Time...
Space...
Reality...
It's more than a linear path...
It's a prism of endless possibility...
Where a single choice can branch off into infinite timelines...
Creating alternate stories from the ones you know...
I am the The Watcher...
I am your guide through these vast new timelines...
So follow me...
and ponder the question...
What if?
***
All great dragons believe in a dream. A vision of the future they strive for and will do anything to make reality. Crystalized is one of those dragons, a low ranking icewing who had a dream in which travel to other continents was possible and accessible to everyone. In most timelines Crystalized's dream remains that, a dream, one that he would carry with him until his death. In timeline 364 however, Crystalized had the means to reach his dream. In this timeline he had animus magic. His one gift given to the tribe being the Gift of Discovery, which connected the baren tundra of the ice kingdom, to the luscious forests of Pantala. Unfortunately, not every icewing will agree with his vision, believing the tribe's isolation is the key to its superiority. Whether they like it or not, this new gift will change the tribe, in ways little expected. What if Opal did more to change her timeline? What if Crystalized secretly went to Pantala? What if a beetlewing met an Icewing?
Timeline 364
What if Icewings discovered Pantala?
Crystalized
The rest of the day felt like a blur, when he was dragged back through the gateway, everyone was so, loud. "DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU'VE DONE! One yelled. "HOW IS THIS A GIFT!?" Another screamed. Crystalized saw Iceshard looking down at him with a cold, hard stare. It made Crystalized feel more frozen, all the threats he made now flooding back into his head. Oh no, is this the end!? Will I die!? I'm sorry mom and dad! "Release him!" He heard the queen order loudly. The icewing that was holding him loosened his grip, letting Crystalized get up and jump back. He was shaking uncontrollably as he frantically looked at everyone's faces. Many looked like they wanted to kill him right here and now. Crystalized felt a strong urge to run back through the portal, back to the other continent and its beautiful landscape.
He saw his sister and parents in the back of the crowd, worry written all over their faces. Gannet had something other than worry on her face. There was anger, determination, knowing her she was planning to fight off the icewings there to help him escape. "I told you to retrieve him, not to restrain him." The queen sternly reprimanded the gaurd, as she walked towards him. Her tall intimidating presence made Crystalized want to faint. Her face was unreadable, but it wasn't an angry expression. Her voice lowered as if she and Crystalized were the only ones there. "Young icewing, it seems that your gift has caused an uproar. I suggest you take your leave before something, bad happens." The queen's face now showing a layer of concern for him. Crystalized bowed as politely and calmly as he could. "Yes, your majesty."
***
They were about to leave. After his ceremony his parents hugged him tightly, telling him how worried they were. "What were you thinking!?" His father scolded him. "Why did you make all those high-ranking icewing angry!? "I'm sorry Dad." Crystalized apologized with tears in his eyes, he then lied to them and said he had no idea other icewings would be angry with his decision. He looked over at Gannet who nodded in approval, the largest smile he ever seen from her on her face. Suddenly, Crystalized didn't feel as much shame, or fear from for what he did. His family supported him, and that's all that mattered.
"Wait!" A voice came from behind them, causing the four to whirl around. Another icewing Crystalized didn't recognize stopped running a few paces away. She was clearly a young adult, with a unique, multi-colored shade on the tips of her white scales. After she stopped panting and regained her composure, she smiled at all of them kindly. "Hello." The dragon greeted them warmly. "My name is Opal." The four of them greeted her with a hint of nervousness. "Why are you here, Opal? We were just about to return home." His mom asked with a bit of hostility. "Oh, I'm sorry about that." Opal rubbed the back of her head, smiling sheepishly. "I was just hoping I could talk to your son and, quell some of his fears."
She looked over at Crystalized with no malice whatsoever. Quell his fears. What did she mean? I guess I'm afraid my gift was selfish and will only hinder the tribe's future instead of improving it. He thought looking down at his claws. What could this dragon say to make him feel better about that. His curiosity got the better of him, and this dragon didn't seem to hate him. "Okay." Crystalized answered looking up. "I'll talk with you, Opal right?" "Are you sure?" His dad clearly asked the question for all of them. Crystalized took a breath and looked at them trying to be comforting. "I'll be fine."
***
"So which of my fears are you going to quell exactly?" Crystalized asked once they were in a private location. "Let me guess, you were scared your gift would get you in trouble?" Opal asked, turning to look at him. "I guess, creating a gateway to someplace new would be conventional and I knew that. I just really..." "Wanted to see another continent?" Opal finished for him, her face softening with empathy. "Yeah." Crystalized admitted lowering his head some. "I almost didn't do it because of what happened to the last animus, I was concerned I'd get locked up or something." Opal's face twisted into a suspicious frown. "Who told you about the last animus gift?" Now feeling a bit nervous again, Crystalized began to explain what prince Iceshard had told him. How the animus tried to change the queen based off their own opinions, and tricked her by lying about their gift. "I just didn't want to be thrown in prison." Crystalized finished.
Opal narrowed her eyes and looked off to the side, as if deep in thought. "Crystalized," she finally spoke, "that isn't what happened." Crystalized was taken back by this. "Ho-how do you know?" She looked at him with a face that told him she wasn't lying. "Because I am the animus from Iceshard's story." Crystalized stood there silently as Opal continued. "I did trick the queen years ago, but what he told you was heavily misconstrued. Create a gift with a power the icewings have never seen before. Iceshard had told him that. No, it felt more like an order. Why would the prince lie to him?
Opal began to tell him the story from her side. She told him how queen Moraine was very cruel and suspicious when she inherited the throne. How Opal created a ring that was supposed to allow the Queen to spy on her enemies. Instead, Opal wished to teach the young queen empathy by showing her visions from other dragon's perspectives. "Yes, I was imprisoned for a time, but the queen eventually released me. There was no torture involved." Crystalized wanted to believe her, heck, a part of him did. What makes her so much more trustworthy than the prince? "W-well, uh, thank you Opal, I feel a lot better now." Opal smiled once more and leaned in closer. "To tell you the truth." She whispered playfully. "I think something new like you've done is just what the tribe needs." Crystalized chuckled a bit. "Thanks again, Opal." "Always a pleasure to help a fellow animus." She bowed respectfully, then turned to leave. "I hope you will see the other continent again, Crystalized."
Crystalized stood there a moment, a huge weight felt like it was lifted from his chest. The last animus supported his gift. Maybe my gateway wasn't a selfish idea. Then he really thought about what she last said. I hope you will see the other continent again. Crystalized touched the seventh circled necklace hanging around his neck. If only she knew. Crystalized thought with a small smile.
***
Crystalized didn't sleep, his excitement was filling his body the electricity of anticipation. He was shaking in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He wanted to go right now but, he knew his father took a while to fall asleep. He had a tendency to check if his dragonets were asleep before he slept. He just had to wait until after the check and then he could go see the other continent again!
***
As soon as his father shut the door, Crystalized shot up and practically leaped out of bed. He was so giddy it couldn't be described in words how he felt. Back when he cast the spell on the palace wall, at the same time he asked, no pleaded in his head for the necklace he wore to allow him to travel to the new continent too. That didn't count as casting two spells right? Crystalized didn't even know if it worked yet, but the thought that it might excited him. He gently placed a claw on the accessory and pointed his other claw at the wooden wall in his room.
Come on, come on! Please work! Crystalized focused on making another portal with his necklace. A familiar feeling came upon him as a swirling gateway emerged, vibrant colors of the vortex caused the room to faintly glow in different hues. Crystalized started to cry, his overwhelming joy expressed by his tears. It's really happening! Crystalized celebrated in his head. I'll finally get to explore the continent! Crystalized wiped his tears and leaped through the portal to another world.
***
Suffice to say this was the happiest time of his life. Crystalized practically skipped through the lucious landscape of the strange new environment. Unfortunately, this portal unlike the one at the palace didn't make Crystalized immune to the change in climate. Every so often he had to catch his breath from the massive change in humidity and temperature. This didn't do anything to diminish his enjoyment however, he could stare at all the plants, and all the creatures forever. It seemed like the sun was a little higher here, Crystalized told himself that when it got dark he would return home. Until then, he should enjoy himself. Crystalized saw rushing rivers of warm water, flowers in colors he never knew existed. All the different animals gave Crystalized an idea. Well since I'm here, I might as well sample the local cuisine. Crystalized ate every new animal he could see and catch. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to eat strange animals he'd never seen before, but all this running around was making him hungry. He was unsuccessful at catching most of the new birds he'd never seen. There ones with large beaks like penguins, as some were so small and zipped around like oversized flies.
Speaking of bugs, there were so many new tiny creatures crawling all around the environment. The most common insects back where he lived were termites, and mosquitos. Not very pleasant to look at. These bugs were all sorts of colors, and there were so many of them. He couldn't resist, so he tried one, or two, or fifty. He had a bad experience when he stepped in what he thought was a dirt pile, until an army of small insects charged out and bit him relentlessly. Crystalized was very careful about where he stepped after that. He even came face to face with a snake, its piercing eyes stared into his soul. Crystalized took a closer look, and he saw it wrap multiple times around a tree. Wow! That thing could be twice as long as I am! Not knowing whether it was venomous or not, Crystalized decided to leave the reptile alone. He remembered the nightmares he got when he first learned about the dragonbite viper. One time he rushed through a small open field and butterflies sprang up in a colorful array of wings everywhere he stepped.
Crystalized couldn't stop smiling, this place was amazing! Maybe other icewings will eventually appreciate it's beauty. Crystalized couldn't see the sun anymore, it had dipped below the trees, casting much of the landscape in shadow. Okay, one more flight over the treetops, and then I'll use the necklace to go home. Crystalized lifted his wings and soared into the pink sky. He flew with glee preforming flips and rolls in the air as he appreciated the scenery. The endless green canopy stretched into the horizon, until a flash of color caught Crystalized's eye. He stopped midair to get a better look at the figure. It was a dragon! He might've been far away from it, but it was defiantly a dragon. Whoever they were, they had a gorgeous coloring. Crystalized had heard about rainwings and the wide variety of colors they would appear in. Is that a rainwing, he thought surprised, are there rainwings on this continent?
The dragon was mostly purple with the color fading into a magenta the further from the face their scales were. Crystalized wished he could get closer, but interacting with a dragon from another continent would probably make this trip far more complicated than he wanted. Besides, what if I mess up and their whole tribe hates icewings forever?! I should wait for other icewings to make contact first, or just not make contact at all. Crystalized flapped in the air, getting ready to go back in the direction he came when, the purple dragon noticed him. He couldn't see their eyes from this distance but their head was facing him, there was no doubt he was caught. The icewing's heart skipped a beat. Aw Snowflakes. The mysterious dragon spread their, four wings? Flying in his direction.
Now panicking, Crystalized struggled to fly properly as he glided back down to the trees. He was so startled he forgot the clearest areas to land, causing him to hit multiple thick tree branches and tumble down most of the way. Crystalized landed with a hard thud on the ground. Startled creatures all ran from the noise, their cries were mixed with the ringing in his ears. The icewing let out a loud groan of pain, as he lay there on his back. His vision finally came into focus, only to see the dragon from earlier descending from the canopy.
Crystalized's eyes widened in shock as he shot up from his resting position. He didn't run though, he couldn't. His eyes were transfixed by the strange dragon and their graceful landing on the ground. He had been right before, they did have four wings! They all folded in on each other as they regained their composure and looked at him. They looked at him with a curiosity that mirrored his own. Their dark purple eyes gazed him with a sparkling twinkle of excitement. Crystalized couldn't help but notice a ton of other strange features the other dragon had. Like the long horns that curved inward slightly. They had a long curved horn-thing sticking out of their snout. Were those antennae on their head? They had bulky, armored scales, but not like a mudwing's, it was like, a bugs'. Dragons on this continent are bugs? Are they called Insectwings?
"Leefromichou, twigheartlot?" The now, probably female dragon because of the voice, was speaking. While also no sense. Dragons on this continent speak a different language! Now I really shouldn't be contacting them. "H-hello." Crystalized greeted nervously thinking of a way to get out of this mess. The purple dragon said more things he did not understand as it continued to study him. Crystalized started to back up. "W-well it was nice to meet you, but I have to go, now!" He dashed off into the trees, trying to put as much distance between him, and the mysterious dragon as possible. He needed to get away and make a portal. The sunlight had almost completely disappeared, Crystalized could barely see. He heard the other dragon shout something behind him, but he didn't hear nor did he care. If I can just get far enough, I can a make a portal and go back home!
As Crystalized tried to escape, he could feel the insect dragon gaining on him. This was the dragon's natural habitat, he was a huge disadvantage. Trying to hide would be pointless, he'd get caught for sure. What was he going to do? He couldn't fight the other dragon, not only did he not know their capabilities, attacking the dragon would surely lead to bad icewing relations in the future. Aww, what to do, what to do? Crystalized thought frantically as he turned and dodged the foliage, running through the landscape.
All his thoughts were interrupted when the dragon crashed down on him. Crystalized was so startled, he gave little resistance when the dragon pinned to the ground, their face a small distance away his. Their eyes staring into his as their warm claws on his shoulders. The two of them were frozen there for a moment under the fading sunlight. All the other wild noises were blocked out. The world was just the two of them. The other dragon blinked, ending the moment as they backed off of him. Crystalized lifted himself, all the soreness he felt earlier had magically gone away.
Everything became slower, Crystalized stopped panicking. Maybe making contact wasn't so bad? But I can't understand them, and I'm definitely not language expert. Why didn't I have my necklace automatically translate unfamiliar languages!? "Old l-language?" Crystalized almost jumped back. He couldn't believe his ears. That dragon, did it just speak the language?
The purple dragon looked like they were in deep thought, as if they were recalling an old memory. "You, talk, old language?" What's this about old language? Crystalized contemplated. How could speaking dragon be the old language? "Yes." Crystalized responded. "I, speak, old language." He stepped closer, maybe this would be even better than he thought. He gave them a small smile. "My, name, is Crystalized." As he said this, Crystalized motioned to himself, hoping she would understand. "Mybranch leaftitle has Plumdrop!" She responded enthusiastically. Leaftitle has to mean name, right? So her name is, Plumdrop? Crystalized contemplated. "Mybranch leaftitle has, Crystalized." He said hoping to be more clear. Plumdrop snorted a bit. "Crys-tal-ized? They said clearly amused. "Youbranch leaftitle's Enigmaflare." Right, I guess to a dragon who's never seen a Crystal before or even ice would find my name funny.
He even started to laugh a little himself. Crystalized began to notice how dark it was now, he could barely see Plumdrop. How he wished the sun would come back so he could gaze at her some more. Now, he had to go home. "Plumdrop, I have to leave." He said backing up again. She froze, Crystalized couldn't see her expression but it probably wasn't happiness. "No, do not Folipart." He heard them say. "Leefromichou, Wayroot?" A bit of desperation seem to enter their voice. "Trust me, I have to go." Crystalized responded, as unhappy about this as they were. He placed his claw on a nearby tree and focused on it, within a few moments the swirling vortex was replacing the bark.
He was about to enter when he felt a claw gently grab his front leg. He turned to see Plumdrop, the portal was bright enough so he could see their face again. It was one full of sadness, stabbing into Crystalized's chest. "Don't worry." He tried to comfort them by looking cheerful. "I'll be back." He shook out of their grasp, and walked through the gateway back home.
Crystalized emerged from the other side, with the portal closing behind him. The cold hit him harshly, as he was just getting used the warm sunniness of the other continent. He shivered, and wondered how was going to get any sleep tonight after what he just experienced. "I knew you wouldn't be able to restrain yourself." A familiar voice called, Crystalized jumped back, hitting one of the walls in the process. With wide eyes he stared at his sister, her face in an unreadable expression.
***
Iceshard
Iceshard would've been curious about the this meeting called by his mother. It was too bad his curiosity was overshadowed by an overwhelming rage. How dare that peasant defy him. If he had just done what he was told and created a powerful weapon, Iceshard would be ruling now. He wanted this new animus to succumb to his fears and create a power no-one could stop! Then Iceshard just had to get his claws on it. Then he'd be the most powerful icewing, and destroy anyone who was in his way to rule! The plan had a few holes, sure but no matter how much he asked, his mother wouldn't tell him where the icewing animus objects were kept! Iceshard stalked past the disgusting portal that fool made. Travel to another continent? Pah, as if the icewings needed that. That lowly animus had not only not created a gift that he asked for, he also made one that was useless. No, it was worse than useless, it could actively hinder the tribe if they were not careful.
***
"Hello brother." He heard Quartzshard greet him outside the meeting room. He had nothing to say to his arrogant brother, so he just grunted and entered. Many important dragons were here including the queen herself. That general Frostclaw was here, as well as their dear sister Heather. A few others were their was well, he didn't even care to acknowledge them as he sat down, with Quartzshard joining him (much to his annoyance). "Icewings." Mother began the meeting. "I know the latest animus gift has caused a stir in the tribe." That's the understatement of the century. Iceshard thought rolling his eyes. "Well, I believe that this gift is not as bad as it may seem, I believe we should take advantage of this Gift of Discovery." Iceshard shook his head slightly, he was hearing things right? His mother, the queen wasn't serious, right?! He looked over at Quartzshard expecting a similar dumbfounded reaction, but he looked completely serious! Like he was actually considering that a portal to other continents was a good idea!
Iceshard, disgusted, turned back towards the queen. He could sense many dragons wanted to say something, but his mother was giving them all a "don't question me" face. "We'll never know if this gift will benefit us, or hinder us if we don't try to use it." She continued. "That's why a team of Icewings will be assembled, to explore this lost continent." Iceshard didn't know what to think anymore, he was just absorbing the mind numbing information. "Heather." The queen called to the princess. "Yes, mother." She responded immediately. "I want you to lead this expedition and choose the dragons that will accompany you." Iceshard looked over at his sister, her slight twitching giving away how nervous she was. Iceshard wanted to laugh at her fear, but they were in the middle of a meeting, so he kept it in.
"If there are dragons on this new continent, communication with royalty will be the best option, that is why you are going." Heather nodded, though she still was obliviously scared stiff. "There will be one condition however." The queen spoke again. "You must take both Opal and Crystalized on your team." Iceshard noticed that lowly fifth circle animus was at the meeting too. She was going along with that other failure of an animus!" Why mother, why must you make such horrible choices! Heather lowered her head respectively. "Yes your majesty." "You have one month." Queen Moraine declared. "Then we shall see if that animus gave a blessing, or a curse." Let's hope for all our sakes Iceshard brooded, that everyone will consider it a curse after this expedition.
***
What if Morrowseer found out about Sunny Part 3 next...