Flight to Dreadlands

Escaping the Dreadlands - The Usual Ending - Broken Sun - Maybe Another Time

Darien Frey looked at the ground below and couldn’t believe his own eyes.

The continent was breaking apart. Great cracks were created, mountains were crumbling down. Chunks of the ground had fallen in the depth. Water was being poured up from the cracks.

“Did we just start another Landfall?” asked Frey.

“Yes, yes we did,” replied Ugrik.

The crew looked through the window at the carnage. Suddenly, a great flash of green light filled the world, and Ketty Jay was shaken. Frey managed to stabilize the flight path.

“What was that?” Ashua asked through earcuff.”

“Pony Princess probably attempted to stop the Landfall,” replied Frey.

In the distance, he saw a few airplanes, most probably Crystal planes that didn’t manage to return to Crystal City on time. He wondered what would happen to them.

Well, it wasn’t his problem. It was time to get back to Tamriel.

Frey and his crew were in a tavern in some random pirate city, drinking whiskey.

“Truth to be told, we caused a continent-wide disaster and only got a meager reward. Again,” said Malvery.

Frey couldn’t argue with this. He took the bait once again. Good thing that no one from his crew was hurt.

Doors of the tavern opened. Stellar Reflection entered, and walked in towards Frey.

“Captain, I want to tell you that I’m quitting.”

“Quitting? Why?”

“Why!” she said, with barely contained anger. “You destroyed the Old Country! The mission failed. I trusted that you were a better person.”

“Trusting a pirate is a bad idea,” noted Trinica.

“I’m taking my share, and I’m staying here.”

“You don’t want to go back to Sun Tower?”

“No. I cannot show myself to Abbess Sunrise anymore. She will never forgive me. I have advice for you, don’t go anywhere near Sun Tower either. We are healers, but we know offensive magic as well, and we aren’t going to tolerate traitors.”

“Another town we can’t come back to,” said Malvery.

“Sure, you can stay here if you want. I’m not going to force you to go with us,” replied Frey. Stellar walked away.

“Didn’t fit our crew anyway,” commented Ugrik.

Frey looked at the Nord, and was about to reply to this, but there was no point. The mission was almost a complete disaster. Again.

I need more whiskey, Frey thought.

Far away, in the Sun Tower, there was an old and sad mare.

Sunrise looked through the window, in the direction of Dreadlands. She knew something bad happened over there. Her sister saw this in the dreams of these adventurers she sent there.

How much of a fool she was, trusting a bunch of pirates to save Equestria? Doom-Driven pirates, but pirates anyway. It was obvious they would not finish the mission. Now, Crystal City is banished again, and Equestria probably finished disintegrating. What happened to Twilight?

“Abbess?”

Sunrise turned, and saw one of the novices walking in the room.

“I wished to be left alone.”

“Everypony is getting worried.”

“I said, I wished to be left alone.”

The novice walked out of the room. Sunrise was alone again.

She thought about Stellar Reflection. She had high hopes for her, yet it turned out she wasn’t a Faithful Student material after all.

Sunrise looked at the horizon, still not accepting that the country she vowed to protect was long gone.

Frey walked through the streets of the pirate city. He had a big hangover after the previous night’s victory party, but he decided to take a walk anyway.

He was considering his next move. Going back to Tamriel? What would he even do there? Maybe join the battles in Hammerfell, but he wasn’t in the mood to fight in yet another war.

Maybe just buy some house in the countryside and finally marry Trinica? He shuddered. This is not his way. He planned to marry her, in some nebulous future.

“Mister, are you a pilot?”

Frey looked, and saw a young Imperial boy carrying a stack of paper.

“Yes, I am.”

“That’s cool. Have this,” he said, and gave him one. Then, he went away.

Frey looked at the leaflet. Do you own an airship? Aren’t afraid of long and dangerous voyages? Want to find treasure and get rich? Admiral Zai Mao is looking for pilots to explore the lost continent of Parania…

Frey read the rest of it. It sounded kinda like the bragging of some wannabe pirate king. However, considering he didn’t have anything better to do…

“Let’s ask the crew about this,” he said aloud. He was going forward towards the next adventure.