First Contact (Nebulous Finale)

by Nebula the Starwing

Stardust's yearning for his true heritage finally comes to an end, as he finds a part of himself. More accurately, a certain part of Stardust finds HIM. Families will reunite, worlds will collide, old friends and foes will be rediscovered, and no one's world will be the same. For the inhabitants of Pyrrhia, the universe has just become much, much bigger.

First Contact - (Nebulous Finale, Pt.1)

-Prologue-

Cosmic light filtered through the dark glass doors, sliding open with a gentle hiss and revealing the fanciful inside chambers, naturalized with stone and glowing, floating orbs of heat and light.

Princess Libra Quasar, still in her teenage years, stepped forwards into the grandiose cavern of an egg chamber/nursery. The ceiling loomed overhead, the only light sources from the starry windows and the miniature stars hovering around. An ethereal atmosphere painted the room, and in the back of it all sat an alcove in the wall big enough for an infant dragonet to lay down comfortably; there the egg sat on a radiant chromatic pillow with a similar black blanket surrounding it.

Libra approached her soon-to-be little brother, the rainbow scales lit up and sparkling all around. Two guards stood by the egg, hesitant to let anyone close, even the princess.

"Princess, we're under strict orders from your parents."

"No one," The adjacent guard spoke up. "And they meant NO ONE, should be allowed to see the egg but them."

The royal dragon(et) offered a sincere smile, almost a little beguiling in nature.

"I am aware. You two are new here yes?"

Curious but a little scared at this point, the two nodded yes.

"Then you're also aware of what happens at disobeying a direct order from your superiors?"

Now definitely scared, they glanced to each other.

"But we aren't!"

"Are we?"

Libra struck a more authoritative pose, presenting her furious yet practiced royal anger.

"Do you KNOW who I am?"

The two drew back a little.

"Y-yes!" "But-"

Libra stomped forwards another menacing step.

"I, am heir to the throne! Commander of the FreeStar Legion and daughter to Orion and Aries, the very same who command you today! And you dare ask if defying MY ORDER, IS DISOBEDIENCE?!"

The two fell down in a bow to the princess, thoroughly terrified for their lives.

"NO PRINCESS!" "NEVER MY LIEGE!"

Libra pointed at the door with graceful vengeance.

"LEAVE MY PRESENCE, AND BEG AT MY FATHERS FEET BEFORE HE HEARS OF THIS, lest you be SMITTEN WHERE YOU STAND!"

Once the two cowering dragon guards fled the scene with frightened abandon, the room stood quiet with only royal blood inhabiting it. Libra reached her paw towards the door controls, her astral energy interfacing with the components inside and ultimately destroying it. No one could get in or out for a while.

Then… Her gaze fell upon the egg with a heavy sigh. She walked up slowly, each step making her heart pound out of her chest and into her maw. As she reached out to grasp the egg, she had to force herself to pick it up.

"Nebula… You don't know this yet, but my name is Libra. Libra Quasar. I'm…"

Her breath drew short with guilt, and as she drew in again the egg seemed to thrum with life, almost in response to her being. This somehow didn't help the situation she was in.

"...I'm your big sister…"

Libra put her head against the egg gingerly, shakily breathing in again.

"You're in terrible danger, and I have to save you from it even though it means you may never know your birth parents or where you're from or…" She swallowed hard. "Or me… Or why I had to do this… I'm so sorry little one…"

The Princess wrapped the egg all around with the black radiant blanket, pulling a note from a side pouch on her armor. She placed it gingerly on the pillow where the egg used to lay.

THUNK THUNK THUNK!

Several guards pounded on the glass door behind her, seeing fleeting colorful scales and flashes of her parents faces. Time had run short, time she desperately needed more of.

"PRINCESS, OPEN THIS DOOR AT ONCE!"

Libra clutched the egg tighter, heading towards the window. She applied a bit of astral energy to the pane, her body phasing through it slowly. Once on the other side and in the cold vacuum, she held the egg closer to her chest and blasted off into warp; the vast expanse of space open to her, muddling her location amongst the countless stars.

Orion finally used a pulse of his energy to shatter the door, four different guards rushed in with the King and Queen. Having seen Libra escape through the glass pane, Orion phased himself through it as well and immediately blasted off after her, having no idea where she was headed.

Aries, mortified and scared to death for her son and daughter, rushed to see the note left by Libra. The two guards stood by her side, reading with her the last letter they'd read of their princess for a long while:

'I begged. I pleaded. I asked that you at least look into my claims, but it seems that I acted too late. They're already among us, and if I had done nothing I would have doomed us all to self destruction.

Whether you think it or not, there's more going on than you might expect or even believe. But we are all in danger, and no one is safe. Especially you, my beloved and cherished father and mother.

This is what I will do to protect the ones I love, no matter how much it pains you or me. Nebula will survive, I promise you this. He will be safe, and he will be loved wherever he may be, I will make sure of it.

I don't know if I can ask for your forgiveness, for I'm not sure if I deserve it. But know that it pains me deeply that this is my only option now.

I love you so much.

-X- MIDNIGHT -X-

"Princess…"

Libra's eyes opened slowly. Iso stood besides her, orange and yellow scales pulsating in the dim observation room. The glass panes offered an extraordinary view of the planet below, however it didn't exactly help the situation at the moment.

"Princess, it's time. They're close to departure, and we're dangerously close to immediate sensor range." Iso put a paw to her shoulder. "If you're to leave... it must be now."

The Princess let her breath go in silent anguish, the thought of leaving the ship and it's crew akin to leaving her family all over again.

"Understood…" She turned to him, immediately hugging the slightly larger dragon. "You WILL see me again. That I vow…"

Iso offered a smile and nosed her head gently. "I know I will… Take care of yourself, Commander."

Libra lifted her head again and shook her head. "Not Commander. That's you now Iso, just like you dreamed.~"

A faint smile flashed across his snout, as he nodded one last time. "Thank you… Libra."

The two bowed respectfully, then Libra turned to the glass pane overlooking the blue planet below. She took a deep and hesitant breath and gathered up her courage.

"...Time to make things right."

As she pressed her paw to the glass, she phased into the void beyond and pushed off towards the planet.

Iso watched her Commander and daughter like figure leave for who knows how long. It took everything he had to not rush out after her, having protected her for so long out in the vastness of space. But he knew better than to go after her, and instead made his way to the bridge.

The crew regarded him with a quiet respect and solemn knowledge their princess was gone. Iso took up the Captain's helm, and set off a new course, somewhere far away from the nearby Royal vessel's sensors.

"Take us off."

With his command, the ship blasted off into a different part of the galaxy, leaving Libra behind to float in the cosmos just beyond the planet's gravitational pull. She could not tear her gaze away from her vessel, a home for the past years of her adulthood and the sentinels that she came to make as her family.

But she couldn't waver now. Libra turned around to face the planet, already feeling her brother's power even from being so far away.

'I'm coming little brother… hang on.'

With a final torque and push from her wings, she blasted off towards the dragon shaped continent.

-X-

'I'm coming little brother… hang on.'

Stardust woke suddenly, his head perking up and glancing around the empty cavern. He slept alone in his room, and he could sense no one else around. The voice he'd heard was CERTAINLY not from his dreams, and sounded as if it had come from far away.

But more than that, he did not know. Stardust got up to his feet and glanced around outside his room, the walkways also empty. Only faint snoring resonated down the halls, neither footsteps nor voices could be heard.

Still though, he wasn't satisfied. He padded his way down the main hallway, checking the rooms along the way.

Moonwatcher must have heard him pass, as her head popped up and whispered to Stardust.

"Hey… You okay?"

Stardust nearly jumped out of his scales, but sighed afterwards.

"Hey! Yeah I'm okay. Just… Thought I heard something."

Moon stepped besides his little brother. "What did you hear?"

Stardust paused and thought to himself.

"...a voice I recognized. I'm not sure from where, but I know I've heard it before."

Interested and slightly concerned, Moon moved in front of Stardust face to face.

"Like, someone you know and have heard before but you can't place it?"

Stardust nodded, curious as to where Moon was going with this. "Yeah… Why do you ask?"

"Well…" Moon glanced outside in thought. "When you first hatched, I felt some sort of power emanating from you. The same kind of magical powers you have, but this felt… Different. Not like you, but something primal. Ancient and awesome, and weirdest of all it felt so… Familiar. It wasn't like any sort of animus magic, nor any other kind of power I've ever seen either."

Stardust's eyes widened a bit with realization. "So, you think the voice I heard is connected to my powers?"

Moon looked back to her brother excitedly.

"I think it could be the answer to where you came from."

"Pssst!"

The two dragons whirled around to see a particular sleepy seawing peeking her head out into the hall. Anemone barely had her eyes open.

"Could you perhaps have this conversation in the morning, or if need be anywhere else but outside our room…?"

Stardust smiled sheepishly. "Sorry Anemone, didn't mean to wake you."

"Mmh…" She groaned sleepily and padded back to her little dogpile of dragons, cuddling into one sleeping Tamarin.

Stardust and Moon silently crept out onto the stone outcropping in the chilly night.

"So," Moon glanced to her brother. "What do you want to do?"

The two black dragons gazed to the moon's above, two of which were full while the last one hung as a black sphere in the night. Stardust shook his head and shut his eyes.

"...I don't know. Where would we start? If it happens to be in the cosmos above, then I might be the only one who could find the answers."

Moon sat beside him and nosed his cheek. "That's not true! Turtle or Anemone could probably enchant something to help us go with you."

"Maybe, but even so! The space above is nearly infinite, and could take many more lifetimes than we have to find anything at all!"

Moon took hold of Stardust's paw and gazed into his eyes. "Then we better start soon." Being a big sister, Moon always did her utmost to raise her brother's spirits. Stardust's snout lit up a little bit, hopeful thoughts lighting up his smile.

"Yeah… I guess we should."

"Besides," Moon glanced back to the moons and stars above. A shooting star streamed across the sky as another one seemed to echo across the ocean.

"I think the answer is closer than we think."

"Yeah… Closer than we think." Stardust and Moon sat shoulder to shoulder and wrapped their wings together for both warmth and affection. The moon's light lit up the gentle waves across the shore while the stars popped out ever more by it's reflection.

And the comet-like star across the horizon seemed to get closer. Moon's ears perked up, Stardust's rainbow scales bristled some.

"Star, do you…" Moon's expression became serious yet curious.

Stardust's expression turned sharply aware. "I sense it too."

The two siblings shot each other a glance and a nod of understanding before pouncing off after the strange object that had now touched down in the sea, just before the rocky shoreline.

-X-

"Been forever since we've done one of these, hasn't it?"

Queen Aries stood at the helm of her Explorer Class shuttle, having touched down in a small basin just a mile or so before the stony beach sloped into the mountains.

"I trust you four haven't gotten rusty?" Aries regarded her four most trusted guards. They stood at attention and saluted.

"No ma'am!"

She stood with them and smiled. "As you were, I know you all too well to even think that anyways."

On missions where the Starwing clan needed more in depth information and details on the inner workings of a new society, the Queen and several specially trained guards would take up the mission of infiltrating said society themselves, using high tech equipment to blend in and sometimes stay outside their detection entirely whilst staying in the shadows. Stealth and skill were their top priority.

This combined with their past history brought them all together into a familial sort of sense, working in unity and progressing towards their goal with ease. This mission however, carried a more weighty goal that posed a heavier toll if failed.

"Alright, mission review." Aries finished armoring herself, the clear bodysuit adorning her figure nearly invisible. The four guards all lined up with their armor and bodysuits donned as well.

Lastly, a stumbling science officer crashed onto the scene as a set of doors opened. Caelum scrambled to attention.

"SORRY FOR MY LATENESS! My bodysuit seemed to… Malfunction a little bit." He shifted uncomfortably and pulled out the suit in a few places around his nether regions. The rest of the crew snickered a little bit.

"Quite alright Caelum," Aries pulled up the topographical map of the continent. "Now… Here's our plan of attack."

She gestured to the different climate regions, primarily the mountainous, swamp, jungle, arctic and desert regions. "These five regions will be our biggest focus for now. You four will have the task of discerning whether or not our presence will be tolerated, and if they are an amicable civilization and if so which clans are more than others."

All nod in agreement. Aries starts to point out specific dragons.

"Hamal," She points to the largest of her guards, golden-brown scales down his snout and back. "You will take the Desert biome." Hamal nods in agreement and straps on a black knife to his body. "Aye ma'am."

"Sheratan," Aries gestures to one of the smaller guards, a smaller StarWing with striking blue and white scales all down her back and nose. Sheratan, most notably, possessed mismatched eyes, the right being bright blue and other a bright white. "You'll be handling the Tundra."

Sheratan smiles and nods, picking up a small module that attaches to her bodysuit. "Nice and cold, just how I like it."

"Mesar, you'll take the Highlands." A slender male, baby blue scales down his snout and neck nodded and flexed his wings some. "Got it.~"

"Boteïn, I need you to take the Marshlands." The smallest of the bunch with silver all down his back, salutes and nods. "Yes my queen."

Aries glances to the map, specifically the RainWing territory. "I'll handle the Tropical zone, since that was the last time any sort of Astral Energy was spotted on our scans. Gives me some time to admire the flowers, take some specimens back too.~"

A particular dragon piped up from besides the guards. "Uhm, my Queen?"

Caelum prodded up to her meekly. "What of my duties?"

Aries gestured to small data center, a few screens opened to the most relevant of information. "You will stay here, guard the ship and supply us with information." Caelum seemed both relieved and disappointed. Aries continued in her assigning.

"You'll have a very important job, mission analysis and data relay. Keep us apprised of events and give us any relevant data to our circumstance. Are we clear?"

"Ah… y-yes ma'am. I'll do my best." The smaller officer glanced down to his body again.

"...May I change out of this? It's getting a bit uncomfortable…"

Aries even cracked a smile this time around. "Very well, but be ready to enact emergency measures should the time come."

She turned to everyone else again. "And I NEEDN'T remind you that our top priority is to REMAIN UNDETECTED. Their discovery of us at this stage could be disastrous. If it should be determined that they would react positively to our presence, we will act accordingly. But for now, keep low and blend in."

A round of "YES SIR!"s rang around the cabin, morale and spirits lifted up.

"Good. Everyone finish gearing up. You have your missions, now let's find my son."

-X-

'This is literally the worst thing that could happen at this juncture…'

Peacemaker laid on his back, the roar of the waterfall providing white noise for his erratic mindstate, his new guest now active inside his own head.

'I don't like this anymore than you do Peacemaker. But it will do us no good to sit here and mope about. I can help you!'

It took every bit of will from Peacemaker not to yell aloud into the night, as he leapt to his feet and shouted into his own mind.

'THE LAST THING I WOULD DO IS LET YOU TRY AND "HELP" ME.' He began pacing around in a contemptuous fury. 'I know who you are, just as well if not better than you know YOURSELF. And you're not getting in my head, not now or ever.'

Peacemaker stood there, panting a bit as Darkstalker went silent for a second.

'...I know it's easy to demonize my actions… In fact I more than likely deserve it.' Peacemaker could almost make out a mental image of Darkstalker in his head, that static mindspace where Stardust would peak around sometimes.

'But what exactly can I do here? I have but words now… I AM but words at this point, I cannot force you to do anything. And if anything, your will seems equal if not more fierce than mine.' Having Darkstalker's sentience in his mind, Peacemaker could sense a little tinge of fear and helplessness from the Nightwing. '...If anything, I am at your mercy in this predicament. I am…'

Darkstalker sighed, leaving a moment of brutally honest emotion in the silence.

'...for a second bout… Powerless. And this time I have no idea how to get back to my former self…'

Peacemaker sat back down and heaved a sigh as well, calming himself down. Even if Darkstalker was trying to remain calm and collected, he could now definitely feel Darkstalker freaking out internally, the weight of his situation bearing down full force.

'Darkstalker… I'm sorry. I never asked for this, I hate to see you suffer anymore than you have already.'

The dragon in his head snapped a bit. 'What do you know about suffering? About MY suffering? You've had it easy your whole life, you've never been surrounded by "family" who would kill you because you're too dangerous.'

Peacemaker retorted in kind. 'I've lived with the memories and experiences of your whole life as flashbacks and voices in my head, replaying over and over again. I know your pain, and I know you. The you that you think everyone else didn't get to see, and the you that everyone thinks you are. Overall, I know everything about you.'

'You know NOTHING OF ME OR MY PAIN!'

"I AM THE INCARNATION OF YOUR PAIN! AND I'VE HAD TO LIVE WITH IT FOR YEARS!"

Both Darkstalker and Peacemaker fell silent, Peacemaker having literally yelled out at the top of his lungs. He glanced around to make sure no one was around and laid back on the wet stone.

'You might have been through some tough situations, but don't you dare minimize the trauma you put me through all this time. Else I WILL find a way to end you.'

After a few seconds or so of silence, Darkstalker replied.

'...do it then.'

Much to Peacemaker's surprise, Darkstalker sounded quite resigned again.

'What?'

'Do it. End me. I know I deserve it, and the world would be better for it.'

The star speckled dragon paced around in thought.

'Darkstalker, are you just taunting me, or… do you really want me…' Peacemaker gulped hard. '...to kill you?'

Again, silence. Oddly it felt as if Darkstalker were padding around in his mind, pacing in angst.

'Tell me Peacemaker, what have I to live for? You? My family, or the one person we… I have left? You have true friends, an entire mountain and forest to call home ripe with dragons who'd fight tooth and claw for you, come what may. I had but a fantasy, a fake empire at my command, loyal subjects brainwashed into believing I'm a decent ruler.'

Still pacing around, Darkstalker's inner voice became cracked and wet with self hatred.

'I deluded myself into thinking I could do anything I wished. That the world was under my complete control and that I could fix it all. That I could have it all… And when you have it all… you suddenly have nothing.

Now it just seemed like Darkstalker talked only to himself.

"Your possessions turn to dust and your armies fall into the flames of greed, your so called friends and family feed you to your own contemptuous self destruction. And all the confidence you once carried burns it's silhouette into the deepest chasms of your mind to haunt you forever more…' Darkstalker took a mental breath and continued.

'I don't need to be reminded of my transgressions against dragonkind. It's better to be forgotten and to let my sins die out from everyone's minds. Considering my actions, Peacemaker…'

Worst of all that Darkstalker was doing… Peacemaker could swear he felt Darkstalker's gaze directly behind his own eyes.

'Don't you agree?'

How could he not? Peacemaker's conscience racked itself, unknowing of what the best course of action was. Killing another being was the worst thing he could think of doing, regardless of who it may be.

But in this case, he wasn't so sure. The sound arguments Darkstalker was making, the genuine pain he carried, and his willingness to accept his vile actions and their consequences all led Peacemaker to the conclusion… Maybe it was best he wiped out Darkstalker once and for all.

'I know you do. I can feel it too… I also feel your hesitance, your guilt and fears.'

Peacemaker stamped his paw down. 'Don't tell me how I feel.'

'Then act. Do it, take me out of this world for good.'

'YOU will not dictate my actions, not now or ever!'

'THEN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.'

Peacemaker, pushed to the edge in a fit of rage, glared inwards and shouted inside the confines of his mind:

'JUST DIE ALREADY'

...and then silence. Peacemaker slumped down onto the floor as a wave of animus magic flowed through his mental faculties, and the space where Darkstalker was before only held emptiness.

Finally… Silence. For the first time he could hear no thoughts but his own, and the sensation almost left him feeling lonely. For the moment, he laid back and a deep sadness of his deeds seeped into his heart.

'...what have I done…'

His mourning was cut short however.

'Nothing, it seems…'

Peacemaker sat back up at hearing Darkstalker's bittersweet voice in his head.

'What?!'

Darkstalker's presence was there alright, as if nothing had ever happened.

'You did try, I felt it. But I'm still here… oddly enough.'

Peacemaker thought again: 'Erase Darkstalker from my mind.'

Another pulse of energy thrummed through his mind, Darkstalker's presence faded but soon came back just as before.

'Intriguing…'

Peacemaker flopped back and held his snout and face.

'Not the word I'd use…'

For another good minute, the two refused to talk to each other. Darkstalker couldn't just sit there, else he'd get flashbacks to being under Jade Mountain again.

'Well, if I can't die…' Darkstalker seemed to force himself out of his angst and fury, doing his utmost to be amicable. 'Then would you let me do all I can to aid you?'

He sat back up, still staring at the waterfall. 'That's STILL the last thing I'd rather do.'

Darkstalker prodded against Peacemaker's consciousness again.

'Peacemaker please… Give me a chance.' Darkstalkers tone changed rather drastically, seeming almost to be begging.

'I won't drive you insane all hours of the day, in fact you have my solemn vow to shut up until you need me, unless I have vital information you will most certainly require from me. It'll give me purpose, and will give you help. Sound fair?'

Peacemaker rubbed his head and sighed overly loud, frustrated and just tired all around. Still, settling for a short while with him might make things easier on them both, and he got the feeling that both were very much hoping to find a way out of this.

'Deal… But my trust in you is little, and so it will stay. Got it?'

Darkstalker seemed to nod and find a quiet little corner of Peacemaker's mind to nestle into and sit quietly.

'That's all I ask…'

Peacemaker stood up and padded around the basin of the waterfall. 'What did I do to deserve this?'

'It's my fault Peacemaker. This is probably the universe's method of punishing me; forced to experience a better life through someone else's eyes while I can only watch, and maybe… Just maybe find a way to help them and make the world a better place.'

Peacemaker glared inwards at where Darkstalker would be.

'Do you REALLY believe that…?'

'No, but… I do believe this has happened for a reason. What that is, I haven't a clue.'

"Excuse me?"

Peacemaker jolted upwards and glanced behind him, near the basin of the waterfall stood another… Nightwing?

The black dragon certainly looked to be a Nightwing, trademark black scales and silver starry hide, but… Something just felt off about this one.

"Hi, I'm not from around here, but I wanted to ask: Which way is Jade Mountain from here?"

Peacemaker just stared at the odd dragon, Darkstalker equally curious and suspicious.

'Look at her snout and forehead… I've never seen a scale formation like that before, Nightwing or any other tribe.'

Peacemaker responded in kind inside his head.

'Perhaps, but she seems sincere enough.'

'Peacemaker think. What dragon, Nightwings specifically, doesn't know where Jade Mountain is? She just seems lost to get your sympathy and talk to you.'

Peacemaker had to admit Darkstalker made a good point.

'Well what do you suggest we do?'

'Don't let her know you know. Keep talking.'

Peacemaker spoke back up again.

"Um… If you go to the Nightwing village, there's a road that runs through the middle and it'll lead you to towards the mountains."

The female dragon nodded happily. "Thank you." She turned back, but then stopped for a second.

"Oh, by the way I love your scales, reminds me of a dragon I knew once."

Darkstalker pounced up to what felt like the front of his mind.

'Ask her where she's from, quick.'

"H-HEY! Um… Can I ask where you're from?"

She stopped again turned around, a little anxious as well.

"...Possibility, why do you ask?"

Darkstalker stewed around, still wanting more information.

'See if you can get her name.'

'Stop ordering me around! Why are you so suspicious of her?'

'Because she IS suspicious! Hurry!'

Peacemaker blurted out again. "My name is Peacemaker! What's yours?"

The strange dragon stopped again, still anxious. She paused and glanced up at the heavens, taking a short breath. "...Skygazer. Nice to meet you."

And with that she pounced off, leaving Peacemaker and Darkstalker still confused.

-X-

"Skygazer. Nice to meet you."

Libra pounced off in a hurry, not wanting to answer any more questions about her fake life here. Things had changed dramatically since her last visit here, the last time being when they picked up Nebula's transformation signature.

Since then, all tracking and information on him had been kept closely watched for any changes. Every nights sleep, every warp jump, every use of his astral energy was recorded to make note of his growth from his hatching; and since his hatching event, Libra had watched this dragon she'd never even met before, progress in power with astonishing speed. She hadn't seen anything like it, not even she had grown so fast in power.

Prowling through the jungle and making sure to keep a low profile, her train of thought circled back to the strange dragon she just met, Peacemaker.

Rainbow scales, black coloration, but not in any fashion similar to Starwings. Obviously Libra knew where Jade Mountain was, using it as an excuse to talk to strange dragon. She could sense an odd power coming from him, as well as some sort of anxious stress, but other than that she couldn't tell. Libra simply made a mental note to find him again if she needed help, and with that she cleared her mind and entered the lovely little Nightwing town.

Being the middle of the night, only a few dragons bustled about, one or two giving her an odd look. Shoppes lined the roads as a select few dragons glanced around their wares. Overall, it serenaded the estranged princess with a taste of her past, longing for her people once more, the sense of normalcy and the chance to save them.

But she couldn't linger for long, she had to push on. The road ahead led to the mountains in all their glory, the jungle just barely covering the still starry skies above. She prodded through the sparse dragons here and there, trying not making eye contact.

One however intended on doing so. "Pardon me, can you help me?"

She attempted to push past, but the familiar voice scratched at her mind. Glancing up, her eyes met the semi familiar face of Sheratan, her strident eyes popping out of the night like ice, even with her completely black forme.

Libra froze up in place, but Sheratan didn't seem to have any idea who she was. She continued.

"I was wondering, could you point me in the direction of the Icewing Kingdom? I've apparently become quite turned around and my wing hasn't healed yet…"

The way she said "Icewing Kingdom" especially terrified her. The queen's infiltration unit always would blend in with such ease… Had Libra not known her as a child she would have thought she was another local.

Quick on her feet, Libra spoke up in a slightly gruffer pitch to mask her voice.

"The Icewing Kingdom lies to the northwest, so…" Using the stars, Libra pointed to the right direction.

"...That way. Once you get to the desert, keep going and you'll find the tundra."

Sheratan nodded and wanted to say thank you, but Libra was already on her way by then. She quickly headed down the road, and shot into the trees and jungle underbrush.

'I've gotta get Stardust and get him out of here.'

Just out of earshot of everyone else, Sheratan went on her way, whispering to herself.

"My queen, there's something you should know…"

Nestled in a crack in a stony wall, she whispered again.

"Someone else is here."

-X-

"What?! That's impossible! Scans would have picked up any signature of other Starwing genes or tech, even in our preliminary sweeps!"

Caelum rapidly scrolled through every bit of data he possessed, now seeing another DNA signature in the mix that is very distinctly NOT of the planet, but scrambled otherwise. Only Starwings possessed that sort of tech, so it was pretty safe to assume another Starwing had entered the planet biosphere.

"And yet here they are, Caelum." Aries spoke to her comm in secret. "Now we have a second target, a third mission on our hands… We may need you out in the field after all."

Caelum flopped back and sighed. "Yes my queen… But I assure you, the statistics that our craft will be found or that we'll be discovered-"

"Will increase exponentially, yes I know. But at this point we can't afford to have this unknown variable out and about, possibly prematurely exposing us to a civilization that's not ready to know about us. Caelum, this is now another top priority mission. Sheratan and Boteïn will split off to find them, I will take up both missions as well. Hamal and Mesar will continue as usual."

"Understood. I'll see if I can pin down their location from here." Caelum tracked all five dragons on his chart screen, Hamal and Mesar en route already. Sheratan and Boteïn skirted the fringes of the jungle near the beach. A sixth blinking dot seemed to flick around the screen wildly.

"It seems they're masking their location… Fascinating."

"Then it also seems we're dealing with a pirate faction… Not just any Starwing has access to Genetic Scrambling tech. See what you can do, and keep an eye out for any dragons around the ship. Make sure you're not spotted, and keep me apprised if you get my son's location again."

"Aye ma'am."

Caelum returned to his screens, finding another dot glowing above the beach on the shore, but an odd shadow cast itself down from above… Almost like a pair of dragon heads peeking in.

He suddenly looked up at the viewing port, nothing there.

"Oh, fiddlesticks…"

-X-

"IT IS THEM!" Stardust bounded across the rocky shoreline, Moon in close pursuit.

"Wow… What even was all that? It looked like magic but… Weird."

Stardust went over the screens he glanced at, glowing dots like fireflies studded the chart of the continent.

"It looked like a map that had us marked where we were… But you heard them right? They're out there looking for someone!"

Moon's eyes lit up with realization. "And… That someone could be you!"

Stardust thought harder now, going back to the screen with the dots. Most of them were in the jungle, heading to the mountain it seemed like.

"They're close by, that's what the map said. They're heading to Jade Mountain."

Moon looked to the peaks nearby. "Then we should meet them there!" As she bounded off, Stardust stopped her.

"Wait wait… We should meet them in the Jungle. You heard them talking about how we aren't ready to be exposed to them? I remember Starflight talking about how the Nightwings were revered and seen as gods… Maybe we shouldn't out them just yet."

Moon nodded thoughtfully, but sighed. "True… What do you suggest?"

Stardust glanced back to the mountains, then the nearby trees. "Hmmmmm… I say we split up. I'll take the Jungle, see if I can stop them there and we can talk about things in the cover of the trees. If they make it to Jade Mountain, we'll see. Because once they make it there-"

"There's no stopping word getting out… I understand."

Stardust smiled. "Mostly because of Kinkajou."

"Only because of Kinkajou!" The two chuckled and nosed each other on the shoulder.

"Well…" Stardust looked to the jungle. "I better find them."

Moon nodded with a smile. "I'll wait at Jade Mountain, and keep it on the down low."

The two hugged briefly, then split off into the night. The sky burned a soft purple, the stars fading out into the earliest phases of sunrise.

Today, the sunrise would shine brighter than ever.

-X- SUNRISE -X-

"Sheratan, Boteïn, any sign of them?"

Both checked in via comms. "Negative." "Nothing yet my Queen."

Aries grumbled in frustration. "Keep your eyes peeled. Take note of ANYTHING suspicious." She kept low to the ground as her scalesuit rendered her invisible, prowling around the jungle floor. She tapped her comm again.

"Caelum, any other activity?"

She heard a bit of rummaging around as he hurriedly replied. "N-no my queen, only fish and a surprisingly large shark that nearly made me faint."

Aries chuckled to herself. "Can't have you fainting on me Caelum, stay alert."

"A-aye ma'am."

She switched her comm off, focusing on picking up her son's astral energy, feeling and prowling around. Admittedly, the illustrious queen of Starwings hadn't a clue where she was now. She dare not take to the skies, choosing to conceal herself in the shadowy underbrush, and thusly she could make no better situation from her circumstances.

Nevertheless, Aries slowly made her way towards the sounds of civilization. She happened to wander upon a part of the jungle ripe with strange hammocks and hanging leafy houses, a central pavilion amongst it all.

"Huh… Fascinating."

The surrounding area seemed empty, but she knew better than to trust her sight. She closed her eyes and concentrated briefly, now faint outlines of hidden dragons presented themselves all around her, most of which asleep and snoring slightly.

A few others were awake, seemingly guarding and patrolling the area. Aries drew back a few steps, trying to avoid detection.

'Camouflage… Can they see me? I should have used anti heat-detection… Jungle based species always use more than sight to find their prey, coming this way was a mistake.'

A few heads swiveled around, two Rainwings whispering to each other. Aries backpedaled slowly, watching her steps so as to not make a sound. Soon out of sight and out of hearing range, Aries made her way back into the deeper parts of the jungle, following along a road but staying well out of sight.

A few minutes of prowling and studying a nearby sloth (Aries seemed QUITE enamored with such a fuzzy creature), she'd happened upon a certain village.

Aries nearly gasped audibly upon seeing the Nightwing village. Not impressed by the size, nor the number of dragons, but rather their traits as a subspecies. Black, slight variations in hue, but mostly black, with silver scales adorning certain spots and quite similar scale structure as well… These dragons bore incredible similarities in genetic structure to Starwings.

The queen switched her comm back on.

"Caelum… Have you seen this yet…?"

Caelum responded a second later. "Yes ma'am, Sheratan made contact with them first and established her alternate persona, they call themselves Nightwings."

Aries stood back a bit, on a high perched rock above the village, out of sight and earshot.

"NightWINGS? They use the same classification as us…?"

Rapid calculations and screen shifting emanated from Caelum's side of the comm. "Apparently so… We have no records of colonies or GENESIS deposits here, but a crash site is always possible I guess?"

"Can you run a-"

"Already running a Gene Comparison Sweep, started a few minutes ago. The first scans proved that we're EXACTLY identical in the primary strains, the secondary and tertiary are still running."

Aries glanced back down to the village, watching them go about their lives.

"...how did they get here…?"

Caelum sighed over the comm. "I don't have any theories yet my queen, but as we explore I'll formulate one or two."

"Please do, in the meanwhile… I'm going to infiltrate. Learn more about their ranks, hierarchical structure and everything else I can. I'll relay data as it comes."

"Aye ma'am. Be careful."

The comms buzzed off once more, leaving the slight bustle from down below as Aries hid behind the rise of the outcropping.

She deactivated her suit's camouflage, turning it clear and practically impossible to detect. Her multi colored scales shone down her snout, head and back. With a bit of concentration, the color faded from those scales, now black as the rest of her scales.

Aries shook herself a little, getting her head back into action. An odd sense in her mind tickled her brain, but what it was and where it came from evaded her.

Until it started talking that is.

'You don't have to hide…'

Aries whipped around to inspect her surroundings. Not a dragon in sight, but still a voice in her head spoke on.

'I can help.'

Apparently found out, she decided to play along.

'...how? Who are you?'

Still glancing around, no dragons stood in her sight. Until a sudden soft whoosh revealed a smaller black dragon, silver scales accompanied by speckled rainbow scales all across his body. Not like a Starwing, but something special nonetheless. He had taken a ring off his talon, and looked to Aries with a nervous but semi confident expression.

"...My name's Peacemaker, and I think I know who you're looking for."

-X-

'You've made quite possibly the worst decision possible.'

'I don't need your approval, I just need your observations. Now hush and let me talk.'

Peacemaker felt Darkstalker pad towards the front of his mind, almost like pressing against a glass window.

'Well my observations have all been that we are being infiltrated, and that we are dealing with a highly advanced society and that this is out of even our league. Just, stop talking, and run!'

"Shut up!" Peacemaker unwittingly spoke through grit teeth aloud, and cleared his throat.

"Sorry…"

The strange alien dragon before him just prodded forwards both curiously and with an odd sense of terror.

"What… Do you think, you just saw?"

Her wording caught Peacemaker off guard, but he readied himself nonetheless.

'She's trying to intimidate you. Don't let it show, present the upper hand.'

Peacemaker cleared his throat and spoke a bit forcefully.

"I KNOW, That you have a rainbow-ish stripe down your back and that you're not… From around here. And I know you're trying to understand us, but more importantly you're looking for someone like you."

Her expression both hardening and defeat more apparent on her face, she sighed and nodded.

"Yes, I am… All of those things. I MUST stay secret, but… It seems I am found out, already."

She bowed a little bit.

"I concede defeat."

Peacemaker felt a little more at ease now. That is until Darkstalker spoke again.

'...She IS good. Manipulation tactics. Just be very careful what you tell her-'

'JUST… Let me do this, and shush. Talk to me when I'm not talking, okay?'

Darkstalker growled in annoyance.

'...Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, fine.' Darkstalker seemed to poof into the recesses of Peacemaker's mind, thankfully. He spoke up again.

"I don't want to expose you or hurt you, but I won't let you hurt him either."

The strange dragon perked up a bit, gazing at Peacemaker a little more intensely.

"...Him?"

Peacemaker sat there and nodded, confused and slightly nervous. "Uh… Yeah him." He squinted inquisitively. "...is it not supposed to be a him?"

"No that's- that's what I was expecting!" The odd multicolor dragon's attitude paled from a mental high ground into a flurry of possibilities, particularly one. "Can you… Can you take me to him?"

Peacemaker, having witnessed her attitude take a full 180, said and did nothing for a moment. Inside his mind, he whispered out into the recesses.

'Darkstalker, what should I do?'

Darkstalker made himself present again, poofing in like a genie. 'What do you wish master?~' His sarcastic pleasing tone grated against Peacemaker's mindstate.

'Stop it! What should I do…?'

Darkstalker stretched and laid down in what felt to be behind Peacemaker's eyes.

'What do you think? If you've come to the same conclusion I have the answer is simple.'

Peacemaker sighed and looked down, hiding the aggravated intonation inside. 'You did say you'd help! But it seems you wont shut up when I need you to be quiet, and now you're being cryptic and won't give me a straight answer when I DO ask you something! Why must you be so infuriating?!'

Darkstalker stood up again and pressed against Peacemaker's eyes. 'Because you don't see that you need my help. You do, and there's no denying it, even when you don't want it. So just… Let me help you, I'll give you everything you need to make informed decisions.'

Peacemaker nodded quickly in his mind. 'Fine fine, but the silence is getting awkward. What should I do?'

Darkstalker sighed and shook his head. 'You can't even make small decisions like this...'

'YES OR NO?!'

'JUST SAY YES, MOONS ABOVE You are indecisive!'

Peacemaker finally broke the silence after a few seconds. "Yes!" He cleared his throat again. "I will."

A bit perplexed but nonetheless gracious, Aries bowed respectfully. "Thank you… You have my deepest of gratitude."

Peacemaker smiled and nodded. "Don't thank me yet, follow me."

-X-

"I'm sorry, who are you again?"

Tsunami prowled around the strange new dragon in her midst, already miffed about having her hunting class interrupted. The odd looking Nightwing sat in place, obviously anxious but holding it in rather calmly.

"My name, is Skygazer. I'm from Possibility, and I came to see Stardust."

Sunny, slightly suspicious but much less than Tsunami, piped up. "Okay, but… can we know why? It'd make the whole showing up unannounced, demanding to see our student much less… Fishy."

Skygazer (Libra) sighed, shifted her expression and body language to that of telling a secret, and glanced around anxiously.

"I needed to warn him, and now that you all know, everyone else is in danger too."

This particular bit of information enraptured Sunny and Tsunami's attention. Tsunami nearly stuck her snout to Skygazer's.

"Warning him of what?!"

"Is he in danger?"

Immediately regretting her decision, she looked away in frustrated guilt. "I can't tell you anything else, for YOUR protection."

Tsunami pushed her snout again Skygazer's, aggressively baring her teeth.

"FOR YOUR PROTECTION, YOU BETTER TELL US WHAT DANGER THERE IS, OR THERE'LL BE NO PROTECTION THAT CAN HELP YOU."

"TSUNAMI, please." Sunny held her back some, looking to Skygazer. "We NEED to know… Tell us, maybe we can help protect him."

Skygazer sighed once more in defeat, glanced out the cave entrance to make sure no one was near, then hesitantly let the color fade back into her scales and wings. Sunny gasped audibly and stood back a bit. Tsunami, being caught totally off guard, nearly stumbled backwards.

"...This is something that no one can protect him from."

Sunny prodded forwards some, recovering from her shock. "You're…"

Skygazer finished Sunny's sentence for her. "A Starwing, just like him. I'm sorry for the deception, but-"

Tsunami gathered her wits again, and with her renewed anger pointed towards Skygazer.

"Then why not just SAY THAT ALL ALONG? Why the secrecy? I appreciate the honesty, but if he's in danger why didn't you come forwards with this earlier?!"

"BECAUSE" Skygazer spoke over Tsunami's frenzied comments. "...this is sensitive information. The more the news spreads, the more that the danger increases. By being here, I've already started a chain of events that will cause both our worlds to…" Her voice trailed off as her mind wandered onto the dozen other scenarios, then coming back.

"...We have to find him. I have to find him."

Sunny thought to herself, nodding with a serious tone across her face. "Okay… How we will he handle seeing you though? Does he know others like you exist?"

"He knows."

All three dragons whirled around to see a particular Nightwing at the doorway. Moonwatcher padded in with a particular fascination towards Libra.

"He definitely knows."

Skygazer regarded Moon with an odd look. "...how?"

Moon gestured to the sea to the south.

"We found the… Thing, in the sea. Like a scavenger ship, but big and… Invisible? How do you do that?"

Skygazer squinted and looked down a little in thought, mulling over Moon's comment.

"Ship… Sea… Camouflage…"

Realizing the only dragons it could be, whispered to herself: "...Mother."

"Who?" Tsunami and Sunny concernedly looked to each other. "Mother?"

Skygazer, in a heated rush suddenly, nearly lept out the window. "WE HAVE TO FIND HIM."

The trio of concerned dragons followed her out the window. Moon lept besides her. "He's headed towards the Jungle! He's looking for you, or them, or whoever!"

-X-

"So this Jade Mountain… It's like a school for all young dragons?" The two trekked through the Jungle on foot, as per Aries' request.

"Yeah," Peacemaker nodded, teaching her in every question she asked. "Young dragonets stay there for schooling, it's a way to bring all our tribes together. We used to be really opposed to each other, lots of bad blood."

"Ah… I see." Aries seemed fascinated with her surroundings, the beautiful lush jungle absolutely gorgeous, every inch covered with green and every other color you could imagine. "Is it half as beautiful as this Jungle?"

"I guess? It's not as green but still really pretty. It's made up of natural caves and it's actually quite cozy, so…"

Peacemaker's voice faded out as Aries picked up on a very familiar sensation, someone else of royal blood and bearing Astral powers. She reached out with her mind.

'...I feel you.'

Instantly, Aries bounded in the opposite direction Peacemaker was headed. Peacemaker talked onwards for a good minute or so before noticing.

"Tsunami is hardheaded at first but she's pretty cool once you get to…" He glanced around worriedly. "...Hello?"

-X-

Stardust peaked out from a treetop, glancing over the canopy to see if he could spot any dragons from above. Sadly the canopy proved far too thick to see anything below. He glided back down to the floor, next to Glory and Jambu.

"See anything?" Glory nosed up to Stardust.

"No, trees are too thick. Better just to stick to the ground."

"Alright, want me to send some scouts to patrol?"

Stardust shook his head. "No! Let them do their investigation and stuff, eventually when I meet them they'll learn we're open to their species and we can all be friends!" He sighed anxiously. "Hopefully."

Jambu wrapped a wing around Stardust in his happy go lucky attitude. "Hey, when they see how cool we are, they're totally gonna want to be friends! I mean, how could they not? I'd wanna be friends with me, so why wouldn't they?"

Glory also wrapped a wing around Stardust, who seemed confused at Jambu's statement. "What he means, is that I don't think you should worry about them not liking us."

"Yeah… Okay, you're right. Thanks guys!"

The three hugged it out a bit, before Stardust broke off to the jungle. "I'll keep you guys posted!"

Glory called after him. "Be careful!"

Jambu started after him, stopped by Glory. "Oh no you don't, you're staying here."

While the Glory kept Jambu in place, Stardust prowled out towards Jade Mountain, letting his senses lead him. A presence which seemed to tug at his every fiber lay ahead, familiarity laced his mind with high hopes. But the voice in his head made his heart leap almost into his maw.

'...I feel you.'

Stardust thought to himself, into the confines of his mind. 'I feel you? Who feels me? It's definitely not Moon… It feels like… Me. But it's not me, because I'm me so... it must be…'

Stardust swallowed hard and reached back out.

'I feel you too. I'm coming closer.'

After waiting a few moments, no response. Deciding he could wait no longer, he pounced forwards, eagerly awaiting to see who it was.

As he raced across the jungle floor, the first strands of daylight sifted through the trees and onto the leafy plants below. Even covered by the trees, the jungle underbrush was lit bright.

-X- DAYLIGHT -X-

Aries prowled forwards ever closer, not wanting to rush but not being able to help herself either. Sensing the familiar power close by only heightened her excitement. Stardust's curiosity only rose ever more by the titillating prospect of finally not being alone. The two stopped dead in their tracks upon hearing the rustling from the otherside of a field of bushes.

From a birds eye view, the two dragons seemed to dance around each other just out of view, dense foliage obscuring their line of sight. Frustratingly, it only prolonged them meeting each other. Stardust peered through the foliage looking for the other dragon, whereas Aries was also looking for him.

Aries kept anticipating his actions, but seemed to just miss him, and finally she decided to peek her head through. And at the exact same moment, so did Stardust. Both dragons decided to peek in their heads into the same bush, bumping their noses into each other briefly.

The two met snout to snout, rainbow eyes to (almost) rainbow eyes and spectrum scales to spectrum scales. Nearly a carbon copy, and they only stared at the other for a few moments. Stardust, absorbing the fact it WAS in fact someone just like him, stood there in disbelief laced with adrenal excitement. Aries just gazed at her son with a slow rising realization, confirming her hopes and solidifying it into reality. The two finally drew their heads back, Stardust in delighted surprise, Aries in ecstatic joy as her heart felt as if it would explode any minute. There could be no mistaking it, that dragon was royal blood. Not only that, it could only have been her lost son.

Stardust quickly leapt to the nearest clearing to his left, waiting eagerly for the other dragon to do the same. Aries calmed herself down, and padded out slowly to the clearing. She attempted to present herself with a calm and collected persona, but it only outlined her overjoyed motherly affection ever more. Upon seeing her precious lost son in full form, she froze up with a breath caught in her chest. Stardust stood there, dumbfounded with an overjoyed expression plastered on his snout.

"H...hi."

Aries, still totally unprepared, sat there and marveled at Stardust with a loving gaze.

"Hello, little one…"

Stardust, slightly intimidated but more in awe and total wonder than anything else, stood frozen in place just staring at this strange, larger female version of himself.

"You… you're…" He prodded forwards as he gained the will to move. "You-you're like me…"

Aries smiled gleefully. "I am like you, and you're like me. We…" She took a breath and gained composure again. "We are called, Starwings my child."

Stardust stopped and plopped himself down a few feet from the other dragon. His eyes transfixed themselves upon Aries', mesmerized by the color and familiarity.

"St… Starwings… I'm a Starwing…?"

Aries, wiping stagnant tears from her eyes, nodded and smiled some more. "Yes… You absolutely are." She cleared her throat some. "What is your name?"

Even though she knew without a doubt this was her kin, she suspected he likely had a different name. As much as it pained her that he did, she would respect it.

Stardust couldn't respond for a few seconds being transfixed by the Starwing's ever shifting scales, comparing them to his own. He finally snapped out of it and looked up eagerly, his gaze becoming slightly more curious.

"M-my name is Stardust…"

Aries was taken aback some by the name.

"Stardust…"

The name seemed to stick out in her mind, not necessarily in a bad way. As far as Starwing names went, it seemed… Unorthodox but a beautiful name regardless. What infuriated her was the fact strangers of a different planet chose the name of her son, her dear beloved son that was taken from her what seemed many years ago. He couldn't have grown up with the name he would be known by his people, instead a stranger to them all. No doubt he'd be respected nonetheless, but it wouldn't be the same. A bittersweet thought.

"...stardust…"

Stardust. Now that she thought it over, perhaps that name was as fitting as Nebula, considering that's what a Nebula is. Stardust, matter from stars gone into supernovas past and gone, borne into new life again. The more and more her feelings adjusted, her thoughts shifted to a different opinion. His new name gives off hope, perhaps Stardust was more fitting after all. Perhaps it always was.

She glanced back down with a thoughtful expression.

"Stardust…"

She repeated the name as if adjusting to a taste in her mouth. Stardust… Yes. The name was more than fitting, and it conveyed that from destruction shall new life and beginnings be created. Even beginnings not so favorable will eventually spawn something beautiful. Stardust was proof of that, and it made Aries even prouder than before.

She wrapped her arms and wings around her son tightly, whispering the name once more.

"...Stardust. I'm so glad to meet you…"

Stardust absentmindedly hugged back, but upon making a profound realization, he stood back for a second. He looked at her critically, as if to try and recognize her somehow. His expression became more emotional, joyous yet tender bearing somber profundity. With trembling and watery eyes, he gazed up at the dragon in ecstatic wonder.

"M… mom?"

Aries held clasped her hands to her snout as she nodded. The two leapt into another tight embrace, refusing to let go. Aries nosed her snout into Stardust's neck as sobs freely shook her body.

"My son… You've returned to me!"

Stardust looked up to his mother's face, tears in his eyes which she wiped away gently.

"Mom… I'm… I'm so happy to meet you! I've felt alone and different, and... but I mean, I have family, and… But I…"

His eyes welled up again just as his voice cracked. "Why… Why did I have to leave you? What happened? I-I have so many questions, I don't even know who I am or-or what I can really do or anything and…" He sniffled a little as he squeezed his mother again.

"I'm just so glad you're here…"

Aries squeezed in return and softly rubbed his head. "I am too little one… I've searched every planet and crevice in desperate hopes of finding you…" Aries nosed her son's head again, her wings acting as a blanket around him.

"As for what and who you are, I will have answers to all of those questions and more, my child… But nothing is more important than this: that I'm here, and that you're safe. You are home at last."

The two swayed as they hugged each other tight in the jungle clearing, a single ray of sunlight shining down from the canopy directly onto them.

"You're home, Stardust… and..."

Aries nosed her son's head gently, whispering; as if afraid if she spoke any louder, he voice would give out.

"I am too."

Stardust finally let his emotions bleed out in his tears, a gentle faint cry loosed itself into his mother's chest. Aries nosed against Stardust's ears and head gingerly. The two stayed still for what seemed an eternity in the jungle clearing, entwined in a tight embrace. Neither would want to leave each others arms, not now or ever.

Eventually, Stardust broke the silence, croaky voiced with wet emotion.

"Mom, please… Promise me you'll stay."

Aries nodded slowly, making reassuring eye contact with Stardust again.

"Now that I've found you, I won't ever let you go little one."

She pressed her head to Stardust's forehead. "You will always have me."

With those words, Stardust felt a sudden surge of astral energy flow through his being. More than just energy, it had… Personality. An aura of distinctive being, it felt like home. This energy seemed to intertwine with Stardust's own being in ways no one else would be able to.

To Stardust, it felt like a warm blanket wrapped around his mind. It soothed his worried anxieties, it calmed his racing heart and mind, and it almost felt like someone put warm milk in a bottle and fed it to his very being.

And to Stardust, nothing in the universe could've compared. He relished it and felt his very soul heal to perfection. Wishing to return the favor, he let his own energy flow back to her, acting in the same capacity. Aries opened her eyes again, surprised and very much proud.

"You have control over your energy! Without any training…? You learned this on your own?"

Stardust sniffled again and wiped his eyes, beaming pride and eagerness to his mother.

"Mmhmm! I don't really know what it is, but I know it's… Pa-"

"Part of who you are." Aries spoke along with Stardust, both awed and immensely proud. "You have the gift."

Curious and excited even more than before, Stardust's gaze went wide eyed once more. "The… Gift?"

Aries nodded and stroked her son's cheek tenderly.

"You are a prodigal Astral Being: one who is extremely in touch with their abilities, and in touch with the universe and it's energies. It's a gene handed down, and one that grows stronger with each generation."

Stardust, listening to mother's information, looked at his wings and paws. Astral Being? Abilities, energies, in touch with the universe? He hadn't the foggiest idea what any of it meant but he wanted to, desperately.

"I… I don't understand… Can you show me what you mean?"

Libra smiled with a maternal happy warmth.

"I will, very soon."

"No but can we…" Stardust pulled Aries head gently guiding it to his, forehead to forehead. The two entered Stardust's mindstate, the two floating in the static void. Aries glanced around with intensely impressed admiration.

'Galaxies beyond… Stardust you've learned, on your own, the intricacies of Mind Interfacing?' Aries shifted a bit closer to Stardust. Stardust shyly smiled and nodded.

'Y-yeah! I think. This is called, mind… What?'

Aries swirled around Stardust giddily.

'Mind Interfacing. When two minds meet, and one or both are of Astral Descent, they possess the ability to create a sort of shared mind space, where transfer of thought and emotion are easier and more rapid.' She glanced around and then settled back onto Stardust with pride and joy.

'And you learned about this on your own…?'

Stardust smiled with pride this time. 'Yes! Admittedly it was an accident, but I learned from there!' He turned full body towards Aries with keen intent. 'So can I ask questions about my powers?'

She began to think back in response, however an outside voice interrupted and sent them both back to reality.

"My liege!"

Stardust and Aries both glanced aside to see Sheratan and Boteïn standing there in slightly panicked yet curious alertness.

"Is this…" Sheratan glanced to Stardust.

Boteïn's face lit up with realization upon comparing the two. "Nebula…?"

Aries cut in and held Stardust to her protectively and proudly.

"Sheratan, Boteïn… I present my newfound son, Stardust."

Stardust, still hugging his mother tightly, waved to the two strange dragons happily.

"Hiii!"

Boteïn, immediately recognizing his new Prince, bowed humbly, Sheratan following suit a second after.

"My Prince, you have our allegiance."

Sheratan glanced upwards with a smile. "I'm thrilled to meet you, Prince Stardust."

Stardust just offered a friendly smile, about to mention how happy he felt to meet more of his kind. Then the term "Prince" sunk in. He looked to Aries, stunned and shocked but in the best ways.

"Wait a minute- PRINCE?! THEN THAT MEANS… YOU… I'M…"

Aries nodded and bowed in courtesy.

"Queen Aries Pulsar, Monarch of the Starwing FreeClan." She grinned and stroked Stardust's cheek gingerly.

"Which makes you Prince Stardust."

Stardust, still taking all this in, took note of her two names. "Aries Pulsar?"

"Yes, it is customary for Starwing royalty to have two names, a first and last. So you, my precious little one… Would be Prince Stardust…" With a hint of pride and motherly love, she spoke with certainty and royal decree. "...Nebula."

Stardust looked around to everyone, Sheratan and Boteïn smiling like idiots while they watched mother and child interact for the first time. Stardust's gaze fell upon Aries again.

"Prince Stardust Nebula… that's… Who I am?"

Queen Aries nodded and giggled to herself as if she were a princess again. She wrapped up Stardust in a grand hug once more, not wanting to let go.

"You are a prince destined to bring peace and happiness to your people, and you've already made your mother the happiest she might ever be…"

Stardust's heart and mind felt near exploding, all he could do is embrace Aries once more and dance around her excitedly.

"THIS IS SO AMAZING! You're here and I finally know who I am and who I'm meant to be and I met you and-"

His dancing was stopped short by a different thought, something totally different that brought a bit of sadness to his otherwise perfectly happy moment. Aries took note.

"What's wrong little one? A worrying thought?"

Stardust sat before the trio of Starwings, each offering a worried look along with him.

"I'm so happy to meet all of you and I would love nothing more than to stay with you and learn more about myself, but…"

He glanced around his surroundings, landing back to the mountain.

"...Do I have to leave…?"

Aries and her guards fell silent, Sheratan and Boteïn then glancing back to their queen. Aries, realizing the gravity of his question, stood beside her son and held his talons tight.

"I don't know yet. But I want you to have this family always, I won't tear you away from them."

Still teary eyed, Stardust replied in kind but with the rustling of bushes nearby suddenly cut him off.

In the nearby tall ferns, a familiar head peeked out. Peacemaker's familiar face, upon noticing Stardust, lit up with recognition.

"Hey, he's here!" Peacemaker stepped back out and immediately hugged Stardust, seemingly having not noticed the other dragons.

"We got worried, and there's someone looking for…" He slowly trailed off upon looking around at the other three Starwings, Aries especially. "Uhm…"

Aries cleared her throat and stood in front of Peacemaker. "Peacemaker… Is this the dragon you were talking about, the one you were leading me to?"

Silently he nodded, and immediately after Aries wrapped him in a warm hug.

"Thank you… Stardust is my son, and I'm ever so grateful for your help."

Peacemaker glanced up again and looked to the other three dragons again, seeing the striking similarities between Stardust and the dragon he met earlier.

"...Oh… That explains quite a bit. Uhm…" He sheepishly gazed back up with a shy smile. "Nice to meet you…?"

Stardust cut in on the sake of his little brother. "Mom, this is one of my friends who I've come to call my brother." He hugged Peacemaker to him, effectively sandwiching him between the two royals. Aries smiled and nosed Peacemaker's head gently.

"Then a son of mine he shall be."

Boteïn and Sheratan seemed confused and slightly concerned, Boteïn slightly more so. "My queen? Are you sure?"

Sheratan prodded forwards. "I'm all for familial bonding and such, but such a statement has… ramifications."

Aries responded in kind. "I won't cast off any family ties of my son simply because of implications like that."

Peacemaker broke off and bowed slightly, almost apologizing. "It's okay, it's okay… I wouldn't expect you to accept me just because-"

The words one of the guards uttered suddenly struck Peacemaker.

"...QUEEN?!"

Aries, a delighted and entertained smile plastered on her snout, bowed gracefully.

"Queen Aries Pulsar of the Starwing FreeClan, at your service young one."

Mouth agape, Peacemaker pointed to Stardust. "Then that-... that makes you-…"

Stardust, still uncertain of his full title, looked back to Aries, who nodded with pride. Stardust then imitated his mother, albeit with a giddy smile.

"Prince Stardust Nebula…" He glanced back up at Peacemaker with an even goofier smile.

"At your service.~"

The two dragonets nearly throttled each other in a hug, Peacemaker about to ask a billion questions before hearing a faint whispering in the trees. One of them, distinctly male and familiar.

"But he's a prince? That's crazy! Now I have another royal relative!"

Stardust sighed and let his head back. "Rrrrrg… JAMBU, I THOUGHT I SAID NOT TO FOLLOW ME!"

Still disguised, Jambu groaned and replied.

"C'mon Star, we were worried! You just took off without another word!"

Sheratan and Boteïn both anxiously checked the trees, noticing nothing but leaves and trees. They both moved to surround Aries and Stardust.

"Camouflage?" Sheratan glanced to Stardust. "Friends of yours?"

Stardust nodded with a polite smile noting irritation. "Yep, ones who won't LISTEN TO ORDERS!"

"Hey, you can't order a prince around like that!" Jambu finally revealed himself, high in the trees above them. "Wait, you're a prince too… dang it, I guess you can now."

Stardust crossed his arms sternly. "And the others too."

He glanced up to see two other silhouettes. "Liana, Heliconia, please."

Liana, on the opposite side of Jambu, slowly crawled down the trunk of the nearby Palm Tree onto the clearing. Heliconia, dropped down from besides Jambu, the trio of Rainwings bowing to the queen.

"Our apologies, Queen. Uh…"

Jambu glanced up with a nervous tinge in his polite smile.

"Queen…?"

Aries bowed again, politely. "Queen Aries Pulsar." Glancing up with a warm smile, she met Jambu's eyes. "Aries works too.~"

Jambu nodded with a more reaffirmed grin. "Queen Aries! I'm Prince Jambu, brother of Queen Glory. And this," He gestured to the two Rainwings flanking him. "Is Liana and Heliconia."

Liana and Heliconia both bowed respectfully, Liana being slightly more shy but still polite and warm. "Lovely to meet you."

Heliconia pressed forwards and noted Sheratan's ice blue and white coloration on her scales, including her eyes. "You have pretty eyes, I don't usually go for whites and blues myself but it's very pretty!"

Sheratan, not expecting such flattery and now a bit blushy (at least to Heliconia, as far as she could tell), offered a smile and nodded. "Thank you, Heliconia was it? Your camouflage is impressive!"

Before Jambu began conversing with the guards, Stardust stopped him with a stern expression.

"How much did you guys hear?"

Defensively, Jambu backed up a bit.

"Dude we just got here! We were searching for a bit and then we got there when she called you Prince and that's it!"

Aries piped up and interjected. "So, Prince Jambu, are you one of Stardust's brothers as well?"

Jambu shook his head. "Nope, my sister is more his aunt, so that makes him… my cousin? Nephew? Yeah, nephew!" Counting on his talons he looked to Aries again. "Which… makes you my new aunt!"

Immediately he hugged Aries, which Aries wasn't totally expecting but wasn't going to argue. She hugged back and chuckled to herself. "Guess I'm to expect a lot of hugs from your family?"

Stardust, both embarrassed and heartwarmed, shrugged helplessly but happily. "At least from the Rainwings."

From a bit farther away, another pair of voices were heard.

The first was male, softer but still worried. "Jambu, where are you?!"

The second was female, this voice annoyed to the point of being angry. "JAMBU, I SWEAR I WILL PUT YOU ON NIGHT GUARD DUTY FOR A MONTH IF YOU DON'T-"

As the two approached the clearing, a Nightwing and Rainwing pushed through the bushes to find the gang of dragons, Glory and Deathbringer respectively. Both stood straight as an arrow upon realizing the situation. Deathbringer kept his trap shut, and glanced to Glory, who silently gained her composure and offered her best royal posture and stance.

"Ahem… Stardust, I see you've found them!"

Stardust wordlessly rushed over and squeezed Glory tightly, looking up with the happiest look she'd ever seen him with. With concerned compassion, she rubbed his head.

"Hey… you alright?"

Stardust nodded and nosed her cheek. "Uh-huh, better than I can express."

He broke off and gained Aries attention, which he then used to gesture to Glory.

"May I present, leader of the Rainwing and Nightwing tribes: Queen Glory."

Jambu stood besides his sister proudly. "My sister!"

Glory gave Jambu a stern and angry stare for a brief moment then returned to her normal posture. "Yes. Queen Glory of the Rainwing/Nightwing tribes, at your service."

Before Stardust could rush over and present his mother, Boteïn stepped forwards and cleared his throat.

"Queen Glory of the Rainwings (and Nightwings), may I present for the first time in your planet's history, our esteemed Queen of the Starwing FreeClan:" Gesturing to Aries, he stood aside. "Queen Aries Pulsar."

Stardust proudly stood besides her, puffing his chest out. "My mom!"

Glory's face lit up with glee and happiness before realizing what that meant for Stardust, and the realization shifting her expression further into surprise. Aries, cutting in before she had time to ask the question, did the same for Stardust.

"And may I, Queen of the Starwings, present my son:" She held Stardust to her tightly and beamed a smile of unending pride.

"Prince, Stardust Nebula."

Deathbringer, standing beside Glory, piped in along with Glory in their flabbergasted question:

"PRINCE STARDUST NEBULA?!"

Boteïn quietly asked Sheratan, "Is there an echo on this planet?"

Stardust beamed a huge smile and cuddled up to Aries.

"Yeah! Isn't that awesome?"

Glory, stammeringly, nodded and walked forwards in wonder at the duo.

"That's… Amazing Stardust! Truly!"

Deathbringer stepped forwards with his usual slight caution, but still openly happy for Stardust's sake. "I guess that makes you an Ambassador between our two worlds huh?"

Stardust glanced to Aries, who looked down to him thoughtfully.

"I think that's a perfect idea."

Sheratan prodded up to the two royals. "My queen, I hate to interrupt here, but we are still looking for one more dragon here. It might not be safe for you and Stardust here all the while."

Peacemaker, Glory and Deathbringer perked up in alertness now. Deathbringer quickly glanced around the perimeter. "Not safe?"

Glory looked to the blue and white dragon. "I can have a troupe of Rainwings aid in your search if need be."

Peacemaker stood besides Aries and cleared his throat. "Uhm, my queen?"

Glory and Aries responded at the same time, "Yes?" then glanced to each other briefly.

Peacemaker gestured to the Starwing queen. "Uh, Aries. Sorry… I don't know if this is relevant, but I came across a strange Nightwing that I'm pretty sure was a Starwing in disguise. She said her name was Skygazer."

Sheratan's head popped up, eyes wide. "Skygazer?"

"Skygazer."

All heads swiveled around to see Moonwatcher standing in the clearing, Tsunami and Sunny stepping in to see Stardust and company. They both looked around in confused bewilderment.

"My apologies for coming up unannounced in a dramatic fashion, I seem to be doing it alot today…"

Stardust nearly tackled Moon. "MOON! You gotta meet my-"

"Wait… Who's this? Is she…?" Moonwatcher's gaze lit up at seeing Aries, instead of happiness however, both with confusion and anxiety.

Stardust, noticing her tense body language sidled up to her and wrapped a wing around hers.

"This is my mom… And she's the queen! Which means I'm a prince!"

Moon's conflicting emotions clashed with Skygazer's warnings, her mind racing with questions. As she glanced to Aries, her mind seemed open and rather happy. When Moon attempted to prod inside to listen, Aries' expression shifted immediately to slight shock and curiosity. In the connection between them, Aries spoke in the confines of their minds, Stardust also sensing it just by being near.

'How are you doing that?'

Moon pulled back out of shock and swiftly bowed in apology.

"My sincere apologies, I just…" She glanced back up to her. "...I just want to know what's going on here."

Aries nodded, and helped her back up. "Believe me, I do too."

Tsunami, getting more and more worked up by not being involved, spoke in a controlled but loud manner, respectful but not too happy.

"So would I!"

Sheratan and Boteïn's eyes fell upon Tsunami, very much seeing this loud angry dragon as a threat.

Aries sighed in aggravation. "And you are?"

Tsunami poked forwards jabbingly. "A concerned parent."

"Tsunami, we're all concerned," Sunny attempted to calm her down. "Hostilities won't help anything." Tsunami promptly glared back at her.

"Yes but I need answers, and I want them now."

Glory and Deathbringer both stepped in to intervene, causing the two to become even more agitated. Sheratan and Boteïn nearly stepped forwards to protect Aries, talons at their sides to reach for their hidden Light Pikes.

Stardust, seeing the at first casual and friendly meeting turn sour with distrust, growled to himself and let out a short and energy powered R O A R through the immediate area. All fell silent as Stardust, a rare sight of his anger showing, commanded everyone's attention.

"STOP IT, ALL OF YOU. Look, I don't know what you three have seen or heard to distrust my mother and her two guards, but if you can trust ME, and you absolutely can and do… You can trust THEM. I want no hostilities here, please."

Tsunami, still not sure what to believe, prodded forwards towards Stardust with a softer and more warm approach, still alternating her attention between him and the visitors.

"Stardust I know that you trust them because they're your own species but that doesn't mean we can automatically trust them just because of that."

Aries chimed in while still glancing to Tsunami. "She does have a point Stardust, a bit of suspicion is warranted at this point."

He stood his ground, giving both Tsunami and Aries his "I'm not budging" firm gaze.

"If you trust me, you trust them too."

The Seawing Princess stared back at Stardust for a moment, then stepped back and sat down in resignation. Aries' smile deepened more, the sight of her child becoming so protective endearing her ever more. Soon after, Stardust brought all his friends and family together on one side, and the three Starwings on the other side.

"Okay, for those who haven't been introduced, this is my real mom, who is the QUEEN of the Starwings (of which I am one of) and that makes me a PRINCE, go ahead and let your disbelief out now."

Sunny and Tsunami gazed wide eyed at the two.

"Queen?"

"Prince?!"

Boteïn audibly sighed, straightening up quickly as his queen shot him a dirty look. Aries then smiled and bowed curtly. "Queen Aries Pulsar, Prince Stardust Nebula. Lovely to make your acquaintance."

Before Sunny or Tsunami could express their disbelief anymore, Stardust piped up once more.

"NOW, Can someone PLEASE explain who Skygazer is and why people are all of a sudden worried and distrusting?"

The group present seemed a tad intimidated, no one speaking up. And after a moment of silence, Boteïn stepped forwards in a guard like manner.

"When landing on this planet, we had two initial missions. Firstly and foremost, securing Prince Stardust, making sure he was in no danger. Secondly was establishing peaceful relations with civilizations here in…" He bashedly looked to Stardust. "Pyrrhia? Is that how you pronounce it?"

Sheratan subsequently stepped forwards. "A complication occurred however, I encountered another Starwing in disguise, one we had no record of and seemingly they wanted it to stay that way. This Starwing, in possession of…" Fumbling for words the audience would understand, she sighed. "Technology, that a normal Starwing wouldn't usually have access to, purposefully lied about their identity and wants to stay hidden with their intentions; meaning that this Starwing was either of a pirate faction or something equally unpleasant."

Aries spoke up next. "Regardless of this rogue element, It is my personal goal to come to build mutual trust and create a bridge between our worlds, sharing the best of our civilizations with each other. Stardust speaks truthfully when he says if you trust him, you can trust us. Since I put my trust in him, my trust and allegiance lies with you all as well."

Jambu leaned over to Stardust and whispered, "Told you they'd wanna be friends.~"

Sunny stepped forwards next cautiously, offering a bowed head in respect. "Queen Aries, I am Princess Sunny, Daughter of Queen Thorn of the Sandwings. This is Princess Tsunami, Daughter of Queen Coral of the Seawings. We offer our apologies for the suspicions, and in due time will lay them aside in favor of peaceful relations. But, considering what we just learned and heard of from Skygazer, it does paint this whole scenario rather… perplexing."

"Forgive me Princess," Sheratan cut in briefly. "but what did you hear from Skygazer that caused such deep suspicion?"

The next interruption came from Tsunami, calmly and with a well placed ounce of concern.

"Skygazer, a Starwing that looked nearly identical to Stardust and Aries, claimed that Stardust was in danger. And that by telling us he was in danger, claimed we are now all in grave danger… Which, you can see why we are quite worried."

Moon, firmly besides Stardust along with Peacemaker, glanced around worriedly. "Also… She said something about "mother", as if contemplating something. I don't know if that's of significance, but it's something that stood out to me."

Tsunami spoke up one more time, looking to Moon. "Wait… Wasn't she following us…?"

Next, all eyes fell to Queen Aries.

And when her expression of contemplative worry failed to produce any words, all faces looked to Sheratan and Boteïn. The same emotions plagued them too. Sheratan stood besides Aries, awaiting her orders.

In a quiet voice, she leaned in a bit and concernedly queried her Queen.

"My liege… Orders?"

After Aries leaned back over to speak, rustling in the bushes sounding much like a dragon sprinting away caught the ears of everyone.

Boteïn nearly bounded forwards with Sheratan, but Aries stopped them both in place.

"Stay with Stardust, keep everyone safe. I'll handle this alone."

Boteïn and Sheratan definitely did not agree with this order, as evident by their passionate protesting.

"But my queen-"

"My liege, that's-"

Aries bounded after the rustling, shouting back behind her. "SEND NO ONE AFTER ME, THAT'S AN ORDER."

Her silhouette disappearing into the thick underbrush, she left the gang of dragons alone in the clearing, silent and quite worried. Sheratan cleared her throat and took a deep breath.

"Well… I think it's best if we go somewhere safe. Suggestions?"

After a round of glances exchanged between nearly everyone, the communal glance of everyone fell upon Stardust alone.

Boteïn spoke up. "Prince Stardust? Your orders?"

Stardust suddenly felt as small as a mouse; very, very small...

'Oh moons…'

-X-

'Where is he?!' Libra's frenzied searching and rampant sprinting echoed through the jungle. She didn't even know if the three others were behind her, and she didn't have time to care. She couldn't let Stardust be found by anyone else.

Having cut off her Astral powers for her own protection, she dared not try and use them to sense him. All she had was her own senses, nothing more and nothing less.

'What if I'm too late? What if they already have him?'

She shook her head as leafy underbrush thwacked her snout. 'No, I can't start thinking like that, I just have to find him.'

She stopped just short of hearing more footsteps. She froze suddenly, seeing another black dragon, one seeming quite familiar with his rainbow scales.

'Peacemaker.' Peacemaker suddenly broke into a leafy clearing having found everyone: Stardust, Aries, and her guards too. Libra decided to stay concealed in the shadows so as to not cause a ruckus.

"Hey, he's here!"

Stardust and Peacemaker hugged, as he noticed the other three dragons finally. To get a little closer, she activated her camouflage and lurked nearby in the shadows and underbrush.

"Peacemaker… Is this the dragon you were talking about, the one you were leading me to?"

Peacemaker nodded, to Libra's surprise. Aries hugged him, obviously recognizing him.

"Thank you… Stardust is my son, and I'm ever so grateful for your help."

'Wait, what?'

Peacemaker was leading Aries to Stardust? They knew each other? Libra thought it humorous at first, the only two black and rainbow scaled dragons in the whole continent should at least know each other. Then...

"Mom, this is one of my friends whom I've come to call my brother."

'...brother?'

Libra's mind fluttered about with thoughts of how Stardust must have come to cultivate family here. How could she not have thought of that? Worse yet, how could she take him away from that?

Maybe it was her unwillingness to reconcile with her own family, a sense of guilt holding her back. All those things Libra pushed to the side and refused to acknowledge, she couldn't anymore. The hurt that once plagued her had returned with a vengeance.

"Then a son of mine he shall be."

Her attention came back to the group, Aries and Stardust both hugging Peacemaker warmly.

From her horns to her tail tip, Libra was shaking in what she could only identify as anger and jealousy. The very thought of some stranger getting more love and affection than she, made her heart both break into pieces and flare with rage.

'I'm her daughter… Her ONLY daughter… How could she give that kind of love to someone else she'd just met in a day?' Her mind immediately jumped to conclusions of her mother betraying the memory of her lost daughter, tossing it aside like nothing.

Then, Libra noticed Aries gaze towards Stardust with unbridled happiness, and a slightly saddened gaze towards Peacemaker. It almost looked like she was remembering something else. Perhaps she was, and that's what made Libra hurt even more.

'She just wants to not be alone.'

The parallels between their situation resonated with Libra to levels that subdued her rage to empty sadness. Aries didn't betray or toss anything aside, she was yearning to fill a whole just like Libra was.

'She just… Wants family again…'

Those memories Libra tried pushing aside for so long only pushed back through her mind, taking center stage.

'...She misses me…'

And even though she couldn't bring herself to say it, she missed her too.

Among the endless starry void, she'd had but her ship and crew as her family, which was the most she could take with her as she escaped with her soon to be little brother. For years, that was the only family she had, and the only thing that kept her sane.

And only recently had she realized that. The first month of being alone and abandoning her parents, she longed for what she had before, finding very little to replace it. Iso was the closest thing to a father figure she had, but that wasn't enough in the end. Becoming only the shell that she grew to hate about herself, Libra pushed those things aside for years. Only as she watched them fly away just a few hours ago, did the realization of how much they meant to her sink in.

'...what have I done…?'

In her attempt to save Stardust, Libra had separated everyone she knew and loved from each other, condemning them and herself to years of seeking out something more, a hole to fill that could not be fulfilled.

And… The notion that hurt Libra most of all, was her plan to take Stardust away from his family yet again. What more could she do to hurt him? Hurt her parents even more, and drag into the mix these kind and loving dragons that took Stardust in? Worse yet what would Stardust think of this? Her sister's first interaction with him, and it's to take him away from everything he's ever wanted?

By now Libra truly felt like a monster, created by one decision made so long ago she'd forgotten why it had to be made. A few tears streamed down her face, the trees around her towered above and seemed to get bigger every second.

Either that, or Libra suddenly was feeling smaller than she ever did before.

'...I should just leave…'

In her thought process, everything inside her screamed that she should stay and make things right. But looking for ways to see it through, she could find none. Any and all paths forward only met a cold wall of consequences. Any forgiveness seemed impossible, the deeds she'd done deemed her a doomed cause. It seemed there was nothing for her here, at least not anymore.

If that were true though… Then why didn't she just run?

"Wait… Wasn't she following us?"

Libra snapped out of her depressed daze, and looked back into the clearing. The three dragons following her now joined in the circle, the blue one just having spoken up. Everyone looked around the jungle brush, and Libra realized she couldn't stay there any longer.

'Run… Just run.'

Libra suddenly sprinted away into the brush, after a few seconds hearing another set of steps behind her. She just pushed forwards harder, but it kept following.

Libra wasn't just running from detection, she was trying to run from her past as well. And this time it wasn't working.

-X-

Huff, Huff

The chase hadn't given up, Aries still sprinted in hot pursuit of who she all but knew was Libra. Pounding claws to the leafy earth reverberated through her ears.

Huff, Huff

Underbrush thwacked against her snout and head, only the skin suit's helmet protecting her eyes. Still, she would sooner pass out from exhaustion than give up now.

Huff, Huff, Huff

The light began pouring through from the trees ahead, the underbrush petered out some but the dragon pushed out and into the clearing. Aries stopped just short, but stood just inside to see who or what laid ahead. Huffing and catching her breath again, she finally lifted her head back up to see another Starwing in the stone clearing ahead, overlooking the southern shore.

Jade Mountain loomed to the right, the ocean horizon to the left with a jagged stone outcropping over the waters. The sun loomed at a 45 degree angle, two of the moons lurking in the sky as the sun blazed across the ocean. The sky held naught a cloud over the blue, making the horizon obscured with only a faint grey line marking the boundary between the waters and the heavens.

Aries forcibly ignored all of this, her gaze attracted only to the same prismatic scales flowing down the Starwing's back. Libra no longer adorned the heavy armor or helmet she wore at their last encounter, to Aries' curiosity. Along Libra's tail, there a single cauterized scar about 7 inches in length lay prominent. It was Libra, no doubt about it, Aries would've known having given her that scar herself. All of this distilled her sense of paradoxical dread and hope, into unprepared and terrified confrontational energy.

Gathering her courage again, Aries lifted the brush aside and stepped out onto the smooth, weathered outcropping. Talons to stone, her footsteps clacked out as she prowled closer. About ten meters away, she stood her ground.

"Libra." She called out to her, awaiting either a battle, a surrender, or to chase after her again. None of these were favorable options, it chipped away at her heart each time these confrontations inevitably came to be.

Chasing her daughter as a criminal through the galaxy couldn't have hurt Aries more than it has already, yet holding out love for her daughter gone rogue has been the hardest thing she's ever done, baring her heart every time to have it struck coldly by her own blood.

"Libra please… Look at me."

5 meters. Libra could hear every step, yet stood deathly still.

"You wanted my attention… You have it. Please, give me yours…"

Still… Nothing. Libra refused to even move an inch. It bled fury and grief into her mother's very core. Aries now stood but 5 feet behind her.

"Why here and now? What sort of plans do you have to carry out? Do you plan on taking him from me again, so soon after being reunited?" Aries felt the intense emotional turmoil burning inside. She felt she deserved answers in return for all that Libra had put her through. "Was it to leave again? Leave me just in sight to watch you run away from us one more time?"

Libra's breathing grew a bit heavier, but she still refused to turn around. Aries continued.

"Stardust didn't know he was a Prince… Didn't know where he was really from, who he even was." Her voice rose and grew even more. "He doesn't even know why his own parents were forced to abandoned him, let alone why you took him from his home beFORE HE EVEN HATCHED. BEFORE HE KNEW ANY SEMBLANCE OF HIS HERITAGE!"

Creaky and dripping in agony, Aries had to hold back from shouting at the top of her lungs.

"YOU TOOK THAT FROM HIM, AND HIM FROM ME!"

Aries clenched her fists and furled her wings tightly. After a few seconds her grief swept anger away into dust.

"You took my precious children… left Orion and Taurus to their own devices… and left me with a hole that no one could possibly fill." Aries let go and put aside her grief for her daughter.

"...I…" She forced herself to close her eyes, letting all her sadness go in exchange for love towards Libra.

"...I forgive you, Libra… I just can't do this anymore, now that Stardust is with us… I don't want to bring him into a dysfunctional family now that he has hope. I won't do that to him." She nearly stepped forwards again, yearning to touch her daughter. "I know you don't want to either."

Aries dared not approach further, Libra trembling harshly. "And now that my son is with me, there's only one dragon that can ever fix things again… you."

After a deep breath, she swallowed hard and shut her eyes. "I just want us all together again. I want our people to see happiness, a future in which to hope once more."

Wiping her eyes bitterly, she laid her gaze onto Libra.

"I'm begging you Libra… My princess of light and happiness… Come back to us."

For a still few seconds… nothing. Silence and the beach waves blowing down the jungle coast. An eternity passed within the minute or so they stood there. Aries nearly turned aside to return once the silence proved too much. And for a moment it seemed that their eyes would never meet...

...And then… a heavy sob, a soft unrestrained weeping caught in the air. Aries keenly heard her daughter crying openly. If she were honest, she'd admit that's what she would've done too. She pushed forwards a few more steps.

"Libra… Please… Look at me."

Momentarily hesitant, Libra slowly and dejectedly turned towards her mother, weepy eyed and sobbing her poor heart out, head hung in guilted shame. She dared not meet eyes with her, and looked as though she would collapse to the floor in a tightly wound ball.

In that instant there was no anger, there was no pain or grief, no confrontation… Only a mother and her despondent, hurting daughter in need of comfort. Barely audible, Libra couldn't even glance up as she spoke:

"M… Mom, I… *Sob* ...I-I'm so sorry…"

Immediately she threw herself into Aries arms with heedless abandon, burying her watery snout in her chest. Aries accepted her gladly, holding her tight with her head atop hers protectively.

Libra barely made out her words through the tears, heaving out in pained sadness.

"I want my family back! I want Stardust and Dad and you and… *Sob* I can't stand being away anymore! I just want it all back! Please just, let me back..."

Aries squeezed her tightly and nudged her head. "Libra… you know I'll always be here for you. A mother never leaves her children."

This comforting thought only made her cry even harder, barely standing up anymore.

"But HOW? I...*Sob* I don't even deserve it!" Gut wrenchingly open and honest, Libra let her heart out to her mother.

"I… I just messed everything up so bad… *Hic* I tore us all apart and it's all my fault… I just… I threw everything away..." Libra couldn't bring herself to meet her mother's gaze, no matter what she did, guilt and shame overriding any semblance of acceptance she might have felt.

"I don't even deserve a family anymore… deserve you or Stardust… I don't deserve to be forgiven by anyone… I'm so… ashamed..."

Breaking down into further sobbing and crying, Libra curled into her mother as the intense sobs wracked her body. It seemed too much almost, Libra's mind exuded incredible emotional trauma, begging for some sanctuary that she felt could never be achieved.

For Aries it was hard enough seeing her daughter so hurt and brutally depressed, but what pushed her over the edge was her talk of not deserving anything. "Don't deserve to be forgiven?" "Don't even deserve a family?" It burned Aries deep inside to hear her say this. She would NOT let Libra toss her family aside, even through her previous actions.

She spoke firmly, but with care. "Libra… Look at me."

Libra shook her head weakly. "No, please… I can't... mom please, anything but that…"

Aries spoke louder and shook her daughter ever so gently. "Libra. It's the least that you owe me after all this time…"

Libra dared not contest her mother's request, wiping her eyes a bit and sniffling to herself. She planted her feet a bit more and finally lifted her head up, meeting her mother's kind gaze with her own emotionally destroyed expression.

Aries felt her breath shorten upon seeing her daughter's face, puffy and red from bawling her eyes out. Libra looked like a despondent, repentant young child just seeking out comfort and forgiveness, and childlike is just what would've described her. Aries stroked her head and smiled with motherly affection, and the whole situation just seemed… familiar.

Perhaps it was to them both, something seemed to stick out in their minds.

"Scan for strongest astral signatures bearing royal semblance, pinpoint location."

Aries floated about in the cosmos, just jettisoned from her craft in her Flightsuit. Her built in navmap began sending out strong waves of reflective particles to bounce back upon anything it could, and in a few seconds it located another astral signature, a few light years away. It had to have been Libra, as Nebula hadn't even been conceived yet.

"How did you get all the way out there… Especially without a Flightsuit?" In slight worry but mostly motherly concern, Aries set her navmap to those spatial coordinates, launching into a warp jump for a few seconds and landing near an older White Dwarf. The color and shimmering intensity was stunning, but low bearing in heat output.

Aries scanned the orbital area for Libra but saw nothing. She did however feel a presence, her daughter no doubt.

'Hang on little one, I'll find you.'

Aries attention was taken by a particularly shining object in a farther orbit, which she soon felt to be Libra curled up in a ball; only now her fearless daughter lay floating in space with no fearlessness, rather scared and alone.

Aries quickly maneuvered over to her, reaching out with her mind.

'Libra, I'm here! Are you hurt?'

Libra immediately latched on and embraced her mother, obviously scared to death and overjoyed to see someone so familiar.

'Mom! Mom I'm so sorry I just wanted to explore… I was so excited and I didn't wear a suit and I felt so confident, I went too far and I couldn't find my way back, and… and…'

Libra's body shook with emotional intensity, still refusing to look at her mother.

'...And… i-i thought I'd never see you again…' Libra's crying intensified soundlessly, the tears bubbling out into the vacuum of space.

Aries rubbed her head gingerly, using her motherly voice to speak inside their heads again. 'Libra… Look at me.'

Libra shook her head gently, too ashamed to lift her head.

'Young princess… Look at your mother. Please…'

Aware of the consequences of ignoring her mother in that tone, Libra lifted her head bashedly to meet her eyes.

Aries gazed upon her child's face, reddened from crying, scared and needing comfort desperately. Her eyes conveyed that of a despondent dragonet, weepy eyed and nearly inconsolable. Every part of her expression made Aries' motherly instincts shout out inside her mind.

She took gentle hold of her child, and pressed her head against Libra's.

'Libra… You may lose yourself in this vast universe… But remember that you can always be found, I will always look for you in your time of need. There is nowhere I will not look to find you, no deep reach of space I won't explore to have you with me. Your family will always be with you, to guide you and protect you.'

She gently wiped her eyes as Libra sniffled to herself.

'And my dear daughter, there is nothing that you can do to make me stop loving you… you needn't ever be afraid of anything, you'll always have me. This I swear to you…'

Aries let her energy sweep into Libra's fragile mental state, soothing and filling every thought with Aries' warmth. The blanket of familiar energy brought Libra down from her panicked and scared emotions and pulled her into a warm and contented embrace of family and protection. Even though they were weightless in the vacuum of space, Libra found herself firmly planted again, in control of her emotions and reaffirmed in her power.

Libra looked back at her mother with a soft smile.

'Thank you… I really needed that.'

Aries nosed her daughter's head lovingly.

'Of course dear one…'

Glancing her head up a little, Libra shyly prodded her mother's mind again.

'I'm in trouble though, aren't I…?'

'Oh yes. Big time. But for now… Don't you worry about that.'

Libra nodded and snuggled into her warmth, the two adrift in orbit but with no place else they'd rather be.

The memory seemed to flash across both their minds at the same time, the familiarity and comforting happiness that it provided settled both their minds. Libra's sobs slowed to ragged but steady breathing, no longer were tears streaming down her snout.

Aries stroked Libra's snout and head gingerly and affectionately. "Do you remember now…? Nothing can stop me from loving you dear one… Not this, nor anything else."

Libra nodded and sniffled again. "I know… I was just… So lost, for so long…"

"I know…" Aries held her close and sighed. "But what's most important is that you're here now, and the healing process can begin."

"But… How?" Libra wanted to push away in bitterness but felt the moment would be best savored without it. "You know what I've done… At best, according to our laws I'm deserving of either a lifetime of imprisonment or exile… And that's if the courts are merciful, and can you honestly say-"

"Don't you dare say you're not deserving of mercy child." Aries' motherly temper flared in her words, gazing directly in her eyes again. "Don't ever say again that you don't deserve a family, and never… Never forsake the love we've given you." The queenly figure shakily drew in a breath and calmed herself again.

"Material possessions and wealth will never stay with you as much as the love that follows you to the ends of the universe… It can fight armadas, it can withstand the heat of a supernova, it can resist even the strongest black holes." A lone tear traced down her snout and landed onto the stone.

"You may lose yourself, you may do things you regret, you might even think you've thrown everything you care about to the stellar winds. You may even think that you are beyond redemption."

Aries put her head against Libra's once more.

"...but you will never be beyond my care and affection, never ostracized from our family, and even if you hurt us… We will never refuse to take you back."

Libra in tears once again, leaned in to her mother and squeezed her tight.

"Thank you… Please, I want to make things right again…" Her breathing calm and even, Libra's expression settled to somber hope. "For you, and for Stardust."

"For Stardust." Aries let a proud smile show across her snout. Her smile faded into the same somber feeling Libra shared.

"You know what must occur next then…?"

Libra's anxiety spiked, laying her head on her mother's shoulder. "I do… I want nothing more than to gain your trust again, I'll go along with whatever else needs to happen."

Aries held her tightly, her paw on the back of Libra's skull. "I've waited so long to hear that… promise me one more thing."

"Anything."

Aries held her daughter's head to hers.

"Promise me you won't run again…"

Libra, meeting her mother's eyes with serious compassion, nodded slowly.

"Whatever my word means now… I hope you believe me when I say that I wouldn't dream of it. I promise..."

Aries' smile widened. "Thank you…" Her gaze grew bittersweet, preparing herself for a difficult task.

"I have to take you in now… are you ready?"

Libra drew in a deep breath and sighed with resignation.

"I am."

"Okay…" Aries coursed her energy through Libra's mind, coercing parts of her brain and chemical balances to begin a deep shutdown of brain function, essentially driving her comatose in a safe and temporary fashion. Libra's breathing slowed, her eyes drooped and the world seemed to spin, only held in place by her mother. Her voice called from far away:

"I love you, Libra… We'll figure this all out soon. Sleep tight…"

Libra's body fell limp in Aries' arms, her mother holding her tight. Aries' gaze held mournful care, knowing her daughter was back at last. She activated her comm again.

"Caelum, bring the ship to my location." A moment of hesitation caught her words. "...ready the brig."

Caelum faltered for a second. "M-ma'am?"

"You heard me correctly. We have a guest."

-X-

"PRINCE?!"

Boteïn planted his snout in the stone cave wall next to him, Sheratan giving his back a stern WHACK with her tail. Stardust beamed proudly in front of the small choir of dragonets, the two Starwing guards beside him.

"I KNOW RIGHT?!"

After all exchanging bewildered glances, the small herd of dragonets charged the trio of Starwings, mostly fascinated with the other two they weren't familiar with. The great hall bustled with questions and exclamations as the two were flooded with attention.

Stardust escaped the crowd and stood off to the side, watching his fellow students and friends enamored with the strange alien dragons. Turtle, Tamarin (with Anemone following) and Pebble all splintered off to speak to Stardust again.

"They found you!" Turtle's excitement bore awe and mystified curiosity, having no words to express any of this fully. "Star, this is incredible, an entire new race of dragons... Able to chart the stars and navigate the space above, that's just-"

"Nearly too incredible to believe." Tamarin's expression was contemplative, still excited and fascinated. "They sound glad to have found you, and I'm sure you're glad to see them too."

"I am!" Stardust nosed up to all of them gladly. "I might even be the ambassador between our species!"

"Ambassador?!" Anemone stuck her head in the circle upon hearing that. "Star I think that's the best idea I've heard all day, and I don't mean to intimidate you away from it but…" She sat besides Turtle and Tamarin cautiously. "That's a rather… Tall order to fill for one in your position. Being an ambassador just for Seawings towards the other tribes is hard enough… Being one for all our tribes and an alien race you don't know much about (at least not yet) sounds-"

"Like just the right job for him, absolutely." Turtle cut in and shot Anemone a "Don't say that!" look briefly. "If anyone could fill such a role it'd be you."

Anemone piped back up with a sudden change in tone. "Of course! I'm glad you found your people Star, you'll have to introduce us sometime.~"

Stardust smiled and nodded, but the thought she posed was intriguing... And somewhat disturbing as well. Stardust knew not a thing about being a link between peoples, about political correctness or royal stature. The more he mulled over the details, the more his confidence and initial bravery slipped into uncertainty.

Pebble, recognizing this, tugged Stardust's wing and gazed up at him. Stardust's attention focused onto him solely. Pebble signed eagerly and with determination:

P: (Don't feel scared Stardust, you can do anything! I know it!)

Stardust's grin deepened as he signed back.

SD: (Thank you Pebble, you always know what to say.)

P: (I'll support you, okay?)

SD: (Okay. Tell me if you have any questions for the) He stopped for a moment as he tried to think what the sign would be for Starwings, eventually trying what he thought what is was. (Moon dragons?)

Pebble giggled to himself and nodded.

P: (Moon dragons has a nice sound to it. Did you mean Starwings?)

SD: (Yeah, them. Thank you!)

"You do know it's rude to have secret conversations in front of others right?"

Anemone stood with her talons tapping in annoyance. Stardust looked to her with a smirkingly smug grin. "It isn't secret if you learn the language.~"

The Seawing Princess maintained a neutral expression, then turned to Turtle and flashed her glowing markings in Aquatic.

A: (That's why I thought he's royalty, he has that subtle snarkiness. Think he gets it from his mother?)

Turtle shook his head a bit.

T: (I think he gets it from YOU. And he has a point, we can learn that, he can't learn this.)

A: (He can learn to read it, he just can't speak it back. And…) She squinted with a wry smile. (I feel like I should be offended, but I won't.)

Stardust sighed and looked down, having no idea what they were saying. "Point taken."

The two Seawing royals chuckled themselves. Tamarin glanced to them both.

"Now you know how I feel."

The gang bust out laughing for a moment, momentarily interrupted by a demanding young voice. Pike was snout to snout with Boteïn, both looking quite aggressive. Anemone pounced after them, Tamarin following behind.

"PIKE, AT EASE!"

As soon as she left, another voice joined the circle of dragons.

"Well they both seem preoccupied, don't they?"

Stardust whirled around to see Aries besides them. He tackled her mother with the abundant joy of a young dragonet.

"Mom! You're alright! What happened, are you okay? Was there a fight, did you catch them?!"

Aries swept Stardust up and nosed his head gingerly. "It's alright, little one! Things have settled back down, you don't have to worry about anything. I promise you, and I'll tell you all about it later."

The duo's hug tightened some, happily and without a care. Turtle and Pebble prodded forwards, now more so in awe and wonder.

"Wait… M...mom? This is…?"

Stardust pulled Turtle to Aries eagerly. "Turtle, this is my mom!"

Aries bowed her head a bit. "Queen Aries Pulsar, at your service."

Turtle, jaw somewhat agape, stood there for a second before bowing in return. "Prince Turtle, of the Seawing Tribe! A pleasure to meet you my queen."

Aries curiously tilted her head some.

"Tsunami mentioned it before, but… Sea, wing? You are an aquatic based tribe?"

Turtle glanced around some, slight tinge of nervousness on his snout. "...yes?"

"Fascinating… You can breathe underwater then?"

Turtle nodded again. "Yes ma'am."

Aries' curious expression produced a delighted grin. "Astounding! The diversity on this continent in dragons alone is quite remarkable!"

She glanced to Sheratan and Boteïn, seeing hold Boteïn back, Anemone doing the same for Pike. Aries sighed to herself.

"Anything I should worry about?"

Turtle sighed as well. "No, that happens quite often."

Aries held a smile as her wing wrapped around Stardust and Turtle lovingly, Stardust doing the same while his head leaned against her chest. Turtle seemed a bit embarrassed but more grateful than anything. A crackle on Aries comm startled the group.

"My queen, Caelum here."

Aries tapped her wrist. "Go ahead Caelum."

Turtle quietly looked to Stardust mouthing out 'Magic?'

Caelum spoke over the comm again. "Our "guest" has been securely contained."

Queen Aries' momentary silence caught Stardust's attention. "Understood, inform me when they've awakened."

"Aye ma'am."

Aries' comm clicked off, and she clicked at it once more. "Hamal, report."

Static distortion cut through the comm briefly, before Hamal spoke.

"Yes my queen?"

"Have you been discovered, or made contact yet?"

More static, sounding quite like wind. "No ma'am. Haven't even seen another dragon in sight." A moment of silence. "Getting pretty hot out here, no shade. Too long out here and my regulation module might short."

"Understood. We've made contact near the jungle, keep yourself hidden but find your way back to my location. We'll establish a base camp around this area."

"Yes ma'am." Another short moment of silence. "Erm… Might be a bit. There's not a single distinctive feature on these dunes."

Aries exhaled through her nose, the concealed irritation somewhat obvious. "Need I have Caelum give you directions?"

"No my queen, just need a bit of time."

"Just don't take too long. Aries out."

Aries tapped her comm once more. "Mesar, report."

Pebble nosed up to Stardust, looking up at him.

P: (How many different guards does she have snooping around?)

SD: (No clue.)

Aries' comm crackled again, this time a whispered voice spoke.

"Forgive me my queen but I seem to be in a bit of a situation here."

Aries stiffened up a bit. "What do you mean?"

"Well… Remember you said 'I trust you haven't gotten rusty?'"

"Yes…?"

Mesar hung from the wall by his hindpaws, upside down and alone in the Skywing dungeon. His suit was transformed into that of a Skywing's coloration, making him blend in easily. Apparently, not easily enough. He brought the comm to his wrist.

"I uh… appear to have gotten rusty."

"... *Sigh* Alright, what happened? I swear if you've been captured-"

"Of course not! No one can capture me."

He wriggled around in the stocks a bit and grunted.

"...But I have been detained for a short period of time."

Mesar could hear a faint but definitely angered growl.

"Mesar I am going to skin you alive when I find you."

A brief silence passed.

"A figure of speech Stardust, I'm not really going to do that."

Mesar glanced to his comm. "Wait, Stardust? Have you made contact alre-"

Aries spoke over him. "JUST… escape when you can, make sure NO ONE is harmed in your doing so. And REMAIN hidden this time, are we clear?"

"Yes my queen, but-"

Faint yelling and two dragons approaching interrupted him for a moment. "HEY, SHUT UP IN THERE"

Mesar brought the comm to his snout again.

"Gotta go, I'll keep you informed."

Aries groaned out and massaged her temples.

"I knew something like this would happen."

Stardust hugged her from the side tightly. "Hey, don't worry. We'll sort everything out, okay?"

A faint smile lit up the queen's snout, as she hugged back and nosed his head. "Absolutely… Thank you Stardust."

Turtle poked forwards and stood before Aries. "Excuse me erm… Aries? Question."

"Yes, Turtle was it?"

Turtle nodded. "What uhm… What exactly do you intend to do now that you've found Stardust…?"

Aries glanced to Stardust, then Pebble and Turtle.

"Well… First, I need to meet everyone Stardust calls family, I still haven't met all his guardians. Then we can discuss that."

Turtle tilted his head. "You mean you haven't met Clay or Peril yet?"

Aries, curious and worried, looked to Stardust. "Clay? Peril?"

Stardust nodded and skimmed over the crowds of 40+ dragons in the cave. "Yeah, they're like… My mom and dad, my MAIN parents I guess. I dunno, it's complicated. They've been more parental towards me than anyone else, so they'd REALLY want to meet you."

He then looked to Turtle who gave him a quizzical look. "Speaking of which… where are they?"

Stardust shrugged to himself. "Not sure… Only thing they said was that they needed a few days to themselves, and that was two days ago, so I'm not sure what they've been up to."

Aries managed to suppress a knowing smile. "I'm sure they'll be back soon. Couples, especially parents, do need some time to themselves."

"Then we should probably stay here for the meanwhile," Turtle spoke up. "That way when they come back they'll be informed right away."

Aries, glancing out the nearby opening, looked in the distance. "Stardust, what do they look like, Clay and Peril?"

Stardust looked back to Aries. "Well Clay is a Mudwing-" Realizing Aries hadn't an idea what that meant, he retracted his statement. "I mean uh… Orangish brown, big and heavy set. Peril is a little smaller, bright orange and red."

As Aries was still glancing out the opening, Stardust stood besides her. "Why do you ask…"

Stardust and Turtle both glanced to each other as sure enough, Clay and Peril were in the distance over the trees, heading towards Jade Mountain.

"ThAT'S THEM! Mom, go bring your guards over to meet them!"

Aries offered an oddly smirking smile, not used to being ordered around but gladly accepting her son's order. "As you wish.~"

The queenly figure sped off through the crowd, and as she disappeared Clay and Peril suddenly landed. Notably, Peril wore an enchanted harness with an odd item in her chest pocket. Before Stardust could look at it more, Clay literally scooped Stardust off his feet in a bear hug (but with dragons).

"STAR! I missed ya little guy!" He swung him around as Stardust eagerly hugged back, the two back on their feet a second later.

"Dad! Where'd you guys go, what took you so long?"

The two stammered a little as Clay blushed ever so lightly. Peril cleared her throat. "Oh just some of the Seawing beaches…" She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Beautiful this time of year!"

Clay sat besides Stardust and wrapped a wing around him. "We just needed some us time, a day or two of just each other with relaxation and such."

Peril nosed Stardust's snout lovingly. "But hey, we're back now! And we missed you bunches Star.~"

"AND WE HAVE BIG NEWS TOO!" Clay hopped up and cuddled besides Peril.

Stardust, happy to see them together, got in between them to get their attention. "Coincidentally, so do I! Like, really big news!"

Clay put his nose to Stardust's. "You're gonna want to hear this news first.~"

Stardust smiled still, but put his snout forwards a little bit further, trying to serious up more.

"I really think you're gonna want to hear mine first."

Before Clay could respond in return, Peril nosed Stardust to get his attention. As he turned around, he could see what Peril had with her in the pouch.

As she opened the flap, inside sat a slightly burned blanket, cradling a sparkling red and orange dragon egg. Peril's nose nudged Stardust's head again as she said with a break in her voice.

"You're gonna have a baby brother Stardust."

The wonder in Stardust's eyes reflected back as he gazed back to Peril. They hugged again, Clay joining in again. "Told you it was big news.~"

Stardust forced his attention away, then broke off and cleared his throat, still distracted by the added news. "As… As amazing as that is and as incredibly happy as I am, you still really need to…"

Clay and Peril no longer had their attention on Stardust, but their gaze went behind him. He turned around to see Aries and the others standing by his side further behind him. Aries padded forwards.

"Clay and Peril, I presume?" She sat directly besides Stardust. "My name is Queen Aries Pulsar, and Stardust is my son."

The two let their jaws hang slack, looking back and forth between them. Only Clay actually managed to say anything. "H...hi."

Another awkward silence. The whole cave fell silent, the slightest pebble echoing through the chambers. Stardust led them both by the talons towards the other caves. "Perhaps we can talk in private?"

-X-

Still, silence. Clay and Peril sat on the opposite side of Aries, a stone table dividing them. Stardust sat on the side between them with the egg cradled in his arms, rather frustrated at the lack of conversation and the presence of anxious silence.

Clay opened his mouth, to the tension of the other three dragons, only to yawn and look away a little. Aries glanced to Stardust while Peril yawned immediately after.

"OH COME ON" The silence broke at last, Stardust having practically yelled at them both. "This is the biggest thing to ever happen to me, meeting a dragon from space who's also my real mother and also the queen, and no one can say anything?!"

Aries and Peril retorted scoldingly, in the same motherly tone. "Stardust!" As Stardust shut his snout, Peril and Aries looked to each other, a common understanding settling between them. Clay finally spoke up.

"I know Star, but… This is kind of overwhelming."

"Yes, this IS rather a startling revelation, for all of us." Aries spoke up promptly. "Considering this whole situation, their reaction and mine are understandable."

Peril nosed up to Clay while Aries regarded them again. "Still though, you must have hundreds of questions for me."

"And you must have many for us as well, I imagine." Peril looked to Clay, holding his talons, then back to Aries. "Why don't you start? After all, royalty first?"

The queen nodded and took a deep breath. "Okay… Well, my first question…" She settled forwards and thought for a second. Her mind landed on one question in particular.

"...how did you find him?"

"Well," Clay glanced down to the table as he poured over the details of that night. "Me and Peril didn't find him, Moonwatcher did. She said she found Stardust on the landing outside, wrapped in a blanket with a note attached."

Clay looked towards the wooden cabinet that lay across the room. "I should still have them both it actually." He opened up a drawer, one with various toys and treasures of Stardust's childhood. The blanket and note lay buried underneath it all, he gingerly dug it out and handed to Aries.

She fascinatedly stared at the note and black, iridescent blanket. The note's handwriting lay in cursive unmistakably familiar, the blanket being of a Starwing royal tradition and being the most impactful memory drawn from the past.

The moment the fabric made contact with her paw, a minute flash of energy pulsed through her body and mind. An imprint of Stardust's energy left over from their time together had released itself as Aries felt its power. She recoiled slightly, soon to smile to herself after feeling Stardust's energy from when he was in his egg.

"This was his hatching blanket… as it was mine."

Clay offered a smile. "It was his comfort blanket too."

"Was not!" Stardust crossed his arms. "...Maybe a little…"

After pouting for a second, he grabbed his blanket back and held it to his throat along with the egg. Aries' smile deepened as she rubbed Stardust's head gently. "Then it'll be yours still."

Stardust's eyes glinted joyfully, rubbing his head onto Aries' shoulder with a gentle happy trill. He sat back besides Clay and nosed his side, to which Clay wrapped an arm and a wing around his son. Stardust then wrapped the blanket around the egg he cradled.

Aries then picked up the note and read it aloud.

"No Prophecy, No weight on his shoulders, No destiny but what he chooses."

Peril sat besides her, and by heart spoke the last part. "Care for him well, for he is borne of Stardust."

Aries let the paper down and let her gaze drift, processing the note. "Stardust… that's where you got the name?"

Clay nodded. "Again, Moonwatcher's idea."

Aries arched an eyebrow. "I'll have to speak to her again.~"

"You'll like her," Stardust spoke back up after rubbing his snout in his blanket, reunited with the comfort object once more. "She's been my big sister figure, and supported me through everything!"

For a second, Aries' face fell solemn. It picked right back up afterwards. "I think I WILL like her, you needn't convince me little one.~"

Stardust giggled and nosed his blanket again. Aries handed the note back to Peril, who backed up a bit. "Erm…" Clay took the note instead, leaving Aries confused.

"Um… is there something wrong?"

"No, but," Clay stood besides Peril comfortingly. "Peril is a special case."

"I was apparently, born with too much fire, as they say. So, I set fire to everything I touch, except Stardust and Clay who are both immune thankfully." Peril picks up a different piece of paper nearby, which promptly bursts into flames and is reduced to ashes in seconds. Aries blinks a few times and looks to Peril.

"I see! I can't speak for your fiery characteristic, but as for Stardust's heatproofing… That's expected as we Starwings have grown immune to a number of temperature based dangers, save for the most extreme such as stars and magma. So you needn't worry about burning us." Aries held out her hand to Peril. Peril, in return cautiously held her hand out and with a faint sizzling, grasped Aries' hand. Seeing as she didn't spontaneously burst into flame or cry out in pain, Peril sighed and smiled widely.

"Thank you, that eases my worries some."

Aries nodded graciously. "My pleasure. Now..." She gestured to Clay to continue his story.

"Anyways, Moon found him that night, and it was what we called the brightest night. All three of our moons were full, which… isn't supposed to happen for a rather long time. It happened just a few years before this, so something special was definitely going on tonight."

Peril continued after Clay. "We brought the egg in, set it in the moonlight, and… it created this amazing magical effects for a little before it settled down and Stardust hatched that night."

The two smiled at each other in remembrance of that night. "That night," Clay nosed Peril's cheek tenderly. "We vowed to become parents."

Aries watched the two affectionately love on each other, grateful that Stardust learned such affection in his upbringing.

"What you witnessed that night, was a true sight to behold. When powerful dragons are born, expressions of their power are manifested in their immediate surroundings right before they hatch." She remembered back to her daughter. "When they're in delicate environments, things can tend to go wrong. I'm glad you got to experience that, truly a once in a lifetime event."

The duo smiled to themselves, Clay nodding vigorously. "You can say that again."

She settled back down into her spot and resumed her previous royal posture. "Your turn, I believe."

Clay and Peril glanced to each other, and Clay letting out a sigh that betrayed his inner anxiety.

"...How much longer do we have with Stardust before he has to leave?"

"IF I have to leave…?" Stardust looked up to his star-born mother hopefully.

"Ah, that." She settled herself again and sighed. "Well… that is a complicated matter indeed. I do not, at all, wish to take Stardust away from you, he has made his family here. I only ask that he be allowed to meet his genetic family as well."

"We have no problem with that, in fact we'd love for him to meet his family! We'd all like to meet them if they'd like." Peril wrapped a wing around Stardust, tenderly taking the egg back (without the blanket) and stroking it with a caressing touch. The egg seemed to shimmer as it heated up from Peril's touch. A gentle wave of energy thrummed from within. "But… must he leave us to do so?"

Aries' expression shifted with burdened thoughts, only staunch with uncertainty. "...I don't know. There might be a way to bring them here, but there would be many moving pieces that would have to align… if it can happen, then I would absolutely make it so we could stay in constant contact."

Before Stardust could pipe up with a hopeful comment, Aries continued.

"Before we consider that however, there is another topic of relevance." Aries paced around the room. "We Starwings are nomadic, but civilized and evolved to the point where we seek nothing but peace. We have colonized planets, left our genetic pool to evolve in other systems, but such as it was, it only made more problems in the long run. Thusly we've decided to just, be friendly. Our mission, per se, is to be guardians of the stars. Keepers of peace between worlds, any worlds that are able to communicate beyond the confines of their planet and reach out beyond."

Aries turned around from her pacing. "As it stands, your species isn't able to do so. But, you're not alone. Many species have yet to advance to the point of stellar travel, technologically and/or biologically. Those species that cannot do so, we extend an invitation to share our knowledge with them. This sharing goes both ways, an exchange of technology, culture, biology, experience and so much more! Some have felt this to be an incredible opportunity, and some…" Aries stopped, as if remembering gruesome sights.

"...Well, some have bit the proverbial hand, and we were forced to leave them quarantined until they seem more amicable." Aries sat back at the table, the trio of dragons giving their rapt attention.

"Your planet and civilization seem quite amiable, smart and civilized."

Peril forced a laugh and smiled. "I'm sure we do, but trust me we have our problems just like every other species I'd imagine…"

"I've seen much worse." Aries nosed forwards, a twinkle of experienced knowledge and determined hope shone in her eyes. "Your civilization, as I've seen so far, has this magical balance of mutual trust and fellowship, even beyond your differences you've seen and found that it is what's at a dragon's core is what matters most. And that… that alone is something hard fought in most species."

"It was hard fought here too." Clay motioned outside. "We've… just come over a succession war that nearly tore us all apart, put us at each other's throats."

Peril spoke up next. "Not to mention after that, we battled a magical, tyrannical ultra-dragon that was asleep in this very mountain for a good 2000 years, that nearly caused a genocidal wipeout of an entire tribe… we may be at peace now, but this peace wasn't always here."

"I have no doubt of that," Aries responded tactfully. "And I commend you and everyone in Pyrrhia for-" She stopped suddenly and squinted curiously. "...magical…?"

Before she could press further she shook her head as if to change subject.

"My overall point is… this civilization, as I've seen so far is as ready as it'll ever be for a golden age of technology and science, and our people have been longing for an influx of new culture and ideas for much too long…" Aries sighed to herself and padded to the opening of the outside.

"Much too long…"

The trees swayed with a gentle breeze that carried the ocean waves down the shoreline, and washed away the sounds of the jungle and clatter outside.

"...You are blessed by the universe itself to have such a planet as this. We Starwings are bound, in biological and moral terms, to the stars above." She pushed herself back around to the table.

"The only chances we get to enjoy such beauty is when we share some of ourselves with the species we meet along the way. But, again, only if your peoples and heads of governance deem it acceptable. Otherwise, we'd be forced to leave you be for a few of your years and try again. If it works however, we'd stick around for quite some time until we see our work is done."

Clay squinted curiously at Aries. "So… what you're saying is that if the queens of Pyrrhia and the general consensus agrees to it, you guys will stay here for a while and share your advancements with us?"

Aries nodded affirmatively. Stardust nosed forwards with an idea. "So if we get the queens of all our tribes together and agree to this, then I get to experience the best of both worlds?"

Aries nosed back with a wide and proud smile, both contemplative and hopeful. "If that works, then everyone gets to experience the best of both worlds."

"THEN WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR!"

As Stardust tried bounding out the door, Clay held him back and picked him up. "WOAH, hang on! We're not done talking just yet Star, it can wait."

"We're not going to be leaving anytime soon, we have plenty of time." Aries' disposition seemed endlessly happier now that Stardust was excited and eager. "I'm sure we can spare a few more questions before then."

"I have one next." Peril's gaze flicked to Stardust briefly, then back to Aries. "You are a queen, yes? Then that makes Stardust a prince?"

The Starwing Queen nodded with a certain pride as Stardust was mentioned. "He absolutely is." Aries padded over to him, and presented her son in a royal and majestic manner.

"I, Queen Aries Pulsar, present my youngest son, Prince Stardust Nebula." Stardust wrapped the blanket he held around his neck like a cape and posed heroically.

Clay and Peril looked to each other with a surprised yet excited expression.

"Prince?" "Nebula?"

Stardust could've sworn he heard a disgruntled sigh from somewhere else outside the cave. Nevertheless he beamed a smile and struck an authoritative pose.

"Prince Stardust Nebula, son of Queen Aries Nebula, at your service.~"

Clay and Peril's grins could've stretched to the ceilings had they not bound by their snouts. The two wrapped their wings around each other.

"Our little prince." Peril laid her head on Clay's shoulder, who wiped his eyes a bit as he did the same to Peril. Stardust, unable to help himself, rushed forward and embraced the two. Clay and Peril took him in their arms as well, squeezing him tight.

Aries just looked on with a slightly jealous admiration, which quietly settled into a deeply contented gaze of care.

For the first time in a long while, Aries had forgotten about all of her worries just watching her newfound family.

-X- SUNSET -X-

The rest of the day progressed rather similarly, other dragons learning of Stardust's origins while Aries parades him around in a new light. Boteïn was sent back to the shuttle, as his exasperation was beginning to ruin their happy moments.

From then on, Aries was given a tour of the rainforest, Rainwing and Nightwing villages. Dragons in each of the villages were endlessly fascinated with the queen, Sheratan appreciative of their interest but a bit jumpy after a little bit of crowds surrounding them.

Soon the sun dimmed low, Aries queenly demeanor faded into eager curiosity and such intense feelings of being home that she felt like she were a dragonet led around by her father again.

As the sun dimmed ever more, she returned back to Jade Mountain. The dragonets, done with their classes, sat in the grand hall as Aries stood with Sheratan side by side. Sunny and Tsunami had asked Aries to do a short Q&A session so that the curiosities of the students might be pleased. It had been an hour already.

"But, how do you rule with two leaders?! A king and a queen with opposite ideas-" Webs had asked about their methods of rulership with a fascination into their system of government officials.

"The point is that hopefully we will have opposite ideas. We have advisors, yes, but two people in the same position of power going two different ways initially, inevitably forces us both to consider our rule is not absolute and that other options must be considered."

Webs sat there in thought and blinked a few times.

"I guess that does make sense."

Aries smiled. "It works better than everyone thinks."

"Thank you, your majesty."

Sheratan nosed Aries' wing. "My liege, the hour is late and we must return to the ship."

"One more question, then that's it."

Sheratan gave her a stern look. "You said that three questions ago."

Aries turned to the crowd again. "LAST QUESTION!"

The same hand shot up again. "WHAT ARE YOUR OFFENSIVE CAPABILITIES"

The queen sighed. "Pike I will personally take you on a tour of our ships someday to ease your curiosity, but that sort of question I can't answer right now. ANYONE ELSE?"

A few other hands raised themselves, a particular one being a small Nightwing. Aries spotted hers out of the rest.

"The Nightwing behind Barracuda?"

Fearless hopped up and in front of Barracuda, a grand old smile on her snout.

"Hi, Fearless here. Um… My question is: How long do you plan on staying?"

Aries thoughtfully smiled and glanced around at all the students in the room.

"An excellent question. Truth be told, I don't know… that all depends on how welcome we are, not just by you all but by all of Pyrrhia."

A few scattered objections of how the Starwings could never be unwanted rose up, and were quickly silenced by Aries holding her paw up.

"That being said, because of my son's upbringing here, I cannot simply tear him away. I want to learn as much of this planet as possible and contribute as much as is allowed before we must eventually depart. When exactly that'll be, nobody can know. But I do promise you this: We will do everything in our power to cultivate a deep founded trust between the Starwings and Dragons of Pyrrhia!"

As if on cue, the students and a few faculty burst into applause, cheering the two on. Aries bowed to the crowd, as she and Sheratan padded off the sturdy wooden stage through the halls. Sunny popped back up after them.

"Alright, that about does it for today, I'm sure Queen Aries has a busy day tomorrow, so let's let her get some sleep. That wraps up today's classes, I ask that everyone please leave Stardust and the Queen alone for the rest of the day."

Tsunami sat besides her. "Or else."

"Or else!" Sunny beamed a smile as Tsunami's usual Principal like demeanor reflected the opposite, as usual. The crowd seemed to die down after that.

"Thank you. You're dismissed!"

-X-

"You are so lucky to have this planet."

Sheratan, Aries, Stardust and Moonwatcher all lay side by side together, the same cliff that Aries found Libra earlier in the day. They all lay down on the smooth stone, enjoying the view of one magnificent sunset. The waters burned with an intense orange glow, making its way to brighter yellows and eventually the reflection of the sun itself.

Sheratan turned to Moon and Stardust. "Seriously, you take it all for granted but it's incredible here! You've got it all, biodiversity, climatic diversity, seasonal rotation, even the atmospheric composition is almost perfect!"

"I have no idea what most of that means, but thank you?" Moonwatcher regarded Sheratan with a confused smile, to which Sheratan laughed and nearly rolled over. Aries tapped Moon with her wing.

"It means you have a beautiful home, and it will more than likely stay that way for millenia to come."

"Ah, thank you! I can't take credit for any of it but I enjoy it too."

Stardust nosed both Moon and Aries gently. "I enjoy it too, but for me the best part is always going to be the dragons around me, more than where I am." He held both their talons with a smile. Moon wrapped a wing around Stardust, as did Aries too. Moon and Aries turned to each other, Moon with a slightly guilty expression.

"Your highness, I have to apologize again for earlier. My mistrust was planted by an event that took place before our meeting and shouldn't have made me suspicious of you. I have no ill feelings towards you or any of your guards, and I hope you can forgive me..."

"Moon, you needn't apologize. I understand your reaction fully." Aries padded over to in front of Stardust and Moon. "I've had much worse reactions to our presence in the past, believe me. It was… refreshing to have a change in perception."

Moon's guilt lessened, eased by the queen's words. Suddenly she heard the queen's voice in her head.

'As for the mind abilities, I don't mind if you use them to communicate with me secretly. But it's common courtesy to not look inside other dragon's minds without permission. You won't look in mine, I won't look in yours. Are we clear?'

Moon nodded quickly and respectfully.

'Yes ma'am. I understand.'

'You realize I can still hear you guys, right?'

Moon and Aries instantly snapped their attention to Stardust. 'I have mind powers too, remember?'

'I suppose we can't keep any secrets from you can we?~' Aries nosed Stardust's head gingerly, then Moon's. Moon nosed back.

'Don't worry, he couldn't keep any secrets even if he tried.~'

'Hey!' Stardust glared at Moon for a second. '...Only sometimes.~'

Aries nudged the two again, secretly gesturing to Sheratan.

'At least Sheratan won't have a clue what we're talking about.~'

The trio giggled and collapsed in on each other in a pile of cuddles. Sheratan languished by the sidelines, propping her head in her talons.

"I'm willing to bet anything you three are talking about me."

Their giggles broiled into full on laughing fits. The four talked and talked all through the sun's departure from the sky, landing finally into the indigo waters. As night set in a bit, the four laid on their backs and gazed at the stars. From a ways away, you could even see the ship hiding under the water by the view ports on its sides. Moon and Stardust yawned, Aries and Sheratan still wide awake.

"Getting tired little ones?" Aries wrapped her wings around the two, Moonwatcher nodding as Stardust looked up to his mother.

"Do Starwings get sleepy? Or is that just me?"

Aries shrugged. "Sleep cycles are based on the day and night cycles of whatever planet or system you've lived in for a while, so we may get tired when you're wide awake. Personally, I don't sleep for very long periods of time, more like two or three hours then I'm awake for a good eight or nine hours. But YOU two, sleep differently. So therefore!"

She stood to her feet, and nudged the two sleepy dragonets. "Off to bed with you both, we'll talk again in the morning okay?"

Stardust nudged Moon to her feet as he looked up to Aries. "But mom, what about you…?"

Aries smiled and nosed Stardust's head. "Fear not little one, we'll never be far apart. The farthest I may go is our ship orbiting above, but you can easily reach that, yes?"

Stardust nodded and sighed. "Yes… but, I don't… we just…"

He planted his head against Aries' shoulder. "...I don't want to leave you yet… you just got here, and I'm not ready to let go..."

Sheratan prodded up, sitting besides the three. "Stardust, we're not going anywhere without you, don't you worry about that."

Aries, understanding that feeling all too well, wrapped Stardust in a tight and protective hug.

"Neither am I… we'll never be far apart little one, even if we're galaxies away." She tilted his head to meet hers, touching heads as Aries soothed Stardust's mind with her energy.

"For tonight, you can come with us to our ship if you'd like. Meet your father, see what Starwing ships are like on the inside… we'll be whole again."

Stardust, slightly weepy eyed and homesick again, sniffled and nodded slowly. "Okay… Thank you mom."

Sheratan padded to the edge of the cliff. "Shall I prep the shuttle for departure my queen?"

Aries, glancing up then down at Stardust, cheekily smiled to herself.

"No, we'll go solo."

Stardust's ears perked up at her response. Sheratan did as well, somewhat shocked and concerned.

"Come again ma'am?"

"You heard me, we'll fly to it." Aries nosed Stardust's head some. "You've been up there before, if we catch the rays of the sun as we reach the atmosphere we'll be just fine won't we?"

Stardust pointed to the moons as well. "Yeah! The moons too, they work just as well!"

"There you have it," Aries smiled to Sheratan. "We'll be just fine. I need you to stay with the shuttle for now, Boteïn and Caelum have some debriefing for you. We'll meet at first light tomorrow at Jade Mountain. Understood?"

Sheratan, obviously not very pleased about this, resignedly bowed and nodded. "Yes, my queen." She smiled at Stardust pleasantly. "Good night, Stardust."

Before he had a chance to say anything else, Stardust was hugged by Moon.

"Star I'm so excited for you! Don't you worry about me, we'll all be here when you get back. Just go meet everyone, okay?"

The two hugged tight and pressed noses together affectionately.

"Okay, just don't do anything fun without me.~"

Moon smiled warmly. "Wouldn't dream of it."

Sheratan nodded to the trio. "Moon, Stardust, my queen: good night."

After the rounds of good nights were passed around, Sheratan dove towards the ocean, spreading her wings as to avoid the sharp rocks below, and pristinely plunged into the waves. Stardust and Aries looked upwards at the moons, two were full and the other half lit.

"Well," Aries touched wingtips with Stardust. "Shall we?"

Stardust looked back to Moon with a glint of hesitation in his expression.

"I'll let everyone know where you are," Moon replied in assurance. "I'll see you soon, okay?"

The two nodded as she headed back to the mountain. Stardust called out to her. "Good night Moon!"

Moon called back. "Good night!"

And then the two royal Starwings were alone on the cliff. The waves washed over the shoreline calmly, the three moons' gravity smoothing out the waters. Stardust stole a breath of crisp air from the night and readied himself.

"Okay, I'm ready."

Aries tenderly hugged Stardust and planted a soft smooch on his forehead. "You won't regret it little one, it will be amazing. I promise."

Stardust expression of hesitant anxiety melted into affirmed excitement.

"Then let's get going!"

The two leapt over the edge of the cliff and spread their wings, thrust into the skies above. Night had settled over the continent by then, the mountain settling into their caves. All except a few.

-X- TWILIGHT -X-

Moonwatcher quietly walked through the dark cave hallways, moonrays lighting up the floor from the carved out windows on the sides. She peeked in each cave, making sure they were all soundly sleeping, which to no one's surprise, nobody was. She stepped inside the cave that Anemone, Tamarin and Ostrich all shared. They were up talking in utter fascination about their new visitors.

"Girls, we gotta get some rest. I know it's been exciting and all but we still have classes tomorrow."

Ostrich groaned out and flopped back. "Come on, you saw how cool the queen was!"

Anemone sat up a bit more and followed up. "How can anyone sleep after we just get encounter from literal space dragons?"

Moon sighed to herself. "As true as that is, at least try. For me."

"Can we at least stay up until we get tired?" Tamarin thoughtfully input. "No use trying to sleep if we're still all fired up."

"Yeah! Just until we get sleepy!" Ostrich rolled besides Anemone, as Tamarin sat wingtip to wingtip with her as well.

Moon nodded with a smile. "Alright, don't stay up too late though."

Anemone smirkingly taunted her: "Who made you boss of us?~"

Moon, half way out the door, turned back with her head peeking in: "Clay made me an official nighttime hall monitor, so hush! Good night!"

She left the cave full of giggling dragonets, passing the few other caves lit up. She stopped finally at her own cave, with Kinkajou fast asleep and Turtle with his snout buried in a scroll. Moon smiled and was about to step in, but noticed Stardust's cave was still lit.

'Better blow out the lights in there.'

As she padded inside Stardust's cave, she stopped suddenly to see Peacemaker waiting. Peacemaker whirled around to find Moon standing there.

"Moon!" He rushed over to meet her as Moon padded in slowly.

"Peacemaker? What happened, why are you here?"

Peacemaker's stressed eyes and nervous tics intensified as he brought her towards the back of the cave. "I needed to talk to Stardust… where is he?"

Moon sat besides him, shoulder to shoulder. She always made him feel safe and comfortable when she was in contact with him, and considering what he'd been through in the past few years he'd been very appreciative. This time though, it didn't seem to work very well.

"He's with his mom, in that… ship thingy that's in the sky. He's spending the night there."

Hearing that news, Peacemaker growled to himself and gently banged his head against the cave wall. "Dang it!"

"Why, what's wrong?"

Peacemaker gulped hard, knowing how Moon was about the mention of Darkstalker.

"Well… Can you… look into my head…? It'd be easier to explain that way."

Now more curious than worried, Moon peeked her mind inside Peacemaker's troubled head. She felt none of the memories that filled his head, they were all seemingly gone.

'The memories are gone!' Having learned a few techniques from Stardust, Moon spoke inside Peacemaker's head. 'That's great, why is that a bad-'

'Because they made something else instead.'

As many times as Moonwatcher had been terrified in the past, nothing that happened could be classified as something that legitimately made her heart drop. For the first few seconds, the voice she heard wasn't Peacemaker's, so she thought she heard something else from outside the cave. But as she got a more visual mental image in her head, all the pieces fell into place to form an image that made her stomach churn and her heart nearly stop deathly still.

'No, that can't… you're not…'

She took a step back, now looking at Peacemaker. "Peacemaker he died… he couldn't have."

Inside both their minds, Darkstalker spoke again.

'The distinction is, I simply existed inside of him. I just woke up.'

Peacemaker raised his paws to Moon defensively.

"Moon he can't do anything, he's powerless. I'm not going to let him do anything to anyone."

'But I have my words, and that's all I need.'

Moon spoke back to Darkstalker through Peacemaker's head.

'Except this time, you have no one to do your bidding.'

Moon concentrated and cut off all mental abilities for a short while, not even giving Darkstalker the chance to say anything else. She spoke consolingly to Peacemaker.

"Peace… how long?"

He embraced Moon and squeezed gently. "Just last night… he's been annoying me all day, but he's just as disgruntled as I am."

Moon offered a smile to lighten up the situation. "Disgruntled? That's a word I never thought I'd hear you use.~"

"Heh… yeah… his words, not mine..."

"Ah…" The two silently hugged it out for a good long while, Peacemaker finally breaking the silence.

"Moon, can I sleep with you tonight… I need someone else who can hear this voice in my head."

Moon nodded slowly. "Okay… just you and me?"

Peacemaker nodded in unison. "Yeah... because I won't be able to sleep like this for now…"

"Okay, I understand…" Moon and Peacemaker settled in on the floor, snuggled into each other. Peacemaker squeezed himself against Moon again.

"Moon, do… do you hate me now…?"

As Moon was about to affirmingly answer, she noticed it was as if Peacemaker was trying to mentally talk back inside his head. "Well… what does Darkstalker say?"

Peacemaker exhales sharply. "He says you're too smart and caring to let your hate for him make you hate me too."

"Well…" Moon nosed his head tenderly. "As much as I hate to say it, he's right. I can hate him for all eternity, but I'll never hate you Peacemaker… you're two different dragons, no matter who came from who, you're still gonna be the best dragon on the whole of Pyrrhia."

The distressed Peacemaker took another deep breath and settled further into Moon.

"Thank you Moon… it means the world…"

Moon finally settled around Peacemaker as well. "Of course… you're gonna be okay."

"...really…?"

"I promise…"

The two finally fell asleep, the whole of the mountain sleeping with them.

-X-

PHWOOSH

Water seeped out of the pressurization chamber, as Sheratan shook herself off and let the pressure drying sequence begin. Once dry, the cool inside of the cabin welcomed her. Caelum sat at the Data Screens, going through endless piles of information and compiling it into useable knowledge. Boteïn had just come out of the decontamination chamber, his suit module set aside.

"Well! There you are, have fun up there?"

Sheratan pressed a button on the side of her suit module, as the microlayer of skin-like material phased away into nothingness. She put the module inside her cubby space.

"Absolutely! This place is just gorgeous, and everyone is so nice! Like, even as a stranger in the Nightwing village, I felt strangely at home. It's… weird but I'm definitely not complaining!"

Sheratan took a deep breath and shook herself off. "You done with the decon chamber?"

Boteïn nodded and stretched some. "Yeah go ahead. And I'm glad you're liking it, personally it's a little too… open for me. The mountain was great, those cave systems are like nothing I've ever seen before. Everything else is giving me flashbacks of our encounter with the Kaurtillians."

As Sheratan headed into the decontamination chamber, her voice carried over.

"Oh those guys. Sheesh, I still have nightmares."

Caelum, still forming his data, spoke while running through the calculations. "I'd only heard stories about that race, are they true?"

"The rumors they eat their prey while keeping it alive? No, they're too violent for that." Boteïn sat into one of the chairs and grabbed a data pad. "The rumors that they'll try to assimilate anyone or anything even outside their species? Yeah that's true."

Sheratan poked her head out the decon chamber. "You can ask Mesar about that one, he can confirm."

Boteïn chuckled to himself. "Poor Mesar."

Caelum shivered. "Jeez."

Boteïn set the pad down, remembering what Aries told him to brief Sheratan on. "Hey Sher, when you're done I need to brief you on something."

Sheratan shook herself of any antibacterial fluid and met Boteïn. "What's up bowtie?"

Caelum couldn't hold back a laugh in time. "Bowtie?!"

Boteïn threw his head back with a guttural sigh.

"YES, har har bowtie. My nickname, as everyone keeps reminding me." He shot Caelum a dirty look and led Sheratan to the small brig section. She grimaced a bit.

"Ah… our rogue element."

"Yeah…" Boteïn seemed awfully quiet at that statement. "We have… an important dragon to guard."

An opaque forcefield prevented the dragon inside from being anymore than a faint silhouette. As Boteïn changed the force field parameters, it changed to a white tinged field of energy. The dragon inside was a Starwing, without a doubt Princess Libra. Sheratan nearly fell back as she recognized that face as Skygazer from before, but couldn't believe that was her.

"Libra…? She was here this whole time under our noses?"

Boteïn nodded solemnly. "Yes… for right now she's unconscious, and from what Aries described, she came willingly."

Sheratan rose to her feet again. "You mean she surrendered herself? What about her fleet?"

"No word yet," Boteïn shook his head. "But I get the feeling we'll find out soon."

Sheratan turned to Boteïn with a serious and concerned expression. "Boteïn, they'll surely have her executed… and just as we've found Stardust too. How'll he take that?"

"I don't think Aries or Orion would let that happen, they love both Libra and Stardust too much to consider it."

Sheratan's expression didn't budge an inch. "Orion does what is best for his people, regardless of what it may be. And Aries might fight, but even she can't deny what's happened…" She teethed on her talons in thought. "How sure are you?"

Boteïn sighed to himself. "I'm not, but I refuse to believe that Libra would make up with her mother just for Aries turn her back like that. That's not what she'd do, Sheratan."

"But what if-"

Sheratan's sentence was cut short just as a groaning from the cell was heard. Libra groggily turned around and stumbled to her feet.

"Mmmngh… what…"

She looked around, seeing the inside of a containment cell, a padded bench and the two dragons outside her cell. Sheratan and Boteïn bowed shortly and respectfully.

"Princess."

Libra smiled to herself. "Haven't heard that in a while."

Boteïn offered a smile. "It hasn't been that long has it…?"

Stretching and groaning out softly, Libra retorted: "I was gone for a whole 0.4832 GC (Four years, 9 months, 23 days). I counted every day…" Libra glanced to them and rubbed her head. "How long was I out…?"

Boteïn spoke up helpfully. "About 6 hours. It's just barely night time."

"Not long then… I understand."

As she rose to her feet, Libra glanced between the two with a resigned and slightly guilt ridden expression. "I expect you have questions…?"

Boteïn and Sheratan exchanged troubled glances, while Sheratan replied.

"I have just one…" She stepped towards the field some. "...why come back…?"

She noticed Libra's glance fall to the floor, weighed down with sorrow.

"Same reason I took him in the first place, for his safety. I originally was going to take him back, take him far away, but then… I thought 'How could I?' I'd already taken him from everything he should've known about himself, how could I tear him away from the family he's come to know, much less deny him his family he should've grown up with?" She paced the small cell, back and forth.

"He deserves to know where he comes from, and I can't protect him forever."

Boteïn believed she wasn't telling them something, but spoke up once more. "So, you still believe he's in danger?"

"I think that whatever was threatening the Starwing FreeClan before is still at large, only in the shadows. What's happened since I've been gone…?"

The two guards glanced to each other and shook their heads. "Nothing."

Libra, startled by this news, pressed forwards as far as she could. "Nothing at all…?"

Before they could confirm, Caelum spoke up from his chair. "Well, there WAS that incident with Fornax."

Sheratan perked up a bit. "That's true… a couple years back, Fornax apparently discovered Stardust's astral signature, but decided that Orion shouldn't have been informed yet. Orion never found out until he confronted Fornax about it, and Fornax displayed the same symptoms as the brain death killings you spoke passionately about."

Libra sat back down, her mind reeling. "...They wanted Stardust to stay hidden… Heavens above, I AM an idiot…"

Sheratan sternly glared at Libra. "Princess, no you are NOT. You did what you thought was best for him, regardless of those consequences." Her gaze softened. "That's familial love, that you displayed."

"Perhaps you're right…" Libra layed down on the padded bench, lying on her back. "Perhaps I only made things worse…"

"Princess," Boteïn interjected Libra's self pity. "No one can know that for sure."

Libra, with Boteïn's words, snapped herself out of her pit of self deprecation.

"Thank you… erm, Bowtie, was it?"

Despite the somber atmosphere, Sheratan actually did fall over with laughter this time, while Boteïn stood there and sighed to himself. "Boteïn, Princess. Boteïn."

Libra managed to smile, despite her situation. She turned back around and drew a deep breath.

"Boteïn, have you met Stardust…?"

"I have, why do you ask?"

Libra paused for a second, as if to contemplate whether she should say what was on her mind or not.

"...do… do you think he'll forgive me…?"

Boteïn stammered for a second, but spoke up after. "I-I uhm… I really can't say, I haven't gotten to know him yet."

Sheratan nosed him, as if to say "hush". She spoke up next.

"Princess, for as short a time as I've known him and for what little I've seen of his personality, I can say but one thing for certain…" She got as close as she could without the field zapping her back.

"I know he will."

-X-

Stardust and Aries floated into the cosmic void effortlessly, using their Astral powers to propel them forwards. The two danced around each other gracefully, happily and without a care in the whole of the stars.

'You've been practicing haven't you?'

Stardust beamed a smile. 'Always! You shoulda been there when I first told my mother I went out in space.'

'I imagine they were surprised!'

'That was a crazy day, but they were understanding of my powers and such, and I'm grateful for that.'

'As am I, I'm so glad you were allowed to explore your powers.'

The two drifted further away from the planet. Stardust glanced around the stars.

'Where's the ship…? I don't see it anywhere.'

Aries held up one finger, as if to say "Watch this." She pressed a finger on her module, as a small bubble filled around her head to fill with air. She took a deep breath, and sighed as the module crackled with another voice. Stardust could hear it in his mind, from Aries.

"Yes my queen?"

She spoke clearly and with authority. "Disengage cloaking field, we're entering manually."

The amount of incredulity and disbelief on the other end was humorous to say the least.

"Manually? You and the prince came up here without the shuttle?!"

Aries voice became more proper and slightly threatening.

"IS there a problem Sadr?"

"N-no ma'am, just was expecting you to come back with a ship is all. Decloaking in progress."

"Thank you."

Aries blew out all her breath as the bubble collapsed. She pointed towards a specific spot in front of the nearest moon, the blue backdrop familiar to Stardust. Where there should've been a ship there was however nothing. Stardust gestured to Aries quizzically.

'There's nothing there?'

Again, Aries held a finger up signalling to wait.

And slowly but surely, a distortion in the area she was pointing in seemed to give way to a massive black object floating in the void. Once it was entirely uncloaked, the massive cruiser seemed to be nearly a quarter the size of the moon behind it. Stardust couldn't breathe or intake air, but he was trying his best as the sheer size of the vessel overwhelmed him.

The ship, with the painted engraving on the side, "SWFC STARCASTLE" was probably the biggest thing Stardust had ever seen in his entire life. Long and sleek, it seemed to be in the form of an elongated dragon body, no extremities like legs or wings or even a neck, just oblong and astonishingly massive. Even Jade Mountain seemed to falter at this behemoth of a ship. It's hull was entirely jet black, save for a few white stripes running down the length of it. View ports dotted it's sides, two slots for smaller shuttles to run in and out lay on opposite sides of each other. A small dome structure with viewports across it's top ridge stood out to Stardust.

By the time he'd finished looking at it, he didn't even realize Aries was halfway to the ship by then. He scrambled to catch up with her, and nearly ran into her as she reached one of the air hatches.

'This thing is… I don't even have the words to describe it! How did you even make something like this?!'

Aries pressed a button on the side of the airlock as she held onto Stardust.

'I'll show you how these ships are made someday, I promise.~'

She opened the airlock as they floated inside. Immediately the airlock closed as the pressurization kicked in. The gravitational systems balanced out as they landed on the floor again, Aries feet first but Stardust face planted into the floor. She helped him up as they both regained their sense of direction.

"Whoah... how… what…"

Aries encouraged him to keep talking but Stardust just couldn't.

"...I'm just not gonna ask how, because I get the feeling it's way over my head."

"Well," Aries smiled and helped him towards the door. "Hopefully not for long."

The two stepped into a massive entrance zone, brilliantly lit with pillars of light hanging from a domed ceiling. It seemed to be decorated and functional as a gathering point or auditorium, Stardust would've even called it a ballroom. It could even have passed for Icewing Architecture, had it not all been a sleek black. Stardust wandered around, the floor engraved with intricate designs and such.

Stardust's gaze went up and up and up, suddenly finding himself on his back.

"Woah… What is this place?"

Aries, feeling humorous and giddy, laid besides Stardust as well.

"A fanciful hall we use for various purposes, sometimes political gatherings sometimes for parties and celebrations. This ship is the largest in our fleet besides the Home Ship, and it's a political envoy meant to house ambassadors and royalty, even carry up to 500 dragons if needed."

Aries shrugged to herself. "So we said "Why not have a fancy ballroom?" It's always ready and it makes a lovely centerpiece."

"I guess so!" Stardust flipped over again. "Is the rest of the ship as fancy as this?"

"Heavens no, I don't think we can spare enough dragons on the upkeep if we did." The two stood back up and headed towards an exit towards the rest of the ship. "The rest of the ship is much more practical, but the main parts are more grand compared to the smaller halls and rooms."

The sliding doors hissed open, to the astonishment of Stardust. "Automatic doors?! That's crazy! How come we haven't thought of that?"

Aries seemed like a dragonet again, giggling and having a grand time with her son.

They crossed through the almost equally large cafeteria/auditorium, with doors along the walls likely acting as barracks for troops. A platform and railing hung along both sides of the walls, more doors along their length.

"Wow… How many more rooms are there like this?"

Aries drew Stardust to the opposite of the room they entered, now walking down a hallway down the rest of the ship. A third of the ships length lay straight ahead, making the hallway quite a dizzying length.

"Of grand and spacious rooms, only three, two of which are launching bays. We're going to see the last room worth seeing for now. It's right down this hallway."

She bumped Stardust's shoulder gently. "Race you there?"

Stardust was a bit taken aback by the request? "You, a royal and noble queen, want to race me?"

Aries began to take an overblown and fake royal posture. "Well if you want to walk, we can walk nice," She said as her walking speed grew slower and slower. "And slooowwwwwwwwww…"

Stardust pounced ahead suddenly, overtaking Aries easily. "BET I CAN BEAT YA"

Immediately Aries galloped along with Stardust. "FINISH LINE IS THAT GLASS FLOORING!"

The thumping of talons across the floor echoed well around the halls. A few heads peek out to find the two royals racing down the halls as if dragonets again. In a minute flat, the two had crashed into each other laughing and went in separate directions, as Stardust looked down to see a rather large glowing object through the glass flooring.

As he got up and got a closer look, he saw contained in a massive reflective chamber, a miniature White Dwarf Star.

Stardust peered even closer, unable to believe his eyes.

"M-mom, is that…?"

As he looked around, Aries was nowhere to be found. Only a door beside him lay open. Thinking that's where she went, he barreled down the stairs to the Stellar Control lab. More data panels and odd machines stood in the circular room than he could count as the ring-like room enveloped the shimmering star. Stardust just went around the room in a trance, gazing at the star from closer than he'd ever seen one before.

Oblivious to his surroundings, he totally didn't notice the two bored looking Stellar Scientists on the data pads. Only after they starting prodding up him did he notice the two dragons.

"Hey, this is a restricted area, y'know." The taller one explained.

The smaller one backed her up. "I'm afraid you can't-"

Stardust turned suddenly, and got their attention. They stopped in their tracks.

"Prince Nebula…?"

Stardust rubbed the back of his head. "H-hey, I'm sorry, I'm kinda new here." He bowed respectfully as he saw Aries do before. "And yes, Prince Stardust Nebula."

The two immediately fell down on their talons.

"Please forgive us Prince!" "We did not know!"

Stardust helped them back up. "Hey, hey hey hey it's alright! No big deal!"

The two returned to their feet, looking to each other. The taller one nosed forwards. "Forgive us Prince, we heard of your return but we didn't expect you to be on the ship so soon!"

Stardust smiled warmly. "Neither did I! May I have your names?"

The two dragons, the taller one with pink and orange scales flowing down her back, and the smaller with purple and blue down hers, stridently presented themselves in unison.

"Our name is Ascella."

Stardust sat there confused. "Our name…?"

The two smiled knowingly, the taller speaking first. "We are twins, A Binary Pair. Our minds are connected in Astral energy, so we're bound together no matter how far apart we are." The other spoke in sequence. "Thusly, we share the same name as well."

After the shorter one, the taller one spoke immediately again as if on cue. "If it makes things easier, I am Ascella Alpha and she is Ascella Beta."

"As you always like to tell everyone."

"It's true though! I'm the oldest.~"

"By twenty seven seconds!"

"So? Still older."

Stardust had no sufficient words for his awestruck reaction, simply leaving his maw open. He snapped out of it and shook his head some. "N-nice to meet you, but have you seen my mother? We came on together and got separated… somehow… and I'm pretty much lost without her…"

The Ascellas looked to each other briefly, then back to Stardust. "Bridge."

"Wait what? What bridge?"

"The Bridge is where we give commands to the ship and where the dragons who pilot it usually reside." Alpha helpfully denoted.

"If anyone is there, it'll either be Queen Aries or the acting officer on board."

Stardust perked up excitedly. "Thanks!" As he started off, he realized he hadn't any idea where he was going. He turned back around.

"Erm… h-how do I get there?"

Beta turned to the nearby panel on the wall. Pressing a talon to a single button, the panel let out a single, soft tone.

"Display visual directions to Command Bridge."

It let out the same tone again, with another higher pitched tone at the end. Then, along the wall, a stripe of white light lit the way across the hallways. Stardust inspected it curiously and followed it along. He turned back and waved.

"Thank you Ascella!" He ran down the hall before peeking in once more. "And… other Ascella!"

The two smiled to themselves. Stardust swore he heard Beta say something along the lines of "He seems nice."

As he raced down the hall following the line, it stopped at a rounded glass door, the inside hollow and well lit. The line seemed to go inside, once he stepped forwards the glass doors parted to let him in.

Stardust stood inside and glanced around, nothing to do in this tiny room. A small panel however, displayed the words "Input Destination".

"Input Destination…?" At his saying that the same tone he heard earlier played inside the room. Thinking back to what Ascella did, he cleared his throat some.

"Uh… Bridge?"

The two tone sequence played as the room began moving upwards, to Stardust's complete surprise as he stumbled backwards. The room ceased as it reached its destination with a single higher pitched tone, the glass doors sliding open again. Stardust gathered himself up, and paced into the hallway. The smaller hallway was lined with thick metal doors that were definitely not glass, having odd markings on each of them and none of which he recognized. He immediately felt lost again.

"Uh oh…" He looked around for the line he was following, of which it was nowhere to be found. As he surveyed the doors, only one had any words: "Authorized Access Only".

"Well… that sounds promising."

Only problem was the door had an odd grid-like panel to the right side. As Stardust tried to get closer, it emitted a low and quick three tone beep at him, the grid panel flashing momentarily. The grid then showed an image of a dragon's pawprint, prompting Stardust to put his paw to the scanner.

As he kept it there, a single line paced up and down the screen for a second. The scanner ceased functioning for a good four seconds, as if running through it's database. Then it displayed a name, or rather, four different names at once, oddly. He could read "Prince", "Queen", and "King", but that was about it. After another short tone, the doors whooshed open.

Stardust hesitantly stepped inside, the interior of the Bridge being so serious and fascinating. Glowing panels occupied every section of the room, one giant screen to his immediate right. A main chair with two by its side were center stage, two more panels with seats on both sides of it. Only one other dragon stood in the room, a smaller female with blue-green scales down her back. She didn't turn to look at him, but rather sipped her drink as she reviewed some data on a pad.

"Yes my liege?"

Stardust, having no idea what to do, just sat there with a vacant and slightly terrified expression. "Hi…?"

The dragon seemed quite confused and turned around. "Hello? Is something-"

She nearly dropped her cup as she recognized Stardust. She put her pad and drink down on the panel. "Stardust!"

Stardust smiled politely and sheepishly. "Yes! Erm… do I know you?"

The dragon stepped a bit closer and bowed to him respectfully. "I-I'm Tau, Acting General for the ship at the moment. I've been… erm, watching you from up here, I was informed of your discovery and…" She offered a rather sincere smile, which put Stardust at ease. "Honestly I'm just surprised you're standing here, I wasn't expecting you to be here so soon!"

"If I'm being honest neither was I." Stardust cleared his throat nervously. "Um… I came with my mother, and we kinda got separated, and… is she here?"

Tau shook her head. "Nope, not up here, but how about this…" She input a few commands on the panel nearby. "She must be looking for you, so what if you wait in her room until she gets here? It's just right around the corner, I'll contact her and let her know you were here and where you are now, ok?"

The idea made Stardust feel like a lost little dragonet again, lost in a big town and waiting for Peril or Clay to find him. He nodded and turned out the door. "Okay… Thank you Tau."

She waved happily and excitedly. "Sure thing Stardust, it was nice meeting you!"

He smiled politely again, then made his way out the door. Only thing now was, he totally didn't know what door to go through.

"Right around the corner? Then let's try…" Stardust tried using the door panel immediately next to the Bridge, to no avail. The next few doors as well only led to the same beeping at him.

All this overwhelming technology and such only made Stardust feel a lot smaller, as if he didn't belong anywhere near this stuff. That line of thinking only made him further depressed, knowing he was supposed to be a princely figure and probably good with all this. Anemone's words came reeling back to him:

'Being an ambassador just for Seawings towards the other tribes is hard enough… Being one for all our tribes and an alien race you don't know much about…'

The more he tried putting that thought from his mind the more it seemed to return. Dejectedly, he tried one last door, this one with a quite intricate design on the front. A circle encompassed a starry field of black, a silhouette of a dragon's head and wings across it; he noticed the same symbol across the hull of the ship, so it probably was important. Besides that, he had an oddly good feeling about it.

As he approached the door, the frame around it pulsated just a bit, then froze the same way as the scanner. The door let out a different tone this time, longer and more pleasant. As he stepped inside, the room was dim and rather small, cozy and welcoming. A view out to the stars encompassed the whole back wall, making the black and grey interior seem more spacious. He looked around to find the inside of what seemed to be a bedroom, a few pieces of comfortable looking furniture, including a section of the wall that Stardust was particularly fascinated with. A hollowed out section of the wall which had strange emitters at the top and bottom engulfed the space between them with serene light that had a strangely warm glow to it.

As Stardust was marvelling the area, another door to the side of him whooshed open, a larger and ever so slightly scary dragon with a data pad strode through with a concerned and slightly worried face. All that changed the instant his multicolored eyes landed on Stardust.

Stardust backed up some, still feeling like a lost little dragonet.

"I-I'm sorry, I just, I was lost and didn't know where to go and-"

Before Stardust could ramble any further, the intimidating dragon set his pad down and padded slowly and in somewhat of a curious daze towards Stardust. His voice came out as low and gravelly but in a calmingly warm manner.

"You needn't apologize, little one." He seemed to inspect Stardust up and down with both pride and wonder. Stardust looked up to him, both confused and hopeful.

"Are… are we related?"

The dragon nodded with a wide and emotional smile. "We are indeed." He lay his talon tenderly on Stardust's cheek. "What is your name, my child?"

Stardust, somewhat entranced and ever so curious now, just stared back at him. "S… Stardust… sir…P-Prince Stardust Nebula."

The dragon nodded and enveloped Stardust in a tight and protective hug. "Stardust… You don't know how long I've wanted to have you in my arms like this…"

Stardust, a couple million thoughts running through his head, studied this oddly emotional dragon more thoroughly. He had a quite strong feeling about his identity but he wanted to assume nothing. "What's... your name…?"

The dragon laid his head atop Stardust's, and with a voice tender as silk spoke lovingly:

"My name... is King Orion Galaxy." He nosed his Stardust's snout gingerly. "I'm your father, Stardust."

He squeezed tighter and held back a harsh sob. "Your exceedingly proud father who searched this whole galaxy high and low to find you…" Orion gazed back into Stardust's eyes, both of them were teary eyed and held a shining sea of happiness in their gaze.

"And it seems… that after all this time... you found your way back to me."

Stardust buried his snout in Orion's shoulder, getting as close as he possibly could. Orion thought if he squeezed any harder that he'd harm him in doing so. Stardust didn't seem to mind though.

"Dad!"

The two put their heads together in an affectionate embrace, Orion letting his energy flow into Stardust as he did the same. Stardust felt his father's Astral energy nearly overwhelm him, strong and intense compared to Aries' soft and sweet energy. Nevertheless, Orion's energy surrounded him like a cloak composed of space itself, the sensation like a loving blanket of the stars, a castle for which he could feel safe and never worry again. Stardust's energy paled in comparison, but as his mind touched Orion's own mind he could tell Orion felt completed by it. A lock for which so long has gone untouched finally opened by a key that was lost so long ago. And with that feeling, Stardust felt completed as well.

The two stayed like that for such a long time, it felt like they'd spent eons in their familial embrace. Neither of them wanted to break the stream, only doing so as the door opened again. Aries peeked her head in to see the reunion.

"Stardust!"

"Mom!"

She rushed over and embraced the two, sandwiching Stardust between Orion and her. Orion planted a kiss on both their snouts tenderly.

"My universe… it's gotten a lot less lonely now."

The trio of weepy eyed Starwings all watched out the window as the sun dimmed across the planet from a different angle, holding on tight to their newfound son. Stardust was so happy he could fall asleep right then and there, which as he yawned, seemed to be an opportune time.

"Mom, dad…" He snuggled up to both of them eagerly, nosing into Orion's chest. "I love you guys so much… I'm so glad to be home…"

Orion, catching on to Stardust's sleepiness, settled him and Aries down to the comfortable padded flooring in front of the window, curling around him and Aries as he was just big enough for the both of them. He lay his head atop Stardust's chest, Aries head next to his. She nosed his head tenderly.

"We love you too little one, and we're glad you're home too…"

Orion wrapped his wings around the two, tail closing in to make a complete circle.

"I think we're all home now…"

Stardust, in the comfortable embrace of his new family, soundly fell asleep in their arms. Aries followed suit as well, leaving Orion to care for his rejoined and renewed family with the happiest heart he's ever had in his lifetime. The room quite nearly glowed with their contentment.

Orion thought to himself one final thought, intense and emotional enough to resonate into the other two's dreams before he himself drifted off to sleep.

'We're home.'

-X-

This chapter isn't over just yet.

The future of these Starwings burns bright.

And as we'll soon see, they'll make the most of their coming together.

Watch the skies, friends.