The Journey of a Lifetime

by sqarishoctagon

Chapter 2

Wind Surfer was roused from sleep at daybreak, as the sounds of little fillies and colts getting ready for school filled the house. Stretching, she glanced at the desk clock, which read: 6:45.

Perfect! I’ll be in the air by eight, which means... She paused, thinking hard. By noon-ish..? I should be at the border. Wow. That fast? Wind Surfer pulled herself out of bed, taking in the sounds around her. Shaking her mane for a quick fix, she left the room. She backtracked to avoid a platoon of foals looking for homework, and continued to the dining room.

“Good morning! How was the night?” Redtail was in the middle of cleaning the remnants of breakfast when Wind Surfer walked in.

“Fine, thanks. What about you?” She rubbed her eyes.

“Well, a little rocky at the start, but we got over it. Give me a moment; let me get this bunch to school.” He indicated a seat at a nearby table that was clean, for the most part. Then, Redtail turned and herded his charges outside. A few minutes later, he returned.

“How about some breakfast, yes?”

Wind Surfer nodded enthusiastically, and followed Redtail into the kitchen, where he began pulling together a meal for the two of them. She sat in silence, out of the way of the bustling stallion. After a short wait, he had a few pancakes ready to go, and several more on the way.

“So,” he said, as he began to dig in. “What made you stay here? I’m sure there were plenty of inns that would've loved to have a celebrity visit.”

“Yea, but... I knew what it was like to grow up alone.” At this, Redtail looked up, inquiringly. Wind Surfer sighed. It was not a tale she liked repeating. “When you’re on the streets of Manehattan, its easy to believe that you’ve fallen through the cracks of society. I had caretakers, but eventually it just turned out to be me.” She fell silent. “I just wanted to show them they were not forgotten.”

Redtail nodded knowingly, but did not press the subject.

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Wind Surfer had finished eating and was dressed when a large group of reporters appeared on the lawn. She and Redtail marched out to the front lawn to greet the mass of reporters.They were promptly assaulted with questions as they marched to the park.

“Where will you be flying to tomorrow?”

“Are you able to fly to Manehattan for tomorrow night?”

“Will you sit for an interview with the Canterlot Gazette?”

“Are you going to be able to clear the mountain ranges to the west? They’re supposed to be impassible,” one particularly snooty-looking reporter asked.

Wind Surfer met her gaze, and ruffled her wings in response. The reporter immediately backed down, embarrassed. She was replaced by several ponies who appeared to be from local papers. The pair pressed through the mass, making their way to the central park of Stalliongrad. They stopped in the marketplace where many of Wind Surfer’s provisions, free of charge. They also donated to Redtail, though with somewhat less enthusiasm. The gaggle of reporters followed them unhesitatingly, despite the strange looks the crowd drew. Soon, however, the crowd had grown into a large parade heading into the park. Wind Surfer glanced at the large clock in the center of the park. It was now 7:49.

Well on track! If I could just get rid of these reporters without seeming rude... Her gaze settled on a conveniently located stage that wasn’t there the evening before. Perfect! Turning to Redtail, who was answering questions about the orphanage he ran, she gestured the stage. He nodded, and they made their way over to it. He boosted her up onstage, where she began rapping her hooves for attention. The area quieted down as the ponies in the vicinity realized their hero was going to speak.

“Um... Hey there!” Silence. “So, uh, thanks for the support! It really means a lot to me.” The ponies looked at Wind Surfer expectantly. What do they want, a magic show? That’s what Trixie’s for! “So! Today, as you all know, I’m going to cross the westernmost border of Equestria! I have no idea how long this journey will take, but know this: I will return! Whatever challenges await me across that border, I will be ready, for everypony in Equestria!” Her gaze fell on the Mayor, who gestured for her to continue.

*Ahem*

“I suppose you are all wondering why I chose to stay at the orphanage last night. I did it because I know what it’s like. Ponies like Redtail touched my life almost every day, inspiring me to be the best I could be. But even that wasn’t enough. I remember feeling like nothing while fending for myself on the streets. It was hard, and nopony deserves to feel like that. All my life, I was looked down upon. Nopony expected anything from me." She paused, gathering herself.

"I’ll never forget the first time I ever saw the Wonderbolts. It wasn't at a show, or even outside of a stadium where they were performing. It was during the most unglamorous part of being a Wonderbolt: training day. Through the grueling routine I began to realize something. My heros weren't that much different from me. They all started out learning not to crash, too. I realized that I wanted to wear that suit, to crash into the mud after another failed routine, to work from dawn to dusk for perfection. Most of all I wanted to fly high, up with my heros and be somepony!"

"I realized that there was only one pony stopping me from being like them: me. That is why I fly today, for the little fillies and colts that might think that they have been forgotten. I want them to know that they are not forgotten. Even though it might feel like that sometimes, like the world is against you... That's why I chose to stay at the orphanage.”

She was met with a thunderous applause, everypony suddenly bursting out in emotion. Wind Surfer smiled as the ponies swarmed the stage, trying to get a word with the pair. She was nudged by Redtail, who gestured the clock.

“And, with that my friends, I must go! Forward unto the mountains, and onwards to the West!” Wind Surfer took off, powered by an even louder round of applause from the now massive crowd. She soared high above the rooftops of the city, and caught and updraft propelling her even higher. From her perspective, the city was now a blotch on the landscape, surrounded by multihued patches of farmland. Circling the sprawling city again, Wind Surfer course-checked herself, and set off towards the mountains.

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Hours of weaving in and out of mountaintops found her at the westernmost edge of Equestria. The flight itself was uneventful, punctured by a few birds following her path. Around noon, just as her stomach reminded her that lunch was due, she arrived at the border.

The border itself was marked by a tiny hut on the edge of a small dirt road overgrown with disuse. Upon the hut was the flag of the Domain, depicting the two Alicorn Sisters in harmony with the sun and moon. Outside was a pegasus guard, staring blankly West.

Wind Surfer alighted a few feet from the post, shaking the pony from her mind-numbing job.

“Hello there!” Wind Surfer cried cheerfully.

“Greetings from Equestrian Army Post 113,” the pegasus replied, turning to greet the newcomer. “I’m Sergeant Ryder. Nice to see somepony not in an Equestrian Military uniform.”

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Wi-”

“-nd Surfer. We know. Just about everypony in Equestria does.” Ryder smiled, then turned to the hut. “Private Plume! Get out here! And bring something to eat! We’ve got a visitor!”

The hut was suddenly filled with various noises of another pony in various stages of getting out of bed. The noises crescendoed until the pony burst out of the cabin door, gripping several brown pouches in her mouth, and several others tucked beneath her wing. Plume skittered up to her superior, and saluted.

“Pvt. Plmm rmmprtin fff’dty!”

“At ease, Private.”

Plume immediately relaxed and regarded their guest, dropping the pouches as she did so.

“You’re Wind Surfer! This is so great! Ever since your first record I’ve been following you! YES!!” She began bouncing around Wind Surfer peppering her with questions. “So, whats it like? Oh, wait! What was the storm like? I heard the REAF was called in! Was it awesome? What about Stalliongrad? What was that li--”

“Can it, private! It’s chow time.” The sergeant shoved a hoof into the irrepressible pony’s mouth and indicated the packets that Plume had dropped. “Standard-Issue Meals-Ready-to-Eat! Packed with calories for anypony’s long haul. Besides, these will help save your rations for when you really need them.”

“Thank you! I-I mean, you don’t have to... Really!”

“Don’t worry about it. These don’t expire for the next three years, and they’re delivered monthly. There’s plenty more where those came from, the shack's bursting with them!” The sergeant invited Wind Surfer inside the hut to enjoy their MRE’s.

“Unicorns have it easy, I tell you...” Ryder grumbled. After some trouble opening the bags, they began eating. Seeing the look on Wind Surfer’s face, Plume laughed.

“Look, I know they don’t taste the greatest, but they’re really good for you. And with the amount of flying you’ll be doing, you’ll need the calories.” Wind Surfer smiled uncertainly, and continued eating. As she finished, Plume walked over to a cupboard, and opened it. Out burst several more MRE’s, some bent after being forced into the cupboard. She grabbed several, and handed them to Wind Surfer.

“Here, have a couple more for the road. They’ll keep you going.”

“Thanks again, Plume. I really should get going now though.” Wind Surfer glanced at the clock as she stuffed the pouches into her bag. It now read 1:40. More than an hour out... Not completely wasted though... They walked out of the hut, and turned to the Sergeant.

“We’ll see you again someday, right?” The Sergeant looked her hard in the eye.

“Of course! Why would I do something like this without the intention of returning?” Wind Surfer smiled, and faced West. She was interrupted by a tap on her shoulder.

“Um, one last thing,” said Plume timidly. “Could- could you sign this?” It was a copy of a popular flight magazine that Wind Surfer had appeared in. Wind Surfer obliged. The private was then shooed away by Ryder, who again turned to Wind Surfer.

“Now, get moving! You’ve dilly-dallied long enough!”

Wind Surfer mock-saluted, and took off with a shout.

“Thank you!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wow. This is a lot of sand...

Several hours later had Wind Surfer standing at the edge of the largest expanse of sand she had ever seen. The sand stretched for miles on end, seeming to touch the horizon itself.

That is a lot of sand... She thought again. How am I supposed to cross this? Though she had spent weeks studying it, her training had still not prepared her for the vast openness of the desert. Wind Surfer inhaled, and then exhaled, prepping herself for the crossing.

Alright. Here goes! With a mental shout, she jumped into the air, and began soaring above the desert. Almost immediately, she was hit with a veritable wall of heat, that immediately forced her down.

Wind Surfer cried aloud at the sheer intensity. She veered off toward a scraggly copse of trees on the edge of the desert, and crashed among them.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid!” Furious with herself for crashing, Wind Surfer shook herself off, and turned to face the desert. She was completely unprepared to deal with the heat. Even so, she still steeled herself for another try.

“Ah wouldn't do that, if Ah were ye...” A voice cut across her thoughts startling Wind Surfer.

“Huh?! Who’s there?” She twirled around, and shifted her weight in preparation to jump should danger arise.

“Wheel now, a touch blind, aren’t ye? Ah’m right a’fore ye!” The voice seemed to emanate from a small dune from the other side of the copse. “Keep lookin’!”

Curiosity overcame her shock, and Wind Surfer prowled toward the dune.

“Closer now, Ah ‘aint aboot tae hurt ye.” The voice was rough, as if its owner had little to drink as of late.

“Um, I can’t see you.”

“O’ course ye can’t! Ah’m invisible!” The -whatever it was- chuckled. “Wha’, I dinnae expect ye tae find me so easily!”

“... Right. Well, I’ve got places to be, soo...”

“If ye want me opinion, Ah kin think o’ many a kinder way tae end ye’self.”

What?! Wind Surfer rounded upon the voice.

“Excuse me?! I’m going to cross this desert, thank you!”

“Ah! Tha’ makes everythin’ clearer! Wheel, yer gon’ tae have tae wait till the sun’s gone. Then Ah’ll help ye across meself!”

“Um, I have no idea what you are. So, why should I trust you? Besides, I’m a perfectly fine navigator myself, thank you.”

“Ooch, tha’s a problem... Wheel, stan’ still, Ah’ll show meself.” The small dune suddenly shifted, and began growing. Staring in disbelief, where there was once a dune, was a sand-colored dragon, whose scales gleamed as sand shimmered off of his scales like water. “Wha’cha think? Pretty neat, if Ah do say so meself!”

“Huh??” It was all Wind Surfer could do to not turn and bolt then an there. “What? H-how?”

“Hehehe! It takes years tae learn me craft as Ah’ve.” The dragon smiled, displaying two sets of razor-sharp teeth. He stretched, displaying a leathery wingspan several times larger than Wind Surfer’s. Now fully extended, the mysterious dragon appeared to be only a few times larger than her though. “So, who do Ah ‘ave the pleasure o’ address’n?”

“U-um, Wind Surfer. My name’s Wind Surfer.” She stumbled as she began backing away.

“Ay, missie! Wha’d tell ye? Ye can’t fly till the sun’s gone! Ye’ll bake!” Wind Surfer froze.

“Alright, fine, just don’t eat me!” She squeaked, trying to make herself as small a target as possible, while simultaneously looking for an escape route. The dragon paused.

“Ahahahaa! Tha’s what's got yer feathers inn’ae twist, eh? Relax, Ah ain’t here tae eat ye.” Wind Surfer scowled. “No, seriously! Ponies don’t taste as good as, say a good head o’ livestock. Asides, Ah would’a done it already. There ain’t nothin’ to be afeard o’.”

Swallowing, Wind Surfer began taking tentative steps toward the strange dragon.

“So,” she began slowly, “Who are you?”

“Ooch! Where be me manners? Ah’m Dune Crest. Ah’s ye can probably guess, Ah earned me name, fair an’ square! This here patch o’ trees be the edge of me hard-earned territory. Come! Ah’m sure ye’ll find me cave a might more comfortable than the heat here.”

Dune Crest crawled to a outcropping that obscured the entrance to a cave. Wind Surfer noticed that he seemed ungainly as he walked, as if it was something he disliked.

Wind Surfer hesitated, but soon followed the dragon. At first glance, the cave seemed small, even for Wind Surfer. However, as she climbed in after the dragon, she found that it was quite large, and also surprisingly comfortable.

“A’right, what kin Ah get ye?” The dragon settled on a sort of pedestal carved out of the rock in the center of the cave. “Wheel? Don’ just stan’ there! Find a place, an’ sit!”

Wind Surfer sat where she stood, near the entrance. She still had a hard time grappling with the concept that a non-Equestrian dragon had, not only refrained from eating her, but had invited her into its cave, and offered to help her cross the desert. She managed to stutter out a question under the dragon’s inquisitive stare.

“Um... I-I really don’t... Why are you doing this?” Dune Smiled again.

“Wheel, an ole dragon such as meself ain’t got much to do wi’ ‘imself nowadays, and it’s been years since one o’ yer kind came out this way.”

“Oh. What did the last pony do? I’ve never heard of somepony coming out this way.”

“That’s cause he’d gone an’ kill hisself! Ah’d tried tae talk ‘im out o’ it, but ‘is mind was set. Flew straight out tae the desert. Found the poor sod a few days later, all withered an’ such. Dried as me scales. Ah buried ‘im right o’er there,” he gestured to a small hollow on the far side of the cave.

Upon closer inspection, the hollow revealed the pony’s name and date of death. Wind Surfer, thanks to the natural abilities of a Pegasus, was able to read it fine from where she sat.

Here lies Silver Thread,
A pony of strong mind, and soul,
Forever entombed in the desert’s warm embrace.

Below the inscription, was the pony’s date of death, nearly four hundred years prior.

Wow... Four hundred years of solitude. Enough to drive a pony crazy! She glanced at Dune Crest, who eyed the hollow with a deep sorrow.

“...‘e was me only companion in a long time. Taught me much aboot yer Equestria, though Ah imagine it’s changed some, eh? Eventually, ‘e suck out one day, an’ few into the desert. Anyway, tha’s a story fer another time though, no? Time fer a nap! Ye’ll wan tae save yer energy fer the flight tonight.”

With that, the dragon shuffled into a more comfortable position, his scales rasping the stone beneath him.

“Wheel, go on!” He pointed a wing towards another small hollow, this one more suited for a living pony.

Silently, she moved toward it, and began disposing of her equipment. Chambering onto the stone, she found that it was surprisingly comfortable. Dune, satisfied that his guest had settled in, shifted again, and fell asleep. Glancing around the cave once more, Wind Surfer made herself comfortable, and soon followed suit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Ay, missie! Rouse y’self! Gone an’ overslept, we ‘ave!” A rasping voice shook Wind Surfer from her nap. She groaned, and stood up.

“What’s going on?” She asked, drowsily.

“Di’nt ye say ye wanted tae cross the desert? Wheel, now’s yer chance!” Dune was a bundle of activity, trundling around the cave doing whatever it was dragons did in preparation for such a trip. “Is yer water pouch filled? ‘ow aboot food? ‘ave ye got enough?”

Wind Surfer rubbed her eyes, and began pulling on her gear, taking stock of her provisions as she did so.

“Water and food are taken care of. What about you?”

“Ach! Don’ worry aboot me, missie. Ah’ve crossed the desert many a time. Ah’ll be fine.” Satisfied, Dune stalked out of the cave, soon followed by Wind Surfer. She glanced at her watch, and saw it was about an hour past sundown. Pink rays of light emanated from the horizon, slowly giving way to the inky blackness of night.

“Um... How are we going to see? The lights almost gone.”

The old dragon turned to her. “Ah thought ye said ye were a fine navigator, if’n Ah remember correctly, yes?”

“During the day! Nopony with sense flies at night!”

“Aye, and around ‘ere, no dragon wit’ sense flies during the day. It looks like Ah’m gonna ‘ave tae teach ye ‘ow tae navigate wit’ the stars. That’ll help ye when all else fails.” Dune trundled towards the edge of the copse.

“A’right!” He had reached the edge of the tree line, where the desert began reclaiming its land. Without warning, Dune unfurled his wings, and burst into the sky. Wind Surfer’s jaw dropped. Where he was ungainly on the ground, Dune soared easily around, performing loops and rolls that would put Wonderbolt recruits to shame. He roared with excitement, and yelled to her.

“An’ what do ye think yer doin’ down there, mopin’ aboot? Come!”

Wind Surfer needed no second urging, as she soon found herself right alongside him. She whooped as she felt the cool night air against her face. It was invigorating, renewing her strength where rest could not. Dune then veered towards the fading sunset, and Wind Surfer followed suit.

“Good!” The old dragon was clearly delighted in the prospect of having a flying companion. “Ah kin see ye’ve already got the proper trainin’ needed tae fly in formation! Let’s see what else ye know, shall we?”

With that, Dune proceeded to test her knowledge of flying in formation. He tested the basics, such as turning in formation, to more complex maneuvers, such as changing point flier while maintaing a constant speed. Eventually the test became a contest of arial acrobatics, in which Dune and Wind Surfer attempted to outdo each other. After a particularly difficult stunt on Wind Surfer’s part, Dune gave in, clearly impressed.

“The Wonderbolts taught me that,” Wind Surfer replied, panting. “The demonstration team?”

“Ooch, Ah don’ think Ah’ve heard of them. Mus’ be new! When that other pony stayed wi’ me, he said that the Royal Air Force had a demonstration team... Ah’ve gone an’ forgotten their name, though.”

“They used to be 1st Squadron, Canterlot Station, also known as the Weather Raiders. They became known as the Wonderbolts when one of the wing commanders realized the Squadron could become a showcase of Pegasus’ talents from all around Equestria, not just for military recruiting.”

“Ah. Ah see.” The next few hours were passed as Wind Surfer educated Dune on current Equestrian events (mostly rehashing contemporary history), ranging from the expansions of Equestrian borders to the Lunar Princess’s return. He was shocked, to say the least, as no dragon he knew of had recognized the signs leading up to her escape.

“Ah, dinnae aboot ye, but Ah’m willing tae say that yer princess was a might bit pleased tae ‘ave her sister back.”

“She was, as was much of the Nobility. The common ponies... Not so much.”

“An’ why be that?”

“Well, we kind of have a holiday centered around her being Nightmare Moon; we weren't exactly sure how she would react to that. But that wasn't the real reason. The commoners, myself included, feared that, upon her arrival, the old rules of the realm would be reinstated."

"An' that meant..?"

"The nobility would have actual power, instead of being ceremonial positions.”

“That sounds a might outdated, don’t it?”

“It is, but the current system keeps everypony happy. Whenever we get a noble who actually does something useful for the commoners, they’re able to do it. But the laws also keep us safe from a noble’s exploitations, too.”

“Good, good." Silence reigned for a time, before being broken by Dune.

"Ah heard there was a weddin' of some sort?”

"... What?"

"A weddin'! You know, two ponies becomin' one, all that 'appy nonsense?"

"A wedding...? Um... oh, right! That was months ago! It was between Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and the Captain of the Royal Guard, um... Shining Armor; that was his name!" The event of the century, and I can barely remember the stallion's name... "Wait, you heard of that, all the way out here?"

"Ye'd be surprised to fin' 'ow fast news travels around 'ere. It was of particular intres' tae the Queen of the Changelings."

"Well, yeah, but all anypony really knows is that she invited herself and her army to the wedding, and she got banished from Canterlot or something... Either way she's gone... You know what? I don't think anypony knows what actually happened."

"That sounds like yer princess, alright... Tell me: what do you know aboot 'er?" Wind Surfer hesitated.

"Well, she's... Nice..." she said, foolishly.

"... 'Nice'?" Dune glanced toward her.

"Yes...?"

"Hmm... She 'asn't changed. When Silver stayed wi' me, 'e never 'ad much tae say aboot 'er either."

"You mean she's always been like that; just like, 'nice'... Never really connecting?"

"Accordin' tae Silver."

They fell into a comfortable silence as the waves of sand rushed beneath them. By now, the light had completely faded, giving way to the night. Wind Surfer soon realized that the pairs’ shadows raced with them along the ground.

Wait... What?

“Dune, tonight’s a new moon. Why do we have shadows?”

“Look up! Ah’m surprised ye didn’t yet!”

Wind Surfer obliged, and gasped. Above her was a massive, deep blue canvas, dotted with huge swaths of stars of all colors. On one side, the south, a deep black shadow hid other stars from view, creating a mysterious void covering a portion of the stars. Within it, a single star shone, bright as the moon.

“Wow...” She whispered.

“Indeed. Part o’ the reason dragons like tae fly at night.”

“They say that inspiration comes from the stars. I can see why.”

“Aye,” said Dune.

"The stars seem much brighter out here," she observed. "Must be because there's nothing out here."

"Aye. The stars 'ave nothin' tae compete wit'. Tha's why they seem brighter."

So began Wind Surfer’s navigation lessons. Dune taught her all there was to know, from a dragon’s perspective (“Ah don’ know much aboot pony star names, but it’ll serve ye just the same,” he noted). Wind Surfer learned that the single star in the inkblot to the south was called the ‘Everfire’ by the dragons, for an ancient hero of their myths.

“When’er ye get lost, Everfire’ll guide ye. Even through the blackest, nastiest storms, she’ll be there fer ye.” Wind Surfer remembered seeing the star during many of her trips, and was slightly ashamed to admit that she never thought of using it as a navigation tool.

As the night went on, Wind Surfer grew hungry. She made no mention of this to Dune, as he was delighted in having a student with whom he could share his knowledge. She wasn’t subtle enough though, as her stomach gave her away.

“Got ye! Ah guess it’s high time fer a lil’ snack, don’t ye think?”

“Yes, indeed!”

Dune chuckled, and angled for the ground. Wind Surfer followed, but angled slightly away from the dragon. She was right to do so because, as he landed, Dune sent up huge billows of sand from his downstrokes. Wind Surfer mimicked him, alighting at the top of the nearest dune.

“A’right,” Dune said, “ye stay put and eat, an’ I’ll find something fer the likes of me, okay?”

“Sounds good.” Wind Surfer had already began unpacking, looking for the produce she had gathered in Stalliongrad.

Dune moved up to her. “Stay put,” he said firmly. He then quickly padded away to the north.

What was that about? Wind Surfer wondered, curious as to why he had done that. She finished eating quickly, eager to be off. However, it was some minutes before she heard the crunch of sand heralding his return. She turned to look at the next dune, and froze.

There, crouched among the dunes, was a small slate-grey dragon. It eyed her hungrily, and began approaching. Wind Surfer swallowed, and began backing into the depression between the dunes.

He lead me into a trap! A growl resounded from behind her, and she turned to face yet another slate-colored dragon crouched at the top of the rise. Wind Surfer swallowed.

I can’t believe this! I trusted him! A boiling rage welled up inside her as she faced her attackers. Perhaps I can scare them; he’s not that much bigger than me...

The dragon looked up to his companion, causing Wind Surfer to follow his gaze. At the distraction, he pounced. Wind Surfer’s stomach dropped.