Lets play pretend (private Paradox and Baldi)

Celestia woke from her bed. It was far more pleasant than any time she'd woken as a dragon. Her human life was far superior. This cabin home she woke up in every morning was warm and comforting. After some adjusting she was now waking in the mornings. A lot of the habits she had as a night inclined dragon had faded away. Now she had more time to spend with a mate who actually showed he loved her. She also wasn't as helpless as she was when she first turned herself into a mortal human. Use of a bow was her favorite and she was rather accurate with it. She was decent with a sword enough to hold her own against a trained grunt. Her best skill by far was stealth. The white skinned human didn't have the natural night camouflage her black scales had but it didn't hinder her too much. She was even able to sneak up on Svad on occasion. If things ever got really heated she could still turn into her dragon form though she avoided doing so at almost all costs. Even if such a from was limited to before her powers had ever manifested. She was mortal through and through. It was scary for her to think that someone else could even take away her life. Snuffed out as easily as humans die.

Celestia went to the dinning area and started a fire the human way by striking some specific rocks against each other. It was kind of ironic. Her mate was now more magically adept than herself. In order to make herself normal she had to lock her magic away. Completely getting rid of it was not an option as that would rid the whole world of magic.

Cooking up some eggs and dicing up some vegetables she provided food for the kids and herself. Svad wasn't present at the moment. He didn't have any work that she knew of so he would likely show up at some point.  After breakfast was over Celestia decided to head into town. While still not popular the populace had accepted her as one of them. She was considered weak in their eyes. Every so often she would amuse herself with the though of shifting to her dragon form right in front of them. See how weak they thought she was then. Knowing her luck they probably still would considering her small size as a dragon. Celestia made her rounds saying hello to the townsfolk and making small talk. Business as usual. She idly wondered if Svad was somewhere in town.

In life, Paradox had pondered about many things, some mundane, some basically nobody would ever even consider. Such was his place at the top of the food chain as one of the divine gifted in this realm. Now, he realized it wasn't his place to contemplate life all too much. He thought he was lacking something and went out of his way to obtain it, only for it to crumble into dust right within his claws, along with the rest of his life...

Ever since the monsters appeared, nothing in this world had been normal. Tribes, alliances, all scattered across the world. Survivors getting by every day with as little as they could get. The humans were no help. They closed themselves off as best they could, defending themselves from the monster onslaught. But in all this, was chaos. The natural order of the world has been shattered, upturned. A spark was born, the spark gathered all the chaotic energies that were released in this world and, in a moment nobody witnessed, he was reborn, returned as what he realized he always truly was. He needed no things such as family or comfort, no true emotional ties to others that could be exploited and broken. He was, is, the god of chaos and Paradox would have it no other way.

It took him not long to realize Astral was gone. And while at first it seemed like she was gone for good, he knew it wasn't the case. Her powers still lingered, undetectable for all but her and him. As such, he searched. The first action after his rebirth was to search for her. Every corner of the dragon lands, yet nothing. Then he searched the human lands for the dragoness, yet nothing. But with her powers gone, she didn't need to have remained as a dragon. He went invisible, searching the human areas for days to come, until finally he picked up a trace of her. He found her, the now human ex-goddess.

Approaching her was easy once she was out of her home. He assumed a human form of his own - though he would never ditch his own powers, not that he needed to - and made himself unnoticeable to other humans. It's more effective than being invisible in many cases if you do not wish to be recognized among others since they see you as a human but do not pay any more attention.

'He' approached her from behind, put a hand on her left shoulder, and whispered into her right ear, with a voice completely unlike his own.
"Do you mind if we talked for a bit...Astral, my dear?"

Human Paradox:

Svadilfare had no specific reason for having risen early and gone into the village. He had no warriors to instruct today, no potential jobs to take him away from Kryo. Even his father had no need of him. It was a little odd for the warrior-assassin to have absolutely nothing to do. But he did not complain. This meant only that he could spend the day with his beloved wife and children. Svad looked up at the sky. Celestia would be up now, maybe fixing breakfast. It still amazed him that she was so accustomed to human life now. How long had it been since he had last teased her about waking up so late? A shout from a nearby vendor brought Svad back from his thoughts. With nothing to do, he'd just been wandering around waiting for something to happen. He spotted a group of men trying to lift a cart so its broken wheel could be removed. While Celestia had improved her new skills, Svad improved his. He'd gotten better at healing magic and his right hand was almost completely healed now. So he started making his way over to the cart to help. On the way, someone stopped him in passing and mentioned that Celestia was in town. Smiling, Svad changed course. He thought about sneaking up her. She was surprisingly good at sneaking, so good that Svad might have suggested she become an assassin, too. He never would, though, no matter how good she got. Part of it was he didn't want a repeat of the past. The other part was Celestia had yet to successfully sneak up on him. He had yet to tell her any success thus far was because he let her. By the time he saw Cele, however, it was too late to flank her and come around from behind. Anyway, he preferred walking right up to her so he could see the smile on her face when he embraced her with a smile of his own.

"Good morning, my love," he said after kissing Celestia, "I was just going to help some men near the market with a broken cart wheel. After, I am yours for the rest of the day unless something comes up." He kissed the back of her hand this time before departing and jogging off to get to the cart before the men holding it up got too fatigued and let it fall.

Celestia smiled brightly as Svad appeared before her and came to give her a hug. Along with it they shared in a customary kiss. Despite it's frequency the show of affection had never lost it's magic. He informed her he was going to help out with the cart and then he would be all hers. "Alright I eagerly await your return." Before he left he kissed the back of her hand and Astral giggled thinking it a little silly, but appreciating it none the less. There wasn't much she could do to help. As far as strength she was not very impressive at all. About as non impressive as she was as a dragon before her powers. But just like back then she didn't allow such a set back and now as a human she could back it up almost as well as she had as a dragon. Well at least she'd like to think she was getting close. Back when she was with the skywings she had taken on the firewings best warrior who was many times her size. Unless it was a sneak attack against someone like that in the major cities she'd be pretty screwed.

Casting the thoughts from her mind Celestia watched Svad put those muscles to work. For a human he was very impressive and handsome and she was proud to be his mate. She was quite positive jealously is what prevented her from getting close to many of the women in the village. As she enjoyed the eye candy a hand was suddenly placed on her shoulder and words whispered into her ear from the opposite side. Astral waited till whoever it was finished. Sudden movements while taken by surprise was a terrible idea. She cursed her awful human sense for allowing anyone to sneak up on her. Whoever it was still had to be good at it though which worried her. It could be an assassin out for Svad and by extension herself. The moment they finished talking Astral broke away spinning around to face them while simultaneously drawing a dagger in a reverse grip ready to strike. It was a woman an outsider in a nonthreatening stance with no weapons from what Celestia could see.

It was now she could take a moment to consider the words spoken. Now that the immediate danger was over she could quickly process the information. This person was human there was only one human who knew of her previous identity as Astral and that was Svad and he wouldn't tell anyone. None of the other gods knew of the situation she had put herself in or how to find her. Hardly 2 seconds had passed and Celestia sheathed her blade. "You must have me mistaken. My name is Celestia. There is nobody here by that name. And you should watch yourself. This is the wrong village to pull that kind of stunt. You'll get yourself killed."

The woman, Paradox, chuckled. Despite her best efforts, there was no mistaking. This was, in fact, the alpha to his omega before him, Astral. With but a snap of her fingers the world slowed down around them, until the birds stopped chirping, the humans stopped walking, the clouds stopped moving.

"Now now, my dear. If you remember anything about me, you should know I won't get myself killed so easily. Besides, you should stop acting like that when I am around. After all, we are both just pretending to be humans right now, aren't we?"

She walked around, circling Astral as she put her hands behind her head. Clearly, from the pose or the smug expression on her face, it was obvious that Paradox enjoyed this moment. She stopped and folded her arms in front of her chest.

"It took me a while to find you, not going to lie. But I never expected you, ot all, to abandon dragonkind in pursuit of humans. Just look at you, living a regular human life, a regular mortal life. What drove you to that decision? What about the dragons out there fighting for their lives? I mean, of course you as a goddess do not have to bother yourself with the life of meaningless mortals. Or rather, an ex-goddess, right? You know, in this position there are so many things I could do to you. Do with you. My mind is running wild with ideas of what to do ever since I returned to this world. You were probably glad you got rid of me, but chaos is always present. I will be always present. And thanks to you, I learned what truly matters to me. So, what do you think we are going to do now?"

With a snap of foreign woman's fingers the world slowed and then halted. Whoever this was it was a dragon god. The question was who. Celestia's first thought was Nimbus. He had destroyed her happiness once before in selfish pursuit that he ultimately abandoned. The only fruit his efforts bared was leaving her torn between two minds and two lives that of the hatchling Celestia and that of the goddess Astral. Sometimes she wondered if that had been is goal all along. She wouldn't be surprised if he did so again. But no that wasn't right. Nimbus would never bother to disguise himself as human. He would just swoop into the village and snatch her up.

"Paradox?" Celestia questioned out loud. After it left her mouth she became certain.

Paradox began circling her in a rather relaxed carefree pose.

Celestia couldn't help but giggle as a realization came to her. "Enjoyed the other sex that much huh?" The more Celestia thought about when she had made Paradox's body female to fit with his appearance as Astral and enjoyed it the more she giggled.

After Paradox was done circling she asked a lot of questions.

"Unfortunately our arrangement didn't end well for me either. After you disappeared to even the gods know not where Nimbus eventually wised up. He found me and ruined my life again. After much torment I managed to put it back together. My powers grew stronger and I found myself with more responsibility as a result. There was something that bothered me though. Why did Shardas create humans? I disguised myself as one as you do now and dedicated myself to learning about them before I could make any decisions that decided their future. I ended up falling in love with the one who was showing me. He treats me in a manor I couldn't even have imagined prior. Their social structure is very intricate and still a little confusing to me at times.

Anyways I gave it up. I am no longer a goddess or a dragon when I can help it. As for the tribes fighting each other. What do you want me to do? Tell them all to make a truce or I'll wipe them all out?" Celestia said not even aware the tribes had merged into alliances. "I am no longer their god or kind. There is nothing I could do now anyways.

And glad I got rid of you?" Celestia said deeply offended. "We had made a win win deal. You got a family and I still didn't get Nimbus's love but it worked out for me in the end. I'm sorry if Nimbus was terrible to you too, but did you not enjoy the children? What happened to you, where did you vanish of too? As a hatchling I thought my mother had died and so did the rest of the world. I ended up getting adopted into the nightwings. They still think I'm dead and it's basically true now."

Celestia would wait for Paradox to respond before answering the question she had posed of what to do with her. The thought brought genuine fear to her. Paradox could kill her now. Something she had nearly succeeded in before but now another snap of those fingers and she could be dead. She was just as powerless to the gods as all the other mortels."Grant me one request though. If you are going to do anything to me. Let me say goodbye to my mate and children." Celestia pleaded.

"Oh, you actually care about me? To be fair, I still do not know where I ended up at. Only that it was a place no other mind could have comprehended. I saw chaos in its entirety, in its natural, untraveled form. I spend time in that I place I can never tell how much. I'm sure time didn't flow there the way it did here or anywhere else. All I know is that I have seen place far beyond this. It has given me inspiration and, most importantly, it returned me to my roots. It made me realize that the wish of family was nothing but a mere cry from the once mortal me.
My family life was never good but that is something I've cried about already. I've stopped trying to return to a life that was never meant to me. This is what I have embraced, this is what I was always supposed to be. My mother can go to Nimbus' realm for all I care. But to answer your question, I did enjoy the hatchlings, you in particular. Which is why I will not kill you, you should know better. I am not in the habit of breaking my toys after all."

Paradox took a deep breath. She finally let loose what built up inside of her and she found himself at peace. Once again, she took on a relaxed pose and raised her hand and snapped once, though to no visible effect. She looked up in the sky for a moment, as if to confirm something, before returning her gaze to "Celestia".

"Now, while I will not kill you, I do intend to do what I could always do best, spread chaos. And there is one particular way that came to my mind. We'll go on a little road trip across the dragon lands, after all, I am sure there are quite a few people who would have liked to meet their goddess, and now that is a wish I am more than happy to fulfill!"

With a snap of her fingers, both pretenders vanished into thin air, as time returned to normal. His first goal was simple, the home of Earthern King Baldirak Sapiens Draco...

After the meeting, Baldirak retired to his den with the request not to be disturbed. Though he had not said it, this included Kenina. He wasn't angry with her, just hurt by her outburst. It had never occurred to him that destruction wrought by the invading monsters may have destroyed faith in the gods as well. Still, how could Kenina have snapped at him like that? How could he have known that she had lost her faith; she had not spoken to him in two years. Balidirak stepped into his Knowledge Circle and laid down. The white and purple Moonstones shone a little as they absorbed the sunlight. The white Moonstone hanging around his neck along with a lunar rock talisman was warm against his scales. The King's pale blue eyes lowered to the talisman.

Baldirak had discovered the body of Astral some years ago in the NightWing desert. Three of her children had been present, mourning their mother's death. One of them, Celestia, had been the only one to speak through the ordeal. When the EarthWing had told her that her mother made him her prophet, Celestia had offered to make him hers. Baldirak had given the Hatchling one of his talismans before she left with Tenebris. He wondered now if she had kept it, if she were even still alive. Tenebris said Celestia had snuck out, as she often did, but did not come back this time. How devastating it would be if the daughter of Astral had met some ill-fated end.

The King closed his eyes. For some reason or another, he had never believed the Goddess was truly dead. Perhaps it was only wishful thinking. Maybe Kenina had been right... With a sigh, Baldirak prepared to meditate and pray to the Goddess who, dead or not, real or myth, he still followed devoutly. He had not been doing so long when he suddenly heard a noise and smelled something he should not. His eyes snapped open. Before him stood two human females. How they had gotten into his den, he did not know, but they would not be getting out. The EarthWing stood, too fast for his right foreleg's liking. He almost fell over but righted himself. The large dragon's teeth were bared and dripped with acid that bubbled up from his throat as he growled. Before his pale eyes flashed visions of the invasion that nearly wiped out the EarthWings and himself. He wanted nothing more than to end their lives. How dare they set foot into his home, after all the suffering they had caused him and his species? Though he had spent some time as their captive, Baldirak had not learned their tongue. He could not demand the answers he sought, but their blood on his claws would be enough to sate his rage for now. The acid built up more as Baldirak resisted the urge to release it. He finally opened his maw to do so and let loose a stream of the corrosive liquid behind the two humans so they could not escape through the cave's entrance.

Baldirak stepped out of his Knowledge Circle and approached the humans, seething. He would savor their deaths, but first he wanted them to know the fear every fallen EarthWing had felt before being killed by these true monsters.

Celestia empathized with Paradox. It was hard to come to grips with becoming a god. You became disconnected with everyone you know. Celestia thought back to her time with the skywings when her divinity began blooming a goddess puberty so to speak. She was challenging the skywing queen at the time for her throne. All had been going well especially with the strange new strength she was getting then all of a sudden as night settled she had lost all her energy and could hardly move. Needless to say she lost and was kicked out the skywings.

Then there was Volcanis the firewings she had battled in the past. She had been courting him but they never made it to officially becoming mates. Their relationship worsened when Volcanis found out she had killed one of his cousins after his cousin had killed her adopted daughter Trinyah. A death she could have prevented had she braved the knowledge and sight of the world and it's draining overwhelming expanse.

Then just when it seemed nothing good was allowed to ever happen to her she fell in love with the god of death Nimbus. Was probably foolish as the relationship decayed and Astral had felt like her heart had been killed. To escape she hatched a plan with Paradox turning herself into a hatchling and suppressing her powers. Things got hectic but her life was normalish. She at least had felt normal. But then Nimbus had to get back at her and released the memories of her past life shattering her psyche.

This time she had completely abandoned her responsibility as the goddess of gods and all the other titles she held and even joined the human race. This was the happiest she had ever been but it seems history truly does repeat itself as Paradox has returned and come to mess with his favorite toy. Celestia didn't even have the chance to plead for him not too before they were teleported before Baldirak the prophet of Astral.

The sight of the massive green dragon rising with an unfriendly expression was truly terrifying. "Are you mad?" Celestia shouted at Paradox before shifting to her dragon form. She took a look back at the acid that had been sprayed behind her at the entrance. That could have been and probably would have been me in a few more moments and I'd be dead. You should think if you don't want to break me!"

Celestia then turned her head to Baldi but couldn't even create eye contact before she moved her head down in shame. "Hey, Baldi."

Paradox was laughing. As the last human standing between two dragons, she was having the time of her life. Not to mention, everything was going according to her plans. She didn't even have to do anything to get Astral back into dragon form, and her anger, Baldirak's rage, it was the most entertaining moment she had since her return. She snapped her fingers and returned to the dragon form she was much more used to. Though that did not stop him from laughing and chuckling.

"Oh, you should see the looks on your faces! Priceless!" After calming down, he just leaned back, hovering in midair without the use of his wings. "Now that this lovely moment is over, we should take a moment to get to know each other, rather, you two should. I am just the mediator here, bringing the two of you together so you can resolve some unfinished business."

He floated over to, and actually over, Astral and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "You know I would have protected you, I would never have him kill you like that. Anyway, you obviously know who he is."
With a flourish and some twirls in the air, he made his way over to Baldirak. "Now then, King of the Earthwings, I am greatly honored to introduce to you, the one, the only, the former goddess of gods, Astral!"

Trumpets could be heard in the background, giving a fanfare as he introduced Astral to His Majesty and confetti was raining from the ceiling to give the announcement a celebrating flair. "You may know her as Celestia, daughter of Astral. I think by now she does not care which way you address her as, she's used to both."

The human with the black hair was terrified, as well she should be. Baldirak could rival his mate in ferocity under the right conditions. The EarthWing would enjoy killing her first. The tiny being turned to her blue haired companion and said something. If her final words involved escape or a plead for her life, it would not be granted.

Just as Baldirak prepared to strike, however, the human changed. Before his pale eyes, a small NightWing--a Hatchling--took the place of the biped. And then she spoke again, this time in the tongue of the dragons. She shouted at the blue haired human before turning back in the direction of Baldirak and speaking to him, but deliberately avoided eye contact. "Hey Baldi". Before him stood Celestia, daughter of Astral. Whatever effect the human thought this might have, she was wrong. Baldirak would not fall for the deceit of man. During the slaughter of his tribe, the then-First Class Advisor had encountered a human female who possessed magic. Did she stand before him now to kill him this time? Did she mean to torture him in some other way than keeping him just barely alive? "How ever you have learned my tongue, my name, I will not show you mercy. If you have killed the Hatchling whose form you take, all of humankind will perish this day and you will be the last to die, that you may first know my pain."

But before the enraged EathWing could continue forward, the blue haired human began laughing. And then she too changed. This one was different, for one, it was a full grown dragon, and a male. He floated about though he had wings. What he said, Baldirak could not believe. It was just another trick by a magically inclined human. But was it? How could they know of the Goddess, her daughter, their names? How could they know that Baldirak had gone on to become the King of his tribe? How did they even know the EarthWings were a monarchy? Baldirak was indeed puzzled now, but his rage did not falter. When the male approached him, he did not hesitate to snarl and snap in his direction. His teeth caught only air but threatened to take flesh next.

"You..." The EarthWing looked at the male, "You must be kin, to know my status within my tribe, to know of the Goddess and her offspring. But by your words and manner, you do not seem to be enslaved to this human. If that is not so, then you are a traitor to your kind and I will deal with you soon enough." His gaze shifted to the female. "Pretender, if you would insist on this lie even as you face your death, I will entertain it if only for the continued amusement of your pet. If you insist to be Celestia, prove your claim."

"Like that. Is that so lord of loop holes." Celestia said assigning Paradox a new title. Of course he'd be enjoying himself immensely. Regardless if this was for revenge or pure amusement this had to be the highlight of his existence.

Celestia remained still, unmoving, and unspeaking. His words as of yet did not hurt her. That was only to come when he did believe the truth. She'd almost rather just die to him. It'd almost be poetic justice. She couldn't leave Svad to try and figure out how to take care of a dragon and a half. She couldn't leave Svad.

"If Paradox truly intends to protect me then you'll be powerless to kill me. On the flip side if you do not believe what you see and what you hear then there is nothing I can do to convince you. But if he does not and you do kill me there are two things I'd like to leave you with. First." Celestia said before revealing the pendant Baldi had provided her. "You gave me this when my mother died and you should have it back." Celestia gently laid it down. "Second the truth. Remember the dreams you had about Astral sending you to the moon. I know about them because Astral isn't my mother. I was Astral all along. Nimbus was not kind to me and I retreated to the form of a hatchling locking my memories away. Me and Paradox had an arrangement he would take my place so he had family and I would get the attention I craved as a hatchling. As you well know things didn't work out. I don't know what happened to cause the body that was Paradox that was me to die. But this is apparently the way Paradox shows his gratitude." Celestia said with a quick glare in Paradox's direction.

"I can't be your god Baldirak which means you can't be my prophet not for Astral or Celestia. I am no longer a goddess anymore. I gave it up."

The EarthWing had taken to pacing while the pretend Celestia stood silent. He circled the interlopers slowly, contemplating how best to rid himself of them. His hisses and growls, the scraping of his claws against the ground echoed throughout his den. Droplets of acid-laced saliva dripped from his slightly open maw. His pale eyes stared hard at the ridiculously small creatures. With every passing second, it seemed as if Baldirak was becoming... feral; little more than a simple beast driven purely by instinct.

At last, the disguised human spoke. She explained that her pet may or may not shield her from harm. She offered some object to the Twilight King and went on to reiterate the other's claim. That these humans expected Baldirak to believe such a tale was laughable. If only he were in a jovial mood. When the small female ceased talking, Baldirak raised his left forepaw then slammed in back onto the ground. The slight lifting of his upper lip was the only indication of the pain the action had caused to his right forepaw and leg. Dust and loosened chips of rock fell from the ceiling. The ground beneath "Celestia" cracked, forming a circle around her. From below it was lifted by an earthen pillar that brought the human up to the neck of the 142ft EarthWing.

Baldirak's whip-like tail came up to the top of the pillar and seized the pendant. His eyes narrowed as he looked at it. The growls rumbling in his throat became fierce hisses. It was no replica; the talisman was made of lunar rock and was carved with Baldirak's own claw. There was only one way this human had come into possession of it. She, or perhaps her pet, had taken it from Celestia. Perhaps they had even killed the Hatchling! Baldirak drew his head back slightly as his maw opened with a terrifying, albeit short--he didn't want to destroy his den, after all--roar. He drew in a short breath to prepare to douse the false goddess in acid.

The moment before he exhaled, however, Baldirak's pale eyes darkened to a deeper shade of blue. Of their own accord, the claws of all four paws buried themselves in the ground. The EarthWing's maw closed as he seemed to fall into a trance. His den disappeared, the interlopers were no more. All Baldirak could see was Celestia, the real Celestia. He saw the day they met and every day after. He saw the truth of her, that she was really Astral. He saw her with a human male. He saw the  child produced by their union. Suddenly, Baldirak was released from Time's hold and he stumbled slightly, not because of his leg, but from the shock of what he had seen. As his eyes paled, the Prophet of Knowledge turned his gaze to the small NightWing. "Do you know what the humans did? Do you know... how they slaughtered our Hatchlings? How they stole our eggs that they could condition the newly hatched to a life of suffering? How they, humans nearly wiped out the whole of the EarthWing species? Do you know, Goddess, what they did to me? As you stood there, did you notice my leg? The scars? Do you know what pain I endure each day? And these beasts that have destroyed our home... Have you not seen them, how they thrive and Dragonkind clings to life?" A low growl had been building in volume as Baldirak spoke until it became a menacing snarl. "Did you know?! Did you see what we have become and ignore it? For a human!?" The EarthWing fell silent then, seething once more, yet his eyes suggested he was no longer committed to anger. Soon he turned away from the pillar and lifted the small pendant to his eye level. "...For a human. Wretched creatures bathed in Dragon blood... Was I not devoted enough to your teachings? Is it that I did not thank you enough for the honor of being your Prophet? What was done to you so long ago that now you forsake us?"

It seemed this was it she kinda doubted Paradox would save her. She closed her eyes and squinted a fear reaction of not wanting to see what was to come. It never did though. She cautiously opens a single eye. Was he just waiting for her to open her eyes to see her death before it hit her? He seemed to fall out of whatever funk he was in and acknowledged the truth and it was not pretty. "No I didn't." Astral replied as he continued her well deserved lecture. Was he talking about the monsters had they really wiped out the dragons? That was crazy. "I didn't ignore it I didn't know. I don't have sight over the world anymore, I'm not a goddess."  

"No I should have been thanking you, I'm sorry. I've been through a lot and have been broken but it's no excuse for forsaking you and my own species. I'm sorry. Do whatever you have to."

Baldirak laughed--as well as a Dragon could. It was wry, mirthless. At its end it turned into another snarl as the EarthWing looked back at Celestia. "You have been broken?" Baldirak exhaled sharply from his nostrils. He turned back around and lowered his head down until his eye was level with hers. His words dripped with a darkness even he did not believe he was capable of. "I could break you literally and still you would not know the severity of the pain your betrayal has caused. I could drown you in the acid that so burns to leave my maw, and you would still know nothing of the suffering these beasts have wrought upon us. You want me to kill you. I saw it before you shut your eyes. You see the justice in it. You might find the courage to face your death with open eyes as all who have perished before you... It wouldn't matter; I will not kill you. It will not bring back what has been lost. It will not restore my mate's faith. It would bring only another casualty of this... war. The death of a Goddess... what good would it do me?"

The EarthWing lifted his head and returned to his Knowledge Circle. He laid down on his stomach and closed his eyes. "A human... I can't decide what sickens me more. That you mated with it... or that you love it." His eyes opened and revealed his weariness. "Does your ignorance extend to the whole of our history with them, or did you just not care?"

While they we're discussing among each other, Paradox was floating lazily in the air. He was, after all, only the mediator, bringing the two together. Although, while that was the case, it didn't mean he himself couldn't enjoy the talk. It was as such that he was currently busy having peanuts actually jump into his maw on their own accord before munching down upon them.

With movement resembling upside-down dog paddling, he made his way above the Earthern King and slowly descended down upon him until he was barely above him. Now now, your highness, love can go many a ways no sane mind could predict. And it is love that toys with emotions, that makes you see things in a perspective you never thought imaginable. Do not blame her for falling in love with a human, do not blame her for abandoning her position and instead look at the things to come. The dragons may have lost a goddess, but gained a god in return. I am now here and, unlike dear Astral here, need a champion, a prophet, someone who believes in me and my capabilities. "

With a snap of his talons, a small card appeared in front of Baldirak on the floor, the face of Paradox on one side and a set of instructions to call him on the other. With his deed done, Paradox decided to float back up towards the ceiling, minding his own business and going back to entertaining himself with his bowl of peanuts.

After everything was over Baldi seemed a little disconnected like something had happened. Maybe everything he had sacrificed while she was selfishly wallowing in self pitty was hitting him now. She felt guilty and wanted to spend some time with her mate. Looking around she couldn't seem to find him till finally checking his personal quarters. Vilkas was stationed outside guarding it and let her know he didn't want to be disturbed. "Uh is that so." Kenina said brushing past him as if it didn't apply to her. She was really worried about him now.

Descending to his room what she found shocked her. She took an aggressive stance and growled her spine of flames growing in ferocity and threatening to lick the ceiling. It was a wordless who the fuzz are you all. There was a rather strange looking dragon hovering in the air a waste of magical energy. Then a hatchling nightwing brought up by a pillar of earth with a wall encircling her. She didn't recognize it as the described appearance of the goddess she once followed so devoutly.

Celestia couldn't really say anything is response. What could she possibly say. She certainly agree physical pain could never compare to mental pain. But she could argue as far as mental pain hers was worse. It would be a pointless argument though. What remains is that they have both been in pain and it was now her fault Baldi was.

Celestia was slightly amused as Paradox took this opportunity to try and gain Baldi as a follower. Even through all the torment Paradox has put her though now and in times past. He wasn't all that bad. Indeed he just told Baldi of his sympathy or at least slight understanding of her position.

Not that Celestia had anything to say but before she could respond to Baldi's most recent question as he relaxed into the ground Kenina one of her obsessive followers intruded. Celestia had no idea the connecting between Baldi and Kenina but she was not fond of running into another of her followers especially not Kenina of all dragons. She didn't know how to react to the angry firewing.

The other dragon, who now claimed to be a god as well, saw fit to defend Astral. He presented the Twilight King with a strange object. On one side was the likeness of the small dragon floating before him. Baldirak made no move to inspect it. He had not even been looking at this new god. His gaze had been trained this entire time on Astral; he was waiting for her answer. Near the end of the other male's play to recruit a follower and perhaps even a prophet of his own, Baldirak had tapped into his divine ability again. This time, he focused solely on a specific point in Astral's life, for the other god--Paradox had been the name used, if he remembered correctly--had said something curious. Baldirak was pulled back to the present time when the earth began to vibrate beneath his paws. Baldirak had discovered one day he could identify a specific dragon by the vibrations their steps made in the earth. No two dragons were alike. The ones he felt now belonged to his mate. Moments later, not that he needed the confirmation, he heard Kenina's voice. And then the vibrations grew as she drew closer. Baldirak growled lowly. He had told his nephew not to admit her. Suddenly, the den grew hot as Kenina's mane of flames grew with her anger. She took a stance which suggested she'd just start attacking if she wasn't given an explanation in the next half a second. It was nice to know she wouldn't tolerate anyone in her mate's personal den beside herself... even if she weren't supposed to be in there either. "Quell your flame, Kenina. They would be dead already had I not seen it fit for them to live. I am yet uncertain of this one's claim--" Baldirak paused and flicked his tail at Paradox, "--But the 'Hatchling' is known to me. She is Astral."

(Post please, thank you.)

Paradox reacted immediately. With but a snap of his talons, his force of chaos warped the natural forces of magic around him and Astral, erecting two barriers to shield from the heat of the Firewing's furious flames. "Well, excuse me, I wasn't aware you were invited to this session. Here I am, doing my best efforts to bring those two together to talk about their problems with each other and out of nowhere some random oversized candle comes along and threatens to burn my toy to cinders?! I won't have none of it!"

With an angry huff and another snap, he erected another barrier, this time around the Firewing. This barrier however was inverse, made to keep her inside instead of everything out. In short, the angry Firewing now looked like a hamster in a big ball. "Now then, if you would please excuse us, we have business here to attend to that is of much more importance than you or whatever your agenda is here!"

How ever fast Paradox thought he reacted to the FireWing, Baldirak reacted even faster. How a dragon of his size--and with his crippled foreleg--could manage to move as fast as he did in such a short distance from a resting position, was beyond the knowledge of even Shardas. But it happened. The very ceiling of the den cracked forebodingly under the force with which the EarthWing collided into the barrier keeping his mate contained. When sheer force failed him, Baldirak used his claws. When those failed, he turned to earth and acid. When still the barrier stood firm, the King set his sights on the god known as Paradox. The fire that could make Kenina's flame akin to smoldering embers by comparison returned to Baldirak's eyes. His expression looked as if he had just slaughtered an entire army and still his bloodlust was not sated. The ferocity of his snarl could be compared to that of a wolf ready to lunge at the slightest movement, and it was magnified tenfold by his size and the acoustics of the cave. Again, acid dripped from the agape maw of the large dragon, eroding the ground little by little; it burned to be set loose upon an enemy; his teeth ached to sink into flesh. "I don't care if you were Shardas himself, Dragon, I will kill you if you do not release my mate and bite your tongue against any future insults against her."