The Empire's Rebellion

The Empire's Rebellion
 Code by DigitalJackal and edited slightly by Delta!! Then modified by Cloud because it broke :P Also, cover by Mercy!!
Ok, this is RP fanfic about the Empire's Rebellion. You will see more as we go on with the story!!
Eek, get excited and pumped people!!
Thank you everyone for your OC's, all of them except for Canopy, Cumulus, Conch, Stormcloud, and Fallenmoon belong to others!!
Prologue
 
Queen Asteria walked briskly down the hallway of the Sky Palace, her amber eyes traveling the floors as if it might fall out from below her. Asteria suddenly stopped pain flickering through her body. She abruptly began breathing heavily, her eyes closed, swaying on her talons. The young queen clutched her stomach, sweat trickling down her face. A soldier stopped right in the middle of trying to sweep past her, his wings folded back as per custom. The young hybrid observed Asteria with a concerned look scrawled onto his face.
"Your Majesty?" The dragon said, reaching out one caramel brown talon to touch her on the shoulder. Asteria gave him a pained look, trying furiously to remember his name. Unlike her slimeball husband, Stormcloud, Asteria always made an effort to remember each dragon's name, but today . . . of all days, she just could't remember.
"Yes . . ." Asteria trailed off, half praying she didn't sound like a wimp and half hoping the dragon would say his name.
"Thicket." He replied automatically. Asteria smiled gratefully, reaching up and squeezing his talon.
"Thicket." She said, her posture suddenly changing into that of a regal queen instead of a weakling about to have an egg. She took another deep breath, beating down her panic. "Please go find my husband. He should be relaying reports in the throne room." Thicket nodded, twisting his claws anxiously.
"But Majesty," Thicket said slowly, casting anxious looks around the hallway. "What . . . should I tell him?" Asteria clutched Thicket's forearm in a panic, digging her talons in. Thicket looked from Asteria's stomach to her face to his arm, then back again.
"Tell him," Asteria said, breathing heavily. "That he's coming." Thicket widened his eyes melodramatically, but then bowed, turned and ran away. Asteria barely hesitated a moment before rushing down the hallway. Come on. She thought in a panic. You can survive a few more . . . seconds . . . NOPE. She barely managed not to shriek. Finally, FINALLY, she spotted the door to the hatchery. Asteria stumbled into the doorway, gasping. The healer's, in an instant, rushed forward to help her to a nest, gently whispering to her. Asteria collapsed on the nest, writhing in pain. Where's Stormcloud? She thought hysterically. He should have been here by now. Well . . . She thought coldly. I would much rather not have him here. 
 * * *
But despite this thought, Stormcloud finally did show up. But only after the egg was laid. She quickly set down the amber egg next to the other one, her breathing relaxed and slower. Stormcloud burst in, frowning. Unlike Asteria, Stormcloud was breathing heavily, looking like he had just come running from the throne room.
"Well?" He said in a hard voice.
"Glad you're finally here." She said in the coldest voice she could muster, trying to make it sound so cold that Stormcloud felt ice shivers running along his spine, like the coldest winds in the coldest ravine of the ice kingdom. But it sounds more drippy and annoying, like a single drop of water splashing onto your snout.
"Sorry, I had business to do." Stormcloud said unrepentantly. "Male or female?" Asteria ground her teeth, but knew that Stormcloud would not let it go.
"Male. The healer's think anyway." Asteria responded in the kindest voice she could muster.
"Hmph." Stormcloud said, touching the egg. "What are you thinking of calling him?" Asteria gave Stormcloud a sideways look. That sounded too kind to be the real Stormcloud. He wanted to tell her something, so he was buttering her up. Asteria frowned, but answered.
"I was thinking Stratus." Asteria said, running her talon along the egg gently.
"We'll deliver him to the RainWing's in the morning." Asteria shrieked and the healer's jumped, though they were facing away from the torn rulers.
"WHAT?!" She yelled, shoving Stormcloud's talon off the egg, "You can't give away my son!" Stormcloud rolled his eyes.
"I can do whatever I want. I'm still your king." Asteria clenched her talons angrily.
"But why?" She said, her voice cracking.
"I cannot have another heir in my kingdom, especially a male. They might get . . . ideas." What's wrong with that? Asteria thought angrily. "So I need to get rid of it." Asteria looked down, about to say something snappy, but then a loud crack interrupted her thoughts. Asteria turned to the other egg, huge and maroon, clasping her talons together happily. Could it be? She thought excitedly. Could my other dragonet be hatching? Right now? She widened her eyes as a starburst appeared on the top of the egg. The dragonet inside must be huge! Suddenly, a head popped through the shell. The dragonet's deep maroon and copper face observed the other dragons with cruel, cold, glittering fiery orange eyes. Asteria felt her triumph dimming. It was male. But then, the egg shifted, and suddenly, the maroon and copper dragonet was shoved aside by another dragonet. This dragonet was more of a dark orange, with dark maroon horns. This one was female. Asteria clapped her talons together excitedly.
"Twins!" She chirped cheerfully. She looked excitedly over at Stormcloud, but he was frowning at the dragonet with dark eyes. Suddenly a cruel smile slithered along his rust-colored face.
"This one I think we'll have to keep." Asteria felt her heart lighten, until Stormcloud added, "I mean, not as a prince, maybe more as a guard." Asteria groaned.
"What about the female?" Stormcloud shrugged.
"She can be a princess. Princess's are more non-threatening and weak." Asteria looked up slowly, trying not to shriek with rage. "What are you going to call the female. I'm naming the male." Asteria picked up the female, and Stormcloud picked up the male. The two dragonets observed each other cooly for a moment.
"I think I'll name this one, Cumulus." Stormcloud snorted and Asteria glared at him coldly.
"Ha." Stormcloud laughed. "Perfect name. Fluffy white, harmless little clouds." Asteria rolled her eyes, but Stormcloud kept talking. "This one, I'm going to name something more menacing. He suddenly grinned. "Alastor." Asteria tilted her head curiously.
"What's that?" Stormcloud grinned.
"A demon." Asteria's jaw dropped. That was horrible! "Well, I must be going." Stormcloud said, beginning to walk out the door. Cumulus widened her eyes and reached towards the brother she never would know she had. But Stormcloud turned Alastor to his other side, blocking him from Cumulus's view. Suddenly, a dragon stepped in front of Stormcloud. He saluted, his orange talons flexed perfectly.
"Your Majesty." He said in a deep, serious voice.
"What do you want, Captain Twister?" Stormcloud said in a serious voice. Twister shot a look at Asteria, looking confused, but then looked back at Stormcloud.
"I just wanted to say that the IceWings and SeaWings have officially been subdued, all their royals and hybrids killed." Stormcloud nodded, then smirked at Asteria's horrified face. Asteria had never approved of Stormcloud's wierd obsession with killing royals and hybrids and becoming king. 
Wasn't one tribe enough? 
But by the time she found the courage to look up at Stormcloud with a determined face, Twister was already leaving, Stormcloud following behind him. Asteria shook her head and looked into the intelligent eyes of Cumulus. She cradled the little dragonet gently, smiling. I promise little one, nothing will ever happen to you. I promise that I'll protect you from your father. And when the time comes, you will finally do what I was never brave enough to do. 
You can stop him. 
But right now, Cumulus had no idea of the future her mother had planned for her. She had no idea of the cruel lifestyle she would have to grow up in. 
But as Asteria looked into those amber eyes, she thought she saw something flash, deep and fierce, like a hint of the future she would have. Asteria grinned as she walked out of the hatchery, closing the door behind her. She only knew one thing as she looked at her daughter.
Cumulus, the one that Stormcloud thought was so harmless, was going to be his own downfall.
This dragonet could change the world.
 
Chapter One
19 years later . . . 
Cumulus nodded at every guard she passed, trying to look inconspicuous, which ended up making her look very conspicuous. She adjusted the black cloth on the basket that she was carrying, glancing around. She stopped at the gate leading to the outside, even though she could just as easily fly out the window of her room, though NOT just as easily because some father's she could mention had to put a fire-balls blasting guard outside her window.
"Princess Cumulus." She said to the guard in her best haughty voice, tilting her head. The guard observed her suspiciously, his eyes sweeping over her scales and stopping at her basket.
"Why are you going out so late tonight, Princess?" Cumulus allowed a hint of a smile to cross her face. The guard was clearly trying to sound casually, as though she couldn't see him tightening his grip on his spear, or the hardness in his eyes.
"Oh, I'm going blackberry picking." She said in an equally as casual voice. OH YEAH, come on SkyWIng, let's play! Two can play at your little game! Cumulus, on one talon felt very proud of herself. Blackberry picking was a great alibi for what she was really doing. 
Cumulus loved blackberries, so over the nineteen years she had been alive, she had gone blackberry picking in the mountains for hours. Not to mention that she had been going practically every single night since her mother died just a few weeks ago. And, if she was gone for many hours, they wouldn't be suspicious.
It wasn't a secret how Emperor Stormcloud treated his only dragonet. 
The guard hesitated slightly, clearly wavering between what her father had said and how believable this was. But then he finally nodded.
"How long will you be gone?" He asked, but this time, his voice was truly casual, not disguised casual. Cumulus tried to offhandedly shrug.
"Oh, probably the whole night. Me and Father just had another fight." The guard nodded, his fierceness slipping for an instant to reveal some pity.
"Well, thank you Princess. Have a good evening." The guard moved his spear aside and Cumulus walked out, passing through the gates of the palace and turning onto a dark cobblestone path. She wanted to start flying immediately, but the young princess knew better. 
She could feel the eyes of the guard on her back, she could sense his knowledge that her blackberry-picking place was deep in the woods, woods too thick for flying. So she forced herself to not look behind her, and to keep walking. She kept walking slowly and purposefully, even when she entered the dark forest. But as soon as the warmth and light of the palace disappeared behind her, she quickly turned around, scanning the forest. The lights of the palace were shining between the cracks in the trees, like an echo of the sun which was long gone in the sky. 
Cumulus froze, holding her breath. 
Her eyes scanned the forest around her suspiciously, looking for any sign of life, even the slightest flick of the branches or wave of grass would be enough to tell her that she had been followed. 
But after a solid five minutes, nothing disturbed the forest except for the slight rustling of a squirrel in the trees whispering about the weird dragon staring at nothing. Cumulus let out a breath and walked a little deeper, glancing nervously around.
If she was caught, her punishment would be worse than death. She touched the scar on her underbelly with a wince, trying not to hyperventilate. Keep it together. She thought, inhaling deeply, smelling the fumes of pine around the forest.
When Cumulus reached the blackberry patch, she quickly flung off the black cloth sitting on her basket, setting it down on the ground gently. She put the piece of paper on top of the cloth, placing a rock gingerly on the paper so that it wouldn't blow away, even though the wind was near to nothing.
She quickly picked up the basket again and ran over to a tree, tucking it into a hole in the huge, brown trunk. She hesitated for a moment, then grabbed a huge blackberry from the pile already sitting in the basket, popping it into her mouth as she walked back to the cloth. She felt the juices dribble down her throat as she grabbed the black cloak, unfurling it quickly.
She placed the dark half-cloak around her neck, fastening it with the black laces, and pulling up the hood. Quickly, she snatched the paper from under the rock, tucking it into one of the many pockets in the cloak, along with multiple throwing stars. Cumulus looked up with a slight smirk. She had also chosen this night very meticulously.
All threes moon's were dark tonight, and the stars were hidden by thick clouds pushing against the sky like boiling water. But still, Cumulus held her breath as she took off, hoping the cloak would hide her shining scales.
But as she flew over the tall, dark mountains, no one raised the alarm, so slowly, very slowly, Cumulus began to relax.
She tried not to think of her mother, but the memory pressed into her brain like honey. She remembered the cold press of her mother's talon, Cumulus's eyes filling with tears as her mother, laying on her deathbed, had called for everyone to leave, including her husband, who had agreed reluctantly.
"Cumulus." Asteria had said softly, her pale face close to Cumulus's. "You can stop him. You must stop him." Cumulus nodded. She had known for a few years that her mother wanted her to kill her father, but she had never been able to bring herself to do it. 
Cruel or not, he was still her father. 
But now . . . everything was different.
"I will mother. I promise. But, how?" Asteria smiled and suddenly pulled a piece of paper from under her blankets, pressing it into her daughter's talons. Suddenly, Asteria's grip tightened and she yanked her daughter close.
"Use this. Find the rebels, before . . . it's . . . too . . . late." Cumulus nodded, her tears dripping down onto the Empress's scales. Suddenly, Asteria's eyes flicked open.
"Cumulus." She said, her voice suddenly urgent. "My darling. I must tell you something. When you hatched, it . . . wasn't what you think. You see, Alastor-" But then, before she could finish, before Cumulus could know what was with Alastor, her mother died, the life draining out of her face. A flash of lightning brought her back to the present, and she realized that her eyes were tearing up again. What had Asteria been trying to tell Cumulus about Alastor? Could he be part of the rebels? 
No, that couldn't be possible. He was more loyal to Stormcloud than anyone else in the palace. And Stormcloud barely left his side, so what time would Alastor have to organize a rebel meeting? She looked down at the paper again, trying to memorize what it said.
Possibility.
The sun will rise again. 
Cumulus, for the first time since her mother died, felt undying hate. Hate so terrible, so fierce that is made her shake with fury as she winged across the sky.
Hate for her father, who had killed some many innocent dragons.
Yes, hate for her mother, who never did anything about it.
Hate for all the dragons loyal to Stormcloud, the ones who followed him blindly without ever questioning him.
Hate for herself, the one dragon besides her mother who could do something about her father, but never realizing something was wrong until after he had done all those horrible things.
Cumulus sighed, then continued to fly, realizing that now, now, she was doing something. She was going to stop him.
Technically, she wasn't supposed to know about the rebels. That information had come from sitting secretly under the tables during her father's council meetings, eavesdropping on everything, wondering what information was going to be useful later. HA FATHER. She thought. Bet you wished you were nicer to me now! She sighed again, glancing at the barren landscape below her.
Well, too late. 
Too late father.
Far, far too late.
Chapter Two
The wind howled cruelly. Cumulus looked nervously around, trying to look at the paper and not get blown into the sky at the same time. Wow, She thought, squinting. Her eyes were teary from the gales, though the dark, thick hood helped to block out most of it. Thanks SO MUCH MOTHER! Very helpful. You say Possibility, but NOT WHERE! She let out an odd sort of a growl, ducking behind a low building. She shuddered.
Moons, this town is in terrible condition. She looked around the shattered windows and dark interiors. A bird cawed somewhere above, and something shattered from behind her. Cumulus jumped. This place . . . gave her the creeps.
She sighed. Cumulus knew that this was wrong. She knew that it wasn't the residents of Old Possibility's fault that her father had destroyed their home and nearly murdered them all. After all the hybrids and dragons were gone, he burned the entire city to the ground, which is why it was near abandoned. 
Cumulus looked down. She tried to shut off her brain, tell herself not to think about the dragon, but it was too late. 
Tumbleweed hopped and jumped around his her memories, laughing and crying with her. Cumulus had never seen her without a smile, or at least a raised eyebrow. 
Cumulus knew that she should be very happy that Tumbleweed and her family had escaped with their life, but she also was angry, because now the only way she could communicate with her best friend in the whole world was to send letters, and only once and a while through very specific messengers, because she happened to know that her father had everything coming to and from the palace opened and checked. 
Add that to the list of reasons why Cumulus needed to stop her father.
Suddenly, Cumulus's attention was drawn to a building. It didn't look very different from any other building in the abandoned plaza, ripped black cloth covering the windows, but there was something on the door. Something that made her draw closer.
The symbol of a rising sun. She looked down at the paper in her talons. 
The same symbol. Cumulus quickly walked up to the door, holding her breath. She gave the secret knock. Two quick taps, then one slow. 
"Hello?" She said softly, hoping that this wasn't some sort of trap. "The sun will rise again." The was a pause, the only sound being the wind whistling through the buildings, and her own breath. She felt the thumping of her heart against her chest, praying with every fiber she had that this would work. 
Suddenly, the door opened a tiny crack. 
"Who is it?" A voice demanded. Cumulus squinted. She could see a pair of green eyes glistening in the darkness with suspicion. Suddenly, the door was flung open. Cumulus jumped back with a hiss. 
"THE PRINCESS!" A voice suddenly whispered loudly and a dragon appeared in Cumulus' vision. The tannish colored SilkWing's smile was so big! Cumulus didn't know anyone could smile that wide. "SHE'S HERE." Cumulus winced. There seemed to be whole hordes of dragons behind this SilkWing. 
Cumulus was momentarily distracted by the SilkWing's four wings. She had heard about it, but it was so interesting. 
"Contain yourself," A dragon suddenly said from the shadows, their eyes glaring at her. Cumulus' claws dug into the ground. "And are you even sure that is the princess? We don't exactly have a trillion pictures of the Emperor's daughters laying around."
"Is she really here?" Another said dragon, their voice full of hope. "Is it really you? I hope it's not some spy." Cumulus wanted to yell 'YES IT'S ME', but she didn't want to startle them. So she sat on her talons.
"She could be. She could be anyone." The dragon who had peeked through the door said, crossing their talons over their chest. Cumulus slid inside, causing a few dragon's to scuttle backwards into the shadows. She needed to put them at ease. Prove that she could be trusted. 
If she ever could be trusted. 
"No no no." Cumulus shook her head. "Yes, it is me. And no I'm not a spy. Don't worry, you don't have to bow. I'm one of you now." She smiled and flicked her wings back. She looked at each of the dragons in turn, though a few of them looked away, dropping their gaze to the ground. "I need to speak with your commander. Immedietly."
Chapter Four
Flying in soon . . .
Chapter Five
Flying in soon . . .
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