- I'll never accept that outcome...

The magic consumed his body, shattering his entire ancientness. Darkstalker felt himself shrinking inexorably. As his claws shrank, his fangs became less sharp, and the magic... the magic stopped working altogether. Its pleasant, ticklish tingle that had been with him since his earliest days was gone. All because of one little strawberry. Mom, Clearsight, the dragonets... he trusted them. Trusted that they would accept him as their good king. And now he had lost absolutely everything. Looking down, the already former animus magic dragon saw the eyes of the many dragons he had trusted looking up at him with curiosity.
And they grew larger with each passing moment.
They had betrayed him, all of them as one. Why would no one want to understand him? He could have been the best ruler of Pyrrhia! Shrinking, Darkstalker emitted what he thought was a monstrous roar. However, it was no longer so menacing, but somehow too quiet. Annoyed. Pathetic.

- We did it! - squeaked the still tiny rainwing.

- Yay! - exclaimed the sandy one named Whirlwind. - One question: What did you do?

- Well, remember that piece of paper from his scroll? I figured since it was his magic, it would work on him. So I decided to turn him into a regular rainbow dragon!

A Rainwing ?! As pathetic as her? Or even worse? No, it can't be! Great Darkstalker would not become a lazy Rainwing ! Darkstalker had already shrunk to her mother's size and continued to shrink. The eyes of his mother dragon look at him with such pain... Then why are you allowing it? Interfere with them! To no avail, everyone turned their backs on him. He drowned an entire tribe in blood because of her and this is her gratitude?
His thoughts began to jumble along with his diminished stature. Nightwing tried to focus on reality, but it was slowly slipping away from him. His consciousness was dissolving, creating a whole new personality under the remnants of his own magic...

- No! I don't want to leave! - Darkstalker shrieked. - Help!

- You should have thought before you cast the curse on the ice ones. - Turtle hissed contemptuously.

Turtle... how much he resembled his great-grandfather. Just as ostentatious and determined, though really the biggest coward of the whole campaign. Glubin, my old friend. It's his fault that he's here and now. He was the one who betrayed him the very first!
He kept shrinking back. The silhouettes of the dragonlings around him seemed inordinately huge now. Darkstalker managed to hold back the last stronghold in his subconscious with monstrous willpower, but with each passing moment he was losing more and more of himself. The faces of his friends, the great magic.

Everything...dissolving...into nothing.....

- GREAT MOONS! HELP ME!

In a last hope in the face of inevitable defeat, Darkstalker raised his hands to the sky. Three moons. Today, as on the day he was born, the Three Moons shine. They had gifted him with such great power, wished that he could bend reality as he wished. And now he, Darkstalker, defeated and ridiculed, asks for help from those who have never turned their backs on him.

- The moons only help worthy dragons. - Moonwatcher frowned. - And a villain like you...
At that moment, the nightwing dragoness groaned and settled to the ground, clutching her hands to her head. Her shoulders shook uncontrollably. The dragonets immediately surrounded her.

- Moon! What...

- The future... It's changing. - the whisper of the Nightwing dragonet was like thunder. - I see new time lines. Darkstalker... Great Moons... he won't be king... what have we done?

The moons in the sky brightened as if it was now the deepest night. Being at his last breath, Darkstalker reached out to them with his hand. And they responded. Beams stretched downward from the moons. They gathered into one powerful beam, and now it was flying downward at great speed, straight at him! The impact came all over his tiny body, but there was no pain at all. The light enveloped Darkstalker's body and mind, cleansing him of the bonds of his own magic. With each passing second, Nightwing felt himself returning to normal. The tingling in his fingers had returned once more. In addition, he began to feel another power within him. Far more powerful than his animus magic !
Rising to his feet, Darkstalker laughed. And that laughter made even his blood freeze in his veins. The power of the Three Moons overwhelmed him. His stature immediately reacted and crept upward. In the light of the great luminaries of the night he looked like a towering figure among the lowly. Darkstalker raised his arms upward, bathing himself in the moonbeams of this power. Strangely enough, his arms somehow grew heavier.....

- What's going on?! - Winter roared. - Dumbass, what is this?

- I... I don't know! - Kinkajou was terrified, backing away from the enlarging animus magic dragon. - It's not supposed to grow!

- It's Great Moons. - Moonwatcher wheezed. - It give him the power to free himself... as the Chosen One of Destiny. It's all foregone now...

- Not yet!

Jumping up, Qibli pounced Darkstalker, but the size difference was no longer on his side. Grabbing the dragonkin by the neck, Nightwing brought his fist above his head. The poisonous spike slid down his body, unable to pierce the invulnerability that had returned. Or was it the Moons that kept him safe? Recently!
Only now did Darkstalker realize that he was growing in more than just size. His body was growing in power! It was no coincidence that his arms seemed heavy with muscle. And with each passing moment in the light of the moons, they were only getting bigger. As he looked around at all the others present, Nightwing realized that he was once again towering above them all. Except now he was much stronger.
Placing Qibli on his growing chest, the animus magic dragon shoved him deeper between them. The dragonet fiercely resisted, but his strength was nothing in comparison. And after all, he was going to offer this wimp the power of an animus magic dragon! It felt so good to hear him squeak something in his chest.
A bolt of pink lightning struck Darkstalker's chest. Turtle! What audacity. Not that Darkstalker cared, he would have even responded to it. But right now, he was far more concerned with the size of his own muscles. This attack couldn't even stagger him. His muscles... the dragon flexed his right arm, savoring the way his muscles poured from even the smallest strain. Moons, what have you done to me? I want more!

- More! - Nightwing thundered and his height immediately shot skyward.

A tiny black silhouette loomed in front of his nose. Mother. Gaining more air into his chest, Darkstalker simply blew it away. His head at this point had already begun to prop up the passing clouds. But this was just the beginning.

- More.

Higher than the highest mountains.

- More!

Stronger than the strongest dragons.

- MORE! I SAID MORE!

The great kingdoms one by one found themselves in his shadow. Pyrrhia shrank under his claws like sun-dried grapes. The entire planet began to shake from his mere breath. Darkstalker. The great, the invincible, the best on the entire continent... which was now smaller than his biceps! Even smaller! And more!
His laugh made the very space around him shudder. The dragon planet kept shrinking and shrinking before him as he watched the commotion on the surface. Everything seemed so small and insignificant. How strange, for not so long ago he had dreamed of ruling over such little ones, of being their king.

- After all, why be a king... when I can be a god?

The moons that had so far nourished him with their power now swirled around his horns, forming a halo. They are his only companions, loyal and compassionate. And these... Darkstalker glanced disdainfully at the planet that already fit in the palm of his hand.

They will know his wrath.



Story written by  Dragon789

Cover art made by me