//------------------------------// // Chapter Four: The Journey // Story: The Story That Never Happened // by Darkswirl //------------------------------// Dawns' eyes steadily twitched as rays of early morning sun shined on them. She could hear before she could see and images of Oort pressed against her, steadily breathing in a peaceful trance, were confirmed as she lifted her head. Across the river, the grass of the plains swayed gently in the wind as the clouds began slowly mashing together into clumps. It would be long before they would blot out the sky but, at the very least, the overcast would shield them from the more dangerous winged creatures when they started their journey. The journey! Dawn thought, with a start, immediately shooting up to her hooves and startling Oort awake as she scanned the area for any sign of the massive purple beast that had laid across from her the night before. Her darting eyes managed to catch the fleeting glimpse of a purple tail with green ridges before it disappeared into the trees. In an instant, Dawning Amity bolted towards the water as a groggy and confused Oort slowly caught up. "What's going on?" he asked, scanning behind them for any signs of danger as the pair bolted. "Why are we running?" "He's leaving us behind!" Dawn shouted, angrily, as she dove into the forest, narrowly avoiding a dead branch that had not yet completely fallen off, while Oort was not quite as lucky. "We gotta catch him!" she continued, oblivious to the fact that her friend had fallen behind and could no longer hear her. As she bound through the forest, over roots and in between trunks, she searched for the telltale purple colors that did the dragon no justice within the sea of brown and green. Soon, she caught a glimpse of a tail, and then a foot. Before long, she had caught up to Spike and rammed herself into his side, doing nothing to harm the dragon and giving herself a rough scratch across her cheek. "Where are you going?!" Dawn exclaimed, angrily. "You were leaving us behind! We could have been killed if something found us while we were sleeping! We trusted you to look over us!" "I told you I would be leaving, come sunrise, whether you were ready or not." Spike defended, as-a-matter-of-factly. "And speaking of trust, all this talk of 'we' makes it apparent to me that you've forgotten your friend." Dawns' anger quickly melted into fear as she turned to see a distinct lack of Oort anywhere nearby. She spun in frantic circles as she surveyed the forest in panic, caught up from the adrenaline of chasing down the dragon so soon after waking up. "Oort? Oort! We have to find him!" "I don't have to do anything." Spike stated with snark as he turned to continue on through the woods. "I, very clearly, stated my plan and its condition." "You're just going to leave him behind? To die?!" Dawn exclaimed with wide eyes. "I will if I have to." Spike explained, quietly. "Will you?" Dawn stared at the dragon is disbelief. How could this gentle, wise beast she had spent the night talking to suddenly be so cruel and cold? How could he make the instant decision to put them at risk and practically guarantee one of their deaths? Was this the creature Dawn was prepared to travel to the ends of the world with in order to save it? "The day goes on." Spike reminded her, snapping her from her thoughts. The golden pegasus gave a determined scowl and turned away from the dragon; darting back in between the trees to search for her friend. "Oort? Oort!" Dawn cried out as she picked her way through the trees and underbrush, searching for a tuft of blue fur, or a torn feather. Perhaps even blood. She winced at the last thought and shook the impossibility from her mind; she couldn't think about that, now. She couldn't think about that, ever. Oort was her childhood friend ever since her family had clawed their way into the valley below his mountain. They had defied parents, monsters, and essentially Discord himself in their adventures. Their destinies were interlocked since the very beginning, and Dawn couldn't bear even imagining his passing as a possibility. Her body fell into an automatic routine as her thoughts consumed her conscious: memories of meeting for the first time, hidden behind their parents as the older ones fought with words, staked claims in the land, and hurled threats. She remembered locking eyes with his from behind her mother's leg and seeing the glimmer in his beautiful green gaze as their parents braced for war. She remembered him taking the first shy step towards her, free from the safety of his family as the two met. She remembered the break of tension between everyone as the silence fell without her knowledge, and the peace was shattered by a gentle boop from her and a playful giggle from him. Their friendship had help mend scars between the families and ultimately secured each others safety. And that's only where their friendship began. Dawn found herself smiling, recounting the events of their first sneak-out, unaware of the true dangers of the world as she and Oort found themselves frolicing in the plains between their families, laughing as quietly as they could and letting their hearts race together. Chase after chase, race after race, dare after dare, and night after night, the two were inseparable. Before Dawn could continue to let her memories and feelings carry on, the world pulled her back into reality as she found herself charging toward a blue pile of feathers and fur. "Oort!" she shouted, as she hurled herself into his side, wrapping her hooves around him to bring him closer. He was out cold, gentle hot air parting his mane as it covered his face, while a gash dripped sickly red juice from his forehead. Dawns' silent pleading grew vocal as she continued to shake her friend, her mind scrambling to come to any conclusion as to how to wake him, how to make sure he was safe. "Oort! Oort!" she screamed, her voice growing louder and sending what remaining birds still lived scattering for cover, their flurry of fluttering wings masking the approach of a lumbering beast... "Help him!" Dawn cried, acknowledging Spike's arrival, but the dragons' pace did not change as he surveyed the damage. "Please! We have to help him!" Spike bent his head down towards the pair, giving a sniff to assess the damage. "He is still breathing and wound has already clotted. There is nothing that needs to be done." "Wake him up!" Dawn pleaded. "He will wake up, in time; we have much ground to cover. Either carry him or leave him behind, but I will wait no longer." Spike explained, starting to turn around. Dawn felt a sudden serenity before a mass of rage welled in her chest, causing her to squeeze Oort tightly as she bellowed at the dragon. "HOW CAN YOU BE SO CRUEL?!" Spike breathed an unseen sigh as he stopped, letting the golden mare hurl insults and curses at his scaled back side until she had all but thrown out her voice. "Are you quite finished?" the dragon inquired, turning his head and nothing more. Dawn winced in pain at each breath, still shaking in anger, as she glared at the dragon. "Good. I am teaching you a valuable lesson in the only way that would grant you experience." he began. "To the north lies a bastardization of what Unicorns once were. They live by the rule of strength, the survival of the fittest. Those who have nothing to give will do, and those who do will have it taken from them by others; they do not care for anything less than themselves, and I have heard rumors that they deal in Pegasi slaves." Dawn made no indication that she had heard nor cared for the dragons' words, still struggling to catch her breath between winces as she continued to glare. "A sheltered creature like you two would not survive on my protection, alone. You needed to learn that before we go, to recognize that anger and fight it. If you act on it while we are in the north, they will not hesitate to destroy you and I will not be able to protect you." Spike explained, before moving towards the pair and laying beside her. "But him on my back, I will carry him." Dawn snorted in disgust as she turned away from the dragon and awkwardly carried her friend over her own back, doing her best to keep him balanced with her wings. Spike sighed to himself as he watched the two head off into the woods, and dutifully followed. "I'm doing my best, alright?" he whispered, to himself. Water. Drink. THIRSTY! Oort's eyes shot open as he gasped, his head feeling light and causing him to lose his balance. As he tumbled off the side of the dragon and into the snow, his instincts took control and he began eating mounds of the delicious ice to taste just a hint of water. "Oort!" dawn cried out in joy, leaping off of the purple scales to land at her friends' side. "He's thirsty; there is a lake, ahead, and we have no time to dawdle." Spike interrupted, before the two could embrace. Reluctantly, Oort was pulled away from the snow as he clambered back onto the dragons' back. "What happened? Where are we?" "You hit your head chasing me and were out for two days." Dawn explained, softly, as she parted her friends' mane with a hoof to inspect the wound. "I've been doing my best to treat your wound but I'm afraid it might be getting infected." "Two days?" Oort asked, his voice trailing off in disbelief. "Yes. Your friend was quite dutiful in trying to wake you, and I tried to explain that you would wake up in time, but never-the-less." Spike responded as they approached a quiet, cold lake. "We are less than a day's walk from crossing the Crystal Mountains. Beyond that ridge lies a settlement of Unicorns who know the way to an ancient fort." "And that fort is where we're going? What's in it?" Oort asked as he leapt off to land at the edge of the lake to drink. "Hopefully it houses information on where the Elements of Harmony are located." Spike replied. "And if it doesn't?" Dawn asked, coldly, as she began to drink. "We will cross that bridge when we come to it." the dragon mused, cautiously surveying the sky. "It is safe to fly over the mountains once you're done drinking. We should be there by the end of the day." Dawn rolled her eyes as Oort shivered from the cold water sliding down his throat. "Did something happen between you two, while I was out?" "Yeah." Dawn whispered, casting a glare at the dragon. "He wanted me to leave you behind when you hit your head." "And I explained exactly why I said what I did." Spike interrupted, turning his gaze from the sky. "The Unicorns you will be meeting care only for themselves. You must be ready for the absolute worst treatment you can expect, from them, unless you can offer them something they want." Dawn answered only with a silent glare at the icy lake as Spike began to spread his wings. "We're almost there." he assured.