Embryo followed the guards as they led her and her parents into the OmeletWing Castle's Throne Room, passing through the pale yellow pillars as they neared the throne. The sounds of their talons echoed in the wide space as they hit the cold tiled floor with each step. The white walls were decorated with portraits of the greatest Egg Laying feats in OmeletWing history. And over the throne, the first Queen herself, she who had laid the Sun, which was prophesied to - in their time of greatest need - someday hatch, and - cooking in its own heat - would rain down Omelets upon the hungry world.

And sitting on the throne was Queen Omelet of the OmeletWings herself, looking down on Embryo with great interest. Queen Omelet's husband, the King Chef Shell - who had previously turned down the title of King in order to maintain the more honorable title of Lead Chef, before eventually deciding it made more sense to combine the two titles - stood beside her throne, waiting loyally but impatiently for his next excuse to return to the kitchens and continue his life passion of cooking. While Queen Omelet made the Eggs, King Chef Shell made the Omelets, and that was the next greatest thing.

"Embryo!" Shouted Queen Omelet delightedly when they got near, "When I first heard you'd left, I was a little worried, but then I realized there was no need to worry, I knew you'd eventually come to realize your place with us."

Embryo looked down. There was no point in denying it now. "I've come to see that my whole purpose in life is to lay eggs."

Queen Omelet smiled gently, nodding in understanding. "It's always nice to find purpose and meaning in life." Then Queen Omelet's eyes lit as she decided it was time to turn to the topic of their meeting. "Now tell me, what was it like in the outside world, I want to hear everything."

"Well, uh, I…" Embryo wasn't sure where to start at first, so she just started talking, small stuff here and there, gradually getting more detailed as she went along, until she was eventually pouring out nearly everything she had seen, felt, and heard while in the outside world, about the Kingdoms and their histories, the MudWings and their way of life, the Claw of the Cloud Mountains - all the beautiful cliffs and valleys - birds, all the wonders of the outside world for which she had come to love.

As she talked, her eyes lit up as she remembered all the places she'd been and seen and experienced, what it had been like to actually be there with Summit. Queen Omelet tried to suppress a yawn, this was all fascinating and all, but not really. She hoped Embryo would get to the more intriguing stuff soon, this girl seemed to have confused some of her priorities at some point. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to suggest her mother give her The Talk later, perhaps that would get her mind back onto what was important.

"…and then there was Summit, always at my side, so kind and caring. And he was there for me when I had my egg, but it had hurt too much, and he wanted me to be more, but I wasn't, I was just an Egg Layer, and I rejected him and left him, and I… And he deserved so much more…"

Embryo trailed off, not knowing what more to say. Slowly as she returned to the present, it came back to her where she was, and suddenly she was feeling self-conscious at how much she'd just opened up. Albumen looked at her, surprised to hear that her daughter had had her first egg while she was gone, and that she hadn't heard about it until now. Embryo had done such a great thing, so why did she look so sad?

"Yes, yes," replied Queen Omelet. Who was this Summit? Didn't Embryo have a crush on Vitellus or something. Well, never mind that, here was a chance to leeway the conversation in the direction Queen Omelet was waiting to hear about, "About the Eggs, let's go from there. Tell me what they were like. What were the Eggs like in different tribes? Did they have different flavors depending on the type of dragon laying them? Tell me, I want to know everything." Queen Omelet sat on the edge of her throne in anticipation.

Embryo didn't know how to reply. The Queen was obviously looking for answers Embryo couldn't give.

"Well…" Embryo began, "the other tribes… don't exactly eat their eggs…"

The room went silent, Queen Omelet went very, very still. "They don't… eat…" Queen Omelet was at a loss for words.

"Well, you see," Embryo continued, trying to salvage the conversation, "They believe that their eggs… The other tribes believe their eggs are alive, containing growing dragonets inside..."

But Queen Omelet was no longer listening, a deeply troubled look had come across her face. "They don't eat their eggs?" She breathed to herself.

Looking around her throne room, at the portraits lining the walls, she could feel the panic setting in. Out there was some horrible Omeletless Post-Apocalyptic world, and she'd been too busy living in her beautiful castle in her beautiful village, while the outside world remained lost in their ignorance.

"They don't understand the beauty of the Omelet!" She cried, throwing out her wings in horror.

Beside her, the King Chef looked equally as horrified. Albumen and Yoke seemed a little uncomfortable by the news as well. Embryo looked at them with the dreadful feeling she'd just said something wrong.

"What to do? What to do?" Queen Omelet was mumbling to herself, "Maybe if I… no, that won't work. I could… no…"

Queen Omelet sat on her throne deep in thought, trying to regain control of her heavy breathing.

And then it hit her, the perfect solution to all the world's problems.

"I got it!" She cried, "In three days' time, we'll invite all the dragons of the continent here for a Grand Royal Feast. We will present them with the finest of Omelets and we will show the world the beauty of the Egg. We've been forgotten by the world for too long, but not anymore. Soon everyone will know the beauty of the Omelet!"

Embryo was starting to feel very uncomfortable; she didn't really think the other tribes would be as enthusiastic about this "Royal Feast" as the Queen hoped they would be.

The King Chef's eyes meanwhile, had widened at the Queen's suggestion, "But sweetyoke, we don't have nearly enough Eggs in our Eggstore to feed all the tribes on the continent."

Queen Omelet put her head on her talons thinking, the ideas were coming too fast to even process. Finally, sorting them out, she spoke, and Embryo felt herself growing very, very cold, "Maybe not… But if the other Tribes contribute…"

Embryo gasped, the walls seemed to be closing in as the implications of what the Queen was saying began to make sense.

Queen Omelet looked up, addressing her guards. "Send out a party, I want you to go to all the Tribes and bring back every Egg you can find."

The guards saluted and began heading for the door.

"No wait," Embryo cried, stepping in the way. The image of the SkyWing from the mountains and her egg flashed through her mind, "The other tribes won't let you have their Eggs."

But it was too late, Queen Omelet could no longer be reasoned with. "That's okay. Once they've tasted what their contribution has made, they'll understand. They will all, every single one of them, understand the beauty of the Omelet. Guards, go."

"No, wait," Embryo cried, throwing herself at the guards as they took off, flying over her. Embryo didn't know what she believed, but she'd seen what the other tribes believed, and she knew this couldn't be right. She couldn't let this happen!

But before she could reach the guards, the King Chef grabbed her tail, pulling her back down to the floor. Embryo struggled to escape, but another guard came up to pin her down.

"No! You can't do this!" Embryo cried, trying to escape, "They're babies! You can't eat their babies!" All that pure love… they were going to extinguish it.

Embryo tried to use a writhe that she'd learned during her Laying to slip out of the guard's grasp, but just as it hadn't helped her escape the pain then, neither did it help her escape the guard now. Once again, she was too weak and girly to have any control of what happened to her embarrassingly shameful body. It was too late anyway, the other guards were already out of the Throne Room, heading through the castle to ready the search party.

Queen Omelet had stepped down from the throne and approached Albumen and Yoke who were watching the whole thing in shock, not knowing what to think. Queen Omelet looked at them, "Watch over your daughter please, she's a little confused right now, I don't think she's been getting her Breakfast properly. I recommend giving her three square meals of Eggs a day, that should set anyone's mind right. We'll keep her here for now, and I'll make sure my aids give her proper treatment."

Albumen and Yoke looked at eachother, then at their daughter, she looked at them with desperate eyes.

"We're staying with her," Albumen replied. Yoke, standing beside her nodded.

Queen Omelet looked at the two of them and dipped her head in acknowledgement. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some eggs I'll be ready to lay in about an hour, can never have too many for our Feast. I'll send a maid to take you to a couple of our guest rooms shortly. Enjoy your stay."

And with that, Queen Omelet and the others left the room, closing the heavy door behind them. Embryo heard a lock click. Embryo was now locked firmly in the room with just her parents and the one guard holding her. The guard released her, and Embryo stood up, looking at the door, knowing that there was no way out.

Her heart went numb. She did this. She'd sentenced all the eggs in Pyrrhia to a Royal Breakfast. Millions of possible dragonets would die, and it was all because of Embryo. Who was she?

Out in the hallway, Embryo heard the sound of the search party gathering, the King Chef readying the kitchen for the feast. Eventually, these sounds were joined by Queen Omelet's muffled screaming as she laid her next clutch of eggs, and her Impersonator cheering on to drown out her muzzle-restrained voice.

This was the future Embryo chose, this was what it meant to be an OmeletWing.

This is what it meant to be Embryo?