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some-pers0n · 16 days

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Hey guys I rewrote that Battlewinner death scene lol. This time I decided to make Mastermind a weeee bit of a silly guy as well as make her death a bit..y'know.. No real TW or anything other than death and Bad Parenting

The ground quivered beneath Starflight's talons as he raced down the corridors, Glory, Princess Greatness, and Fatespeaker in tow. He had been in a cave his whole life, but never had one felt as alive as right now. The rocks felt hot to the touch. The walls rumbled. The distant sound of lava moving was all he could hear. It was as though a slumbering beast was being pulled from its sleep, waking to the sight of a colony of ants nestled into it. It wants them out.

"Question," he began, "how long until the volcano erupts?"

"Erupts?" Greatness echoed. "Not for another two years. Mastermind took some calculations and predicted that the next one would be soon, but not right now. What you're feeling is just...abnormal activity. The volcano does that."

"Really? I've lived here my whole life and I've never felt something this strong," Fatespeaker said.

"We'll worry about whatever the volcano is doing later," Glory snapped. "Right now, we have a mad queen to talk to."

"I- I don't get it." Starflight slowed his pace. "Don't you have oracles? Prophets? Why did Mastermind have to guess? Wouldn't a future be more accurate? Not to doubt my father's research but..." His words trailed off. "Why? What's going on?"

Greatness turned away, staring straight ahead. "We're almost there. I can hear Mastermind."

Starflight's ears perked up. Amongst the bellows of the volcano, he could make out the faint mumblings of a scientist. They turned the sharp bend and entered into the queen's chamber.

It was a large, spacious cave, with a lake of lava in the center. Stalactites hung from the tall ceiling, embedded with a rich, deep shade of red. A deck of metal and steel was built, leaving way for Mastermind to stand upon.

But that wasn't what caught Starflight's attention the most. A cauldron of iron stood above them, with Battlewinner poking her head out of the top. Lava dripped off her as she stared them down. Next to her was Mastermind, absent-mindedly babbling and talking to her. The armour rack that he saw in his lab was with him, with all but the headpiece missing.

"– which, need I remind you, makes this completely safe. You can sort of walk, but ultimately your presence is more about your imposing lava-filled...armour– where are you looking– OH!" His eyes followed her gaze, widening as she saw the group. "Ah, hello! Starflight, my beloved protégé! I'm pleased to see that you've come to your senses and decided to turn over this band of revolutionaries. Shame to see it happen, really."

"No, dad, uhh–"

"Fools..." Battlewinner hissed. "All of you..."

"Mh-hm." Mastermind nodded his head.

"You too, scientist... If only your pride did not blind you to the truth..."

"Blind me?!" he snapped back. "Pardon me? I may be hard of sight, but I assure you that I am no fool, right Starflight? Utter brilliant genius. Oh, I'll be so proud to see you grow up. Perhaps you'll too come around to understanding your father's achievements."

Starflight winced. It was hard to hear a dragon talk like that.

"Your son is not here to help you, Mastermind," Battlewinner snarled. "He is here to stop us. All of them... They--" Ice frothed up in her throat, cutting off the words. The shards of frost melted as she took a mouthful of lava.

"What? No! Starflight would never betray us. He is a NightWing. He serves his queen, right?"

Starflight glanced at his talons. He couldn't dare to look him in the eye.

"Mother–" Greatness began, but was cut off by a sharp growl.

"Queen Battlewinner."

"– Queen Battlewinner," she continued, "I'm sorry but we must call off the attack. The RainWings are too powerful and our tribe is too weak to take them on. We cannot afford to lose any more of–"

"We will not surrender to these dragons." Battlewinner's voice boomed. Smoke coiled from her nostrils. The light of the frost in her mouth reflected in her eyes. "We are NightWings. We do not bow to any other dragon..."

Glory clicked her tongue. "Well, that's annoying. I was hoping we wouldn't have to do this the harder way." She walked forward. "Battlewinner, I come to propose an offer: you call off your invasion and, in return, I set up trading between the NightWings and RainWings. Your dragons are starving, diseased, and dying. You should be ashamed of how you've let them rot like this. I am only offering you this as I cannot let dragonets die, even after all you've done to my tribe."

She kept going. "You will also step out of this war. I am aware of how you and Mastermind have been trying to tip the scales. Leave my troop, the Dragonets of Destiny, alone. You will also step down as ruler. I see you as personally unfit to rule. You are a tyrant. You allow your dragons to suffer. Greatness is..." Glory squinted at her. "Marginally better."

"Thank you." Greatness dipped her head to her.

"If you do not comply, I will destroy the tunnels. I will not hesitate to kill any NightWing that dares enter my kingdom. I already plan on informing the other queens of your conspiracies. If you want your tribe to ever lay a claw on Pyrrhia again, take my offer. Relinquish control. Perhaps, in some years' time, you can find your way off of this island and rejoin the continent."

Silence. The rumbling of the volcano was all that remained. The caverns shook as the white noise surrounding them grew in intensity. Battlewinner's gaze remained fixated on Queen Glory. They both remained locked in this silent war.

"Bold words for a RainWing dragonet..." she said, amused. "Step aside before I drag you into the lava myself."

"No." Glory repeated. "You will comply with this offer or let your tribe die."

"You can't be serious," Mastermind spoke, half laughing. "You're just making a joke. You cannot expect something like that to work out. You? You're a dragonet! You're overly emotional. Not thinking things logically."

"Overly emotional?!" Glory snapped. "You're the ones who have been kidnapping the RainWings! Innocent dragons who were holed up in your dungeon!" Red splotches faintly appeared along her neck and frill. "If I had my way, you would be dead as you stand."

He snorted. "Ha! You truly don't understand science. Ethics and morality are mere roadblocks. Others of a more intellectual nature would understand." He shot Starflight a look. "Besides, we need the rainforest more than anyone else. As you said, it is a lush and thriving environment. What has your tribe done with it? From what I've seen, nothing! It's asinine to watch you flaunt your fruit and your peaceful lives while the NightWings have suffered for two thousand years!"

"So? Why should you have it? All you've done is lie and hurt my tribe, you murderous snake!" She spat. "We lived there! We have lived there for thousands of years! You do not deserve to wipe us out just because you feel it's necessary."

He adjusted his spectacles. "Starflight, son, you can't honestly expect this to work. You're reasonable. Come now, try and tell this RainWing some common sense. Do you honestly believe that the NightWings would accept it?"

"No, I don't." He shook his head. "Battlewinner would never agree to that."

"Precisely!" Mastermind beamed.

"So..." Starflight tapped his talons anxiously. "We can compromise? Maybe?"

"WHAT!?" Mastermind and Glory called out in unison.

"I know, I know!" He winced, waving his talons to try and calm them. "I was thinking that, because the Rainforest Kingdom has plenty of space and the NightWings are so few in numbers, we could donate a sizable amount of land to them. Have them build their own village." He turned to Battlewinner. "But, only if they accept Queen Glory as their ruler."

"Starflight, that is the worst idea I've ever heard from you--" Glory began, but was interrupted by the animalistic roar from behind.

"NO!" Queen Battlewinner screeched. She jerked around in her cauldron, spilling lava. "Never! Only I rule the NightWings!"

"Please, listen!" Starflight called out, matching her voice. "The NightWings cannot survive here anymore. Even if we set up trades, they cannot live. If we allow them to exist peacefully in the Rainforest Kingdom, we can leave the volcano behind. No more disease. No more hunger. Nothing."

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea," Princess Greatness said.

"You are a terrible heir..." Battlewinner hissed.

She paused. "I know. I never was a good queen. Queen Glory is more fit to rule than you and I both."

"Sure, yeah, but really? You want me to rule over two tribes?" Glory shook her head. "I can't do that, especially not with the tribe that has been torturing my own dragons." She glared at Mastermind.

"I think it's a bit much to call it torture," he interjected. "I only tested on them for years. Some died, sure, but they were just the weaker ones." He shrugged. "Should've been better."

"I hope that, even if you survive, your body is feasted upon by snakes and ants."

"Anywho," Mastermind continued, ignoring her threat, "I still fail to see what would happen to our queen. She has her armour."

"She won't make it," Greatness said. "She knows this. Your armour is nothing more than to prolong her life in time to see the trees. She will die either way."

He scoffed. "Preposterous! My design is flawless!"

She squinted. "I'm not too sure about that..." She shook her head. "She knows she'll die here. Buried under the rubble. It is the only option."

Battlewinner raised her claws, slamming down on the edge of the cauldron. "You will NOT speak for me!" she screeched. "It is MY kingdom! I will not allow for this!" And with that, she began to lift herself out of the vat.

"Mother, no! Please!" Greatness called out.

"Your majesty, control yourself! Your armour is not fully prepared."

Battlewinner did not listen. Her body slipped over the edge, spewing lava in all directions. Starflight jumped back as a large chunk almost hit him directly. He looked on, seeing Battlewinner's full body for the first time.

As the magma dripped off, it revealed her heavily scarred and discoloured body. Her scales were charcoal black, with burn and scratch marks dotted everywhere. Her wings were damaged, with the membrane showing a hint of blue. She was massive, but couldn't hold her own weight. The armour on her held the lava briefly, but it spilled out the instant she collapsed onto the ground.

She dug her claws into the ground, dragging herself towards Glory. Wordless threats spewed her way, little more than menacing grumbles. Yet, as she did so, she began to slow.

Then, the frost appeared.

Starting from her chest, a vibrant pale light emitted. It was inside her, in her veins. Ice formed, rapidly covering her body. Starflight heard her scales snapping and breaking as the ice pushed their way out. He could only watch in horror as her movements slowed.

Her eyes were wide, a mixture of malice, hysteria, and an utter refusal to die. A futile effort. The ice travelled up her next, encasing her entirely in it. In her final moments, she looked to Princess Greatness. Her expression was incomprehensible to Starflight, but to Greatness...

He turned to her. There was a sadness in her that he could feel even from there. Her breath was heavy and staggered. Her eyes were blinking, just barely holding back tears.

"Queen Battlewinner!" Mastermind lunged to her side. "No, no, no! You can't be! It was all perfect! Everything about my armour should've protected you! How could this be!? My calculations were perfect." His talons grazed the frost formations. "...it is fascinating to see the effects of the frostbreath in action, however. Mesmerizing."

As his eyes glazed over her, he caught a glimpse of the dragonets. "Oh, yes, you!" His snout scrunched. "In my scientific opinion, that was a STUPID IDEA!! Idiots! All of you! You've doomed our tribe!" He stood, glaring at Starflight. "I'm ashamed to see you do this, son."

A lump formed in his throat. Rejection from the dragon who understood him the most.

And, yet...he didn't care.

"So?" The word leaped from his mouth.

Mastermind blinked, squinting in disbelief. "So?" he barked back.

"So what? You're a terrible dragon! You tested on the RainWings! You never even cared about me! You just wanted to see a successor who would listen to you ramble." Built-up emotions spilled out of him all at once. "I'm ashamed for you to be my father!"

Mastermind opened his mouth, perhaps to make a snarky comeback, but a loud crack! interrupted them. It shook the whole cave. The lava boiled with more intensity. Starflight's stomach was tied into knots as the realization dawned on him.

The volcano was erupting. If they did not leave now, they would be reduced to nothing more than charred corpses buried under rubble.

#sp-writing #wof #wings of fire #battlewinner wof #mastermind wof #greatness wof #starflight wof #wof fanfic #wings of fire fanfic

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