Starflight walked down the hall to the NightWing psychic training room. Soldiers flew around with a purpose beyond his analysis. It was unlike any kingdom he's been to. Everyone was serious but somehow not grumpy, just efficient. He could count the number of smiles he had seen on one claw, and those were all of the cunning, haunting, or dark variety.

As he walked inside, he scanned the room. A few NightWings were deep in thought, trying to connect to the group mind or see into the future. To his surprise, a female roughly his age was in the room too. She was the first other dragonet he'd seen in the whole kingdom.

His first thought was as to her appearance.

She was dark purple, with lighter purple wings. Her colors complemented each other perfectly. Her snout was more pointed than most dragons', and her wings were less jagged than those of normal NightWings. Her horns twisted towards each other quite a bit. The spines on her back lay on each other softly. She was the prettiest dragonet Starflight had ever seen. Everything about her was extremely attractive.

His second thought was about Sunny.

Would Sunny be upset? Would he be cheating on her by chasing after a NightWing female? Would his friends see that as making ties to an enemy, even though Glory had fallen for Deathbringer? Would Sunny think he only went after the prettiest dragons, and not even want to be his friend? Would she make the other dragonets of destiny kick him out of his destiny?

His third thought was on the topic of NightWing powers.

If the dragonet was telepathic, she would doubtlessly know how he felt about her. She would know that he was torn between her and Sunny, and certainly be able to deduce that he was desperately in love with her. If she was prophetic, she might see a vision of him professing his love to her before he was ready to do so in reality. Either way, it was an awful possibility.

He stood frozen for an entire minute before he was able to unfreeze himself. He jerkily walked over to her. "He-hello," he said uncertainly. "What's your name?" He barely managed to get the words out, and she was now looking at him. She was looking at him! He could barely stop himself from fainting, and he could actually feel his heart rate skyrocketing. It was a wonder he hadn't died of cardiac arrest.

She said, "I'm Fatespeaker, but we shouldn't disturb the other studiers. Let's leave." The two exited the room, and flew to a small ledge.

Once outside, she asked, "So, what's your name?" Her voice resonated sweetly through his ear, vibrating his tympanic membrane like a soft breeze. Her intelligent eyes pierced his like the sharpest spears through a fruit. Every aspect of her was beautiful.

He managed to choke out the words, "I'm S-Starflight. I'm new here." He was furious at himself. He was looking pathetic in front of the new girl of his dreams. He ordered himself,Say something, anything! Don't lose this opportunity! You only make a first impression once, so make a good one! He said, "Are you practicing your powers?"

She nodded, and said, "Precognition. I have long been able to make predictions. Now I am trying to increase my accuracy. It might take a while, but it will be invaluable once I can be a seer for my tribe and the magical leader of the dragonets of destiny."

Starflight's mind went blank. She was the prettiest dragon in the world, a NightWing, magical, and in the prophecy? She had everything going for her! "I'm a dragonet of destiny too," he said. He immediately regretted it. It almost certainly would alienate her.

To his surprise, she grinned. "I knew it! I knew our destinies were linked! It all makes sense! We have to fulfill the prophecy together!" Starflight realized. There was another team of dragonets! He and her were going to fall in love and go save the world!

Starflight said, "Awesome! Where are the other dragonets of destiny?"

Fatespeaker's expression fell, glazing over with annoyance. "Back at the prison where they belong," she muttered. "Flame, the jerk. Viper, the creep. Ochre, the idiot. And Squid, the egotistical shrimp with a powerful daddy. How about you? Who are your teammates?"

Starflight, once he realized she had asked him a question, answered, "Well, there's Tsunami, our leader. She's really bossy, but we can count on her to pull through. There's Glory, our psychotic murderer. She is a RainWing, not a SkyWing, but she can spit venom." At this, Fatespeaker's eyes widened, and she leaned in.

Starflight fought down his ecstasy at her coming closer, and he continued, "There's Clay, our bigwings. He isn't very smart, but he won't ever let us get hurt. There's me, our genius. I don't want to brag, but my friends think I might be the smartest dragon in the world. And then there's Sunny. She's a mutant SandWing." He said Sunny's name like she was an annoyance, in a desperate bid for Fatespeaker not to know that he had feelings for the former.

Fatespeaker was visibly impressed. "Sounds like you work together really well. I wish my team did. Squid's not so bad, but the other three… Let's just say I am not sorry they are still in the NightWing prison."

Starflight said, "Well, we fight a lot, but everyone cares about each other. We are like a family. Our caretakers were awful, and we had to stick together."

Fatespeaker sighed. "Anyway, it's not important now. We're in the Night Kingdom, with our own kind. We can help win the war for Blister, and fulfill our destinies."

Starflight smiled wholeheartedly, and said, "Agreed. I don't like Blister myself, but I see the reason for picking her. She's smart, at least." He hesitated, and stopped himself from saying something.

Fatespeaker said, for some reason rather shyly, "You know, you're really nice. If you're archetypical of your team, you must be really happy." Starflight grimaced, thinking of how hard this would make choosing his friends. She said, "I assume you know we are going extinct and Blister is going to save us, right?" Starflight's jaw dropped, and his mind went blank.

After a period of time unknown to Starflight, he managed to mumble, "I-wh-no-but-how?" He tried again, shouting, "WH-what!? We are? Since when?"

Fatespeaker's eyes widened. "You didn't know that? It's why we are in the war!"

Starflight realized what this meant. Oh three moons, if I choose my friends, my entire tribe dies, and vice versa. I've spent my life with my friends, but now I'm falling for a NightWing girl and the NightWings need my help more. This is bad. Now I have to decide who I choose. And, as if that wasn't enough, the NightWing girl is probably reading my mind right now!

He said, "Then… I have to help. I might not like Blister, but that's no reason to condemn an entire tribe to extinction, let alone my own."

Fatespeaker gave a joyous smile. "That's wonderful! I'm sure you'll help more than you know!" She flared her wings, brushing his. He narrowly stopped himself from fainting in shock, thrilled. She immediately looked away, and he thought he saw a confused expression

Starflight said, "I have something to tell you. I'm not really sure how to put it, though…"

Fatespeaker gave a deep look. "Your thoughts are muddled. I have something to tell you too, but you first."

Starflight said, nervously and uncertainly, "Ummmm… you're very pretty. And you're nice. And smart. And you have NightWing powers. I guess I might have a crush on you… I don't really know."

Fatespeaker shyly avoided his eyes. "You know, you're really smart. And you are really nice. I guess I might have a crush on you too."

Starflight's heart was beating faster than he thought biologically possible. He weakly said, "Ummm… wow… thanks!" His pupils dilated in shock. He said, "I don't have NightWing powers. I'm just a regular dragon."

Fatespeaker looked at him, and said, "If you've got the kind of brainpower I think you do, you're not even close to regular. You are just as important as any other NightWing." Starflight was suddenly very glad he wasn't a RainWing, or he might have turned bright pink from horns to tail.

Fatespeaker's eyes glazed over, and she said, distantly, "Yes. I will tell him." She returned to normal, and said, "Morrowseer wants to see you immediately. He says it's urgent to the entire tribe." She paused, and then added, "Please tell him everything."

Starflight said, "Bye, Fatespeaker. I hope I'll see you again." He took off, and flew towards the fortress. A few NightWing guards stood aside to let him go through.

Morrowseer stood imposingly in a dark room. Several other huge NightWings, heavily armored, flanked him. They didn't have the cold glare of guards, but the efficient ruthlessness of generals and scientists. The watched him as he entered. Morrowseer gave a strange look, but of praise, amusement, or anger was unknowable. "Greetings, Starflight," Morrowseer said. "I have read you had a very, very odd dream last night. I would like to discuss it with you." Starflight gulped, and thought, ''Does that mean I'm going to betray my friends? Oh no, he's reading my mind right now!'' He swallowed, hard, and said, "Yes. I will discuss it."

Morrowseer said, "Good. That makes things easier for both of us. To start off, what exactly did you hear?"

Starflight thought back to it. "Well, it turns out there are more dragons in the prophecy than we thought. Not that that means your prophecy is wrong… just…" he trailed off.

Morrowseer raised his eyebrows terrifyingly. "Are there? That is most interesting." He turned, and said to a fellow leader, "I think this calls for a modification to our plans. All in favor?" Every dragon raised a white talon.

Starflight gulped again. He said, "Essentially, not all the dragonets of the prophecy are in fact dragonets."

The NightWings gave unreadable looks, like mirrors at midnight. They peered deep, deeper than his scales. It felt like they were gifted with metaspectral light vision and could see through him.

He continued, "Of course, this isn't important, right? We'll just go fulfill the prophecy."

Morrowseer said, with his voice like talons scraping on hardened lava, "That depends. Are you still willing to help us?"

Starflight thought back to Sunny. He thought back to Glory. To Clay, Tsunami, and the RainWings. All the time his friends had helped him.

But then he thought of Fatespeaker. Of the scholars and libraries here in the Night Kingdom. When Morrowseer had saved him from the Sky Kingdom.

''Maybe… maybe I can help both my friends and my tribe,'' he thought quietly. Morrowseer didn't move, but his eyes dilated. Clearly he was thinking hard, and almost certainly reading Starflight's mind.

Starflight said, "But my friends won't be harmed, right? Please?"

Morrowseer's eyes unfocused even more. Starflight noticed a large number of the other NightWings' eyes did as well. Finally, Morrowseer replied, "I think that can be arranged."