“Once upon a Time there was a king and a queen, and they had two female Dragonets, one was beautiful, creative, and the best sister ever, while the other was a science nerd who read lots of books, and was very amazing, and cool, and secretly did her sister’s homework for her behind their parent’s backs.” Said Ember as she moved her stuffed doll that rested snugly in her talons.
Amethyst laughed and playfully Knocked her sister down and tried to grab the doll.
“Buuuuuuut,” Ember said slowly, pausing with a wide grin “The nerd was even more beautiful than her sister! In fact she was so beautiful that the Phoenix herself decided to make her the ruler of Spirit clan so she could be honored for all the eternities!”
“Is not!” Amethyst pounced on Ember again as the orange crystal dragon tried to get up.
But their play came to an unfortunate end when the door opened and their snooty mother, lightsaver, came in.
“Aren’t you girls a little too old to be playing?” Lightsaver hissed, looking like an annoyed cobra.
“But Moooooooooommmm!” They both complained in unison.
“When i was your age i was already married, so you should consider yourselves lucky to even still be in this castle anymore!” Lightsaver held her head up high like she had ultimate authority here instead of their dad.
Amethyst stood up on her hind legs and put her hands on her hips with a scowl
“Well, now they dont marry off poor little sixteen year olds to barbaric, whiny drakes.”
“It could be worse,” Said Ember “They could have married you off to some creaky old guy.”
“Eeeew! Never ever! I would rather be eaten alive by a shark or slowly be skinned alive with their teeth!” Cried Amethyst, flailing her arms about in the air “Doesn't that sound wrong Mummy!” She whined.
“I did not sign up for this.
Just get your tails downstairs for dinner as your father requested.” Lightsaver sighed, putting a talon on her face and wrinkling her snout as if her two dragonets disgusted and revolted her.
“Requested? My, my! Requested? Our father was polite for once?” Ember was dancing on her claws.
“What did he actually say?” Amethyst tilted her head like a chicken examining a worm in the dirt.
“Your father DEMANDS you to come downstairs or else he will rip your tails off.” Lightsaver walked off, patting her leg as if the room left some dust on her.
Ember and Amethyst followed quickly.
They were, indeed, and obviously, rather fond of their tails.
Their mother scuttled down the hall while still putting in her best effort to look wise and regal, a true queen.
After a small amount of walking they arrived at the dining hall, a long table with countless chairs, each occupied by a dragon of some importance.

At the end of the room, above a small flight of stairs, were four thrones, the ones in the middle large, and the ones near the edges small, the small ones being for the princesses, Ember and her sister, and the large ones being for Their mother and father, the king and queen.
Servants dashed about, bringing trays of food to the table as the crowd clamored.
Ember and Amethyst sat down in their thrones, watching the dragons below with slight interest.
Tonight was Amethyst’s gifting ceremony, when her power would be given to her, for it is tradition that every royal on their seventeenth hatching day shall be given their “Magical ability” and then married off to some total, very rich, stranger.
Amethyst hoped her gift was something cool, like shooting lava from her eyes! Or breathing ice! Or being able to make objects float! Something incredibly awesome like that!
The strange thing about getting powers was like other dragonets she hatched with them, but stronger, but they were taken away soon after so she would not “Rebel against her parents” or something dumb like that.
But only now could she have her powers back, when she would be given a husband who would apparently Tame and control her.
“Sorry that you can’t get your powers for another year.” She said sympathetically, looking at Ember.
Was she really sorry though? No powers meant no husband, didn’t it?
“It is ok! I have the powers.. Of science!” Ember said triumphantly.
Amethyst could not help but giggle a little, despite their father’s judging stare.
“Whatever happens, I swear I will not let anyone ever marry me! I will be soooo annoying. They will beg for my parents to take me back.
No marriage today!” Amethyst said in a more quiet tone.
“Ha! They can try! My sister is as wild as the ocean tide!” Ember grinned.

Soon hundreds more dragons poured in, many of them bringing gifts for the princess.
“What did you want for your hatching day again?” inquired Ember, curious to know what wonders her sister had asked for.
“That makeup set, you know that fancy one that Hydra has, and also the fancy dolls clothes. Both from the surface.” Amethyst said, looking up wistfully at the glass ceiling to see the very faint light of the moon shining through the water.
“The surface.” Ember sighed dreamily, stroking her tail like it was a large cat.
“I wonder what it is like to live out of the water.” Amethyst added.
“Your majesty, it is time for the gifting ceremony.” A servant said, bowing down to Their father.
“Yes, Yes, yes.” their father groaned, waving a talon dismissively.
“I announce the arrival of Ivory Bush! Our witch dragon!” A guard announced as the huge doors opened and a creme colored dragon walked inside.
She was covered in gold chains that wound around her like a serpent to its prey.
All eyes were on Ivory coral as she walked over to Amethyst.
She paused for a moment, lashing her bejeweled tail across the marble floor.
“Well get on with it.” Their father said, sounding impatient but slightly less rude than usual.
Hmmmm, maybe it was because clearwater was an important figure of authority.
“Don’t be hasty.” Hissed Ivory Bush.
There was something that made the witch willing to test the limit of his patience, something that made her willing to scratch the boundaries with her sharp claws.
Their father scowled as Ivory Bush examined Amethyst, stroking her wings and tail.
After what seemed like a century the witch finally placed a talon on Amethyst’s forehead and closed her eyes, preparing to utter the words of the spells.
“I summon the power from within the earth to give back what it took from this dragon at birth,” she paused for a moment before raising her voice to a horrific boom that echoed off the walls “May her powers bring her glory so the world may know her story!”
Suddenly there was a bright blast of magic that swirled around Amethyst like a whirlpool, hiding her out of view from the rest of the dragons in the room like a celestial curtain.
Ivory bush waved her paw, and the magic disappeared.
Amethyst gasped and opened her eyes, she felt the same except now everyone was gawping at her.
She peered at her talons just in case.
No lava coming out of them, in fact nothing strange at all.
She cautiously picked up the mirror and held it up to her face.
Did that ceremony not work?
Wait! She saw two silver stars behind her eyes, but what did it mean?
The crowd continued to stare at her in confusion, whispering things.
“Well? What is it?” their father snapped at Ivory bush, who looked rather pale.
“A seer.” The witch growled back.
“A seer? Really?” Their father looked startled.
“She is indeed a seer, like I said.” Ivory bush brushed herself off
A seer? No, no, no, no! This could not be happening!
She can’t be a seer! She just can’t!
A seer was the worst power imaginable!
It will ruin her life! She will see everything!
She will know everything, even things she does not want to know!
Such as, when will she die, how will she die?
Amethyst stood still like a paralyzed mouse.
Suddenly Their father lept off the throne like an angry lion and clamped his talons around Ivory Bush’s neck with a ferocious roar.
“What is this treachery? There has not been a seer in thousands of years!” He barked.
“There-” The witch dragon began, clutching his talons to try and pry them off her neck before she was interrupted again
“She will bring this whole kingdom to ruin!”
“There is a solution!” Ivory bush screeched as their father let go and sent her tumbling backwards.
“Listen to me,” She hissed as she crashed into the wall with a deafening crack.
“Then stop wasting time and tell me!” their father roared.
Suddenly Amethyst’s eyes lit up white and everyone froze, staring at her.
“In the forests in creeps unseen, the great mountains it crawls between.
It comes for blood, it grows in power, it will return in the final hour.” she said before closing her eyes and collapsing on the floor.
“The solution,” Ivory bush paused, glancing at Amethyst and flicking her tail with a hiss,“Is to kill your Dragonet.”







Amethyst awakened to find herself on the bed in her room.
She groaned and rubbed her head, glancing around.
Everything was so foggy, like a forest filled with smoke.
She turned to see her sister’s worried face peering down at her.
“Are you alright?” Ember cocked her head to the side, attempting to get a better view.
“I.. I don't quite know… and I don't understand what happened last night.” Amethyst responded.
“The gifting ceremony, they gave you your powers and-”
“A seer! Spirits above my gift is a seer!” Amethyst yelped, jumping and clutching her tail, whipping her head from side to side like a startled deer.
“Forget that, we must hurry!” Ember grabbed Amethyst’s talon and attempted to drag her off the bed.
“Why?!” restisting, Amethyst dug her talons into the frame, leaving permanent marks.
“Because,” Ember paused, her eyes welling up with tears “Because they are gonna kill you.”
Amethyst leapt off the bed in a panic.
“What are we gonna do?!” She screeched, stopping near the door.
“How about first you shut up so nobody suspects anything, and second we are going to run away. Far, far, far away! Up above the water and to the lands beyond,” Ember said, pulling back Amethyst “Have a vision.”
“I can’t just have a vision. I don’t know how to use these weird powers. The visions just come to me, whenever, wherever.” Amethyst was more quiet this time, heeding her sister’s words of caution.
“We leave now.” Ember whispered, opening the door and carefully walking into the hallway as her sister followed.
She suddenly paused, realization striking her like a bolt of lightning to a tree in the storm.
“What are we going to do when we reach the market? The guards will certainly stop us at the gate.”
“It’s not like we can buy anything, the dragons at the stalls will recognize us, and maybe the guards will be on the lookout for any cloaked figures.” Amethyst groaned, visibly frustrated.
“Argghhh! I wish we had more time to figure this out!” she lashed her tail again.
“We can go to Hydra's room, convince her to side with us, she can help change our appearances, and lead us out of the city!” Ember exclaimed before putting a talon on her face.
“First, how about you shut up!” Amethyst giggling, playfully whacking Ember with her wing.
“Yup! Will do! My bad!” Ember whispered before quickly and quietly sneaking down the corridor and creeping into a room as Amethyst followed, just as silent.
Inside the room was a purple dragon, sitting on a chair near a dimly lit
Candle.
She appeared to be writing on a piece of parchment, a plate with a small. Half eaten shark next to it on the desk.
It seemed their cousin was doing some more late night snacking again.
Wonderful, now they would not have to wake her up.
“Pssst! Hydra!” Ember tapped on her shoulder.
Hydra opened her mouth to scream but Amethyst quickly held it shut before the dragoness could utter a single word.
“It’s us! Amethyst and Ember! We need help!” Amethyst whispered before cautiously retracting her talon.
“W-why?” Hydra asked.
“They want to kill my sister because of her power, we need your help to escape! Please help us! Please!” Ember begged.
“What power? Tell me and I will consider it.” Hydra examined her talons with a smirk.
“A seer! But she can’t control her powers and has no idea how to use them!”
“Alright I will help you, but in exchange for that collection of bugs you have.” Their cousin tapped Ember on the snout.
Ember hesitated.
“Alright, just take care of them please.” she said reluctantly.
“Will do. Now follow me.” Hydra walked over to a wardrobe and grabbed a few items out, setting them down beside her on the polar bear fur carpet.
She grabbed a brush and dipped it into a jar of paint before nervously sliding it across Amethyst’s face, talons, tail tip, and neck.
She then repeated the same thing with Ember, but with much more ease as she had scales instead of fur.
“Put these on.” Hydra said, handing them dresses that covered everywhere except the places she had painted.
The sisters put the clothes on, examining themselves in the mirrors afterwards.
“I know, not the best, but it should fool the guards at the entry.” Hydra said.
“Now follow me.” she flicked her tail and wandered into the hallway.
Amethyst and Ember followed.
“Just act casual and everything will be fine.” Their cousin reassured them.


Hydra had led them to the obsidian passage, more commonly known as the black gate.
It was the entrance to Abyss, where hundreds of dragons came and went.
Here they would hardly be noticed.
“Your majesty.” a guard bowed to Hydra before shooting a suspicious glance at Ember and Amethyst.
“We wish to go to the surface. These are my friends Tidal wave and Sea wolf.” Hydra gestured to the princesses.
The guard narrowed his eyes at them before exhaling and waving his talon “You may go.”
“Thank you.” Ember whispered to Hydra as they walked past the inspection area and into the tunnel that would lead them up…

To the surface.