Part 3: The Between

"It is an inevitability that nothing good lasts forever. Just as there is the brightest day, there will always be the darkest night.

But even as we stand here, on the darkest night of our history: We must never forget to look ahead and remember that things will change. The Brightest Day will return.

Until that day comes, we cannot wait for it. All of us must actively work towards finding peace.

Once we have done just that, a world of possibilities is open to us."

-Excerpt from Prince Summer's speech to the Rainforest Spy Network following the death of his father, King Adder.

Circa 3014 AS (After Scorching)

What was it like to be put into a sleep with no signs of waking up? Was the mind still dreaming? Or were dragons aware of their surroundings as they slept that deep sleep?

Or was there nothing? A void to greet the dragons who wouldn't wake up? Was it like death?

As Peacemaker watched Clay and Tsunami carefully lower Tempest's body into the Academy's underground lake, he couldn't stop thinking about those questions. But unlike before, he knew what was happening to his friend. To the teachers, Tempest was comatose, a fate Cliff and Peacemaker had apparently been so close to meeting when all three of them had been violently shaking in their sleep.

Yet deep in her mind, Peacemaker knew she was trapped in the Dream World. Somewhere.

Unknown to any of the adults, Peacemaker knew that it was his fault. He still remembered the sad smile she gave him as she used up what was left of her aura to send both Cliff and him back to the Waking World. He still did not know what she had said to him in Aquatic, but he knew that, if they hadn't gone to the Dream World in the first place, then Tempest would be awake and healthy.

The only thing that was accomplished was that Peacemaker had discovered a name, his true name.

And it was a name that he wished he had never learned.

The thought of Darkstalker's name felt like an abyss…one that would have pulled him deep inside, if not for the familiar feeling of warm wings brushing against his own. Looking up, he saw Cliff standing beside him. His golden eyes offered him an escape from the discovery they had made. Yet, he could see the uncertainty in his best friend.

He had just discovered that Peacemaker was somehow the evilest dragon in history. Peacemaker desperately wanted to ask him if he was okay as well but diverted his eyes back to the lake.

While the Quartz Winglet stood by the shoreline, watching the unconscious Tempest lay on the lake floor, Peacemaker overheard the teachers speaking with each other.

"As long as we keep her submerged, she won't become dehydrated. But her waking up? I don't know." Tsunami's whispered to Sunny, Clay, and Starflight while they stood off to the side.

"I tried getting in touch with Surf with one of the Dreamvisitors," Sunny replied, though her downtrodden tone confirmed it did not go well. "I couldn't reach him."

"And what about her mother, Emerald?" Starflight asked.

"We've never met Emerald though, Starflight," Tsunami reminded Starflight. But her attention turned to Sunny. "Contact Glory, tell her to use her Dreamvisitor to reach Emerald. If Tempest's mother is head of affairs of Adderin, then Glory must have at least spoken with her face to face on occasion."

While Sunny nodded, Peacemaker saw her green eyes grow sad.

"Oh Tempest, what happened to you?" She muttered. Clay's wing draped over her, the Bigwings of the four hugging Sunny close.

He wanted to reach out to them, to tell them what was happening. But he knew if he did that, then he would have to reveal why they were in the Dream World in the first place.

And the discovery they had made.

Glancing at the rest of his Winglet, he saw Hyena, Alligator, and Jaguar looking sadly at Tempest…but it was Ermine who was visibly taking it the hardest. The normally calm and collected IceWing had her eyes squeezed close, tears seeping through. Of the six, she was the closest to the shoreline.

He wanted to reach out to her to hug her. But every time he looked at her, he thought of what he had done. She did not know what he, Cliff, or Tempest had learned. He wanted to tell her, but he was afraid of how everyone would react.

How was he supposed to reveal that he was once the very dragon who tried to dominate the continent and attempted to kill the entire IceWing tribe? How would they still see him as a friend?

Moons, what was he supposed to do?

The answer came when he looked back at the tunnel leading to the rest of the Academy when he saw Moon herself. Beside her, he saw her former clawmate, Winter. The two said nothing, they just watched what was happening below. From where she stood, Peacemaker saw her observing his Winglet. More specifically: he saw her observing him.

Her green eyes met his light blue ones, he could see the uncertainty in them. How she stared at him made it seem like she was in a dream that she desperately wanted to awake from. That the thoughts running through his mind were all some kind of hallucination.

Any doubt that he and Darkstalker were connected disappeared every time he saw her, his oldest friend. The very friend he loved as much as his own mother.

But now, he doubted she was ever truly his friend.

Suddenly, Moon turned away and quickly walked through the tunnel, back up to the academy.

His head grew hot as something spurred him after her.

As he moved, he saw Cliff look at him as he walked away from the Winglet. Instead of stopping him, Cliff just turned his attention back to Tempest. Even if he said nothing, Peacemaker could not help but feel his heart falter as his best friend did not stop him.

Bounding towards the entrance, he hastily moved past Winter. Despite not looking up at the former Prince's gaze, he could feel Winter staring down at him with those icy blue eyes. He could only imagine what that gaze looked like if it was the same one when he had reacted to seeing Peacemaker's mother.

Racing through the empty tunnels, Peacemaker eventually caught up with Moon as she quickly walked away from him.

"Moon!" Peacemaker called out. With most of the students not coming into this portion of the academy after news of what happened to Tempest spread, his words carried through the walls loudly.

Hearing his voice, Moon stopped in mid-step. She looked back at him with a confused and fearful expression. Seeing this, he felt angry. She was reading his thoughts as clear as day like she always did. She knew what was passing through his head. About the discovery, he had made and the ramifications it had.

But she still did not say anything. All she did was stare at him. For the first time in his life, or memory, he felt rage fill him like a forest fire. When he was close enough to her, all he could do was glare up at her.

"Moon," He began, struggling to keep his voice from shaking as he felt something inside of him attempt to hold back what he was about to say. "Tell me the truth."

Those four words were enough to make Moon grow fearful of him. As if he was asking something impossible.

"Peacemaker…" She said in her quiet voice, that voice that always soothed him as a dragonet.

Now, however, it only agitated him. As she approached him, her talons reaching for his shoulder: He jerked back, pushing her talons away from him. Even after seeing inside his mind, aware of the fact he knew she lied to him his entire life, she was still trying to avoid the truth. Her normal attempts to calm him only made him angrier.

But deep down, he wanted to trust her. He desperately wanted to believe that she was his friend. If she couldn't tell him the truth, then he did not know if he could trust her.

"Tell me the truth," Peacemaker repeated. Before saying something he never thought he'd say: "Or, I swear, I will fly away! Even if you see my futures and know where I am going, I promise that I will make sure you never reach me!" His words caused Moon's eyes to widen, her eyes watered as he said this. Even if his future said otherwise, his entire being was serious. What was the point of a friend who never told you the truth? "But…If you tell me everything…Then I will stay here, at least."

He didn't want to run away…but he would. He was giving her a chance: To salvage what little trust he had in her. But one more lie and he would not give her the chance to tell him another.

The resolute thoughts running through his head, showing that he was more than willing to do what he said, caused Moon to close her eyes and sadly nod.

"You…you are…you were him," Moon said, her whisper barely audible.

Frustrated, he wanted to hear her say it, even if he knew the answer.

"Who?" He insisted, an icy fear gripping his heart. "Who was I?" Moon didn't answer, the words were on the tip of her tongue, but she did not want to say it. "Moon?!"

She didn't say it…To emphasize his earlier words: He turned away from her and proceeded to walk in the direction of the tunnels that led to the Academy exit.

"Darkstalker!" Moon said, her voice panicked. "You were Darkstalker…"

It took all of his strength to keep Peacemaker's legs from wobbling and losing balance. Hearing her answer, he stopped. His eyes lowered to the ground, as his breathing grew fast and his head light.

He already knew the answer…but hearing it from Moon's voice, only made the truth hurt more. That night Darkstalker had been defeated, somehow Peacemaker had taken the Crazed Animus' place.

Moon approached him from the side, her wing wrapped around him as he felt his head grow even lighter. The warmth of her wing normally brought happiness and comfort to him, the same way his mother's embrace did. But now…it felt empty. Almost like Moon felt it was an obligation.

"I'll tell you everything, just not here…" Moon pleaded. "Please, let's just go outside and talk."

All he could do was nod and let Moon lead him down the halls of the academy. If it were not for her being beside him, then he would have fallen forward as his legs grew heavier and his head lighter. When they stepped out of the entrance cave, Peacemaker found himself able to walk by himself. Once outside, Moon motioned him to follow her as she unfurled her wings and took to the air.

Sighing deeply, Peacemaker opened his wings, the multi-colored star membranes shining brightly in the misty morning air, and flew after Moon. Together, the two descended towards the valley below and made their way to a stream that cut through the woods and would inevitably travel towards the Rainforest.

Peacemaker recognized the stream as the place where he and the others had been beside when they had planned their first journey into the Dream World. Stars above…all of that felt like a lifetime ago.

Once they had landed, Moon walked towards the shore of the stream and stood with the tips of her claws in the running water. He wondered if she was waiting for him to speak first, to get a feel for how to handle the situation that was in front of her, to see if there was any way she could calm him. It was clear she was reading his mind at this moment, that's why he tried his best to find ways to keep his immediate thoughts hidden from her. All he could do was let the anger and sadness he felt over the situation shroud his mind like smoke and flame, this way she would have to be honest.

After several minutes, Moon turned to him, her green eyes filled with sorrow. Whether she was sorry about lying to him, or that he found out, he didn't know…all he wanted to know was the full truth from her.

"You know about the Battle of Jade Mountain, and how Qibli was taken by Darkstalker, you know that Kinkajou and I went after them," She explained, at that Peacemaker nodded. It was what was told to the NightWing and RainWing dragonets in school. It was the only thing they knew about what happened before Darkstalker…before his defeat. She heard those thoughts and reacted with a grimace. "But what no one else knows, is the plan Kinkajou, Turtle and I had come up with to defeat him."

"To defeat me," Peacemaker muttered. Again, she flinched at his words. She neither appeared to agree nor disagree with his statement.

"We couldn't kill Darkstalker, he made that impossible through various enchantments," Moon explained. "But, what we did have, were the remains of his scroll: The object he originally stored all of his magic in." This, he didn't know. But an image flashed through his mind.

A scroll, a very long one that was bound together with black leather. He saw phrases written all across it, if there was any space on it: There was writing. The writing was like someone trying to pack as much information into study notes for a test. When the vision ended, Peacemaker looked back up to see a wide-eyed Moon…

She saw it to…

"What did you do?" Peacemaker asked, staring into Moon's eyes with so much intensity that she almost stepped back. "Please…just tell me…"

Moon, after a moment of hesitation, continued.

"Turtle told us that no other magic could affect Darkstalker, except his own," Moon explained. "The idea of killing Darkstalker with his magic came to mind…but…Kinkajou believed there was another way, a way that would let him live."

Peacemaker felt his blood run cold, as he realized what this 'way' was. What they had done to him…

"What…what was the enchantment," Peacemaker breathed, his air going cold.

"Peacemaker, you need to understand-!"

"WHAT WAS THE ENCHANTMENT!?" He screamed, his voice echoed through the area as he glared up at Moon, hot tears flowing through his eyes. When he screamed, he felt his stomach grow sick as the anger threatened to consume any patience he had left. He'd never felt this angry before…something scolded him inside his mind to apologize, but he ignored it, knowing full well that these voices were not his mind. He stepped forward to Moon, his throat constricting as he cried. "Tell me…"

Seeing him crying, Moon's wings lowered as her eyes looked away from him. Whatever reluctance was present, seemed to have faded away.

"Whoever eats this strawberry, will be transformed into a one-year-old half-RainWing dragonet, all memories of their past life erased," Moon recounted, each word she spoke felt like a dagger driven into his heart as his legs grew weak…but the more she spoke, the more he felt sick to his stomach. "Give them a kind personality, one where they will never be aggressive, no matter the circumstances. Give them a love of strawberries and singing. Make them happier than they were before they ate this strawberry…"

"Enough!" Peacemaker gasped, backing away from Moon in horror.

"Peacemaker, please…" Moon said, looking at him with scared eyes. "We weren't trying to be cruel…"

"I SAID ENOUGH!" He shouted. His tears were gone, any sadness he felt was replaced with rage.

They had done more than lie to him! They manipulated him! Moon, Kinkajou, Turtle, Qibli…even his own mother! Did they ever love him? Did they ever want him to live his own life?! Was anything they told him about his life the truth?!

Was he…was he some kind of cell?! For an evil dragon? Did that make Moon and his mother his wardens?

"You know that's not true!" Moon shouted, walking up to him quickly before he could back away. She held his talons into her own, holding them firmly. "Peacemaker, your mother loves you! Kinkajou loves you…I love you! We never lied about that."

"But you did lie about my birth!" Peacemaker snapped, yanking his talons from hers roughly. Doing this, Moon looked as though he had just slapped her in the face. "You and my mother lied about my father! She told me he was a RainWing, that he died from an infection. She said that she was born outside of the tribe…yet, somehow, she is one of the oldest dragons in the world! In reality, my father was an IceWing, whom I enchanted to rip out his own gut!"

"We didn't tell you this, because we wanted to protect you…"

"Protect me? Protect me?!" He cried. "Moon...Everything about me is a lie! Everything I like! Everything I think I am…" In the back of his mind, he remembered what Adder had called him. Now, it made sense. "…I'm nothing more than a mask, a disguise!"

"You are much more than that!" Moon snapped angrily, her green eyes burning as she spoke. "You are your own dragon! Even if you were once Darkstalker, you are more than his replacement!"

"Then why did you dictate what I would like and hate!" Peacemaker replied, teeth grinding tightly as he remembered that even his love of strawberries was determined by a spell! "Everything was decided by a spell, none of what I enjoyed or wanted to be was truly my decision! It was what Kinkajou wrote!"

The more he spoke, Moon only grew more silent. He saw it in her eyes, she wanted to tell him he was wrong. That he was his own dragon. Deep down he wanted to believe her. He wanted to believe that, even if he was Darkstalker, that he was free to be his own person. Before Moon had told him the truth, he felt he could live his life. That he could, eventually, become more than Darkstalker.

But that was before she told him about the enchantment…and everything it controlled about Peacemaker.

He wasn't his own person.

He wasn't even a true dragon.

He was an echantment. Nothing more.

Moon, his mother, Kinkajou, Turtle, and Qibli all visited him and acted like they were his friends. In reality, they were pushing him towards what they wanted him to be. No care in what Peacemaker could become on his own.

"Please…" Moon begged, her tears returning as she tried to get closer to him. "Just, let me explain. I promise everything is going to be alright."

Those words would have dried the tears of the dragonet who fell out of a tree in the Rainforest and broke a wing. They would have brought him comfort when he was struck with an unexplained sickness. They would have made him happy when his mother left for months to the Pantalan Continent and the dragonet would need to be looked after.

But that dragonet, the one ignorant of the truth, believed the lies his mother and 'friends' told him.

Peacemaker was no longer that dragonet.

He knew the truth now.

And he did not want to be around the one whose lies hurt him like a spear in the heart.

"I'm going back to the Academy," Peacemaker managed to choke the words from his mouth. "But…I don't want to see you, nor do I want to listen to anything you have to say." Moon tried to speak but every time she opened her mouth he continued to speak over her, forcing her to only listen with growing sadness.

In his mind, seeing her sad eyes, he saw an image cross his mind of a young NightWing looking at him with pleading eyes. All the while, he saw the familiar yellow and pink scales of Kinkajou, looking at him with a determined glare.

Then, he heard them…

The last words of his past life.

"Didn't I save dragons too? But I'm not evil! I'm not..."

"Don't follow me," Peacemaker whispered as he turned away from Moon, walking away from the stream.

Unfurling his wings, he was ready to take flight…then he heard Moon speak.

"You did save a dragon…" She whimpered. "You saved me."

Peacemaker's closed his eyes, and flew into the air, heading back to the Academy.

In midflight, Peacemaker found a current of air that led him high above the clouds. When he was high enough, he opened his mouth and screamed loudly…releasing the pain that was not just his own, but the life that preceded his.

When he returned to the Academy, the sky was turning orange as the sun began its slow descent over the horizon. Despite the events of the morning, the Academy was bustling with adults and their dragonets going about their business.

Ignorant of the fact that the disguise of Darkstalker was walking the halls of the school.

Peacemaker's eyes only stared at the floor. Walking slowly, he was lost in his thoughts and only wanted to go to the Quartz Winglet's common cave. Anywhere that did not remind him of Moon was where he wanted to be.

But no matter where he went, the revelation that he wasn't a real dragon rang through his mind. All of his likes and fears were artificial, decided for him.

The more he thought about all of this, the more he recalled the time Moon had tried to influence him to be with Shadehunter. At first, Peacemaker genuinely believed she wanted him to be happy with Shadehunter, now he realized she was dictating his life as she had done with the enchantment.

Everything she had ever told him…he didn't know if anything was true.

Was his friendship with his Winglet even true?

The thought of his Winglet caused tears to once again seep through his eyes. He couldn't tell what was real or fake.

As he neared his Winglet's Common Cave, he heard the loud voices of the dragons he desperately wanted to believe were his friends. Cliff, the same dragon who had become his first friend at the Academy, was the loudest of the voices. Whatever was being discussed, had to be related to Tempest's condition.

Taking a deep breath, Peacemaker stepped into the Common Cave and was greeted with the sight of Ermine standing in Cliff's face.

"It wasn't your place to lie to us!" Ermine snarled at Cliff, who looked at the angry IceWing with a calm expression.

"It was Tempest's idea to keep it a secret, she did not want to involve anyone else until we took care of Peacemaker's dreams."

"Oh yes, Peacemaker," Ermine scoffed. "The hybrid with the dreams…that caused my best friend to become comatose!"

"This is not his fault!" Cliff snapped.

"Guys, please…" Alligator said quietly as he tried to approach the two, but was stopped by Hyena.

"Ermine, you know Peacemaker isn't at fault," Hyena said, her voice surprisingly low. "You can't accuse him of something out of his control."

"I don't care!" Ermine glared at the SandWing. "What I do care about, is that Tempest isn't here! She should be awake! Sitting over there," Her talon pointed in the area of where the SeaWing normally sat and read. Ermine's dark blue eyes closed, tears streaming down them. "She…she should be here…trying to convince me to be friends with all of you…pulling me from my studies…"

"We all want her here," Jaguar pointed out. "But she wouldn't want you blaming…Peacemaker…"

Blinking, Peacemaker looked over at Jaguar and saw that he was now looking at him. Everyone looked in his direction now when the RainWing's tone changed. He saw a mix of expressions varying from his Clawmates. Cliff looked over at him in relief, as if scared he'd run away, Hyena and Alligator smiled at him but he could tell they were trying to be the friendly faces, meanwhile, Ermine's demeanor had changed. Seeing his light blue eyes look at the floor caused her to look away from him.

Jaguar, surprisingly, walked up to him and guided him to a cushion around the fire pit. Peacemaker smiled at the RainWing and sat.

"Where have you been?" Ermine asked, her cold tone having turned neutral.

"Talking…with Moon," Peacemaker replied. Thinking of the NightWing seer made him feel angry, but he suppressed all thoughts of her. "Any luck with Tempest?"

"She still hasn't woken," Cliff said as he and Jaguar sat. "She's still trapped in the Dream World."

"So…the teachers know?" Peacemaker breathed.

"No," Cliff answered, looking at the others. "But, I needed to tell the others. I think the teachers will know when they hear from Tempest's father…"

"I still think we should tell them," Ermine muttered as she reluctantly sat near the fire pit. "Maybe they could help."

"You know they tried with a Dreamvisitor," Alligator offered as he and Hyena joined the others. "They said her mind was…blank. As if looking in a cloud of black smoke."

Peacemaker pressed his talons against his eyelids at the thought of anything dark and cramped. Something about dark spaces and confined areas, made him feel uncomfortable.

"I hope Tempest at least found out what was wrong with you," Ermine said, her voice seemed to have trouble holding back anger.

He couldn't, and wouldn't, blame Ermine. Tempest was trapped in the Dream World because of him.

Despite the nature of her question, Peacemaker knew that he had found out the source of his nightmares. Adder, somehow, had weakened the Animus enchantment and allowed the memories of his past life, Darkstalker, to sneak through as nightmares.

Glancing at Cliff, Peacemaker wondered if he had told the others the truth.

Cliff, as if reading his mind, shook his head, his golden eyes looking at his in desperation. As if he didn't want him to tell the others what they had learned.

This surprised him. Even after what they had learned Cliff still trusted him.

Closing his eyes, Peacemaker took a deep breath. Cliff and the others had not lied to him. They'd always helped him.

He didn't know what would happen: but Alligator, Hyena, Jaguar, and, especially, Ermine had a right to know the truth. Just because Moon and the others had lied to him his whole life, didn't mean he would keep this secret from the others.

Even if it destroyed their friendship.

"We did," Peacemaker whispered, causing everyone to look at him, stunned. Beside him, Cliff sighed but said nothing. "Guys...I was Darkstalker."

It took him an hour to describe everything that had transpired the last time Tempest had taken him and Cliff into the Dream World. He told them everything about the visions he had, and who was in them.

He told them about his reoccurring visions of Whiteout, his beloved sister.

He told them of the Animus SeaWing Prince named Fathom, his best friend.

Of his father, Prince Arctic, the last IceWing Animus, and how his nightmares always started with seeing his death.

And then…his visions of his love, Clearsight.

The reaction to all of this was silent, which allowed him to continue speaking uninterrupted. But he saw all of their eyes. Everyone, even Ermine, looked at him in disbelief.

Finally, he explained how all of this was possible, how not even Peacemaker knew the truth until today. He explained how Moon and the others had enchanted a strawberry, the very fruit he had enjoyed for most of his time as Peacemaker, to turn him into a year old Dragonet with no memory of who he was.

When he slowly finished telling them everything, he remained silent as he looked at everyone's reactions.

There was none. Only an uncomfortable silence hung in the cave. Looking at the others, Peacemaker silently pleaded for the others to say something. It was Ermine who was the first to react, as she stood up and walked around the fire. When she was close enough, Peacemaker looked up at her blue eyes…seeing her expression broke his heart.

In her eyes was no anger, only sadness. The same sadness he'd seen in his dream of her, mourning over her dead brother.

"It wasn't enough, was it?" Ermine said, her voice shaking. Through her sadness, Peacemaker saw a spark of anger cross her eyes as her pupils dilated. "You took my brother, moments after he hatched. You murdered him before he could even take his first breath, made my mother and father choose one son or the other." Her teeth slowly ground together as she continued. "And now? You've taken my best friend from me!"

"Ermine," Peacemaker tried to say, only for Ermine to walk passed him. "I didn't…"

"If she dies, her blood is on your talons! Just like every IceWing you murdered!" Ermine snapped as she walked out of the cave and into the halls of the academy.

Lowering his head, Peacemaker silently sobbed as the impact of Ermine's words finally took effect.

"I'm sorry…" He whispered, tears hitting the floor. "I'm sorry…"

Slowly but surely, the Quartz Winglet left the cave. Alligator and Hyena left, walking out silently. Next, he heard Jaguar stand up and approach him. What followed was Cliff stand up, he heard whispers…but he did not know what Cliff told Jaguar. Then, the two walked out of the common cave, leaving Peacemaker alone with his tears.

As he sat in the silent cave, he only felt sadness and despair as he sat alone.

His friends…they were gone.

Just like Darkstalker had pushed Fathom and Clearsight away, the truth of who Peacemaker had fractured his friendship with the others.

Despite not knowing how much time had passed: Peacemaker had found the strength to stand to his feet. Slowly he trudged his way out of the Common Cave, and through the halls of the Academy. Everything was empty when he stepped out. He couldn't hear the chatter of students, just the echoes of his talons clicking against the stone and his tail slithering behind him.

He didn't know where he was going. Instead, he only let his body move on its own.

Next, he knew, Peacemaker was walking down the tunnels leading to the underground lake.

Trudging to the shoreline, his entire body collapsed ankle-deep into the water. From where he sat, he saw the comatose body of Tempest. Her aqua green scales almost blended with the surface of the water. She lay there, chin touching the tip of her talons, breathing slowly.

It was like she was asleep…but he knew she was in one she couldn't wake up from.

And it was all his fault.

"Tempest…" He whispered, his tears mixing into the lake surface. "I'm so sorry."

"If you're so sorry," Came a voice from behind him. "Then die."

Turning around, Peacemaker's eyes widened as he saw Ermine leap at him. Before he could react, the IceWing tackled and pinned him onto the ground, water touching the back of his head. Her serrated claws pressed against his throat.

Blue eyes glaring down at him, she slowly slid him towards the deeper parts of the shore, the water slowly submerging him.

"This is for Weasel, Tempest, and every dragon you've murdered!"