Deep down, in the cave, the only sound was the thick splattering, hissing noises of oil. Thick, viscous droplets dripped into puddles, where they sizzled, causing a thin plume of grayish smog to drift into the air and evaporate.

A scream cut through the drippy silence. It caused the globules of oil to tremble, sending ripples along the surface of the pools and puddles. The dragon who had created the scream let out a shout of terror again, recoiling as its own claws betrayed it, ripping into its chest relentlessly.

Dawn let out a choked sob, rushing forward. "BEETLE!" she yelled, taking a firm hold of the dragon's claws and gripping them hard, trying desperately to stop them. Beetle's own claws strained against her, tugging her own set of unblooded claws toward the gashes.

"You. Monster." Dawn hissed, turning and glaring at Snappea. The RainWing seemed like she too was being affected.

Snappea's body was convulsing, her eyes flickering from a glowing green to gray. "Get out-Oh it's glorious!-of my head, you monster-I've always-stop-wanted to watch-SPEAKING THROUGH ME!!!-you die! Take-THIS WASN'T PART OF-that Eternity.-THE DEAL-Your precious plan-YOU NEVER SAID-" Snappea let out a choked sob and clutched her throat, greenish tears leaking from her eyes.

"It's-It's okay," Beetle gasped, her claws tugging from Dawn's grip and slashing an even deeper gash in her chest. "I-OW-I just di-didn't expect it-" Beetle let out a strangled gasp as her claws hit bone. "To hurt so much." She gave Dawn a weak smile, that somehow reached her eyes.

"I dreamed of death every night, prayed it would take me, but somehow I was gifted with eternal life," her smile faltered. "If you ever receive the choice, choose death," she said seriously.

The stunned silence in the cave shattered. Time seemed to work again. Flutterwing let out a cry and rushed forward, grappling with the machine that held Pomegranate. Dewdrop lept forward and spat two small beads of white liquid at Snappea.

Impossibly fast, Snappea's arm snapped up, catching the acid. She let out a maniacal laugh as the acid sank into her arm. Her eyes were nothing but gaping black holes in her head, blurry at the edges. Absolutely insane, corrupted by Mother, she laughed at her pain, laughed at her own, frail body failing her.

She let out a choked sobbing laugh, even as Dewdrop kept attacking her. Dawn turned back to Beetle. Beetle was flailing away from her claws, which continued to eat up at her chest with startling ferocity, marching toward her heart.

Beetle closed her eyes and pushed her chin down, forcefully, small tears leaking from her eyes. But there was something wrong with the tears... They were glowing bright blue.

Beetle let out a choked sob and raised her head, opening her eyes. Her eyes were glowing the same color as her tears, melty and blobby at the edges, where she was crying. Almost immediately, she doubled over in pain, coughing up more of the glowing liquid from her mouth.

Clock just watched. Silent, obsidian eyes staring blankly. The quiet ticking radiating from his chest was impossible to hear over the chaos in the room. He seemed frozen, either not wanting to move or unable to do so.

Dawn cried out and gripped Beetle's claws, attempting to hold them still. Beetle just looked up at her. 

"No."

Her voice was a gurgle. She coughed up more glowing blue liquid, which stained the floor in colored splotches.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Dawn asked.

Beetle didn't answer, something was appearing around her wrists. Shackles, attached to chains. They started out transparent, glowing faintly. But they gradually started to become more solid, disappearing into the gloom of the rapidly darkening cave. 

Dawn glanced around in panic. Flutterwing was prying Pomegranate from the grip of the metal dragon. Dewdrop was fighting Snappea, and, most disturbingly, Clock stood completely still, frozen like a statue.

Snappea fought like a cornered tiger, but she seemed to be fighting herself. She rolled around on the ground, covered in burns. Some of the burns were so deep that they showed bone. "GET-stop-OUT OF-don't fight-MY HE-it. You said-AD.-you wanted power, and- I DON'T WANT IT-I gave it to you.-ANYMORE!"

Dewdrop took a step back from Dawn and raised an eyebrow in a silent question. Their surroundings had been gradually darkening, turning black. Dawn looked down at the ground and saw her face reflected back. The ground had turned reflective, and visibly mirrored in the glass, Dawn could see the reflection of other dragons, their eyes glowing in the same way, floating together, their wrists chained together.

Except for two chains, which hung limp and severed.

Dawn sobbed as Beetle looked up at her. "Mother, I'm coming for you," Beetle whispered. She looked up at Dawn, her face streaked with blue tears. "Dawn, I love you," she whispered.

Then the world pulsed black, the image in front of Dawn appearing only once more, showing Beetle chained into the circle.

The world went dark, and Beetle was gone.

≺︱✵︱≻

A/N

Hi, I'm not dead, and guess what! this story is close to being done!

Then I'll be editing it :( to fix all of the plot holes and typos I left in the chapters.

Edit: lol