//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: The Journey of a Lifetime // by sqarishoctagon //------------------------------// Wind Surfer breached the surface of the pool, panting for air. She floated there for a moment, taking in the scene before her. Her companion, despite his spikes, had positioned himself face-up on a large boulder, and was fast asleep in the afternoon sun. As she watched, Dune grumbled something in his sleep and twisted into a more comfortable position. The pair had flown to Dune’s last checkpoint at the edge of the desert, flying faster and harder than before. They arrived close to midnight, and spent the rest of the night sleeping. After a small argument, they decided to use the day as one to relax. Wind Surfer smiled at the scene, and paddled over to the dragon. After some debate, she began flicking water at him. Fortunately for her, several minutes passed before Dune stirred. “Oy, missie. Ye bes’ quit w’it yer nonsense, afore Ah rouse meself properly…” Dune grumbled. “Well, you’re no fun at all…” Wind Surfer pouted, and resumed splashing. In a flash, Dune righted himself, and roared at her. She yelped, and fled beneath the surface of the pool. Though playful, the shout was still intimidating. Wind Surfer surfaced on the other side of the pool. “What was that for?!” She shouted. “You almost gave me a heart attack!” “What’d ye expect? Tha’s what ‘appens when ye wake a sleepin’ dragon!” Dune returned to his rock and settled down, exposing his back to the sun. “Pourin’ water on me like some blasted plant… ‘sides, what’d ye go an’ hop intae yonder pool fer?” “To wash this grime off of me. I feel like I’d lived my entire life in that suit. I haven’t taken the thing off since I left Stalliongrad,” replied Wind Surfer, as she stepped out of the pool. She sighed, feeling refreshed. “That feels much better.” The pool they had arrived at was gigantic. It was long enough to fit Dune into but narrow enough so that Wind Surfer could span it in a single breath. Its ancient systems, though hidden from view, kept the water refreshed, with a weak current flowing through the pool. Wind Surfer began examining the pool yet again. She had already noted it, and the surrounding ruins as part of the day’s journal, but wanted to be sure that she hadn’t forgotten anything. Let’s see: the plumbing’s probably protected by unicorn magic, which would explain the fact that it’s been running for at least a millennia. Moving on, the pool looked like a reflection pond, except for the fact that it has a current, again generated by the plumbing. Probably more along the lines of a large bath. Looking up, she noted the size and placement of several pillars, reinforcing the bath theory. Most likely enclosed in a very large room, which must have been part of a larger building. She paced around the edge until she reached the spot where her friend lay. She frowned, realizing that he had fallen asleep again. “Ugh, come on. I’m not gonna keep waking you up!” The dragon made no mention that he heard her. “Fine. Be that way. I didn’t wanna talk to you anyway.” She turned to her packs and flight suit, which lay nearby. Thankfully, they hadn’t been crushed underfoot during Dune’s earlier mock-rampage. Wind Surfer glared at the suit, which was plastered in sand. She wasn’t even sure of its original color anymore. Shrugging, she flipped the suit into the pool. Oh well, let’s try and get it cleaned. After several minutes of fighting, the suit was finally returned to its original color. She draped the suit on a nearby fallen pillar, and stepped back. Whoever made it would have my tail if they saw that… Dune shifted again, and mumbled something about dinner. At the mention of food, Wind Surfer’s stomach growled. She rolled her eyes, and grabbed the last of the produce from Stalliongrad. On a whim, she also removed her map and her journal. Settling down, Wind Surfer began eating and started marking her progress on the map. She got as far as the mountain range outside of Stalliongrad before she realized that she had no idea where she’d flown from there. She frowned, unwilling to generalize her route from there. “We started ‘ere, at the edge o’ the desert.” A large sand-colored claw entered her vision, causing Wind Surfer to yelp and backpedal into the now unoccupied boulder. “Me apologies, missie.” Dune chuckled. Wind Surfer glowered at him. “How do you do that?” She asked, irritatedly. “If’n ye really wan’ tae know, Ah’m a predator. Ah’d never eat if ye could hear me comin’. That, added wi’ the fact tha’ and ye weren’t payin’ attention, makes it easy tae do.” Wind Surfer shot the dragon another annoyed glance before returning to her spot next to him. “How accurate is my map?” She asked, settling down. Dune leaned in for a closer look. “Pretty well done, fer a pony map. I’s missn’ a few details, but it’ll serve its purpose all the same.” The sun set as the pair continued to mark their progress. Eventually, the last of the day slipped beyond the horizon, and the stars began reigning supreme in the night sky. Though bright, Everfire’s light was too weak to see the map properly by. So, Wind Surfer found a few dead branches that Dune then lit, and the pair continued working until the map was caught up. “So it’s pretty much a straight flight west from here, huh?” Wind Surfer said after a time. “Wheel, not really, no. Y’see, these here wastes belong tae the Changeling Queen.” Dune gestured a general area of the map a few miles west of where they were now. “It narrows a bit a little north o’ here. Tae make it through, ye’d have tae fly nonstop fer four days tae reach the other side. Think yer up tae the task?” Wind Surfer swallowed, thinking hard. “Why can’t we land?” “The changelings could catch us. If we keep moving, they’ll ‘ave a harder time findin’ us. Ah’ve heard tales of what she does tae ponies, but Ah’ve no idea what she does tae dragons and Ah don’t want tae find out.” Dune looked at her. “You don’t think ye could do it?” “See, the thing is, I’ve only flown for three days straight, not four. That, and I was able to eat more in preparation; to stock up energy. I really don’t think I can force myself to go four days straight. Are you sure we can’t just go around? It doesn’t seem that big.” “Wheel, we could, if ye wanted yer princesses tae grow beards an’ turn grey waitin’ fer ye.” Wind Surfer smiled softly at his joke, and looked back at the map. “But in all seriousness, it’d take far too long tae make it aroun’.” She thought for a moment. “… How long until we reach the pass?” “At this pace, we’ll be there ‘afore nightfall tomorrow.” Wind Surfer swallowed again, hardly believing her own decision. “Let’s do that, then.” “Think ye could do it?” Dune asked, concerned. “There’s only one way to find out…” Dune watched with unease as she returned her belongings to her pack. She put the fire out, and curled up near him. “Goodnight, Dune.” Wind Surfer said, her voice already thick with sleep. Dune sighed. “Aye, goodnight missie.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The day’s journey had been uneventful, to say the least. The pair had been woken by the first rays of light from Celestia’s sun, allowing for an early start. Wind Surfer had eaten a quiet breakfast, and they were soon airborne. They had flown north, angling for the narrow region in the Changeling Queen’s domain. The temperature had become more reasonable since they left the desert, so Wind Surfer had little need of her flight suit. She had stuffed it into one of her packs, replacing the food that had been consumed. The sun was setting by the time the pair made their final approach for land that day. Upon touchdown, the dragon disappeared, presumably looking for something to eat. Vegetation was sparse in the area, due to the dry, rocky terrain. Shelter was easy to come by however, as there was no shortage of rocky overhangs under which to spend the night. Dune returned even as Wind Surfer finished her meal. “Dune? May I ask you something?” “Anythin’ at all, missie. What bothers ye?” “You’re more than free to go home now. I can-” Dune cut her off with a wave of his claw. “No, Ah’m not. ‘twas me suggestion tae fly through the Changeling’s land, and Am gonna see ye through.” He said with an air of finality. “Oh. Um, ok…?” Wind Surfer fell silent, occupied by her own thoughts. Suddenly, she perked up. “That’s not it, is it?” She said, slyly. “Wha’s not what?” “The reason you’re coming with me.” She said simply. “Wheel, then missie. If’n yer so smart, what be it?” “Your territory. There’s no dragon to challenge you for it and it’s in the desert so there’s nothing there. There isn’t any real reason for you to keep it. There’s nothing for you there.” Wind Surfer looked at him, smiling at her revelation. The dragon looked at his claws, disturbed by her revelation. “Ah’m Ah that easy tae read, missie?” Wind Surfer’s voice grew soft. Her smile fell, and she looked at her hooves. “Well, yes, actually. Our conversation about younger dragons kind of tipped me off.” Dune sighed. “What’s an old dragon like me supposed tae do? Wait fer another mate? Ah can’t do that. Dragons are supposed tae be loyal tae one mate, and since she died, and all me sons are dead, Ah’m nothin’. Nothin’ at all.” Wind Surfer felt sorry for the old dragon, and moved closer. “That’s not true, and you know it. You’re my guide, and more importantly, my one real friend in a long time.” Dune looked at her, incredulous. “Are ye sure aboot that, missie?” “Yes, actually. I grew up in an orphanage. A home for ponies who didn't have parents to take care of them,” she explained. “I did have friends, but it was a rough neighborhood… Some didn’t make it. Others moved, got adopted; I never heard from them again. I found out the hard way that the media isn’t exactly what you’d call friendly, especially to a pony like me. So, yea. My first real friend in a very long time.” She finished firmly. Dune looked thoughtful for a moment. “Wheel, Ah suppose Ah’m glad that Ah met ye on the edge o’ the desert. Thank ye.” They looked at each other a moment longer. “Alright, missie, enough wi’ the sappy! Ye need sleep! Go get some!” Dune laughed, breaking the emotional spell. “Hahaha! Ok, fine. I never thought I’d see a dragon get all sappy on me anyway…” Wind Surfer moved to a more comfortable spot, and stretched out. She began filling out the day’s journal. A short entry at that. Her thoughts turned to the perils that lay ahead, both known and unknown. Hopefully I’m still around in a few days to finish it. She turned to Dune, and found that he had already fallen asleep. What a sappy old dragon… ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Um… Dune?” A voice cut across his dreams. The dragon stirred at his name. “Dune? Hello?” The voice became more insistent. “Wake up!” Dune stirred again, and was about to roll over when something began poking his ribcage rather urgently. “Whoa, Dune! Wake up! Wake up; you’re gonna squish me!” The voice squeaked. With a yelp, Dune bolted upright onto his hind legs, subsequently measuring the hight of the overhang by smashing into it. He dropped something that had taken up residence under his wing. “Ugh, Dune! What was that?” Wind Surfer lay in front of him, dazed. “Oy, missie! What ‘appened?” Dune asked urgently, rubbing his head. “You happened! One moment I was sleeping peacefully, an the next moment, you grabbed me and started snuggling me like some oversized stuffed toy!” She shouted, indignantly. “What? Ah’d never do something so foolish tae the likes o’ that!” Dune retorted. “Yea, well you just did! That’s the last time I ever sleep on the same level as you…” Wind Surfer grumbled as she crawled over to her packs, and began fishing for something to eat. She would need a large meal to help her through the constant flying ahead of the pair. “Don’t bother going back to sleep. It’s too late.” It was true. The sun’s first rays had already begun peeking over the horizon. Dune glared at it for a moment before returning his attention to his charge. “All set fer today, missie?” The dragon asked, returning back to all fours. “Not really. But its one of those things that we kinda have to do, you know?” “No, it isn’t. I’s not every day tha’ a pony ‘as tae fly through territory like this. But ye’ll be fine. Trust me. Betwixt the two of us, we’ll make it.” Wind Surfer finished, and returned to her pack. “Should I wear the suit and stuff?” “What’d ye got?” Dune arced his head over to her. “Goggles and a mask to go with the suit. They’re for debris and the like. The suit’s supposed to repel minor cuts and bruises; a weak version of the palace guard armor, really…” She held out each piece of her suit for inspection. “Put them on. Ye might need ‘em in a pinch.” Dune gestured to the packs. “Do ye think ye could secure the pair o’ them tae me? Ah could carry them fer you; lighten things up.” “I’d appreciate that, thanks!” Wind Surfer moved the packs around to the base of Dune’s neck, whereupon she fastened the buckles around him. “There. How’s that?” “Jus’ fine,” the dragon grunted. “Ah thought they’d be enchanted tae lessen the weight?” “They are. I’m carrying a bunch of those MRE’s.” “Blasted things mus’ be solid as rocks…” Dune muttered. He straightened up, and moved out from under the rock. “Ready when ye are.” “Awesome,” said Wind Surfer. She put on her gear, followed by her water pouch. She soon joined him in the growing light. “Let’s fly!” With that, the pair shot off into the sky, with Dune at the lead. They veered west, and began their journey into the Changeling’s domain. As they entered, Dune and Wind Surfer stayed as close to the ground as possible, away from any prying eyes of the Kingdom. Numerous canyons made this possible, each formed by rivers long gone. The canyons themselves were a sight to see. Each of them that they few into presented a view into the very veins of the Earth. After several hours Wind Surfer came to a sudden realization. The canyons are divided into layers… These are the layers ponies talked about in school! She had never even dreamt of seeing the formations herself. She glanced at Dune, and pointed out her discovery. “Oy, missie, Ah suppose yer right! Layers upon layers o’ sediment. Ah wonder ‘ow long these took tae form?” Dune flew as close as he dared to one of the walls, and examined it. “I learned about these in school. Each layer took thousands of years to form. They’re different because of what’s in them. Some are made up of volcanic ash, where others are just sand.” Wind Surfer explained, her memory of the subject returning. “Ah see…” The dragon had returned to the center of the canyon. “And how old did yer pony scientists think the Earth was?” “A few billion years,” she replied. “I forgot the real estimate.” “Now, a’int that a thought. A window tae the past o’ the earth, and ‘ere we are, staring intae it’s very bones.” Dune said thoughtfully. A chilling thought indeed, thought Wind Surfer. They flew on, undisturbed. Eventually, the canyons gave way to vast stone valleys. Though water was somewhat more plentiful, vegetation was still sparse. Dune reasoned that it was something in the water, and advised his companion to drink sparingly from her pouch. “There’s no tellin’ what kind o’ toxins be in that there water,” Dune said, as they flew directly over one such pool. Wind Surfer looked down, catching a glimpse of it. It was fetid. Rainbows swirled across its blackened surface as bubbles slowly formed on top from an unknown source. One popped, releasing a foul stench into the air. It hit Wind Surfer like a brick. She veered away, holding her nose. Unfortunately for her, the mask had done nothing to stop the smell. “Oy! Where ye be flyin tae?” The dragon shouted after her. “Ugh! The smell from those pools! It’s rancid!” Spat Wind Surfer as she flew back into position. It wasn’t long before Dune caught a whiff of the pools. “Ack! Ah see where yer comin’ from, missie… Wheel ‘ave tae fly aroun’ them.” They began weaving in and out, flying between the pools of waste. Though they were alone, Dune kept a sharp eye out for any unwelcome visitors. By the time they were through, night had fallen. A soft tailwind supplemented the pair as the left the fetid pools behind. Dune gestured to the south. “Keep an eye out, missie. We be cuttin’ it close tae ‘ome.” Wind Surfer followed his gaze towards a huge spiraling tower that thrust high into the night. It was alight with an eerie green glow that emanated from several large openings around the tower. Wind Surfer’s jaw dropped. “Is that… Her castle?” She hissed, incredulous. “Ah do believe so. Ah don’t think any being’s ever seen the thing, and lived tae tell aboot it.” Dune whispered back. “Ah think ye could stretch me from me nose tae me tail, and still not span those ‘oles…” “… Must be the size of -- of Canterlot!” Wind Surfer stared in awe. It was a truly impressive sight. It was large enough to block out the light of Everfire. “Everfire can’ light the way fer us any longer, but yer princess seems mighty ‘appy tae try.” Dune noted. The moon, though waxing, was indeed bright. The pair settled into an uncomfortable silence under the watchful eyes of the Changeling Queen’s twisted spire. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Celestia’s sun rose into the sky to find the pair still pushing deeper into Changeling territory. Wind Surfer yawned, but pressed on. The tailwind that aided them continued, making the pair’s job somewhat easier. She glanced to her companion, whose jaw was set as he continued forward. The pegasus shook herself awake as the sun rose into the sky. Midday had come and gone, and still the pair pushed forward. There was little to talk about, save for directions for the immediate future. Dune stole a glance at the spire. Where it was eerie, almost beautiful at night, it was now an ugly black spike, forcing its way into the sky. The holes, from which light was emanating from the night before, were now dark, almost blending in with the spike. As far away as they were, they could still pick out the individual openings into the spire. Occasionally, a patrol of changelings would fly overhead, forcing Wind Surfer to seek refuge under her companion. Dune’s natural sand coloration provided adequate camouflage to remain hidden from their prying eyes. This occurred several times, before Wind Surfer began to question it. “How in Equestria do they keep missing us? I mean, you’re not exactly a featherweight for a dragon; you’re gigantic!” Dune chuckled. “I’s quite simple, really. One, Ah’m still a predator, all nice an’ quiet-like. Two, me scales help me blend in wit’ the surroundin’ rock. Three, they a’int lookin’ fer us.” “Wait- they can’t see you because they aren’t looking for you?” Wind Surfer asked, incredulous. “Yep. Same applies tae huntin’. If’n yer prey a’int lookin fer ye, they won’t see ye.” Dune winked at her. “Well, I suppose that makes sense…” She looked ahead, blinking away fatigue. “I guess that’s how you keep managing to sneak up on me.” He smiled, but said nothing. They flew on in silence. The land below had long faded into a dull, sand-colored waste. Unlike the desert however, there were no flowing sand dunes. Here, the land was just a single flowing rock, baked and barren. Before long, the sun set on the pair’s second day of flying. Wind Surfer could feel the beginnings of fatigue pulling at her, but she fought them off easily. A larger problem was developing. She needed to eat. Wind Surfer shook the feeling away. Come on, now. I can do this. I can’t let him down. Determined, she surged forward, closing the small gap between her and Dune. He glanced over to her, and nodded. I’m halfway through. I can do this. The night did little to ease the scenery, for it was basked in the cold light of the moon. The harsh like made the terrain look otherworldly, but was also a blessing. Changeling patrols were even easier to spot, due to the apparent reflective abilities of their wings. After several hours of dodging patrols, Wind Surfer turned to Dune. “How are you holding up?” She asked. “Jus’ fine o’er here, missie. Jus’ fine,” Dune said. “An’ yerself?” “Pretty well, surprisingly.” She lied. Hopefully Dune won’t catch on, she thought. In truth, it wasn’t the lack of sleep that was catching up with her. It was lack of food. Unlike her record-setting flight, she had been unable to stock up calories for her journey. Her breakfast two days ago, while large, was insufficient to keep her going. Still, she pressed on, keeping pace with the old dragon. Before long, the moon had set, and the light in the east began to grow. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The third day of their journey passed uneventfully, as they flew past the midpoint of the Changeling’s territory. Dune took heart that the Changeling Queen’s spire was now receding behind them, if slowly. Consequently, the patrols became less and less frequent. However, the change was lost upon Wind Surfer, who was now totally focused on remaining in flight, patrols or not. Wind Surfer was doing an admirable job keeping her fatigue hidden from her companion. She merely set her jaw and kept pressing forward. Flying was the easy part. Her training from the Wonderbolts, though incomplete, was adequate enough for her to take advantage of the air Dune disturbed. Ugh… I can’t believe I forgot something as simple as that. Might’ve saved me some trouble if I’d remembered a few days ago. The difficult part lay in the fact that she couldn’t stop veering off course. It was slight, at first, but it soon became more and more hazardous. Due to her positioning, Dune couldn’t rightly see her, and so remained oblivious. This behavior continued for some miles, until Dune called to her. “Oy, missie. Fly under me, now,” he said. Though it wasn’t particularly urgent, it was still a precaution he took. “Oy! Git o’er ‘ere, now!” “Huh? O-oh, right…” Wind Surfer replied, drowsily. She slipped into his shadow, as the patrol passed. Their buzzing wings faded into the distance, and Wind Surfer returned to her position behind him. “Wha’s wrong wit’ ye?” The dragon craned his neck to see her. “Nothing, I’m just a little sleepy, is all.” Wind Surfer said. It did little to convince the dragon. “Should Ah pinch ye?” Dune smiled, but was very serious. The pegasus shuddered. “That won’t be necessary…” They continued on in the early afternoon light. Dune basked in the sun’s radiant glow, it’s warmth giving him strength. Suddenly, he heard a gasp, followed by a sharp thump. Curious, he began hovering, and looked about for the source. “Surfer, old girl, did ye-” He was cut off. To his alarm, he spied the pegasus lying on rock below. He quickly dropped down to her. “Are ye alright? Missie, what ‘appened?” She did not respond. Dune shuffled over and began examining her, carefully handling her with his claws. “No blood. Good, good.” Though he was no pony doctor, Dune was able to tell that nothing was broken, to his reassurance. “Poor thing must’ve passed out fer want o’ food.” There was no way he was going to reach the packs secured at his shoulders. Dune quickly considered his options. “Oh, wheel,” he said, reaching for her water pouch. “‘ere goes nothin’.” He began to squeeze the pouch, careful not to puncture it. The straw was already pointed at Wind Surfer’s face, so the result was immediate and desired. She awoke with a start, sputtering. Dune sighed with relief. “Wh- what happened…?” She said, weakly. She began trying to stand up. Dune forced her to lie down, instead. “Oh, no ye don’t, missie. Gon’ an’ given me quite a turn, ye have. Ye passed out, mos’ likely ‘cause ye ain’t eaten in three days. Git somethin’ outta yer pack, an’ eat.” Dune commanded. “Alright,” Wind Surfer grabbed the first MRE out of the pack and began eating it, just like that. It still tastes the same… She noted, in a rather detached sort of way. The dry substance stuck to the inside of her mouth, and she choked. “Easy, there missie! Take a swig o’ water; that’ll ‘elp.” The dragon said, alarmed. Wind Surfer finished her meal without another incident. After several minutes, she slowly returned to her feet. Feeling her strength returning, she looked at Dune. His eyes were fixated on a point somewhere behind her. “Missie,” he said, in a low, dangerous whisper. “Don’ move a muscle.” He shifted, even as Wind Surfer froze. Whatever was behind her had clearly taken notice of the pair. Dune tensed, and leaped over her. She followed his movement until he landed - crushing a Changeling beneath his hind claws. Its companions darted into the air, shouting something in their harsh tongue. In response, Dune roared, and shot a column of fire at them. Two were roasted in their carapaces, and fell to the ground, shattering upon impact. The last darted too close to the dragon, and was snatched out of the air in a flash of fangs. It squealed, fear gripping the Changeling’s voice. Dune bit down harder, causing the thing to scream in pain. He grabbed the creature’s upper half in his claw, and pulled. The scene quieted as half fell to the ground. Dune snapped his jaws several times, and the other half of the changeling disappeared down his throat. He turned to face Wind Surfer, concerned. "Alright there, missie-" Dune stopped. Wind Surfer was no where to be found. Shocked, he looked into the sky, and spotted her receding form in the afternoon light. Aw, shoot... The dragon quickly rose into flight. Not now; what's she think she's doin'?!