Tales of the Deceased

Tales of the Deceased is a collection of short stories told by various characters or read off scrolls from Wings of Fire: Security Breach. This page idea takes inspiration from the Tales from the Pizzaplex series, but is not meant to be a one-to-one transfer. It is, however, still a closely related FNaF crossover page and takes place in an AU where Starscatter and Golden-Night get together. 
Those of who you know FNaF know what you're getting into, but for those who don't, here you go.
There's more to these stories than meets the eye . . .
Shatter set the animatronics free from their tortured existence, knowing his own life was already over. Wings of Fire: Security Breach is the tale of his arrival, his death, and his triumph over Afton.
Nightingale, Shatter's sister, is hunting for answers, four years after Shatter's death. Wings of Fire: RUIN continues the story, leading Nightingale to answers for both the questions she asked . . . and ones she didn't.
== Introduction to the End - Epilogue Continuation ==
"It'll be nice to have actual friends," Caine said, nodding.
Shatter stretched out by the fire, leaning into Kvita, smiling. This felt nice, despite everything that had happened. Despite knowing he was dead and would never truly live again, this felt close enough to him. The chilly breeze and Kvita's cold scales fought against the warmth of the fire, while the moon watched over all, peacefully smiling down on the eight dragonets. 
"Before any stories, maybe," Delta said, then stopped. Alligator nudged him and mouthed something Shatter didn't quite get, but Delta nodded and took a deep breath. "I need to apologize to everyone. It's my fault in the beginning. I was the first one who was killed, and I started everything. I'm sorry to you all for—for killing you," he finished with a whisper. 
Kvita stretched her wings, draping one of them over Shatter like a blanket of snow, and smiled. "We all need to apologize for things, but we weren't in control of ourselves. I made the choice to hurt you all. I was fighting Afton's control because I didn't want Shatter to end up like us." She gave a sad chuckle. "Guess I still kinda failed, huh?"
"Think of it this way, Kitta," Shatter said, forgetting her name. "You've saved so many more from a fate like ours. And now is the time for reconciliation, not grieving."
Roc nodded, grinning a sharp-toothed smile. "Yeah! Besides, we can all still pop into the living world. Starseer here even figured out we can choose to manifest physically and some dragons can see us." She gave the NightWing a playful punch on the arm and he winced. Shatter had grown to be less afraid of them all, especially since now they were all the same; Dragonets who could laugh, play, learn, and love together. Not scary monsters trying to hurt him. Their voices were full of joy now, not hatred.
Sunrise laughed and put his wing around Starseer. "Aw, Starry, don't look so down! You know I forgive you for what happened to us! You're still an amazing brother?"
"Heh . . . " Starseer's voice wasn't that mechanical grating sound anymore. It was soft and intelligent, spoken like someone far older. "I don't deserve you, Sunrise." The pair closed their eyes and touched snouts, their brotherly bond showing strongly even if their life hadn't been the best. 
Speaking of . . .
"What happened to you two, anyway?" Shatter asked, poking at the ground as the flames gave a loud crackle. The twins looked at each other for a moment, and Sunrise grabbed Starseer's snout excitedly. 
"Come on, Star. It's in the past, isn't it?" he gave a soft smile. "We're here to have some fun with the others, and if they hear about our life, it could be fun!"
Starseer gave a soft smile and nodded. "Alright, alright, Sun. We can tell them together."
== Dawn and Dusk - Moondrop and Sundrop's Story ==
Sunrise settled next to the fire, enjoying the warmth and partially letting Starseer remain cold on the other side. He liked it better that way, so it all worked out. "So, Starry, do you wanna start?" he asked, tilting his head. The memories of what happened the night they'd died were strong, and the pain of the night was unbearable, but Sunrise felt like he'd moved on from it. Talking about it would help Starseer too.
"Alright," he said. "Listen closely, you guys."
The other dragonets all shuffled closer, though Kvita still opted to remain where she was. Probably didn't want to get too close to the fire, being an IceWing and all. Starseer took a deep breath and began the story. "For three years, our hatching days were fine. Until . . . " 
* * * * * * * * * *
It was his fourth hatching day. Starseer's ideal expectation for that was to be sitting inside, being left alone to write or draw while his mother made him his favorite dish. Then, the day would carry on as normal. It was the day he'd be considered a teenager, and he had felt like he was acting the part for a long time now, with his serious demeanor and calculated actions. Finally, after their birthday, he could go to Jade Mountain Academy and hopefully be rid of his brother. Certainly, the last place he'd want to be was a loud, bright Pizzaplex full of noise, dragonets, and creepy animatronics.
Unfortunately for him, that was exactly where his twin brother, Sunrise, wanted to go. Their parents always loved Sunrise more, he knew. He was their starring child, their radiant little beam of joy, the jokester and the sweet and soft one. Starseer was the quiet one who changed emotions on a dime sometimes, and was generally rather introverted. He wasn't their best talon forwards, so they rarely listened to him. Their younger sister, Eclipse, also wanted to go there too, despite it not being her hatching day. And did he have a say? No. He was the adopted son, the odd one out. In a family full of eccentric SandWings, who was to give in to a NightWing? So . . . He gave in.
Starseer hated it as he threw his stuff into a bag. His mother and father, who had gotten a day off for the twin’s hatching days, made them pack up some small things into a day bag, and while he was peacefully doing his, Sunrise was bouncing up and down like he was on another sugar rush. Without warning, he suddenly shot forward and hugged Starseer tightly. 
"Oh my rattlesnakes, it's actually happening!" he said, jumping around. "We're finally going again! It'll be amazing, brother, just watch!" 
Starseer hissed and snapped at Sunrise, his mental alarm bells going off. He hated sudden touch, something that Sunrise just never seemed to get. It reminded him too much of where he'd come from. In fact, being touched at all sent his nerves on edge. "Let go of me, Sunrise!" he shouted, struggling and trying not to be afraid. 
"Lighten up, come on!" Sunrise said, finally letting go and hopping on his talons. "It's our hatching day! That means both of us! I want you to be happy!" 
"Then leave me alone!" Starseer hissed, whipping his tail at Sunrise and turning back to his bag. His brother recoiled a bit, and Starseer regretted acting so hastily, but it was too late to back out of it now. He'd made his choice, and now, he had to stick with it. He closed his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and snapped at his SandWing brother again. "Now go help my sister get ready," he said. As Sunrise nodded and bounded out of the room, Starseer walked towards the exit of their house and sat down, thinking. 
He didn't want to acknowledge where he and his sister had been before. Eclipse was all he had in life. The two had relied on each other for sanity for so long, and when they got adopted, Starseer thought things would change for the better. But all that happened was the endless ball of energy that he had to call a brother would say something, Starseer would disagree, and Eclipse would take the SandWing's side. His own sister felt more distant than ever, and he never called her 'our' sister when talking to Sunrise. It was always 'my' sister. 
After a long time to think, his mother tapped him lightly. "Ready, Starseer?" she asked, so quietly that it made Starseer want to cry with how sweet she was. She was the opposite of his and Eclipse's mother. Don't think about her, he thought, and he gave a weak nod to his mom. 
Everyone else was ready as well, and it wasn't long until they'd set off towards the string of islands connecting Pyrrhia and Pantala. Starseer was upset, but felt a rage building against Sunrise again, just seeing how happy he was. How untroubled someone could be. He didn’t talk to anyone on the way there. He didn't want to. As per usual, Sunrise didn't seem to catch on. 
He droned on and on and ON, just trying to cheer Starseer up. In response, the NightWing stuffed his nose in a book and ignored them all. Sunrise wanted to talk to him, though. To cheer him up or anything really. Starseer decided he was having none of it. Eventually, they came to the Pizzaplex: a huge mall-like building with neon lights, bright colors, obnoxious noises, and worst of all . . . The animatronics. 
Starseer hated them. 
They were metallic creatures with sharp fangs and evil-looking eyes. They chilled his soul to the very bone whenever he saw one. Starseer tried his hardest to avoid them through the day, making excuses that he had a stomachache and needed some fresh air, or to go order drinks for them at the crappy pizza restaurant inside the plex. Wherever he went, they always seemed to be watching him. Either the strange Teddy animatronic, peering at him from across the room, or the S.T.A.F.F bots yelling at him to take a map.
Starseer had always had anxiety issues, but the noises, the lights, and those . . . Things brought it to a whole different level. He felt sick by the time Sunrise wanted to go see the animatronics preform onstage, singing and doing “magic tricks”.
"Come on, come on, we're gonna miss them!" Sunrise hollered enthusiastically. He was covered in glow-in-the-dark bracelets and they covered just about every inch of him. Even in the dim lights, he was easy to find. 
Starseer swept his tail in and looked around, his mind already crowding itself with worry. "Please, Sunrise," he said, hardly a whisper, "Please, anything else." Personally, he liked the Daycare. It was run by a very sweet SeaWing, and it was usually nice and quiet in there. Especially during naptime, where he could finally read and relax in peace. 
"And miss out on this chance? NO WAY!" Sunrise started dragging Starseer, and the NightWing dug in his claws and hissed. He wanted to find his parents and tell them how much they scared him. How they made him feel. Surely then, they wouldn't bring him here again. 
"Sunrise, stop!" he pleaded, but his SandWing brother ignored him.
He wouldn’t listen.
They wouldn't listen.
Nobody ever listened.
As Starseer was pulled along to go see the show, he saw Teddy again out of the corner of his eye. Out of the hundred-and-one dragonets inside the Pizzaplex, Teddy was staring at him. Something inside Starseer just . . . snapped. He couldn’t take his brothers yabbering any longer. His eccentric attitude. I can't live with this anymore. In his head, he began to make a plan. One to finally be rid of his brother and his family, once and for all. The only problem was poor Eclipse, who felt like thorns in Starseer's heart. 
I'm sorry, sister.
Starseer tapped Sunrise on the shoulder as they were waiting and nodded up at the timer that had ten minutes counting down before the show started. "How about we slip out now to use the restroom, Sun?" He asked, softly. He knew his brother wouldn’t want to leave when the show was going on.
Sunrise smiled. "Finally over it all, brother?" He gave Starseer a hug, one he quickly batted away. "Come on!" He thought Starseer was finally warming up to the Plex. He was wrong. 
Starseer brought him down the stairs, to the restroom in the hall that led backstage. Before they could go inside, the NightWing held up a card he had swiped off a RainWing earlier in the day. "Check this out, Sunrise. It's your...hatching day present. From me." It was a backstage pass.
Sunrise hugged his brother and bounced up and down in excitement. "This is amazing, Starseer! Thank you, thank you so much!" Starseer fought the smirk as he fought Sunrise away him him.
"Follow me." Starseer led him backstage, far, far back. It was dark, so dark that Sunrise started to get audibly nervous and excited. 
"Is it some kind of surprise party?" he asked, trying to look around, "Gosh, it's do dark I can't see a thing!" Starseer ignored him and kept going. His night vision led him truly, heading towards the further corner he could get to. 
That was when Starseer pounced. He slammed his brother to the ground, holding his snout closed as his vision clouded with red. “I've HAD IT WITH YOU!" he snarled, silencing the SandWing's pleas. "You're ALWAYS the special one! You never let me do anything on MY OWN!" Sunrise tried to struggle, a whimpering coming from his clamped jaws, but he was smaller than Starseer. The NightWing wasn’t thinking straight, but he didn’t care. Something had gone to his head, maybe it was the anxiety, depression of being left out, or . . . Something else.
Starseer grabbed a metal cable and tied it around Sunrise’s neck, stuffing a cleaning cloth in his mouth to silence him. The SandWing frantically and suddenly tried to stab Starseer with his tail. Was it a trick? Survival instincts kicking in? Maybe a warning? Whatever the reason, the NightWing grabbed his tail and yanked it, hearing a snap and Sunrise shriek in pain.
Starseer had to move fast. The scream had been louder than expected. Quickly, he pulled the cable as tight as he could, and soon Sunrise's struggles became weak. Starseer stared at his twisting body, red eyes almost glowing in the darkness. "Good night, Sunrise," he whispered, almost sadistically. Sunrise tried to make a muffled, choked sound, but it was over. He was dead. 
As Starseer stood above Sunrise’s body, just starting to calm down, he heard talon steps behind him. Before he could move, or even turn around, heavy metal claws slammed into him and knocked him over.
Teddy lunged as the NightWing tried to get up. "What's-" Starseer couldn't finish his sentence as the metal beast and suddenly jabbed it's claw straight into his eye. Pain bolted through him, white-hot and agonizing, but he couldn't scream. It felt like his body was broken, almost. Immense pressure began to press on his chest, and Starseer felt something tear right into his chest. 
Breathing became difficult. Speaking was impossible. Even thinking was incoherent and painful. Eclipse . . . sweet, little . . . sorry . . . Sunrise . . . family . . . his thoughts faded to nothing as he couldn't breathe anymore. He saw darkness, but his body was still moving for now.
Almost calmly, Teddy had picked up the two bodies, shoving them into a prototype animatronic in the back stage and cleaning himself up just as the curtains opened and Fellily started announcing the animatronics onstage. Starseer still was there, hearing as the crowd cheered, feeling all his guilt catch up from the past few minutes as the world faded into black, then to nothing.
* * * * * * * * * *
Starseer looked down at his talons in shame. “I don’t know what came over me. To kill my brother—“ His voice caught. “I hate myself for it. I can’t believe what I did . . .”
Shatter’s eyes were wide. “Wow . . . That’s . . . I’m really sorry. For both of you.”
Sunrise smiled, waving his claw as if to brush off the thought. “Nah, it’s fine. It’s my fault, and . . . We all know it’s not Starseer who was in control. He can affect even the living.”
“We don’t need to be afraid of Afton any longer,” Kvita mentioned. “We can say his name. He’s dead. And plus, Sunny is right. Starseer, it’s not your fault.”
”We all did some . . . Questionable things when we were alive.” Caine put in. “There’s no going back now anyway.”
Shatter laughed. “Seeing as we’re dead . . .‘
Macaw snorted. “They’re all right. No reason to dwell on the past when all we have is the eternity to look for the future!” He spread his sunset-colored wings in emphasis.
Out of nowhere, Kvita pulled a bag of marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate. “S’mores, anyone?”
”Wait, what?!” Starseer exclaimed. “First of all, where did you get the marshmallows?” At this everyone laughed. “And second of all, you’re just brushing off the fact that I killed both me AND my brother?”
Roc nodded. “Looks like you’re not a complete idiot, at least you can track conversations!”
Alligator bonked Roc over the head for her comment. “What of it?” He asked Star.
Starseer shook his head, his shoulders shaking in a bit with suppressed tears and giggles. “I don’t deserve you guys.”
”Darn straight you don't, but we're here anyway!” Kitva exclaimed, sticking her marshmallow on the end of a stick and holding it over the fire. “Who's next?”
Nobody seemed to be volunteering. Shatter would, if not for the fact that everyone already knew his story. Well, they at least know half of it. Maybe I do still have some to share . . .
Caine stood after a moment of awkward silence and Alligator’s marshmallow catching on fire. “I’ll share next, i-if nobody else wants to.”
== Memorials - Chica’s Story ==
Caine tapped her talons together a little nervously. "Want a marshmallow while you talk?" Kvita asked, already tossing her one. The tan SeaWing caught it and muttered a 'thanks', chewing on it while she thought of what to say. Where do I even start with my story? 
"If you don't want to, Caine, then maybe I could?" Delta offered. Alligator suddenly yelped as he lit another marshmallow on fire, and Caine stifled a giggle.
"No, no, I can do this. Thanks, though, Delta," she said with a smile. "Okay. Here goes nothing . . . "
* * * * * * * * * *
Caine's life had never been the happiest for her. One would think that having all of the money and power she could want would make her more than happy. But she was the opposite of happy. It was such a stupid word to her. Happy. The thing I will never be, will I?
Her life had always just been one giant mess. Her parents were too busy to give her the attention she desired. In school, all of her friends were hollow, joining her for popularity and money before dipping out as soon as things got messy. Now, alone in her life, she had been spiraling without anyone for guidance. The only ones she remembered were an older sister that she never saw anymore, and a friendly animatronic dragon she'd met so many years ago.
And now, I get to see him again, she thought, clutching her letter of acceptance to her chest. It was a strange feeling, knowing that her life could finally be looking up. After all, it was only a few years ago that she'd . . . 
Caine looked away from the mirror she'd been studying. The scar over her neck that would never heal, that scarred more than just her scales. It had scarred her mind, just the knowledge and memory alone of what she'd almost done. Her tan scales had been soaked with blood that night, when she'd stabbed herself. It had been a desperate attempt to escape the pain of her life. It had almost worked, too, and Caine wondered what would have happened if she had succeeded. 
But I didn't really want to, she thought. I'm glad it failed. Dragging herself out of those thoughts was hard, but one way to do that was by heading to her brand new job, of course! She'd been scoping out the pizzeria for weeks now, doing internships and shadowing employees, desperate to finally have a place of her own. To finally fit in with the rest of the functional world. Plus, she'd finally get to see Bonnie again, one of the few dragons she'd felt close to. Even if he was a robot. 
She double-checked her bag of supplies. Her uniform (a cap, a cape with the logo on it, and a badge), a flashlight, first aid kit, and a basic mechanical repair kit. She recited the rules in her head. Check for disturbances in the pizzeria or in the animatronics. If there are small problems, fix them. If there are big problems, do not try and fix them myself, contact emergency management or leave a note. If there is an intruder, restrain them until I can contact the Leaf-Silk guards. 
Caine smiled and eagerly headed out of her small home. I'll get a bigger one, now that I have an actual job, she thought to herself, doing loops in the air. It wasn't far to reach her job, since she did live only a few minutes from it, but it was enough to feel the crisp wind against her scales and enjoy the twinkling stars far overhead, lit by moonlight. As she touched down outside of the building, she quickly put on her uniform. "Alright. Real world, I'm here."
As she stepped inside, a small beep sounded that told her the alarm was on. It activated if the door was opened by anyone, but not by movement inside the building. Otherwise, it'd be going off all night if the animatronics happened to twitch and move a little. 
Caine punched the code into the alarm and reset it once she was inside. Flicking on her flashlight, she looked around and nodded to herself. Alright. I can do this! Real job, here I . . . Her thoughts trailed off as she saw the shadows move. “Who’s there?” Cain demanded. She let out a sigh of relief as the janitor peeked out of the kitchen. 
The SkyWing smiled at her and waved, walking out with her mop on her back. “Hey there! New night guard, correct? The name’s Fletching.” 
Caine nodded nervously. “Um, yeah? I-er-I’m new here. Yep, first day.” She adjusted her hat. “Are you heading out for the night?” 
Fletching nodded back at her, emerald eyes searching Caine. “Mhm. Good luck, newbie! Oh, I never caught your name.” 
”Caine.” The SeaWing replied quietly. 
Fletching waved over her shoulder and exited the building, twirling her mop like it was a weapon. Caine watched her go, shivering. She was now alone, at night, her first night on her new job. Caine turned and searched though the building until she came to the night shift office. The two doors on either side of the room were large and metallic, and there was a button on either wall to close the doors. She brushed her claws against one of the buttons, and the door slammed down with enough force to make her jump. That could probably snap bones, easy. Better steer clear of them. 
Opening the door again, she lightly tapped the screen of the small computer that was set up for her. It blinked to life, shoving a live camera feed of the main stage area. "Ugh, these lenses need a serious cleaning," Caine said, realizing how grayed-out the footage was. Static and a constant buzz muffled what she could gather, but what she saw on the main stage made her smile. 
It was the animatronics, of course, save for Foxfire, which Caine always thought was a stupid name for the SkyWing-like animatronic. But there, on the stage, through the dirty lens, she could see the stars. An older model of Teddy sat on the stage, flanked by two fresher, newer models of Chica and Bonnie (though, only the Bonnie one had been activated). The one that Caine loved the most, Bonnie, was here, and now she had him at her clawtips. Cautiously, she peeked out the halls, and shrugged. Surely there'd be no intruders. Teddy's was just a small, family-owned diner, not some big thing yet, though Afton had plans to expand. 
Caine took her flashlight and illuminated the dark halls, heading down them. Can't hurt just to look a little. Maybe I can even turn him on and talk for a little. The only positive influence I ever had. Eventually, she came to the main stage, but didn't see Bonnie. The shiny, inactive Chica model was there, the tan scales eerily close to Caine's own, and the Freddy model stood ready to go. But the soft purple casing of her friend wasn't to be seen. "Bonnie?" she called out softly. The noise echoed in the silence, and her only response was the sound of creaking wood and grinding gears. 
Moving around a bit more, Caine remembered a warning she'd received; The kitchen camera didn't work. Well, she was already out and about, and she was good with technology. Finding her way to the kitchen wasn't even hard, since there was an awful lot of pans clattering and dishes being moved and in general, noise. Wait a second. Nobody should be in the kitchen! Caine realized with a start, and she began to run. Bursting into the kitchen, she held her flashlight up and flared her wings, flashing her glowing scales. 
"Freeze and put your talons in the air!" she shouted. In the beam of the flashlight, she could see the culprit. It was none other than Bonnie himself. Caine slowly lowered her flashlight, but remained illuminated, bathing the room with a pale, eerie glow. "Oh, it's you!" She smiled and rushed forwards to give Bonnie a hug, one which he embraced. 
"Been a while since I've seen you, huh?" he said, smiling. "I remember when you were a wee little hatchling, coming here on field trips or with your parents." Caine flinched, and Bonnie seemed to understand. "Oh, apologies. I do not wish to make you feel unwelcomed." 
"As much as I want to talk," Caine began, "Shouldn't you be powered down right now? Like Teddy and Foxfire?" She cocked her head, and Bonnie laughed. 
"We get a little restless, what can I say? I guess I should head back to my stage, shouldn't I?" 
She rolled her eyes. "Well, of course. Come on, walk and talk." She waved her talon and turned towards the door, smiling as she aimed her flashlight up again. The beam shone down the hallway, but stopped as it lit up the dark brown casing of a certain dragon-bear animatronic. "Teddy?" Caine asked, confused. "You should be on your stage." She peered into the darkness past Teddy's shoulder and even saw the rusty red of Foxfire. "Why are you both active?" And if they're active, where the hell is Chica? 
Without warning, Teddy stepped forwards and Caine stepped back. "Hey, watch it!" she snapped. "This is a pretty cramped space, y'know! All of you, get back on your stage!" Caine hissed, getting defensive without realizing it. They know their programming, so what gives?! Teddy took another step, and Foxfire walked into the room. Caine backed up around the island counter in the room, Teddy and Foxfire ahead and Bonnie to her left. 
Before she could react, Teddy reached out and shoved Caine, causing her to stumble and fall with a yell. The flashlight slipped from her talons and skidded across the floor, coming to a stop directly facing her and nearly blinding her at several angles. Caine grunted, trying to get up, but a hard metal lump pressed on her back and kept her down. "She's a threat to us," a deep voice like Teddy's said. 
"Aye," another agreed. "Bonnie, lad, do the honors." Caine forced her head up to look and see the soft purple animatronic reaching towards the knife rack. 
"Bonnie? BONNIE?!" Caine screamed, straining to keep her head up. Against her will, Teddy flipped her onto her back and pinned her. Caine's breathing became rapid as she saw Bonnie grab the largest cleaving knife she'd ever seen. "Bonnie, whatever you're about to do, think about this," Caine pleaded. "Please, we're—" Teddy silenced her before she could finish. Caine tried to thrash, realizing her life was on the line. No. No, this can't be! I was just getting my life together! NO! 
Teddy and Foxfire pinned Caine so that her chest was wide and exposed. Bonnie held the cleaver, unfeeling eyes sunk into her plastic head. Caine's heart pounded wildly in her chest, and she could see her own panicked reflection in the blade. Then, Bonnie brought the knife down, sinking it deep into Caine's chest so that blood spilled and bones snapped. She tried to scream, but her snout was still clamped. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she writhed in pain, but Bonnie repeatedly brought the knife up and plunged it in again. Caine watched as her vision started to dance, blur, spin around, until Bonnie reached into her chest and tore out a still-beating bloody heart. Seconds later, the world cut to nothing. 
When she opened her eyes, Caine felt . . . taller. She knew the building well, she was slumping on the stage. Weird, she thought as she stood up, hearing mechanical whirring as she did. What? Caine looked down at herself and almost screamed. She wasn't herself anymore. She was looking at tan and white plastic, elegantly designed. The neon sign outside flared to life as dawn broke, and Caine felt her memories slipping away. No, NO, NO NO NO! She doubled over and grabbed her head, but it was far too late for her. 
She calmly stood back up, flexing her talons, and smiled. Showtime! She thought, looking beside her and seeing two of her best friends—Teddy and Bonnie. "Ready, guys?" 
"Always ready, Chica." 
* * * * * * * * * * 
By the time she finished, everyone was slack-jawed and wide-eyed. Caine shuffled awkwardly and used her wings to hide herself a little. "I was stupid to think they were my friends," she said with a sigh. 
"You weren't stupid," Shatter offered, popping a marshmallow into his mouth from the other side of the fire. "You said it yourself. Bonnie was the only positive influence you had." 
Kvita tilted her head beside Shatter. "So, your name is Caine, right?" she asked. "Didn't you attend some fancy school when you were younger?" 
"Yeah, why?" Caine asked, confused. That wasn't relevant to the conversation, but Kvita's eyes lit up and she jumped to her talons. 
"No wonder you looked so familiar! Caine, we were in the same school!" 
Caine blinked, but it made sense. The pale blue dragonet with the nerdy glasses, obsessed with the stars and with the weird NightWing parents. "I mean," Kvita suddenly said, "You were a lot older than me, but you were so popular! You've been inside Chica this entire time and I didn't know?" 
"I didn't know either!" Caine said, flaring her wings. "Kvita, I always wanted to have friends like you did. You had a few and you seemed really close with them. You always had good grades, and I remember being in Chica when you visited the Pizzaplex." 
Delta suddenly chimed in and said, "So you worked at the old place, Caine? Weird. I wonder if we can piece together a timeline of which ones of us came first . . . I mean, I was the first," he said, a little sheepishly. "Then probably Hare and Lichen, Macaw, Alligator, Kvita, Shatter, maybe?" 
Shatter tilted his head, but Alligator suddenly leapt up. "That's completely impossible and you know it, Delta! You and Caine tortured me for hours before you finally killed me!" his nostrils were flared and he was roaring, but he didn't care. 
Roc held Caine back before she stood and shouted something angrily. The SeaWing plopped back down and glared at Alligator. 
" . . . Wanna talk about it?" Macaw asked, arching his neck in the weird way Caine had always seen SkyWings do. Alligator rolled his eyes, but nodded and stood up. 
== Deadly Waters - Alligator's Story ==
“Before you do,” Caine hissed, “We owe Shatter an explanation. Hare and Lichen—they are—were the dragonets used for Foxfire and Bonnie. In the old restaurant. I know for sure that Bonnie was crushed with the rest of them, and Foxfire died before that. He was fried completely when the mechanics tried to upgrade his casing and salvage him from the old diner. But . . . They’re not here, so I don’t know where they might be.”
Delta looked down at his claws in shame. “They’re some of the only ones I remember k-killing. Besides Caine, Alligator, and Shatter.” He shuddered, eyes hollow and scared.
Roc stood before Alligator could protest. “I’ll go looking for Hare and Lichen. I think I already know Alligator’s story—I was there. Anyways, if they’re ghosts, then they should be able to be here too. We’re brought together by a common enemy, so why not?”
Macaw waved as Roc jumped into the sky and soared away.
”Now if everyone is done interrupting,” Alligator rolled his eyes again. “Then I’ll get on with it.”
* * * * *
Alligator swiped at his temples, the sweat sticky against his scales and not doing nearly enough to cool him off as he balanced the stacks of wood on his back. For the past year, he'd been hard at work to help build the brand new Mega Pizzaplex on Pantala, and it was finally almost finished. "All these years of construction," he muttered, his voice far deeper than other dragonets his age. "And I still can't make a living out of it." 
Growing a little frustrated by this new train of thought, Alligator lowered his wings and let the wood slide off, piling around him as he grumbled. His entire life, from hatching alone in that mud hut, to being adopted only to be abandoned once again, and now his hard work just to be yelled at every now and again. And for what?! He thought, growling a bit. Building a place I'll never be able to go to?! Somewhere for others to enjoy my hard work?!
With a sudden roar, he raised his talons up into fists and slammed them into the wood, shattering the boards like they were made of nothing but paper. Wood splinters scattered around him as he did so, and he was panting from his anger. "What's the point?!" He shouted into the empty night air, "Why should I have to do this when I'll never even meet the robots!" He sighed and sat down, closing his eyes and letting his wings droop to his sides.
I'm still all alone. I'm always alone. That's how it has been, how it is, and how it will be. His job at the construction site was rather simple, just having to haul materials and sometimes give things to the adults. After all, he was so young. He knew a few of animatronics had been shipped from a smaller diner a few weeks ago, sitting in a layer of protective stuff (he didn't know what it was), so pristine and lined up neatly by the building. Two or three were already in parts and service. Soon, the rest of them would be moved inside and activated, able to entertain other dragonets. 
Everyone but me, Alligator bitterly thought again. It just wasn't fair. He wouldn't be allowed into the Pizzaplex, even though he helped build the entire thing. It was stupid, and it made him so frustrated. “Raised poor, lives poor, worth nothing,” He muttered, remembering his last parents conversation the night he was abandoned. “I’m so over this.” Flinging out his wings, Alligator jumped into the air and swooped into the unfinished Pizzaplex’s gaping hole in the roof that was the only thing not done. 
“HA.” His voice echoed through the empty halls. “Take THAT. I’m inside! Hah!” He smiled and paced around. Alligator suddenly stopped and squinted down the hallway. A light was on in the parts and service room. That’s not right, Alligator thought. We haven’t even put lights into that room yet! Slowly making his way down the hall, he picked up a large piece of wood with a nail sticking out of the end and crept silently towards the room. He ducked low to the ground, brushing his underbelly along the dusty floors, and peeked into the room.
One of the animatronics were active. Wait, what? Alligator did a double-take. Sure, they’re stored in parts and service, but . . . We haven’t run electricity here yet! How? Slinking behind a mechanical desk, he peered at the Chica animatronic. The lights under its wings were glowing eerily. 
Chica unscrewed the panel in her arm, tail twitching behind her as her heat sensors detected Alligator in the room. Chica placed nails and screws into the launchers in her wrists used for confetti, a smirk growing on her mechanical face.
A loud bang rang out as Alligator leapt out from hiding and smashed the board into Chica’s head, splintering wood everywhere. He roared and let out a torrent of fire breath, scorching Chica’s wing. “THAT is for screwing around back here!” he thundered, his rage at the world overcoming his rational. “Come here you big robot and let me snap your arms off!” He swung the plintered wood board again, but Chica caught it and stared him down.
”Target acquired.” The animatronic flicked up her wrist as she grabbed Alligator’s neck, holding him in the air. Nails and screws fired out of her wrists, driving into Alligator’s stomach. 
Biting back a scream, he blew one last blast of fire onto Chica’s arm. Dropping him, Chica closed the door with her tail and shoved a huge metal desk in front of it. With a crazed grin, She pounced. Alligator rolled under her, grabbing a wrench and going to hammer it onto her tail before she moved out of the way. From the darkness, two more orange eyes appeared, and the Teddy animatronic loomed over him.
Oh no. Alligator screamed as Teddy cornered him and clamped his snout shut, holding him off the ground as Chica grinned. Put me down! I don’t want to die! I CAN’T die! NO!! Alligator thrashed and grunted, clawing at Teddy who looked positively bored.
”Hold the pipsqueak, Chica,” Teddy said robotically. “There’s a spare endoskeleton in the back, already wired.”
Chica nodded. “Can I kill him?”
Teddy sighed, a grating, crusty noise. “Do whatever you want, just keep him alive.” With that, Teddy dropped Alligator onto the ground and started tinkering with an endoskeleton.
”What happened to your programming?!” Alligator cried, hot tears streaming down his face. “Aren’t you just—lifeless monsters?!” He snapped.
Chica flared her wings and backed him into a corner. “What do YOU think?” She flexed her claws and slammed him towards the ground. Alligator's legs grew weak and he collapsed, blacking out only for a bit until Chica continued her assault.
Pain. Alligator screamed. Chica dug her claws into his belly, eyes flashing in glee. As she ripped his wings to shreds she waited until the pain became numb only to twist and break and claw and snap again. Alligator tried fighting back, he even made a dent in Chica’s head. But it wasn’t enough. As Teddy screwed the last few plates of waterproof casing onto the animatronic, Chica pinned Alligator.
Alligator screamed again, only to cough up blood.
”You make far too much noise,” Chica giggled sadistically. “Let’s fix that.” She wrenched open his snout, breaking his jaw and digging her claw into his mouth. With a swift pull, Alligator blacked out. Chica clawed him awake seconds later. “Put your HEART into it, Alligator. Scream if you dare. If you do, put all of you into it. This part—“ She held up his severed tongue. “—That part,” She tore off a chunk of his tail. “And that part of you over on the wall over there.” She nodded towards a puddle of blood.
Alligator’s head lulled. His vision focused and unfocused. Blood streamed out of his mouth. Chica stared him directly in the eyes and dropped in on the ground, wallowing in his suffering. 
“That’s enough, Chica,” Alligator heard Teddy say.
”He’s not dead YET!” Chica snickered.
Teddy snarled. “I SAID that’s ENOUGH. Kill him.”
Chica sighed, rolling her eyes and looking down at Alligator. “Alright.” She rolled his limp body onto his back and neatly sliced open his stomach from his throat to his tail and pulled it open. She thrust her claws in, and pulled out. As she did, everything snapped to black.
What felt like an eternity passed. Alligator whimpered in pain. Everything hurt so much . . . His eyes fluttered open. What . . . Happened? He looked around the neon green and purple room, then wandered to a mirror on the wall. Staring back at him, he saw a big greenish-brown MudWing animatronic. He had darker spots, and purple shoulder pads with a yellow, jagged underbelly. A small tuft of silky fake fur sat atop his head, and he had unique black gloves and studded armbands. 
No. No, this can’t be. NO NO NO! He scrambled away from the mirror, terrified. Frantically, Alligator turned, looking for something—anything to make sense of what was happening. He shrieked in terror as his mind started being pulled away, bit by horrible bit as if a talon of ice was ripping his memories apart. Clutching his head, Alligator screamed one last time before everything faded away.
A SandWing dragonet pushed open the door to his studio. Alligator smiled welcomingly. “Hey there, Superstar!”
* * * * *
Everyone looked at Alligator in horror. Stunned, shocked silence filled the night air.
Kvita swallowed. “Alligator . . . I’m so sorry . . .”
”I don’t need your pity,” The MudWing replied harshly. “It’s my own stupid fault.”
Macaw’s wings turned bright pale green and Shatter suddenly yelped. “You’re a RainWing?”
”Part RainWing, but that’s not the point,” Macaw said shakily. “Caine, how could you DO that to Alligator?”
Shatter then noticed the tears streaming like a river out of Caine’s eyes. She rubbed at her face, but they kept coming. “I-I d-d-didn’t mean t-to,” Caine whispered. “I-It wasn’t m-e-e-e!” She dissolved into heartbroken tears, sobbing into her wings and shaking uncontrollably.
Alligator looked shocked. “C-Caine, what—what are you doing?”
”She’s crying, nitwit,” Starseer snapped. “What does it look like?”
”Well—“ Alligator walked over to where she was sitting. “Caine?”
Caine wailed, “I’m sorry!” Through her tears and flinched away from Alligator, who reached his talon out to console her.
Kvita stood up and wrapped Caine in her wing. “It’s okay, Caine. It’s not your fault.”
”Yes it is!” Caine cried, her breath quick and shuddering. She rubbed her eyes and shook her head, backing away from the fire. “If I-I h-had control of my a-anger issues f-f-for once, he would have been a-a-able to escape!” She looked positively horrified at what she had done.
Shatter stood and cleared his throat, quieting everyone as they talked over one another. “Guys!” He exclaimed. “Why are we bickering about this! I did far worse than any of you! In total, I killed every single one of you here. Why aren’t you going after me for actually doing the killing?"
"Because you freed us," Caine heard Delta mutter, poking at the ground. Shatter seemed not to hear as he continued.
"Caine is clean, the blood isn’t on her talons. It’s on mine and Afton’s.”
Everyone fell into complete silence after that. Macaw ruffled his wings awkwardly, and even Sunrise looked like he didn’t have anything to say, for a first.
”So . . .” Kvita said quietly, breaking the silence, “Who’s going next?”
== Birds of a Feather - Fellily’s Story ==
Sunrise shot a mischievous look at Kvita. "Well, you could go, sillyhead!" The SandWing got up and poked at Kvita, and she recoiled.
"Perhaps mine is not the . . . best after what we've heard," she said, sweeping her tail closer to her. "Either way, kindly back away, Sunny. You know how much I hate being hot!"
Sunrise, in response, tackle-hugged Kvita with a laugh. "SUNNY, I AM GOING TO BITE YOU!" Kvita shouted, trying to push him away, but she was smiling and laughing. She was happy. 
Macaw watched, knowing it was something he strived to be. Watching Sunrise and Kvita tussle was adorable in a way he couldn't exactly pinpoint, but he didn't dare try and stop it. It looked like they were having fun.
Eventually, Starseer and Shatter looked at each other with a nod. "Enough, you two. It's still storytime," Starseer said, gently working to untangle Sunrise. Shatter was doing the same, except he was working to untangle Kvita. Once the IceWing and SandWing were apart, Kvita still stuck her tongue out at Sunrise, and he responded similarly. 
"Speaking of," Macaw said, finally joining the conversation, "I could go next, if no one else minds." The other dragonets looked at each other and nodded. After him, there would just be Delta, Roc, and Kvita. Almost as if the thought summoned her, Roc descended down. 
"Did I miss anything? I saw those two idiots fighting from above," she said with a playful smirk, pointing her tail at Kvita and Sunrise. Fellily smiled and waved his talon.
"Nah, I was gonna say what happened to me next." Roc grinned and settled down, folding her talons neatly. Macaw took a deep breath, in and out. You can do this, Macaw . . .
* * * * *
Macaw tucked himself into one of daycare's many slides, holding his breath. His ears flicked, the only sound being the blood rushing in them and the occasional laugh outside. Please, I can't be found, he thought, closing his eyes for a second. His wings felt awfully cramped, but it was the only way to be safe. Everyone else had chosen spots that were high-up, out of reach, desperate not to be caught, but he was sure his slide hiding place would work. 
The sound of a scream caused him to wake up and he risked a look out one of the holes of the slides. He didn't see who had caused the scream, only the very thing he was trying to avoid looking around intently. Macaw pulled his face back quickly, hoping they hadn't seen his eye looking out. Surely not. I mean, they can't have that good eyesight, right? 
He heard claws scrabbling at the base of the slide. Silently, he prayed it was just another dragonet. Please, say it's not them, he thought. As the sound got louder, his muscles tensed. Macaw wasn't sure if he should run or not. It could save him, or it could completely expose him. In the end, he chose to stay put, and was full of regret as someone grabbed his tail, pulling him out of the slide.
"Gotcha!" the someone shouted. Macaw yelled, but light hit his scales and he turned to look at them. It was the Mud-Sand hybrid he'd been playing hide-and-seek with, though he hadn't asked her name yet. "You're the first one again!" she said cheerily. Macaw looked down at his talons. Again? I can't be that bad at hiding, can I? 
"Alright," he said, sitting upright. "I'll help find the other-OOF!" Someone slid down the slide and pushed him off, the three dragonets tumbling together. 
"Oops, sorry!" the newcomer said, giggling. It was another one who was playing hide-and-seek, a SeaWing named Algae. "Guess I've been found, huh?" Macaw smiled and nodded, gently tapping him on the snout.
The dragonets made quick work finding three of the four remaining hiders. The two LeafWings were hiding together in the structure as well, and the IceWing was in a pile of pillows on the ground. The other Sand-MudWing, however, remained to be found. As they all regrouped, the original seeker sighed. "It's my brother again. SLATE!" She shouted, suddenly causing everyone to jump. "SLATE, YOU WIN, COME ON!" 
Macaw sighed. "Did we check behind the security desk? I know Sundrop says we shouldn't go back there, but maybe your brother didn't listen." Without waiting, he walked over to check, and as expected, Sundrop was on him in a flash of golden scales. He picked Macaw up gently and hugged him close, laughing nervously.
"H-Hey, don't go over there, now, friend-o! We don't wanna get in t-trouble, now do we?" He smiled and moved back towards the play structure, putting Macaw down and patting him on the head. "Go on, play with your friends!"
Macaw rolled his eyes and watched as Sundrop walked away. Then he stopped. “Slate?” 
He could have sworn that he saw movement behind the desk. Macaw ruffled his wings and looked back. Algae was distracting Sundrop by accidentally knocking things over. If he was going to look for Slate, now would be the time. He jumped up onto the desk and looked behind it. His eyes widened as he saw a dragon scrubbing at the floor—witch was stained red. 
The dragon looked up. She was a RainWing teenager, with long wings and stubby horns. “Wh—SUNDROP!” 
Macaw quickly took one last glance and spread his abnormally huge wings. As Sundrop turned, eyes large in anger, Macaw leapt off the counter and glided away as his thoughts took a moment to proscess. Wait . . . That was blood. Slate?! He knew the look of blood. He knew it all too well. He cried out and leapt into the air again, frantically scaling the play structures from the outside as he started to flash back. 
~~~ 
No . . . Macaw opened his eyes and was surrounded by the scene once more. Police swarmed his home. His father was weeping silently. Holding Macaw’s three siblings beneath his wings. Macaw stared down at the crime scene he was now standing in. Blood pooled out around his talons, and he stared at his mother lying dead on the ground as the police tried to restrain a male IceWing who was shouting incoherently, trying to keep hold of a butcher knife as the police tazed him. Macaw looked down at his mother again. A gaping knife wound was in her shoulder and throat, her mouth open in an unending silent scream. Her eyes were wide open, terror filling the glassy surfaces as the last life leaked out of her. Macaw’s father pulled him back as the police placed a plastic sheet over Macaw’s mother, and everything faded to black. 
~~~ 
”Macaw! Macaw, wake up!” 
Macaw opened his eyes. He opened his mouth as pain shot through him, trying to scream, but only a weak chirp came out. Algae stood over Macaw, in almost complete darkness. “It’s okay,” The SeaWing said quietly, bathing Macaw in a teal-green light. “You—you fell from the very top of the tallest tower of the playground. You were running from Sundrop, and then your eyes went blank and you just . . .” He shuddered. “You fell. It’s a miracle you aren’t dead.” 
Tears streamed from Macaw’s eyes. “It . . . Hurts,” He squeaked out. He tried to move, but it hurt so much he slumped back down. “Where . . ?” 
Algae shivered. “I don’t know. Sundrop corralled all of us after the accident, and sent us all to parts and service to wait for an ambulance to arrive. The lights flicked out, and now . . . He’s Moondrop. I hid to watch what he was doing while all of the others went away. He dragged you into this room, so I followed. If you can move, I can get us out of here! I don’t think Moon actually called an ambulance . . .” He trailed off. 
Macaw nodded. I have to be brave. Dad would want me to. “It’s . . . Kind of numb now . . .” He grunted and hauled himself up on his arms. His back legs and wings lay splayed out, unable to move. 
Algae nodded. “I’ll go look ahead. If you can follow me, we can go find an adult!” He quietly opened the door ahead of him and peered out. Moondrop was over by the playground, swiping in thin air. “Weird . . . Come on!” Algae hissed. 
Macaw crawled forward, wincing as pain shot through his spine and gave him a pounding headache. He followed Algae slowly, stopping once every yard or so to get a breath. Macaw suddenly let out a yelp of pain as a stack of boxes fell onto his wings. 
Moondrop’s head snapped their direction, his smile growing wider. He was upon Algae in seconds, pounding his head on the wall as the dragonet screamed. The shrill noise was abruptly cut off as Moondrop bit into his neck, killing the SeaWing. Macaw screamed and tried to crawl away, dragging himself helplessly as Moondrop loomed over him. 
The animatronic stomped on his tail and pinned down Macaw, cackling robotically. With one swift movement, Moondrop bit down into his stomach and shook him like a crocodile. Blood trickled out of the wound as Macaw hit the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. “No!” He screamed as Moondrop pinned him again, and picked him up by the arm. 
Staring Macaw directly in the eyes, Moondrop snapped both of his arm bones in half. Macaw screamed, but no sound came out. Moondrop dropped him onto the ground with a smile. “Petty little creature.” Moondrop ripped him in half, savoring the dragonet’s terror before the hybrid fell limp. 
The last thing Macaw saw was Algae’s lifeless eyes staring at him as his own life faded away. 
~~~ 
Rebooting . . . Rebooting in Primal Mode. Primal Mode activated. 
Macaw’s eyes opened. Instantly he felt wires and nails stabbing into his scales, electricity coursing through his veins, and metal pressing in on him. He roared. The technicians in front of him yelped, and one tossed a metal loop around his neck, shouting something before trying to tug him to the ground. Macaw writhed, anger flooding him as his memories slipped away. As his metal talons cut through the loop, he felt himself glitch. Everything faded to black as the dragons held him down and opened the plate on his head. 
Safe mode ac-C-t-I-V-ateedddddd . . . 
* * * * * 
Starseer’s eyes were wide. “Oh . . . I’m so sorry, Macaw . . .” 
Macaw’s wings were faded into a deep sad blue. “No, it’s fine. I lived with that PTSD for a while before . . . I died.” 
"No, no, it's not fine what I did to you and that SeaWing," he said, closing his eyes and looking down. "To everyone else. You all had lives ahead of you, and-" 
"Hey, Starry, cheer up!" Sunrise interrupted, putting his wing around his brother. "It's okay. No hard feelings between any of us, okay?" Kvita was the first to nod, and before long, they'd all agreed on that. "See? Much better!" 
Starseer gave a soft smile and looked at Macaw. He knew what he did could change Starseer's emotion for the better or worse. I can do this. It's alright now. I'm okay. Putting on a smile, he made some of his wing yellow and gave a nod. Starseer perked up and leaned into Sunrise gratefully. 
All of them had crazy stories. At first Macaw was worried his would be weird, but hearing all the others so far, it was right at home. This was somewhere he could finally belong, with his old foes now friends. "I would suggest you two go next," he said, pointing at the SandWing and NightWing, "But you've already gone. Volunteers?" Macaw spread his wings a bit, and Kvita shrugged. 
"I could go now, but Roc's been awfully quiet. Something you want to say?" she asked, popping another marshmallow into her mouth. Someone, despite how much they ate from it and how many they roasted, the bag never seemed to empty a bit. Macaw was astounded, but didn't want to question it. Maybe I can pull something I want up later . . . 
The Night-Leaf hybrid pulled her wings in a bit. "Listen, just because Wolfy was such a vain and prideful jerk doesn't mean that I am," she said quietly, glaring at Kvita. 
"Then prove me wrong!" she said cheerily, undaunted. "Let's hear what your story was!" 
Roc gave a sly smile and nodded. "Alright then. But I get to say 'I told you so' when it's over." 
"Deal." 
== The Lone Wolf - Wolfy's Story ==
“Before we begin,” Shatter said. “Did you find Lichen and Hare?”
Roc shook her head. “No, I didn’t . . . The strange thing is, I feel like they’re here. But . . . They’re not.”
”I have that feeling too,” Caine admitted. “Like we’re b-being watched.”
Kitva shrugged. “So what if we are? They have as much right to know as we all do.”
”True,” Sunrise chirped. “I can’t wait to meet them if they ARE here!” Starseer face-palmed.
Shatter smiled a bit. "I mean, I don't know them, but it would be nice to meet them, I guess."
Roc turned in a circle and sat down, gazing into the fire. “Well, here goes nothing. It all started on my parent’s anniversary . . .”
* * * * *
Roc sat in the living room of her Leaf Kingdom hut, giggling as she played with a scavenger on the ground. The tiny thing squeaked and chirped affectionately as it sat on Roc’s head, patting her. She laughed and reached up, gently tickling the scavenger with her claw. The small creature squeaked, and Roc thought it almost sounded like it was laughing. "Oh, Lily," Roc said, sighing and spreading her wings out beside her. "You're the best pet I could ever want." 
”Roc!” Her mother called from the other room, interrupting the dragonet and her playmate. Roc lifted her head, but didn't have a chance to respond. “Roc, we’re going to see your father!” 
The hybrid dragonet sighed, feeling a bit dejected. She hadn't liked her father, her parents having divorced shortly after she hatched, and she almost never saw him. When she did see him, the NightWing seemed far more interested in pushing Roc and her brother around, and she just could never love him. Growing up in such a broken home had been hard, especially now that her brother had joined the LeafWing army and had left her life only a few months ago. The wound in her heart from not seeing him in so long was still fresh and bleeding. 
"Do I have to?" Roc squeaked quietly, trying not to sound too annoyed as she did. "Why don't we wait a few more months until Strangler comes back?" 
"We have no idea if your brother is coming back any time soon," her mother said, suddenly stepping into the room. Roc tried not to look too surprised as she scrambled to a sitting position, snapping her wings up to her sides and looking up at her mother the way she wanted Roc to. The dark green scales made her smile as she saw them, despite the fear of her mom snapping at her. Those huge wings that would wrap her in a hug so long ago, a hug Roc dreamed of having again. And the silver scales like freckles all over her body that caught the light in odd ways. 
Normally, Roc and her mother would smile when they saw each other, but now only Roc smiled. "I'm sure he'll be back soon-" 
"Stop it, Roc. You're coming with me," she reached out and grabbed Roc's talon, but then let go of it. "We're dropping you off at some daycare while we try to reconnect. Now put that damn scavenger away and let's go!" She snapped. Roc sighed, slipping on her neck pouch and placing her scavenger, Lily, inside. She felt slightly scared, but still loved her mother. Why won't she love me back anymore? 
Roc stretched out, spreading her wings before fully getting up. "Alright, then. I'm coming, Ma.” 
”It’s not Ma, it’s—“ 
”Right, right, It’s Navy.” Roc hissed. She had been getting suspicions for the last few months about . . . Something going on with her mom. She seemed to be distancing herself more and more, snapping more at Roc and talking less. She never tucked Roc in at night anymore, and was hardly around. She never hugged her, or touched snouts, or even seemed to show a glimpse that she loved Roc anymore. 
Swallowing hard and pushing that dark thought aside, they jumped out of the house, flying above the trees and towards the coast. Roc was quickly getting tired. She hated flying for long, and this was a longer flight than she'd ever done. Normally, Navy would have suggested they stop, but she kept flying in a grim silence. Roc was too scared to say anything, so she toughed through the soreness. Soon they reached a small diner in the HiveWing Queendom, and they touched down. 
A neon sign buzzed in the light of the setting sun, showing a happy-looking dragon with a top hat and a friendly smile on their face. Beneath it, words glared bright blue and red against the orange-pink sky. "Teddy's Family Diner?" Roc asked, echoing the words on the sign. "Isn't it a bit late for a place like this?" 
Navy pressed some coins into Roc’s claw and shook her head, ignoring Roc's concern. “Your father, um, wanted to meet me first. If things go well, then we’ll come back here. If they don't, then I'll come back here." She smiled, but Roc could see through it. It was nothing more than a fake smile, one Navy put on to seem caring. "While you wait, play some games or whatever. Maybe you could order something to eat, too.” 
"But . . . what if-" 
"Just stop it, Roc. It will be fine." Navy leaned down and gave Roc a hasty nudge with her snout, the first time she'd done it in forever. Roc was so stunned, that as her mother leapt back into the air and left, she didn't say a word. 
It will be fine, she thought, confused and scared. Mom would never lie. 
Roc sighed and placed Lily on her shoulder, patting the scavenger as it squeaked uneasily. "I know, I know," Roc said, with another sigh, "But it shouldn't be long. Mom will come back." Taking a deep breath, Roc then pushed open the doors of Teddy’s diner. She stepped inside and was greeted by a closing restaurant. Dragons were finishing up eating various dishes, mainly pizza, and everyone was starting to file out. The arcade in the back was nearly entirely empty, and Roc couldn't see a dragonet in sight. There were animatronics on a stage, the four of them slumped over and powered down. Bored-looking employees sat at the counter and moved around in the kitchen, and the one at the counter looked at Roc, and then sighed. 
"Ugh, a kid," they said in a tired-sounding voice. "Listen, we close in a few minutes. Just make sure your parent picks you up, I'm not dragonet-sitting for some idiot parent." Before Roc said a thing, the employee rolled their eyes and went back to playing with their many earrings. 
Something didn’t seem right. But, what else could Roc do? Trying to enjoy herself, she slipped into the arcade, and walked up to the first game she saw. It was some large game where the goal seemed to be collecting a bunch of small dots. Pushing one of her coins into the slot, Roc booted up the game. Her first few attempts, she didn't get very far, but after spending only four or five coins, she was getting into a rhythm. Lily helped by jumping on the buttons, and soon she made a new high score. 
Stepping back with a smile, Roc admired what she had done. "Good work, Lily," she said, patting the scavenger. Together, they played a few more games, but couldn't seem to set any high scores on those. It felt like it hadn't been long, but at some point Roc realized the noise outside had stopped. 
Cautious, she peeked back into the main dining room again to see if her parents were back. Instead, the restaurant was closed. Roc’s eyes widened as the lights were out, and nobody was left. "NO! I'm still here!" she shouted, rushing to the door and rattling the handles. They didn't budge, locked. Roc slumped against the door, and then she saw it: A note was laying on the ground by the door, and Roc picked it up. 
Roc, I’m sorry. ̶I̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶s̶e̶e̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ I’m leaving. Not coming back. I met with your father a few nights ago, and we decided ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶w̶e̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶ ̶l̶o̶v̶e̶ ̶a̶g̶a̶i̶n̶,̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶o̶n̶l̶y̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ . . . Together. Goodbye. I hope I never see you or ̶S̶t̶r̶a̶n̶g̶l̶e̶r̶ your brother again. 
—Navy 
Roc stared at the note, and her heart felt like it had burst. Her eyes watered, and she crumpled the note, clutching it to her chest. “What . . . No," she whispered, then got louder. "No, NO, NO! Why would she do this?! What did I do?!" Roc huddled her wings around herself, and her scavenger blinked and climbed onto Roc's head, afraid but gently patting the crying dragonet. Roc's entire world, her family, had just been torn apart. Just like that. She'd never see Strangler again. Nor her mother. 
That's it, she thought, looking at the crumpled note and the few coins in her talon. I'm done for. 
A loud metallic grinding made her whirl around. Lily yelped and almost fell off her shoulder as Roc turned towards the source. The stage, which had once housed four animatronics now only housed three. Confused, Roc moved to the stage and looked at them, trying to figure out where the fourth one went. That rusty red one is the one missing . . . they're powered down, though. It was there went I left the arcade. Weird. 
Just as she turned to head to the kitchen and possibly steal some food, Roc nearly had a heart attack as she saw the animatronic was standing behind her, frozen. “AH! Who . . . Who are you?” Roc peeped, tears streaming from her eyes. 
The SkyWing animatronic blinked in shock, tilting it's head. “O-Oh! Little one, I didn’t see you there. Are you a-a-alright?” The slight glitch in its voice made it obvious that it was a robot. 
“No, I’m not . . .” Roc sniffed. “M-my mom abandoned me.” The animatronic gathered her in its arms as she started sobbing. Gently, it slowly began to stroke Roc's head, whispering softly and trying to calm her. 
"It's alright, we're for you, lass. I'm Foxfire." The thing smiled and started bringing her to the dark back room, but Roc didn't seem to care. This robot was better than her own mother, apparently. “It’ll be okay . . . You’re special, aren’t you?” 
Roc wasn’t paying attention to much anymore, but Lily sure was. The scavenger was squeaking frantically, trying to alert Roc. "Lily," Roc murmured, "It's alright. They're just trying to help us." Better than Navy. 
She didn't realize how wrong she was until it was too late. Foxfire suddenly slammed the door to parts and service, grinning widely, and Roc finally noticed how this wasn't a room the public should ever see. Spare parts, metal scraps, and tools galore sat everywhere, scattered unevenly. A hollow animatronic shell awaited in the corner, and Roc felt oddly drawn to it. "Foxfire, what are we doing?" she asked through tears.
“Tut tut little dragonet," he said. Roc blinked, suddenly realizing that he was dodging the question, the exact same way her own mother had. ". . . Time to join the family.” 
Roc screamed as she was suddenly thrown to the ground, and dim lights snapped on. Foxfire grabbed her arm, holding her up above the ground. Lily was thrown off, against the wall, and squeaked before ultimately hiding. "No, Lily, please!" Roc cried. She thrashed and kicked, but couldn’t break free. 
Blood splashed against the wall as Foxfire slashed open her throat, and Roc’s eyes rolled back in her head. There was no pain feeling as her brain started to go loopy. Within seconds, she was shoved into a tiny area. She couldn’t breathe. There was no air. There was no way to breathe as her lungs filled with blood and it pooled around her in that small space. Roc slowly succumbed to her death, the only feelings within her being anger, hurt . . . and sadness. 
~~~ 
Roc’s eyes fluttered open. She looked down at her claws, groggily stumbling to the side. "What . . . ?" she muttered, surprised by her own new voice. Her claws were now a beautiful pale gray with painted neon claws, and she had purple arm warmer-like accessories. It was sort of like the casing she'd seen from before. Roc didn't feel sad, much at all. Perhaps this was . . . a better life for her. Her own mother didn't want her, and she was cut off from all support. 
Roc heard a squeaking and turned, pushing aside an empty box to reveal a small scavenger hiding there. She tried to draw on her memories, but it felt like they were lost and distant. "What are you?" she asked, reaching out to poke the creature. It screamed and moved away, clutching the spot Roc had poked. At first, she didn't realize it, but then she saw the blood and the mark she made. She didn't know her own strength, clearly, and now this poor scavenger was going to die for it. "Oh, no! I'm so sorry!" She reached out, but the scavenger yelled and ran off, hiding in a new stack of various items. 
Filled with confusion and sadness over this death she'd just caused, Roc gave up. She didn’t bother resisting as she felt her memories being drained, slipping away bit by bit. There was no point to it anymore, no point to her anymore. Roc was gone, and it was for the better. New memories flooded her mind, as well as a sudden appreciation for her new body. Oh, this form is wonderful. I look amazing, she thought, studying her purple accented accessories, her gray casing, even the soft paler gray fur that sat on her head and the bright neon streak. 
From beside her, the pale animatronic that was the face of the diner smiled at her. "Ah, you're finally up, Wolfy. Well, I have some good news and some bad news for you." She flicked her ears, listening intently. "The good news is, welcome to the family and I'm glad to see you woke up. The bad news is that you're getting moved to the new location being built, so you're going to have to stay in Rest Mode for a while." 
Wolfy sighed, but nodded. "I'm ready for it, Teddy. Everyone will love me when they see me with the fresh, brand-new building. I'll see you there," she said, wiggling her claws in a wave as she voluntarily powered herself down. 
* * * * * 
Roc reached up to her face, and felt tears slipping down her cheeks. Not again . . . I promised myself I wouldn't cry over her anymore. I don't care about moth-NAVY. I don't care about her, and she didn't care about me. It was an almost daily mantra she'd told herself when she started feeling her old life, the memories of it like a burden on her shoulders. A part of her wanted to know how Strangler was doing, to see him again and tell him that she was okay. To know if he was okay. But for now . . . these friends she had here in the afterlife were enough for her to be happy. 
Shatter looked sympathetic towards Roc, and she tilted her head. "Why-Why are you looking at me like that, Shatter? Something the matter?" She tried to act like she wasn't upset, to hide the tears and pain of her story, but she knew it was impossible. Still, seeing Shatter look to distraught, and Kvita slowly covering her mouth in shock made her more confused than ever. 
"Shatter, I'm sure that wasn't what your mother intended to do," Kvita said hastily, putting her wing around Shatter. "She loved you, didn't she?" 
"I mean, I was pretty sure she did," Shatter said, looking at his claws. "My parents loved me. But she dropped me off. She said she'd checked the place. She said it would be . . . fine . . . " he trembled slightly, and Roc stood up, wiping her face. 
"Shatter, stop. Your mother cared enough to make you feel secure and safe. She cared enough to teach you things and to keep you happy. She cared enough to make sure you had a father figure in your life who taught you about robotics." She flashed a toothy grin, feeling a confidence boost well inside her. "I'd say your mom is pretty cool. If you'd never been dropped off here, we'd still be stuck there." 
"Still fighting against Afton," Kvita said, now smiling too. 
"Still attacking innocent dragonets," Delta whispered, nervously flapping his wings, but a shy smile broke his face. 
"Still keeping up an act," Starseer added. Even he was smiling. 
Roc felt her heart swell. She had friends. And they were better than whatever she may have missed out on because of her stupid mother. Screw you, Navy. If you're still alive, I hope you suffer the same way you made me suffer. And then some more. She closed her eyes and looked to see that Shatter and Kvita were wrapped in each others' wings, and Shatter was smiling too now. 
Macaw sighed, but it was a dreamy sort of sigh that was just to catch attention. "I'm sure all of us have a lot of things we'd love to say to our parents if we could. I'd tell my dad 'Thank you for trying' and my mom 'I love you', since I didn't have a chance to tell her goodbye that night." 
Kvita looked down. "I'd tell my parents 'I'm sorry'. I didn't listen to them, and that's how I ended up in there." She sighed and swept her icy tail closer. "I guess it's finally my turn." 
== Starry Nights - Kitta's Story ==
Telling her story was not enthusing to Kvita. Everyone else was forced here. I chose to come here and was led like a lamb to the slaughter, she thought, popping a marshmallow in her mouth. The soft, fluffy snack helped her calm down, and it would stop her from crying too much when she spoke. She turned next to her, towards Shatter, and bit her tongue. He's going to think I'm dumb, she thought. She didn't want Shatter to think ill of her in any kind of way. He was like a younger brother she never had, and she didn't want to lose it. 
The silence was defeaning, until the fire crackled loudly and Alligator let out a somewhat bored groan. "Kvita, get on with it."
The IceWing hissed, a dark forked tongue slipping between her icicle-like teeth. "Watch it, Gator. Don't act like you weren't half the reason I died," she said, looking away. 
"It's alright, Kvita," Shatter said, quietly. "I-I want to know."
Kvita smiled a bit, and nodded, taking a few more marshmallows and some chocolate (though, she didn't like it as much as marshmallows). "Alright, then. But it's a little odd, I'll warn you . . . "
* * * * *
For her whole life, Kvita had been a good dragonet. Sure, she didn't have such a happy beginning, with her egg being left in the snowy wastelands, but she had her NightWing parents. She had a bit of wealth to her name, thanks to them, and they truly loved her, regardless of the fact she was an IceWing. They used their powers to guide her on the right path, and she was even allowed to go a nice all-tribe school. There, she had excellent grades-top of her class, in fact-and a few close friends. She adored the field trips they took, and it was a wonderful time.
So when they told her she couldn't go on the biggest trip of all time, the annual one where they took the eldest dragonets to Teddy's Mega Pizzaplex, Kvita was crushed. All her friends were going, everyone else was going, except for her. Her father, a seer, said he saw horrible things happening in that place. Her mother, a mindreader, said she didn't like the hostile and prickly minds of the employees. They both said they got the vague feeling that the star animatronics were . . . alive. 
That's absurd, Kvita thought as she landed on the mossy rocks under her window. Sneaking out was her only option, she'd deal with her parents' disappointment tomorrow. A sharp pain shot through her palm, and she gingerly looked at it. A thin blue slice of blood trickled down her scales, and Kvita bit her cheek, pushing up her glasses. It's okay, it's okay, I just need to enjoy tonight, she thought. The field trip was the only one that took place at dusk, through the night, and they left in the morning. Once out of her house, Kvita already knew the way. She and her best friend, Alabaster, had written out the route and practiced it together. Tonight, she was putting it in action. 
Luckily enough, they didn't live far from the Pizzaplex. Sometimes, she could see it's bright neon lights if she looked hard enough. It wasn't long before Kvita was standing before it, her scrolls and a soft cloth in a pouch firmly tied around her neck. On her rear leg, she had another pouch with a skyfire rock and a small blade (her parents taught her to be very careful with it). She wiped her glasses, looked up at the building, and pushed her way inside.
Flashing lights assaulted her eyes, and Kvita stumbled back. The bright neon colors exploded in front of her and she wasn't even remotely ready for it, but a fierce grip suddenly seized her talon. Kvita gasped, seeing the albino scales of Alabaster, her eerie blue eyes a comforting sight. Her friend was dotted with glowing bands and rings, and grinned madly. "Kvita! You made it, I never thought your parents would have let you!"
"They . . . um, didn't," Kvita admitted. Alabaster gasped.
"You snuck out?!" She said, putting her talon over her chest before laughing. "Nah, I'm proud of you! Gotta be a little rebellious now and again, right?" Alabaster put her wing over Kvita and slid two of the glowing bracelets onto her arms. "Here, get something on you! Now, come on, you're just in time for dinner!" Kvita was practically dragged by Alabaster, taking in all the various sights of the plex as she was taken to sets of long tables, each set carefully with plates and glowing bracelets. Kvita curiously took a few, and took a seat. Alabaster sat beside her.
From here, the stage was an easy view, the music blaring and lights illuminating the animatronics on stage. Kvita's eyes shone with wonder as she saw, taking off her glasses so they'd stop reflecting light, but she could still see well enough. The way the sleek robotics combined with dragon-like features, the way they sounded, and their performance was stunning. She wasn't sure she'd ever forget it. "This is amazing," she breathed. Alabaster grinned and nodded. 
"I know, right? Like, oh my gosh, just look at Wolfy! She's the real star, not Teddy!" the albino IceWing pointed at a gray dragon, though it looked like a wolf had been mixed with it. Kvita shrugged. This was all so . . . loud for her. Glancing around, she saw so many attractions, but they all constantly had dragons pouring in and out. The environment was so much for her, compared to her normally quiet life, and it was a little overwhelming. 
"I-I'll be right back," Kvita said, suddenly tearing away from Alabaster and towards the only place where it didn't seem like dragons were. It was labeled 'Daycare', and while Kvita was probably a little old for it, she darted in there anyway, leaping over the gate like it was nothing. 
In here, it was serenely quiet. The only pair of eyes on her was of a friendly-seeming animatronic, a soft color palette of dark blues and grays, a moon theme dominating all. "Oh, you're just a touch old to be in here, aren't you?" it asked, tilting it's head. Kvita felt tongue tied, and she just took a step back, pinning herself against the gate. She must have looked scared, because the animatronic said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Moondrop. It's past their bedtime," it said, gesturing to the dragonets sleeping around them. "But if you want to stay here quietly, you can."
Kvita nodded, walking to a table slightly covered in glitter and pulling out a scroll. Carefully, she took a small inkwell, dipped her claw in it, and began to draw. She didn't know what she was going to draw, but the darkness illuminated only by her few bracelets made a fun challenge to see what she was doing. After only a few minutes, she felt a tug on her tail, and turned to see a small SkyWing dragonet pouncing on it. "Oh!" Kvita breathed, turning to look for Moondrop. He wasn't to be found. The SkyWing whimpered and muttered something, but Kvita didn't catch it. "Shouldn't you be asleep?" she asked, softly.
"Moon man scares me," the dragonet whispered. "I can't sleep." 
Kvita's heart melted. Carefully, she picked up the SkyWing and looked for an empty bed, walking over to one of the unrolled mats that wasn't occupied and laying next to it. "Here, I'll watch over you, little one," she said, tucking them in. The SkyWing closed their eyes, but they shot upright a moment later, shaking. 
"I still can't sleep," they whimpered.
Kvita nodded and said, "Here, how about I sing you a lullaby?" The SkyWing nodded, and Kvita gently lowered them into the bed, patting them and not taking her talon off them as she sang. "Moons, far in the sky, shine so bright-Shine like the stars, but not as bright as you-Your sweet little smile, your little laugh is what I live for-If ever we're apart, know that you're in my heart-I'm never far from you, my sweet, shining little moon." As the song came to a close, the dragonet yawned, curled up, and fell asleep. Kvita smiled, taking a step back. Moondrop approached her, curiously.
"You seem to have a gift with the little ones," it said. Kvita just nodded. "I appreciate the help, at least." It reached out and patted Kvita, but she shrank back and turned to go. Moondrop just nodded, waving to her as she took a running start and leapt back over the gate. 
Now on the other side, the show seemed over, and most of the dragonets were off in attractions. Kvita started towards where she saw a few still eating, feeling a hunger overwhelm her. Behind her, she thought she heard something, but turned and there was nothing. "Ugh, I'm just nervous," she told herself. "It's my parents' warning that's making me so jumpy." She kept walking, and ended up passing a racing-like attraction, hearing the zooms of motors inside. Wooden palettes and boxes were stacked up high, and so were crates and boxes everywhere. 
Kvita was almost at the center, where the food was, when a sudden noise made her turn. Something had fallen. With a sigh, Kvita walked over to pick it up. It was a shattered piece of wood, and she saw one of the palettes that was in perfect condition was now broken. Weird, she thought. Before she could do anything more, another sound came from right next to her, and Kvita saw a tower of crates crashing towards her. "AH!" she screamed, trying to move, but she was too slow. 
Wood splintered and dust filled the air, and Kvita coughed. She was lucky she hadn't gotten stabbed by anything sharp, but as the air cleared, she saw that she was completely stuck. Heavy crates sat on her leg and tail, crushing them in a way painful enough to make her cry, and trapping her. "HELP!" she shouted. The last bit of dust cleared, but her vision was still blurred. Kvita reached up to her face and realized her glasses were missing. No, no, not good. "HELP, PLEASE!" she shouted again, straining her voice to be even louder.
One of the adult chaperones came over, and gasped. "Kvita!" they said, "How did this happen!"
"I don't know," she replied. "It just . . . fell on me. I thought I heard something, but-"
"Oh, what happened here? Yikes, that's not good." A mechanical voice spoke, and Kvita looked up to see the green MudWing-like animatronic standing above her, leaning down to try and be on her level. "No, poor thing." It reached out and gently patted her, and she growled a bit. The animatronic hesitated, then looked at the chaperone and said, "I've alerted security about this. We'll get it off of her in minutes. In the meantime, I can stay with her."
Kvita's blood ran cold. "No, wait!" she cried, looking at the chaperone. "Don't leave me with them, please," she begged. The chaperone looked at Kvita, then at the animatronic, and sighed. 
"I've got others to watch, Kvita. It'll only be a bit, and you've got this fine Alligator watching you," he said. "Thank you, by the way. We won't sue, I swear." The chaperone left, and Kvita started crying. She didn't want to be alone with the robot, and her fears grew. Were her parents . . . right? Her anxiety worsened as time passed and she was still trapped, until Alligator moved forwards. 
"Please, help me," she begged, watching as it flared it's wings, blocking the light from another side. The robot didn't answer, but Kvita saw another one come behind her. This was the paler brown MudWing, Alabaster said it was named Teddy. "Teddy, please!" she whisper-cried. "Please, get it off of me!"
"Don't worry," Teddy said. "You'll be safe in a moment. I'll get it off, we'll fix you up, and it will be all good again." Kvita nodded, and watched as Teddy lifted the crate pinning her like it was nothing. To her own amazement, her leg and tail weren't broken by some miracle, and she gasped. Inititally, she tried to move away, but Teddy grabbed her by the wing. "Woah there, superstar. You're hurt, come on."
"I'm fine!" she squeaked. The animatronic frowned and picked her up, the strength and size being too much for her to protest. Alligator walked off, but Kvita didn't like the evil grin he flashed at Teddy. What's happening? Teddy brought her towards a hallway, which did contain the first aid, but then it passed right by it. "Um, isn't that-"
"We're fixing you, don't worry," it said, cutting her off and walking into parts and service. "Just relax. You're in good talons, alright?" Kvita couldn't relax, but she sat on the table she'd been placed on and shivered. She didn't like this. It felt so . . . wrong. Looking around the room, her eyes suddenly caught a white-and-blue casing in the corner, unpowered and inactive. 
"Um, why isn't that one on stage?"
"Missing the spark of life," Teddy replied, a little grim, but it's voice picked up as it turned to Kvita, holding a wickedly sharp knife. "But don't worry, you'll fix that! Kvita, it's an honor to be part of our family. Just let it happen." A sadistic smile spread on it's face, and Kvita realized the danger she was in. She leapt for the door, but Teddy slammed it's tail down on her head, crumpling her to the floor.
"N-No," Kvita said, shakily getting up, but a sharp pain ran through her back and her whole body failed to respond. Blood seeped around her, cold and crisp against her scales, and the knife that was in Teddy's hands was now embedded in her spine. "I-I why, w-why," she whispered, trying to look up at the animatronic and failing. It was hard. Everything hurt. She just wanted an end to the pain. Thankfully, at the very least, she didn't have to wait long until the knife was pulled out, she was shoved somewhere, and the pain finally ended.
~~~
Finally, all of her limbs responded again. Kvita awoke in the Daycare, feeling all of herself again. No blood. No pain. She looked down at herself and saw that white-and-blue casing, and her heart sank. Mom and Dad were right. This was a bad idea. I'm-I'm dead. They won't see me again. The room was empty, save for Sundrop, who was skipping about the room and giggling randomly. He hadn't noticed her yet. Kvita slowly got up, adjusting to her new size, and heard shouting on the other side of the gate. Carefully, she opened the door and peeked through a little.
Two familiar NightWings were shouting at what looked like an employee. "She went here, and I could see it! She's dead! Your faulty animatronics killed our daughter!" one of them shouted angrily. Kvita realized it was her father, her mother sobbing beside him. The employee stumbled back, afraid. "Answer me! We'll have the entire place shut down!" he shouted, shoving the employee. "Prove she's alive!"
Kvita suddenly opened the door fully and looked out. "M-Mom?" she said, her mechanical voice trembling. "Dad? It's-It's me," she whispered. The two NightWings looked over, and her mother gasped.
"It's-It's her. I can still feel her mind there," she said, shakily. Without warning, the two NightWings rushed forwards and hugged Kvita, so suddenly she nearly fell over. It was weird, now being the same size as her parents, but she didn't mind. This was her own fault. This was her last chance to say goodbye. The employee watched, dumbfounded, but Kvita suddenly heard a choked yell and looked up.
The employee was dead. Her parents looked around, and suddenly, something purple and yellow, vaguely robot-like dropped down and grabbed her father, twisting his head with a sickening crack. Kvita screamed, but it felt like her brain was stabbed and she struggled to remember why she cared anymore. Her mother was the next victim, being grabbed and her throat slit, the life pouring out of her in waves, and the RainWing-like murderer started at Kvita. "Pah. Kvita. Such a stupid name. Kitta sounds better, don't you agree?"
"Yes . . . " Kitta whispered. Who were these NightWings? It didn't matter. They needed to be cleaned. She smiled a bit, and the RainWing disappeared. There was so much to do.
* * * * *
Alligator was looking down at his claws, ashamed as silent tears rolled down Kvita’s snout.
”I-I’m sorry,” She breathed. “I t-told myself I w-wouldn’t cry.” Kvita shied away from everyone. “You must all think I’m stupid.”
Roc sighed. “We all were, Kvita. There’s no sense in being sad now. We’re all dead anyways.”
”Sure, but can you try to not inadvertently call us stupid? We haven’t heard Delta or Shatter yet.” Caine replied.
Everyone looked at Shatter. He blinked. “W—but you all know my story already!”
Sunrise stood up. “What about the part that has yet to be written?” Starseer gave him a high-five and grinned.
The NightWing extended his wings and said, “We’re going to see your sister.” 
Shatter's heart both swelled with love and broke with sorrow. His family . . . seeing them again . . . it would be amazing. But was he ready? 
"S-Sorry," he said, shying away. "I just-Maybe we should hear Delta first."
== Muddied Visions - Teddy's Story ==
Delta blinked, huddling his wings around himself to try and seem smaller. He felt . . . so exposed without his dear bigwings, someone he hadn't seen for years and would probably never see again. He shivered, and looked at the others. "I mean . . . I suppose I can . . . "
Alligator spread his wing over Delta with a kindhearted smile. "Hey, Delta. You've got this." Delta smiled back and leaned into Alligator. All his friends, and maybe they didn't realize it, but he saw them all as one big un-sib group with Alligator as the bigwings. Maybe he saw it the same way, too. Maybe that's why I feel so comfortable around him.
”Alright, here goes.” Delta took a deep breath and began.
* * * * *
Teddy didn’t like the diner. It was dirty and unsanitary, and weirdly for a MudWing, those were two things he hated the most. The food was mediocre at best, but the French fries were okay. Teddy sipped his soda and looked out the smudged window. His father was standing out in the rain, waiting. Just . . . Waiting. That’s when Teddy saw what he had wanted to see the most for the past six months: His bigwings. Teddy screeched in excitement and dashed out the front door, abandoning his cheeseburger, and ran out into the rain to see his brother.
His brother had dark, reddish-brown scales like the tree that matched his name, Redwood. His wing webbing was a the color of Teddy’s scales, a brown-greenish color like moss. Redwood’s eyes lit up and he embraced his father and little brother in his wings. He was taller and more muscular than both of them, but had lost an arm while he was away at the army. He dropped his crutch to embrace his family, tears filling his eyes. “I missed you guys,” was all he said. It was all he had to say.
”Come inside,” Teddy’s father said in his usual, gentle tone. He never raised his voice, and was serene like a pool of water. “You shouldn’t stand in the rain like me.”
Teddy bounced after his father and brother, eyes as big as saucers as he followed them. “I missed you so much!” Teddy exclaimed after they were back at their table.
Redwood smiled a patted him on the head like he always did. “I missed your jokes, Teddy,” the bigwings laughed gruffly. “Nobody know what ‘humor’ even means in the royal army.” Redwood ordered some pizza, and they all sat and talked while they waited for their food.
”Where are the rest of the sibs?” Redwood asked after a while, his toothy grin searing a hole in Teddy’s heart that hadn’t healed yet.
”They . . .” Teddy peeped. “Kingfisher, Magnolia, Cow, Maple, and Leather all . . . They all . . .” The dragonet swallowed hard.
Teddy’s father, Auburn, spoke up. “They’re dead, Redwood. I’m . . . So sorry. It was a huge accident on the Mud Flats. I was there.” He adjusted his glasses as his eyes fogged up. “The Mud Flats had hardened into a dry, cracked surface, blocking all the soft mud underneath. All of the sibs—excluding Teddy, since he was at school—were hired to work on breaking up the surface layer of hardened mud. They were able to punch a hole in it, but spiderweb cracks appeared, and they all fell through. It was horrible. The mud underneath had been baking in the summer heat for months, fermenting until it came to a boiling point.” Tears slipped down his snout. “They were burnt alive. All five of them. We tried to rescue Kingfisher and Maple, but their wounds were to severe.”
Teddy was crying quietly. “I-It was about two weeks a-a-ago.” He rubbed his nose and sniffed sadly. “I-I’m gonna g-g-go throw away m-my trash,” He said quietly, trying to not look at Redwood’s grief-stricken face. Teddy dumped his trash in the bin, over in a corner by the hallway that led to the “Employees Only” area.
Teddy flinched in surprise as he felt a tap on his shoulder. The springlock golden Bonnie and Tedbear were standing behind him. 
“Hello!” The golden Bonnie actor said. “We’re going to surprise you and your wonderful family for being our six-hundredth customer, but we don’t know what kind of dessert you like. Mind helping us pick one out, one the house?”
Teddy gave a half-smile. Maybe it’ll help Redwood and dad cheer up. He nodded. “Sure.”
The Tedbear suit appeared to be in animatronic mode, with no actor inside it at the moment. “Go ahead, Bonnie, I’ll bring him to the kitchen!” Tedbear exclaimed in a goofy cartoon voice that glitched a tiny bit.
Bonnie skipped away as Tedbear led Teddy down the dark, dirty hall.
Suddenly, a scream rang out. Teddy’s eyes widened and he turned to run. Tedbear blocked his path, robotic wings extended to block his path. Teddy ran, turning a corner and sliding into the security office. Teddy’s heart felt like it was about to pound right out of his chest. He cowered beneath the desk in the security office, praying for his life. Please, don’t let them find me. Please—
He clamped his snout shut as hard, metallic footsteps thumped into the room. Teddy squeezed his eyes shut and cowered even farther back, holding his breath and tucking his tail close to his chest. It was hard not to cry, but he'd be found if he started bawling like he wanted to. Even still, crystal-like tears slipped out from his eyes silently.
”You dad and brother want to see you,” The robotic voice of Tedbear said calmly. “They want you to come out! Don’t worry, you’re safe with me.”
I doubt that, Teddy thought, seeing the four metal legs of his living nightmare on the other side of the desk. Please don’t look under the desk, please don't look—
He was too scared to scream as the “dragon” lowered its head and peered under the desk. It smiled reassuringly as it saw Teddy. The lifeless eyes in its head flashed for a moment, and it slowly and deliberately moved its paw to get Teddy out from under the desk. ”There you are! Your parents will be relived that I found you.” Teddy debated running, but his legs wouldn't move. He was frozen to the spot, staring into those cold, dead eyes of the mechanical monstrosity as it gently dragged him out and picked him up. 
"Don't be scared," the beast reassured. All hope of survival in Teddy hit rock bottom as the robotic dragon’s tone grew sadistic. The thing smiled, revealing rows of jagged teeth that could cleave through metal, or through a dragonet. His scales felt like they were thin as paper, itching all over.
"P-Please don’t hurt m-m-me,” Teddy whimpered, finally allowing himself to cry. 
”Don't cry. There's no reason to worry,” it replied, tucking Teddy closer to it's cold metal chest. For a split second, he could see how these robots were comforting. It felt like he was being cuddled by his bigwings, which just made his heart shatter into pieces knowing he'd never see them again. He was being carried through a long dark hallway before turning into a small room. 
The light blinded Teddy at first, but his eyes adjusted as he was set down on what looked like some kind of medical bed in a mix of a surgical room and storage compartment. “This won’t hurt a bit.” The robotic dragon said as it looked over at the unpowered shell of a robot that looked very close to what it looked like. What was it that flickered in those unblinking eyes? Teddy couldn't guess.
Another—another Tedbear? Teddy wondered. “What are you g-g-going to d-do to me?” He peeped, his voice shrinking down to nothing. The bulky robot turned to look at Teddy, before lunging faster than he could react. The MudWing dragonet screamed in terror as the robot pinned him down and withdrew a long, sharp knife out of seemingly nowhere. "NO! PLEASE!" he begged, feeling choked and crying as hard as he could. 
”This won’t hurt a bit.”
The knife plunged into Teddy’s neck and twisted. Some kind of metal cable was attached to his head as the animatronic easily popped his spine and neck apart. Everything went black seconds later, the only sounds being the sounds of his dying screams.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Ugh . . . Ow . . . Teddy slowly opened his eyes and looked around. He felt . . . Bigger. Stronger. “What—“
Teddy stopped as he heard his voice. I—I’m . . . He looked down at his talons to see the robotic talons of the unpowered robot. The same one he'd seen just before he'd been pounced on. He reached up slowly, and felt cords and wires connecting to the outside metal. He gasped as pain blasted through his skull and his memories felt like they were being ripped away from him. No . . . NO! He shouted, scared at the mechanical grating sound that came out. Auburn! Redwood! HELP!
A SkyWing opened the door of the charging station he was in and smiled. “The new animatronic is ready!” She called sweetly. Teddy lifted his talons, balling them into fists and pounding at the glass window, trying to break free. His life was slipping from him . . . who was he? Was he a MudWing, born with a family, or was he always like this-a robot? Memories conflicted as his old ones were swallowed up by false memories. The SkyWing outside jumped, quickly picking up a remote and pressing a big red button.
Teddy’s eyes rolled back for a moment, then everything was simply . . . Gone. He smiled softly, looking down at the SkyWing. Had he really been pounding on the door just now? Why? His life was quite perfect, after all. He was built to entertain!
”Go on, rockstar,” the SkyWing encouraged. “Show them what you’re made of!”
Eagerly, he nodded, stepping forwards. The dragonet from before was gone. All that was left was the animatronic. Teddy.
* * * * *
Delta looked at his claws. “I only know now that bunny-costumed dragon was Afton. Luring the first victim to his death.”
Unexpectedly, Shatter hugged him. “I’m so, so sorry. You lost almost all of your sibs, and your life along with them.”
Delta hugged him back, and soon everyone was dogpiled on Delta. Everyone eventually broke away, laughing as Caine knocked into Alligator, and they rolled away, play-fighting with each other.
Delta sighed. Having friends is nice. Macaw let out a shrill, bird-like laugh as Alligator, giggling, leapt at Caine, but she ducked, sending the MudWing flying into Roc.
Eventually, Kvita quieted everyone by loudly clearing her throat. “HEY! EVERYONE CALM DOWN PLEASE!” She shouted. “It’s time.”
”For what?” Shatter piped.
”To see your family, of course!”
== Through a Broken Mirror — Shatter’s Story ==
Shatter was appalled. “All of us? But—I don’t want to drag you along!”
The rising run reflected off of Kvita’s spikes as she stood along with the rest of the ghosts. “No no no, we’re going, and there will be no protesting!” She somehow smiled. Even if I don’t have family anymore, I can help him see the ones he cares about. She thought.
Caine pulled Shatter to his claws. “Come on! It’s not like we know the way, show us!”
Shatter looked at everyone. Even Alligator and Macaw were smiling. “Well . . . If you insist . . . Maybe we can find some of your family on the way?”
After a quick discussion, they decided they would see Shatter’s family, hear Delta’s story, then all go their separate ways—if they wanted to.
Shatter took a deep breath, and led the ghosts into the air.
* * * * *
Shatter bit his lip and clutched his talon to stop it from shaking nervously as they flew towards the border between the New Night Kingdom and the Rainforest. Kvita was at his side, making him feel much safer and more secure. They dove down and weaved around the trees, soon coming to a quaint cave in front of a small pond. Stringed lightbulbs hung across the trees and in the mouth of the cave. That’s when he saw her.
A small NightWing dragonet, maybe only four or five, was playing by the pond, trying to catch a frog that leapt between her talons like a fly. She had dusty purple scales with an iridescent sheen to them, and bright orange eyes. Her tail faded to black, and the undersides of her wings were speckled with silver scales that collected near her wing bones. A single blue-silver bracelet adorned her, with a small sapphire gem hanging from it. It was his mother’s bracelet.
Kvita placed a talon on Shatter’s shoulder. “Go on.”
Shatter swallowed. I’m not ready for this. I’m not ready for this. And yet, he peered into the cave.
Golden’Night was holding his head in his claws, bent over a huge stack of paperwork. His eyes were dull, and his face was stained with tears. He sighed and scribbled something on a paper. Starscatter was sitting at the mouth of the cave, protectively watching the NightWing as tears fell down her face. She had a picture of her, Golden’Night, and Shatter holding ice-cream cones.
”Mom?” Shatter choked out. There she was, sitting inches from him, and yet . . . Starscatter didn’t respond. “Mom!” He ran up to her, and wrapped his wings around her.
Starscatter blinked away tears and looked around. He could practically see her expectation that Shatter would come walking into view at any moment, ready to embrace her. Her face fell, driving an icy dagger of pain into Shatter’s heart.
”Shatter,” Starscatter whispered, looking down at the photo. “I’m so, so sorry. I thought—If I knew—I could have saved you.” She pressed the photo to her chest, closing her eyes.
”I know,” Shatter whispered, tears welling in his own eyes. “I’m sorry too.”
”Da!” The NightWing dragonet chirped, making Golden’Night emerge from the cave. 
“Yes?” He asked, voice weighed down in exhaustion. “What’s wrong, Nightingale?”
Nightingale? Shatter asked. That’s her name? He couldn’t help but smile through tears. It’s perfect.
”When do I get to see my big brother?” Nightingale asked, standing on her hind legs to try to be taller, and flaring her wings adorably to keep her balance. “I want to play with him!”
Golden’Night wiped at his eyes. “I . . .” He took a deep breath. “You’re not going to have a big brother, Nightingale.”
Shatter walked over and looked down at his sister.
”Why not?” She asked. “Is he okay?”
Shatter leaned down by his sister. “Yeah,” He whispered to her. “He’s okay. And he loves you, Nightingale. He’ll always be with you.”
Nightingale blinked in surprise and looked around. “He’s here!” She exclaimed. “I hear him! Big brooooooother! Where are you hiding?”
Kvita placed a talon on Shatter’s shoulder. “Whenever you’re ready,” She said quietly. “We’ll be back at the hill.”
Shatter nodded absently. “Okay.”
Golden’Night sighed, shaking his head. “No, Gale. He’s gone.” Shatter walked over to his dad.
”I’m here,” Shatter said. “I’ll be here to protect her, as long as she needs me.”
Golden blinked rapidly and looked right through Shatter. “Star, did you say something?”
”No . . .” Starscatter said. “Did you hear that too?”
”BIG BROTHER!” Nightingale yelled. “I’m coming to SEEK YOU!” With that, she zoomed into the cave, looking for Shatter, who she assumed was playing hide-and-seek.
Shatter smiled. I’ll protect her, He thought. Forever.
== The Final Tales ==
* * * * *
Kvita sat on a grassy field, looking down at the two gravestones in front of her. They were so barren in her mind, and were already starting to crumble a bit. She was all they had. “I miss you guys,” she whispered, placing transparent flowers down before the tombstones. “I’m sorry.” She wiped tears from her eyes, looking at the tombstones. She reached inside a pouch and took out something she'd been planning for a while. It was a small piece of carved ice she'd made, matching the tombstones in every way. Carefully, she set it in the ground to the side of the tombstones. From left to right, one could read:
"NIGHTWATCHER - A true savior to those who listened.
LUCID - A beloved dragoness. May she rest in eternal peace.
KVITA - The words I never got to say: "I love you."." 
I’ll see you one day, Mom and Dad. One more time. 
* * * * *
Delta smiled as he watched the MudWing dragonets tussling in the mud, being watched by an elderly dragon and his son. Delta walked among the dragonets, stopping one of them before they hit their head, and blocking a talon-swipe from another. He didn't know who they were entirely yet, but he knew some of their names and he knew they were just like he and his sibs had been. Him dying in such a stupid way had to have taken a toll on Redwood, but he seemed fine now. He had a wonderful family now, and he was happy for once.
From where he was, he heard his old big brother say, “It’s like they have a guardian angel. Someone watching over them.” Delta smiled, watching as his father nodded in response and Delta stopped the smallest dragonet from being stepped on. Eagerly, they laughed and joined with their siblings. They do, Redwood. They do.
* * * * *
Roc and Macaw were perched in the branches of a forest, looking out over the sunset. “You know,” Roc said, “Eternity isn’t so bad when you can spend it with your best friends.” Macaw simply smiled and placed his ghostly wing around her shoulder. 
“Agreed.”
* * * * *
Alligator sat in the midst of piles and piles of books and scrolls, writing down his ideas and sketching out his dreams for the world. Blueprints of majestic skyscrapers and curved glass buildings were stacked before Alligator, and he added another one to the pile. He looked up as the sun broke over the horizon outside, and smiled. Caine was standing in the cave entrance, scrolls of her own in her talons. 
“Room for one more?”
* * * * *
Sunrise and Starseer bolted over the nighttime dunes of the SandWing kingdom, laughing and racing faster than a dragon could fly. “I’m winning!” Sunrise nagged, gaining the lead and leaping over a spiky lizard. 
“Not so fast!” Starseer jumped over his head, taking the lead and kicking sand at Sunrise, who simply dissolved in giggles. 
“Starseer! Wait up!”
* * * * *
Nightingale stared up at the night sky, gazing at the moons as they made their trip through the sky. Sleepily, her eyes drifted shut, and she curled up in the grass. Beside her, she felt someone there, and she knew who it was. "Good night, big brother," she whispered, closing her eyes. A warm presence came around her as Shatter placed his wing around her, smiling at her as she drifted off into a world of dreams.
== Animatronic Blueprints ==
"Afton, I dug up those old blueprints for you."
"Excellent..."
"Why did you need them anyway? I mean, you built them."
"I only built a few myself. I want to know what made them attack."
"Didn't only that cat one attack?"
"True...we shall start with her and make our way down."
-
=== Kitta — Daycare Attendant ===
Dragonet Tribe: IceWing
Description: The Kitta animatronic has a very clean exterior, and if damaged in any way, will immediately be transported to parts and service to not unintentionally hurt any other dragonets. Kitta has a white exterior casing, with glowing yellow stars scattered around her body. She has large catlike ears, and zig-zag whiskers that bounce when she walks. Her horns are relatively small, and she has groups of three bells by each ear, on her wrists, a single bell on her neck, and her tail. If jingling gets excessive or frightens some dragonets, the bells are to instantly be removed. She has a chest cavity that is to be restocked with candy and the plush inside checked or a new one placed. Dragonets are not to be inside the chest cavity while the animatronic is in rest mode.
Physical characteristics: Kitta is the “stars” in the Sun, Moon, and Star trio. She is supposed to be very clean at all times, as she gets agitated if dirty. Her retractable claws are to be kept sharp, and fangs are to be sharpened regularly. Her wings are small, not capable of flight, and meant only to comfort dragonets. 
Programming: Kitta is programmed to play with and calm down lone dragonets who may be frightened of the Sundrop and Moondrop animatronic. She is supposed to clean up and help Sundrop and Moondrop. She is also supposed to sing lullabies to dragonets who are restless. Kitta has programmed Rest Mode cycles, but should remain in Safe Mode otherwise. 
Prime Directives: Follow Sundrop and Moondrop's orders, Protect Dragonets
Known Issues: The Kitta animatronic seems to regularly switch to Primal Mode after a successful Rest Mode cycle. Keep this in mind and check the animatronic's current mode after a Rest Mode. The retractable claw mechanism seems to commonly break and cause the claws to become unretractable. This is a simple fix, sending her to Parts and Service will suffice. Kitta may become violent towards dragons who hurt dragonets, as do the other two. 
- 
=== Sundrop - Daycare Attendent ===
Dragonet Tribe: SandWing
Description: The Sundrop has a bright yellow frame with lighter yellow plastic accents. He has a mask over top of his face, with a pale tan/yellow coloring, trying to resemble a sun. His eyes are a bright yellowish white, and he has long dark brown horns. Sundrop has swirling yellow designs around him, and he has a long tail and legs. An extra set of arms/claws extend out of his sides, underneath his wings. His wings are slightly small, with translucent membranes that reflect light.
Physical Characteristics: Sundrop is programmed to always be cheerful and smile, using his extra set of arms to play with dragonets and keep things orderly. He has a sail doing down his back, that can extend or retract into his back. He has a hatch in his front side, that is too small to hold dragonets, but is big enough to hold small presents and toys. 
Programming: Sundrop is programmed mainly to play with dragonets and keep them safe. He spends most of his time playing with the dragonets, though gets flustered if things get dirty. Sundrop does not have a Rest Cycle like Kitta, and charges periodically every twelve hours. 
Prime Directives: Keep dragonets safe, keep things orderly, make sure Moondrop doesn’t accidentally activate during the day. 
Known Issues: Sundrop is known to get a little angry if dragonets purposefully make a mess, and sometimes the gears in his neck get jammed, causing him to flinch around violently. Additionally, while he is the least likely of the three to do such, he may also attack dragons who harm dragonets. 
- 
=== Moondrop — Daycare Attendant ===
Dragonet Tribe: NightWing
Description: Moondrop is the adverse form of Sundrop. Sundrop’s plastic casings flip around during the night, and the colors on his mask, face, ect, change color due to the light difference. His “scales” are a dark, almost black navy-blue, and he has small silvery swirls around his joints and tail. He has the same set of extra arms/claws on his sides as Sundrop. His eyes glow red in the darkness (see Known Issues) and his mask have a more moon-like aesthetic. His wings are small and flightless, with black membranes. He has the same sail down his back, but it is black with silvery stars on it. 
Physical Characteristics: Moondrop is programmed to be orderly, calm, and slightly strict with bedtime routines. He uses his extra arms to tuck in dragonets, and try to comfort them. Moondrop sometimes scares young dragons due to his strict nature and glowing eyes. 
Programming: Moondrop is programmed to get dragonets to bed on time, in a calm and orderly fashion. Moondrop does not have a rest cycle, and charges every twelve hours. 
Prime Directives: Keep dragonets [REDACTED], Keep things clean. 
Known Issues: Moondrop’s eyes are not supposed to glow red, instead a calm blue. It is unknown why they do so. Claw hinges get routinely stuck, leaving them dangerously extended. His joints scrape and clink loudly when he moves, but this is being looked into. 
- 
=== Teddy - Lead Singer ===
Dragonet Tribe: MudWing
Description: Orange topscales with brown main casing, and a light tan underbelly. The plating is to be very thick and tough, and shined once every two to three days. Electric blue and pink zig-zag stripes are around Teddy’s main body and head, and his small top hat is to be securely bolted in place and tightened before every performance. He has a single red loop earring in his left ear, and wings that can be interchangeable. He has three sets: his normal ones, with opaque brown-orange webbing, bladed wings (don’t question it, we don’t know why.), and small wings that can move freely. 
Physical Characteristics: Teddy’s earring is to be replaced whenever it breaks, as it has a tendency to snap off. Whiskers have been scrapped for the purpose of keeping his bear-like aesthetic, and not making him look too cat-like. 
Programming: Teddy is programmed to be a goofy, fun-loving animatronic that adores dragonets. Teddy is programmed with a sort of higher sentience than the others, and is therefore more susceptible to glitches. He routinely activates in Primal Mode, so be sure to switch him to Safe Mode at the start of every day. 
Prime Directives: Keep dragonets and surroundings safe for play, report any disturbances. 
Known Issues: Teddy is known to switch to Primal Mode every so often, and sometimes simply deactivates for no reason during the middle of a show. He also sometimes activates by himself during the middle of the night. The cause for these issues is being looked into. 
- 
=== Chica - Backup Singer, Guitarist ===
Dragonet Tribe: SeaWing
Description: Chica has white-grey main plating with a dark grey underbelly, and a mane of silky neon pink faux fur running down her head, neck, back, and tail. She has stripes of blue and pink below her eyes, reminiscent of SeaWing bioluminescent scales. Her wings are small and flightless, with a wave-ish pattern underneath in neon blue and pink. She has blue “gills” on her neck with pink spots on them. 
Physical Characteristics: Chica’s faux fur mane is to be silky and untangled at all times, as she gets infuriated when it is tangled or messed up. Chica’s gills are not actually functional, and under NO CIRCUMSTANCES should she get wet. 
Programming: Chica is programmed to be a confident, smart, pretty dragon with lots of self-confidence and little in the way of doubt. She is proud and can be stubborn at times, but is overall good with dragonets and sets a good example. 
Prime Directives: Report any disturbances, put on a good show, keep dragonets and the area safe and clean. 
Known Issues: Chica is known to bug out at times, and activate randomly during the middle of the night. She has been found walking around after-hours, and became extremely violent when restrainment was attempted. 
- 
=== Wolfy - Keyboardist ===
Dragonet Tribe: NightWing-LeafWing
Description: Wolfy has grey plastic casing, with neon green accents striped along her body. She has wolf-like ears and a more canine snout, with paws instead of normal dragon-like claws. She wears spiked bracelets on her ankles and wrists, which are black. A faux fur mane (much like Chica’s) runs down her neck and spine, colored green with black and few pink stripes. 
Physical Characteristics: Wolfy’s claws are very sharp, and should be dulled before a show to keep minimal damage to the keyboard. Under no circumstances should Wolfy be allowed to move off the stage during a show, as she can be possibly dangerous to the audience. 
Programming: Wolfy is sassy and brutally honest, and she rarely gets along with the other cast outside of shows. Her only real friend is Fellily Falcon, though the circumstances in which they met is being looked into. 
Prime Directives: Put on a good show, report disturbances. 
Known Issues: Wolfy is known to activate randomly during both day and night, activating to roam the Pizzaplex and talk to dragonets. She is not normally dangerous unless S.T.A.F.F bots move to restrain her, so no security is to be deployed if she is seen wandering alone. 
- 
=== Alligator - Bassist ===
Dragonet Tribe: MudWing
Description: Alligator has forest green, extremely tough plastic plating with gold stars dappled around him. He has a long prehensile tail, though the mechanism broke during transit (see Known Issues). He has a red mane down his head and spine much like Chica and Wolfy, with eyes that are completely back and resistant to flashes of light. He has spiked bracelets gifted to him by Wolfy on both of his wrists, and had a red hoop earring in his right ear that has been removed for retention of his water-proof abilities. 
Physical Characteristics: Alligator is completely waterproof, and will be allowed to swim through the moats of Gator Golf during his free time. Though it is not obvious, he has webbed claws that allow him to swim faster. 
Programming: Programmed to help out dragonets, he is strong and burly, but can also be gentle if he chooses. Which is rarely. He swims through Gator Golf when he is not onstage, picking up balls that have been flung into the water, and sometimes helping out. 
Prime Directives: Report any disturbances, keep things running, put on a good show. 
Known Issues: Alligator is known to bug out and become violent towards dragonets during meet-and-greets, though this can be solved by always making sure he is in Safe Mode. His mechanism broke when he was first activated, making his tail unable to turn more than the others’. 
- 
=== DJ Music Wing - DJ ===
Dragonet Tribe: N/A
Description: Music Wing is a gigantic animatronic with arachnid-sec features and a large RainWing ruff. He has white main casing, and a simple pattern of blue and pink down his back. He has many arms, and claws were removed because of issues seen below. 
Physical Characteristics: DJ has eight arms in total used to use the sound board, blow up balloons, and lead crowds in dances. He is not overly complicated or special, and has a very simple design. 
Programming: DJ Music Wing is programmed to be spunky, fun-loving, and a good DJ. 
Prime Directives: Put on a good show, keep everything in check, make sure dragons are having fun. 
Known Issues: DJ Music Wing was known to violently attack dragons that messed up his soundboard with his claws that have been removed for safety reasons. He has an issue of shouting at dragons who mess things up. 
- 
=== S.T.A.F.F. Bots - Security ===
Dragonet Tribe: N/A
Description: Typically sleek, gray and black robots resembling older dragons that patrol certain areas, sometimes in flight, with flashlights to search the building. Some of them may have painted faces or area-appropriate looks.
Physical Characteristics: Generally built the same, with large wings, and each one equipped with a taser, a flashlight, and a connection to the alarm system of the building.
Programming: They are programmed to patrol certain locations of the plex, and raise the alarm if an intruder is found. Should the intruder attempt to escape or become violent, they are armed with tasers to apprehend the intruder, but under no circumstances should they kill. 
Prime Directives: Alert any abnormalities, Patrol the Pizzaplex 
Known Issues: They tend to raise false alarms if something falls or if they spot a mouse or another small animal. Some of them are faultily programmed and are too quick to tase something, often resulting in tasing nothing or worse, another S.T.A.F.F. bot. The ones programmed to fly often crash into the ground if they spot an intruder. 
- 
"There's one missing." 
"What?" 
"I said, there's one missing. That falcon." 
"Felliey? Well, he was one of the new-ish ones . . . maybe his record is kept somewhere else?" 
"Then why would Kitta's be here? I killed her after that wretched brat." 
" . . . I don't know." 
"THEN FIND IT! I MUST KNOW!" 
"Okay, okay, I will, I promise!" 
"Ugh, just forget it. There is nothing here about what I'm looking for, anyway, and I doubt his would be any different. You said these would be worth it, [-----]!" 
"I-I thought they would be!" 
"Well, they're not. You failed me. Impressive, how much of a letdown you can be sometimes." 
"I'll make it up to you, Master Afton. I promise." 
"You'd better."
== The Error in an Empire — Afton ==
Purple scales streaked through the forest as the RainWing dived around trees, beating his wings to shoot through the canopy like an arrow. His speed slingshotted him through the air, and the thrill of the chase gave way to open sunlight. There! The RainWing pinned his wings to his side and fell into free-fall. He stretched out his black talons and landed on the back of an indigo dragon.
”GOT YOU!” He laughed. The pair rolled in the grass, coming to a stop at the edge of a clearing. Underneath the RainWing’s claws was an indigo SeaWing with a goofy smile, bright green eyes, and spots of scales that were a dark blue color.
The SeaWing snorted and shoved him off of her. “Afton!” She laughed, batting him on the nose playfully. “I told you I have to go! Your parents will be infuriated if they see me with you.”
Afton plopped down on the grass defiantly. “I don’t care. We’re happy together—why can’t we be happy?” He stretched out his claw to take hers, but she turned away. “Clam?”
Clam shook her head. “Sorry, Afton. I’ll see you soon.” With that, the SeaWing slipped into the forest, leaving the RainWing alone with nothing but her memory.
* * * * *
Afton sat in front of his computer, eyes glazed. He groaned and rubbed his forehead, stepping away from the desk and moving over to a big robotic endoskeleton he was creating. Blueprints were scattered all over the floor of the workshop, and tools lay in a neat box beside his creation. It seemed to be the only tidy thing in the room. Afton’s royal purple claws meticulously fed wires and bolted screws, not stopping to hesitate or second-guess himself. Once it's finished . . . this will be my ultimate masterpiece. It will be so grand, that my Pizzareia will be above all the others! A state-of-the-art, one-of-a-kind animatronic!
A knock came on the door. Not wanting to make a mistake, Afton didn't even lift his head, just calmly said, “Come in.”
Clam pushed open the door, and smiled at him. “How’s it going?” She delicately walked over and nuzzled him, putting her wings around him. Afton tensed, slipping the last screw he had into place and turning to touch his snout to the SeaWing's. He felt the rosy pink in his frills and wings, this love he knew that bloomed for Clam. The family the two of them would start someday. Clam always talked about how their dragonets would look, and despite Afton having . . . mixed opinions on dragonets, he wanted her to be happy.
“It’s . . . Going. I’m almost finished, I just need to add the outer casing and bring it to the diner. Cyrcoi even helped me with this one.”
Clam looked taken aback, staring deeply into Afton's eyes with a skeptical look. “Really? I’m surprised you even let him in the house.”
”Things change.” Afton shrugged away his partner's wings and turned back to his creation, proud of how far he'd come. “He won’t be at the diner tomorrow, so I’ll be there by myself to test out the new wearable springlock suit. Won't it make our diner the star attraction on Pyrrhia?”
Clam nodded. “Of course it will, dear. Stay safe tomorrow, and maybe get some sleep tonight?” 
”Sure.” Afton watched as the dragoness slipped from the room and quietly closed the door behind her. Afton locked the door after she left and started to work on his master plan. “Creating life,” he whispered, hooking up the sharp claws to the animatronic. “I’m so close.”
* * * * *
Afton watched from the corner through the eyes of the Bonnie wearable suit. It was an accident. A mistake. He didn't mean for this to happen. What was the press going to say? The parents? His dear, precious Clam?
It was his animatronic on that stage. His animatronic that had ruthlessly murdered a MudWing dragonet. The blood stained the plastic casing of it, and it was going to be a nightmare to clean up. Everyone else had long since ran out of the pizzeria, afraid and horrified at what had happened. Afton turned and locked the door of the (almost) soundproof storage closet and slumped against the door, removing the heat of the suit.
Despite what had just happened . . . hell, maybe because of what happened, he smiled to himself. Yes, it was horrific, but in the end, it was an accident. To him, a wonderful accident. Part of him that had been missing for so long finally felt . . . filled. Like a hole in his heart that he'd been trying for so long, and all it took was this one mishap to cause it to overflow and burst out of him.
Carefully, he removed the rest of his suit and stepped back out to his creation, gently pressing a small button to deactivate it. The dragonet's head was completely crushed, the blood thin and dried in some places, but still fresh and dripping in others. Afton took great care in removing the body, as well as the remains of the head that were caught in his animatronic, and took a moment to think. He had to find a way to save face, and the dragons who witnessed it would surely talk about it . . . but perhaps there was something he could do to lessen the damage to his reputation.
Within minutes, on that very stage, Afton had taken apart the chest of his animatronic inside of it was the endoskeleton, of course, but all that space between the casing and the robotics was just begging to be used. If he hid the body and cleaned everything up, a statement could be made that those who were in attendance were mad. He had more than enough money to bribe the officials, of course. 
No emotions crossed his face as he took what was left of the dragonet and found a way to make it fit into the chest. It was bloody and grim, yes, but to him, it was a new kind of thrill he wanted to chase. After re-attaching wires and bolts, he took a step back, closed up the casing, and watched the animatronic as he turned it back on. It seemed to function fine, unaware of what was now inside of it. 
Now, for the blood. As he went to retrieve a mop and some soapy water, Afton couldn’t help but smile. If all went as planned . . .
I’ve done it. 
Once everything was clean, he placed the animatronic inside a charging station and grabbed one of his worthless employees, a SkyWing, telling them to watch it for the next few hours. Afton slipped out of the back of the restaurant with a grin on his face. His purple scales were swirling with black and red, and the red stains on his claws only widened his smile. Afton took to the skies to tell his mate the good news.
* * * * *
Afton’s breathing was heavy. Smoke filled his nostrils and he coughed violently as he stumbled around the house, hoarsely calling for Clam. Around every corner he thought he saw the dragonets he had killed, the five of them, as if their ghosts were coming to collect his soul. Flames singed his wings, melting his scales painfully. 
He somehow found Clam, passed out in the bedroom, and started hauling her out of the house. The papers she was holding fluttered out of her claws, and started burning in the fire.
The divorce papers, Afton read, biting his tongue as he flung himself through the blaze to get to the front door. With a swing of his tail, he broke the door down and fell through the doorway. MudWing firefighters surrounded the house, saying things Afton couldn’t hear as Clam was taken out of his arms. 
“No—“ He rasped, reaching for her as an oxygen mask was placed over his snout. A prick in his scales made him feel so tired he couldn’t keep his eyes open, as Clam was placed onto a medical bed.
No . . .
* * * * *
She never loved you. Thoughts swirled in Afton's mind as he looked at himself in the mirror. His face was twisted, burned and scarred from the fire. He was still in the hospital. She never did. But you have to save her. You have to save her because you love her. 
Afton quietly opened the window and glided out, making a beeline for his new mega pizzaplex. If I get the metal from the animatronics and melt it down, I can save her. The metal is alive. It can keep her alive. Afton struggled to fly with his burned wings, but did so anyways. 
I'm so close, he thought, crashing and clutching the ground in front of his grand pizzaplex. Afton used his security pass to get inside, and started running down the hallway to parts and service. Come on. Come on. He skidded in and almost ran face-first into the animatronics he'd made. Chica, Alligator, Bonnie, and Teddy.
He yelped in surprise, stopping in the doorway of parts and service. "Wh—oh good, you're here." 
Teddy looked at him. "Pardon me? You are in here after hours." 
Afton rolled his eyes and stepped into the room. There it was, in the corner, his Bonnie springlock suit. His device for killing dragonets so easily. Two MudWings, a SkyWing, a LeafWing, and a SeaWing. All of them had been so foolish at the old diner, and with this new pizzaplex, it was only going to be better for him. Stepping into his suit, carefully putting it on, he turned towards his creations. Shame that one didn't quite make it in transit.
"Better?"
Teddy nodded. Chica didn't seem to care, and was fiddling with the confetti launchers on her wrists. 
Alligator cocked his head as Afton picked up the emergency deactivation button used to deactivate all the animatronics at the same time. "What are you doing?" It was more like a threat than a question, and the bulky animatronic stepped towards him. Bonnie flared her wings with a nervous laugh.
"Hey, calm down, I'm sure it's nothing, right? Right? Tell us it's nothing, please?" The purple animatronic turned towards, Afton, who looked back at them through the suit's eyeholes.
"I'm decommissioning you," Afton replied. "It's to save someone . . . very close to me." He looked up at his masterpieces solemnly. "Trust me, I don't want to, but I have to."
Teddy caught Afton's wrist before he could press the button. "No."
What? Afton thought. "Excuse me?" He snapped. "Let me go."
"No." Teddy squeezed Afton's wrist so hard the bone fractured into pieces. The suit's casing shattered, and Afton gasped. 
Afton roared in pain, lifting the mask and shooting venom at Teddy. It sizzled and fell off the plating, not even leaving a mark. I forgot, Afton thought angrily. I made them. "LET—ME-GO!" He snarled, trying to pull away.
"NO." All of the animatronics said in unison. Chica Alligator's jaws snapped down on Afton's tail, prompting pain to flare through him. He writhed inside the suit, and Chica suddenly barreled into him, throwing him to the wall. Even the usually passive Bonnie was blocking the doorway. Blocking the only hope for escape. 
He reached up, reaching for Teddy's jaw, reaching to break his creations down to build his love, his entire world back up. He had to do this. He had to. But as he reached, he felt his talons brush towards the springlocks of the suit he was wearing. He was so confident in them. They'd held through him being thrown to a wall, the suit being torn apart, and so much more, surely they would hold through this. As a piece of wire slammed back into place, shredding through his scales in a blaze of agony, Afton realized how wrong that assumption was.
"AGH! NO! NO, NO, NO!" Afton's screaming was cut off as bolts drilled into his scales, and thousands of metal pieces stabbed into him. He fell to the ground in agony as white hot pain like ten thousand flaming needles stabbed into him over and over again, crushing his bones and snapping his spine in two. Blood seeped from the suit, from him, his sight blurring and everything hurting.
There he lay in a pool of his own blood, surrounded by what he had built and held dear to him. Clam, I'll find a way to save you, I swear. I'll save you, I'll save you. Then, you will love me, and it will be fine again. Death was taking a long time to come, he realized. It was sheer torture, being left here to die and it taking so long for that sweet release. His creations had abandoned him to this fate, leaving the room and locking the door.
With the last of his strength, he crawled to the door and dragged his claws across it, a grating metal sound, before he fell. Finally, the world was fading around him and he couldn't breathe. These wretched ghosts, he thought. His last moments seemed to be dragged out as he was left to do nothing but think in these final seconds.
I will have my revenge.
I will come back.
I will have my control.
I will control you.
I will.
Stay tuned for the CONFIRMED SEQUEL: Wings of Fire: RUIN.
—Angel & Star 
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)
Category:Fanfictions (Fanon)
Category:Inspired by Fiction
Category:Content (Angel Of Madness 001)