Darkstalker was quickly transported into a new place. It was cold, dark, and generally unpleasant. Darkstalker looked around and noticed he was probably underground. The walls, floor, and ceiling were made from snow and ice. Darkstalker then noticed Foeslayer trapped in ice, being mocked at by Queen Diamond and Arctic. Foeslayer's eyes were still moving in the ice and they pointed towards Darkstalker. Darkstalker quickly waved his talons and the nightmare disappeared, leaving both dragons in the void. Foeslayer quickly dropped the ground, holding her neck and gasping for breath. Darkstalker slowly walked over to his mother, who shuffled away in a panic.
"Please, you monster, don't hurt me or my son!" she said. Darkstalker felt as though a dagger of ice went through his heart.
"Mother.. It's me.. Your son.." Darkstalker said, but that didn't calm down Foeslayer.
"Get away! You're not my son anymore! You killed the IceWings and created a war!" she cried out. Each word she said stabbed Darkstalker more violently than the last.
"Mother.. I just want to talk.." Darkstalker said slowly, reaching to help Foeslayer up. Foeslayer's panicked breathing slowed as she hesitantly grabbed Darkstalker's talons. Darkstalker helped his mother up and Darkstalker waved his talons and two comfortable chairs appeared. They sat down in both and a table with food and drinks appeared.
"Is this a dream?" Foeslayer asked, helping herself to a piece of bread.
"A bit of both. We're both in a dream, yet us talking to each other is real." Darkstalker answered, filling his goblet with water.
"I don't understand.. The spell was supposed to get rid of you forever." Foeslayer said, once more harming Darkstalker with her words.
"It was." Darkstalker said with a lump in his throat. He took a sit from this goblet only to taste nothing. Has it REALLY been that long since I drank water? Darkstalker mentally questioned himself.
"I don't-- You-- So where have you been for the past.. Year?.." Foeslayer asked flabbergasted. Darkstalker hesitating before answering.
"I've been with Peacemaker, as his best friend. He's a nice dragonet, you know." Darkstalker said, reaching for a cookie. Foeslayer stared at Darkstalker with her wide green eyes.
"So THAT'S why he talks to himself so often..." Foeslayer said, putting down her plate. "The food you summoned is also pretty bland, mind you. Then again this is a dream so I can't complain." she added. Darkstalker shifted a bit awkwardly.
"Yes, that's why he talks to himself and 'plays' with his food." Darkstalker confirmed.
"So-- So you've been listening to all of our conversations?" Foeslayer asked suddenly.
"Not really,"He said. "I can hear Peacemaker, but not you or any other dragon."
"Oh, I see..." Foeslayer said. "Have you.. You've been nice to him, right?"
Darkstalker looked down at his plate of food.
"I think I have."
"Do you want to escape him or something like that?" Foeslayer asked suddenly. Darkstalker stiffened a bit, caught off balance by the question.
"I-- No I-- I.. I don't know.." Darkstalker stuttered. Foeslayer cocked her head at her son. Darkstalker took a long sigh before continuing to talk.
"I just don't want to be there when he finds out..." he admitted. Foeslayer's green eyes grew more sad.
"I know the feeling. I didn't want to tell you or Whiteout about the war going on about Arctic and I..." Foeslayer said while positioning herself into a more comfortable position.
"I don't want to burden the poor dragonet with who he was before... He deserves to grow up without knowing that his best friend was a genocidal killer." Darkstalker said, catching Foeslayer visually off guard.
"Huh, that's a first. You feel guilty or something for nearly killing an entire tribe?" Foeslayer said in a jokingly condescending tone. She then laughed dryly before stopping herself.
"I do, mother. I don't want Peacemaker to know that though. T-the genocidal killer part, not the 'I feel guilty' part. I guess I got so caught up in trying to make you, Whiteout, Clearsight, and that traitor-- Fathom happy... I just wanted you guys to have a nice life..." Darkstalker choked out. He could feel a wave of sadness fall upon him. The room around him changed involuntarily and showed still shots from Darkstalker's life flashed instantly before disappearing. The fights between Foeslayer and Arctic, Arctic's death, Darkstalker falling asleep for two thousand years, enchanting dragons to obey his command, turning into Peacemaker, it all showed up. Darkstalker hid himself under his wings to try and hide from the images, to try and ignore the terrible memories. He then felt something touch his back. He looked back and saw Foeslayer, tears in her eyes, patting him on the back.
"It's okay, my son." she whispered. Darkstalker stared at her in shock that she's.. Caring for him? He took a deep breath and the images faded away.
"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have dragged you into my mess." Darkstalker said , looking at his talons. He waves his talons in the air and the table and chairs disappear. Darkstalker then left the dream and saw Foeslayer still on the couch, asleep and with tears in her eyes.
Darkstalker walked back to Peacemaker's room and laid down beside him. Before entering his dream, Darkstalker sat there for a bit. Am I really sorry?.. he thought to himself. He looked at his talons and could practically see blue blood on them, blood from his father. He then looked at Peacemaker and a wave of guilt washed over him. He doesn't deserve to be around me.. Darkstalker thought. Peacemaker was sleeping happily and peacefully, perfectly fine without Darkstalker being there. I could just.. Leave.. Maybe then he can forget about me and-- What am I thinking?! Darkstalker slapped himself. Peacemaker loves you, you can't just... Leave!.. he hissed at himself. He stood up and looked at Peacemaker and cracked a small smile. He then placed his talons onto his forehead and entered Peacemaker's dream.
Darkstalker was transported into a field of grass. He looked around for Peacemaker and everywhere he looked a rainbow was there. "This is what he would dream of without me?" Darkstalker whispered to himself. He walked around the endless grass field before finding Peacemaker, Truthspeaker, and a clone of Darkstalker playing in a rather large lake. All dragons grew to massive size, far bigger than Darkstalker ever was.
"Uhh.. Hello?" Darkstalker called out to Peacemaker. Peacemaker was busy splashing the other Darkstalker with water and each step he took shook the entire earth. Darkstalker flew up to Peacemaker and landed on his ear. He watched on as all three dragons played in the water. Suddenly, the sky grew gray and darker. Darkstalker looked up, confused, then heard a quiet scream. To his left, Truthspeaker was slowly sinking into the water. Her face began to melt into a misshaped mix of scales and colours. To his right he saw himself but his black scales fading to grey as he sinks into the now black water. Peacemaker began to shrink and tried to fly away from the scene only for the water to lash out at him, pulling Peacemaker back. Peacemaker was trying to claw himself out, but the water was dragging him closer. Truthspeaker and Darkstalker's clone was already under the water and voices chanted through the dream. The field turned to a black wasteland and the rainbows turned to fire.
"What is even happening?!" Darkstalker screamed. He flew down and straightened out his wings and dug his talons into the ground. The scene began to fade and Peacemaker was free from the water. He ran over to Darkstalker and clutched onto his forearms. Eventually, the last drop of water disappeared and both dragons were left alone in the void.
"Are you okay?" Darkstalker said, checking over Peacemaker. Peacemaker's wing scales flashed green, to red, to white, to blue, then back to silver. He then fell to his knees and began to cry.
"That was.. S-scary.." Peacemaker sobbed. Darkstalker went down and hugged Peacemaker with his wings.
"It's okay Peacemaker.. You're okay.." he comforted. Darkstalker looked around the room and it slowly turned to a beach. The waves brushing against the sand in a hypnotic pattern calmed down Darkstalker and Peacemaker's sobs became less and less intense. Peacemaker then looked around the beach and let go of Darkstalker. Darkstalker then walked around and Peacemaker stumbled after him. The cool breeze of the ocean and the smell of salt water put Darkstalker to rest.
"Thanks, Darky." Peacemaker said as he began to dig in the sand. Darkstalker went to the ocean and saw all of the fish and turtles swim around. He carefully picked up a jade green turtle and thought of Fathom. His emerald green scales would've made him livid on any normal occasion, but this time he just thought of the nice time with him and Clearsight. He walked over to Peacemaker with the turtle and placed it down.
"What's that?" Peacemaker asked excitedly as he put his snout up to the turtle to smell it.
"A turtle. They don't bite." Darkstalker said as he scratched the turtle's neck gently. The turtle seemed to smile back and Peacemaker started to pet it.
"It feels so weird.." Peacemaker said as an unnatural amount of slime drips down from his talons. Darkstalker chuckled as he wiped off the slime. The turtle started to walk back to the waves and Peacemaker walked after it, guiding it to the ocean.
"Come on, you're almost there!" Peacemaker cheered to the turtle and Darkstalker smiled. He could imagine himself here, on this beach, with Clearsight and his dragonets. He would stay behind with Clearsight and watch as his dragonets played in the sand, but that would've been in a perfect world. Darkstalker's smile faded as he looked at the sand. A small part of the sand twisted and transformed into a few tiny dragons the size of a blueberries against Darkstalker's will. He watched as the sand dragons looked around and inaudibly began to fight at one another.
"What are you looking at?" Peacemaker said. Darkstalker stamped down on the sand dragons to hide them.
"Nothing," Darkstalker said quickly. "You wanna go explore?" he continued, trying to change the subject. Peacemaker nodded and took off without Darkstalker.
"Wait for me!" Darkstalker laughed as he forcefully launched himself into the air, releasing a loud gust of wind that kicked up a ton of sand and blew away a few trees. Peacemaker stared in amazement at Darkstalker, practically having stars in his eyes.
"I wanna go to.. Over there!" Peacemaker pointed over in a direction north. He took off at lightning speed in that direction and Darkstalker followed quickly after. Both dragons soared through the sky, passing by trees and birds. Both dragons laughed and were having a fun time before they passed over a massive clearing in the trees. Huts and black dragons walked through the streets and Darkstalker felt a pain in his chest.