Tiny flecks of bubbles shot past Celadon's wings as she glided along the current. Her wings were sore from being bound in the SkyWing prisons, but after an escape scene with the Dragonets, she was heading home. Celadon flexed her talons to feel the cold salt water and broken pieces of coral, and she glanced over her shoulder to see a group of turtles catching a nearby current. I'm home.
She may have been home, but she was not done with her mission.
She quickened her pace, her teal blue scales shimmering in the broken blue moonlight from the surface. If she remembered right, the current should-
Now!
The current suddenly veered downwards, sending Celadon swiftly down into the dark side of the ocean. She nodded to herself and broke off from the current, looking for any signs of glowing, and after about a half hour of swimming, she caught the sight of two lines of jellyfish. This was undoubtedly the SeaWing palace.
Quickening her pace, Celadon shot forward and into the palace. The other SeaWings shared glances of relief. Two dragons in particular swam up to her, the other paddling forward and flashing his scales in excitement.
"Mako?" Celadon flashed, a soft teal light filling the space.
"Little sis?" Mako's light-up scales flickered happily. Without a second word, Mako pulled Celadon into a hug.
Breaking away from the hug, Celadon glanced at the younger dragon. "Who's that?"
"Oh!" Mako lifted up the younger dragon, who rebelliously struggled in her grip. "This is my son, Cobalt."
"Put me down!" Cobalt, who looked around 5, flashed. "I am not a baby anymore! How can you even still lift me?"
"Your egg hatched?" Celadon's scales gasped. "Mako, that's amazing!"
"I'm not the only one who had a dragonet," Mako smiled. "Shark had his second daughter. He named her Opal."
"A new princess?" Celadon straightened. "Mako, that's news!"
"Speaking of," Mako reminded. "You should be reporting your mission to Queen Coral."
Celadon nodded and continued towards the throne room. Two guards stood near the entrance, and once they saw her, they held their narwhal horn spears in front of the door. The first guard squinted. "State your business."
"I have something to report," Celadon explained. "From my mission."
The guard snorted and nodded to the other. They lifted their spears and kicked open the doors, which were indented with and intricate patterns of sea creatures. Celadon swam inside and spread her wings, dipping her head in the best bow she could do underwater. "Your Majesty, I've completed my spy mission."
"And got caught," Coral snapped. "No spies get caught by lousy MudWings."
"But that's the thing," Celadon explained. "These MudWings were different. Four were going to kill me, but the other saved my life."
"Then consider yourself lucky," Coral flicked her tail, spreading her wings. "Unless you have other information, I am demoting you. However, you are welcome to take the classes again."
"Your Majesty, please!" Celadon pleaded. "This is my life!"
"Then get yourself a new life," Coral eyed the former spy down. "But I still expect a report."
"The SkyWings are in turmoil," Celadon confirmed. "This could be the chance to get your husband back!"
Coral's eye lit up and she smiled warmly, the first time since King Gill was captured. Coral folded her wings and beamed. "Thank you for the report. Now, about the MudWings..."
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Not a moment passed without Celadon feeling a trickle of ice down her spine. Who could blame her; after all, she was flying next to both her queen and Queen Blister. The diamond pattern down her neck; her scorpion tail; malicious, snake-like eyes. Who wouldn't be afraid of her? Even Queen Coral seemed unsettled.
Once I show them the MudWing troop, they can just kill them and we can get out of this mess, Celadon comforted herself. Maybe if we can do that, I can get my status back! She thought of her mother back home, who was gravely ill at the moment. What would happen if she couldn't keep her own job? Celadon didn't dare think of that.
"Celadon," Blister hissed, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Are we almost there or not?"
"Y-Yes, Your M-Majesty," Celadon nodded. She stopped to hover near the troops sleephouse, which was far enough below them to keep them out of sight.
"Go down there." Blister ordered.
"Y-Your Majesty, I must ask, ARE YOU CRAZY?" Celadon froze, scales flashing in fear.
"Not that far down, camel-brain," Blister rolled her eyes. The SandWing swooped downward, the others following, to see the troop doing formation training below them.
"That's the one," Celadon pointed a talon at the second oldest MudWing, the one with sapphire blue eyes and tiny white flecks along her accent scales, like gems or sugared pecans. The MudWing was rebelliously glaring at the leader of the troop, who seemed to be yelling. "I remember her name as Landslide." Celadon studied Blister's expression, which was calculating the scene below. "Queen Bli-"
Blister flicked her tail, ordering Celadon to shut up. She did and continued watching the scene below. It seemed as if the MudWings were curving their tails to kick up dust, but Landslide was having trouble.
"LANDSLIDE!" The bigwings roared, loud enough for them all to hear. "WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO, TRIP THE DRAGON BEHIND YOU?"
"No," Landslide spat. "I'm trying to curve my tail in less than a second, because apparently it's required to kick up dust in everyone's face. We look like turkeys doing this! The other MudWings are doing aerial techniques and battle formations. We look like we're going to perform in a musical for ponies!"
"She has an attitude..." Blister observed. "And quite the relationship with her sister."
"Oh really," the bigwings spread her wings. "Then what do you suggest we go over."
"Aerial combat." Landslide suggested. "Most dragons fight in the air."
"Observant too." Blister grinned.
"All we practice nowadays are your techniques," the bigwings reminded. "And no one's learned anything."
"That's because you're our bigwings," Landslide retorted.
Oh snap, Celadon almost burst into laughter.
"Brutal truth, I can tell," Blister muttered, squinting down at the scene.
"Can you guys please stop fighting?" The smallest MudWing begged. "I just want us all to get along!"
"Puny," Blister spat.
"I'm sorry, Hazel," Landslide apologized. "I just don't get what the big deal is about kicking up dust."
"Well, would you rather solve the mystery of where the NightWings ran off to, or will you stop complaining," Boulder rolled her eyes.
"I can solve the mystery easily," Landslide bragged.
At once, her siblings all seemed to cheer her on as she and Boulder shared an intense glare. Celadon squinted. I kind of want to hear this.
"Do it then," Boulder tested.
Landslide smirked. "Well, we all know that Darkstalker was buried 2007 years after the Scorching. We also know that the NightWings fled from the Western Peninsula soon after to prevent another Darkstalker. There are two places cut off from the rest of Pyrrhia; The Ice Kingdom and the rainforest. NightWings despise both tribes living there, so they must have run off to an island. An island with a volcano, because of the belief that NightWings get animus magic from the brightest night, and how else can you cover the moons for good? Certainly not without a constant cloud of some sort, such as smoke from an active volcano, which is big enough to get the job done easily. Remember the tunnel we found when Moorhen took us to see Queen Burn? It led to a volcano. That's no accident. That's where the NightWings have to live, and the volcano also doesn't keep away animus magic. It can't; modern research says it's genetic, amd other tribes have it as well. The moons don't keep it away."
"Then what does it keep away?" The third oldest MudWing asked Landslide, who was now turned with her back faced to Boulder. She was standing triumphantly towards her siblings like a ringleader after a successful show.
"Remember the group of dragons by the river earlier today, when we started our 'lesson'?" Landslide earned a sharp hiss from Boulder, but continued. "They were having a conversation about his powers and when he would get them. There was a SandWing-looking dragon, a SeaWing, and the NightWing. If I remember the prophecy right, those could have been the dragons. And since they were hidden, the NightWing was obviously born away from the moon and stars." Landslide thought for a moment before her eyes went wider than a fissure. She gave a sly smirk and glanced sideways at her elder sister. "Meaning...because of the thick cloud of smoke over the volcano, NightWings have been lying about their powers this entire time."
Everyone was staring at Landslide now. Celadon held her breath. Did she just say- But all the SeaWing could notice was Blister's intensifying glare.
Boulder growled. "That prophecy you ramble about is just stupid fantasy, then!"
"Nuh-uh!" The second youngest argued. "The SkyWings had five dragons in the prisons and she said they were The Dragonets!"
"That proves nothing," Boulder stated flatly. "She's always been a cold-blooded liar."
"Aren't we all cold-blooded, technically?" Landslide smirked. "And also, if The Dragonets weren't out there, explain the dragons from this morning. And explain the MudWing and color-changing thing coming towards them."
"There's no SkyWing then," Boulder pointed out. "The prophecy called for a SkyWing, not a RainWing. Case closed."
"Then what about the IceWing and SkyWing egg killed the night before the brightest night?" Landslide challenged.
"Another thief," Boulder hissed. "And the others were killed out of fear for the prophecy. But little do they know it's just a stupid fairytale. Nothing but a lie conjured by the apparent liars. Tell me, how can the prophecy be real if the NightWings are truly lying?"
"Morrowseer was different." Landslide argued, her confidence seeming to chip away slowly like ancient porcelain. "If there was a tunnel, there has to be a way to ACCESS the moon in the first place. Besides, how can a fake poem be so cryptic and long and STILL have strangely ironic, and need I say REAL LIFE, counterparts?"
"Keep dreaming, you naive anaconda. One day you'll see thos was all just a lie. We're dragons. We're born to fight and die. And there's no magical, prophecied, fake, baby dragons that can change that." She stalked away.
Landslide huffed and turned to her siblings. "They're out there, I know it! I promise you, they will stop this war. They will save us. The battle from two days ago has left us all with scars. The Dragonets will heal those scars. I promise you, The Dragonets are coming."
Celadon smiled down at the scene. These MudWings were more adorable right now than a baby sea turtle. The SeaWing glanced over her shoulder at Blister and her whole body went cold at her smirk.
"Q-Queen Blister?.." She stammered.
Blister eyed the dragons below them, specifically Landslide. A smirk crept across her snout. "She's perfect."