Review Responses:

I'm glad you like the story, and to answer your questions:

1. I don't exactly have a specific design in mind yet, as I almost imagine each timeline having a unique art style, with the portals changing appearance between timelines as well. There are a few details that I think look cool though, like sparks of electricity crackling through the swirling slipstream, and a splashing effect whenever something enters and exits it, like its emerging from a pool of water.

2. That's another thing I haven't quite nailed down yet, as it needs to be big enough to evacuate the entire town, but small enough to fit in JSI's hanger. I kind of imagine it at the start like a dragon sized cruise ship, though that might be a bit big. I've got a rough sketch of a side view of the Salvation, and plan on makin a full reference sheet in the future to post on the WoF subreddit, and it should have a decent scale. I'll probably do it during the break between this and the rewrite.

3. They do, but they're not used much outside of delivery trucks and taxis. Most dragons fly where they need to go, though some do use cars on occasion. Recreational driving like the go-kart track at NitroWing Racing that Ricky loves is also popular.


Chapter 45: A Last Ditch Effort


Central Plaza

Afternoon

"You…." the titanic NightWing snarled, his talons quivering, his rage seeping out in a suffocatingly thick cloud of spiteful miasma. "You ungrateful, persistent little snakes. I showed you mercy, and what do you go and do?!"

"Tear down the oppressive, self-initiated dictatorship that trapped what few dragons remained in this world?" Hidden slyly commented. Darkstalker hissed, and held a talon out to Hidden, quickly swinging it to the ground. The SandWing's head was abruptly thrown to the stone pavement, Hidden letting out a pained groan as he struggled to stand up under the force of Darkstalker's magic.

"I'm not in the mood for your petulant gibbering SandWing." Darkstalker growled, disgustfully glaring at the SandWing as he let up his magical grip. Hidden slowly staggered to his feet, wincing, a small trickle of blood dripping out of his mouth.

"Now then, what to do with you two…?" Darkstalker mused, beginning to regain the regal composure he'd held at their last meeting. "I could make you my eternal servants, or perhaps turn you into living statues atop the walls of my fortress." Luna saw Hidden tense up at that second idea, a terrified chill running down the SandWing's spine, causing his frills to stand on end.

"Of course, I could just kill you, but even that would be too much of a mercy for the likes of you." the titanic NightWing continued, scratching his chin as he deliberated. "And besides, your companions will likely return to save you soon. Maybe then I can give you all a proper punishment."

"Unless we get out of here first." Hidden remarked, wiping the blood from his jaw.

"And how exactly would you do that?" Darkstalker asked, an amused grin on his face. "That dirty trick you pulled on me last time won't work again."

Luna turned to Hidden skeptically. They'd barely discussed what they'd do if this happened, and all Hidden had suggested on the bridge was to use the…. Luna sighed, seeing the wicked grin on Darkstalker's face as the NightWing learned of their one and only trump card.

"A 'Local Distortion Array'? That certainly sounds useful." the NightWing chided.

Hidden quickly whipped out his PDA and the communicator, furiously fiddling with both devices as a worried expression grew on his face. Darkstalker chuckled, gleefully watching the SandWing scramble to make use of the not-so-secret weapon that was their one hope of escape.

Welp, we're screwed…. Luna thought, as a small slipstream appeared a short distance from the NightWing's head. Bippy 2 burst out of the vortex, hurling a small metal ball at Darkstalker before quickly disappearing back into the slipstream. The NightWing deftly caught the ball in one of his foretalons, predicting it's trajectory in the mere seconds after it's arrival in this timeline.

Luna and Hidden stared up at the tiny device in Darkstalker's talon hopelessly, the metallic sphere glistening in the sunlight, looking no larger than a ball bearing next to the NightWing's giant claws. It certainly looked like the LDA that Hidden had bought back in moss town, but something about it seemed...off.

"Really, that was it?" the NightWing asked, glancing at the tiny device in his talon. "I was going to applaud your last ditch effort, but that was just...pathetic." He swiftly crushed the device between two of his claws, flicking it away without batting an eye. "Now then, about your punishment…."

"I'm afraid that's gonna have to wait Darky." Hidden said, an excited grin growing on his face. Luna turned to the SandWing, wondering what he had in mind in such a dire situation as this. Darkstalker seemed almost equally confused, though morso aggravated at the SandWing's flagrant lack of respect.

"What?" the NightWing growled, raising a talon, seemingly ready to thrust Hidden's head back into the pavement for his insolence.

"Did you really have to crush it though?" Hidden asked, ignoring the massive NightWing. "I worked really hard to make that thing!"

Before either Luna or Darkstalker had even a second to comprehend the SandWing's words, another larger slipstream opened to their left. Luna barely had time to turn to her head, when Ricky slammed into her and Hidden with one of the shuttles, throwing them back into yet another slipstream, rescuing them from Darkstalker's clutches.


Northern Sand Kingdom

Evening

Luna felt almost ready to hurl even before they emerged from the slipstream, her whole body aching as she and Hidden were pressed up against the front of the shuttle. It was about ten minutes before the swirling vortex ripped away, replaced with the vast tundra that covered the northernmost point of the Sand Kingdom.

The shuttle abruptly halted above the sea of white, Luna and Hidden flying off of it and plummeting toward the snow below. Luna didn't have time to spread her twin pairs of wings, and instead quickly wrapped them around herself, Hidden doing the same, the two of them rolling across the powdery snow.

"Augh...a little warning next time would be nice!" Luna moaned, sprawling out on the frigid blanket of snow beneath her, the cold temperature helping to sooth her aching muscles from the sudden impact. None of her bones felt broken, thankfully; although her head spun wildly from being tossed about so quickly. "And why'd you have to hit us with the shuttle anyway?!"

"I couldn't give him any time to react, and I highly doubt he was expecting us to ram ourselves with our own ship." Hidden groaned, sounding slightly amused despite likely being in the same amount of pain Luna was in. "Gotta admit, it was a pretty clever idea, tricking him with a fake LDA, right?"

"You wish…." Luna grumbled, smacking Hidden with her tail before wincing in pain. She did have to admit, though, that it was a pretty good plan, minus the getting hit by the shuttle part. She'd have complained about him not telling her about it ahead of time, but considering how he was the only one with skyfire, such secrecy had been justified.

The sound of the shuttle coming in for a landing nearby stole the two's attention, as the two Ricky's quickly rushed out to the duo. Hidden's brother ran up to his side, helping him to his feet, the other Ricky doing the same for Luna.

"A-Are you alright Hidden? I didn't hit you guys too hard, did I?" Ricky nervously asked.

"Relax, we're fine." Hidden grunted, stepping aside to stand on his own, his legs still shaking from the impact.

"Speak for yourself…." Luna groaned.

Hidden grinned, and stared off at the horizon, the others following his gaze. Just beyond a small rise in the snowfield, past the sparse patches of grass peeking through the blanket of white, was the unmistakable golden shape of the Salvation, its hull glistening in the light of the three moons hanging overhead.

"Better get back, everyone's probably wondering where we went." Hidden remarked, already making his way toward the shuttle, their Ricky following close behind.

"Hey, hold on." Luna began, the SandWing pausing to look back at her. "Do you even know where you guys are going after this?" she asked.

Hidden shrugged. "Closer to that capital timeline you told us about?" Hidden suggested, a bit of uncertainty in his voice.

"With an entire town's worth of civilians?" Luna asked, raising a brow at the SandWing. Hidden paused, apparently not having thought that far ahead. She sighed.

"Look, there's a small Alliance base in a timeline not far from here, we may be able to take care of the refugees if we go there." Luna explained, "The Salvation should be able to reach it in a single jump."

Hidden and Ricky's faces briefly lit up at the mention of the Alliance base, Luna quickly realizing what they had in mind. "And no, smaller bases like it don't usually have detailed info about non-interference timelines like yours, so it's unlikely they'll be able to help you find your way home." she explained.

"It couldn't hurt to try, right?" Hidden asked. The other three nodded in agreement, and they piled into the shuttle, taking off to regroup with the Salvation, before departing for the Alliance base.


Darkstalker's (Formerly) Domed City

Afternoon

Darkstalker punched the stone pavement with one of his foretalons, leaving a sizable crater in the otherwise pristine stonework. He grit his teeth, slamming his other talon into the pavement in frustration, cursing the wretched dragons that had slipped out of his grasp once again.

How could he have let them escape? They were right there, in his clutches! He should have skipped the theatrics, and gone straight to enchanting them on the spot, but his mind had been too distracted by the boiling fury at their betrayal of his mercy.

The NightWing King, now having lost his kingdom to the same dragons twice in a row, stared up at the sky, only to find it blanketed by the never-ending flow of undead dragons from the top of the tower. He growled, picking up a stone dislodged from the pavement, and whispered a short enchantment into it. When he finished, the stone quickly flew up toward the top of the tower, the flow of undead dragons cutting off moments later, the remains of the malfunctioning enchantment now erased.

"K-King Darkstalker! You're back!" shouts called from across the plaza. Darkstalker turned to see a small group of dragons, led by a burly LeafWing, sprinting across the plaza toward him. "We hurried over the moment we heard you! We knew you'd return!"

"Silence." Darkstalker said apathetically, waving a talon toward the approaching dragons. The dragons instantly froze in place, paused by his magic until he felt ready to deal with them.

Darkstalker sighed, pinching the bridge of his snout. Even if he flew out after those annoying dragons, he'd likely never find them. They could be anywhere by now, and thanks to the unpredictability of magic between timelines, he couldn't simply enchant something to track them down and bring them to him.

Figures. he thought, Even with this new power, the multiverse still holds me back.

"My my, this is certainly a big mess you've gotten yourself into."

Darkstalker whipped his head around, seeing a dragon with pale red scales, long twisting horns, glow stripes, fins, and gills striding up to him. The hybrid dragon cast a brief glance at his frozen followers before turning her head back to him.

"What, come here to mock me?" Darkstalker asked, his tail lashing furiously. If there was one dragon he didn't want to talk to right then, it was Red, leader of the separatist forces at war with the Alliance, and irritating lackey of H.

"You know, if you spent more time doing your job instead of pursuing these selfish interests of yours, this wouldn't have happened." Red chided, "Our boss isn't one to take such things too kindly."

"Your boss." Darkstalker corrected, "And they are not selfish interests. I'm bringing peace to the multiverse."

"Sure you are." Red remarked.

Darkstalker let out a low growl, turning away from the hybrid, and pacing back and forth across the pavement, his tail lashing behind him. He could easily crush the irritating dragon beneath one of his foretalons, but he didn't want to shatter his alliance with the mysterious H, not if it meant losing the valuable gift he had been granted.

Then again, hadn't it been H who had caused him to lose this town?

"If your boss hadn't called me away, this never would have happened." Darkstalker growled, chuckling angrily.

"Perhaps. Though, H was the one who saved you from that horrible timeline in the first place. You wouldn't be here without them." Red explained. The fact that Darkstalker couldn't argue that fact only made him more agitated.

The hybrid paused, turning away from him to stare at the line of buildings circling the plaza, now merely empty shells without their lively inhabitants filling them. "You know, you may be strong, but you're still only one dragon." she said, "Maybe if you didn't try to do everything yourself, you wouldn't wind up failing so spectacularly."

"What, are you saying you want to help me?" Darkstalker asked, "As if I would want assistance from the likes of you."

"That's not what I was suggesting." Red bluntly replied, turning back to Darkstalker as she pulled out her slipdrive. "I was merely making an observation, that's all."

The hybrid held out her slipdrive, pulling the trigger, a bright stream of light cutting a hole in the fabric of the universe between the two. "Just keep that in mind before you go taking over another timeline." she finished, before disappearing into the swirling vortex.

Darkstalker stared at the spot where Red had once stood for a moment, before glancing at the frozen dragons, staring off into space with gleeful hope in their unblinking eyes. He could deal with them, and the rest of this timeline, later. For now, he had to get stronger.

He pulled out his own slipdrive, given to him by H shortly after he received his gift, and pulled the trigger, opening a swirling slipstream before him. As much as he wanted to use his magic to travel between timelines, the unpredictability of it made that idea sadly unfeasible.

The massive NightWing hopped through the slipstream, gliding through the vortex until he arrived above the Night Kingdom of a nearby timeline, its ruined buildings shining in the early morning sunlight. A few NightWings paced about here and there, their scales a variety of shades of dark blue, instead of the blacks and purples that usually dominated the tribe.

So that's one of this timeline's quirks, isn't it? Darkstalker wondered, Hopefully that doesn't happen to me when I'm done here.

Darkstalker didn't need to sense the magical energy to know where his counterpart in this timeline resided, gliding down toward the ruined palace that stood on one side of the circular courtyard at the center of the city (another odd discrepancy of this timeline). He soon arrived at the open air throne room, gliding between the cracked, vine covered pillars and coming face to face with his counterpart, who stared at him in a mixture of shock, and apprehension.

"Wai...what? What is this?!" the other Darkstalker sputtered, taking a step back. Darkstalker groaned. All the others had reacted in almost the exact same way. Could it kill them to be a little unique?

Darkstalker didn't waste a second in immobilizing his counterpart with his magic (which was a little more consistent between timelines located very close to one another), sitting on his hind legs and holding out both of his talons. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, ready to absorb the other Darkstalker into himself, growing his power as he had five times prior.

But, just before the strange, yet powerful gift that he had been granted could take effect, Red's words from moments before echoed in the back of his mind. He opened his eyes, staring at the other version of him, pure terror etched into the doppelganger's face.

He scoffed. This dragon almost deserved to be assimilated, showing such fear despite being the most powerful dragon in his world. Well, at least, this Darkstalker had been the most powerful, before he'd shown up. Still, another mind was another mind, regardless of how cowardly it was. Perhaps that cowardice would even be beneficial.

Darkstalker released his hold on his weaker counterpart just enough for them to barely nudge their head in response, assuming his regal composure as he stepped up to the doppelganger's face.

"Now then, I'm sure that you have enough sensibility to know who I am, and that you have no power over me." Darkstalker began, gesturing to the constrained doppelganger. "So I will leave you with this choice. Join me, and help me bring peace and stability to the multiverse, or become a part of me. Either way, you will be aiding my efforts."

The other Darkstalker stared at him for a short eternity, hints of anger and frustration peeking through his terror. Darkstalker almost wondered if the doppelganger would refuse, when they nodded their head ever so slightly. He grinned.

"Good." he proclaimed, leaning in closer to the other him. "Now let's go gather some more, D2."


AN:

Thus concludes Episode 8. Still feel a bit uncertain about my writing in some areas, but it seems to wrap it up well enough. I've already started work on the next episode, which will lead into the finale. I'm a little worried about my writing so far on its first chapter, but I've got a week to iron it out.

Hidden and Luna obviously couldn't use the same trick they previously used on Darkstalker here, as that would both be repetitive from a storytelling standpoint, and Darkstalker would easily be able to return to this timeline. He even could have made an enchanted piece of jewelry to protect him from such things. Instead, I thought it would be funny to do the reverse of it, and have Hidden and Luna be the ones getting smacked into another timeline.

What awaits the Salvation at the Alliance base, and what scheme could Darkstalker have planned next? Stay tuned!