UnderWings

Long ago, on the continent of Pyrrhia, dragons were at peace. But within the Tribes, there were dragons who were developing strange abilities, abilities that no one had ever seen before. Their SOULs were changing, too.
Cast out by their Tribe, these dragons formed their own group. They were called StrangeWings. They, and the other Tribes, lived in an uneasy peace for a few decades, until one day... War broke out. The StrangeWings were outnumbered, and they lost the war. Seven Tribes sent their best animi, and they sealed the StrangeWings deep beneath Jade Mountain with a barrier spell that only a non-StrangeWing SOUL could pass.
Now, hundreds of years later, a dragonet climbs the mountain, watching out for sharp rocks so that they don't cut their talons. They are looking for the Pit, where seven other dragonets have disappeared. Finally, the dark abyss looms below them, the sunlight streaming down into it. Craning their neck, the dragonet takes a closer look, but a vine snags their claw, and they plummet. Down,
down,
down.
Into the darkness.
CHAPTER ONE
Reed woke up on a patch of golden flowers, the sunlight glowing off of their yellow petals. They immediately noticed that their wing was bandaged, and that they had somehow survived falling from an enormous height. They tried flapping their wings, but the bandaged one wouldn't allow it. They twisted their head to peer at it. Who had bandaged it? There was no one around.
They heard a faint sound echoing from down the hallway ahead of them, bouncing off of the stone walls of the cave. It sounded like laughter. They took a few steps, and headed for a large, purple door at the end of the long corridor, and the laughing stopped. They paused once before proceeding. As they reached the door, they saw some sort of symbol at the top. It was a winged circle, with a trio of triangles underneath, the one in the middle somewhat lower and upside down.
Passing through the door, they saw another area with the golden flowers, although one was significantly taller than all the rest. Reed approached it carefully, and it turned around and smiled at them. Reed jumped, stepping back.
"Howdy! I'm Flowey, Flowey the Flower! Hmm..." He looked Reed up and down. "You're new to the Underground, ain'tcha? Well, someone should show you how things work around here, huh? I guess little old me will have to do... Heh."
The room flashed a couple of times, then turned black and white, and a red heart floated in front of Reed.
"That there is your SOUL, the very culmination of your being. Your SOUL gets stronger when you gain LV." Seeing Reed's confused face, Flowey cackled. "What's LV? Why, LOVE, of course! You want some LOVE, don't you? Well, down here, love is shared through little, white, friendliness pellets." As he spoke, what looked like white seeds appeared around his six petals. "Catch as many as you can!"
Reed swallowed, wondering if they should trust this smiling flower. They gently stepped into one of the 'friendliness bullets', and immediately felt pain flash through their scales. They fell to the ground, holding their claws to their chest.
"HAHAHA! YOU IDIOT!" Flowey's face had turned demonic, and his tiny red pupils were burning into Reed's back. "In this world, it's KILL or BE KILLED! Your SOUL will be mine! Now..." A ring of bullets surrounded the dragonet, and Flowey's cackling filled their ears. "DIE."
CHAPTER TWO
The ring of white pellets grew closer, their menacing glow shining onto Reed's scales. Reed curled into a tight ball, wincing as their wing screamed with pain. That flower- That flower had taken advantage of them. They would die here, with no one to help them except Flowey.
A tear spilled over their cheek onto the red SOUL glowing beneath their chin, and Reed whimpered. They had fallen down here just to die. To die in a cave, cold and alone. Just as the pellets were about to end their life, Reed's strength returned to them with a pop. They looked up just to see a ball of fire fly at Flowey, and he frowned before disappearing into the ground. The bullets had disappeared, and Reed's wing had stopped hurting. They heard footsteps, and saw a pair of golden talons appear before them.
"What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth," a kind female voice said, and Reed caught a whiff of cinnamon. Or was it butterscotch? They weren't sure, but it smelled nice. "You've fallen down, haven't you? Please, stand up..."
Reed felt a wing stroke their head, and watched one of the talons before them reach out for theirs. They took it, standing up nervously. They found themselves looking up at a tall dragon, a hybrid between a SkyWing and a LeafWing. She had kind, yet firm red eyes. Her horns curved gently back, a rose gold with copper flecks. Her actual scales were a shining white gold, and her wings reminded Reed of leaves, the deep red matching the leaf on her tail and the leaf-like spines running along her spine, partially covered by the purple cloak she wore, the golden clasp the same symbol as what was on the door.
"Greetings, my child. I am Sunset, guardian of the Ruins. Please, come with me. I'm sure you need some rest," she said, and turned, walking towards another tall door.
Reed paused, then decided to follow. There was nowhere else for them to go. As they passed through the door, they entered an enormous room made of purple bricks, green ivy claiming the rough surface. There was a patch of red leaves in the center of the room, and two enormous stone staircases were on either side, climbing up to a passage above their heads. A yellow star gleamed atop the pile of leaves, and as Sunset strode up the stairs, Reed reached out to touch the star.
S A V E
CHAPTER THREE
Reed blinked a couple of times at the light filling their being.
"The shadow of the ruins looms above, filling you with DETERMINATION."
Reed looked around, but the voice appeared to have no point of origin. They noticed Sunset waiting for them, and decided to just ignore it. They made their way up the stairs, and Sunset smiled kindly, in a way that only experienced mother would. Reed had another passing thought, but it seemed as though their mind was forcing the thought away, not allowing any further thinking of it.
They entered the next room, and there was a pattern of pressure plates with a switch in front of them.
"There are many puzzles in the Ruins, my child. Growing accustomed to them will do you well," Sunset stated while walking across every plate except for the ones in the center of the pattern. She then flipped the switch, and the door opened with a loud bang.
The next room was long, and a clear river ran through it. There were yellow switches adorning the walls once more in this room, and Sunset pointed out how she had labeled the ones Reed had to flip. The dragonet did so eagerly, and saw what looked like a faint trace of regret in her eyes. As they walked into the next room, Reed immediately noticed the dragon-shaped dummy in the corner, its eyes staring blankly into theirs.
"My child, many StrangeWings you meet here may wish to harm you," Sunset said, and Reed's eyes widened. "But do not worry, there is no conflict you cannot escape. Go ahead, try talking to the Dummy."
Reed nodded nervously, and approached the lifeless object. The room went black and white again, like when they'd met Flowey, and they swallowed. The Dummy stood there, not making a move. Reed said the first thing that came to their mind, not even knowing what it was, and Sunset applauded. Reed's SOUL disappeared as quick as it had appeared.
Sunset led them into the next room, and as they were walking, a RainWing hopped into Reed's path, wearing some sort of shawl over their head that had a frog pattern on it.
Frog attacks.
The surroundings transitioned into their battle colors, and Reed swallowed. They watched as the orange menu popped up.
FIGHT
ACT
ITEM
MERCY
They hadn't really noticed it when 'fighting' the Dummy, some strange instinct had taken over and ACTed for them. This time, Reed lifted a talon to press MERCY, then another time to 'Spare' the strange, meowing RainWing. Sunset stepped into the battle and cast a withering look at the enemy, who bolted.
They continued, and Reed hopped along the path, the stone there lighter purple than the floor around it. Sunset stopped before a platform of spikes resting atop a small pond, and Reed bumped into her.
"I wonder if... No." She turned to Reed, wrapping her wing around them. "Come, my child."
The pair walked across, the spikes falling before them as Sunset led them along the right path, and she watched them with a gentle red eye the entire time, making sure they didn't stub a talon. "Puzzles seem a little too dangerous for now," she commented.
When they reached the long corridor on the other side, Sunset turned and lowered her head to make eye contact with Reed.
"You have done excellently thus far, my child. However, I have a difficult request to ask of you... I would like you to walk to the end of the room by yourself. Forgive me for this," she said with a sad look, then she walked quickly down the corridor, leaving Reed behind, confused.
The MudWing blinked a few times, then started the walk. It wasn't too long of a walk, and a pilar stood at the end, marking where Sunset would meet up with them. In fact, Reed could see Sunset poorly hidden behind the pillar, and as Reed approached it, they waved to her. She looked nervously at them, but remained silent.
They passed the column, and Sunset ducked out from behind the pillar. "Greetings, my child," she said, as if they hadn't seen each other in an hour. "Do not worry, I did not leave you. I was merely behind this pillar the whole time. Thank you for trusting me. However, there was an important reason for this exercise... To test your independence. I must attend to some business, and you must stay alone for a while. Please remain here. It's dangerous to explore by yourself.
"I have an idea. I will give you a Cell Phone. If you have a need for anything, just call. Be good," Sunset hugged Reed close. "Alright?" She pulled away and left, leaving an old Cell Phone in Reed's claws.
Reed left a the rooms a few minutes after Sunset did, and as soon as they did, the Phone rang.
"You have not left the room, have you? There are a few puzzles ahead that I have yet to explain. It would be dangerous to try and solve them by yourself. Be good, alright?" The phone clicked, and Sunset's voice went away.
Reed noticed the RainWing from before sitting off to the side, meowing and ribbiting. They went to speak to it.
"Ribbit. Excuse me, dragonet. I have some advice for you about battling StrangeWings, meow. If you ACT a certain way or FIGHT until you almost defeat them, ribbit... They might not want to battle you anymore. If a StrangeWing does not want to fight you, please..." It looked up at Reed with big eyes. "Use some MERCY, dragonet. Ribbit."
Reed nodded, and entered the room to their left. Two pools of water rippled on either side of a candy bowl resting atop a pedestal surrounded by a ring of red leaves. They stepped up, and the voice from before came back, whispering in their ear.
"It says 'take one'. Will you take a piece of candy?"
Reed nodded, taking one.
"You took a piece of candy."
Reed took another.
"You took more candy. How disgusting..."
Took another.
"You take another piece. You feel like the scum of the earth..."
Reed took one more piece, and the bowl toppled over onto the floor.
"You took too much too fast. The candy spills onto the floor."
Reed looked at the pile in regret.
"Look at what you've done."
Turning their back on the mess, Reed returned to the room with Frog and saw another yellow star. They walked into the red leaves to get it, and they felt the glow around them again.
"Playfully crinkling the leaves fills you with DETERMINATION."
S A V E
And that's when Reed noticed the grinning dragon behind them.
CHAPTER FOUR
Reed whipped around, and yelped.
A transparent MudWing dragonet (who kind of looked like them) was grinning at them, and seemed to be... Floating.
"Greetings. I am... Reed, I suppose. Ignore me, just go about your day. Oh, and call me... Ash."
Reed was going to say something, but the room flashed black and white as a small SilkWing drifted into view.
Moth draws near.
Ash floated next to Reed, and they watched as Reed proceeded to SPARE the StrangeWing. They sighed. "Boring, but alright..."
Reed huffed, and they continued on. The next room was simple, but had a pair of chutes on the wall. Reed stepped cautiously forward, feeling Ash's red gaze. Suddenly, the ground gave way, and Reed fell onto a pile of red leaves. They winced, looking around the small room they had fallen into, all while Ash cackled at them. Reed ignored their companion and climbed into a chute on the wall, coming out through the corresponding one on the floor above.
The next rooms featured more puzzles, with talking rocks and more falling onto leaves. A couple of times, more RainWings and SilkWings appeared, and even some HiveWings, but it was somewhat lax for the most part. Reed and Ash entered a new room, a plate of cheese sitting on top of a wooden table. There was a small hole in the wall on the opposite side.
As Reed looked inside the hole, they heard a squeaking noise, and Ash stated from where they floated, "The cheese is stuck to the table." Reed turned around and SAVED, then moved into the next room.
There was a pile of leaves, and a pale blue SeaWing lay on them, saying "ZZZZ" as loud as he could.
Reed and Ash exchanged a look, then stepped forward.
"are they gone yet...?" The SeaWing sighed, opening one eye.
Ash sighed. "Will you move it with force?"
Reed nodded and poked the dragon with the stick they had been carrying around. The battle room came into view, and the SeaWing stood.
He was a pale blue-violet, almost white, and he had dark, tired rings around his gray eyes. His wings sagged around him as he wrapped his body in them, and he looked at Reed with sad eyes.
"oh... sorry, was i in your way..."
Reed shook their head and realized he was a spirit, then said a ghost joke. There was a faint smile as 'Raindrop' started crying. His tears would splash onto Reed's scales, all while stinging them deeply.
The fight went on as Raindrop complained and Reed complimented, until finally, Raindrop laughed joyfully.
"do you want to see something i can do?" He proceeded to cry, but this time, his tears flowed upwards and formed a top hat. Reed laughed, Sparing the dragon. "i usually come to the RUINS to mope around and get away from people... but today... i made a new friend... i guess i should leave now... oooooo..." Raindrop faded away, and Reed proceeded.
They continued on, finding a Faded Ribbon to replace the Bandage around their wing. They met Raindrop once more, and talked to more RainWings, and even found a Toy Knife just in case there was an emergency. They then arrived.
At Sunset's Home.
C H A P T E R F I V E
Reed looked up at the tree looming before them, and the red leaves pilling up around it. Ash floated over to the tree, placing a sad claw on the dark wood.
"My child!"
Sunset closed the Phone she'd just opened and rushed to the small MudWing, enveloping them in her red wings. "Are you hurt? Are you- Oh, nary a scratch. You are brave, little one, to make it here. Please, come inside. I have a surprise for you."
As Sunset walked away, Reed approached Ash.
"Everytime this old tree grows any leaves, they fall right off..." the ghost dragon whispered.
"What?"
"Nothing. Let us go now." Ash floated away, leaving Reed looking on worriedly.
Reed sniffed the air in surprise. Sunset smiled down at them. "Smell that? It is Butterscotch-Cinnamon Pie. I want you to be happy here, so I will hold off on Snail Pie for tonight. Come, I'll show you your room." The tall dragoness took Reed's claws and led them down a hallway, stopping in front of a door. "Here it is! I... What's that? Is something burning...? I will be right back-"
After Sunset dashed towards the kitchen, Reed swallowed and opened the door gently. It was cozy, with stuffed toys and neat cabinets, as well as drawings on the walls. Ash was still silent, so Reed decided to just leave them be. They looked through the drawers, and saw what looked like sweaters (for dragons?), and dried flowers. It was clearly a room once used by children, so where did those children go? Why did Sunset live alone? All this thinking was making Reed tired, so they laid down on the soft bed pressed against the wall.
Category:Literature
Category:Fanfictions (Unfinished)
Category:Wings of Fire
Category:Star's stuff