Author's Note: Hello, all! I've spent a long few years writing only original fiction, but a fanfic bug bit, and here I am – infected with plot bunnies. Therefore, I'm trying to write a complete story honoring one of my favorite series of books. This piece is written in compliance with Anne McCaffrey's published rules on fan fiction and is posted here for free as a transformative work. I do not and will not make any profit from this piece, though I hope you all enjoy reading it as I enjoy writing it. I also do not make any claims to rights on this series. Anne McCaffrey and Todd McCaffrey are the owners of the Dragonriders of Pern® series, and I'm grateful for the chance to play on their literary land.

Now that the legal stuff is out of the way… let's get started! Please forgive me if there are any formatting shenanigans while I'm learning the publishing system here. Reviews and feedback are welcome! Also, I know the first chapter is a little dark, but I think you'll find that the darkness makes the light even brighter. It's uphill from here!

Prologue

Balani rubbed her arms, shivering in the cool air that drifted through the opening of the Hatching Cavern.

Come inside. Myrlyth's voice sounded sleepily in her mind as the queen shifted her weight, half drowsing beside her clutch of eggs.

Balani darted a glance back at her queen and shook her head, leaning against the warmth of the sandstone wall and resuming her watch on the night sky. Stars spangled the darkness overhead, flickering as wisps of clouds drifted by.

Myrlyth lifted her head, and the blues and greens in her eyes slowly picked up tinges of yellow. What's wrong?

"Nothing, dear one." Balani's voice was deceptively calm, and she stood stock still. For a young weyrwoman, she was good at closing her dragon out of her thoughts, for better or for worse. "How are the eggs?"

They are well. The hatchlings stir. Something's wrong, though. Despite her rider's abrupt calm, Myrlyth's agitation continued to increase, and Balani cursed her irresponsibility in letting her brooding queen pick up on her fear. She turned and quickly walked inside, up to the dragon's head, where she rubbed a gentle hand over the gold's eye ridges.

"It's just the nightmares, Myr. It may not be anything to worry about."

Myrlyth rumbled and swept her tail possessively closer around her precious golden egg. Vranth should be here, she said.

"They'll be back to the weyr soon. The gather is running late."

There is trouble, the queen insisted, Balani, something is wrong. Balani sighed, projecting soothing thoughts at her and shifting foot to foot on the hot sand.

"No, dearest, nothing is wrong. You know I get nightmares sometimes. It doesn't mean anything."

But the queen was rising to her feet, her wings mantling, eyes beginning to spin at an alarming speed.

"Myrlyth!" Balani was confused and lost as her queen spread protective wings across the clutch and bugled a strident warning, her talons digging deep into the sand. A maelstrom of emotions hit Balani's mind, as if the dragon were channeling a whole weyr's worth of dragons' feelings straight at her.

"What –"

The ground jolted and threw her against Myrlyth's leg. She gasped and clung as the dragons throughout the weyr roused, bugles and roars filling the air.

The eggs! My eggs! Myrlyth growled, her eyes going completely red, looking for an unseen attacker. Balani struggled to calm her.

"Myrlyth, you need to calm the others! MYRLYTH!" she shouted, unable to get through to the dragon's mind.

Nothing went quiet in those seconds. The chaos in the weyr rose, shouts echoing through the weyr bowl in air that was eerily calm. Myrlyth continued to hiss, swinging her head around to confront a frightened lower cavern worker who pelted to a stop at the doorway.

"Weyrwoman! You have to get out of here! You both have to get out of here!"

Balani, her mind assaulted by her queen's fear and the psychic pressure of hundreds of other dragons clamoring at Myrlyth, stared at her blankly. "What was that?"

The woman took several steps forward before backing off again, cowed by the furious queen. "Weyrwoman, get out, get out, get out!" She was backing up the whole time, her eyes massive. "You have to get out!"

"Why? What's going on?" Balani's voice rose into a shriek.

The sand rippled beneath her feet.

VRANTH! Myrlyth's desperate call for her mate was useless. The shaking built and the mountain that cradled their weyr groaned and stretched.

Balani staggered, finally understanding, and grabbed hold of her queen's leg. Her desperation punched through her queen's confusion and panic. MYRLYTH! GET OUT OF HERE!

My eggs!

NO! We have to get out RIGHT NOW! Balani couldn't catch her breath. She lurched forward while the shaking continued to intensify and bits of rock showered down from the ceiling. Myrlyth emitted the most heartbreaking whine she'd ever heard, then her fear for her own rider began to move her towards the exit, her bulk providing just enough stability for Balani to move with her. Cascading rubble and an echoing shake provided a staccato backdrop for screams and shouts as the entire weyr roused in panic.

Myrlyth roared when a larger rock hit her wing.

Outside, Vranth had arrived, bellowing as N'tag dropped from his back and stumbled towards the hatching cavern.

His eyes met Balani's just before the rock fall tumbled down the fragile cliff face by the hatching cavern exit.

The sudden hush that descended as the violent rocking subsided was shattered by the queen's anguished scream of pain, choked short by the oblivion of between.

And then the keening began.

N'tag coughed in the rising rock dust, staring wildly around at the weyrfolk watching the blocked entrance in horror.

He attempted to speak and choked, then tried again. "Everyone get down here! Quickly! We have to clear the rocks!"

Weyrfolk began to stream toward the disaster as keening stopped and dragons swooped down, the death keen forgotten in frantic industry. Whether the weyrwoman was alive or not beneath that rubble, a clutch of eggs lay trapped. Hands and knees were skinned, dragon claws splintered as they set a feverish pace. N'tag shouted directions, even as Vranth bespoke the other queens of Pern, calling for help.

A space in the rockfall began to clear and glows were handed up, N'tag peered into a swirling cloud of dust in the open space beyond.

"Do you see anything?" a wingleader shouted up, and N'tag shook his head, sweeping the light back and forth.

"Oh!" The green rider kneeling next to him pointed, one grimy hand covering her mouth, and he turned the light to see, forgetting to breathe. A long moment passed while he peered in, and then the beam of light glanced back through the dirt on an untouched, golden egg.

He breathed out hard and turned to the crowd. "The queen egg!" he called, unable to say more.

"Some of the clutch made it! Keep working!" the green rider cried, and a shout went up. Dragons from other weyrs began to fill the sky, then, gold and bronze, brown, green, and blue, descending wherever there was clear space. Help had arrived. But the struggle had just begun.