Permanent Scars

by BlimpAtomic

Rating: mature
Tags: Princess Celestia, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Changelings, Original Character, Queen Chrysalis, Adventure
Length: 6581

Changelings spare none, not even dragon kind. Vengeance ensues.

Greed. Rage. Terror. These are things dragons are known for. When the predator is the prey, however, they are resolute creatures. Vengeance boils in their blood, and every dragon feels the fire in their throat. The Changelings spared none, prying open every heart in search of love. They thought to invade Vulden once, searching even the most stone-hearted of dragon kind for the prospect of any love to feed on. Once.

Published 2013-11-30 05:40:05 UTC
Last updated 2013-12-24 23:13:58 UTC

Prolouge: Love in the Air, Blood on the Ground

Comets screamed through the sky, blazing a trail through the sky. It was a rare sight in that part of the galaxy, unseen by Equestrian folk and their neighbors, but a beautiful spectacle that danced for Vulden. Dragons everywhere departed their comfortable urban homes full of Plexiglass and steel to lie on the hills outside of Phoenix Mountain. The blood-red mountain stood almost 300 feet tall. While unimpressive, it was the origin and nest of many phoenixes throughout the land, and one of the best spots for viewing the wonders of space. Relaxed and at ease, dragons settled in on comfortable grass, only to be left gaping in horror, for they were the first to see the night that broke the peace.

Changelings are fickle, disgusting creatures. They'd been at peace with the known planets for awhile, until that fateful day. The day of the Royal Wedding. Deception won out over love, if only for a brief moment, but it was in that moment that the Changelings showed what true nightmares they could be. Celestia would confide her faults to me later, admitting her incorrect assumptions. "I don't think I every fully understood what Changelings were capable of. Even after the invasion, they seemed more like a funny joke you could pull on someone than a real threat. If I had known what was coming, I would have understood the cry for help I ignored."

Yet who could blame her? Such a shape-shifting menace is gruesome and horrifying! How could one not be terrified by simply staring into the daring green eyes that had spelled the end of many a victim? Simple: they fed on love. It's amazing how cute and adorable something can become when a factor like that is thrown in. The poor creatures appear to need love, that they only do what they do so they can survive another day. And they're feeding off of love, how harmful can they be? Then the shell shocker. Think of it like this: changelings do not need love to survive, they simply feed off of it. It's their favorite form of food, but it's not necessary. If that was the case, the changelings as a whole would have died off eons ago, as they were some of the first life forms in existence. Feeding off of each other's love would only lead to extinction, and it would have the whole race in chaos before they could even understand the problem. We don't know what they eat, but it can be assumed that love is not their only form of nutrition.

But so what? Ok, so they get their favorite food out of us. And for what? What can they do with such an insubstantial thing. It's not real, you can't hold it. It's not a weapon of destruction, and some would argue the truth: that love is merely a chemical reaction in the brain, and the idea of love being separate from all other neural decisions is absolute idiocy. One thing that cannot be refuted, however is this: love has extraordinary power. How badly can a marriage or relationship go awry because a particularly fine-looking sir or lady happens to pass by! It's so small, but immensely potent. We turn to the Royal Wedding once again, as it's our best point of evidence. Even before the false Cadence began placing spells on Shining Armor, you could see how much he trusted her, no matter how unsubtle the changes were! The personality change, not remembering Twilight after years spent with her, and even flat-out inconsistent behavior and speech. But he was convinced it was the real deal, and bound by his love, Shining Armor fell face first into her trap. Just one feeling, one emotion, and that was all Queen Chrysalis needed to flip an entire nation on its head.

Such a power was unknown to dragon kind. They had heard stories of changelings, but thought nothing of it. That is, of course, until that night. Under the cover of the comet shower, changelings cackled and approached the foreign planet of Vulden. Time slowed as thousands of black dots fanned out across the planet. The queen would not be present for this; she had other matters to attend to. Missiles armed with fangs and a craving for love dive-bombed into airspace. King Frevonite, the ice dragon monarch over Vulden would recall this later. "It was terrifying. Here you have creatures only heard of in myths and legends ransacking your entire nation. They...they took everything." And indeed they did. No home was spared, no crevice was hidden, and the changelings loved every minute of it.

Dragons, in terms of size, dwarf changelings on average by at least 4 feet, assuming we are comparing adults. However, the fear factor can make something that small immensely terrifying. This was because they didn't understand what changelings were capable of. They weren't prepared for a changeling invasion. In fact, they weren't prepared for an invasion at all. Dragons are, by nature, stone-cold and resolute. Ponies, cockatrices, and even manticores have problems staring a dragon in the eye, because dragons fear nothing, and they know nothing would dare to challenge them. Because the changelings were clever, they saw this, and when they came with such a headstrong, confident attack, the dragons froze in their tracks. Combining this blatant assault and the disadvantage of no prior knowledge about these creatures, it created an ominous, horrifying atmosphere, and the changelings only took advantage of it. Some fought back, but it was pointless. They were bound up in the infamous green slime while the changelings fed, free of danger.

Yet it wasn't this that warranted such anger and vengeance. The dragons of Vulden had a very kindred spirit among them. They were bred as fighters, but were taught respect and brotherhood among these things, especially tolerance for non-dragons. They knew their power, and were taught not to abuse this. Sure, there was indeed comfortable living in urban cities and everything that came with that, from economics, politics, and even some commerce with other planets (Vulden, at the time, was completely unified under King Frevonite). But every dragon, regardless of job or type or anything else, was raised with these basic morals. The changeling invasion of Vulden did not take away their morals, but it changed them in a way that describes President Kennedy's assassination (RIP): it was the day the nation lost its innocence. No longer were the dragons of Vulden carefree and just. They would remain tolerant still, but they sought revenge. They sought punishment, and they had the power to do so. This, good friends, is where we start our story.

Brotherly Love

Frevonite stared out of his palace window, his mind restless. The ice-blue dragon king had failed his people, and he toiled endlessly to make things right. Everywhere he looked, his aging eyes saw nothing but his people, his friends working to repair what was lost. His royal clothes did not feel regal any longer, becoming more like the heavy clothes of a prisoner.

"How do you cope, brother?" He turned to face his brother, Xano, an earth dragon, smiling at the chance to see him.

"It's been a long time. The nation struggles even now. I wish to make things right." Xano chuckled.

"That was always you, wasn't it?" Xano had always been the more clever and witty of the two, his flat head always poking around in places it never should have been. It did not surprise him when Frevonite was declared leader, he could not be happier. Leadership wasn't something he thought he was cut out for.

"Even now," Frevonite began. "the people clamor for battle. Cries of "Death to Changelings!" and "Our revenge is nigh!" fill the land, and there is little I can do to stop it. Would we really go to war?"

"I do not know. However, there is something more threatening to your own safety, brother. There are groups who would not be above conspiring against you. The tales of old ring true to the FDFNO (Fire Dragons For a New Order). Your Ice heritage still haunts them, and with this new invasion, I must warn you of them. It would not be unlike them to stir the public." Frevonite sighed.

"One cannot make everyone happy. Perhaps it is time we talked to Him? Can He give us guidance?" Xano was terrified, his eyes widening and his mouth hanging open.

"You cannot do such a thing. It is said we will need Him in our most desperate of struggles. Could this be such a thing? No, no, I refuse to believe that this is what can bring us down." Checking his watch Xano noted the time: it was getting late. "I must leave for now, but until then, go with your heart." Rather than the comfort the king wanted to draw from those words, he was only left with emptiness. The words had a chill to them. Go with your heart. It was a sign already. He could trust no one.

"I do not discriminate! Be it your sex, your type, and hell, even your race! I gather all of you here putting those aside." It had been a long time since something like this was called, but it seemed even dodgier now. A public meeting had been called for in the local theater, and almost everyone that could had shown up. Some came for a few laughs, some came because they had nothing better to do. But they all came for concern. The FDFNO had prepared for them a public speech, and while many saw it as discriminatory, due mostly to their disregard for ice dragons, it was still a serious deal. They had always been the ones to speak out against an unresolved issue, and they were respected for that. For this one, however, leadership, their final goal since the creation of the group, was at stake.

A particularly brash fire dragon took the stage under the name of Fraiden. His long ears and pointy snout only complimented his egocentric personality. But one could not argue with his results. Xano took his place in the crowd. He had not come out of concern. He came merely to see what grand spectacle such a bold group would put on.

"Brothers and sisters alike, we have all served loyally under the strong leadership of his majesty, Frevonite." The crowd cheered at the name. Despite the problems they'd had in recent years, he was still a widely praised leader. "While we, being fire dragons, have never been one for ice dragons, feel that there is distrust of his powers." Xano noted this immediately. Playing the good guys, they were gonna slowly whittle down the audience. "But why should there be? Has he not protected us? Has our king not done everything he could for us, to the greatest extent of his powers?" Wild cheers again. "Then again, one could see their frustrations. Not to side with them, but our king has found himself with hard problems lately, the most recent of which devastated us. As we all know..." Fraiden rambled on and on about the king's faults, most of which were minor incidents. But the way he portrayed them, the sudden emotion in his voice and the glimmer in his eyes were enough to change opinions. He paced around the stage, leaning in on certain lines as he wound up the pressure. And then suddenly, he'd jump back to supporting the king, never truly choosing a side. And each time he mentioned the name again, less and less dragons would cheer it on, until the final time, where the crowd was dead silent. "Friends, can you not see the problem? Even now we cannot put our whole faith in him. He remains a good comrade, but he has lost his capability to rule, and you've shown me that you do not trust him wholly." He scanned the masses and suddenly pointed at Xano. "Hark! Even the brother of the king himself, the very same bloodline, cannot fully trust him!" Xano stood up, a roar of air in his throat and the trembling of the ground beneath his feet.

"I do not come here against my brother. I've come here only to see what would be put up for us tonight. And even so, your reasons are repetitive, insignificant, and few. Can you really expect to win us over with simple arguments like that?!" Fraiden smirked as the crowd murmured. It was clear that there was no definite solution.

"And yet you've said nothing all this time. Were you biding your time, or were you coming to terms with our king's failures? You of all would know the problems. Do not try to defend your honor and shaken loyalty, my friend! We all come here in unity!" Xano shook his head.

"I defend my brother not because I am obliged to, but because I cannot see your reason." The fire dragon chuckled.

"Xano, Xano. It is clear to me that you can. You yourself once aspired to be king. Is this not true? You want the power for yourself, and who could blame you? We are all tired of Frevonite's rule." Xano grew angry, accusations blasting in his ears and the face of his brother frozen in his mind.

"You dare to turn me against my brother?! One as foolish as yourself Fraiden, cannot dictate my actions nor my thoughts. I continue to believe what I myself have come to see as true, and I will not be influenced by the garbage you put out." He stormed out of the theater, and left to calm his mind. Fraiden's voice laughing was the last he heard from the theater, each word the dragon spoke dripping with deceit and greed.

Xano retreated to his cave. It was not his home. It was not his birthplace. But it was where he felt at peace. His emotions blended there, mixing with the earth and all of its features. The rocks and the soil and the plants all came together to soothe the anger that quelled in his mind. He closed his eyes and focused on taking away his evil feelings. After about ten minutes of this, he opened his eyes and sighed, a musky scent leaving his nostrils, filling the cave with relief. The flapping of wings brought his attention to a dragon outside. It was a fire dragon, but it was not the type Xano was used to. It was a friend. Agor landed outside and slowly walked in. He too was part of the FDFNO, but he was not like Fraiden nor his colleagues. He did not seek to change things. He only wanted to represent his part in the world through his type. Agor had hoped that through the formation of other type-based groups, they could all meet together, representing the dragons of Vulden, and work out the problems in unity. Sadly, his dream had fallen short, but he had hope. He was present during the meeting and had seen Xano's anguish.

"Have you cleared your mind?" Xano smiled and nodded.

"Yes, and it's been hard. I am glad though. Your presence is comforting."

"A friend is good company in times like these. Do you fear for your brother?"

"I feel that I must. My brother has his faults, yet he has a good heart." He sighed. "Perhaps he is no longer capable of ruling like he once did, but that should not mean that he is evil." Agor nodded.

"Agreed. Fraiden assumes a lot of things, things that he cannot prove. But he is a good speaker. It is a shame he uses it in such a bad way." The two stayed there, talking for the rest of the night before Agor finally took off. Xano watched his departure as the sun slowly began to come out from beyond the horizon. He was always told that the stars all had a meaning. Looking for answers among the fading stars, Xano saw nothing but despair and uncertainty.

Military Paranoia

The general stirred in his sleep. Black demons haunted his dreams, fangs protruding from their little mouths. They cackled and hissed in delight. They tore his allies to shreds. His men, his family, his friends. All torn to pieces by the demons. General Sora awoke. He did not scream. He did not shout. He cried, because he felt the inevitable coming, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Since the changeling invasion, Vulden had recently reactivated its military service, as well as its space program, although the latter was only shown once the ideas became serious. When the king declared martial law, General Sora, one of two generals in the Vuldenic Army, had absolute power. He had never been in that seat of power, and he feared the day it came. "When the country has fallen to the point where I am the most fit to rule," he would say, "I don't want to live on this planet anymore." He and his fellow general, Tozu, oversaw the military might of Vulden. Being the more abrasive half of the spectrum, as well as being a lightning dragon, Sora trained fire, wind, and lightning dragons, all powerful forces to be reckoned with. Tozu, however, trained earth, water, and ice types. "Solid, calm, and indestructible," was her saying, and being a water dragon herself, she was fickle and adaptable. The two generals made for a dynamic team, Sora taking charge and making the larger decisions, while Tozu adapted to the plan, adding her own ideas and strategies into the mix.

Sora saw the demons he could not fight. And that was a shame, because he intended to kill every single one of them. He assigned his sergeants to each division and set out to the Biological Institute of Vulden. He'd scheduled an appointment with the lead researcher there, Dr. Jonaz, and it was about time he caught up on it.

Pushing through the glass revolving doors, he came face-to-face with Jonaz, a warm smile on his face.

"Pleasure to see you, Jonaz."

"And to you, General. Now, what I wanted to show you." The wind dragon led Sora through the laboratory, coming to a special room he had marked off as "Optic Enhancer". "Per your request, General, we've pushed ourselves to find everything that we could about changelings. This," he said, pulling a microscope over, "is by far one of the best things we've found." It was pieces of changeling skin, a nerve cell, the eye of a changeling, and a bit of brain. Studying each one, the general looked amazed. "Now, I want you to look at the eye first. Notice the differences." The eye, like a dragon eye, consisted of a pupil, a cornea, a lens, and so on. What was amazing though, was the lens. It wasn't a single piece, no. The lens was divided up into about 200 segments, each for carefully analyzing the body of whatever it was looking at.

"Damn," Sora whispered. Jonaz nodded in approval.

"It's amazing how fast these things can react. A changeling can have scanned your entire body within three seconds. Considering this is scanning, not just merely looking at, this is incredible, because it can recognize the order, the class, the phylum, the genus, and right down to the species within this time. Now," he said, "look at the nerve cell. It's completely stretched out, much further than our own. These things are going to get messages to their brain fast. The brain itself," Jonaz pointed out, "is incredibly large and has nerves running into it from almost all directions. Its size can be attributed to the amount of information it needs to store in terms of genetic modification, and the nerves help change every part of the body all at once." Sora looked at the skin as an example. Under the microscope, it shimmered. It was constantly replacing its parts. It was ready for change. The general stopped looking and faced Jonaz.

"Thank you, doctor. Is there anything else you want to show me?" The doctor smiled.

"Of course there is. It is all I have, but it's incredible. Come." He led Sora to another part of the room, where a large screen with a picture of a changeling's DNA was hanging. He handed Sora a pair of green goggles, although they looked like sunglasses. "Now, we're going to change the DNA up there to a common ice dragon's DNA. Watch the difference." The general stared, but no change came.

"Jonaz, I'm not seeing a change. Did you switch the displays yet?" Jonaz smiled.

"Yes, we did. Take the glasses off." Sora now saw the other set of DNA.

"What in the..." He put them back on, and saw the changeling DNA again.

"That's right. We've developed glasses that may be able to differentiate between the false DNA of a modified changeling and the real thing. Once that's done, perhaps we can develop something that can do the same, but on the scale of a whole body."

"That's amazing..." The general laughed and shook Jonaz's claw. "Good working with you."

The general took off for the rest of the day. His meeting with the doctor did little to rid him of his fears. It was in times like these that he took to the aid of a psychic. Buscha was a popular psychic, supposedly able to see into the hearts of anyone she met, and could see exactly what ailed them. No matter what she saw, she always told the truth. It was why she was so popular: she was the only one that could be trusted. Pushing back the purple silk curtain, Sora sat himself in front of her, hollow and afraid. Without a word, she signaled him to hold out his palm, and he put one finger in the center of his hand. She closed her eyes and felt for something, any little emotion. Then she sighed.

"What you fear is something we all fear. The changelings have taken everything from us, yes." Sora leaned forward, listening for the part where it got better. "It is likely that we will go to war with them." She looked up, staring into his eyes as though they she was looking upon his soul. "They are done feeding on us, but we are not done with them. I have seen your visions. The changelings preying upon us once more. A terrifying image, most certainly."

"Yes. What can be done?" She looked down.

"Nothing. What happens is inevitable, as you know. If we are to fight," she glared at him, "I cannot say that your life will be spared." With that, she bid him farewell. Now Sora found any debating silly. He sang, he danced. He laughed. He laughed for the fools in lab coats. He laughed for the fortune tellers and card dealers. What point was it, he thought, to debate anything? Psychic or scholar, the world told him the same thing every day: the inevitable will come. Your beliefs, your profession, your race, your type. Nothing matters, because the inevitable will come. It always does.

Turn of the Century

Dernen awoke. The ancient "hybrid dragon" had felt something. Meaningless to a common dragon, this was earth-shattering news to a lightning-ice dragon as old as He. His guards looked up as He sat up. It was both amazing and terrifying. They stepped back as the dragon sighed. In a weary voice, laced with the ribbons of Time, He spoke.

"And now the die is cast."

Trouble stirred in the public. The king was no longer safe. And this is why Xano went to the castle. Apart from his normal work, which was rather uninteresting, he found it to be his personal guard to his brother. Frevonite had always denied the presence of guards. He would say, "If Fate comes to take me, I want to be there greeting it with open arms, not hiding behind the sword and shield of another. Fate is divine, and who am I to interfere with that?" Practical thinking. But that was before. That was different. Now came a time of change. With pressure from the FDFNO, the recent invasion, and general unrest, it was clear that something was coming. And it was even more clear to Xano that the king is top priority. His life is to be spared above all others.

Darting into the palace, made almost entirely of ice, Xano headed for the second floor balcony, as it was where his brother would be at a time like this. He took off, landing on the balcony with as much grace as he could muster. No king. He pushed open the door, hearing a soft thud. Pushing open the doors fully, he turned to face what had stopped him. Xano's heart leaped into his throat. His brother lay on the floor, unconscious and possibly dead. He said nothing, laying down to immediately inspect the condition, turning Frevonite's body on his back. No blood, no cuts, not even a bruise. Was this a disease? Did he fall? Turning to the left side of the head, his eyebrows fell. Charred flesh. There was no lit flame anywhere in the palace, as it was all electric. Xano felt no need to look for falling light fixtures. He lowered his head as tears sprang to his eyes, and he bellowed. He knew. And because he knew, he set himself free from the shackles of restraint and common sense.

Fraiden took the stage in front of the palace. It was a daring move, as it was usually where the king would make his own speeches. Everyone knew the dragon was brash, but such a display of power was not one that was taken lightly. A proud smirk on his face, he immediately hid it with one of sorrow so the crowd could not notice his true emotions.

"Brothers and sisters alike, I stand before you bearing what may be some of the saddest news I've heard in a long time. It's come to pass, that our king, his highness King Frevonite, is no longer with us." Gasps from the crowd and some quiet mourning.

"He was good to us!"

"Such a horrible happening!"

"It is true, friends!" Fraiden wiped a fake tear from his eye, one full of venom and malice. "The hospital has already confirmed it!" The crowd was overcome by grief to the point where not one of them dared to ask how this had happened. A lie had been prepared in the event of that, but the fire dragon was glad to see all was going well. The earth trembled, as Fraiden glanced upwards towards the ice palace. Screams of fury. He could not recognize it, but it terrified him. It was a scream of pure anger, pulsing with vexations and intent.

Xano had been listening, and he descended the stairs slowly, carrying his dead brother on his back. He did not weep, he only thought. The light shadowed him as he stepped out of the palace's left wing entrance and turned to face Fraiden.

"Xano! We are all mournful, but it was not necessary to take his body from the hospital!" Xano glared at him, piercing his fake visage with his narrowed eyes. Fraiden began to sweat.

"Fraiden!" he mocked. "We all felt that he was not fit for rule, but it was not necessary to murder." He dropped the body with a thud. He turned the head so that the crowd saw the burn marks. "You are the only one of your party here, and you are the only who has said he was in the hospital. He lay dead on the palace floor, and you knew it." Before Fraiden could respond, the earth dragon pinned him to the ground with his right leg, his claw gripping around his neck. Xano screamed again, and the earth trembled once again. The crowd stared in horror as he pushed the fire dragon into the earth, the ground cracking and shaping under the pressure until a ring had formed around his body. Then Xano began to beat him, slashing at him with claws and throwing him to the ground again and again. Blood filled the area, and Fraiden's bones snapped. He let out a cry before Xano shut his jaw. He pressed down on it, until he felt his teeth shatter, finally letting go and dumping him in the crater he had left.

"Guards!" he called. To his surprise, they followed him willingly. "Take my brother to the hospital. Perhaps we can revive him." He took the stage as the audience followed his trail with their wide eyes.

"You absolute fools! Fools!" Xano yelled again and again, venting his anger, his irriation, his everything. "Why do you dare turn against our king? Did he not do you well? You cannot deny it; I heard from amongst the proudest of you! Surely you did not partake in this act, but why did you have to conspire in the first place?! Are we not all happy?! What more do you need from him?" He began to sob softly. "After all of this, do you still forget the real enemy? You are so wrapped up in your own selfish desires that you have forgotten the truth already! Was it not the changelings who attacked us? Did they not tear us apart?!" Quick nods. "Then why do you seek to throw my brother out?! It's idiocy. Idiocy..." His voice trailed off as he looked into the stars once more. Cold and dark answers, yes. But that was the way the world worked. And now the world was his. He controlled his voice. "Now," he started in a commanding tone, "I will be your leader. Perhaps I can be what he was not. But he did what he could for you." He left the stage, picking up Fraiden's body for the final time and feeling his pulse. Dead. He nailed his body on the face of the palace as a reminder to all. There was a new leader in town. Dead brother and a dead mind. But he was ready. Xano was king.

Author's Note

I apologize for the wait.

Elder Respect, Young Domination

"When Vulden faces its greatest fear. When the planet can no longer survive. When the unforgivable is done. This is when He will come. Descending from the sky like a great bird, He shall rest until the day He is needed. And then, when such a thing is done, a deadly silence will ring throughout the land, for they know. He is to help, for now is the time of great despair."

Xano closed the book, sighing as the dust sprawled out of the pages. Perhaps so. His brain still steamed with anger, but nothing would get done under such a terrible influence. He recited the lines over and over. Maybe now he could find help. His brother had wanted to see Him, and maybe if he had, it would have been fine. Frevonite would be alive. Alas, that is not the case. The time of great despair. Xano was not sure about despair. All he saw was confusion. He would go to Him. It was the only way forward.

Xano took a knee before Dernen. It was customary, and even if it wasn't, Xano would have. He felt pitiful and worthless.

"Ah. You've come." Xano nodded. His voice was old and weary, but it knew. It knew many things.

"I don't have a choice." He stood up. "When the unforgivable is done," he quoted. "I don't know if it's what Fraiden did, or what I've done. It does not matter now."

"If it will settle your mind, it was not your fault. Your brother was good." Xano smiled. It was good to hear that.

"But I suppose he wasn't 'fit for rule' as they said. I don't understand why they think i am."

"You aren't," Xano looked up. "You're brash and impulsive. You aren't biased, no, but you have a tendency to be stubborn. It is nothing personal, but you could not rule this planet for more than a year." Xano scowled. "But," he said, "you're the only one that can give the people what they want."

"What do you mean? What do they want?"

"Frankly, you're brother was never courageous enough to do the things you will do. He would not take action where it's required. But you would. Under your rule, the Changelings will be no more. You will exterminate them."

"Is that...is that what I really want to do? I had plans to invade yes, but mass genocide was not part of the plan." Dernen smiled.

"You will be surprised how fickle you are. It will be spontaneous. And before you can take it back, they will be gone." That was terrifying. He couldn't be brought to do that, right?

But the old dragon was right. Xano was incredibly spontaneous. Fraiden's death would not have happened had it been executed by one with a greater foresight. Xano did not, however, and his rage would only be quelled through violence. He sighed. Maybe He's right. I don't want to do what I'm told I will do. But that's Fate, isn't it?

"It's inevitable, I imagine." Dernen nodded. "Then I imagine that I am left with no choice?"

"War is war. Fate will take its course." Xano nodded.

"Thank you. I will see to it that I speed that up." He took off, ascending up the staircase he had come from, landing on the first level of the palace floor. He left with consolation in his heart, fear on his brain, and the future blood of changelings on his hands.

400 years of preparation had still not given Dernen the heart to tell Xano. He had actually been surprised when he had come to see the old dragon. All three statements had yet to be fulfilled, and that was the thing Xano did not know. When Vulden faces its greatest fear. That had been done. The changeling invasion was horrifying, and it was the worst thing the planet had seen. When the unspeakable is done. Alas, this was not Frevonite's brutal murder. It was yet to come. The mass genocide. It would be the second of the three parts, and it would not go unnoticed. When the planet can no longer survive. Dernen saw many things, but even this was something he could not see. As the book was written by a dragon far older than Dernen, it was clear that this dragon had seen something that He had not. Dernen began to fall asleep once more while thoughts churned in his brain. If the planet can no longer survive, he thought. How am I supposed to save it?

When the Water Stirs

Tozu sat alone outside her home. The moon shone down brightly as water flowed around her. She giggled just a little bit. She hadn't lost the child-like wonder she was born with. Her bubbly personality would be amazing to see. Sadly, that would be because you never saw it.

No tragedy had befallen her, no great misfortune dumped upon her shoulders. It was her own way of life. She had never "fit in" with anyone around her. She wasn't bullied or attacked in any way. Rather, she separated herself from others of her own choice. Everyone she knew had some sort of course they wanted to take. They wouldn't outright say it, but they knew that there was some sort of specific thing they wanted to do. She never did. Tozu had found that so many dragons become ruined by their own desire to fulfill their goals. No one else is disappointed, but their own failures have harsh consequences on themselves. The way she saw it, the minute she tried to dictate her own fate, her life was already over.

She distanced herself from anything that could do that. And she was successful. Sure, she talked to people, but it was briefly and only when necessary. But it worked, and that's all she cared about.

Tozu had a notion though. It was small, insignificant, and in the back of her mind. Whatever it was, it meant a lot to her, and she couldn't shake it off. And her significant other noticed.

"Something botherin' you?" General Sora sat down beside her outside her house. She looked alarmed at his sudden appearance, but thought nothing of it. "I know how you feel about small talk, but I just wondered, 's all."

"I'm fine, thank you." It felt good to know someone cared. The two stared up at the moon. "Is something bothering you?" Sora sighed.

"Too much, Tozu. You know war is coming. We both do. And we gotta do it, too. I don't like what's coming."

"They're terrifying, yes, but it's nothing we're not prepared for."

"It's not that. The King's been talkin' to me about war preparations. He says he wants to accompany us."

"I don't understand the problem."

"It's genocide." Tozu turned to him. "I know, it's terrible. But he says what the old dragon guy told him. And we trust that guy. It's Fate, I guess."

"Genocide? And he's the one to do it?" He nodded.

"It might not be him though. I mean, I don't think he would do it directly. He'd order it, or something. Someone out there is gonna do it, I know that. I just don't know who."

"I doubt that any of us would do it."

"It probably won't be because he or she wants to," he said. "It'll be because they have to."

"How so?"

"Dying for their country, or something. They'll do it for some cause. None of us hate changelings that much, I don't think."

"Then that's the way it'll be." She didn't have much to say, but what was there to talk about? It was concerning, though. Her younger brother, Hygor, was an incredibly patriotic water dragon that had recently joined the army. She'd hate herself if anything was to happen to him. She was worried enough about him getting hurt, but this talk of "dying for your country" sounded just like him. He loved Vulden and was confident in the leader, no matter who it was. Hygor was a little dim-witted, yes, but he had good intentions and a loyal heart. That, Tozu thought, would be the death of him. On a planet full of tough dragons, brawn could get you places, but wits and intelligence could blow those places up. Hygor was bound to die sooner or later, but if he kept up this unwavering loyalty, it was going to be sooner.

"It was good talking to you." Tozu got up and walked inside as Sora started to doze off. He'd taken up a bad habit of "not giving a damn," as he called it. It was a product of his decaying mind, something Tozu couldn't notice. Tozu snapped on the light and looked at herself in the mirror. She glanced at the picture of her little brother, pounding her fist on the mirror. I swear it, I'd give anything to keep you safe. Anything, damn it. She would. It would take awhile, but she would.