It was cold.

Not Ice Kingdom cold, but more like a winter night. It was not uncomfortable enough that Peacemaker felt he needed a fire to keep him warm, but he definitely wished he had something to warm his scales.

Inside the dark fog, there was a moderately strong wind that brushed against his scales. Even though it was impossible to see from the outside looking in, that was not the case inside the darkness. His visibility was poor but he could still make out distant shapes of the mountainside. The best thing was, he could see the ground on as he made his way along the ledge of the mountain, so he wouldn't plummet. If he was in the awake, he wouldn't be afraid of falling as he could just fly out of danger. But the Dream World prevented him and the others from flying: he had to be much more careful.

While he was not afraid of the darkness, deep down Peacemaker still had no idea what he was looking for in the remains of Agate Mountain. All he could do was keep walking.

How much time had he spent in the fog? He had no idea, he did not bother thinking of time like he did in the Waking World it only made his head hurt.

But he hoped the others weren't worried about him. He wanted to find whatever it was he was looking for, but he did not want the others to have to come in after him.

So he carried on.

As he continued walking along the cliffside, a warmth brushed over his scales, offering him momentary relief from the cold. Yet, the warmth was not the only thing that occurred.

In an instant, the darkness began to lessen. A dark shadow still hung over the area, but ahead of him: Peacemaker could see silver light in a specific area along the cliffside.

Standing on said cliff: Was a NightWing, one he recognized in an instant.

"Moon?" Peacemaker whispered, confusion filling his mind.

What was she doing here? In the Dream World?

"Moon!"

The urge to call out and run to her took over his senses, excitement over seeing his oldest friend.

"What are you doing here?" He asked her. Instead of replying, she turned her head towards him, her green eyes gazing into him.

But instead of the happy gaze he had come to love, he only saw sadness.

"Moon? What's wrong?" Peacemaker asked. Taking a step forward, he was stunned when he saw her back away. "Come on…what is it? Moon!"

The closer he got, the further she went…and the younger she became. Blinking, Peacemaker remembered seeing her like this, from the vision he'd had when Winter had met his mother.

Moon turned from him and looked ready to run away!

"Wait!" Peacemaker panicked, reaching out for her talons and wrapped them around her talons tightly.

That's when it happened…Moon disappeared, and in her place: Was her.

The NightWing with white markings and blue eyes. She looked at him, her light blue eyes staring into his own. But unlike the happiness they radiated before: He saw terror…directed at him.

Peacemaker felt his throat constrict, tears welling up into his eyes.

Then, he felt his voice speak out a name…a name he'd never heard but felt like it was one he knew all his life.

"Wh…Whiteout?" Peacemaker chocked back a sob.

Saying that name brought what felt like a thousand spears plunging into his heart. The name was one he loved…but sadness was just as much present. Deep within that sadness, was longing. A longing to be with her, for her to smile at him, to talk and laugh with him! He did not know what he felt…but he knew he would do anything to make her feel better and shield her from the cruelties of the world.

A part of him wanted to reach out, to wrap his wings around the peculiar dragon.

But he never had the chance, as the dragon yanked her talons from him and ran along the cliffside.

"Whiteout! Wait!" Peacemaker called out as the dragon vanished into the darkness.

"Whiteout!"

Peacemaker's gasped as his eyes snapped open. Swiftly, he rolled to his side…only to feel the air beneath him. Crying out in fear, he dug his claws into anything he could reach. Thankfully, they dug into a ledge…

The same ledge he had been walking across. Not willing to let the confusion engulf him, he climbed back up and rolled onto his side while resting on the path he had been walking across. He did not dare look at the ledge he had nearly fallen off of, knowing there was nothing but darkness below him.

Looking around him, he tried to find the NightWing…but no one was with him along the small path along the mountain. It was just him.

Had he fallen asleep? Had he drifted into a Dark Sleep, as Tempest had said?

But if that was the case, how was he still awake (or the closest thing to awake in the Dream World)?

Shaking his head of the confusion, Peacemaker looked back at the path, the same one the dragon had gone down in his 'dream.'

He needed to find Whiteout!

How he knew her name was not important, but he just needed to be with her!

Getting back up to his feet, Peacemaker quickly walked along the cliff path.

After a long time of trekking the path, ascending higher up the mountain, he found himself reaching a flat area. The NightWing was nowhere in sight…but the area he reached sparked his interest. It was an area he had never been to in the Waking World…and yet, it was one he recognized.

Every blade of grass in this flat area…every rock.

In the distance, he could see the tall peaks of Jade Mountain miles away.

He recognized this place…it had been the place in his vision, the one where he saw Moon and her Winglet, albeit younger than they were now.

It was here…it had to be, the place connected to his visions. There was no other place he felt a greater pull to. But what was he supposed to do? How was he going to find out what happened to him? Why wasn't anything making sense?

His lips curled upward, his teeth tightly grounding together as he felt anger slowly begin to take root in his mind. He wanted to shout, to get furious! He wanted to end these nightmares, and he wanted to end them now!

Desperately, he looked around. Trying to find anything that could trigger his memories…

But he didn't find anything…but rather: someones.

As he looked around the surrounding area in a haste, the darkness began to fade, and soon he found two figures standing a distance away from him. Two dragons, looking out at the horizon of the Dream World. Blinking, Peacemaker was shocked when he recognized the red and aqua colored dragons.

"Cliff? Tempest?!" Peacemaker shouted, relief filling his voice as he raced over to his best friends. Maybe there was still a chance! "Guys!"

After running to them, he skidded to a halt and beamed up at his friends.

"Guys! This is the place!" Peacemaker said excitedly. "I know it is! But I need your…help…guys?"

As he spoke, he noticed neither Cliff nor Tempest had turned to greet him. They did not even seem to acknowledge that they heard him. Peacemaker took a step forward…only to stop as they finally turned to face him.

At that moment, Peacemaker's eyes widened when he saw his two best friends change before his eyes. In front of him, were two dragons he had never met that took the place of his friends. A SeaWing…and a NightWing.

And yet when he looked in their eyes, seeing only the gazes of two strangers looking back at him…Peacemaker felt…as if he knew these two. Just as he had felt around the NightWing named Whiteout.

The emerald green scales of the SeaWing's were the deepest green he had ever seen. The dragon almost seemed to be the spitting image of Turtle, though with the exception of the dragon's green eyes that held a hint of gray in them. When he looked at Peacemaker, the SeaWing gave him a sad smile. As if Peacemaker had done something to disappoint him.

The more he looked at the SeaWing, the more he felt anger that bubbled inside him, hotter than a cauldron of boiling water. He wanted to lash out at the SeaWing, to snap at his throat menacingly. Something in his brain told him the SeaWing had done something to heinous, that he did not deserve to be in the same presence as Peacemaker.

However…his heart told him otherwise. As much as he felt fury around seeing this SeaWing, there was something else that resonated deep inside of him. The closest thing that Peacemaker could describe this feeling as…was that he felt joy, the joy of being close to this SeaWing. As much as his mind yelled at him to feel anger, he could not deny the joy he felt being around him.

The NightWing standing beside the SeaWing did not help any of his feelings, let alone the feeling knowing in the back of his mind that he should know her. When he looked at her, she almost reminded him of Moon. Her shining black scales and silver markings…the only thing different was the fact that this dragon did not have Moon's teardrop scales on the corner of her dark purple eyes…

The same dark purple eyes that captivated Peacemaker, like looking into the surface of an amethyst.

She was the most beautiful dragon he had ever seen…

But the more he looked at her, the more his eyes began to water. Seeing this dragon hurt his heart. Whereas it hurt seeing Whiteout, it hurt more so here. So many thoughts raced across his mind…he was angry when he saw her…but he was sad. Sad about…sad about everything!

Not just about the NightWing, but even the SeaWing beside her.

It was then that he had felt his legs buckle beneath him, causing Peacemaker to fall onto the ground. His entire body felt as if the mountain was now bearing down on him. But he made no effort to move as he bent his head…and cried.

"W…w…who…who are you!" Peacemaker sobbed, letting his tears stream out of his eyes as he squeezed his eyes shut. Raising his talons, he grabbed his head as the emotions overwhelmed his senses. Emotions he tried to make sense of, but the more he did, the more they hurt.

"Why can't you just leave me alone!?" Peacemaker yelled, but not at the dragons, at everything. His nightmares, the Dream World, everything inside the Dream World. "Why is this happening to me? Why can't I just be a normal dragon!?"

He just wanted to be left alone! To live his life in the Rainforest, with his people, family, and friends! He did not ask for any of this!

"You're not alone…" Said a male voice.

"…We are with you, my dearest love." Finished a female's voice.

At that moment, Peacemaker felt something warm envelop him tightly. Opening his eyes, he saw the two dragons wrap their wings around him, cocooning him within as they hugged him tightly, their heads pressed against his.

The tears did not stop, nor did the sadness…but this was all eclipsed when he felt his heart grow lighter. He did not know these dragons, but they knew him. He could feel the love they had for him. Maybe it was a different love between the two, but it was still present.

In the end, all he could do was wrap his own wings around him and hug them back.

They stood there for what felt like an eternity. Just the three of them.

As it should have been…

His heart raced when he felt the two dragons pull their wings away from him. Looking up, he saw that the three had knelt down in front of him. While they were both sad, the NightWing and SeaWing still smiled at him.

Together, with both of them helping Peacemaker, the three stood back up as they each had one palm outstretched together.

Peacemaker's eyes widened when he saw that each of them held a small object in the middle of their palms. Small sapphires, the shape of five-pointed stars.

"I call these dreamvisitors. You can use it to walk in the dreams of any sleeping dragon you know or have ever seen. This way we can be together even when we're asleep. I can visit either of you in your dreams, or you can visit me. You can even step into the dreams of someone all the way across the continent, if you want to. Although I highly doubt anyone is having dreams as interesting as ours. Happy hatching day."

Hearing these words, Peacemaker's head jerked up. The words sounded so distant, yet so familiar. While he did not know how he knew them. He knew what they were supposed to represent: a promise.

Looking back at the SeaWing and NightWing: He saw that they had gone. In their place was Cliff and Tempest, their talons held out holding the sapphire stars in their palms. Both smiling at him.

Even though the other dragons had gone, he found that the emotions he felt for the SeaWing and NightWing, he felt for Cliff and Tempest respectively. Instead of feeling sad that they were gone, what he felt was consistent for his best friends.

And that was why, as Cliff and Tempest backed away, Peacemaker panicked.

"G…Guys?!" Peacemaker stuttered out, his heart racing as his friends turned to leave him. "Wait! Guys! Stop!"

Bounding forward, Peacemaker tried to hurry after them.

Except, his entire moved slow. No matter how hard he tried to move faster, he only went slower.

All the while, Cliff and Tempest continued to grow more and more distant!

"Please!" Peacemaker yelled, the tears returning. "Cliff! Tempest! Stop!"

No matter how hard he tried his friends only went farther away.

That's when he felt his talons touch nothing but air. Suddenly, the world turned upside down as Peacemaker saw nothing but the confines of a deep hole. Before he could scream, Peacemaker struck the stone floor of the hole, hard. Struggling to his aching feet, he desperately looked at his surroundings of the hole. All that was present were stone walls…a cave.

Before he could move for the cave walls to scale up and pursue his friends: The hole he had fallen through began to darken as large dark objects fell towards him. Too late did he realize that these objects were boulders!

Shielding himself with his wings, Peacemaker braced himself for the pelting of stones. The pain did not come, however. But as he tried to look at his surroundings, all he could see was darkness…and the feeling of squeezing against his body. He couldn't even move his body! He was trapped, in the darkness!

And air…he…he couldn't breathe! Three moons, he couldn't breathe!

"Where…where am I?" Peacemaker whimpered. But the sound of his voice…it had changed. It sounded different somehow, deeper.

What happened next caused panic to spread through his body, as he heard a voice whisper an answer through his ear.

"Welcome to my world." Answered a voice, one he knew better than any other voice in his life.

It was his voice!

Grinding his teeth, Peacemaker attempted to move in the darkness. But the more he tried to move, the more he realized that he was not stuck in place by an object, while there was something hard and uncomfortable pressing all around his body, he realized that his body would not move by command. He was conscious, but his body was not his own.

He felt as if he were shoved into a hole, and that he was going to be trapped inside for eternity. This made him desperately struggle as his breathing grew rapid, but nothing he did helped. He was forced to lay there, in the darkness.

In the darkness and silence, he lay there for who knows how long. Waiting…for what? He did not know.

That's when he heard it deep within the darkness, a scrapping noise…like a blade being drug against the ground.

He was about to open his mouth to speak, to call out for help! But then he saw a figure appear in the darkness, whose white scales and pale blue markings confirmed he was an IceWing. Yet, the white scales made Peacemaker instantly recognize the dragon that stood over him. Staring down at with angry blue eyes, Peacemaker's heart raced when he recognized the dragon.

It was the same IceWing from the nightmares…the nightmares that started all of this. Even without the mortal injuries, he recognized the dragon. He always looked like this, mere moments before his dreams turned into a nightmare.

Moments before Peacemaker always ordered the IceWing to kill himself.

"Here you are, alone…in the very darkness, she named you after," The IceWing spoke, his voice dripping with venom. "Was it worth it?"

The more the IceWing spoke, the more Peacemaker felt his ears grow hot with anger. It was not at the IceWing's words, but at everything about him. As if he hated the dragon's very soul. As if he wanted him erased from existence. This feeling…the absolute hatred, it was alien to him. He wanted to say he didn't know why, but a part of his mind, a part he never knew was present, told him otherwise.

"You isolated yourself from everyone," The IceWing continued, lowering his head so they were eye level. "Now, everything is full circle. Here we are, where it all began."

"Who…are you?!" Peacemaker growled out the words, the hatred he felt for the IceWing on full display. "Leave me alone!"

"Like you did to me?" The IceWing asked.

It was at that moment, everything about the dragon changed. The wound in his abdomen appeared, his mouth bleeding dark blue blood. His eyes shadowed, only the blue of his irises being the source of color in them.

"I've waited…a very…long…time…" The IceWing whispered, his jaws opening as they neared his throat. "Welcome home, Darkstalker, my son."

"You're okay, you're okay! Stay with us! Open your eyes!"

"Darkstalker? Darkstalker!"

It…it couldn't be…it was not possible…

"Wake up!"

Peacemaker gasped as he bolted up, only to feel warm wings wrapped around him.

"Hey, hey! Easy!" Came the strong, but the warm voice of someone he knew. "Breath!"

Pulling away, Peacemaker felt his heart slow when he saw who it was that hugged him.

"Cliff! Tempest!" Peacemaker sobbed, wrapping his wings tightly around his two friends that hugged him close.

"It's okay, we're here…" Tempest whispered into his ear.

Looking around, Peacemaker saw that he was still on the remains of Agate Mountain, just before he had seen the SeaWing and NightWing…and everything that had happened after that. He'd fallen into another Dark Sleep?

But…if that was the case…

"What are you two doing here?" Peacemaker whispered, wiping the tears from his eyes. "The…fog…"

"Cliff's idea," Tempest said as she sighed in relief. "He stepped inside, and I went in after him." The SeaWing glanced at the Prince. "Yet, every time I felt my eyes closing: he was wide awake, and managed to keep me awake as well."

Looking at Cliff, he saw a confident smile.

"You two are heavy sleepers, I imagine," Cliff commented with that contagious smile. His expression turned serious, however. "We heard you screaming…We came as soon as we could. But, you know, we couldn't fly."

Despite the number of thoughts that swirled in his mind, such as how Cliff was the only one unaffected by the fog, he didn't care. What mattered, was that they were here with him.

Yet, the horror of what he had seen in his dream and what his friends had called him rang through his ears. Had they…just called him…

"Why did you call me Darkstalker?" Peacemaker asked, looking at the others. His friends looked at him with wide eyes when he asked that. The mention of evil dragon in the world brought fear to their eyes.

"What are you talking about?" Tempest asked, confused at his question. "We…called your name."

"But…I thought…" Peacemaker mumbled, clutching his head. "I heard you guys…call me Darkstalker."

"Why on PHyrria would we call you that dragon's name?" Cliff asked.

"Because even if his disguise fools you, it can't fool his mind." A voice echoed across the area, startling Peacemaker and the others, springing to their feet as soon as they heard the unknown voice. "The enchantment worked very well, but his mind knows the truth. Even if the disguise is unwilling to admit it."

Peacemaker looked around through the darkness for the source. But he couldn't see anything. He felt Cliff and Tempest back into him, looking for the voice as well.

"Whose there?" Peacemaker called out into the dark fog, trying to sound brave, but failing as his voice cracked.

"Illumination," Tempest whispered in a commanding voice. A brilliant flash of green light radiated around the three of them, pushing back the dark fog.

But then, something from inside the darkness pushed back, causing the light that Tempest had summoned to vanish. Seconds later, the darkness only increased. If not for the feeling of the other scales pressed against his, then he would have wondered if they were even standing on the ground.

"Show yourself!" Peacemaker called out.

As if in defiance, he heard movement inside the darkness. All around him.

"I thought we had an understanding, old friend," Hissed the voice, this time it came from behind him, in Cliff's direction. "The sovereignty of my beloved unchallenged, while yours would be respected."

"Enough riddles!" Cliff snapped, stepping forward, leaving the circle he, Peacemaker, and Tempest had formed. "Get out here, in front of us!"

"Descendant of Queen Carmine: I have no quarrel with you…" The voice called out in response. Looking in Cliff's direction: Peacemaker saw a pair of ember colored eyes glow through the darkness. "But you must learn to shut your mouth."

That's when it happened: The darkness began to recede. But instead of vanishing all of the way, it instead focused on a single area. Eventually, the darkness had lessened to the point a dragon could be seen. But what kind of dragon, Peacemaker couldn't deduce. There was just enough darkness that any features the dragon had were clouded from view.

He couldn't see the dragon, but he knew who it was: The very dragon who had assaulted him in the Dream World.

The dragon vanished again, but this time he reappeared on a large stone that gave him a good view of him, Cliff and Tempest.

"Do you remember what I told you?" The dragon asked him. As he did, Peacemaker could make it out the voice ever so slightly. The dragon's voice expressed a calm demeanor. But how he spoke also gave hints at anger and malice, directed at Peacemaker himself.

Somehow, Peacemaker even recognized the voice…but it was impossible to put a face to the name.

Realizing he could only play along, he answered: "Told me what?" Peacemaker walked up beside Cliff, though stepped ahead of him a few feet. This dragon made his hatred for him known, so he would embrace it.

He wouldn't let his friends be dragged into this…no matter what the dragon's issues were with him.

But those orange eyes…they noticed something. Whatever it was, he only hoped the dragon would focus on Peacemaker.

"It was my entire philosophy," The dragon responded. "The light brings harm…"

"But…the darkness brings comfort…" Peacemaker whispered, almost automatically. The phrase echoing through his mind. Where had he heard those words?

"Peacemaker?" Tempest's voice whispered from behind him as she walked up next to him. He saw her give him a surprised look. "Where…how do you know those words?"

How Tempest reacted confirmed she knew the words.

"He knows them because I shared them with him." Answered the dragon, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Two thousand years ago."

Two thousand years ago? No, that was impossible, there was no way Peacemaker was that old! He never met this dragon before up until the Dream World.

"You're lying!" Peacemaker yelled, ready to run at the dragon, but Cliff stopped him. The much taller dragon kept him from rushing into the darkness. "I don't know you! You hear me! You've done nothing but plague me with nightmares, make me see an IceWing kill himself! You're lying!"

That cold chuckle shook through the air as the dragon jumped off of his perch.

"Oh, you misunderstand, I didn't make you see anything," The dragon said as he vanished into the dark. But he wasn't gone, as the next thing Peacemaker felt was something cold grace his scales. A voice hissed into his ear. "I just merely helped loosen the memories, and took advantage of the fear they instilled into your mind."

Peacemaker spun around just as he felt talons wrap around his throat.

"REPEL!" Tempest shouted, her talons raised up at the mysterious dragon.

"Backlash," Hissed the voice in response to Tempest's Somnus spell.

What happened next, Peacemaker felt as if he had just been struck by a mountain as he found himself fly backward and knock into the stone perch the dragon had stood on.

Groaning, he looked up and saw the unmoving bodies of Cliff and Tempest beside him. Cliff seemed unconscious, while Tempest groaned in pain. Trying to pull himself to his feet, he only felt pain in his body.

Looking up, he saw the shadowed dragon walk up to Tempest, pressing his talons into her head, almost like he wanted to crush her! Peacemaker struggled to crawl over to him, but he felt an invisible force lift him into the air.

"I will deal with you later, blood traitor!" The dragon snapped at Tempest, who growled out a response. "Helping…him!"

"Leave her alone!" Peacemaker snapped, trying to reach out with his claws as Tempest groaned under the dragon's pressure.

The glare returned to Peacemaker, though there seemed to be amusement in the eyes.

"You still believe in your own lie?" The dragon said, slowly turning his gaze down to Tempest. "I see…I see it perfectly now."

Suddenly, his claws dug into Tempest's neck, causing the SeaWing to scream. Peacemaker's eyes widened when he heard her scream, his heart almost jumped out of his chest.

"Stop it!" Peacemaker shouted in a panic.

"You don't see it, but I do," The dragon chuckled as he raised Tempest by her throat. Her talons digging into the dragon's arm viciously, but with no effect. "Tell me, what your name is!" The dragon yelled at Peacemaker. "Tell me, or I will make you watch her last breath!"

"It's Peacemaker!" Peacemaker yelled, reaching out to Tempest desperately. "My name is Peacemaker!"

"LIAR!" The dragon roared his claw drawing blood on Tempest's neck, making her cry out.

"Peacemaker!" She cried. "I'll be fine!"

Despite these assurances, he knew that the dragon was the one in control.

"Who are you?!" The dragon growled, turning his attention entirely on Tempest, who glared defiantly at the shadowed dragon.

What was he supposed to do?! If he said his name, he would hurt Tempest! But Peacemaker was his name! It was the name his mother gave him on the day he hatched! What other name was he supposed to say?!

Looking at Tempest, Peacemaker desperately looked into her eyes, begging her to help him look for the answer.

But the more he looked at her, the more he saw someone else in the dragon's talons.

He saw the NightWing, with dark purple eyes, the one he'd seen in his dream…he…he recognized her. He remembered seeing her not just from the Dark Sleep, but the moment that would lead up to Tempest taking him and Cliff into the Dream World. The moment he had attacked Tempest and Cliff. They had looked like the very dragons he'd seen in Dark Sleep!

Then, the NightWing and SeaWing had turned back into Tempest and Cliff respectively.

But even back before the moment, he'd attacked them that day, he remembered seeing the NightWing…in the first dream he'd had of Agate Mountain with her back to him.

She was here now too, in Tempest's place, in pain.

Seeing her in agony…made him angry!

"I will not ask again!" The dragon roared. "WHO! ARE! YOU!?"

Peacemaker saw the NightWing's mouth move…he saw how she phrased each word. He saw her say Peacemaker.

But, in the back of his mind…he heard a different name, from a voice that wasn't Tempest's.

A voice that, in any situation, would have brought him peace. But now, it spurred him to act.

But, as hard as he tried to deny the truth of what he had heard and seen from all of his nightmares, he knew the truth…and he would speak it.

Even if it broke his heart and soul doing so.

The Dragon's talons prepared to tear through Tempest's neck, and Peacemaker said the name.

"Darkstalker!" Peacemaker yelled, his eyes watering. "My name! My name is Darkstalker!"