Disclaimer: I don't own Flight Rising. I only own the characters and the Clan.
So, I decided to write this little silly one-shot.
Happy new year everyone! I hope 2016 will be a great year for you all!
Constructive criticism is appreciated, because, holy shiz, my writing is so rusty.
Well, if it weren't for that shortcut, they probably would had been late.
Sugartooth approached the grassy ground. Her six wings giving a final whoosh of the air, which is then followed by the pattering of her gembound feet touching the ground. With a sigh of relief, she unhitched the load of food that she was carrying all the way back to the Starfall Isles. Jeez, Spiral dragons weren't built for being carriers, but Sugartooth knew that she had to suck it up for the Clan. The Clan life is full of tough edges.
Soon after she had unfastened her bundle, Sugartooth saw a Nocturne land next to her. Noelle coughed and fixed her black scarf.
"All right. We're home." Noelle huffed. "Thank you again Sugar for this last-minute gathering expedition."
"You're welcome." Sugartooth replied. "Where do you want these?"
"At the lair."
The green-and-red Nocturne and white Spiral, grabbing the food, descended down the slope of the mountain they were on. As they descended, the grass turned to lavender rock and the two dragons arrived at a space surrounded by the purple cliffs. Their home.
"I'll take care of it from here." Noelle said, grabbing Sugar's food load. "So why don't you go enjoy yourself now? I'll see you when the party starts."
"If you say so, Noelle." Sugartooth agreed. She was silently relieved. She really did not want to do more work. "Thank you."
With a nod, the green Nocturne and the white Spiral parted ways.
Just an hour. Just an hour left. Sugartooth thought to herself. The Spiral looked around the opening. She could see Noelle setting up a bracket table for the food. On the crystal-like walls of the open space, the Clan's faes were decorating the walls with illuminating flowers. A dragon or two would enter the space and see how the preparations were going before leaving. Sugartooth felt a smile form on her narrow face and a more wonderful feeling grow inside her.
Tick tock. The new year was slowly coming around the corner, and Clan of Enchanted Hours had decided to through a party. Noelle had done most of the planning. Many dragons had already done their part for the party, and Sugartooth had heard rumors that the Clan's elite dragons prepared a special show for midnight. True or not, Sugartooth had high hopes for this party. Noelle always planned the best parties and Sugartooth couldn't wait to experience this one. It might be very crowded, but Sugartooth focused on the better side of it. The decorations were looking promising with their shine; it was only sunset right now and they would look even prettier once night arrives. The food would be great. And the fun - oh, the fun - would really tie the Clan together for these last hours of this year. And Sugartooth knew that the Clan had several artistic entertainers, from a beautiful singer to a performing magician. They never failed to send awe to the Clan.
There was just only an hour left to wait.
But no worries, Sugartooth knew exactly what to do to make the time pass.
"I'm back, Druorn." Sugartooth called out as she arrived to the nesting cave, adjacent to the open area of the Clan, residing inside the mountain with an opening guarded by a Ridgeback. The Ridgeback permitted Sugartooth in.
In the inside of the cave was a nest built from bracken and grass, occupying it were two eggs, purple atom-like spheres levitating with life just slightly above the grass. Though only two eggs, they both meant the world to Sugartooth. And they definitely mean the world to their father as well.
Surrounding the eggs was a protective shield of magic. And even wrapped around that shield was Druorn, the father of the nest. Next to the nest was a Maned Rasa, Sugartooth's familiar, who was playing with an opened gift box, twirling around the ribbon and crushing the cardboard box.
Like a black snake, the overprotectice Druorn slowly lifted his head up and "slithered" off the dome of magic aura. Once he got completely on the ground, he adjusted the orange charm necklace he wore. He approached his mate, moving with the jingles of all the charms he wore on his body. Druorn nuzzled Sugartooth.
"The eggs?" Sugartooth asked. Druorn flicked his thin tail, and the magic shield dissolved into thin air. Sugartooth brought herself closer to the eggs. She delicately brushed of them, and she felt it buzz on her hand all the way to her claws. Good. Sugartooth softly smiled. She loved the feel of the eggs. It was hard to believe that in one more night, they will finally hatch and she and Druorn will be parents.
Sugartooth then looked at her mate and opened her mouth to speak.
"I still won't go to the party." Druorn responded to the offer that he already predicted. Sugartooth huffed in disappointment.
"Seriously?"
"It's not worth it." Druorn said.
"You haven't even given it a chance. Heck, you haven't given any of the Clan's social events a chance." Sugartooth glared at the opened gift box her Rasa was placing with. Noelle had to deliver it to Druorn alone when he didn't show up at her winter party last week. Noelle had looked really disappointed with herself.
"Please. Give this a try, especially for the new year." Sugartooth continued. "...I know you're worried about your curse ruining the party, but there is a chance that it won't."
Druorn and Sugartooth looked at each other again. There was a brewing problem in Druorn's bright blue eyes. The male Spiral had lived his entire life under a dark spell that made him the bringer of several misfortunes. Being caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Being attacked by a webwing out of nowhere. Cliffs had even fallen down and injured dragons because of his dark presence. It was a crazy burden for him and the dragons around him. Druorn had been doing his best to make the best out of his curse. Recycling the negative energy, using good luck charms, always being on alert, and the like. The Spiral had done a good job managing it, but that did not stop an accident from happening every once in a while. In Druorn's eyes, the best solution to keep his curse under control was to isolate himself from his Clan. To Sugartooth, it was quite a tragic shame.
"Sugartooth, you're blessed to have a life without a bad luck charm." Druorn sighed. "You shouldn't waste it on pestering me. Go have fun with your other friends."
"But you're my mate. I want to see you enjoy life too. Together."
"Don't worry about it. I was born with the curse of bad luck and I've always had to deal with it. Again, my answer is no." With that, Druorn left the nesting cave.
Sugartooth let out a sigh of frustration. Then she skipped out of the cave and joined Druorn's side. She formed a small smile on her face.
"I'll stay with you until the party then." She concluded.
Druorn did not say a word but it warmed Sugartooth's heart to see him crack a smile too.
"It's really cold outside tonight." Druorn mumbled once they both settled down on a sandy shore by the mountain.
"I'll never understand what you're complaining about." Sugartooth joked as she wrapped her wing over Druorn. Being a dragon of the winter, Sugartooth could feel the cool air sensation, but never actually feel the cold.
"You're lucky, my pure dragon." Druorn chuckled. Sugartooth drew her mate closer to her. She pulled some of her wing drapes over him.
"Better?"
"Yes. Your pure hugs work." He brushed his tail on Sugartooth's cheek.
Sugartooth drew her head down trying to hold down her snort. She might not feel the cold, but she could feel her cheeks warming up. Why, Druorn. Why?
The Spiral then caught a glimpse of glowing orange at the corner of her eye. Sugartooth perked up as Druorn brought his orange necklace closer to inspect it. The gem inside it glowed brighter now. The black spiral groaned.
"Move!" He barked and Sugartooth gasped when she was suddenly dragged away by her mate. She tried to keep up, but her feet were starting to drag on the sand. She finally took a breath when Druorn released her wing. Before she could say a word though, a thud boomed and Sugartooth turned to see that a ginormous barrel of explosive powder had fallen onto where they were just sitting. It had scattered into several splinters and the sparkling gray and green powder was everywhere.
"By the Archanist, watch those barrels!" A familiar voice from above screeched.
"Oops." Another familiar voice mumbled back. "I didn't knew it would slip off."
Sugartooth had no idea what just happened. She looked at his mate and saw that he had a face of utter shock.
...
Sugartooth forced out a laugh. "Hahaha. Hahaha! Happy new year, Druorn!" She cheered out, putting an arm on his shoulder. "Wasn't that surprise amazing?"
Druorn sighed. "Bad luck." He breathed. "Why today?"
Sugartooth exhaled and stopped grinning. "OK, that was scary. Thank you for saving me."
Druorn began walking around in circles, a habit he did when thinking. "That barrel is associated with the party in some way. If it fell, then it's probably more than just one event. Usually, there's only one bad luck moment every few days. But this could be a omen - "
"Druorn, you're overreacting." His mate snapped.
"I'm not taking this lightly. This might mean that the party will be...I need to go." With that Druorn folded out his pink wings and boosted into the air, flying away from the shore.
"Where are you going?" The white dragon demanded.
"To the Focal Point, away from the Clan. I'll be back at sunrise." His voice faded as he went further and further away.
...
...
This time, it was Sugartooth marching around in the circle. Great. Absolutely fantastic. Now he's going to be completely alone for the rest of the night. Originally, Sugartooth wanted to give him some company and try to convince him one more time to join the party. But now completely away from the Clan? He would be freezing alone up there. No, he should not have to deal with that. Sugartooth had to do something for him. And the winter dragon just came up with an idea.
She needed to tell the Clan. But would they approve her idea? They had spent days getting this party ready and now Sugartooth would tell them to work more. Drat, the Clan would be sour over that for sure. But wait, maybe Noelle can help out. The festive Nocturne certainly would agree with Sugartooth's cause. OK. I just got to talk to her. Just talk to her. Alright, here I go.
Once again, Sugartooth was carrying a load of food. But this time, she really didn't mind. Despite the weight dragging her down and making her uncomfortable, she mentally shook it off. She was doing it for him. Besides, she was almost at Focal Point.
She arrived to the forest of earthly columns. She spotted Druorn on one of them, lounging under the shadow of a tree. The glow of his amulet shined seemingly brighter under that shadow.
Sugartooth landed by the tree. Druorn spun his head around to see her and then resumed to seeing what was beyond the Focal Point. Ahead, Sugartooth could also see the mountain that their Clan resided by. She could see the multicolored lights of the open space and hear the booming of the magically enchanted music. The party over there had begun.
"Shouldn't you be over there?" Druorn questioned without looking at her.
"Maybe." Sugartooth unhitched her food load and the package thudded onto the grass. Druorn turned around again, curiosity gleaming in his bright eyes. Then his eyes slowly followed upwards to the sky.
"What?..." Druorn trailed off.
Sugartooth turned around and smiled when Noelle arrived. Following up was a buildup, a buildup of the winds moved by the wings. Landing softly by Noelle was West. The blue Fae pulled out her guitar. Then the Skydancer Opaque landed gracefully onto the column, followed by a brash drop in by the Spiral LeapingSplash. Finally, with an almost thundering whoosh arrived Cumulus. The female Imperial also carried some heavier items.
"What are you all doing here?" Druorn demanded.
"I couldn't stand having you alone tonight." Sugartooth explained. "So I brought a more personal party for you. We brought food, music and everything!"
"You really - "
"It wasn't a huge deal. I'm glad we did this." Noelle added in. "For you."
"But I sensed something bad might happen." Druorn pointed out.
"Well, it shouldn't be too bad over here. It's just a small party away from the bigger group and events." Sugartooth reasoned.
"You're taking a risk...for me?" Druorn let out a chuckle of denial. "Well, seems like I'm causing you all trouble."
"Please, Druorn, accept what we offer you." Sugartooth pleaded.
Druorn didn't respond. He slowly turns away and began walking back and forth. Sugartooth thumped her rear foot up and down. Ugh, this was going to take forever. Sugartooth approached Druorn and whispered to his ear. In her unprepared mind, her words were racing. She mentally to grab those thumping words to form her thoughts on, yeah, that thing. Just say the words.
"Druorn, as a Clan, we are all going through the same troubles together. Same threats, same battles, etc. Including your bad luck curse. It's no different from all the obstacles we face and you're no different from all the other dragons. You shouldn't be alone to carry the burden you were forced into. We all here to make the best of life. And to be the best for our friends. This is what Clan life is all about. This is what the new year's about." The longer she talked...the higher her hopes rose, it seemed. As if she got absorbed by her own words.
Druorn looked into Sugartooth's eyes.
"Our hatchlings would want that too. They would love to have a social daddy." Sugartooth added. "I know you're mentally strong enough to handle it, even with that curse. After all, you're you."
...Druorn sighed. "OK. I'll try. For the new year."
Sugartooth smiled, nuzzled him, and offered her claw. Druorn grabbed it and together, they joined the others.
Hey, a small party was actually pretty nice. Sugartooth loved this new feeling of having air to breathe in without being crowded by so many dragons. Noelle did her best to keep the party's glamour fresh with their limited resources, and she did really well. West played some peaceful acoustics while Opaque performed some magic tricks. Druorn even also entertained the dragons by showing off some of his charm magic. Games were played and shenanigans had ensued. Sugartooth was never aware of the foreboding warning of something bad happening. Quite frankly, she forgotten about what driven Druorn away from the Clan in the first place.
In the middle of a game, Sugartooth perked up and noticed another dragon coming to Focal Point. Her navy blue scales blended her body in the dark night sky, but the dragon's bright pink eyes and goggles instantly made Sugartooth recognize her as LittleNight. What was the Clan lieutenant doing here?
"Good evening, dragons." LittleNight introduced herself when she landed. "I'm pleased to say that the party is doing well and I hope yours is great too."
"That's wonderful." Druorn purred. "I'm glad."
"It is nearing midnight now." LittleNight continued. "I came to let you guys know that the elite dragons have prepared a final show for tonight. So let's all head to the edge of Focal Point, watch the skies, and enjoy the show!"
With that, all seven dragons skipped to the edge of the rock tower. Sugartooth settled down and Druorn joined her. Sugartooth gave him a playful glare before wrapping her wing and her drape around his body. Druorn rested his hand of Sugartooth's hand and gave her a loving nuzzle before looking up at the sky above.
"All right, everyone. Show's starting soon." LittleNight continued. "On my count, let's all countdown from ten! Ready?"
"TEN!" Oh, the suspense was planted in now.
"NINE!" What sky show had the elite dragons pulled off?
"EIGHT!" Well, they say best for last, right?
"SEVEN!" Suddenly, several sparks popped and stabbed the darkness at the edge of the Clan's mountain. They hissed with smoke.
"SIX!" The trail of smoke lengthened.
"FIVE!" Wait, what was happening?
"FOUR!" Should we be panicking?
"THREE!" OK...just sit back and enjoy the show. It seemed pretty cool.
"TWO!" Oh boy, here we go!
"ONE!"
The sparks blasted off into the air, leaving a trail of gray smoke with some green mana aftereffects. They soared above the peak of the mountain. Then boom, the sparks burst and the dragons jumped back. Then from the burst were more colors. From orange-ish yellow to, woah, green, pink, bright blue, and red! Like a sun, those new rays sprung to every direction followed by a phoenix-like crackle, as if it was applauding itself for its beautiful appearance.
The dragons were all in awe, eyes stuck onto the midnight sky as more sparks flew up to replace their faded away, color-burst companions. It continued with bangs, sizzles, and a breath-taking awe.
Now this was a site! Most dragons of the Clan had not seen anything like this before. They held each other tighter as the show continued...not that they would notice what they were doing with their minds entranced by the final show.
The sparks kept booming. After the last wave faded into no sound nor color, a handful of sparks were ignited and rocketed to the air. They didn't need to say no more for the dragons. This was the finale of the show and the year.
Boom boom boom boom boom! Crackle crackle!
"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"