darkSpyro

"Well, that's good to hear!" I hadn't quite expected the dragons here to be peaceful, but what Skyward was telling me was good news. I guess that would explain the colorful, friendly atmosphere the Vale was presenting. "Guess I'll try not to stir up any trouble anywhere," I joked.

"I refuse to go against a Glacier Dragon!" Moonstone declared. "It has a completely different body shape and automatically requires more food."
"Where's your sense of adventure, Moonstone?" Cobalt chuckled.

"You don't seem like the kind of person to do that," Skyward replied. "That's the first compliment I've said in a while. Consider yourself lucky." Skyward had learned not to trust most dragons, but Shadmé wasn't a dragon. She had called herself an "angel", whatever that was.

"What if it was all three of us?" Tesla asked. "It could work! With the power of team! It's called teamwork!" She then realized exactly what she said. "Well, that sounded like an annoying children's program."

I gave Skyward a small smile in return for her kindness. I was starting to get a feel for the Storm Dragon's personality. Her unique upbringing had brought out a certain wariness in her. I recalled my own. The one that I could remember, anyway. I'd arrived in Skyworld without memory, so my personality could only be influenced by those around me. I'd had Pit, Palutena and Dark to help me grow, but I wasn't sure whom Skyward had depended on. She seemed to be familiar with Tesla and Speedy, but I wasn't sure if it could be considered a close relationship. Perhaps I could try to break through Skyward's barriers and loosen her up a bit.
"So you and the other dragons live here, in the Vale," I spoke aloud. "Do you have a certain place you like to hang out? Or do you stay wherever you like?"

"Yes!" Cobalt and Moonstone spoke at the same time. "I agree- teamwork could work," Moonstone elaborated.
"Well I agree that she sounds like a cheesy children's program," Cobalt grinned toothily. Moonstone lightly swatted Cobalt with his tail. "Alright, then! Let's do it!"

In a craggy cliff near the Vale, an angel and some dragons gathered in a hidden cave. The angel was an interesting creature- every inch of her shown with a lit-up brilliance, but the expression on her face could only be described as evil. "It's a pleasure that everyone could make it," she began in a velvety tone. "Scorch, I must commend your burning work on Shadmé's wings. She's not getting out of here anytime soon." She glanced briefly over her shoulder at the sunny Vale beyond, then shook her head. "My aim is to dissolve the bond Shadmé and I share. I heard that there is magic in this place that enables me to do so. And in exchange for your help, I shall aid you in dethroning the Legends that govern the Vale. Are we in agreement?"

"I prefer the Perch of Karios," Skyward replied. "Nice winds, a beautiful view, and you can almost feel the magic." Just saying those words made her feel the place all over again, and she sighed with relief. "How about you? What's your homeworld like?"

"Now, we need a Glacier Dragon to challenge!" Tesla yelled. "Which one: Cragg or Slide?"

"Yes, it worked perfectly," Scorch nodded, almost seeming to glow. "I do not know which magic you are talking about, but as long as you keep your side of the deal, I will keep mine." He looked directly at another, much smaller, dragon with the glare of a powerful leader talking to an underling. "So, the work on the machine is finally completed?"

"Yes, but we still need a pure dragon from each of the ten main elements, and one from the Moon and Sun elements," the dragon explained, managing to keep from shaking in terror. "You'll have to send some other dragon."

"It won't KILL them, will it?" another dragon asked. "You know how I feel about killing. I'm sure this will all be done without it."

"Fine. No killing them." the first dragon growled. "But then I'll have to make some adjustments."

"You'll have to show me sometime!" The Perch that Skyward spoke of sounded lovely. I enjoyed places with wind. Though I was a ground-bound angel, I liked any chance I could get to replicate the feeling of flight. Seeing Skyward's slight mood shift added to the fact that it was a lovely place.
"My homeworld?" I closed my eyes to visualize Skyworld. "Up beyond the reach of mortals lie the realms of the gods. I live in one called Skyworld, where I serve the goddess of light. We live in a marble temple, but most times, I like the area around it. Palutena's magic helps lift the temple and station the clouds so we can walk on them. It is almost always sunny and warm, and the clouds stretch as far as the eye can see, melting into the clear blue sky." Everything there was bright and welcoming, a visual we angels of light enjoyed.

"Whichever one's most easygoing and willing to let us team up on," Moonstone chuckled.

Lightmé smiled. "Do not worry. I've got this." She watched the dragons talk to each other and shrugged. "Killing? I'd be happy to. I'd love to have some dragon wings to hang somewhere…"
"Have you forgotten who you're talking with here?" Lightmé turned to a couple other dragons, hidden in shadow. At the veiled threat, the angel laughed. "You dragons are so dense! Where's your sense of humor?"
"I don't find maiming my own kind very funny," another one chimed in.
Seeing how she was losing her audience, Lightmé sighed. "I'm serious now! I won't do that." She rubbed a hand across her face in exasperation.

"Sounds like a nice place," Skyward agreed. "You'll need to take me there sometime." She reflected on what she just said, and she jumped up in excitement. "Hey! Maybe you can take me there! Someone's coming to get you, right?"

"Cragg it is, then!" Tesla purred. "He's possibly the oldest dragon there is! To him, 1,000 Treats is a bite!"

"Careful, Lightmé," Scorch warned. "There are dozens of dragons, and only one of you."

"Yeah! No killing!" A Sprout Dragon walked up into the center, his features clearly illuminated by Scorch's glow. He was soon followed by two more of his kind, a sure sign that he was an adult, or at least as close to an adult a Sprout Dragon can get. "We can do this without killing!"

"Maybe," Scorch growled. "But for now, we need to work on the machine. Then we can do it…without killing. Sure, some dragons will lose their elements, but we won't kill them. Shimmer, bring out the machine."

A Chrome dragon flew out and returned, pulling a machine twice her size. The machine was shaped like a funnel on a base, with twelve chains attached to the sides. "Here you go, Scorch," she panted. "Wow, I really need a workout."

I got what Skyward was saying and nodded excitedly. "Yeah! Pit will be here within days. I'd love to show you my home!" Rubbing my hands together, I grinned. "But you'll have to show me yours first."

"Let's beat that oaf!" Cobalt cheered.
"I'm hungry already!" added Moonstone.

Lightmé indifferently shrugged her shoulders. The Poison Dragon who'd spoken before, Frills, stared uneasily at a back wall, barbed tail-tips twitching.
"Cool machine," a Promethium Dragon spoke up. His eerie blue-green scales lit up the room as he stepped out of the shadows to observe. With a frown, he said, "I mean, uh, yes! A machine to do our bidding!" He dipped his head and muttered, "Man, this abrasive-personality thing is a lot of work…"

((Quick question: Will we have any time-skips to when Pit comes?))

"How about we get Speedy to come with us?" Skyward suggested. "It sounds like something he'd like to do. Unfortunately, we don't have a guided tour of this place, unfortunately, but there are a lot of habitats to see."

"Aye aye, captain!" Tesla spread her wings and flew toward the Cold Habitat where the monstrous Glacier Dragon was sleeping. "Hey, Craggy!"

"Go away," Cragg grumbled.

Shimmer gave a short laugh before she was silenced by Scorch's stare. "Basically, the dragons are attached to the chains and the mechanism inside absorbs their magic, and stores it in a collection! I don't know what will happen if all of the elements are combined, but it has to be good! Right?"

OoC: That's up to you! But since Lightmé's plan is to keep Shadmé in the Vale, most of the action will probably take place down there anyway.

Speedy sighed as he flew over the Vale once again. So many dragons to speak to, so little time!

I recalled the phoenix-like dragon and nodded. "That's fine with me! I'm sure there are many things you'd like to personally show me, anyway." Looking up, I saw Speedy's fiery wings in the sky. "And there he is."

Moonstone and Cobalt followed, the increasing chill of the habitat cooling their scales. Lighting down, they landed next to Tesla.
"Looks like we're off to a great start," Cobalt snorted.

"Surely," Neoss agreed.
"Dragon magic is powerful." Frills blinked as he spoke, the tone coming off a bit nervous. "Th-that's why habitats can only hold a certain amount of dragons and a certain amount of elements. I don't know if anyone's tried combining them all yet. It is sure to result in a manipulable power source."
"What a nerd you are!" Frills flinched as a gleaming Mistletoe Dragon stepped forward. She gave him an easy grin that came off slightly terrifying due to Neoss' illumination. "Gotta love it, though. There aren't many dragons quite like you, Frills."
"I-I don't know if you're insulting me or complimenting me, Viscia," Frills stammered.

((That's the point. Scorch's team trying to stop him from leaving. Should we start after the meeting of Scorch's team with Lightmé, the food-eating contest, and the tour?))

"Hey! Speedy!" Skyward called. Her Lightning Orb glowed as she sent a beam of lightning into the air. "Come down! We need a tour!"

"Hey, Craggy, we need someone to compete against in a Treat-eating contest. We're the best trio of dragons when it comes to eating food! We thought that maybe, if we wanted a real test of power, we would go against you. All of the other dragons our too easy to beat!"

"Sure," Cragg grumbled. He slowly lifted his massive head, looking the three dragons over. "You bring the treats."

"We did it!" Tesla whisper-cheered. "With no thanks to you two."

"Are you in loooove?" the smallest Sprout Dragon teased. "Frills and Viscia sitting in a Happy Tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"Shut up, Xander," the largest Sprout Dragon growled.

OoC: We could do a small timeskip for now. Pit's not coming for a few days.

Speedy squawked at the beam of light, but upon realizing who it was he zoomed down and landed in a matter of seconds. "A tour?" he confirmed, happily flapping his wings. "Be my guest!" He looked at Shadmé. "Well, technically you are, so never mind. Let's go!" He stopped flapping and rather opened his wings expectantly. Shadmé tilted her head at him, but it took him a moment to realize the predicament. "Am I walking?" she asked.

"No thanks necessary," Moonstone whispered back. Cobalt took off to gather as many Dragon Treats as he could find.

Frills looked even more flustered, but Viscia merely laughed. Flirting and messing with dragons friend and foe alike was one of her specialties.
"So are you going to MESS AROUND without telling me?!" A swirl of color heralded the arrival of Frizz the Hypnotic Dragon from the back of the cave. Lightmé, Viscia, Frills and Neoss managed to avert their eyes before Frizz could do any tricks with his wings.
"I'm not messing around," Lightmé said plainly. "I just wanted to make sure we were on board with this. Do I have a means to contact anyone or will we just meet here each time?"

"Ask Speedy," Skyward replied. "He's the one giving the tour, not me." She though about it for a while, pawing the ground like she always did. "Sure. I'm coming too. Just don't expect me to tell you about everything. I've been out of touch for so long, I can't even remember how long."

Tesla gave Moonstone a glare, but she also smiled a bit. "Nice," she hissed. "Now, let's wait for the food." After a minute, she stood back up. "Oh, forget it. I'm getting some treats as well."

Xander quickly averted his gaze, and looked back up at Lightmé. "Al? Any plans for communication?" When the largest dragon didn't respond, he turned to the slightly smaller dragon. "How about you, Lex?" The dragon shook his head.

"To be fair, I don't think any of the dragons have something for communication," Scorch replied. "However, if you can find something, then I can work with it."

"Hey! I have an idea!" Scorch turned to see an extremely young Firework Dragon leaping back and forth excitedly. "If you or Lightmé can contact me, we can establish a code! A code of fireworks! Everyone will all think it is innocent, so we can hide undercover!"

Scorch looked back at the crowd. "Maybe."

"Flying would be faster, but then again, I am totally the fastest dragon here and you wouldn't be able to catch me anyway...hmmm..." Speedy looked to be in thought, but soon his face brightened more than it already was. "I got it! Skyward, you let Shadmé on your back!" He gave the Storm Dragon a cheeky grin to let her know he was joking.

Moonstone watched amusedly as Tesla took off. Turning to Cragg, he flicked his tail. "How're you doing, old chap?"

"That's pretty intelligent," Frills admitted. "Quite a good idea, actually. The only potentially worrisome thing is that another dragon may be suspicious of all the fireworks."
"If anyone does get suspicious, then we can set off more fireworks to potentially throw them off," Viscia suggested.
"How will we know which fireworks are useful to us and which aren't?" Neoss snorted.
"Duh. Code!" Viscia replied.

"You little trickster," Skyward laughed. "Wait, are you being serious, or not?" Her gaze suddenly went wide at the prospect of Speedy's joke actually being…serious. "You're just joking…right?"

"Quite a bit better with the prospect of food," Cragg rumbled. "I hope you have plenty of Treats on hand. Or on claw."

"How about this," the Firework Dragon suggested. "One-minute firework show. Three red fireworks means no meeting, four means regular place and time, and five means emergency and meet instantly." He lifted both his head and tail excitedly. "How about it?"

OoC: Gosh dang this took way too long to make. School is mean. :c

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not!" Speedy cawed excitedly. He nudged Shadmé towards Skyward with his head. The angel stumbled, looking slightly mortified. "I-I'm not going on anybody's back unless they want me to!" she insisted.

"We're working on it, dear Cragg," Moonstone replied. "I must say, the though of food is making me quite hungry as well."

Cobalt had slung a bag of treats over his shoulder and was casually flying back to Cragg and Moonstone. He cast a bored glance down at the world below and noticed Skyward, Speedy and that winged human creature together. The Steel Dragon frowned. Why were they still there?
His sharp eyes picked up a detail he hadn't noticed before- the winged human's wings were burnt. His gaze then moved to Speedy, and with that realization he nearly tumbled out of the sky. Speedy! Of all the dragons, he never would have suspected the Blazing Dragon capable of such a deed. He'd have to warn Skyward and the winged human right away to stay away from him. Speedy had to have been the one who burnt her wings! It only made sense... Speedy must've been flying really fast and brushed by her wings. And in remorse he was making amends for his mistake. Cobalt didn't buy that one bit. With a grunt, he sped past the scene and made it down to the food-eating contest. He'd have to warn them soon.

Lightmé ticked the firework combinations on her fingers. "What happens with one red or two red?" she smirked.
"Don't overcomplicate things," Viscia advised haughtily. "Or can't you count?"
Lightmé spat on the ground. "Don't mock me, Mistletoe. Do dragons kiss when they're around you?"
Viscia huffed, eyes narrowed in anger.
"Back on topic, you probably don't need a code for no meeting," Frills told the Firework Dragon. "Or you could make the code for that simply no red fireworks at all. It's logical."
"Four for meeting, five for emergency," Neoss reiterated to himself. "Got it."

((I was wondering when this was going to get done…))

"Okay, I'll just say you're joking," Skyward sighed. "Because I'm sure it'll be a problem. You know, wings made of lightning and all of that."

"Finally!" Glassy purred. "Now we can start! Cobalt, you can divide the treats. I can't say I'm too good at that stuff."
"Finally," Cragg echoed. "I'm ready to eat if you are."

Xander gave a short laugh, but he was silenced by Al and Lex's glare. "Right," Al said. "Anything else on the agenda?"
"Well, all three of us are male…" Xander started but he was cut off by a Sulfur Dragon pinning him down.
"No more jokes," it growled.
"Fine, fine…" Xander attempted to push the dragon off but the dragon was unmoving. "Get off of me!"

OoC: Sorry 'bout that! And don't you mean Tesla instead of Glassy?

I winced. "Yeah, my wings are already fried enough..."
"Alrighty then! Let's get on with the tour, shall we?" Speedy marched ahead, head raised, trying to decide where to start.

Cobalt swished his tail in acknowledgement and began to separate the treats into even piles. Moonstone came over to help him, but soon backed off due to the near-undetectable expression in his friend's eyes. What was he thinking about?

"Oh dear me. Look at this party," Frizz grinned as he watched the action.
"Grumpy there has a point," Lightmé said. "This is a serious meeting. And it seems we're done here, until next time."

OoC: Unless you have more characters to introduce, we could timeskip to after the tour and contest. ^D^

((Pretty much. I lost my train of thought. I'm waiting for it to come back to the station, but I think it crashed.))

Skyward followed Speedy across the park, only looking back at Shadmé to make sure she was keeping up. "Speedy," she asked, "do you think I was a bit too harsh?"

Cragg said nothing else, but the smile on his face said it all. Tesla thought it was impossible for Glacier Dragons to smile, at least until she saw Cragg. It wasn't exactly a view she was willing to repeat, since his smile looked dangerous and hungry like a crocodile.

Xander finally was able to push the Sulfur dragon off with Al and Lex's help. "Finally," he growled. "What was the point of that, Grumpy?"

((Thanks for the Sulfur Dragon's name. I'm going to call him Grumpy. :3
And anyway, I have a plan for a private Warriors roleplay. Want me to tell you about it?))

OoC: Nuu, not the thought train! And OmP, that was a totally unintentional name! Glad it worked!
Awww yeah! I'm back in the- *adjusts laurel crown* -GAME! (Sooner or later, you'll get this reference!)

"You? Too harsh?" the Blazing Dragon joked. Finally, he shrugged, lowering his voice. "In all seriousness, I don't think so. She doesn't even seem fazed! I think you have a lot farther to go before you can tip her off the deep send." Speedy grinned cheekily. "However, I bet it wouldn't take too long for one of us to get under your scales, now wouldn't it?" He giggled a bit, then turned around so he was walking backwards. He proceeded to start to explain the sights around him to Shadmé, not waiting for Skyward's possible response to his former statements.

Moonstone exchanged a look and a shrug with Tesla, understanding what she was looking at. However, Cobalt didn't even look up, and instead carefully managed the piles. Stepping back to admire his work, he bound the treats into closer piles with a swipe of a tail. "All set."

"I'll leave you children to mess around," Lightmé said haughtily. Frizz tilted his head and chuckled at her word choice, but the light angel continued anyway. "Since you have shown absolutely no sign of helping me find the magic I require, it seems like I'm going to have to do it myself! Like always." She approached the entrance of the cave and flared her wings, the light hitting her from behind making her appear quite eerie. "And if I find I don't need your help after all, I'm dissolving this alliance. This is your last chance to prove your worth." Some of the dragons shifted awkwardly and looked around at each other.

Skyward went along with Speedy's tour, until they passed a giant, yellow crystalline structure. "Oh, that's a Lightning Crystal. Straight from across the seven seas, and pretty electric, too! You'll probably find that it makes your hair fly up like..something that flies. Static electricity, I think." Talking always was comforting for her, as long as it wasn't about something sensitive.

---

Scorch glared at Lightme. Who did this human with wings think she was, barging into his meeting of his team and acting like she ran the place? Of course, she had connections, but he wouldn't count on her beating the weakest dragon here in a duel. He kept his feelings hidden, of course. He kept them hidden a lot. "Meeting adjourned. Stay sharp and stay hidden."

OoC: Timeskip!

Lightmé kept her tracks concealed, making sure she took cover in the thickest of undergrowth and behind the largest of decorations. This meeting went well for them, but not for me, she mused with mild anger. What did Scorch mean, I don't know what magic you are talking about? That was the only reason she was in this glitter-coated dump. If there was nothing that would aid her in her mission to liberate herself from Shadmé here after all, then she wouldn't hesitate to pick up and leave. But she had sworn she'd heard of something here that could do the trick...
The light angel lifted her head, basking in the shadows of the decorations. There were a ton here. Surely one of them had the power she needed. Why did dragons need so many sparkly artifacts, anyway? Were they that conceited? Lightmé had no idea. But then again, she didn't really care, either. If it served no purpose to aid in survival, then it could sit here and rot.
She finally managed to reach her hideout, a very clandestine part of the Vale. It had taken careful observation of the entire place, but as soon as she'd noticed this area was rarely visited, she had determined it to be the best for her to stay. The last thing she needed was for Shadmé or someone else to discover her.

"Aaaand so that's our humble little Vale!" Speedy concluded with enthusiasm. My head swam from all this new information about my location. How had I never seen this whole place before? I had been hardly aware dragons were sentient, or even capable of maintaining structures like these!
"What, bigger than you expected?" Speedy chuckled. I jumped, shocked. It was as if he'd read my mind. But the Blazing Dragon showed no sign of it, his eyes gleaming with happiness and adventure. "I mean, it's a pretty nice place and all, and there's lots to do, but..." He glanced at Skyward, suddenly looking quite embarrassed. His beak-like mouth shut, like he was holding something back. What was Speedy thinking about? I wasn't sure.
"It is nice," I agreed, instead of pressing him for more. There were definitely worse places I could've ended up.

"I'm stuffed," Moonstone sighed, laying on his belly. His gray wings were sprawled out to either side. The pile in front of him was still rather large. "How do you do it, Cragg?"
Cobalt had opted to judge the competition, despite the obvious victor. As Moonstone's voice reached his ears, his distant gaze sharpened as the dragon seemed to come back into focus. "Hmm."

Scorch curled up in the jagged cavern. For now, it was home. He dreamed wistfully of his old home back with the Legendaries. There was piles of treasure, the faint sound of talking that helped him sleep, and absolutely no pebbles just small enough to fit between the scales and just large enough to hurt. He rolled over, but he still couldn't find a comfortable position. Instead, he stood up. Maybe he could solve the conundrum. What sort of magic was Lightmé talking about? And where was it? He made his way over to the entrance of the cave. Down below was the Vale, the answer, and his target. And, honestly, a lot of decorations.

"I suppose it is. But I suppose your home also is nice," Skyward suggested. She thought about asking Shadmé to go to her place, wherever it was, but decided against it. Maybe angels didn't take kindly to asking to visit. Maybe dragons didn't. "Isn't there someone going to pick you up?" That was a safe question to ask for now.

"I think I have officially ate enough food to last me for a year…" Tesla groaned. She was laying on her stomach with her wings and tail spread out. "What should we do now?"

I nodded at Skyward. "Yeah, Lady Palutena and Pit." I'd already explained my goddess Palutena to the dragons, but I hadn't said anything about Pit yet. I smiled as I thought about the cheery angel of light. "Pit is one of my best friends up in Skyworld. He was the one who originally discovered me. He's an easygoing and positive angel. You'd love to meet him, I bet!"
"There are more of you up there?" Speedy asked in wonder.
I nodded at him. "Yes. Myself, Pit and a few others work for the goddess of light. There was a big incident that happened a little while back that caused the return of angels, formerly an endangered species."

"I could just sleep here," Moonstone mumbled drowsily. The sun shone down on his scales, furthering his sleepiness.
Cobalt looked the opposite of tired, but merely watched the two dragons talk, seemingly ready to go along with anything they decided to do.

"Endangered species....huh. I don't know that many endangered species. I don't even think dragons are. But is it nice if it's not-endangered?" Skyward suggested. "Where do you think this Pit and Lady Palutena will look first?"

"I wouldn't mind just staying here. Did you know that snakes lie in the sun to digest their meals?" Tesla asked. "We might be related to snakes."

OoC: If a mod checks this topic, then I'd like to inform you it will no longer be a two-person RP. We'll be adding other people. Please don't hate us. X3

Good. Nobody is around. Lightmé leapt from the Happy Tree (what a silly name) to creep towards the Rift Monument. There was a little card next to it explaining a little information. It declared something about a Rift and the Tines of the Scar.
Lightmé had a feeling that this was what she was looking for. She could feel the pure magic emanating from this thing in waves. For two colorful pieces of rock, they seemed powerful.
She'd done a bit of snooping. Apparently the Light and Dark dragons of this place had not existed as long as, say, Fire dragons. They had once been locked away for eons before being released through the aforementioned Rift. Thanks to the power of wizards across many different Vales, they had been released.
Lightmé understood that a very small vestige of this power should be enough to separate her and Shadmé for good. It had separated the Light and Dark dragons, after all...
She withdrew back into the shadows of the trees so as not to be spotted. If she and the other dragons could cause a very strong surge of magic in this very spot, and then lure Shadmé here somehow...
Perhaps Scorch's machine would be useful.

I jerked a thumb behind me. "Probably where I fell." A thought came to me. "You guys have lots of decorations, don't you?"
"You bet!" Speedy chirped. "We love decorating our parks and islands! We have banners, and trees and rocks, and building structures, and paths-"
I cut him off. "And you're free to move them around, right?"
"Sure can! The visitors would get bored if we kept the decorations in the same place all the time." Speedy accentuated his point with a nod of his flaming head.
"Well, why don't we make a signal for Pit and Lady Palutena...out of decorations?" I suggested. I looked to Skyward to gauge her response.

"That's pretty cool, Tesla," Moonstone said. "I bet if you gave snakes wings and legs, they'd look exactly like dragons."
"That's r'diculous!" Cobalt snorted. "Snakes cain't breathe elemental breath! You really need a nap, Moonstone. You're spouting nonsense."
"Sounds good..." Moonstone murmured.
Cobalt rolled his eyes, but curled up in the grass anyway.

OoC: I forgot I gave Cobalt a bit of an accent...

"Hey, are you supposed to be here?" A Luminous Dragon tapped on Lightme's shoulder. "I doubt it's a good idea to stay in this area. I found you. Others can. I'd suggest lying low, before someone sees you. You know, someone might."

"I suppose that could work, but how do we make it easily visible to an angel overhead?" Skyward said. "There has to be a reflective decoration...Wait! Golden paths!"

"Golden paths are the ultimate luxury item," Skyward explained. "Prohibitively expensive if you buy enough to cover an island, as can be expected by solid gold, but enough for a message should be a bit cheaper."

Lightmé's wings flared. She had taken every measure to stay perfectly hidden. There had been no dragons around when she'd looked at the Rift Monument! And even now, she was staying hidden in the trees! How had this dragon found her?
"What do you want?" she asked in a low voice, slowly and carefully. "If you know what's good for you, you'll turn tail, forget you saw anything, then leave. Things will get quite ugly if you don't, you have my word..."

"We can always sell them back for the same price once her friends see the message!" Speedy laughed.
I smiled. Seemed like things were going to plan, after all. "Thanks for the help, you two! That should do it. Golden paths sound perfect! They'll penetrate right through the clouds."
"We should get right to it, then!" Speedy declared. He then turned to blink at me. "Hm. Do your burns need retreated, first?"
"Er..." Skyward and Speedy had given me one treatment of Blueshroom paste while on our tour. It was a very effective medicine, and was why I hadn't keeled over from the pain already. But in the sun, and especially while standing near the flaming Speedy, the poultice was beginning to evaporate or melt off my wings. I turned to look. The natural reddish-black sheen of my feathers was returning. "Yeah, that would be great."
"Okay!" Speedy kicked the container of paste to Skyward. "You'd better reapply it. I'd probably wind up burning the container up! Or her wings. Or both."

"Things will get quite...messed up if you do." The dragon grinned. "I know this name that you may or may not know. I know him, and I know how to bend him to my will. He's just muscle and firepower, after all. His name's.....Scorch."

"We're trying not to reverse the healing process, after all." Skyward unscrewed the jar of Blushroom paste. She dipped her claws in it and spread the paste on the tips of Shadme's wings. "I think the main disadvantage to having black wings is that you can't tell which is burnt and which is your natural color," she said.

"Rainbow dragons are basically rainbow snakes with legs," Tesla pointed out. "So are Leap Year dragons. And Pearl dragons, if you give wings and forget the legs. Hidden Bolt dragons, as well. And there's Panalong, and River if you stretch, and Ragnarok, and I'll stop now."

Lightmé paused for a moment. Who did this dragon think he was, trying to boss her around? She'd do as she pleased, for goodness' sakes!
...But perhaps she could use this opportunity...
"Scorch? I've never heard of him," she answered smoothly. She tilted her head, noticing the dragon's eerie grin. "Who might this 'Scorch' dragon be? You certainly seem to be knowledgable."

"I personally think my feathers look very awesome, but I suppose you have a point," I replied cheekily. "Look for the broken feather stems and scraggly feathers. Those are the burned spots. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna have patchy places for a while, as well. Not to mention that weird smoky smell! I mean, it's not like I can actually reach my wings to smell them, but I suppose you get the idea."
"I think smoke smells alright," Speedy put in.
"Of course you do," I joked. "You're on fire 24/7!"

"Whoaaa...Tesla, you're a genius!" Moonstone's head was resting in his paws. "I never thought of it like that. I think I'm gonna call the next Rainbow Dragon I see a flying rainbow snake and see what happens."
"While we're on this topic, can I mention th' Cave Dragons?" Cobalt asked, ignoring his friend. "How're those things considered dragons, again?"
"Don't be rude...I'm a Dark Dragon and I take offense to that," Moonstone said.
"Yes, but you ain't a Cave Dragon, Moonstone!"

I'm gonna put my characters here. Hello.

Darklight: A Shadow Dragon that lives in the Vale. She's shy but still very friendly when approached. She likes being alone, but doesn't mind company.

Lightning: A Sonic Dragon that wanders. She never settles anywhere and is pretty boastful of her speed in flight.

Red: A Dungeon Dragon working for Scorch (I think that's the right name) who is proud of his endurance. While not fast, he can fly or run for a long time.

OoC: Hey there! Your characters look pretty good to me! Just figured I should give you a head's up- I don't see a problem with you and Storm both using Sonic Dragons, but I wasn't sure if you noticed. You can come in wherever you feel like! (Also, I love Dungeon Dragons! Yay!)

(I love dungeon dragons! They make me happy. Also, I noticed. I just didn't care. I'll probally add more later, but right now I must search for the red crystals that charge my spaceship (I found a new game to love))

"My dear friend, I beg to differ," the Luminous Dragon purred. "I saw you at the meeting. You might know that you stand out like a flame in a field. And you're not doing us any good getting us caught."

"Yeah, smoke's not a good smell," Skyward said, folding her wings back. The mere thought of fire made her wingtips hurt, but she continued talking anyway. "So, how are we going to get this many golden paths out here?"

"It's called biological similarity," Tesla said proudly. "Which is...I have absolutely no idea. But it sounds fancy, doesn't it?"

"Ahhhh," Lightmé's response came out as a bit of an exhale. She turned around to meet the shimmering dragon head-on. "That would make you Alastar. Scorch told me about all the dragons that were attending. I thought you were too chicken to show up." She gestured to him to move farther into the trees if he wanted to continue talking. She would not get caught again.

"How do you normally get them out here?" I wondered, breathing a sigh of relief as the Blueshroom paste worked its magic on my singed wings.
"Wizards transport them and lay them down, I think," Speedy answered. "A little magic doesn't hurt, either. What are the paths going to say? That would determine how long the path-laying would take."
"Probably something like HELP," I said after a moment of thought. "Unless you can think of something better. "PALUTENA or SHADMÉ might be a bit long, unless that would get their attention better..."

"Sounds like nonsense to me," Cobalt said with a joking snort. "What do you think, Moonstone?"
He turned to see that his Ruin Dragon friend had fallen asleep, indigo wings wrapped around his body.
"I'm guessing all this biology stuff bored him out," Cobalt guessed. "Or pr'haps he ate too much. Who knows?"

(Just gonna try and poke my dragons in somewhere now...)

Darklight flew around for no real reason. She supposed she wanted to get out. She smiled as she flew, enjoying the wind in her face.

"If you say so, miss." Alastar followed the light-colored angel deep into the trees. "May I ask what your buisness is in here? I assume it's not a vacation."

"If we put 'Palutena' somewhere in there, she'll definitely know the message is for her," Skyward pondered, "but Palutena is pretty long. Seriously, she's a goddess, so why did she choose the longest of names? It seems counterintuitive."

Tesla spread out her wings. "He's got the right idea. Sleeping sounds nice right now. Mostly because I bored myself with my own biological terms."

OoC: Let's use the one dragon I haven't used yet!

Ariana poked her head out of the cave she'd been resting in on the Gemstone Island. Gemstone dragons weren't bound to the islands, but even so, Ariana preferred being there anyway. Plenty of peace and quiet.
No, she didn't particularly dislike anyone on the main islands. On the contrary, Ariana understood the burden she carried as a Gemstone Dragon. Dragons of her species were rare, and going out and about could net her unwanted or unnecessary attention. She didn't want to do anything that would endanger the park. Their home.
Ariana was aware that the DragonVale was not a utopia for them. Every dragon had its own motives and ideals, and with that many dragons around, surely some dragons would wind up crossing, not always in good ways. So she took it upon herself to remain neutral, so she could assist any dragon that needed an arbiter.
As she peered around, she noticed a Shadow Dragon soaring above the sky, on her own. "Hello?" the Topaz Dragon called out hesitantly. Did she perhaps have something on her mind?

"As I told Scorch," Lightmé responded to Alastar, "I mean to dissolve the bond that exists between myself and my pathetic doppelgänger. Perhaps I wasn't clear enough earlier. The two of us are connected, mostly against our will, and it has been since my creation. This bond ensures that we cannot kill or seriously injure the other without serious repercussions to ourselves. Sometimes we can sense emotions and locations through each other.
"However, I'm not a goody-two-shoes." Lightmé grinned, shadows falling across her figure as they moved farther into the Happy Tree forest. "I don't like Shadmé, and she doesn't like me. Unlike her, however, if it were to come to her life against mine, I would not hesitate. It's safe to say that we find ourselves at each others' throats fairly often. So I'd take any chance to actually destroy her for good. And I hear that magic separating light from dark exists here."

"I agree," said Cobalt. "We've had a long and busy day so far. No use wearin' ourselves out." Settling himself into the grass, he began to relax.

"It sounds pretty grand, you have to admit!" Speedy replied with a grin.
"Maybe something with Pit's name?" I suggested instead. "He'll surely be the one doing the flying work. And his name is shorter."
"So, like, PIT, HELP or something to that caliber?" Speedy thought out loud, tapping his talons on the ground.
"That would be short enough," I agreed with a nod. "We could make an arrow out of banners or something. What do you think, Skyward?"

OoC: Here's some trivia! Palutena's name is short for Pallas Athena. The more you know!

"Well, I already knew the first part," Alastar said. "But this place might have the magic? Interesting. But I have absolutely no idea how you could use it. You're on your own, I'm afraid. But I'm sure Scorch will let you use whatever you need, unless it's something we don't have. If we don't have it, just get it yourself."

"Oh yeah!" Skyward exclaimed. "Would have been better if I thought of that earlier. We still need an empty place. We've tried to fill the islands with habitats, so it might be a bit hard."

((Skyward doesn't know that, though. She still thinks it's ridiculously long.))

Dark light turned to see the Topaz Dragon. "Oh, hi," she said, not expecting to see any Gemstone Dragons at all. Then she remembered where she was and realized that near the Gemstone Island there would probably be Gemstone Dragons. "Hi," she repeated awkwardly.

"I have some ideas, but ultimately, I don't live here. There are enough dragons in this place. Surely at least one of you knows." Lightmé shrugged her shoulders aimlessly. "So what's it to you, Alastar? You're so secretive and uncaring. There's gotta be some reason you're allied with Scorch."

Ariana smiled in greeting. "You were flying all on your own, so I was wondering if you needed someone to talk to. I know I don't leave the Gemstone Island much, but I do like to chat with my fellow dragons when I get the chance."

"Well, it should probably be near where I fell," I offered. "That way, Pit won't pass by the area and miss the message entirely."
"I see the logic in that!" Speedy chirped. "It might need to be cleared out a little, but otherwise, it could work!"

Darklight nodded. "Okay, I don't have a problem with that," she said. "I'm not great at conversation, though."

Ariana clawed her way up a small gray rock, perching directly in its flat center. Even though she was merely a tad bit higher than before, she could see much father. Also, due to the Topaz Dragon's stance, it could be difficult for her to stand and balance for long periods of time. The rock provided a bit of respite.
"So tell me, what's it like down there?" she inquired. "As you know, I'm bound to the Gemstone Island, so I'm mostly unaware of the adventures dragons like you have. What's the recent hubbub?"

"Nothing I know much about," Darklight replied, moving closer. "I don't generally speak to others, mostly because I usually like to be alone. Although I do enjoy company on occasion."