[haHA! ANOTHER CHAPTER! Didn't expect THAT now did ya? Anyways, things are heating up a bit now, find out what fate has in store for Pyrrhia. Enjoy!]

(Chapter 3 - Twines of Fate or Wait, What?)

-X-

'Darkstalker?'

The familiar white noise of Peacemaker's favorite waterfall washed over the troubled dragon as usual, this time listening a bit more intently inside his head. He hadn't heard a peep from Darkstalker in what seemed like an hour.

'You're awfully quiet right now…'

As if burdened to respond, Darkstalker made himself present again.

'That I am. As promised, remember?'

Peacemaker settled back into his usual position, crossing his paws over with a sigh.

'I suppose…'

'I thought you'd have prefered my silence,' The Nightwing laid himself down in the confines of Peacemaker's mind, obviously sulking in his downtrodden moodiness. 'Considering half the time you're telling me to shut up.'

'As true as that is… knowing you're there and just, not talking makes it… weirder.'

Darkstalker propped his head up again.

'Would you like to hear about the time I brainwashed an entire mountain of dragons?"

'I remember. No thanks.'

Darkstalker inspected his nonphysical claws. 'How about my early upbringing?'

'Again,' Peacemaker took a deep breath and concentrated on the waterfall. 'I already remember that too.'

'Mm… I see.'

Another moment of silence… Peacemaker settled in his spot once more, enjoying the sunset nearby. Darkstalker simply twiddled his talons.

'...What about when I made Arctic-'

"STOP."

Peacemaker clenched his fist tight, then set it on the moist stone ground.

'Just… no more about the past…'

Darkstalker set his head down again. 'Fair enough. Any topics of conversation you'd rather focus on?'

Another sigh managed to slip from Peacemaker's maw, exhausted mentally and emotionally.

'Well… what about the Starwings?'

'Mmm... frankly speaking, I'm not sure I trust them.'

Peacemaker perked his head up a little. 'Don't trust them? Why?'

Darkstalker, as Peacemaker could make out, seethed with his past experiences oozing malice.

'Anyone who comes forth with good intentions seeming too good to be true, more than likely is. Everyone has their secrets, Peacemaker. You of all… WE of all dragons should know this.'

As much as he hated to admit, Darkstalker (and him) knew that quite well. His closeness to Stardust didn't explicitly prove that the Starwings hadn't any ulterior motives. Still though, Peacemaker thought it seemed unlikely.

'What motives could they even have? They obviously came for Stardust, their literal lost son. I've gotten nothing but pure hearted intentions from them thus far.'

'They're an ultra powerful race of space dragons with technology far more sophisticated than anything we've ever seen.' Darkstalker popped up onto his feet again, now pacing around aimlessly.

'Power like that doesn't come about through random chance. That power and advancement has to have come from somewhere, Peace. It's the fact that they're as advanced and powerful as they are, and still take an interest in us, that makes me wonder what they really want.'

Peacemaker could see Darkstalker's point (rather clearly, since they were at one point the same entity), yet found himself disagreeing.

'What about me? I got my animus powers from you, that doesn't mean I have secret maniacal plans for Pyrrhia.'

'Not yet.'

'I don't NOW, nor will I EVER.'

Darkstalker couldn't really argue with Peacemaker's character, impeccable and morally upright. Darkstalker barely understood it, but he definitely knew that he couldn't change Peacemaker's mind about it.

'Peace… You've barely done anything with your animus powers. You don't want to make a mess of things, which is understandable. But having that power carries a massive responsibility, and not using it at all denotes fear of one's self…'

Darkstalker prodded up to behind Peacemaker's eyes again, or at least it felt that way to him.

'Fear of one's self, is to fight a battle you cannot win.'

'Darkstalker, I am not afraid of my powers. I'm just… Careful.'

Darkstalker scoffed to himself. 'Careful…'

Peacemaker didn't find that particularly reassuring, but hesitated to give Darkstalker anymore thought in that regard. He already hated thinking about what he was capable of… And he hated even more thinking about what kind of path he'd be able to go down with it. The more his mind dwelled upon the subject the more nauseated his stomach would become.

'Look…' In an arguable moment of compassion, Darkstalker purposely interrupted Peacemaker's spiral of thoughts.

'I know that thinking of all the ways you can go wrong haunts you. But only staying in one place for fear of making a misstep, only guarantees you will go nowhere. You just…'

Darkstalker couldn't force the words out of his maw easily, but he found himself compelled to anyways.

'...You need to trust yourself.'

Peacemaker often hated it when Darkstalker made profound points… Perhaps it was the fact that it made Darkstalker seem less like a psycho murderer and more like anyone else. Perhaps someone Peacemaker would look up to. And he definitely didn't want that. This point that he made though… It resonated on a deeper level he couldn't precisely categorize, but one that genuinely made him feel better. It challenged Peacemaker's conceptions towards Darkstalker, for better now.

'Yeah… You're right… I just need to trust myself.'

'For the love of the moons, don't get sappy on me.'

'Heh, right.' Peacemaker managed a smile. 'Back to the Starwings?'

Darkstalker shrugged. 'Still don't trust them.'

'Well… In that case, what would make you trust them?'

Darkstalker found himself unable to answer that question in particular. Considering his background, Darkstalker didn't think he could be convinced to trust them.

'Peace, being able to read dragons' minds makes it incredibly hard to trust anyone. Especially after the things I've gone through.'

'I know that, you know I know that. What I ask however, is what would change that?'

Again, Darkstalker failed to answer. Peacemaker could feel his mental tennant's mind searching and clamoring around.

'If anything… The Starwings have put themselves in the position that they must now prove their intentions. If they put their actions where their words are, then I'll be more inclined to… trust them.'

Admittedly, to Darkstalker it felt a little weird saying that, especially considering the topic at hand earlier. Trust felt like a stranger to him now, something he couldn't have anymore. Being inside the mind of someone as innocent and trusting as Peacemaker brought a swath of emotions tucked deep away that he couldn't explain in terms of origin, much less reconcile with now… Innocence, Peace, Trust, even Happiness. Peacemaker picked up on this, planning on using this to his advantage.

'Y'know… I think trust is something you sorely need to cultivate.'

Darkstalker scoffed again. 'Oh whatever. You've got my opinion on the Starwings now.'

Peacemaker watched his reflection in the waterfall, the rainbow scales glittering softly.

'What about Stardust?'

'Stardust is an anomaly, a miraculous accident. He grew up with some of the best parents and dragons around him, so it's no wonder he's done so well thus far, but… whatever circumstances brought him to our continent, he's not supposed to really be here.'

'Not really supposed to- Darkstalker, he's lived here his entire LIFE! How could you say he doesn't belong here?'

'He's not of Pyrrhia, probably not even of the other contin-'

Darkstalker caught himself mid sentence, not daring to continue his thought. Peacemaker finished his sentence absentmindedly however.

'Not of the other continent either, yeah but still, he-'

As if stopping mid air, Peacemaker felt his body jerk hard upon realizing the implications of that statement.

'otHER CONTINENT. WAIT A MINUTE, YOU DON'T GET TO JUST SKIP OVER THAT!'

Peacemaker stood on his feet again, now pacing around and searching through his fuzzy memories, racking his mind to find anything he could remember of this other continent.

'HOW did I not remember this sooner? How come YOU DIDN'T TELL ME ABOUT IT SOONER?!'

He glared inwards at the captive Nightwing.

'Tell me. Everything you know. Now.'

Darkstalker couldn't exactly sigh, being only a metaphorical construction inside someone else's head, but he did his best to do so anyways.

'Peacemaker, it's not exactly relevant at the moment.'

'Like PIE it's not! We have dragons coming down from space, literal SPACE dragons! They could help us get to places on our planet we previously couldn't, across oceans or to the otHER CONTINENT!'

'Peace, with all this going on, the other continent doesn't need us to-'

Peacemaker, being Peacemaker, shouted out into the twilight of dusk as he finally remembered. "PANTALA! THAT'S WHAT IT'S CALLED!"

Again, being unable to sigh nearly drove Darkstalker mad.

'Yes, Pantala. The inhabitants there, last time I recall we made contact, weren't exactly friendly, which is why we stayed away.'

'And the last time we were over there was what- over 2000 YEARS AGO?'

'Approximately yes!'

Peacemaker huffed to himself, stood once more and bounded down off his meditation rock, much to Darkstalker's dismay.

'NO. DO NOT TELL ANYONE ELSE.'

"Oh I'm definitely telling somebody else."

'Stop it! DO NOT TALK ABOUT THIS OUT LOUD, THIS COULD GO VERY BADLY FOR EVERYONE-'

"PANTALA, PANTALA, PANTALA!"

By now Peacemaker was shouting out loud through the rainforest, Darkstalker visibly angry at his actions.

'I SWEAR BY THE LIGHT OF THE MOONS PEACEMAKER-'

'YOU can't do anything, you're in MY head now buddy. And I'm going to tell soMEONE ABOUT THIS!'

'YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT SORT OF RAMIFICATIONS COULD COME ABOUT BY EXPOSING THIS INFORMATION! IT COULD-'

"Peacemaker! Come on in, it's almost your bedtime!"

The familiar voice of Hope calling from a ways away cut through their bickering instantly. Also instantly, the two came up with the exact idea…

'Wait a minute, Hope knows too, doesn't she?'

'...Do NOT.'

Again, Peacemaker bounded down the rainforest floor towards his mother's humble abode.

'I'm doing it.'

'NO!'

'Definitely doing it.'

'STOP!'

A few short hops inside, Peacemaker found his way to his house with Hope, nearly careening in through the doorway.

"MOM!"

Hope, tidying up the living area, turned to greet her son with a warm smile like usual.

"There you are, how was the waterfall?"

Peacemaker prodded up as fast as he could. "Fine dandy great, listen!"

Once he had his mother's attention, he looked her eye to eye.

"Do you remember anything about Pantala?"

The name resonated with Hope in a way that she couldn't exactly place… she sat up a little straighter as if the word had registered somewhere in there.

"Hm… Pantala…?"

Peacemaker needn't Darkstalker to say a word to know that he seethed with rage, albeit in silence. He didn't particularly care, considering he was getting answers one way or the other.

"Yes, Pantala."

Hope didn't seem all too familiar with the name, so she continued her cleaning while thinking it over.

"That does ring a bell." Her nonchalance about the matter, when Peacemaker seemed entirely consumed by it's existence, caught the two off guard. "Remind me, is that a friend of yours? A new flower? A dish of some sort?"

Peacemaker tried getting his mother to stand still once more, still doing his best to convey the urgency of the matter.

"No, none of those. Pantala is the other continent, remember?"

At first, Hope's reaction was that of a mother hearing about some fantastical far away made up place, conjuring up endearment and warmth. Right as she was about to respond, the thought pinged around in her head once more, eliciting another more serious response. Her brow furrowed as her memory kicked in, the once warm and affectionate smile transforming to a maw agape, and as her eyes found their way back to Peacemaker, she spoke once more, this time low and quiet.

"...How did you remember that?"

Peacemaker felt supremely content upon witnessing her mother remember it as well, Darkstalker most interestingly found himself a little excited despite all the objections he made.

"Long story. What do you remember about it, because-"

"HEY!"

The mother and son pair snapped their attention to the new dragon finding himself in the doorway. A panting and quite exhausted looking Strongwings had burst in the house, looking to Hope urgently.

"Queen Glory is calling an emergency tribe meeting. She needs everyone at the pavilion, like NOW."

-X-

"We've sent three Rainwings and four Nightwings to the Mudwing Kingdom, carrying food and medical supplies."

Glory paced around the pavilion area, having just informed the two tribes of the Mudwing Palace Fire. The Nightwings set out gathering supplies to send, the Rainwings heading out to find and harvest more food and herbs. Deathbringer found himself moving constantly along with Glory, trying to calm her down.

"Jambu is leading the food and herb efforts, and Greatness is directing the care packages. We'll have enough for the whole Mudwing tribe tomorrow more than likely, there's plenty in the rainforest for both of us too."

The Rainwing Queen found herself a wash of seafoam green, strident light blues, a few dots of grey-white, and each of these colors fought with each other for superiority. Deathbringer would've manifested these colors too had he not been born a Nightwing. Watching Glory pace around wildly and with such intense unease nearly made him feel the same way.

"Glory, we're helping them, we're doing good. Everything will be okay."

"I KNOW, Deathbringer. I know."

Glory finally ceased her constant pacing, planting herself in front of Deathbringer.

"It's one dragon in particular I'm worried about."

Deathbringer nosed to her snout gingerly. "I know… I'm worried about him too…"

Glory pulled her snout away and seemed to almost growl a bit.

"You didn't grow up with him as one of the only dragons who cared for you… Stood up for you…"

The Nightwing sighed to himself, padding over to Glory once more.

"No, you're right… He means more to you than he ever would to me." He then sat himself besides the Rainwing Queen and laid her head on his shoulder. "But you mean the world to me…"

As she let him lay her head upon his broader shoulder, Glory drew as deep a breath as she could, letting out a heavy and worried sigh. She turned in place to hug Deathbringer tight.

"You mean a lot to me too… I'm sorry, I'm just worried sick…"

Deathbringer could only nod and rub her back, the two hugging it out in silence. Deathbringer rarely ever saw Glory like this, for rarely did she ever truly get scared by anything. Not even when a pair of Sandwing thugs threatened the two did she falter, in fact if anything she found her resolve steeled even more so. For Glory to be as scared and anxious as this… Deathbringer had to be strong for her, for both of them.

"Queen Glory…?"

The two whirled around to find an anxious looking Peacemaker peeking up at the couple. Glory welcomed him warmly.

"Peacemaker!" Glory brought him into a soft hug, motioning for Deathbringer to give the two a few minutes alone, to which he nodded silently and padded off. Peacemaker squeezed back happily.

"A-Am I in trouble?"

"Oh no little one," Glory assured him, offering her most sincere smile. "Not at all. Would you mind if we talked privately?"

Peacemaker, unsure of what was going on still, nodded and went along. Glory led him along to her private quarters, a familiar room where he had visited often with a young Stardust. Empty save for the two, the hut remained dimly lit and cozy. Glory sat along with Peacemaker.

"Firstly… You aren't in trouble. I promise you that."

Peacemaker nodded as Glory continued. The Queen took another breath and continued, albeit this time more hesitantly.

"Secondly… I ask that you please don't be mad at me or Stardust… but a while ago, he told me about what you've been going through…"

Glory found it harder and harder to continue upon noticing Peacemaker's increasingly alarmed and anxious expression.

"He told me about your memories resurfacing and he told me about the animus powers you retained… And I can promise you now, that I will not tell another living soul about any of it. The ONLY reason Stardust told me was so I would keep an eye on you, and if you ever needed help or needed someone to talk to, I could be there for you."

Peacemaker shifted uncomfortably, his gaze darting around a bit. Glory could've sworn the dragonet was having an intense mental conversation.

"I am not here to alarm you, or make you feel like I'm watching you or anything… Peacemaker, I'm your friend. I want to help, ok?"

Peacemaker, through all this, heaved a sigh and seemed as if he was trying to clear his mind. Glory could only empathize with the little one.

'Poor guy…'

"Thank you so much, Queen Glory… that means a lot to me." Peacemaker offered a smile to her, but continued after. "But… may I know why you called me here?"

Glory couldn't tell what colors her scales shifted to now, but whatever it was, Peacemaker definitely took note.

"I wanted to ask for a favor… something small, but something that'd mean the world to me…"

The Rainwing Queen found herself pacing around again. "Bear in mind, you can absolutely say no if you feel uneasy by it. This is up to you."

Peacemaker found himself settling nervously in place. "Is this the kind of favor that involves me using my animus powers…?"

Glory nodded slowly. "You heard about the Mudwing Palace Fire in the tribe meeting, yes?"

Peacemaker nodded solemnly. Glory nosed up to him once more.

"This morning… A meeting was held at Jade Mountain, where everyone was to deliver a message to the Queens of Pyrrhia. Aries gave everyone attending one of these holographic messages for each Queen. Sunny went to see Thorn, Peril went to see Ruby, Moon… went to find an Icewing named Winter, and Clay…"

Peacemaker caught on rather quickly.

"...was sent to Moorhen… and then the Palace started to burn…"

Glory felt her scales shift colors again, to which colors she didn't even know anymore.

"We haven't heard anything from Clay or his sibs yet… and…"

Peacemaker held Glory's paw and squeezed it.

"I can show you how he's doing if that's what you want… I'm more than happy to help with that."

The young hybrid found himself surrounded by the Queen's wings and arms, a tender and warm hug from Glory.

"That's all I ask. Please…"

Peacemaker nodded, squeezing back firmly. "Of course."

He glanced around the room, looking for anything of use.

"You wouldn't happen to have a mirror here, would you?"

Glory gestured to the smaller offshoot hut, almost like a small closet. Inside lay a wooden table with a cute flowery chest, which housed an assortment of jewels and such from the previous queens. Inside there, also lay a hand held mirror, which Glory handed to Peacemaker.

Peacemaker held said mirror gingerly and cleared his throat to speak, however he stopped before anything could be said. Again, he seemed as if he were in mental conversation, debating something…

"Is something wrong Peace…?"

The hybrid dragonet looked back to Glory again.

"Glory, is it okay if I disenchanted it after…? Just to… y'know, make sure it doesn't fall into the wrong talons?"

After a thoughtful glance, she nodded warmly.

"A sound idea, go ahead."

Peacemaker smiled back, and then looked to the mirror he held. He thought for a good few seconds before clearing his throat again.

"Enchant this mirror to show us Clay the Mudwing as he is right now, his surroundings and the surrounding dragons as well."

The moment he ceased talking, the mirror seemed to swirl to life, forming browns and reds and oranges into a view of a small Mudwing hut. The center of this picture portrayed a particularly comforting scene, Clay and his sibs sleeping in a big ol' dragon pile. Glory noted that Clay had probably the biggest smile she'd seen on him in a long time. And for her, that was all she needed.

"There he is… Safe and sound…"

Glory nosed Peacemaker back with a smile, her frenzied scales settling back into her normal color palette.

"Thank you, Peacemaker. It means the world to me."

Peacemaker beamed a proud and happy smile, that notably didn't last long before it became a more thoughtful and curious smirk. Glory honestly didn't understand the little one's thought processes, but she hadn't a clue what he was going through, so she said nothing.

"Um… My Queen?" Peacemaker looked at the mirror a bit more, contemplative in his words. "May I ask a question?"

Glory nodded in response. "Of course."

"What… Uhm…"

He twiddled his talons in place a bit upon thinking of his question.

"What do you intend to do about the whole… City of Night thing?"

Definitely not prepared for this particular question, Glory seemed to deflate a little bit.

"In all honesty, I'm not quite sure yet. That kind of scenario has a lot of things attached to it that I'm not sure if we as a tribe are ready to handle…"

Furrowing her brow a little bit, she looked back to Peacemaker curiously.

"Why do you ask…?"

Peacemaker closed his eyes once more, squeezing them shut as if talking internally… He stamped his paw down firmly.

"Considering we've already got things going with the Starwings, I think you should help the Nightwings rebuild, and guide them along the way."

Again, caught off guard by the little one's outwardness, Glory hadn't much of a response.

"Well, Peacemaker that's-"

"And," He put a foot forward, as if confirming it to himself as well.

"I want to help."

-X-

"What have you got for me, boys?"

Xenon and Neon trailed beside Orion, who seemed in a bit of a hurry to get planetside. Xenon tried giving the pad to his superior who seemed single minded in his focus.

"Sir, we created the interface and initial testing shows it to be working well." Neon grabbed the screen next and brought up the list of commands they'd brought up from earlier.

"We found a directory for commands, their root syntax and language is… startlingly like our own, but that's probably because it used our own code to create their interface."

Xenon scrolled down to the bottom, where he pointed at the last command.

"We've done two basic commands, one was to generate a directory of possible commands, pretty simple, the other one…"

Orion finally glanced down to the screen, reading the exchange.

"Whoami… Human?"

Neon nodded in unison with Xenon. "'Human' doesn't register anything in our databases, not even the Home Server."

"Hm... " Orion repeated the phrase, foreign to him. "Human… it doesn't sound like anything I've encountered either."

"Indeed. We can start testing further with your permission my liege."

Orion nodded, moving forwards once more.

"Make it so, and catalogue your findings. Keep me informed of any major discoveries, but coordinate your efforts with Tau on the bridge."

Neon and Xenon saluted, watching Orion pad off. Neon noted that they stood now in the launch bay.

"You're off to the surface, sir?"

Orion stepped forwards to the door of the airlock chamber, a somewhat giddy smile upon his snout.

"That I am. A King has to make his first appearance sometime, doesn't he?"

Xenon nodded, while Neon prodded forwards.

"If I may, sir… any information from the surface might aid us greatly in our endeavors. Update Tau if you happen upon anything?"

Orion thought to himself upon the subject, and ultimately nodded.

"I'll see what I can find."

Xenon and Neon nodded and saluted.

"Aye sir." "We'll await you here."

The two dragon brothers padded off to the halls, making their way back to the bridge. Orion opened the airlock and sealed himself inside. He activated a button on his wrist comm, creating an energy shield around his body, scale tight. Pressing a few buttons along the airlock wall interface, he initiated a manual launch sequence; the corners of the chamber held panels of light that intensified and fed his shield energy, while the air began to bleed out of the pressurized room.

Orion let his breath go, releasing all the air from his body as the energy fed his system all he needed. The clear screen doors in front of him automatically slid open, and he blasted out into the emptiness with his wings propelling him out.

Surrounded by the three moons as the ship's orbit kept itself nearby, the atmosphere (or lack thereof) held a comforting beauty Orion hadn't seen or felt in quite a while. His gaze landed upon the planet, the main continent down below him. Orion reached out in his mind to the planet, searching for his wife.

Aries, I'm headed down. Shall I find you, dear?

[On the Planet Below...]

Hamal and Aries found themselves beside a troubled and overwhelmed Webs, totally unsure of himself and with little idea of how to handle a mountain of dragonets.

"WHY am I the only one left here? Who's idea was this?!"

Hamal briefly input his two cents.

"Yours, I believe."

Aries briefly smacked him with her wing, to which he nearly fell over. Webs didn't notice, fumbling about with all the scrolls in his arms.

"I can't run an entire academy by myself, I'm just the history teacher for moons sake!"

"You're NOT running it by yourself Webs."

Starflight, finding his way around the halls by Webs' panicky voice, trailed behind. His body was illuminated by the window light through the halls, the moons light cutting through the dark night and painting him serene and almost ghostly.

"In case you've forgotten, I'm here too. I'm more than just a blind librarian you know."

Webs nearly jumped out of his scales upon hearing Starflight's voice. As he turned around, his relief was clearly seen by all. Except, y'know… Starflight.

"Starflight… I'm sorry, I thought you were heading out with the others."

"Someone has to keep order here," Starflight passed the trio as he listened to the rooms and the dragonets therein. "And so far it's all going smoothly."

"What do you mean? It was chaos in my class, chaos!"

The group paused looking inside the nearby Winglet Cave. Changbai, Fearless and Boto all snoozed soundly, while Starflight smiled to himself.

"Ah yes. Chaos indeed."

Webs nearly crushed a few scrolls in his claws, taking a deep breath to ensure he didn't accidentally rip them.

"Maybe it's just me then…"

Aries nudged Webs by the shoulder comfortingly.

"Relax Webs, the whole mountain is abuzz with everything that's been going on lately. It'll be ok."

Webs drew in another deep breath to calm himself.

"Yes yes, you're right… The fact that the Mudwing Palace burned down doesn't help anything either."

Starflight stopped dead in his tracks, his expression shifting in an instant to that of dread.

"...The Mudwing Palace what?"

Webs immediately covered his snout with his talons, letting the scrolls clatter on the floor. Aries nudged Starflight with her wingtip as she sat besides him.

"Starflight… we just learned that Moorhen's Palace caught flames about midday today. No further updates have come our way, sadly… We just know it almost entirely burned down."

Starflight felt his head droop a bit, as if his gaze would have found the floor.

"Any… Any word from Clay?"

Webs shook his head no, and didn't have any heart to speak after. Starflight took the silence as his answer.

"...I see…" Said the blind dragon. "...Queen Aries, is there any way you can…"

"Starflight," Aries wrapped a wing around his back. "I sent one of my personal guards to that location. He'll find out what's going on for us, and hopefully find Clay too… Alright?"

Starflight seemed reassured by the queen's words, albeit obviously still worried sick. The blindfold around his eyes seemed to dampen just a touch.

"Alright… Thank you, so much…"

Hamal looked between the two both curiously and with sentimental eyes.

"This Clay character seems to be rather important to everyone…"

"He's… Definitely important." Starflight and Webs both seemed downtrodden at the prospect of losing their Mudwing family.

"Considering I helped raise him," Webs folded his talons together and looked down in memory. "Clay's heart is as big as this mountain, and I think the whole of Pyrrhia would grieve at his loss."

"...I know we would…" Starflight turned his head aside, as if trying to ward off the thought.

Hamal, noting Aries' quietness, glanced to her briefly. She seemed to be thinking with her eyes closed, as if going through some mental conversation.

"My Queen? Everything okay?"

She held up a talon to Hamal, as if to say "Shh." Another few seconds later, she smiled and turned to Webs and Starflight.

"Well… Since Clay is so important, and the Mudwings have gone through tragedy, I think it only fair we send someone important to meet Clay, and make sure everything is ok."

Aries immediately enraptured both Starflight's and Webs' attention.

"Really?" "Who?"

Aries turned to Hamal and then back with a smile. Hamal swore he could have sensed something else from her… Perhaps a tinge of anxiety. But for now, Aries seemed resolute in her happiness. She declared:

"Clay will be one of the first dragons of Pyrrhia to meet my husband.~"

-X-

"I think we've covered all the bases here… unless you can think of something else?"

Thorn and Sunny sat outside in the Queen's Pavilion, overlooking the city and mostly empty streets. Around them sprawled orders and maps of all sorts the two drew up. Sunny picked up a scroll with Vulture's known plans of attack.

"We're sure these are Vulture's last known contacts?"

Thorn nodded, glancing over the list.

"Should be updated, last time my spies brought me any information was a few days ago. I recognize at least twelve of those names too. The only one that doesn't ring a bell, is Venom… Not too sure about that one."

"Venom…" Sunny glossed over the name in her head, unsure if she recognizes the name. "Doesn't ring a bell with me either."

"Regardless," Thorn picked up one more scroll, a centerpiece that the rest of the papers and such connected to. "I dare say we have a plan."

"Alright," Sunny picked up her copy and paced as she read it off. "Smolder and Sixclaws will meet with Onyx and attempt to dissuade her or arrange a truce for a day,"

"Or literally anything else than try and claim true Queenship." Thorn interjected with her head propped in her talons. "If we could stop the drama for a few days, that'd be preferable."

"Right," Sunny continued and added a few more notes. "Just… Stop… The… Drama." She continued looking at the written plan on her paper. "Smolder, have you figured out what you're…"

Sunny and Thorn paused for a second, hearing the faint but definite sound of one snoring Smolder. He leaned onto a table with his head barely propped up in his talons, one of said talons almost in his nose. Thorn and Sunny shot each other a "Seriously?" look, before Sunny whapped him across the side with her tail.

"whOHAH-"

Smolder promptly lost balance as he jerked awake and fell backwards. Thorn let a hearty laugh erupt from her throat, as Sunny, with a contorted snout so as to not laugh, helped the handsome Sandwing back up.

"You okay?~"

Smolder popped back up with a groan as he cradled his head.

"Nnrgh… I'm fine."

Thorn prodded him with her tail gently. "Serves you right for falling asleep on us."

Smolder nodded. "My apologies… What was your question again, Sunny?"

"Do you know what you're going to do and say when you talk to Onyx?"

The former Sandwing Prince found himself unable to answer, sighing to himself.

"I think… I'm just going to talk to her." Smolder's eyes found the faint street lights in the distance. "Just… Father and daughter. Politics and everything else aside, I want her to know I still love her."

"Smolder," Thorn shot Smolder an unsatisfied and slightly concerned look, to which Smolder met her gaze again. "The goal is to make sure a truce is struck, at least for a little. The last time you two talked, it didn't seem at all like she shared the familial sentiment…"

Smolder had considered this, but a certain conviction shone in his eyes about it. Thorn's concern grew a little stronger. "What makes you so sure she'll share that sentiment now?"

"Last time we spoke…" Smolder's gaze found the horizon once more, the dark violets and inky night swirling together as a swath of stars dotted the black. "Something about her seemed more raw, more vulnerable. Her usual calculating persona showed cracks… She yelled at me, which considering her feelings towards me is understandable, but… I don't think she's ever yelled at me."

"You think…" Sunny interjected, also a tinge of concern in her voice. "You think Onyx is starting to slip? Mentally?"

Thorn blew a sigh as she returned to her papers. "I think that already happened a while ago."

"Point is," Smolder sat up a bit straighter. "She's changed. In ways I can't identify exactly, but it's there. I'm confident I can find some way to coax her out of all this, trust me Thorn."

Thorn, admittedly suspicious of his claim but still willing to believe him, nodded reluctantly. "Alright… I'll trust you in that regard. I just hope you know what you're doing, I can't afford to have all of this crash down on me at the last moment."

"I know," Smolder raised a paw to assure her. "I know. I'll do everything I can, my queen."

The two seemed to share a playfully tense moment of eye contact carrying entire conversations silently. 'Don't get sarcastic with me.~' 'Make me.~'

Sunny's gaze switched back and forth between the two a bit confusedly. "Uhm…"

"Anyways!" Thorn popped back up and looked back to Sunny. "Smolder will handle Onyx, and hopefully get that situation squared away or at least make headway with her."

"That I will." Smolder saluted and laid back down, listening to the Queen and Princess.

"Excellent." Thorn read down her list. "That's Onyx. For Vulture, we've activated our network of undercover spies, they'll give us an idea of where he's at. Based on what happens with that, we'll either mobilize or we'll relax on that front."

"If he does do anything," Sunny chimed back in again. "What can we expect?"

"That," Thorn put down her paper to look at Sunny once more. "Is nigh impossible to tell. Vulture is the most underhanded, craftiest, snake-skinned worm of a dragon I've ever had the displeasure of meeting. He breathes lies and malice, and by all accounts the fact he hasn't attempted to outright kill me makes me wonder if he's got something else planned."

Sunny's concern leapt through her heart into anxiety as Thorn spoke more about this Vulture.

"He's orchestrated at least a dozen bombings of my cities, two of which nearly made it to my palace. He's managed to get his hands on a few of my close officials, injuring two and quite nearly killing another. He's infiltrated my staff with at LEAST two spies, maybe more, considering I still find a few extremely venomous vipers dawdling around my quarters every so often." Thorn nearly found herself up on her talons again and pacing around, listing off her dealings with the ruthless dragon.

"He's burned down at least a quarter of my kingdom over the past few years, he's captured maybe 25 or so of my guards over the same time span, he attempts regular break ins of my guarded treasures, and I'm prETTY SURE-"

Thorn now stood on her talons as she remembered one more thing.

"I'M PRETTY SURE THE CRUSTY OLD SERPENT STEALS MY LETTERS, TOO."

"If he's that bad," Sunny found herself besides her mother. "Then why haven't you just… y'know… been done with him yet?"

As up in arms as she might've been, Thorn, hearing that question from Sunny, sat back down and collected herself.

"The ONLY reason… and I mean THE O N L Y reason… is because of Qibli. As much as he hates his grandfather… he couldn't bring himself to kill him. He's actually pleaded with me to do anything and everything BUT end his life. And… For QIBLI to say that about HIM… it makes me proud of him."

Sunny felt a smile across her snout as Thorn followed suit. "Also makes me question his priorities a little bit, but it still makes me proud of his compassion."

"Excuse me my queen?"

The three heads whirled around to see a Sandwing snout peeking into Thorn's Royal Chambers. Thorn sat up again.

"What is it, Ember?"

Ember, a spritely young Sandwing female, brought in a tray with tea and cups with a semi nervous expression. "The kitchen has brought your nightly tea, I wasn't sure if you were okay with me interrupting."

Thorn and Sunny both offer a gracious smile while she sets it down on the nearby table.

"That's quite alright, thank you. We'll be fine for the rest of the night."

Ember bows with a relieved smile and exits again, leaving the three by themselves.

"Well…" Sunny nosed Thorn's shoulder with a reassuring smile again. "Maybe Vulture's getting too old for this now. You did say he's been slowing down lately, right?"

"That I did. Either that or wishful thinking has gotten the best of me, but you're right beetle.~"

"Slow and sloppy." Smolder piped up while he nosed up to the tray of tea. "Last few attempts we were able to stop quickly, thankfully. I think we'll be seeing the last of him sooner rather than later."

Sunny and Thorn seemed quite comforted by Smolder's addition, seeing as she lifted the cup and pot of tea up with a contented smirk. "Here's hoping. And if he decides to be docile during all of this, all I need do is make sure I'm prepared for the meeting that's coming up."

Sunny repositioned herself besides Thorn and rubbed her cheek to her mother's side affectionately. "And I can help with that for sure.~"

Thorn set the pot back down, instead hugging her daughter tightly. "Mmmh… thank you for your assistance in all this Sunny, it greatly eases my mind. You have no idea…"

Sunny basked in the hug and her mother's praise, quite the content dragon at that moment. Smolder found himself going to pour the tea instead.

"She really does mean that Sunny, I haven't seen her this relaxed in perhaps a few months!"

Smolder tilted the pot to the cup, where… nothing came out. He tilted it more, but still nothing. Sunny and Thorn hadn't noticed.

"I know you're busy with everything at the academy, and I applaud you for your work as a teacher, Sunny." Thorn nosed her snout atop Sunny's head. "I do wish you'd visit more often…"

"Awe mom…" Sunny poked her nose back to her snout and planted a kiss on her cheek. "If you want me to visit more often, how could I say no?"

"Well," Thorn chuckled a giggly and happy chuckle, planting a kiss back in response. "It's dangerous here, after all. Wouldn't want my beetle getting hurt."

"Mom, I'm not a dragonet anymore! I can handle danger!"

"Uhm… guys?"

Smolder's confused and otherwise quizzical intonation attracted the two royal's attention rather quickly. He set the pot down, stepping back.

"I think there's something wrong with the tea."

Thorn sighed and padded forwards. "Too watery again, not hot enough?"

Smolder shook his head. "That's not tea."

Before Thorn could ask another question, the pot wobbled in place, as if pushed around by an invisible force. She and Sunny drew forwards curiously, Thorn nearly found her snout atop it as the pot lid burst open.

Smolder was right in saying this was not tea. What lay inside instead was something else entirely. As it poked its head out with a nasty temper, Thorn and Sunny found themselves face to face with a Dragonbite Viper.

-X-

"What do you mean he isn't here?"

Sanctuary usually bustled and brimmed with life, so it was no surprise to see the sprawling town bigger than before with twice as many dragons too, even in the dead of night. Variety in architecture, dragon size, tribe and stature, with almost every kind of Hybrid you could imagine; not to mention the presence of the Talons of Peace in every corner of the towns halls and buildings, creating a much appreciated feeling of safety.

Moon and Qibli quickly found their way to the Talons' headquarters, being welcomed warmly. Having been a number of years since they'd visited the Talons of Peace, they hadn't exactly been keeping up with their advances and growth. Moon and Qibli found themselves in the midst of the Talons, talking to the nearest guard who led them to the main dragon on site, a disheveled and tired looking Skywing.

"Riptide left a few days ago to the Sea Kingdom, claiming he needed to fix something. He didn't say how long he'd be gone, only that he wouldn't return," This next part the Skywing used air quotations. "Until "I've made things right again". Don't ask me what that means."

Qibli scratched his head. "Huh… alright."

Moon, dissatisfied with that answer, prodded in the Skywing's head a bit to find out what she could.

'Why did Riptide have to leave on such short notice? Doesn't he know my job is stressful enough as it is? I can't lead an entire organization, I'm barely able to handle daily operations as it is! Why are these two dragons asking so many questions though, can't they annoy somebody else?'

"Well perhaps you can help us? We're just looking for an Icewing." Qibli interrupted Moon's mindreading, thankfully for her. The Skywing's brow arched a bit.

"An Icewing huh?" He stroked his chin and nodded. "I can probably do that. We don't get a lot of Icewings here nowadays."

"His name is Winter," Moon found her words again, suddenly not having the best attitude or liking of this certain huffy dragon. "Last time I talked to him he was stationed in Sanctuary."

"Winter…" The name didn't resonate with the Skywing, furrowing his brow some more as he rattled his brain. "Winter, Winter, Winter… It doesn't ring a bell, but then again I see around 20 dragons a day."

He turned around and shouted across the small courtyard to a Skywing looking at paperwork atop the roof.

"HEY WARBLER!"

Warbler the Skywing in question, stood and shouted back.

"YEAH?"

"YOU RECOGNIZE THE NAME WINTER? HE'S AN ICEWING!"

"WINTER?" The Skywing stopped for a second and thought to himself. "WASN'T HE THAT DRAGON WHO TALKED ABOUT NOTHING BUT SCAVENGERS 24/7?"

"Oh THAT GUY?!"

"YEAH HIM!"

Moon prodded up to the head Skywing again. "Yeah, that guy. Now it rings a bell?"

The Skywing rubbed the back of his head a little, sheepishly it seemed. "Yeah, a bit. I remember him from a while ago, but he's been gone for… years it feels like."

Qibli prodded back into the conversation. "Wait… years?"

Moon shared Qibli's confusion. "No no no, he's been here at least last year, he couldn't have just left."

The Skywing's expression shifted again, as if he remembered more and more now.

"Winter… Snarky, a bit rude, comes off as kind of a jerk sometimes?"

Moon and Qibli nodded. "Sadly." "Yeah…"

"Thought so." The Skywing led them off towards the main building. "If I recall correctly… Winter began rubbing everyone the wrong way with his talking about Scavengers and such. Eventually it got to a point where he and a small group of four or so dragons got together, asked Riptide for a bit of funding for a small project on Scavenger conservation (which was denied), and the group left the Talons of Peace, and subsequently Sanctuary."

The trio found themselves inside as the Skywing made his way to his office. Moon and Qibli found their enthusiasm and faith falling bit by bit.

"I don't know where they went precisely, but I know for a fact they relocated near the Diamond Spray region, between the delta and the rivers. It's a heavily forested area, and sometimes we get complaints that a group of dragons are threatening passerbys. If he's anywhere, I'd start looking there."

Qibli found himself glancing concernedly to Moon, who would only look down in worry. He looked back to the Skywing.

"That sounds like all the information we need. Thank you, your name was?"

The Skywing padded into his office. "Wren, names Wren. Good luck to you two, hope you find him." With that, he stalked inside his office and picked up a pile of papers once more. Moon simply walked off, leaving Qibli to follow behind.

"Moon, talk to me here."

"Let's just find Winter," Moon's voice and intonation could only be described as hurt. "The sooner the better."

As she padded off into the scattered streets of Sanctuary, her talons stepped quicker and quicker leaving Qibli to scramble and catch up.

"Moon, just… hang on. Wait up a minute."

Qibli had to grab her wing and slow her down, bringing her face to face. Moon couldn't well hide the expression on her face, malcontent with worry and what seemed to be anger.

"...What is it Qibli."

The Sandwing opened his maw to speak, but another idea that struck him at the same time prevailed as he closed it once more. Qibli tapped his head, signaling for Moon to simply look inside his head. Moon, hesitantly, peeked inside. Qibli spoke directly through his thoughts, not letting them dawdle around.

'Listen, you don't have to respond to any of this, I just want you to hear me.'

Moon plopped herself down on her hind and let her gaze fall on Qibli's dark brown eyes.

'We're gonna find him, and things are going to work out, I promise you that… '

Qibli found himself holding Moon's talons in his own, keeping eye contact all the while.

'I know what he said about Winter sounds all kinds of screwy and unsavory, but he doesn't know him like you do. Like I do. We're still going to find him, and things will be ok.'

Moon found her gaze falling a bit to the ground, Qibli now pressing his head to Moon's.

'We can keep moving, or we can sleep until tomorrow and search in the morning. Sanctuary has plenty of resting places, it's up to you. Where you go, I'll follow.'

Moon found her snout being nudged up by the Sandwing, meeting his eyes once more. She nodded before speaking once more.

"You're right… let's get some sleep for now… you wanna find us something?"

Qibli felt his smile reach further than it had in a long while, quite sure it had reached up the side of his horns by now. He nodded in return, nosing her cheek and leading her down the street.

"Of course. Any um… preference?"

"Preference?" Moon seemed confused at the statement. "It's just a campsite for tonight, not much decision making behind that, right?"

"Campsite…" Qibli motioned towards the buildings lining the streets. "Or somewhere more comfortable?"

Moon's expression wasn't sure how to shift from there… her eyes conveyed curiosity, her flush cheeks denoted her blushy thoughts, her maw curled almost into a smile but not quite enough. "Comfortable?"

"Yeah," Qibli nosed back to the buildings. "Some dragons around here are running a business where visitors can stay in furnished rooms for a night or two." From the way Qibli spoke, and his equally flushy snout, Moon didn't need to read his mind to determine how he felt.

"If you'd like we can do that instead of camping out."

From the way the night hung the moons overhead, the lamp posts with their flickering flames providing ambient light, Qibli stood illuminated by the multiple light sources; warm and filtered moonlight scattered from above to light his body and head, the dancing flames in the posts painting the side of this face and neck dynamically. Moon found herself a bit hypnotized just looking at him.

"Well… what do you think?"

The Nightwing couldn't find her words for a good few seconds, before she felt Qibli's talons squeeze just a bit. She smiled to herself a bit more, following him.

"I think… I love that idea.~"

Qibli led Moon side by side to the nearest building, Qibli wrapping a wing around her back. The two headed inside, neither of them mentioning their feelings about the situation and with no need. Perhaps a night back together was what they needed… it's certainly what they wanted.

-X-

The Deep Palace, at night, could only be described as heavenly. The darkness of the night time waters seemed to emulate the coldness and vastness of the heavens while the Palace itself shone with bioluminescence all around it. It stood immaculate and divine, only a few dragons on guard and fewer others swimming here and there. From a ways away, the trio of royal siblings made their way to the base of the Palace. The guards and passersby could see furious flashing going on, albeit unable to make out quite what the three were going on about.

As the three drew closer to the entrance, meeting the two guards side by side, she shot dirty looks at Turtle and Anemone respectively. Upon turning back, the guards were knelt in the water to the three. The two flashed in synchrony in Aquatic.

G1 & G2: (Welcome Home, Princess.)

Tsunami offered a polite and warm smile in return.

Ts: (Thank you, good to be home.)

G1: (What brings you back, my liege?)

Tsunami paused for a second, thinking to herself.

Ts: (Important news for my mother. Do you know where she is?)

G2: (She's probably asleep right now.)

G1: (I'd check her quarters first. She'll be quite happy to see you all.)

G2: (That,) His snout suddenly held a smile bright enough to illuminate the surrounding waters. (And Princess Auklet is going to be nothing but smiles.)

The trio or royals found the guard's smile to be contagious, also looking forward to seeing the little one.

Ts: (Then we'll see if she's still awake.)

The guards let the two inside, the first few levels seeming mostly empty. Only a few stragglers found their way around, and a few of those stood and stared at the group of royals. Turtle and Anemone found themselves waving back, while Tsunami kept on ahead to the lower levels where the important officials were housed.

Turtle prodded besides Tsunami, diving down with the bioluminescence bringing just enough light to the tunnels.

T: (You think we oughta wait tonight, if she's asleep? It's getting kinda late as well.)

Ts: (We were only LATE because you two thought you knew the tunnels and currents better than me!)

Anemone prodded in front of them and nearly smacked her sister's snout with her tail.

A: (You were about to tell us to swim down volcanic chutes, telling us it was a shortcut!)

Ts: (And they were!)

T: (The next shortcut you told us to take brought us in the opposite direction.)

Tsunami bristled about, almost as if she were going to chew out her siblings.

Ts: (If we weren't underwater right now…)

A: (Let's just find mom and see if she's awake! We can bicker about this at a later date, yes?)

Tsunami pushed her two siblings along the tunnel as it opened up into a near fully encapsulated lower level, grand yet naturalized and equally bioluminescent. A few hallways lay as offshoots from the chamber, one at the very end more intricately decorated with coral and a few blue gemstones. The gang swam down the corridor seeing another few offshoot rooms, the one at the very end guarded by a single familiar guard.

Ts: (Hey! Flounder, is that you?)

Flounder, the guard from when Tsunami and company were trapped in the Summer Palace, stood up straighter upon seeing the trio.

F: (Tsunami? Turtle, Anemone, what are you three doing here?)

Anemone waved from behind Tsunami at him.

A: (We need to talk to Coral. Is she awake?)

Flounder nodded.

F: (That she is. Do you need her right now?)

Turtle found himself beside Tsunami as well.

T: (We have news for her, something time sensitive as well.)

F: (Important too, I'm assuming?)

The group nodded in synchrony.

Ts: (Quite.)

A: (You could say that.)

T: (They are REALLY underselling it, actually.)

Tsunami's tail thwapped Turtle's side, who promptly shut up.

F: (Well…) Flounder seemed a tad confused by the trio's family dynamic. (She isn't here. She and Auklet like to peruse the Bubble Jet Gardens at night. You should find them there.)

Anemone shot up thinking about it, immediately looking excitedly to the others. Turtle and Tsunami nodded in unison.

Ts: (We'll head there then. Thank you Flounder.)

With that, the trio swam back through the tunnels, one of them quite a bit eagerly than the rest.

[In the Bubble Jet Gardens…]

There wasn't a single moment where Coral found herself tiring of Auklet's childlike playfulness, the little one's energy and enthusiasm ever refreshing. She bounded between jets, the towering spires of bubbles almost like a forest as the long strands of kelp nearly became a canopy atop the peaceful scene.

The dragonet planted herself by the jet, snapping at the bubbles now lazily, having been doing this for a good hour now. Coral sat by her dragonet, nosing her side.

C: (Auklet, it's time for bed now little one.)

Auklet flopped over on her side, pawing at the queen's royal snout.

Au: (Mooom… a few more minutes?)

The little one yawned a tired and contented yawn, while Coral sat her up on her feet again.

C: (Not tonight little one, you need to get your sleep.)

Auklet found herself on her feet, sitting up and staring at her mother with soulful eyes.

Au: (Please?)

Coral found her gaze tied to the little one's face, profound affection radiating from her every scale. The more she looked at her, Coral couldn't put another face away from her mind. Auklet's sea green scales brought to mind the former king, Coral's precious Gill. A wave of lost guilt washed over her for a moment, and Auklet couldn't help but notice.

Au: (Mom… are you ok…?)

Coral wiped her eyes a bit and nodded.

C: (It's nothing darling… let's…)

She stopped short of her sentence, seeing an approaching flashing light from a distance. Coral instinctively curled around Auklet as the dragon sized light source flashed closer. After the source drew close enough to distinguish the individual dragons, Coral took note of three shapes flashing somewhat furiously.

Au: (Mom, is that…?)

Just as Anemone bounded into sight still arguing with Tsunami, the minute she turned around her attention landed on her littlest sister. Auklet and her met eyes instantly, and the two throttled each other, flashing so fast neither of them could keep up.

Turtle and Tsunami made their way over next, nearly crashing into Coral who hugged them warmly. Coral squeezed the two with joy, as Anemone and Auklet started chasing each other through the bubble jets.

C: (Tsunami! Turtle! Oh, my precious little ones, you have no idea how glad I am to see you!)

T: (It's great to see you too mother!)

Ts: (How've you and Auklet been doing?)

Coral, Tsunami and Turtle turned to the young Auklet and Anemone, side by side in a bubble snapping competition.

C: (We've both been quite well, Auklet is getting big rather quickly!)

She then turned to the Prince and Princess in her arms.

C: (What are you two doing here?)

Tsunami planted herself in front of Coral, getting giddy at remembering why she came all the way down here.

Ts: (Because… we have news for you. Something big.)

Coral felt herself sitting up a bit straighter, concern building up in her mind.

C: (Good news or Bad news?)

Turtle nosed Coral's arm as he smiled widely.

T: (Good. Very good. The best and most unbelievable kind.)

Ts: (Seriously, this is really important, and you'll want to hear it and clear anything else coming up the next few days.)

Anemone and Auklet swam back to the other three, Auklet hugging up to Tsunami and Anemone to Coral.

Au: (Tsunami! Turtle! You're both here!)

A: (Missed you mom!)

Coral couldn't nearly wrap her wings around all of her children, just nuzzling into the four lovingly. The four royal dragons and dragonets nosed into their mother happily, returning the favor.

C: (I do believe this is the most family I've had in my arms in quite some time… we'll retire to the palace, but… may I have you all in my arms for a little longer?)

The four nodded happily, Auklet piling atop the other three mischievously. Auklet nosed her mother, flashing the scales on her snout
Au: (Love.)

Tsunami, Turtle and Anemone seemed to smile all at once seeing their littlest sister being adorable. The trio then turned back to Coral, landing their snouts all together and doing the same.

T: (Love.)

A: (Love!)

Ts: (Love.)

Had they not been underwater, Coral would've let out a happy squeal as she held them ever tighter. She rested her eyes closed and flashed her snout scales in return.

C: (Love. All my Love.)

For the five dragons, it would be a little while before they even remembered they had other things to do. In the meantime, they enjoyed the snuggles and rested contentedly.

[Back in the Royal Quarters…]

Coral and Anemone had laid Auklet to sleep in the Queen's chamber, soon meeting the others in the Royal Meeting Room.

C: (She's asleep, and judging by her smile I think she'll stay that way for a while.)

Tsunami and Turtle motioned for Coral and Anemone to join them at the small circle. Coral settled between Turtle and Tsunami, while Tsunami set down her hologram device in the middle of the space.

Ts: (Mom… do you happen to remember that meeting with Queen Ruby a few months ago?)

Coral inspected the strange device a bit, flashing back at Tsunami all the while.

C: (I do. We settled a few border disputes, had some lovely tea, and I recall Ruby eating bad fish which caused our meeting to be called early.)

Ts: (What?) Tsunami's snout scrunched in confusion. (Wait no, not that meeting.)

C: (Not that one?)

Ts: (No, earlier than that. Ruby had an interesting guest over, remember?)

Coral landed her attention back to Tsunami after looking over the device.

C: (Yes! That fascinating little rainbow dragon, what was his name? Star something?)

T: (Stardust. You recall how he looked much different than any other dragon on Pyrrhia?)

C: (That I do. If I also recall, you never found out where he was from.)

Ts: (That…) Tsunami announced dramatically, placing a paw on the device. (Has changed.)

Coral's expression shifted to curious confusion, and as her gaze fell upon the mystery device that became silent wonder.

C: (You've come across more of his kind…?)

A: (Actually, they found us.)

T: (More specifically, they found Stardust. They just met us as they came to Pyrrhia.)

Coral had to stop the two of them as she flashed a question response.

C: (Hold on a minute, they came to Pyrrhia? From where?)

The trio of siblings looked at each other for a moment, before collectively they all pointed up. A rather large glass ceiling allowed them to look up at the ocean above them, a distorted view of the night sky and two moons in view. Coral nearly choked for a second.

C: (From… from above?)

Turtle looked to Anemone.

T: (Anemone, what did you call them again?)

Anemone smiled to herself and spread her wings fully, lighting up the underside of her wings and a stripe across her snout. The combination of lit scales meant something to the equivalent of "Star Dwellers", and "Heaven Dragons". Anemone corrected herself after.

A: (Aquatic doesn't have a direct word for it, so I made that up. They call themselves the Star Wings.) She flashed the two words separately, feeling a bit proud of herself.

Coral found her maw agape, looking back and forth between the trio who nodded in confirmation.

Ts: (They're a tribe of dragons that live among the stars, and they are the most beautiful species I've seen in my entire life!)

A: (I hate to say it, but they're way prettier than anything I've ever seen.)

T: (More importantly,) Turtle prodded Anemone softly. (They're a peaceful and diplomatic tribe, and their level of technology is more sophisticated than anything on Pyrrhia.)

The Seawing Queen finally closed her agape jaw, her gaze flickering around the room as if conversing mentally with herself. A second or two later her gaze fell back upon the mystery device.

C: (Then…) She prodded the black device on the floor. (This must be from them?) Coral's gaze again flickered between her three progeny with glittering wonder, that usual sparkle in her eye when having found something fascinating. (A gift? A demonstration of sorts?)

Ts: (A message, actually,) Tsunami centered the device to the center of the circle. (From the Starwing Queen herself. An invitation.)

Tsunami believed Coral couldn't've perked up or glowered with excitement anymore than she had already, however the ever excitable Seawing Queen seemed as giddy and springy as a dragonet given a new toy.

C: (WELL? What are we waiting for! Go ahead, let's see it!)

Tsunami quickly exchanged glances with her other two siblings, who returned said glances with nods of confirmation. Tsunami placed her first digit of her forepaw to the side of the device, and immediately springing to life was the spitting image of Queen Aries. The water scattered the light just a bit, creating a blurred image that refracted beams of light all around and gave the illusion of heavenly radiance. Her forme still retained its shape and detail, the colors fading and washing through ever so slightly to create a much more saturated picture.

Coral immediately thrusted herself backwards, startled beyond words and caught off guard by the sudden appearance. Tsunami and Anemone reassured her through contact that all was well, leaving Coral to gaze at the image with utter fascination and awe.

However, once the hologram projector attempted to produce sound… all that was heard resembled garbled speech, frequency scrambled and blurred out into vague, muffled mumbling. Anemone tilted her head in curiosity, Tsunami upon realizing what's happening nearly tore into the ground with her talons clenching. Turtle just looked all shades of confused along with Coral.

C: (Um…) She prowled around the holographic image, inspecting it up and down along with the device. Her expression conveyed exactly how thoroughly awed albeit confused she was. (Am I to assume it's supposed to sound like talking?)

Ts: (Yes.) Tsunami nearly tossed the device aside as she disabled it and picked it up. (Yes it is.)

A: (A bit of an oversight, not working in water…)

C: (Ah, I see…) Coral glanced between Turtle and Anemone. (If it's dry land we need, I know just the place. We have an island nearby designated for intertribal meetings, it's the closest place around here.)

T: (That sounds like a good place to go.) A brief yawn interrupted Turtle's train of thought, as he stretched out a bit. (Think we can head there in the morning?)

C: (Oh no,) Coral shook her head. (I MUST hear this out tonight. I shan't sleep a wink if I don't, and it's but 15 minutes away.)

Ts: (Alright, take us there then!)

Coral hesitated for a moment, looking to the room where Auklet slept peacefully. Turtle prodded up to his mother and held her talons in his own.

T: (If it makes you feel better, I can stay behind and watch Auklet until you all get back.)

C: (That…) Coral hesitated to say anything else, instead wrapping a wing around Turtle. (...That sounds great. We shouldn't be too long.)

Turtle nodded, quietly prowling to the Queen's Chambers. He flashed back to the other three:

T: (Be safe, I'll be here when you guys get back.)

Coral, Tsunami and Anemone filtered their way out, going through a few hallways with Anemone excitedly flashing to herself. Tsunami got a kick out of seeing her younger sister ever excitable, Coral smiling proudly to herself as well. As Coral headed through another cross of hallways, she stopped for a brief moment and looked to Tsunami.

C: (Tsunami, there's also something I would like you to handle...)

Tsunami found herself front and center.

Ts: (What do you mean?)

Coral nodded down the hall to the left, getting a bit darker with orange light illuminating down further.

C: (There's someone waiting for you in the prison block, you'll want to see them.)

Tsunami tensed up a bit harder than she'd have liked, unsure of how to feel about this.

Ts: (Ooookay… Can… this wait until more important things are taken care of first?)

C: (Anemone can guide me to the island, we'll be fine. Won't we?)

Anemone initially didn't know how to respond, but seeing the hopeful expression of Coral and almost expectant look of Tsunami's snout, she compliantly nodded.

A: (I'll keep her safe, don't worry.)

Ts: (Ok… I'll meet you along with Turtle and Auklet, alright?)

C: (Of course. We'll see you in a little while.)

Tsunami nodded once more, heading down the halls and following the orange light leading her to the prison block. Coral and Anemone headed up the corridor spiraling up to the surface, leaving the two alone as they ventured out the palace.

A: (Mother?)

C: (Yes dear?)

Anemone glanced back at the palace, wondering as to what Coral had needed Tsunami to do.

A: (Who's waiting for Tsunami, and why would they be in the prison block…?)

Coral's maw ever so gently contorted into a frown, looking ahead and sighing to herself.

C: (A traitor who I thought I'd never see in my kingdom again.)

The twisting halls of the Palace Prison Block and deep set coral lights painted a darker more grim atmosphere in the watery depths, a few scattered guards milling around in the relatively empty hall. The arrival of Princess Tsunami nearly frightened the guards out of their scales as they stood at attention immediately.

G1: (PRINCESS!)

G2: (M-my liege!)

Tsunami set them at ease, nodding with a polite smile.

Ts: (Greetings. My mother told me there's someone I needed to meet here?)

The two guards, one a deep and dark green with a few splotches of washed out blue, the other a pastel shade of deep blue, glanced to each other and then back to Tsunami.

G1: (You mean the traitor?)

Tsunami stopped in place, the word "Traitor" bouncing around hoping to register on a name or a dragon.

Ts: (The… traitor?)

The guards again shared glances between the two of them, now more nervous and slightly terrified.

G2: (We assumed Queen Coral would have told you…)

Ts: (She was vague, like usual. She told me someone wanted to see me, and she wanted me to handle something.) She crossed her arms, also arching an eyebrow at the two. (Need I rough someone up, get information? If they're a traitor then-)

G1: (Oh no no no, it's not that. In fact he's been quite agreeable.)

G2: (It's more… personal. I don't know why she wouldn't have told… you...)

The Seawing Princess squinted again at the two, surely frustrated by the fact no one had told her directly what was going on.

Ts: (Well… is this dragon particularly important or dangerous? Are they demanding to see me? Or are… they…)

Right before she dared ask another question, the idea and realization dawning on her slammed into her mind and derailed everything. Her expression steeled and sharpened into determined anger and that signature royal authority.

Ts: (...Take me to him, NOW.)

The guards winced a bit and nodded, leading her to the back most cell in the hall. The bars enclosing the cell shimmered with heat, superheating the water an inch or so around it. The trio of Seawings approached the cell, as Tsunami peered in and confirmed her suspicion. Lying asleep in the corner was one tired looking Riptide.

Tsunami nearly throttled the bars, had it not been for the fact those bars could sear through her scales and flesh. She turned to the guards with a quiet yet definite rage.

Ts: (Open this cell, NOW.)

Again, the guards shifted uncomfortably as they were given this order.

G2: (Princess, we mean no disrespect, but…)

G1: (We were given strict orders by Queen Coral not to open the cell without her explicit permissio-)

Tsunami, in no mood for games or arguing, grabbed hold of the two by their necks (which for Tsunami was no small task, seeing as the two guards weren't small at all), and pinned them at the wall as that quiet rage seethed into flaming anger.

Ts: (My mother isn't HERE right now, I AM. And disobeying a direct order from ME is TREASON, of WHICH I CAN ACCUSE YOU OF RIGHT NOW AND HAVE YOU ROTTING IN ONE OF THESE CELLS.)

The two guards, struggling and grasping onto Tsunami's arms in sheer terror, choked and kicked as they were held against the wall.

G1: (N-NO!)

G2: (WE WOULD NEVER-)

Ts: (THEN OPEN THAT CELL THIS INSTANT!)

Tsunami then released her grip of the two guards, nearly tossing them down as they now groveled in submission, as she growled along with the aquatic command she nearly barked out with her voice.

Ts: (N O W.)

The two guards immediately made their way to the opposite wall, where a row of barnacle encrusted levers sat idle. The two heaved the last lever down, forcing the bars up. Tsunami nodded at the two, remembering her royal grace and calming down some.

Ts: (Thank you.)

She nearly catapulted into the cell, but not before turning to the guards once more.

Ts: (...I apologize for my anger, I'll make sure my mother doesn't punish you for your actions here.)

The two guards nodded with relieved smiles, still a bit terrified.

G1: (Our apologies as well, your highness.)

G2: (Thank you, your grace. That's very kind of you.)

G1: (We'll stand by.)

Ts: (Thank you, make sure we aren't disturbed please.)

With that, Tsunami gingerly swam up to the resting Riptide, lovingly brushing up his snout with her own.

Ts: (Hey…)

Riptide awakened a bit suddenly, as if waking from a bad dream. He blinked the sleep away a few times as he sat up, coming snout to snout with Tsunami to his delight.

R: (Tsunami!) The Seawing couple squeezed each other tight, Riptide planting a tender and yearning kiss upon Tsunami's maw, which she returned with a wide and pearly smile. (You have no idea how happy I am to see you here…)

Ts: (Me too…) Tsunami's smile faded back into worry. (But… What are you doing here? Why aren't you with the Talons of Peace?)

At her question, Riptide hesitated and let his gaze fall to the floor. Tsunami was not exactly soothed by his increasingly guilty expression.

R: (I refused to let my family name be tarnished any longer, Tsunami. I came to plead with Queen Coral, and I said I'd do whatever needed to be done to let me and my father come back.)

Tsunami's paws found their way to Riptide's snout, side by side as she guided his eyes back to her own.

Ts: (Riptide… we talked about this… Your past doesn't define who you are.)

Riptide found his paws around Tsunami's, squeezing them tenderly with a hint of determination in his eyes.

R: (Then what's stopping me from changing this?) He pushed his snout to Tsunami's and met her gaze with an almost wistful look. (I'm tired of being an outcast of my own tribe. Even Seawing dragons outside the Seawing Kingdom give me dirty glances once they hear my name…)

Ts: (Riptide-)

R: (And DON'T even get my started on my father!) The Seawing tore away to pace around the cell. (When Coral came to talk to me, she nearly tore my scales off when I mentioned him!)

Ts: (Considering he stole me as an egg, I think she reserves the right to at least bear a grudge against him…)

R: (That was nearly ten years ago by now! I can understand mistrust, and that's what I want to fix, but-)

Ts: (Riptide, stop.) Tsunami halted the Seawing in place and placed herself squarely in front of him. (I understand what you're trying to do here, and you know that I empathize and want to help, but this…) She gestured to all around them, namely being in a cell, and turned back to him. (...This is like… trying to catch a fish by slamming your head into a wall. Believe me, it doesn't work.)

R: (What else am I supposed to do?!)

Ts: (I mean,) She shrugged to herself. (Coming over here and being put in a cell doesn't seem like the optimal choice.)

Riptide lifted a talon in retaliation, only to lower it and sigh.

R: (Granted. But I don't think she's been getting my letters and requesting a meeting otherwise wasn't going to happen. What other options did I have?)

Ts: (How about,) Tsunami held Riptide's paw in her own now. (Contacting me…?)

R: (I…) Again, Riptide sighed and let his forehead press against Tsunami's head. (...Tsunami I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but I want to do this myself…)

Tsunami found herself backpedaling a few steps, eyeing Riptide with a somewhat indignant expression.

Ts: (...Yourself…)

Riptide stopped himself, pawing forwards to Tsunami.

R: (Ok, that… that came out wrong. I just want your mother to see that I'm not a traitorous liar and prove it by my own actions and volition, not just because you convinced her to like me again.)

Ts: (That's…) Admittedly that's exactly what Tsunami was going to do once she consulted her mother, but seeing as Riptide made his point succinctly she let that go. (...Alright… I get what you mean.)

R: (Thank you…)

Tsunami brushed back against Riptide's side, settling him down on the floor along with her.

Ts: (That being said… It might be easier if you let me at least help.)

R: (Tsunami-)

Ts: (Coral sent me here to talk to you, Riptide. She at least wants to see this sorted out…)

R: (I mean… Yeah…)

Ts: (I'll try to let you do this your way, but can you promise me one thing?)

Riptide rubbed his snout along Tsunami's, who promptly returned the favor.

R: (Of course.)

Ts: (Promise me you won't try and… galavant off to try and fix this anymore than you already have?)

Riptide nosed Tsunami's forehead and smiled to himself.

R: (I promise… even though that's exactly what I'm good at.~)

The two laid on their sides, smiling as they pressed nose to nose.

Ts: (That you are, Squid Brain.~)

R: (Squid Brain.~)

Tsunami let another smile domineer her snout, as she pushed forwards to kiss her Seawing lover once more. Riptide pressed back for a moment, then pulled away.

R: (Hey… thank you for coming to see me… It means the world to me, Tsunami.)

Ts: (Of course Riptide.) She nosed into Riptide's side happily, finding comfort in his body as she snuggled in. (You… You don't know just how much I missed you…)

R: (Nor I you… But…) He nudged her side concernedly. (Doesn't Coral want you back tonight…?)

Tsunami sat up at the notion, remembering the reason she was IN the palace in the first place. She wondered how the others were faring at this time in the night, but found her thoughts melting away upon meeting Riptide's deep blue eyes. Riptide met her sweet gaze, and he could've sworn he discerned an idea cultivating in her mind's eye.

The Seawing Princess sat up once more, garnering the attention of the guards.

Ts: (Hey, I need to ask one more thing.)

The two stood at attention once more.

G1: (Yes Ma'am?)

G2: (How can we help?)

Tsunami wrapped her tail around the end of Riptide's tail slowly but firmly.

Ts: (Lock the door, leave me with him for tonight.)

The two guards exchanged confused and heavily concerned looks between each other, about to object before recognizing that same anger in Tsunami once more. They shut their maws and bowed a bit.

G1: (As… As you wish princess.)

G2: (What should we tell your mother?)

Ts: (Tell her to take it up with me tomorrow, tonight… I don't want to be bothered. Are we clear?)

The guards, unsure of what to think, merely obeyed her orders and closed the cell doors before bowing again and taking up their usual positions again. Riptide stood maw agape looking at Tsunami.

R: (What… what will your mother think?)

Ts: (Mother can say what she wants.) Tsunami held Riptide's talons once more. (Besides… It's high time she knew about us anyways.)

Riptide guided her down to the floor once more, laying down as she cozied up to him.

R: (I thought she already did…?)

Ts: (She knows we're close, but I'm pretty sure she doesn't know we're together.)

R: (Well…) Riptide nosed Tsunami's cheek once more. (Soon she will.)

Ts: (It'll be alright… you'll see.)

R: (Yeah…) He planted one more kiss on her maw, which lasted but a moment. (Love.)

Tsunami stopped in time for a moment, her face ever so slightly flush, and pressed back into that kiss with a returning passion. Riptide could do naught but kiss back with the same tender love, and gently the two laid down snout to snout with faint smiles adorning their ever satisfied expressions.

Ts: (Love…)

R: (Love… Good night.)

Ts: (Good night…)

And with that, the two snuggled in rather fiercely… something the two had missed dearly. Tonight they wouldn't dare miss it again, as they were practically wrapped up in nothing but each other. And for tonight, they were nothing but happy.

[On the Nearby Island...]

"Again, thank you so much for your time, Queen Coral."

The temperate and breezy night caressed Coral and Anemone, the starlight and glittering rays from the three half moons bathed the small sandy island in faint radiance. The hologram's light added to the serene nighttime atmosphere, the two Seawings sitting side by side comfortably.

"I hope to meet soon, Aries out."

As the hologram dissipated into nothingness, Coral found herself pacing the sands with fervent glee and excitement.

"This… This is… Anemone do you realize what this means?"

"That our entire way of life is about to be irrevocably changed, and you get to be directly involved in it?"

Coral nearly leapt into the air circling back to grasp Anemone's shoulders.

"Yes! Anemone, have you any idea of the implications of this?"

"I mean I-"

Anemone hadn't any time to respond before Coral turned back around to pace the sands some more.

"Imagine! The knowledge they possess, the absolute wonders they could show us! Eons of living among the stars and galaxies…" Had Anemone not known her mother better, she could have sworn she was close to swooning and fainting.

"It's… it's almost unbelievable…"

As Coral's gaze landed on the sand with her wild imagination, Anemone really did think that she was close to fainting. She padded closed to sidle beside the Seawing Queen.

"I know, right?" Anemone nosed her mother's chin with a smile. "So, you're going to the meeting, yes?"

"Of course I am!" Coral held her daughter in her arms happily. "I wouldn't miss it for all the scrolls in the seas!"

"Awesome!" Anemone nearly galloped around with her mother, who stopped for a second and held Anemone in place again.

"She did mention I could have a dragon with me as an entourage. And I will need someone familiar there." Coral wrapped a wing around Anemone with a smile, in her familiar motherly protectiveness.

Anemone knew exactly what her mother was insinuating, and she… didn't exactly like it. It was one thing to be present at the meeting between leaders at a peace summit, which honestly excited the Seawing Princess to the tip of her tail. What didn't sound so pleasant was being next to mother the entire time.

The Seawing hadn't held a grudge against her mother (maybe a little tiny one), but the amount of time she had spent under her overprotective clutches left a residual bad taste in her maw that seemed to persist to this day. Even just escorting her mother to the island, just her and Coral, brought back a few memories of the pearl harness that was nearly always wrapped around her, and kept her bound to a leash. Anemone swore to herself she wouldn't find herself in that situation ever again. Just thinking about Auklet wearing one made her sick to her stomach, which she thanked whatever deities that reigned above that Coral never had a harness fitted for her.

"Well?" Coral speaking once more snapped Anemone out of her thoughts. "Would you like to come with me?"

"Uhm…" Anemone hadn't a response at that moment, still processing her feelings about the current situation. "Well…"

Coral nosed Anemone's head gingerly, sensing hesitation.

"Is something the matter?"

The Seawing Princess drooped her head a little, unsure of what to say or do.

"I…" She picked her head up and almost apologetically looked at her mother. "I think Turtle might be better suited for this."

Coral seemed taken aback, unsure of what her daughter meant.

"Oh?" She sat back down, causing her daughter to do the same as well. "Is everything alright?"

Anemone leaned into her mother's side, trying to pick and choose her words carefully now, both for herself and her mother.

"I just… I don't feel comfortable with it…"

Dancing around the subject didn't adequately capture what Coral felt was happening here. She gestured for Anemone to keep talking, which she did, albeit quite carefully.

"I guess…" She ducked her head a little. "I kinda... I feel trapped sometimes…"

As Anemone waited for Coral's reactions, her body tensed up wholly. Coral however, calmly laid her head on Anemone's shoulder.

"...It's me that makes you feel trapped, isn't it?"

Anemone was absolutely not expecting her mother to hit the nail on the head like this, and faltered in her words.

"I… I don't… you…"

"It's alright little one… you can say what you need to say. I can take it."

Anemone REALLY did not want to do such a thing, considering the amount of feelings she'd worked through the past two and a half years. She turned away once more, still unsure of herself.

"Mother it's… we don't need to talk about it…"

Coral then nudged her daughter's head snout to snout.

"Anemone… Please be open and honest with me about this… I realize my shortcomings raising you like I did, and you absolutely deserve to feel that way about it… I want to apologize over and over whenever I remember..." She squeezed around Anemone tenderly. "If you would rather not talk about it, I understand, but please know I want to make it right by you again, little one…"

The Seawing Princess couldn't find her words to respond. "Wanting to make it right" was something she'd wished her mother felt long ago, but now it struck chords that Anemone wished didn't exist.

Somewhere in her mind, in the darker recesses tucked away by light, emotions she'd found repressed dug themselves up as if coming back from the dead. Anemone found anger and hatred raising it's talons up from the ground and reaching at her… She averted her gaze from her mother, taking deep breaths and mentally focusing on anything else she could, garnering more concern from her mother.

"Anemone?"

Anemone broke from her mother's caring embrace, onto her front talons as she paced the shores and shut her eyes tight.

'Calm down brain, c'mon. Don't do this, please, especially not right now...'

The Princess at this moment would have done near anything to regain control of the feeding frenzy that was her emotional mindset. Her inner conversation buzzed about like wasps and lightning bouncing around, sparking memories of bloodlust and malice that tainted all it touched. She nearly rammed her head into the sand if not for hearing her mother.

"...Was I really that bad?"

Anemone had to stop herself from whirling around to face her, instead deadpan turning to meet her grieved and almost scared expression. From this point on, Anemone couldn't tell what made things worse; the malicious revenge thoughts twisting her inner voice, or the guilt she shared with her mother for feeling it. Both only force fed each other until one side won out.

And it wasn't the guilty side.

"Mother… I love you, I do..." She padded forth, every step punctuating her emotional imbalance. "But… you had me kept on a leash and harness, like an ANIMAL, for a WHOLE YEAR."

"That…" Coral nearly took a step back as Anemone approached, caught off guard by her sudden change in tone. "I'm sorry Anemone, that was for your protection-"

"MY PROTECTION. You almost NEVER let me out of your sight, day in and out! I had no FRIENDS because I could barely TALK to anyone else!"

"That was-"

"You, effectively, ALIENATED ME from the world around me, mother!"

Coral firmly stamped her forepaw down in the sand.

"I know I was wrong for doing it, but I only did all of that so I knew you wouldn't DIE, Anemone!"

In response to Coral's stamping her paw, Anemone dug both her heels into the sand and barely restrained herself from roaring at her mother.

"WELL MAYBE I WANTED TO, EVER THINK ABOUT THAT?!"

...Anemone might've felt horrified, seeing the same feeling mirrored on her mother's face. Nonetheless, she continued as that rage fed off her negative memories.

"Maybe, a dragonet who feels like they're behind bars, and kept on a leash short of experiencing a life worth living, doesn't have anything to live for." The Princess made sure her gaze met her mother's eyes dead on. "Because for a long while, I felt exactly like that."

Coral sat there, stunned and teary eyed with no response.

"I…"

"And on the subject of not living," Anemone turned to pace the sands once more, her enraged energy coursing through her body now. "Remember Whirlpool? That old gas bag?"

She heard no response from her mother this time, and continued on.

"Remember how you had him train me to use my powers and stuff?"

She plucked a single half shell from the shore, floating it in her palm with her magic as she stared at it intently.

"Remember how he tried to kill Tsunami?"

That half shell spun in her palm, faster and faster while she continued to work herself up, cracking it from the force.

"Remember how he wanted to use me as a WEAPON?"

She strained her talons some with power, breaking that shell with nothing but her magic and anger. The shards fell from her palm as she let it go. Coral finally found her words again, sore voiced and shallow.

"...I remember..."

Anemone turned back around, her breath shallow and trembling.

"...Do you know what that did to me…?"

She paced forwards, now looking down at the sand as she spoke softer and softer.

"I felt… alone, almost… even at Jade Mountain I felt too different… like I didn't have a place…"

Finally she planted herself in front of Coral, most of her repressed anger having worn off only left with depressed deflated shame.

"I felt dangerous… and I… I WAS dangerous… I fought my brother, who just wanted to help… nearly killed him… I even thought about killing others too…"

Anemone brought her forepaw to her maw, in shock at what she'd said and how she reacted.

"And for so long I've only wanted to forget about it all… become something different than all that… it…"

The Seawing Princess defeatedly buried her head in Coral's chest, who gently and weakly takes her in her arms.

"...what have I done…"

Anemone reaches her arms around Coral and hugs tightly, acting on her emotional urges learned from long ago when she was but a dragonet. Coral squeezes back, slowly regaining her thoughts and mind after Anemone's breakdown.

For a good long moment, there's but silence and wind between the two, not even waves crashing across the island. Neither of the two dared speak a word, or even move…

...Until Anemone squeezed just a bit harder, getting closer to her mother as her body trembled and shook even more. A harsh hiccuping sob wracked her body, and she seemed to crumple up in her mother's arms. Coral held her daughter just as tight as Anemone held her, and as Anemone collapsed into unabashed and open weeping, Coral nudged her head atop Anemone's back, squeezing harder.

Queen Coral comforted and consoled her distraught and torn apart little one, of who cared not what happens afterwards, but only wished to remain in her mother's embrace for now. It was familiar and home to her, and for the moment that's all she wanted.

...In that moment, that's all that the both of them really wanted.

-X-

The dead of night in the Mudwing Swamps and Thickets brought with it a hushed ambiance, crickets and cicadas and every other chirping insect. Fireflies dotted the night along with a soft spring of fog along the ground every so often. This night was no different, save for a gentle warm light in the distance, the smoldering ruins of the palace.

Huts pock marked the more open areas, one of which housed a group of sleepy and cuddling sibs. Clay laid around the group of his Mudwing family, protective and warm like a blanket around them all. Pheasant surrounded the other side, keeping the other three (Marsh, Sora, and Umber) all in a cocoon of warm scales and snuggles. The group snoozed soundly, Marsh and Umber a bit louder with their snoring. Clay peeked an eye open, slowly and gingerly moving so as to not wake the others, and surveyed his surroundings.

The Medic Hut was lit by but one candle burning on a table by the tub, the rest sulked in the darkness only lit as the flickering flame danced light that way. Reed lay motionless in his tub of once-freezing ice water, now just a bit chilly but still pleasant. The burns seemed practically healed by this point, Reed's expression once strained now rested peacefully. The two windows parallel to each other offered a view into the serene nightscape, which completed the absolute comfort and dreamlike beauty that Clay took in.

'This… this is amazing…'

Clay's gaze found his family once more, and the faint grin tugging at his maw traced it's pull from deep within his heartstrings.

'I should've been here all along.'

Nosing down into the layers of wings covering the sleepy ones below, Clay found Umber and Sora huddled tight with Marsh curled around the two, all three seemingly holding each other. Pheasant had her snout laid atop the middle, serene and happy as can be in her dreams. Clay nearly jumped when he saw a teardrop drip from his snout onto Sora's back.

'Heh…'

Clay wiped that tear off of her back as she readjusted her position in her sleep, causing the rest to do the same until they settled into their places again.

'...I have to protect them, I HAVE to. They're my family...'

The train of thought Clay started to follow unwittingly began turning back towards Jade Mountain, the idea of Peril and Stardust and everyone else brought Clay to a fork in the road he really did not want.

'I should've been the Bigwings, but… I can't leave them… any of them…'

He swiveled his back around to the sleeping Reed, still pondering how to resolve his split of heart. Clay noted how peaceful he looked as he lay partially suspended in the mixture, and wished he could just ask Reed what to do…

"Mnngh…"

It would seem Clay would get exactly that opportunity, seeing as Reed clenched his talons as he began to stir. The injured Mudwing's eyes slowly cracked open, sleep addled and just a tad red still, swiveling his head just enough to get his bearings in the room. Clay could almost see the consciousness swelling back into existence behind his eyes, shimmers of recognition coming together as Reed found his gaze upon Clay.

"C… Clay?"

As Reed spoke a bit louder this time, Pheasant's head peeked up in reaction. After wiping her eyes from sleep, the other three dragons found themselves groggily awakened and did the same. One by one, the four sibs dawned with realization that their injured big brother was awake and lucid. Any and all sleep instantly dissolved from their minds as all five of them simultaneously rushed to Reed's side.

"REED!"

The tub was surrounded on all sides by weepy eyed dragons, prompting Reed to perk up and smile wide as ever.

"Guys! You're-"

Reed's surprise to see Sora and Umber struck him at his core, touched and relieved to see them once again. His eyes were near underwater by the time he realized Marsh was by his side as well.

"You're all… here…"

Sora gripped Reed's arm in a hug, Umber holding his talons tight. Pheasant had her head atop his shoulder while Marsh had his other paw held firmly. Clay sat up at the foot of the tub, meeting Reed's gaze with his own content and emotional expression all the while.

"Of course we are," Pheasant sniffled and wiped her eyes before continuing. "We couldn't bear to lose you…"

Marsh laid his head on the edge of the basin, smiling while he held back a sob from erupting.

"Y-you can't just expect us not to come running when you're hurt… *Sniff*"

Reed could've sworn he was going to pass out again, nearly in a fit of crying himself.

"I… *Sniffle* I-I don't know what to say!" Reed nosed up to Sora and Umber as best he could.

"Sora, Umber… are you guys ok? Are you safe here…?"

Sora brought her head atop Reed's arm, nosing his snout a little.

"Now that you're ok, I am too…"

Umber joined his snout besides Sora. "And we have you and Clay… I feel safer here than anywhere else..."

Reed's lip quivered as he fought back tears, forcing himself to sit up as he tried to pull all his sibs into a hug. He didn't get very far on his own, prompting the four around him to help him up. Once Reed sat up, he squeezed the living daylights out of his sibs and simply cried it out with them.

Clay sat by watching the group squeeze each other happily, not daring to disturb the five and their heartfelt moment. Once Reed pulled himself back together, he nosed his sibs' heads tenderly.

"You don't know how much this means to me guys… How much you all mean to me…"

His damp snout swiveled back to Clay as he offered his most meaningful smile to his older brother.

"Clay, I owe you everything bro…"

As if on cue, Pheasant broke off to embrace Clay once more. Reed continued.

"A-and... I mean that from the bottom of my heart. Everything..."

Something about how Reed delivered that sentence brought back the fork in the road question that Clay had pondered earlier. The intense desire to protect his sibs clashed head on with the other family he made through the years… it almost seemed like Reed was suggesting Clay take his place, which Clay had a number of conflicting feelings about.

It also didn't help when the rest of the gang surrounded Clay once more.

"Thank you so much Clay." Pheasant laid her head atop Clay's shoulder, prompting the rest of the sibs to join in her thankfulness.

"Thank you Clay…"

"You're awesome."

"We love you Clay…"

Clay squeezed his family tight and enjoyed every millisecond surrounded by his sibs, grateful he was lucky enough to have them. He wrapped his wings around the group, but as he lifted his snout to Reed again…

...He expected to see the same emotional and happy expression upon Reed's snout, however this was not the case. Reed's smile seemed to droop ever so slowly, the spark of joy lit behind his eyes faded into a dim ray of realization, and Clay needn't ask a single question to know what the injured Mudwing was thinking. Reason being, Clay had that same feeling as well.

Clay glanced back to the dragons surrounding him, taking a deep breath to speak.

"I… I love you guys too, you mean a lot to me as well…" He glanced back to Reed once more.

"Can… me and Reed have a few minutes to talk...? Alone?"

Reed attempted to sit up a little straighter, albeit not very much. Pheasant found her gaze switching between Clay and Reed back and forth, almost seeking permission to go ahead. Reed nodded to her, and she nodded back.

"C'mon guys," Pheasant rubbed Marsh, Umber and Sora's backs, motioning for them to follow her. "Let's give 'em some privacy."

The younger ones followed Pheasant out, leaving the two alone in the room. Clay slowly padded up to Reed and sat by the side of the tub, Reed tilting his head away from him sadly.

"Hey…" Clay nosed Reed's shoulder. "How do you feel?"

"Well…" Reed attempted to flex his body, groaning and straining a bit in some places. "Physically, my body still hurts, but I can feel everything and nothing is broken, so that's good..."

Clay's maw perked up at hearing that. "That's good, that's really good…"

"Yeah…" Reed sighed to himself dejectedly. "Emotionally, I…"

He stopped for a moment only to cough and clear his throat again, still refusing eye contact.

"Ahem… I um… It's nothing, I…"

Clay put his paw on Reed's forearm gingerly.

"Reed…"

Reed paused at his action, and after a brief mental conversation in his head, slowly he sat up in the water again to face Clay, eye to eye.

"...When we were in the palace, fire surrounding us and all, I tried to tell you something… we got cut off by the explosion… but what I wanted to say-"

"No."

Reed hadn't even finished his sentence yet before Clay responded.

"I can't be the Bigwings, Reed…"

The injured Mudwing found his strength to sit up a bit more fully, grabbing Clay's bicep to stay up. His expression skipped sad or mournful and went straight to pleading.

"Clay please… you're everything I can't be, and all I've ever wanted for them is their safety and happiness… you can do that better than I can!"

"No," Clay held Reed's arm in return, supporting his brother while they talked. "They have you, Reed! You're their family, you've practically raised them, and you have their undying love. You ARE their Bigwings, Reed."

"But Clay, I can't even-"

Clay clamped his paw on Reed's maw, promptly quieting him. "Reed, don't."

Before Reed had a chance to try and pry the paw off, Clay continued.

"You can't be focusing on that, I won't let you. That's just going to make you feel worse. Believe me."

Reed nearly had his talons between Clay's paw and his maw, attempting to interject all the while.

"Klhmfh-"

"Reed, you've kept my family safe for almost ten years now… Without me. Whatever doubts you carry or whatever you feel about yourself, I trust you with their lives."

Finally Reed pried Clay's talons off his maw.

"CRANE trusted me with her life too, and she's…" Reed stopped himself from speaking any louder, squeezing his eyes shut and wiping his tears once more.

"...She's gone now, because of me."

"Reed, that's not fair to yoursel-"

"It's not fair that I failed her, Clay. It's something I live with every day of my life, and,"

Reed let go of Clay's arm, resting back in the tub as he sighed to himself once more.

"If… If you were Bigwings I wouldn't ever worry again."

Clay found himself speechless again, blinking back his own tears. Somehow, that was precisely what Clay wanted to hear, and the exact thing that made his stomach drop at the same time. He gave the statement some thought, uneasily and worriedly, and picked out but three words in response.

"...But… I would."

Reed's talons unconsciously found Clay's, and met reassuring contact.

"Clay… besides being big and strong, a literal hero AND fire-proof… you're also one of the bravest and most kind hearted dragons I've ever met in my life."

Again, Clay was rendered speechless, this time with no sour undertones. He squeezed Reed's talons back as he continued.

"You saved my life, and you basically sacrificed yours in order to do so… That kind of dragon would not only give me peace of mind, but… they would have all my trust… my admiration… my respect."

Reed found his smile once again, this time not for himself but rather for Clay. A faint tug on his lips pulled his expression from pained guilt, to trust.

"...You deserve the family you should've grown up with."

...Had Clay not been standing on firm ground, he could've sworn he felt the ground give way beneath him. An overwhelming tide of mixed emotions carried his thoughts off to darker waters, mixed in with what could've been and all that might be. Clay's gaze fell to the floor, somber and contemplative.

Reed however had not expected this kind of reaction from his older brother. Of all things, he'd hoped Clay might be happy and even excited. He knew that Clay loved his sibs a lot, as was evident when the five of them were soundly asleep, what else would stop him?

"Guys?"

Both Clay and Reed were cut off by Pheasant's head peeking through the doorway.

"Sorry to disturb you, but… Clay," Pheasant peeked back outside before prodding in again. "Were you expecting… company?"

Clay's snout contorted in confusion.

"I don't think so… Why? Who's here?"

In response to Clay's question, she moved aside to let in another dragon, one very familiar and strident looking Boteïn.

"Clay?"

Upon the two meeting eyes, Clay was startled to see the Starwing in the doorway, while Boteïn shone with recognition of the Mudwing.

"Hey! There you are!"

As he headed inside, it was apparent the others outside did their fair share of staring. Reed was agasp at the foreign dragon, while the others followed Boteïn inside. Clay prodded up to meet the Starwing happily.

"Hey, what are you doing here? Doesn't Aries need your help?"

Clay and Boteïn met in the middle, Boteïn looking Clay all up and down.

"The Queen sent me to make sure you're okay. Once we heard the Mudwing Palace burned down, everyone at Jade Mountain got really worried…"

A moment of realization dawned upon Reed as he laid back in the tub, listening to Boteïn talk about Clay's other family.

"You sure got a lot of family here that cares about you, Clay."

Clay's previous expression melted into warmth.

"I sure do… Thank you, Boteïn."

Reed found himself unsure and contemplative once more, backtracking across what he said to Clay and promptly thinking less of himself every second. The more he remembered his own words, regardless of their intent, all the more he felt like a jerk. All he'd wanted is to reassure his big brother and make sure his sibs were in good hands… He couldn't reconcile driving Clay to leave his other family behind.

Before Reed could self-loathe much more, Pheasant and company returned to the room, leaving the soft lit hut quite packed now.

"So," Pheasant nosed her snout towards Boteïn. "Would you mind explaining what's going on, Clay?"

Clay cleared his throat and sat beside Boteïn, who he dwarfed by a good foot or so.

"Guys, this is Boteïn. Boteïn, these are my siblings:" Clay started in order.

"Pheasant," Pheasant waved politely. "Hi!"

"Marsh," Marsh, just… stared for a second before waving slowly. "H… hi…"

"Sora," Sora sat still and offered a smile.

"Umber," Umber, always the peppy one, sprang up and offered his paw in a handshake (Talonshake? Pawshake? Pawshake.) which Boteïn returned after confusedly learning what it was with Umber's guidance. "Howdy!"

"And Reed, who's recovering in the tub." Reed didn't have much time to hide his downtrodden expression, and just nodded. "Nice to meet you."

The Starwing whirled every which way, struggling to keep track of who's who but seemingly having fun nonetheless.

"Um, hi everyone!" Boteïn leaned over to Clay and whispered. "Do these guys have any idea what's going on yet?"

"Not a clue. I was getting to that."

"Oh, good."

Umber promptly followed up to Boteïn with a fascinated sparkle in his eyes.

"Woah… are you a Nightwing? Maybe a-uh… a hybrid?"

Boteïn cleared his throat. "No, actually-"

Marsh prodded up to the curious dragon. "What about the white scales down your back?"

Sora followed suit. "Are they… changing color?"

"Guys," Pheasant nudged the three back. "Give him space, don't be rude."

"No no, it's okay!" Boteïn spoke up once more. "Just… not used to being the center of attention is all, y'know?"

"But," Clay spoke up as well. "To answer your questions… Boteïn is not a Nightwing. He isn't even from Pyrrhia."

THAT certainly got everyone's attention. Sora, Umber and Marsh all took a step back, Pheasant's gaze swiveled over to Clay, and Reed immediately forgot what he was angsting about.

"That's right," Boteïn puffed himself up a bit more. "I am… a Starwing."

Clay's group of sibs repeated the word to themselves as if transfixed by it.

"Starwing…"

"Starwing." Boteïn continued as he looked out the window at the night sky. "We are a race of dragons that live among the stars, travelling the vast inky blackness of space."

The sense of wonder and astonished amazement that filled the room could almost be seen flickering about like the single candle that lit the walls. As Boteïn continued, they tracked his movements and followed him as he paced.

"We Starwings roam the galaxy, searching for life and civilizations like our own, and forging bonds of kinship with all we meet. We…" He pauses momentarily, looking to Clay.

"Actually, do you have the hologram machine, Clay?"

Clay popped onto his hind talons once Boteïn brought up the hologram.

"RIGHT! Pheasant, do you have my satchel still?"

Pheasant nodded, bringing it over to him. Clay dug through it for a moment, and pulled out the black device.

"Got it! This should explain everything, this is a message straight from the Queen herself. It was intended for Queen Moorhen, but since I never got to see her…"

Clay smiled almost goofily at his sibs, excited to show his family his mission.

"I suppose you guys should be the first to know.~"

He set the device on the ground, only now noticing a giant crack along the top of the machine. Clay's heart sank into his feet, Boteïn wincing as he noticed it too.

"Ooh…"

Clay pressed his talon to the top of the machine immediately, but to no avail. All that was heard was but a tiny beep, and a faint zapping before a hint of smoke rose from the crack. Clay attempted to push the button once more, but it failed to garner any response from the now broken machine. The Mudwing hung his head low, groaning out loud.

"Uuurgh… I came all this way and it broke… great."

Boteïn picked up the machine and inspected it, looking down the middle of the crack.

"Yeah… the internal components are pretty much fried…" He continued to peek down the crack as he took stock. It looks like we'd need a new battery and holoconverter, maaaybe a spectral lens as well? This one looks fractured though…"

As he looked back up for a moment, he met nothing but totally bewildered expressions.

"Um…" Marsh raised his hand. "What's a battery?"

Boteïn sighed and closed his eyes. "Pre-Scientific Revolution… right."

Clay scratched his head. "What's that mean?"

"It means… we don't have the capability to fix it right now… We'll have to go without the message from the Queen."

"Or…"

The voice from the doorway startled everyone in the room, commanding and grand, deep yet warm… Boteïn nearly jumped out of his scales hearing it. Everyone's heads and bodies turned to see a rather imposing figure of a large dragon, a bit bigger than Clay, standing there. Most startling to all except Boteïn was his coloration, his scales atop his snout and all down his back a flowing cascade of Reds, Yellows, Violet and Purple, the occasional streak of white as well. The room fell hushed as the collective breath of the room was taken.

"I could be of some assistance, perhaps?"

Boteïn immediately knelt in grace to King Orion Galaxy.

"My King, I was not told of your coming here. Forgive my surprise."

Orion nods to Boteïn. "Perfectly fine. To be honest I wasn't planning on being here until Aries asked me to check up on the situation here."

As Orion surveyed the room, he noted the stunned expressions of the surrounding Mudwings.

"Boteïn… Are we unwelcome here?"

"Not at all sir! They just learned who we are, as in… right before you got here. So they're… unaccustomed to our presence, my liege."

Orion donned a hospitable and enthusiastic smile.

"Understandable of course!" He bowed to his audience in regality.

"I offer my humble greetings, fellow dragons. I am King Orion Galaxy, current King of the Starwing Freeclan and diplomat to the Starwings as a whole."

The gang of Mudwings still remained frozen in shock, albeit now more in wonder. Marsh was the only one to respond at all. He simply waved, same as before.

"H… hi…"

Orion's chest rumbled warmly with a chuckle. "Hello there.~"

Clay finally found the will to move again, realizing the dragon he was staring at was indeed the King.

"Um, King Orion sir, my name i-"

"Clay," Orion finished his sentence for him, switching his attention wholly to him. "I know. Aries informed me of you and Peril. Are you alright?"

Clay nodded affirmatively, Orion seeming quite pleased to hear this. The two stood chest to chest practically. Clay nearly met the larger dragon's snout, only having to look up just a tad. He stood in awe of his being, while Orion's warm demeanor melted into fondness.

"Before I go anywhere else or say anything else… I must inform you of my unending gratitude to you, Clay. You and Peril and the whole of… "Jade Mountain", was it?"

Clay found his words again and cleared his throat. "Y-yes!"

Orion placed a paw atop Clay's shoulder. "You raised my son… lost and in an unknown world, you helped him to thrive and become an amazing young dragon. I couldn't have asked for a better son, and just by having met him but once…" Orion's eyes shimmered, and Clay knew not if it was some mystical power in his being, or whether it was merely tears in his eyes.

"...It spoke volumes as to who raised him. As you and Peril were the primary caretakers, as I've heard, correct me if I'm wrong… You not only have the respect and admiration of a King and Queen, you have the gratitude of an entire tribe."

Clay couldn't see it, but his scales burned red up to his ears and snout. Hot to the touch, he rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"O-of course, we did all we could! And th-that's a great honor sir, thank you."

Orion beamed a smile and brought the Mudwing into a tight hug.

"Thank you Clay. Just as you welcomed my son into your family, I welcome you into mine. Should you need anything at all from us, you needn't hesitate to ask."

Clay hugged back, still quite unsure as to what that meant exactly, but he had nothing but good feelings about it. He squeezed the kingly figure back happily.

"Absolutely, sir. Thank you, again."

Orion let go of the hug and laid a pat on Clay's shoulder.

"Call me Orion, no need for such mannerisms among family.~"

Again, Clay was unsure how to react to that, so he just nodded along with a big ol' smile.

"Ok!"

"Now then!" Orion clasped his paws together once more, turning to the rest of the Mudwings.

"I'm assuming you all have many questions?"

The gang responded with… more silence. Reed's gaze switched rapidly between Clay and Orion, trying to understand what was going on. Pheasant was still mesmerized by Orion's deeply entrancing multicolor scales, Umber and Marsh were similarly enthralled by the Starwings, while Sora found herself in the back of the room, besides Reed and simply observing what she didn't understand.

Marsh was the only to respond. "H… hi?"

Orion briefly exchanged amused glances with Boteïn, who simply shrugged.

"Well… perhaps a better introduction is needed then."

Boteïn went ahead and sat with the others, all sitting around Orion as he sat center stage to all.

"For context between me and Clay here… Almost three of your years ago, our egg was stolen from us. The thief who had stolen it from us purposefully kept it hidden until it was time for it to hatch. From system to system they led us into nothing, keeping us in the dark and desperate. Then once it was time for the egg to hatch, they left it here. The rest… Clay can tell you."

The group looked to Clay as Orion motioned for him to continue. Clay stood to his feet and cleared his throat again.

"Ahem… When we first found the egg dropped off at Jade Mountain, it was under three moons. Considering the last three moons happened pretty recently, this was really something special. We brought the egg inside and there was a note included with the blanket that wrapped around it. It went on mentioning there was no prophecy, no weight on his shoulders, no destiny but what he chooses, and that we should care for him well for he was born of Stardust."

Orion sat up a bit straighter now, considering he hadn't heard the part about the note. Clay didn't exactly like the twang of concern upon the King's snout, but continued on.

"When he hatched… we all immediately took to him. Me and Peril, my mate, as well as the rest of my family, all agreed that we should take care of him, and we settled on the name Stardust, like the note said."

As Clay recounted the tale, his memory of Stardust and raising the dragonet brought him a twang of happiness upon his snout, nostalgia painting his mind vividly while he continued.

"He was the happiest little thing I ever had the pleasure of meeting… his eyes were so big and full of wonder at the world around him, he immediately connected to any dragon who he talked to, and… he just… understood things."

Orion originally wanted to prod in and speak up, but listening to Clay recount his time raising Stardust he changed his mind and simply enjoyed the story.

"He loved making dragons happy, he's even saved lives before. Even grown up he's compassionate and sometimes even naive... he thrived wherever he went, and besides being a little troublemaker sometimes…"

Clay sniffled and wiped his eyes. "...I've always been incredibly proud of him…"

The group collectively "Aww"ed at the statement, leaving Clay gazing at the ground in his memory. It took him a second to look back up and glance to Orion.

"But uh… what happened on your end, Orion?"

"Ah yes," Orion spoke once more. "I believe it was around Stardust's hatching that we traced a signal of his… um, energy, to your planet. It was faint, from a great distance away, nearly across the Galaxy, but it was strong enough to reach us and it was definitely him. However this signal was hidden, for… reasons unknown…"

Orion frowned in thought as he dwelled on the matter, but swept it aside.

"But… My wife had a vision of our son, which confirmed he was alive, and soon after we found the signal. From then on… we set out to reach him. Again, this was from quite far away, so it took us all this time to reach him here, but we never faltered. We never gave up in our journey. I wasn't about to lose… another son…"

Clay got caught on those last two words. 'Wait… another son?'

"But we made it here. However! You can imagine that our surprise and relief were immense when we learned the planet wasn't abandoned or savage, but instead filled with intelligent life and agreeable dragons too! You see, we Starwings value life and culture and civilization, and our endeavors forevermore are to make peaceable relations with all we meet, your planet is no exception!"

Pheasant and Reed both seemed to pop up at the thought of this.

"Wait," Pheasant tilted her head. "You mean, you want to… you're gonna…"

"If," Boteïn poked his head into the conversation. "You mean we're going to stick around and create a lasting relationship between the Starwings and Pyrrhia, perhaps sparking an interchanging of information, leading to technological and cultural revolutions in perhaps both our worlds…"

Boteïn and Orion nodded pretty chill like.

"Yeah, probably." "That's what we're leaning towards."

Clay went ahead and shut his sibs maws which hung agape, bringing back that black hologram device.

"That's what this was for! The Queen of the Starwings was creating messages for each of the Queens of Pyrrhia, asking them all to meet and discuss this!"

"Speaking of, Clay," Orion spoke back up. "Has the Queen seen this yet?"

Clay shook his head negatively, remembering the situation at hand.

"No, actually."

Reed finally found his voice once more, inputting the little information he held on the subject.

"Her Palace was destroyed literally a few hours ago, and we haven't seen any sign of the Queen, sadly…"

"Ooh…" Boteïn grimaced to himself. "That's not good."

"Indeed." Orion stroked his chin in thought. "Are rescue efforts being coordinated? Do you have a death toll?"

"The healers didn't report any fatalities, only a fair amount of burns and injuries." Pheasant looked to Clay with a smile.

"Clay actually went into the building when it was on fire and saved Reed here."

Orion and Boteïn both perked up in surprise, Orion a bit more so with pride.

"That was quite chivalrous and courageous of you, Clay!"

Reed gently held Clay's hand with a grateful yet apologetic smile.

"Thank you Clay… I really owe you one."

Before Clay could respond, Umber poked his head into the conversation circle again.

"Guys, I hate to interrupt, but there's a good amount of yelling going on outside."

The tone of the hut shifted dramatically, from calmed and repose to a tinge of anxiety that coursed through the room like static.

"What about?" Reed found the strength in his body to push himself up, albeit with straining and groaning. Pheasant helped him up as he managed to step out of the tub.

"You got it Reed?" Pheasant helped him up while Reed leaned on her.

"Yeah, just support me for a bit, ok?" She nodded while the duo peeked outside with the rest.

"I dunno," Umber responded as several Mudwings started to run towards a single direction. "But it seems urgent."

"Maybe we should-"

Before anyone else could finish their thought… an otherworldly hum warbled to life seemingly in the distance. It hushed the dragons in the hut, and definitely the dragons outside as well. Boteïn tapped his wrist comm and brought up a data screen of current energy emissions.

"Boteïn, status report?" Orion did the same on his wrist comm, accessing the Starcastle's planetwide activity readings.

"There's a-"

Boteïn was cut off by the otherworldly hum's crescendo from a hum, to a full bodied screeching that nearly shook the hut. Everyone covered their ears and ducked down, Boteïn reading out the energy outputs still.

"THERE'S AN EXTREME EMISSION OF GRAVITATIONAL AND ASTRAL ENERGY, 3 CLICKS NORTH. READINGS ARE SPIKING AT 532K gAEU."

Orion checked back on his wrist comm, having to shout from the shrieking getting even louder.

"I'M GETTING THE SAME EMISSION FROM A SHUTTLE NEAR THE MOUNTAIN, THE SHUTTLE'S REACTOR IS OVERLOADING!"

Boteïn attempted to look out the window, seeing a bright pinkish/purple light from the distance.

"THEN WHAT'S IT DOING ALL THE WAY OVE-"

The Starwings hadn't any time before the crescendo loosed a massive bassy growl and ended with an earth shattering impact that threw nearly everyone off their feet. The impact rang out and reverberated into the night, and it took but a few seconds before all was calm again…

...until the yelling outside grew into an even greater clamor. The Mudwing sibs in the hut got up to their feet again, checking on each other before they collectively ran outside with the Starwings.

"WHAT IN THE BLAZING STELLAR REALMS IS GOING ON?!" Orion furiously turned and twisted around, trying to make sense of the scrambling Mudwings. Most were headed in the same direction, albeit a few were headed towards the explosion that just occurred.

Boteïn brought up his arm panel of info again, checking the readings of the explosion that just happened. "What we just heard was a Class 2 Reality Implosion, being redirected by…"

He stopped as the readings continued, both perplexed and solemnly aware of what's happened. Orion stared at him dead on. "Well?"

"...redirected by an Astral Wormhole."

"An Astral-" Orion stopped himself, partially out of anger and disbelief, but soon after in total realization and a slew of emotions all mixing together to accelerate the band of colors on his scales. Orion whispered something under his breath momentarily, then wasted no time in growling an order to Boteïn.

"Find their Queen, make sure they meet Aries. I'll handle this."

"My King wait, there's-"

Before he could say anything more, Orion had sped off into the night in dead pursuit of that explosion. He then turned to Clay and the others quickly.

"I need you all to find the Queen, and see what the other Mudwings are excited about. I need to go with him."

"But-" Clay hadn't a moment to react before Boteïn ran off as well, leaving him confused and generally worried. He stood there without a clue, heaving a sigh and looking back to his sibs who sat there expecting orders or directions.

"Ho boy…"

He cleared his throat, looking to the group.

"Alright, we need to find the Queen."

He pointed to members of the group. "Marsh, Sora, you guys go see what everyone's so excited about."

The two nodded and headed off.

"Pheasant, Reed, you two just… stay inside for right now. Reed I just need you to make sure you're okay before you're up and around."

"Bu-" Before Reed could protest, Clay spoke up again.

"When you ARE feeling better, you and Pheasant see if you can assist Orion and Boteïn."

The two nodded, Reed more obediently. They headed inside leaving him and Umber together.

"Umber, you and me are gonna do some investigating, alright?"

Umber took a hard gulp and nodded, accompanying Clay as he started off to the smoldering ruins. Umber stopped Clay for a second though.

"Hey Clay, I heard that Orion guy whisper something under his breath…"

Clay kept walking, but gave Umber his attention too. "Oh?"

"Yeah…" Umber looked up to his Bigwings brother a bit nervously.

"Does the name Libra sound familiar?"

-X-

"Yeah, it does…"

Caelum sat across from Libra, the tired Princess lounging in her cell as she conversed with the Starwing.

"I can't imagine staying away that long, I wouldn't have stayed as strong as you."

Libra's smile of courtesy implied an angst that she didn't want to expound upon, so she left the topic at that.

"It certainly wasn't easy… and there were quite a few things I would change if I could…"

"Doesn't everyone?" Caelum responded with a tint of hope lining his words. Libra was unsure how to take that as Caelum continued.

"Princess, mistakes aren't pleasant. We aren't illuminated beings automatically, we have to stumble through the universe and follow the lights as they guide us."

"Yeah, well…" Libra rested her head back and sighed. "Most don't go on a reign of terror against their own race…"

"But," Caelum provided a rebuttal. "Your reasons for doing so weren't unfounded, were they?"

"Unfounded... no, fruitless yes."

"Princess… I mean you no disrespect, but I think you're dead wrong in that regard."

Libra squinted, sitting back up to look at Caelum with a shifty expression.

"What does that mean?"

Caelum brought up a data pad, bringing up a simple picture of Stardust's Royal Access Profile, complete with Stardust's way too close up. Libra managed to suppress her sudden laugh, a wide smile adorning her snout in an instant.

"The Living Universe moves us all in ways we cannot comprehend, and had you not done what you needed…" Caelum pointed to Stardust's close up, attempting to keep a serious expression upon his snout. "This would not have come to pass. I'm not saying it was right, I'm not saying you should try and change it, in fact the opposite."

Libra sat up a bit more, still looking at Stardust's picture. Her heart sank into the metal below her, stirred by Caelum's words.

"My point is, Princess, you can't let yourself be bound by the chains that drag you to your past, otherwise you'll find that time moves on without you."

The Starwing Princess… had no response. Her silence was not of sadness or angst, rather contemplation and wondering what could be.

"...You're right. Thank you Caelum."

Caelum perked up with a broad smile. "Of course Princess Libra. My father used to be quite the sage, taught me everything I know."

"Well," Libra found her smile once more, seeing Caelum perk up. "Seems everyone's turned wise nowadays."

"I know right?" The helmsman went back to his pad again. "It's like everyone's suddenly extremely emotionally aware and stuff. Weird right?"

"Ah well," Libra sat back in her cot. "Best not to dwell on it."

"Indeed." Caelum padded up to the wall where an opening uncovered a built in Food Replicator. "Would you care for anything, Princess?"

"Water would be much appreciated."

"Aye."

Caelum input a simple command in the matrix besides the Replicator, and immediately the white side panels thrummed to life. With a swirling of light and particles in the middle of the opening, a sizable, rounded clear bottle of water manifested itself. With the cool steam still rising from the top, Caelum handed off the bottle to the secured transfer area in Libra's Cell.

"Thank you Caelum." She took said bottle in her talons with intent to drink.

"My pleasure Princ-"

rrrRRRSHUNK!

The entire shuttle in an instant found itself almost on it's side, flopping back onto it's belly promptly. It's contents were thrown across the inside, including Caelum and Libra, albeit Libra found herself back on her feet relatively quick. The cabin had near everything tossed onto the floor, several items stood embedded in the walls and hung in the ceiling from the force. A few minor leaks dripped a pool of water onto the slick floors, but said leaks stopped fairly quickly.

Libra held her head as a few different alarms blared through the shuttle.

"Nrrgh…"

Her vision grew darker, or so she thought. As she got a better look, it was instead the shuttle's systems and power faltering. The field keeping her in the brig flickered, but held up. She pressed against it, searching for Caelum.

"Caelum, are you alright?"

Through the various alarm tones and ringing through the shuttle, she heard a faint groaning and shuffling.

"Hhf… Rgh…"

The semi-scrawny Starwing pushed himself onto his feet again, promptly collapsing with a sharp yell as his hind leg gave out.

"gHA! Ghhf…"

"Caelum! What's wrong?"

"M-my leg…" He struggled to limp over to the door controls. "It's definitely broken…"

Caelum couldn't reach the controls from his spot on the floor, and he could do naught but clutch his broken leg. Libra, deciding that staying stuck from where she was held would do no good, pressed her forepaw to the field and loosed a blast of Astral Energy that overloaded the field controller. The field soon shut down, allowing her to help Caelum up.

"Hey, don't give out on me now!"

Caelum found his strength as Libra helped him up, giving her an odd look.

"You… You could have done that at any moment…?"

Libra shrugged sheepishly. "Would you have preferred me to stay in there?"

"No, help me to the command center."

Libra nodded, helping along the limping Starwing to the controls where data and warnings rapidly filled the screen. The two immediately went to work sorting through the numerous screens.

"Matter Reactor is 146% capacity, what happened?!" Libra shifted her screen to the Fusion Engine Overview.

"Something MASSIVE got caught in our intake, I'm willing to bet it was that blASTED SHARK FROM YESTERDAY!"

Libra, confused and slightly bewildered by his statement, shook it off and observed the Reactor Levels again.

"Must've been a big shark, it tipped the reactor's Fusion Ratio into Cascade Sequence!"

"I'm working on shutting it down, I need you to-"

The two were cut off by an intense bassy warbling emanating from directly beneath them. Several more alarms and sirens sounded on the screens, prompting Libra to look at Caelum with a wide eyed gaze of terror.

"TOO LATE! WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE, NOW."

Caelum pressed a talon to the screen again, but with no response this time.

"SHIP'S CONTROLS ARE UNRESPONSIVE, THE PRESSURE BAY WON'T OPEN IN TIME."

Libra felt the panic reach her maw, surrounding her neck and squeeze her chest. Her breath accelerated as her heart thumped into her brain, all her thoughts melded together in one continuous stream that-

"Wait a minute!"

"WHAT," Caelum turned fully to Libra. "ANY IDEAS? BECAUSE I'M OPEN TO ANY AND ALL RIGHT NOW."

As much as Libra really didn't like the idea she had just come up with, it was the only one she managed to pull out of the chaotic state her mind lay in.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY ASTRAL POWERS, ANY AT ALL?"

Caelum hesitated for a moment, but nodded.

"I… I DON'T KNOW HOW TO CONTROL IT, BUT I DO. NOT A LOT THOUGH."

"THAT'S FINE, JUST-"

The warbling in question grew in volume now, a faint light beginning to merge through the floor as the metal panels seemed to melt. Libra took Caelum to the farthest point of the ship, and wasted no time in pressing their foreheads together.

Libra brought Caelum into her mind, who twisted and turned around in her headspace with confusion.

'What are we-'

'Caelum, no time to gawk! I need you to focus with me… do as I do, else we won't survive.'

Caelum nodded, totally focused with the threat of not living on his shoulders.

'Right.'

Libra held onto Caelum's shoulders, the warbling outside barely making it's way inside Libra's mind.

'Focus… draw from deep within yourself… feel what I'm doing.'

Libra closed her eyes, and within but seconds her form bathed in every color of light that you could imagine. Caelum watched in awe as Libra's power cloaked her being, and felt that power extending into him. Something previously unfelt surged forth, and it felt as though he could simply take the reigns and wield it to his command…

'Ok…'

As Caelum dug deep into his being to summon forth this energy, the white and gold scales that flowed down his back and neck swirled into a cascading whirl of light. That light and power echoed Libra's form as it swirled around Caelum and bathed him in energy. The Starwing hadn't felt anything quite like it, as if a star had wrapped a blanket around his very mind and soul.

'Woah…'

'That's it Caelum, you got it!' Libra opened her eyes again and gleefully nodded. 'Now, keep that up. I'm gonna get us out of here.'

'Wait how are you-'

Before Caelum had a chance to even ask, Libra strained herself as she summoned forth all of the Astral power she had in her. The energy swirling around her grew to unimaginable size and depth, leaving Caelum stunned in awe. He could only reach deeper and do his best as Libra asked, feeling that power swirl together and get used up for… something. He didn't understand it at all, but almost in an instant he felt his consciousness slip from his grasp.

Overwhelmed and totally tired out, he laid on… grass? The ground beneath Caelum felt soft and lush, his leg resting on a cushy material as best as he could tell. His vision blurred and swayed, and he could barely make out the familiar snout of Libra.

"Caelum!"

Her voice felt distant, but he summoned the strength to respond as best he could.

"H-hey… what just-"

"No time to explain, my father is coming."

Even barely conscious, blurry eyed and in pain, Caelum could recognize the pain on her face when she mentioned her father. He merely nodded.

"I-I understand… just go. I'll try to explain what happened…"

Libra nodded, and as she left, Caelum tugged on her tail.

"Princess…" She stopped for just a moment more, looking back to him.

"...Don't let the past drag you back."

Caelum couldn't keep himself awake much longer than that, but he would've sworn by the 9 stars in his constellation that Libra had tears in her eyes as she galloped away into the night. After that… he simply let the pain wash over him and serenade him to sleep.

-X-

"Any word of the situation yet?"

Queen Ruby shook her head no to Peril with a sad intonation to her expression. Peril rubbed her egg tenderly, her anxiety manifesting itself in her tail as it swished around the room. The guards stepped back a good few paces to be safe.

"Peril, I'm sure he's fine. He's fireproof after all."

"The entire Palace collapsed, Ruby. There were explosions!"

Ruby stopped for a second and contemplated to herself.

"Peril… he's overwhelmingly likely to be ok. Knowing Clay and everything he's been through-"

Peril whirled around in place. "He's almost died, AT LEAST THREE TIMES, ONE OF WHICH I HAD TO BURN A HOLE IN HIS LEG TO MAKE SURE HE SURVIVED THE MOON FORSAKEN SNAKE!"

Ruby stood back, definitely not expecting that reaction. Peril stopped for a moment, listening to the words that she just hurled at the dragon she loved as a sister. Ruby thought Peril might just collapse into a pile of tears with her sudden downtrodden expression.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell."

"It's alright Peril," Ruby nosed up to her and wrapped a wing around her. "I know how you feel…"

Peril nodded silently, wrapping Ruby in a warm hug.

"Yeah… I suppose now I do."

Ruby did her best to offer a hearty smile. "We'll get through this, everything will work out. I know it will."

"I hope so…"

Peril's gaze fell down to her egg, the sparkling scales radiating a soft heat. Ruby adored the gradient of Reds to Bronze to Orange all down the egg, garnering a proud little smile on Peril's maw.

"Speaking of hope…" Ruby lounged besides Peril, the two sitting on the balcony overlooking the night sky and the Skywing Kingdom. "Are you hoping for a boy or a girl?"

"Honestly," Peril nosed her precious egg tenderly. "I'll be proud and happy either way, firescaled or not."

"Well, have you thought of names?"

Ruby's question struck Peril in an odd way. The way everything had been going recently, she hadn't any time to actually think about it. And the more she came to think of it, naming an infant dragonet seemed totally unappealing, the amount of pressure that stacked on top of her already stressed out mind wasn't something she needed.

"Honestly… no. It's gonna be a while before it hatches, so I've got plenty of time to think about it."

Ruby nosed the egg as well, listening inside as he pushed her ear to the surface.

"Hmm… Are you counting on it being more Skywing or Mudwing?"

Peril shrugged again. "No idea."

"Any colors or traits you're hoping for…?"

"Breathing, hopefully."

Ruby chuckled to herself. "Naturally, but I mean…" She looked to Peril with an ounce of concern.

"...Peril, what are you thinking here?"

Peril found her gaze lost in her egg, contemplative and hopeful as she could almost see her reflection in the egg's surface.

"...I just want my baby to be happy. And I'm gonna do everything I can to make sure that happens."

Ruby, contented with that answer, nodded in agreement.

"Then I think they're going to turn out just fine."

Peril met Ruby's eyes once more.

"I sure hope so… what if they get my crazy side?"

Ruby shook her head with a smirking smile.

"Oh they'll be plenty crazy, don't you worry. They'll also get every other great quality about you, I know it. Just look at how Stardust turned out!"

"You got a point there. He-"

The two were cut off by a single disheveled looking guard that burst into the room, panicking and flustered.

"MY QUEEN!"

Ruby and Peril immediately stepped up to him expecting news of some sort.

"What is it, have you news for us?"

The guard simply handed Ruby a note with a rather distraught expression.

"Stardust is gone… the guards were unconscious, and he left this note."

Peril clasped her talons to her maw in a gasp, while Ruby opened the note.

"I need to make sure he's ok, I'll return when I find out what's happened. I'll be fine, don't worry about me. Love… Stardust."

[Meanwhile…]

'They're gonna be so mad at me when I get back…'

The Starwing Prince had continued due south for what felt like an hour already, but he couldn't see smoke or fire in the distance anywhere. He recognized the Mudwing Territory for sure, but no smoldering ashes or fires guided his eyes anywhere helpful.

'Maybe this was a bad idea…'

Stardust sighed to himself, continuing to scour the landscape until something made sense to him. Considering the night blended everything together and blurred details into vaguely green mush, Stardust could barely even see the outlines of trees, which helped nothing at all. He sighed to himself and landed nearby, hoping a change of perspective might aid him.

'Well… this isn't much better…'

Stardust looked up and around the nearby area, wondering how to go about this.

'What if-'

The Starwing was cut short in thought but a piercing shriek that persisted through the air, causing Stardust to duck down and cover his ears. He could only search around frantically for the source, only seeing a distant light that grew brighter until it exploded outwards and knocked Stardust off his feet onto his back.

"Nrrgh… What the…"

He scrambled back onto his feet, soothing the ringing in his head for a moment before rushing off to the source of what he assumed was a meteor or something equivalent.

'Clay I swear on the moons, if this has something to do with you…'

Stardust was upon the site of said explosion within minutes, bounding over tree logs and weaving through thickets to get there. There lay a decent sized crater with two Starwings, one that laid on the ground barely conscious, and… another one that Stardust couldn't take his eyes off of.

'Who… who is that?'

Stardust only heard a snippet of the conversation before the familiar rainbow looking Starwing headed off in a hurry.

"...Don't let the past drag you back."

The other Starwing nodded solemnly before bounding off. Stardust hadn't any time to think, he simply acted on his instincts and followed the other Starwing through the twists and turns they employed. All it did was spur Stardust on even more to get to them… the thing was, Stardust hadn't a clue why. This Starwing was familiar, he felt it on a level not easily explainable.

'Who are you?'

-X-

"Alright, let's move on to /archive. This oughta be interesting."

Tau, Neon and Xenon idled on the bridge at their stations, monitoring ship functions as they explored and deconstructed the rather extensive array of commands available from the alien interface.

"Can do," Neon brought up the main interface again, the catalogue of other data and information taken thus far set aside. "Activating command now."

He typed carefully into the blinking CLI /archive, and pressed enter. The interface was silent, flickering and buffering for a few seconds before the entire screen blinked into a different interface entirely.

Initialize Archive Librarian Function?
y / n

The three heads on the bridge swiveled to meet each other.

"Librarian Function?" Tau was the first to question the new screen. Xenon shrugged, stroking his chin.

"Most archival functions exist to accept search parameters, so the Librarian must act as a guide around the archive?" He turned back to Neon. "Perhaps this archive of information is just so massive, we'd need a guide to simply explore it."

"Or it could simply be an Archive Compression and Decompression tool. They must save space somewhere." Neon chimed in, growing more and more curious. "Regardless, we'll still need it if we're to explore what this is."

"Fair enough." Tau nodded to Neon. "Go ahead then."

"Aye ma'am." Neon simply input "y", watching as the interface updated with progress codes, spitting lines out faster than any of them could keep up with. After nearly a minute of this, the interface stopped once more and displayed another question:

Activate Auto-Exploration/INTERACT Protocols?
y / n

"Auto Exploration/INTERACT Protocols?" Xenon was the first to voice his curiosity at the phrase. Neon followed suit.

"These guys really enjoyed being vague with their program descriptors…" Neon sat back in his chair and squinted in thought.

Tau stood from her chair and stood between the two. "What's the likelihood of these protocols damaging ship functions?" The brothers shared a glance before both looking at Tau.

"I have no idea." "Probably nothing…?"

The commanding dragon facepalmed ever so gently, heaving a sigh as she nodded.

"Go ahead then. Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

Neon again input a simple "y", watching as the interface updated much slower this time.

Initializing Archival Data…

"Hm…" Xenon sighed to himself watching the interface update. "This could take a while…"

Neon and Tau sat back in their chairs once more, watching the screen still.

Compiling Context Analysis Scripts…

"Woah woah woah," Neon suddenly sat up and forwards. "Context Analysis Scripts?"

Tau found herself immediately upon her feet once more.

"What Context? Context for what?"

Integrating Context Analysis with Available Sensors and Input…

Xenon scrolled through a few screens, monitoring the interface's advances and interactions with the ship's systems.

"Aaaaand it's accessing our system's communications and sensors, wonderful."

"Anything else?" Tau prodded up to Xenon's screens, monitoring the same data.

"Too early to tell-"

Initializing STORYTELLER Protocol, Indexing Sensory Input…

Neon's attention and fascination immediately grabbed hold of that last entry.

"Storyteller Protocol?"

Xenon grumbled to himself as he positioned several of his data screens up on the main viewer besides the interface. Data fluctuations of ship's power and access ran along the left side, while a ship map/detailed cross section with live updating visualized the interface's reach across the ship's systems.

"Whatever it is, it's REALLY getting involved with our ship's database and sensors."

Tau stepped lively back to her station, gathering exactly what the system was doing to the ship.

"Not to mention monitoring all communications and frequencies. Orion is NOT going to like this."

"Well he DID mention-"

Calculating Current Situational Projection, Adjusting STORYTELLER Protocol Accordingly…

"Current Situational Projection? Excuse me?" Tau rechecked her multiple screens for what effect this had on ship's systems, noticing a very faint drain on ship's power and main computer usage. "Is this thing trying to predict the future or something?"

"Can it do that? Is it possible for a computer to do that?" Neon gazed to the interface screen in awe.

"Either it's not what we think," Xenon spoke up, noting the strain on ship systems. "Or we're dealing with something out of even our league here."

"If we want to figure that out, we ought to figure out what this Storyteller Protocol is first. It could be the key to all this-"

Projection Complete, STORYTELLER Protocol Activated. Initialize SOUNDTRACK Protocol in Conjunction with STORYTELLER?
y / n

The trio stopped again, all equally confused.

Tau grumbled to herself. "Soundtrack… so we've got Storyteller and now Soundtrack. Great."

"Sounds like we got all we need for a theatre production." Xenon chortled to himself at his own remark.

"Okay but still…"

Neon swirled around in his chair to the others. "Do you think we should?"

Tau bristled with discomfort as he mentioned the idea.

"Neon, the interface now has access to basically this entire ship, and that's a thought that greatly discomforts me. I would prefer we didn't give it anymore leeway."

"To be fair," Xenon tilted his head to Neon. "We already gave it too much leeway when we let it install itself on our main computer."

Neon nodded in agreement. "There's not really a point in saying no at this juncture, but it's your call Captain."

Tau grumbled under her breath once more, this time massaging her temples a bit.

"Urrgh… alright. But if anything goes wrong here I'm blaming you two for breaking the King's ship."

"I can live with that." Neon input a simple "y" in the blinking cursor, and pressed enter once more.

This time, the interface put out it's answer instantly.

SOUNDTRACK Protocol engaged, Priority Ratio set to "Background". Track Archive Indexed, Awaiting first event.

Tau felt herself un-tense reading that, and seeing no further changes on the ship's map or data allowed her to breathe again. "Huh…"

"Awaiting First Event sounds a little… ominous…" Xenon checked back on the ship's data, watching it return basically to normal. "What event is it talking about?"

"I think only the interface knows that." Neon speculated as he rubbed his chin again. "What if it's preparing a soundtrack for what it predicts is going to happen?"

Xenon rolled his eyes at his brother. "And WHY IN THE GALAXY would an impossibly advanced race make an over glorified playlist for future finders?"

Neon shrugged again. "Maybe they were crazy about music?"

Tau chortled to herself as she sipped her drink. "The culture nerds back home would go crazy for something like-"

(Author's Note: The denotation below of Artist and Song is meant to be played in the background as you read the rest of the passage. Think of it like a music video you read? Use the placement of said denotation as a reference point to start playing the song as it correlates to events in the story.)

[-[ENGAGE TRACK : Justice - Chorus]-]

The three stopped dead in their tracks hearing a ping coming from Tau's console. Tau, having heard that same ping before, quickly rushed over to console and brought up a Reality Distortion Grid of the planet and the surrounding area.

"No…"

Neon and Xenon rushed to the viewing windows behind the main screen, standing there in terror. Tau found her way over as well, growling to herself.

Coming in about three miles out from the Starcastle came a smaller but still fierce looking Cruiser. Unlike the Starcastle, the other ship's hull was sharp and jagged, as if it were a knife given the form of a Star Cruiser. It's edges were worn and nearly bare metal shone silver and white, giving it a glint against the rest of the matte black ship metal. It pointed towards the Starcastle with almost malicious intent.

"NO!" Tau slammed her fist on the ship's Security Operation screen, activating Red Alert for the whole ship. The two brothers scrambled into their seats as two more dragons rushed in from the hall and took up additional spots nearby. The cruiser ahead of them turned in place, seeking to cut them off in their orbit.

"HELM, RUN ALONGSIDE THEM. DON'T LET THEM CUT US OFF."

Tau furiously pointed to Comms, taken by Xenon.

"And contact Orion on the surface,"

Her fury exacted itself towards the ship across the hull.

"Tell him that Libra's faction found us."

-X-

(Author's note: The song thing I did up there was a little experiment I wanted to try. You only should've gotten less than a minute into the song reading along, but tell me what you thought of the whole experience!)