Dream's End

by zaleacon

Chapter II - Introduction 2

“Are the blindfolds really necessary?” Luna asked disdainfully.

“Sorry, but yes,” Rex – who Twilight could now identify as a lanky, green dragon – said, currently tying the black strip of cloth around Luna’s eyes. “We can’t risk our base being found, after all. Ah… Could you move your head a bit to the right? Perfect.”

Firebrand sighed. “C’mon, Rex! Ya call that knot ‘perfect’?” He grumbled something as Twilight’s vision disappeared behind her own blindfold. “Stupid kid… Look, okay?”

“I’m looking.”

“I’m not,” Luna deadpanned.

“Quiet, you!” Firebrand growled. He coughed and said, “Okay, Rex, ya got a good look? Got a good look? Okay.” He started tying the strip around Twilight’s face. As she felt it get tighter, Firebrand said, “Ya see that, Rex? Three knots. Three.”

Twilight cocked her head. “Why so many times?”

“Glad ya asked!” Firebrand replied. “First’s ta tie it, second’s ta keep it on, and third’s ta keep the second knot from comin’ loose too easy.” He paused. “Ya got that?!”

“Yes, I’ve got it…” Rex sighed. “So there’s two… and three. Is that too tight?”

Luna paused for a moment before answering. “Mm… Maybe just a bit less?”

“Alright. Here, let me adjust it for you…” Twilight heard the sound of a creature being smacked very hard, followed by a cry.

“Don’t ask the bloody captives stuff like that, you git!” Firebrand shouted. “Would ya ask a criminal if his cuffs chafed? No! Ya leave the bastard’s wrists to crack!”

“Well, sorry, Firebrand,” Rex said, and Twilight could sense more than a bit of tension in his voice, “but maybe I thought that showing some minor hospitality would not be such a bad thing.”

“Eh? And what the hell d’ya mean by that?”

“Well,” Rex said, “think about it like this: If these two don’t serve the Ice Queen, that means they could be potential allies.” He stopped. “Potential allies that we have held guns at, threatened to kill, and are now blindfolding and leading into an unknown location.” Another pause. “Maybe it’s just me, but I figured it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have at least some sense of cordiality.”

Firebrand hissed, “And if they’re her soldiers, we need ta give ‘em a taste of what we got down here! If they see us as soft, ya know what’s gonna happen?! The bastard’s’re gonna play that to their advantage, that’s what!

“Next thing we know,” Firebrand continued, “we’re gonna have soldiers comin’ here, playin’ nice and friendly-like, tryin’ ta get on our good sides. Then, when we don’t expect it, they lash out, kill us all, break our group, and that bitch of a queen gets the whole damned island!”

Twilight was about to bring up the incredibly obvious fallacy in his argument, but decided against it when she remembered Firebrand still had a rifle strapped to his back. Given how unstable and hot-headed he seemed, she was worried that one minor statement would set him off completely.

She grimaced. Why did Luna have to get the nice one?

“So we’re not takin’ any chances,” Firebrand continued. “We take these mares to Drake, get ‘em checked out, and kill ‘em if we have to. That’s how this bloody well works. Got it?!”

Rex mumbled something under his breath. “Right, right…” he said after a moment. “Have it your way.”

“As always,” Firebrand growled. “Now get movin’, lassies! We’ve wasted enough time on this damned beach!” He kicked at Twilight’s back legs, causing her to wince slightly. It was not a particularly strong kick, but it was definitely noticeable.

She did not need to be told again. Wordlessly, Twilight began stepping down the rocky beach, following Firebrand – and, presumably, Rex and Luna – as he led her towards the so-called base.

As they continued walking along, every step was soon met by a very noticeable splash. Twilight shivered from both the cold sea breeze and the water that now sloshed around her hooves.

“Is it… normally this cold?” she asked, trying to keep her teeth from chattering.

There was a momentary but noticeable pause. “Aye,” Firebrand said, hesitantly. “Looks like the area off the shores goes ta open sea, but it’s really a large bay. Ya see – figuratively, I mean –, there’s a big ol’ peninsula on the other side. Ya know which one I mean… right?”

Twilight shook her head.

“Un-freakin’-believable…” Firebrand muttered. “Ya can’t really be serious. Ya just… Ya can’t be… How the hell do ya not know ‘bout the bloody Azure Peninsula?!”

“I’ve never heard of it,” Luna supplied. “Twilight, what about you?”

“How would a peninsula even be azure…?” Twilight murmured.

That statement apparently confirmed everything for Firebrand, who just began sputtering angrily. Every one of his actions, from his footsteps to his breathing, had become stronger and more pronounced. Twilight could even hear his teeth grinding.

“That’s just freakin’ stupid…” he growled. “There’s no way you two gits couldn’t know ‘bout that freakin’ peninsula… Argh, dammit!” he swore.

“You okay?” Rex asked.

“Yeah, yeah. Stepped on a goddamn shell.” He grunted. “Bloody bastards, mollusks… Leavin’ their crap around for ya to cut yourself open on…”

“Don’t dragons have thick scales?” Luna asked.

“Aye, but that doesn’t do crap when the thing’s sharp enough to cut right through. Ah, crap… ‘s bleeding.” Another splash, followed by a loud curse. “Hate this bloody salt water! Drake’s a freakin’ bastard to build the base all the way out here… Bloody git…”

Twilight started to take long, slow strides across the water. If a shell could cut a dragon’s foot, she did not want to risk cutting her leg off.

“Make sure you bind that when we get back,” Rex said. “You don’t want it to get infected.”

Based on the way his voice was echoing around them, Twilight presumed that they had just entered a cavern. And based on the fact that the water was now up to her barrel, it seemed that they were going in pretty deep.

“How long do we have to go?” she asked.

As she spoke there was another, stronger echo. They were definitely in a cave.

“Shouldn’t be long, now,” Rex said. He grit his teeth audibly. “Remind me why we have to take the back entrance whenever we have captives? It’s not like they can see where we’re going.”

Firebrand sighed. “Better safe’n sorry, I guess. Don’t wanna give ‘em any leeway. Good thing these rifles work in water, eh? Things’d be broke as hell, otherwise…” He tapped his with his claw, emitting a dull thud.

“I’m guessing they rust, though,” Twilight said. “I can’t imagine how hard it must be to keep them clean.”

“Ah, ya got no idea, lass. No bloody idea…”

After a moment, Firebrand said, “Ya two really dunno ‘bout the Azure Peninsula?”

“I’m afraid not,” Luna said. “Can you tell us what it is?”

“Unbelievable… I dunno what’s goin’ on, but you’re either great liars, idiots, or who ya say ya are.” Firebrand paused for a moment. “And shut the hell up, Rex!” he suddenly shouted. “I know that’s more’n two options!”

“One of these days, your poor grammar’s going to get you killed,” Rex muttered.

“You kiddin’ me?” Firebrand laughed. “Ha! I’ll still be young’n spry when you’re buried in the ground, boy! Why, I imagine I’ll be dancin’ on your grave any day, now.”

Rex chuckled. “If your foot doesn’t get infected, then probably. Otherwise, you’ll just have to mournfully sit nearby.”

Twilight leaned over to where she heard Luna. “Do you think this kind of thing is normal around here?” she whispered.

Luna snorted. “Are you serious? Twilight, have you ever met a dragon? They spend more time insulting each other than they do actually doing anything worthwhile of being insulted.”

“No, I knew that, but… Remember, this is Spike’s dream. And he’s… well… I’ve never heard him talk like this.”

Although Twilight did make a mental note to interrogate him later on where he had learned the words that Firebrand was so casually spouting.

“Oi! No conspirin’, lassies!” Firebrand shouted. “If ya wanna have a conversation, wait ‘til we reach the base. Otherwise, it looks more than a mite suspicious, y’hear?”

Twilight winced. “S-sorry.”

“Aye, whatever. Just warnin’ ya, is all.” Firebrand cracked his knuckles. “We need ta kill anyone that goes an’ does anythin’ suspicious, so if ya wanna live, ya’d best be on yer bloody best behavior.”

“Of course,” Luna said. After a moment, she added, “Now, what were you going to say about this… Azure Peninsula?”

Firebrand sighed. “Sure, sure. Ya don’t know, eh?” A pause. “Crap… Can’t’ve been wrong, was it? Ugh…” After another pause, he let out another sigh. “Right, right. So there’s this big peninsula across the bay, aye? Makes up… what is it, Rex? Thirty percent? Forty?”

“Forty.”

“Aye, thanks. Yeah, it makes up forty percent of the isle. It ain’t just some small piece of land, y’know – it’s a bloody huge peninsula.” He stopped for a moment. “But anyway, I’m gettin’ off topic… Basically, it’s this big stretch of land juttin’ out from the north edge of the isle. It’s… fifteen or twenty miles, I think.”

“Isn’t a peninsula also an isle?” Twilight asked.

“Eh, it doesn’t matter.” Firebrand’s steps returned to normal, though there was still evidence of pain in his voice. “Like I was sayin’, it’s pretty big. Cold, too. The damn place feels like a freezer.”

“So the air – when it comes in from the sea, that is – carries the Azure Peninsula’s cold wind in with it,” Rex explained.

“Fascinating…” Luna murmured. “The biomes of this island seem very peculiar… Sure, it makes sense for a volcano to be here, but such a frigid area, too? And to be so nearby?”

Firebrand said, “And there’s the end of our little explanation. Ya got all that, lassies?”

“All of it,” Twilight said. “But she has a point – how do these biomes exist so close?” She paused for a moment as the obvious answer hit her. “Oh, right. Dream.” She would have pressed her hoof to her forehead had she not been certain Firebrand would take it as a “suspicious action.”

“What was that?” Rex asked.

As Twilight opened her mouth to speak, Luna quickly supplied, “Nothing! Nothing at all. She’s likely suffering a bit from the conditions of this cave.”

“Of course,” Rex murmured, although there was clear disbelief in his voice. “We’ll be sure to get her looked at as soon as we return.” After a pause, he added, “And after we get her to meet with Drake. Thank you, Firebrand.”

Firebrand snorted. “My pleasure.” After a moment, he said, “Ah, would ya look at that? Looks like we’re back. About damn time.”

As she walked forward, Twilight felt the water slowly recede from around her hooves, until there was no longer a splash when she walked. It seemed that, after so long spent walking in the dark, slightly submerged cave, they had finally reached the base.

“Ah, dammit…” Firebrand groaned. “Yeah, that’s blood, alright.”

“Wait, what are you…?” Rex froze. “What the hell did you step on?!”

“Seemed like a shell, but… damn. That’s much worse’n I thought it’d be.”

“I’ll say it is!” Rex said. “Here – I’ll take these two to Drake. You get to the infirmary and get that foot of yours checked out, got it?”

“Hey, I’m the senior officer here! Besides, it’s just a bit of blood; ain’t anythin’ I haven’t seen before. I’ve had worse. Got no reason ta just–”

When Rex next spoke, he sounded genuinely angry. “Get down to that damned infirmary before I give you a reason!”

There was another moment of silence. “Fine,” Firebrand growled at last. “But don’t go an’ do anythin’ stupid, got it? Freakin’ thing’s gonna scar, but I guess it can’t be helped…”

“No, it can’t. Now hurry up before you bleed out!”

Twilight heard Firebrand walk away, muttering various obscenities under his breath. Obscenities that, coincidentally enough, Twilight was going to have to grill Spike about knowing later.

“Sorry about him…” Rex murmured. “Bastard’s as stubborn as a mule to the tenth degree. Here, let me get those for you.”

Twilight suddenly became very aware of the blindfold around her face becoming loose, until it slid off entirely. She blinked once, twice, three times, trying to get used to the sudden wave of light from the bright passageway in front of her.

She looked down at the ground as the light burned her eyes, and then immediately wished that she had not. As it turned out, Firebrand had been bleeding quite heavily, to the point where he had left a large puddle of blood and red scales on the ground that merged with a trail that ran off into the murky water and another trail that ran off into the lit passageway.

Twilight recoiled a bit at the sight. Blood was one thing; she had seen blood before. Heck, she had accidentally injured herself so many times falling off the ladder in the library it was a wonder she did not suffer permanent damage. But the injury Firebrand had sustained seemed both incredibly painful and incredibly massive.

And he had just walked it off like it was nothing.

How could he have been injured worse?

“Thank you,” she heard Luna say from nearby, and turned towards the voice. Her eyes were still adjusting, but she could make out Luna’s form quite clearly. “I apologize for any trouble we may have caused.”

Rex shook his head. “No, don’t apologize. If you really aren’t with the Ice Queen, it’s us who have to apologize for dragging you around – Firebrand and I, that is.” He sighed, glancing over at the bright passageway. “Of course, he’ll never apologize…”

Twilight shook her head. “That’s fine,” she said. “I just want to meet the guy in charge of this so Luna and I can get out of here. There’s somepony we really need to help, and we need to do it as soon as we can.”

Rex nodded. “I understand,” he said. “I’ll take you both to Drake – he’s the one in charge around here – immediately. If you two are really innocent, we’ll let you go as soon as we can.”

“Thank you,” Twilight said, trying to keep her eyes away from the blood-soaked ground. “I guess that’s the best we can hope for.”

“Yeah…” Rex rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. He turned around and raised a clawed hand. “Here, follow me. This’ll hopefully not take too long.”

Twilight and Luna did as Rex said, following him out of the dingy cave and into the brightly lit area Firebrand had limped off to. All the while, Twilight could still smell Firebrand’s blood on the ground, partially because it trailed from the water’s edge into another section of cave.

As Twilight stepped out into what she thought was the hub of the base, she was surprised with how well-taken-care-of it seemed. It was not a perfect circle or rectangle or other shape by any means, but it was clear that the dragons had made the most with what they had. At least three or four tunnels broke off from the main section – although Twilight could not see all of them, given that sections of the cave were blocked off by outcroppings, she guessed that was the rough amount –, a pair of braziers on either side of each.

Dozens of wooden boxes of varying shapes and sizes sat against the far wall. Twilight presumed that they held supplies, such as food or bullets for the dragons’ rifles. They were perched on each other evenly, with the longer boxes sitting on top of each other and the heavier boxes on the bottom. Perhaps most impressive was how they were kept in an area far away from the braziers.

Under normal circumstances, such a detail would not have been strange, but to Twilight it was a clear tell that the dragons were serious about what they were saying. Everything was organized carefully and smartly. How focused were they, then, to take the time to make sure their food and other assorted items were in such a position? It spoke volumes about how committed they were to their task.

And that task was what piqued Twilight’s interest more than anything else. They were clearly rebelling against the “Ice Queen,” but who exactly was that? How did she relate to the dragons’ stance, and why had Firebrand been so adamant on getting rid of her and Luna? If she looked at it logically, then–

“So are you going to stare at boxes, or are you coming along?” Rex’s voice knocked her out of her stupor.

Twilight flushed, lowering her ears against her head. “S-sorry.”

Rex fixed her with a calm, quizzical stare before he let out a sigh. “Like I said, just come along. Stuff like that –” he gestured at the boxes “– is what’s going to wind up getting you branded as a spy. Just walk forward, stare ahead, and don’t say anything unless you have to.”

Twilight nodded wordlessly and turned away from the piles. That seemed to be enough for Rex, who nodded back at her and began down towards a passageway a good walking distance away.

Luna nudged her with a hoof. “Twilight,” she whispered, “what were you doing?”

“I was trying to figure out what’s going on,” Twilight admitted. “This may be Spike’s dream, but it’s clearly a lot more complicated than mine was. These guys are taking this rebellion very seriously – seriously enough to organize everything for later use.”

“I see,” Luna murmured. “And given how seriously they’re taking it, it must be far more important than we realize.” She paused and let out a sigh. “Perhaps coming here first was a mistake, after all…”

“Luna?”

“Hmm?” Luna looked back up. “Ah… It’s nothing. Never mind.” After a moment of Twilight staring at her curiously, Luna waved a hoof. “I’ll explain it later.”

That mollified Twilight a bit. She looked back over at Rex, who seemed to have completely ignored or simply did not hear their conversation. As much as she wanted to learn Luna’s theories and explain her own, it would do neither of them any good if Rex – or, for that matter, any of the dragons – were to believe they were spies.

And while being an alicorn rendered her functionally immortal, Twilight was not enthusiastic to be shot in the head at point-blank range. At best, it would cause severe pain. At worst, it could result in her mind being irreparably damaged. Even the fact that she was not in her physical body did not reassure her much; if anything, it just made matters worse. Damage to her psyche, and all that.

Rex stepped up to the passageway, which Twilight noticed was guarded by two dragons on either side. They looked at Rex for a moment, and then shifted their gazes to Twilight and Luna.

“What’s going on, here, Rex?” the rightmost one – a tall, muscular, goden dragon whose every breath caused smoke to pour from his mouth – asked.

“Firebrand and I found these two while we were on patrol,” Rex replied, nodding to Twilight and Luna. “We wish to take them to Drake and ensure whether they are allies, foes, or a neutral party.”

The other, who looked just as muscular but had a silver tint to his scales, nodded. “And, uh… Where’s Firebrand run off to, now?”

Rex waved him off. “He cut his foot open while we were traveling through the back entrance.” Both dragons winced. “I made him go to the infirmary.”

The silver dragon nodded. “Ugh… Hate that freaking place. I swear the Ice Queen must’ve booby-trapped it. Keeps us from walkin’ properly, see? Then we get screwed up in the battles.” He turned to his companion. “Ya think so too, Gil?”

The gold dragon sighed, sending out a large plume of smoke. “It’s unlikely; they’d melt before they got the chance.” He nodded to Rex. “You can pass through. They’re alicorns, but they hardly look dangerous.”

“In fact,” the silver dragon said, giggling a bit, “I bet that lavender one’d break in half if Gil here sat on her. So scrawny, it’s a bit hilarious. Ya think so too, Rex?”

Twilight shifted a bit uncomfortably at that, but kept her mouth shut.

“Maybe,” Rex admitted. “Seems stronger than she looks, though, Argie. She could probably blast a hole through your chest faster than you can come up with one of your crazy theories.”

The silver dragon giggled again. “Sure, sure, but seriously,” he said, his voice becoming more leveled. “How bad’s Firebrand lookin’?”

“See for yourself.” Rex gestured behind him. “Take a look at the ground by the waterway; the whole area’s covered with blood.”

“Shit, it’s that bad?” The silver dragon grimaced. “How long d’ya think it’s gonna be ‘til he recovers?”

Rex paused for a moment. “At least a day or two. He wouldn’t go to the infirmary at first, so I had to… ah… convince him.”

The gold dragon let out an amused snort. “Stubborn bastard.”

“Would you really have it any other way?” Rex asked. “Now, it’s been nice chatting with you two, but I really need to get these mares to Drake.”

Twilight could practically hear the unsaid “before they do anything else that could get them killed.”

After a nod of approval from the two dragons, Rex led Twilight and Luna into the next tunnel. They walked along in silence down the well-lit passage until they came upon a large, rectangular steel door that sat perfectly against the rock.

“This is Drake’s room,” Rex said. “With any luck, we’ll catch him a good mood and you two can get off pretty easily. Otherwise, it’ll take a bit of clever talking.”

Luna paused for a moment. “Why are you helping us? Don’t you also think we’re this Ice Queen’s minions?”

Rex chuckled. “Honestly? I doubt it. Of course, that’s due to a bunch of reasons that I’ll go into more detail about if I have to, but…” He shook his head, cutting off his train of thought. “Anyway, like I was saying, we can hopefully finish this up quickly. Now, let’s lay down a few ground rules.”

Twilight nodded.

Luna, however, grimaced. “Let me guess,” she said. “We’re to remain quiet unless asked to speak.”

“That’s the most important one, yes,” Rex admitted. “It’ll keep you from incriminating yourselves, which is always nice. Not to mention that presenting too much evidence too quickly makes you sound more than a bit desperate.” He paused. “But there’s the other thing. You need to tell the truth. If you lie about something big and Drake finds out about it later, you’re dead, no questions asked.” He paused again to let that sink in.

“So tell the truth,” Luna murmured. “I… believe we can pull that off.”

Rex nodded. “Good, good.” He pressed his claws to the large steel door. “In that case, I think you’re both ready. Just remember: Only talk when you’re asked to and don’t lie. Remember those things and you’ll be fine.”

Twilight gulped, trying to talk herself out of being nervous. It was one thing to speak with someone she did not know. It was another to be facing a dragon who could end her life or cripple her with just an order while she had no way to defend herself.

But she had to. Spike was somewhere in this strange, vicious world, and Twilight would not rest until she had found him. Regardless of what happened, she would have to find him, find his Disparity, and make sure he would wake up.

Because she wanted to make sure he was safe.

And if that meant that she would have to risk death, so be it. That was the path she had chosen. That was the path she was willing to choose. She would protect all of her friends, no matter the personal cost.

So as she took one last, long breath, Twilight readied herself to meet with Drake, just in time for the heavy steel door to swing open.