That night, Shadowfall didn't even bother to hide. He stared around at the darkness, the normally bright moons hidden behind gray clouds. A still sane part of him wondered what he was doing. He ignored it and took a deep breathe of the fresh night air. Ruler of the world, his dreams had told him. They had seemed like warnings to him but no. Dragons didn't believe in him because he was part Icewing. He was going to make them bow to him with his powers, show them he was even more powerful because of who he was. If he was the ruler, he could stop being ashamed of himself. he could focus on conquering. 
I am sick, he thought to himself. I am twisted around with pain. I have finally gone insane. Part of him resolved to show he was powerful by helping the world. But that part was small and vengeance burned inside of him like a small fire. The vengeance had begged to be let out into the world.
It had won.
Shadowfall had fallen into the shadows.
He rose into the air.
"From this moment on," he called into the dark sky. "Let all dragons know me as Shadowfaller, conqueror of the world." He flapped his wings and powered into the currents, then did a delighted flip in the air before deciding this was not a very mature thing to do. 
First thing tomorrow, he decided, I will head into the Skywing kingdom and kill their queen. She would be the first dragon to be executed, he decided.  Then he closed his mind to the night and fell into a cold, meaningless sleep. 

Shadowfall woke up the next morning to a gray drizzle. His black scales looked dull. 
"No," he told himself. "I am powerful." and he believed it. He rose high into the air and set his sights on the palace he could see just beyond his mountain range. He flapped forward, grim and determined. Then he reached it. Tall columns with dragons chained on the tops were the first things he saw, and their seemed to be a kind of giant bowl below. The arena, he guessed. The palace was craggy and rocky, turrets and arches rising towards the gray clouds. Long, thin windows were carved into the sides. Part of the palace ended at a thundering water and another connected into a tunnel system. Shadowfall blinked back his awe. It would be his soon. All mine, he thought. And he really believed it. He looped around a column and, folding his wings, dove down into the arena. He spread his wings and landed. He quietly padded into the tunnel connected into it.
Shadows were everywhere.
Shadowfall now felt comfortable in this darkness. It rose over his black scales, engulfed him, but could do nothing to his heart. His heart had been swallowed by this obscurity a long time ago. His heart was made of stone and swallowed in shadows.
Shadowfall kept on walking. 
Some golden trails had been inlaid in the dirt and they were the only light he could see. Shadowfall breathed out some fire to light up the darkness. But to no avail. The torches had all been extinguished and the blackness swallowed up the flames in a matter of seconds. 
Shadowfall was just fine with that.
At last, a clearing opened, and blinking against the sudden light, he noticed sitting on a throne of rocks shaped like clouds was the dragon Shadowfall had knocked out. For the first time, he noticed the jewels embedded along the rims of her eyes and the silver crown placed among her horns. Her diamond-encrusted tail swished as she narrowed her orange eyes at him. 

"I thought I would be seeing you again." she growled and Shadowfall was surprised he hadn't noticed the regal aura in her voice before. He tried to imitate it as he rose to his full height, extended his black wings to show the starry silver under-scales, and responded. 
"My name is Shadowfaller." He said and even the guards on either side of the queen fell silent at the power the black moonlight issued into his voice. "And I will give you a choice, Queen Everest. Surrender, or die." He lifted his gleaming, black snout and knew, with absolute confidence that he would win this. Everest's eyes, however, only succeeded in narrowing further. Shadowfall hadn't even thought that was possible they were so scrunched as it was. But no matter.
"I will never surrender to you." the queen spat. "I will fight you and kill you, scoundrel." Her tail thudded against the throne and something in her eyes hardened. "I thought, I thought I could change you. Make you kinder, so..." She shook herself. "I feel nothing for you." she growled. "I will  kill you." Shadowfall snorted in amusement. 
"You can certainly try." He responded. 
"Is this really how you want it?" she asked softly. "Just you, ruling by yourself? The world. Wouldn't it get lonely, ever?" Shadowfall tossed his head. 
"How did you guess what I had in mind?" he demanded. 
"It wasn't hard." the queen responded. "My question?" 
"I would be satisfied." Shadowfall responded. "Content. I wouldn't need the company of dragons." 
"How can a dragon be this cruel?" Everest inquired. "You want to bring the world under your talons just because your mother and father made a mistake?" Shadowfall stepped closer. His heart did a flip in his chest, with rage, and also with amazement at this daring dragon. His heart, petrified in stone and wreathed in shadows, lightened the smallest bit.
"Are you calling me a mistake?" he growled softly. The queen's eyes widened. 
"No," she breathed. Shadowfall's brain seized up on the small details of that queen. Her long elegant snout, her fierce, yet loving, nature. He shook his head, sending the images away. He was going to rule, and he needed to kill this dragon to do it. "I don't think a dragon like you could ever be a mistake. If you drop the whole ruling notion, you would be the most perfect -" she stopped with a fierce shake. "But you won't stop with the ruling notion." Shadowfall decided it was time. To kill this dragon who kept on getting into his thoughts. Once and for all. He forced a sickly smile. 

"You're absolutely right." he growled and lunged at the queen.