"So...how have you been?" Sunny asked with her usual perky tone. Flame tried not to flinch at the jolly sound.

"Fine?" he offered cautiously. She was leading him further into the mountain, past the main atrium and down towards the prey center. The air continued to cool the further in they went.

"And are you enjoying your time at the Healing Center? Is it nice there?"

"Uh, yeah. It's fine."

Sunny shifted her eyes to the side to observe Flame while keeping her head forward. She huffed out a laugh. "You don't have to be so anxious. I don't bite!"

A blush spread over Flame's face. "I- I'm not anxious!" The statement would have been much more convincing had he not flinched as a pebble touched his foot.

"Yeesh! You're acting like the place is going to crumble on top of you at any second!"

As if I would be so lucky, Flame lamented. But alas, he was doomed to continue this painfully awkward conversation with Sunny while they seemingly meandered through the hallways of the mountain.

"Is there a reason we're going towards the prey-center?" He tactfully dodged her questions to ask his own. "I ate before I left so I'm not really in the mood for anything."

Sunny shook her head. "Oh, we're not going to eat. I just think walking around and talking is a lot more fun than sitting in a cramped office with me asking questions like an interrogation. It makes it more informal I guess."

"Sure," Flame attempted to agree. At least it gave them something to do during the long silences the perforated the conversation.

Abruptly the scent of prey wafted through the tunnel, so pungent it made Flame cough. Yep, they were definitely getting close to the prey-center. A few more steps and they emerged from the tunnel into the open cave of the eating area. Luckily it was void of any students. Only a few roaming cows and chickens were left in the feeding pit looking dazed and confused.

Jeez, I forgot how lame this place was. At least at the Healing Center you can eat cooked food if you want. Looks like they haven't improved too much here.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. Flame could see they had added some stuff to make the place more organized. Large, circular tables had been carved from the walls to create more social areas and it even looked like they had added some drains on the floor for easier clean up.

So essentially nothing cool. Flame would have personally added a giant fire pit in the center to make it a grill-it-yourself style thing but he wasn't a teacher here so what did he know?

The gold dragon entered the vast chamber and sat down at a round table near the front. She eagerly patted the floor beside her as an invitation for him to join. Flame slinked over, his guard up. What was she doing now?

"So," she began.

"So what?" He slouched down at the table, eyes narrowed.

There was a pause.

"You and Umber, huh?"

Flame groaned. I KNEW she was going to ask about that!

"What about it?" he snapped. If Tsunami's reaction was anything to go by, it was obvious that his and Umber's relationship had not been well received by their hosts. The last thing he needed right now was for someone to go criticizing something they had NO BUSINESS TALKING ABOUT.

Luckily Sunny seemed to get the hint as she immediately went on the defensive. "Oh, I didn't mean anything by it! I was just surprised to hear Umber say you're his boyfriend. I mean, you guys never really interacted while you were here so it just seems kind of...sudden I guess."

Flame inspected the dragon beside him carefully. Was she just genuinely curious or just trying to get info out of him to gossip about later?

Or was this some sort of test to see if he was worthy to date Umber?

Whatever the reason, Flame wasn't having it. He leaned forward to glare down at the hybrid. "OK, listen here. First off, what happens between me and Umber is none of your business! Secondly, we're - well," Flame rubbed his neck, "we're not technically dating yet. We're still taking things kind of slow for now and figuring it all out. Umber's been really cool and patient and sweet this whole time while I've been going through all this shit and I'm just really trying not to mess up my one chance to be with him –" Flame stopped, realizing he had been rambling. He trailed his eyes along the ceiling of the cave to avoid Sunny's knowing grin and cleared his throat. "Uh – where was I going with this – OH RIGHT! And THIRDLY I am NOT going put up with some bullshit lecture about how I'm not good enough for Umber. I know damn well I'm not but that doesn't mean I'm not trying! So if you and everyone else could keep your shitty opinions to yourselves that would be great." Deflated Flame sat back down. His eyes still burned but he felt a weight lifted off his chest.

He didn't regret what he had just done. It had needed to be said; even if it meant offending his host.

To his surprise Sunny didn't seemed phased at all by his proclamation. Instead she beamed, resting her elbows on the table while amusement played on her features. "He must be really important to you. I don't think I've ever heard you speak like that about anyone before."

Flame looked at his talons. "Um, yeah, he's really special to me."

Sunny's smile dropped sadly. "But you're right. Lots of dragons are going to have opinions about you and Umber and not all of them will be favourable."

Flame shrugged. "Like I care what the world thinks. I'm just trying to be the best me possible, and not just for Umber but for myself too. That's the whole reason I came back to this shitty school. So I could make amends and start fresh. Once I do that I never have to come back here again."

In the perimeter of his mind Flame realized he was doing a terrible job at the whole 'show everyone you're not a rude asshole anymore' thing. Buy hey; at least he was being honest. He wasn't about to go on some fake spiel about how wonderful a time he had had at Jade Academy. He knew it wasn't Sunny's fault that his experience had sucked, but nothing could change the fact that being in these caverns and caves set him on edge. He had to keep reminding himself to unclench his jaws and stop wringing his talons together.

Sunny frowned. "I... didn't realize how hard it was for you to come back here."

"Yeah, well, like I said, I wasn't in a good place in my life while I was here." Flame crossed his arms and turned away.

Silence dripped between them but Flame made no attempt to break it. He stole a glance at Sunny who was staring at her talons, deep in thought. Finally she sighed.

"I think I owe you an apology."

Flame stared. "Wha – really?"

Sunny nodded. "Everyone knew how miserable you were while you were here, but no one bothered to talk to you or try to understand what was going on. No one offer you help or anything!" She hung her head, her green eyes swollen with regret. "Including me. I guess I thought you would just get over it on your own. But I was wrong." She lifted her head to look at him with deep compassion. "So I'm sorry about that, Flame. I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you when you needed it."

All that talk between him and Starfish about getting an apology from Sunny and the others had been nothing but wishful thinking. He hadn't actually expected it to happen. He was at a loss for words.

"Uh - It wasn't your fault," he tried to reassure the small gold dragon, although he wasn't sure why. "I was just really messed up at the time. There's nothing you could've really done anyway so - "

"But I at least could have TRIED!" She yelled louder than Flame would have thought possible for someone her size. "We all could have tried. We brought all these traumatized dragons into our school and we had no way of helping them. They had just been through a war and we expected them to just act like normal students. We should have had some way to reach out to them. We should have prepared for this. We should have – "

Sunny's sentence dropped into a huff and the agitated dragon rested her head in her talons. It was obvious she was thinking about what had happened with Sora and what could have been done differently.

In terms of giving reassurance Flame was now way over his head so instead he opted once again for the honest route.

"Look, what's done is done. Yeah, there always going be stuff you wished you did differently but that's not going change the past so there's no point obsessing over it. You just gotta move on." He propped his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his knuckles. Surprisingly he was starting to relax a little. Maybe there actually wasn't anything malicious about this conversation after all.

Sunny exhaled. "I know. But I'd at least like to learn from my mistakes if I can." She glanced up at him quickly then looked away guiltily. "To be honest, I did have a second reason for wanting you and Starfish to come here. I was hoping to speak with your Healer about maybe making some sort of counselling program here at the school. Do you think he would want to help?"

"Starfish? Oh yeah, he's a sucker for helping dragons and being nice and all that fluffy stuff." Flame laughed. "It would probably make his whole freakin week if you asked him."

This made Sunny smile. "That'd be amazing! Of course - hopefully Tsunami doesn't give him a hard time." Sunny covered her mouth and it took Flame a moment to realize she was hiding a laugh. "They didn't exactly hit it off when they met."

Flame snorted in agreement. If anyone could start a squabble it was Tsunami. "Well if there is any trouble I could probably get Zephyr to help instead."

Sunny blinked several times rapidly, balking in surprise. "Wait... you know Zephyr? The Matron of the Healing Center? Do you really think you could speak to her for me?"

At that point Flame realized that maybe Sunny didn't quite understand just how informal the Healing Center was. Sure, Zephyr was close to Queen Ruby and was essentially in command of running the whole facility, but she also ate her meals and roamed the gardens alongside all the other patients. In fact, on one of the rare mornings that Flame had woken in time for breakfast he had seen her stuff several croissants into her mouth before sitting at a table with several other Soul Healers, all of them joking and talking together like friends. All in all he was pretty sure he could just go up and talk to her.

It also helped that he knew Sora and Jet. In the event that he couldn't speak to the SkyWing Healer then he was sure one of his friends could. Flame suppressed a laugh. He still couldn't get over the fact that he actually had friends now.

Sunny's desperate stare brought him back. Trying to look cool he nonchalantly inspected his talons. "I have connections. I could talk to her about the idea if you wanted me to."

The small dragon clasped her talons together and sprung up. "OH THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!" She bounced around like a sunbeam come to life. After a few moments she finally calmed down and approached the SkyWing to rest her talon on-top of his. "Thank you, Flame. I really appreciate this."

He shrugged. "It's nothing."

The dragoness observed him for several heartbeats, searching into his eyes as if looking for something. Flame tried not to squirm under her gaze and only relaxed once Sunny eased off with a smile, obviously having found what she was looking for. Immediately she hopped up and headed back towards the tunnel. "Come on!" She encouraged him to follow with a swish of her tail.

Groaning, Flame stood up and followed at a slower pace. "Now where are we going?"

"I'm going to take you to my father."

Flame stumbled in his steps. "R-right now?"

She twisted her neck to look at him from behind. "Is that OK? I thought he wanted to speak with him."

"I do! It's just – well I thought there would be more to it than that. Like, some sort of moral test or an oath of non-violence ...or ...something."

Sunny giggled, "And oath of non-violence? What kind of school do you think we run here?"

Flame blushed. OK, maybe I've been reading too many graphicolls.

"Well I don't know!" He snapped defensively. "I just thought it was gonna be harder than this."

They returned to the antechamber, passing the various hallways and headed towards the part of the school that was off limits to students, where the rocks were more unstable and dragons rarely treaded. Sunny lead him along a quiet path that ended abruptly into a jagged wound in the stone. This was officially where the school ended and the mountain began. Gaping darkness yawned before the pair like thick soot, swallowing the light that filtered from the skylights behind them. Sunny entered the tunnel first without as much as a blink. Flame stumbled behind her. He knew this path well. It traversed all the way to the other side of the mountain where Stonemover's lair was found. He gulped.

"Honestly, I was already pretty sure you'd be fine to talk with my father," Sunny spoke. Her voice was amplified by the cold stone that brushed against their wings. She breathed a plumb of fire as the last inkling of light dripped away. "I just wanted to talk with you one on one to make sure you were genuine. I have a good intuition when it comes to other dragons and I know you're sorry for what you did."

Flame was hardly listening. The further down they went the heavier his talons became to the point where it felt as if he was walking through a field of thick mud. His heart was pounding so hard he wondered if it would shake the mountain. Beads of sweat squeezed between the scales of his forehead to rest on his brow.

In all the graphicolls he had read in his life, the hero always boldly leapt towards their destiny, no matter what powerful villain or world-destroying obstacle was in their way. Risking life and limb they went forth, always emerging triumphant.

When Flame had first arrived he had thought of himself as hero on his own journey of redemption, but now he wasn't so sure. A hero wouldn't be this scared. A hero wouldn't want to run away.

Flame licked his dry lips. "Does he – does he want to see me? Is he afraid of me?"

"He's..." Sunny sighed. "I don't really know how he feels about all this to be honest. At first he seemed scared but then he was just apathetic about it. Either way, I think he needs to have this conversation just as much as you do."

"You think so?"

"Yes." The surety of her voice was unwavering.

Flame digested this information. He didn't doubt for a second that Stonemover could be apathetic about most things. Flame recalled the many agonizingly slow hours he had spent by the NightWing's side in an attempt to rouse any emotion or sympathy from the old dragon. On good days he would get a sigh or two. On bad days just a blank stare.

But did the animus really not care that Flame was returning? Was he that much of an empty shell that not even a visit from his almost-murderer could stir any kind of reaction?

As they moved deeper into the mountain time seemed to slow. The second ticked by at the speed of the dripping stalactites. Everything moved at glacial pace in a way that was both calming and irritating to Flame. It helped subdue his racing thoughts but it put his nerves on edge. Had time stopped? Would they ever get to their destination?

After wandering for what felt like a billion eternities the tunnel finally widened up into humid cavern that stank of stagnant water and moss. Straight ahead was an oval-shaped crevice that looked hastily made and not intended for visitors. Deep firelight poured out of the opening in a way that reminded Flame of the glowing eyes of a cat at night.

Briefly a shadowed obstructed the firelight as something massive within took a deep breath.

Flame's stomach flipped.

"You OK?" Sunny asked, scooting closer to him with concern.

"Fine," he muttered while dread filled him to the brim. In a flashing moment of weakness he considered turning back but quickly smothered the feeling.

He had been running from this guilt for so long. Now it was time to do something right for once in his damn life. Flame inhaled deeply. He thought of Umber, his mother, and Starfish. All the advice and support they had given him.

He reminded himself why he needed to do this. He had to set things right if he ever wanted to move on. He needed closure. Redemption.

There was no turning back now.

"OK," he exhaled. "I'm ready."

"Good luck," the golden dragon murmured as Flame passed. "I'll be out here if you need me."

Without another word the SkyWing crossed the cavern and stepped into Stonemover's lair.

Umber was the first to notice something was amiss.

"Wait...where's Flame?"

Abruptly the bickering came to a halt as Avalanche, Tsunami, and Starfish looked to Umber before glancing around.

"Sunny's gone too!" Tsunami exclaimed while her eyes scanned the platform for her gold companion. With a harrumphing scowl she crossed her arms. "I knew she was going to try something like this! She's been trying to get rid of me all day!"

"Too bad it didn't work," Avalanche mumbled under her breath with every intention for Tsunami to hear it.

The SeaWing female puffed up, her gills flaring.

"Enough you two!" Starfish suddenly snapped. He stood between the females, an impenetrable wall of annoyance and exasperation. "It's no wonder they left! We've been acting like a squabbling pack of sea-monkeys! We should be ashamed at how unprofessional we've been."

Tsunami huffed and Avalanche rolled her eyes, but Umber couldn't help but notice the guilty slouch of their backs. Umber hung his head as well.

Even though he hadn't been a participant in the fighting he had still ditched Flame after promising to be at his side the whole time. Some boyfriend he was turning out to be.

Starfish sighed, rubbing his temples. "There's nothing to do now but wait here until they return."

"For you maybe," Tsunami snorted. "But I'm the Head Master. I've got things to do, places to be, students to instruct, winglets to manage." Her eyes locked on Umber and she smiled wickedly. "In fact, there's a specific Jade winglet I think I'd like to pay a visit to."

Without so much as a farewell-nod to Avalanche and Starfish, Tsunami leapt towards the entrance. "Let's go, Umber!"

Umber blinked in surprise. Awkwardly he looked back towards Starfish and Avalanche. "But – shouldn't I stay here? In case Flame comes back?"

He already felt terrible as it was but it would be even worse if Flame came back to find Umber had left yet again. The MudWing felt a talon rest on his shoulder and he whipped around to see Starfish. The SeaWing stared down at him with an encouraging smile.

"It's alright, Umber. Go see your friends. I suspect Flame won't be back for a while."

"But –"

"He's in good talons with Sunny," he went on. "She'll take care of him." His smiled faltered as he gazed serenely at the mountain. "Besides, there's not much we could have done anyway. As much as I wanted to help Flame get through this, deep down I think I knew this was something he had to do alone."

Umber cocked his head to the side, considering the SeaWing's words. Growing up with his sibs he had come to understand that support was always close by, whether it was for battle or even just someone to lean on. The idea that there were things in this world that had to be faced alone astonished him. Was such a thing possible?

His thoughts went back to Sora. For so long he had tried to help her carry her burden of guilt before realizing it was pointless. Sora's actions had been her own and it was her responsibility to accept the consequences. As hard as he might try, Umber would never be able to earn redemption for her. That was up to her to do and based on the conversation he had had with her this morning she had seemed to have already come to that realization.

With a jolt Umber came to a realization himself that, in a way, he had been treating Flame like he had Sora: trying to protect him, acting as an emotional crutch to prevent the full impact of guilt and grief from crippling him.

But crutches are only supposed to be temporary.

Maybe Starfish was right. Maybe there were some things that had to be faced alone.

But if Umber was being honest with himself, Flame wasn't the only reason he wanted to stay back and wait here. He was still cowering at the idea of reuniting with his friends only to discover they had forgotten about him.

He imagined them sitting in a circle, laughing at inside jokes, jostling their wings together, and exchanging familiar glances in the way that good friends did. In these visions Umber was the one sitting just outside the ring of dragons, desperately trying to maneuver himself into the circle without being too obvious about it, all while trying to listen to a story he hadn't been there for or laugh at a joke he didn't get.

It painted a pretty pathetic picture.

"Well Umber, you coming?"

The brown dragon looked up to see the Tsunami still waiting for him in the mouth of the mountain. He took in a deep breath, letting the crisp air fill his lungs.

Even with all the insecurities rattling around his chest, he couldn't ignore how desperately he wanted to see his friends again.

Turtle's relaxed smile, Moonwatcher's calming aura, Kinkajou's endless energy, Winter's scowling brows, and Qibli's...well, everything about Qibli he missed. Even though he had once had a crush on the SandWing he was confident those feelings had ebbed away long ago, but that didn't stop him from missing his goofy friend.

Besides, if Flame could face Stonemover alone then he should be able to have one little reunion with his old Winglet.

Feeling both an excited and anxious buzz pulse through him Umber came to a decision. He turned around to give Starfish one last questioning glance, almost feeling the need to ask permission to leave. With bright eyes Starfish nodded his wordless consent.

Smiling, Umber looked back to Tsunami. "Yeah, I'm coming."

Author's Note:

Hello friends! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! About a few weeks ago I had intended for this story to end at 35 chapters, but now with the addition of Umber's little reunion the story length has been extended. I'm a little nervous to be writing for so many major canon characters but I'll try my best to portray them accurately!