting oddly ever since we found him passed out at the bottom of the 'Spiral Spire' after that massive... 'explosion.'

"I wish I had at least retained H.K.'s annoyingly analytical mind that somehow was able to have multiple trains of thought going on at one. How can anyone have multiple trains of thought going at once and not lose one or get them mixed up!? Worse, it would never shut up!"

Yep, bat shit crazy...

"I won't lie Twixt'd, Equestria's chances of survivability before H.K. died and loss of Leafcutter and the shield gem were low as low as we are to the moon. But now... The only reason I don't personally lead the dragons to burn Equestria to ash then burn the ash is Spike. Spike loves ponies... He is fighting between the instinctual call to end them for breaking an oath and protecting what is his. Then there is the fact that I have no magic ability besides flame and flight that all dragons have."

"And what you call what you did that night when we were attacked by those shadow creatures smoke and mirrors? A trick of the light?"

"I am dragon, H.K. was pony." I rolled my eyes he puffed a bit of white flame as if to demonstrate this fact. "Pony magic is different then dragon..."

I scowled as I crossed my arms and leaned back a bit. What a pretentious twit. I am not fooled, but with my plan ruined for the moment I might as let him mouth off. As infuriating as he is, letting him stoke his demented ego might clue me in on something, anything I can use to save Spike from him.

"I will be leaving with Garble before sunrise...alone." I narrowed my eyes. The coward was abandoning his 'brother' again. As much as that was enraging me it also gave me the opportunity to get Spike away from him and his influence. He's got Spike so messed up in the head that he thinks that Spike 'needs' him. "Garble is a blacksmith... I'm hoping that Garble can use H.K.'s extensive notes on blacksmithing to create something that will give the Wasteland Dragon's pause... pause enough to save what is Spike's..."

"And you are telling me this why?" I couldn't help but ask. Why would he tell me all this? He knew that I didn't trust him and here he was telling me exactly what he was about to do.

"I need you to take Spike back to his sister and protect him with the same zeal as you always have, like a dragon."

"Like you, a coward?" I sneered. "Never."

"You are young and an orphan... so is Spike. Both Garble and Silver have better understanding of what it means to be dragon. In some ways even more then I..." The dragon chuckled as he passed me. "Whether you realize it or not you see him as yours but not in the same way as I."

I pumped my fists angrily as the dragon jumped down from the rock and headed towards the campfire. Forget protecting Spike from him I want to kill him, slowly.

Comments

[HB_DS2013]

Looks like he’s regaining some of of the memories of the old HK. Twix’t wouldn’t be alone in that I would be more than happy to give that coward a slow death.