The Hybrid Winglet 2

by Chase.jpeg

After the successful downfall of Darkstalker, Peacemaker and his friends go back to Jade Mountain Academy only to learn their journey isn't over.

The Hybrid Winglet 2

JADE WINGLET GOLD WINGLET

Icewing: Tern Icewing: Polar

Mudwing: Bog Mudwing: Swamp

Nightwing: Darkhunter Nightwing: Daring

Rainwing: Pollen Rainwing: Poppy

Sandwing: Serpent Sandwing: Ostrich

Seawing: Pufferfish Seawing: Eel

Skywing: Ash Skywing: Cliff

SILVER WINGLET COPPER WINGLET

Icewing: Frost Icewing: Crystal

Mudwing: Puddle Mudwing: Copper

Nightwing: Starscream Nightwing: Warvictor

Rainwing: Caterpillar Rainwing: Kiwi

Sandwing: Pyramid Sandwing: Sandstorm

Seawing: Current Seawing: Seashore

Skywing: Trench Skywing: Atmosphere

QUARTZ WINGLET HYBRID WINGLET

Icewing: Sleet Icewing: NightOwl

Mudwing: Lilypad Mudwing: Igneous

Nightwing: Mauler Nightwing: Peacemaker

Rainwing: Raspberry Rainwing: Evergreen

Sandwing: Stinger Sandwing: Loyalty

Seawing: Nile Seawing: Andromeda

Skywing: Griffin Skywing: Waterfall

Prologue

SUGARCANE

Three years ago…

Unlike other Mudwings, Sugarcane cared for her son. She only had the one kid after all. She found him in the woods about two years ago without a father or mother or anyone. She took it in. Little did she know, the egg belong to both a Mudwing and a Nightwing. Still it didn't matter. Right as he hatched she loved him.

She watched Igneous play with a young amber colored Mudwing. She swore they were in love. She didn't know for sure, but she could see it. The fact their faces go red when they're together, their frequent visits, and the gleam they have in their eyes.

Soon, a large green and brown Mudwing dragonet flew to them. "Landslide," he said, "dinner's ready. Slug and I caught a few caribou."

Landslide, the one Igneous was playing with, sighed. "Alright. Bye 'Ignee!'"

"Bye 'L-Slide!'" Igneous said as they hugged. As Landslide and her bigwings few to their place, Igneous flew back to his.

"How's your girlfriend?" Sugarcane teased.

"Mom!" Igneous yelled.

"I'm only kidding! Here, have some hippo and we'll go to bed."

That night…

An explosion suddenly awakened everyone in the village. A hooded Mudwing burst in their mud hut. Sugarcane hid Igneous under a blanket as she blew her fire at the intruder. She then grabbed a knife under her wing and stabbed the hooded dragon in the chest. She took Igneous and flew away. As they looked back, she saw that the whole village was in flames and houses torn down. Igneous screamed in horror as he saw Landslide and her siblings getting ushered into a cage.

Igneous took Sugarcane's knife from her hand and flew towards his friend's captures. To Sugarcane's horror, Igneous brutally murdered them. One tried to stab him with a spear, but Igneous stabbed her in the leg and then slashed her neck. As he tried to unlock the cage, two large Mudwings pinned him down. Sugarcane rammed herself at one and pushed the other off. She took Igneous and flew away. Igneous tried to wiggle out, but Sugarcane held him tight. She was headed to the marshy part of the rainforest when a blast of fire knocked her down. She fell into a rather large marsh pit.

As they resurfaced, Sugarcane and her attacker wrestled. Sugarcane bit his neck but he swatted her away and scratched her face. She elbowed him but he then dunked her into the muddy water.

The attacker then ripped one of her wings out of the socket. Sugarcane screamed in agony. Bubbles made from her scream brushed against her face. Igneous leaped on the attacker and forced his mouth open. Igneous then blew his fire straight into the attacker's throat and the attacker's eyes burst into flames as he fell down.

Igneous helped his mother up and headed to the forest. She looked back one more time at the destruction the raiders have caused. The whole place was almost leveled. Sugarcane and Igneous crawled to the shadows of the dead trees.

Chapter 1

IGNEOUS

Now…

It's been a few days after the attack on the Talons of Peace. The Hybrid Winglet had defeated the dreaded Darkstalker. They were now headed back to Jade Mountain where, hopefully, they would be rewarded for saving the entire continent.

I better get something good. Igneous thought to himself. It better not be a high-five or a 'Way to go!' for all of that. It's not everyday an evil Nightwing is stopped before he could rule the world.

Once they arrived, The Founders/The Old Dragonets of Destiny stood at the entrance talking to Queen Glory of the Rainwings and Nightwings.

What the… Igneous thought to himself. They landed and walked into the Queen's conversation.

"I'm sorry, but it has caused too much trouble." Queen Glory said to Sunny. "First an assassination attempt that almost caused the Icewings to break the peace, then two entire winglets leaving, and not to mention an ancient evil Nightwing animus that mind controlled everyone as well as almost causing a whole new war."

"But you can't close this place down!" Sunny protested. "The whole reason the school was created in the first place was to bring all the tribes together!"

"That's what Umbertown and Possibility was made for. Let them bring us together. Besides, after the war, hybrid numbers are rising more than ever! Face it Sunny, we did our part. There's nothing else."

"She's kind of right." Tsunami added nodding sympathetically.

"But there's still a lot of problems we can solve!" Sunny said otherwise.

Clay put his wing around Sunny. "Relax." He said. "We did it. Pyhrria is at peace. Now we can live normal lives."

"But what about the Nightmares and the other crime gangs?" Sunny's eyes were beginning to water.

"Let the authorities handle that."

"What's going on?" Peacemaker asked as he walked over.

"It's nothing you should worry about." Glory said.

"Just go inside." Sunny added. She was holding back her tears.

The whole place seemed empty. Not another dragon in site. A Rainwing soon stepped out of a room and saw them. She gasped, dropping a bunch of scrolls. "You're back! Guys they're back!"

A few other dragons Igneous recognized soon appeared. Prince Cliff, Griffin, Pyramid, Copper, Nile, and Starscream.

"Just when my day was going good, you freaks show up." Nile growled.

The Rainwing, who turned completely yellow, went up to Evergreen.

"Raspberry!" Evergreen exclaimed. They did something that seemed like some kind of a secret talon shake. They bumped both their wings together, one after the other. They then 'tail-fived,' and did a complicated talon shake Igneous couldn't understand. When they stopped, they both yelled "Rutabaga-hairy-orange-baboon!" in sync. They then laughed and hugged.

Angel looked really offended. She went in between them and pushed Raspberry away. She growled at the confused Rainwing. "If you EVER touch him, look at him, or even think about him I'll shove your fat tail up your snout and through your eye sockets and then through you off a cliff!"

Raspberry thought for a moment. "Oh!" She then realized. "Don't worry. We're just cousins."

Angel looked embarrass. "Sorry about that."

"It's alright. Other dragons always get that impression at first."

"What's going on here?" Peacemaker asked.

"Haven't you heard?" Cliff said. "This school is being shut down. Everyone who wanted to go home did. We were the only ones who didn't."

"Not me!" Nile argued. "I just can't go home. I hate it here!"

"Whatever you say." Cliff rolled his eyes.

They went to the library where they talked about their adventures. Igneous was bored out of his mind. He decided to look at some scrolls while the others talked. He noticed a Nightwing who he had never seen before rummaging through a stack of scrolls.

Very suspicious. Igneous thought to himself.

He stood behind a scroll rack and watched the stranger. Apparently she was reading scrolls about dragon anatomy, theories about the moons, and mythologies. She read through them at lightning speed whispering something. She used some rock with a hole in the middle with a green tinted piece of glass that almost seemed to be glowing.

She then stopped. She slowly turned to Igneous's direction and he ducked. She glared at her surroundings. She then dropped the scroll and flicked her wrist somehow causing the rock-glass-thing disappear.

What? How did she do that?

She got up and walked away quietly. Igneous then snuck behind her and held her arms behind her back pinning her against the wall.

"What are you hiding?" Igneous growled. "Tell me now!"

"I am not saying anything to a low life peasant like yourself." She snarled back.

"Who are you?"

"Why should I tell you that information?"

The others came running in. "Igneous," Andromeda said, "What are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Igneous, let go of her!" Peacemaker said as he pulled Igneous away.

"Interesting." The Nightwing said rubbing her wrists. "I would have never thought The Darkstalker would be so kind."

Evergreen whispered into Peacemaker's left ear. "I thought your name was Peacemaker. Not 'TheDarkstalker.'"

"How do you know about Darkstalker?" Peacemaker asked in unease.

"Not again." The Nightwing sighed. "Father is going to kill me."

"Tough love." NightOwl joked.

The Nightwing then hissed.

"Sorry!" NightOwl apologized. "I'm sorry! It was just a joke!"

But she wasn't hissing at NightOwl. As she was hissing, she stood back. Her body slowly deformed morphing into a dragon four times her size. She grew a silver exoskeleton covering everything but her underbelly, bottom jaw, and underneath her wings. Her bottom jaw then split in two and grew a spike on each chin. The inside of her mouth turned to neon green. A thin tissue of skin connected her hors creating a head crest. Her eyes turned a bluish green as another eye formed on her forehead. She then roared to the sky and went into a battle position.

The others slowly backed up.

Igneous have never seen anything like it. She looked like she was from another world. He grabbed his knife out of his satchel and charged without a second thought.

Chapter 2

PEACEMAKER

The strange dragon roared as she lunged after them. Before she could however, Igneous pounced on her back and stabbed her in the neck with is knife. The intruder roared in agony and swat Igneous off.

Evergreen's eyes turned white and he blew a massive wave of ice in the attacker's face. As she stumbled back, her third eye began to glow and the scroll shelves suddenly flew towards Evergreen. Evergreen then made an ice blade and cut the shelves in half leaving him unharmed.

Nile and Andromeda leaped onto the stranger's back. Andromeda grabbed hold of the attacker's horns as Nile clawed her neck. The attacker snarled and grabbed Nile and threw her to the floor back first. Nile's spine shatters and she lay there almost dead. Andromeda then clawed the intruder's left eye out.

As she roared in pain, Waterfall and Cliff blew their fire into the wound. Peacemaker could see a part of her skull.

Copper then grabbed a hold of one of her talons causing the large dragon to trip. As her head hit the ground, NightOwl blew his blue tinted fire in her face.

The mysterious dragon got up and shook everyone off. Evergreen shot a blast of ice on her neck pinning her to the wall. She broke off and Raspberry materialized out of the wall and squirts her venom on her face. The monstrous dragon screeched and stepped back again.

Peacemaker had to do something. He set his talon on a scroll case. "Um…" he said. "Stab this strange dragon somehow."

The shelves split into a million or so splinters. They flew towards the large stranger. She then opened her third eye and the splinters flew back. To avoid getting stabbed, everyone ducked for cover behind desks and shelves.

The dragonets merged together ready for another attack.

"Okay," Peacemaker said to everyone, "we need a plan. How about-"

"No time!" Waterfall yelled. Her and Igneous flew towards the stranger. The stranger's third eye glowed and two mystic spheres appeared out of thin air in the way of Peacemaker's two friends. They accidently ran into these spheres and they disappeared without a trace. The spheres then vanished.

"Listen here, dragonets." The stranger hissed at the shocked dragons. "You should never test a Moonwing." She made a larger sphere and went into it.

"What. The %# $. Was THAT?" Pyrite screamed. "Peacemaker, I think you left out something when you told me about dragons on the way here!"

"I don't know what happened either!" Peacemaker said.

"I think those spheres were some kind of portals." Loyalty observed. "But that's impossible. Portals were only in science fiction and fantasy scrolls."

"So are they dead?" Pyrite asked. Peacemaker hoped they weren't.

"Portals aren't weapons." Loyalty answered. "They're a form of transportation in sci-fi. They instantly teleport you to a desired location."

"Why isn't that the strangest thing I heard in the past three or four days?"

"I saw something through those things for a split second." Andromeda said. "Igneous went through one showing a taiga by the ocean and Waterfall went through one showing a desert."

"Then we go there." Peacemaker said.

"We'll stay." Said Cliff sitting beside Nile's body. "Who knows? She might come back."

"You should tell Queen Glory." Raspberry suggested.

"Like she's going to believe us." Pyrite snapped. "What should we tell her? 'Oh um… Ms. Queen What's-her-name, a big meenie dragon dinosaur thing with an eye on her forehead that can create magic circles came and hurt us very, very badly! We were wondering if you could find her and our two hypothetically dead friends she took with her. And maybe after that, we can go pick up dinner!' Does that sound remotely believable to you?"

"Well, when you put it that way, no."

"I rest my case!" Pyrite sighed angrily. "Is this like an everyday thing for dragons? What's tomorrow? Let me check my notes." She grabbed a random scroll and pretended to read it. "Oh! Looks like at noon, Evergreen suddenly turns to a log for no reason and we try to turn him back using a magical beetle on the sun!"

"Yay!" Evergreen cheered. "I get to turn into a log tomorrow!"

"I don't think that wood happen." NightOwl joked.

"But can we at least get that sun beetle?"

Before NightOwl could answer with another pun, Pyrite wacked him with the scroll.

"I'm sorry NightOwl," Peacemaker said, "but you kind of deserved that one." Peacemaker looked around. "Where's Andromeda?"

Andromeda suddenly came back from the hallway. "While you guys were bickering, I told Glory everything and she's sending Rainwing solders with us to find our friends."

Chapter 3

WATERFALL

"Ow, my head!" Waterfall groaned. Earlier when she ran into that weird circle thing during the fight against that thing, she teleported high in the sky and crashed landed into the sand passing her out.

She saw a dragon making some sort of soup on a dark oak counter. He covered in patches. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of bronze goggles. He had a large backpack and a quiver. He turned around to look at Waterfall. His snout had some contraption on it.

Oh great. Waterfall thought to herself. I'm going to die, aren't I?

"Rrmph ym mkm?" The bandaged dragon asked.

"Excuse me?" Waterfall couldn't understand her kidnapper.

"Hmm, smmry." He took off the contraption off his snout and unwrapped his bandages to reveal a dark sandy face. "I asked if you were okay. You had quite a fall there."

"Yeah…" Waterfall couldn't believe this guy would be the kidnapping type. She thought his face looked kind of goofy and innocent. But there must be something wrong with him.

"Good. I was hoping you'd be all right." He said. As he went back to stirring his soup, he knocked over a frying pan off a hanger attached to one of the tent's support beams. "Oh, let me get that." He turned to pick it up only to spill the hot soup on his tail. He screamed in pain and he got a pitcher of water out of a cabinet and poured it on the burn. He sighed in relief. As he reopened the cabinet, the cabinet door broke off and ripped a hole on the cloth walls. "Not again."

"Here, let me h- OW!" Waterfall's right wing started to hurt.

"Rest!" the Sandwing said. "You dislodged your wing socket. I put it back but it's going to hurt for a while. Oh! Where are my manners? My name's Pharaoh. And yours?"

"Waterfall."

"Are you a hybrid?"

"Yeah, what gave it away? The fact I'm a Skywing with gills and luminescent scales?" Waterfall sarcastically said.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude."

"No, you're fine. I'm just like that." Waterfall looked through the hole Pharaoh ripped earlier. She could see a huge sandstorm ahead making miniature tornadoes. "It looks like a huge storm is coming."

Pharaoh looked outside as well. His face filled with worry. "Quick!" He said as he moved the blankets Waterfall was sitting in. He dusted off the sand to reveal a trapdoor. "Now, there's barely enough room for both of us since I wasn't expecting company, so we'll have to squeeze." He crabbed a bag filled with canned foods, held Waterfall by the talon, and jumped in.

"Stop holding my talon!" Waterfall yelled.

They sat together with their backs pressed against the wall. Pharaoh shut the trapdoor and locked it. They could hear the wind blow above them.

Pharaoh set fire a match so he could see.

"Do you live like this everyday?" Waterfall asked. She could feel Pharaoh's breath against her scales. "How do you get a custom to this?"

"You get used to it. It only happens once or twice a week. The sandstorms have been getting bad lately."

You poor thing. Is this what sorrow feels like? I don't like it.

"Don't worry. We'll be safe and sound." Pharaoh reassured.

They waited until the storm passed.

Chapter 4

IGNEOUS

Igneous reappeared in the sky falling. He ran into some pine trees before he hit a marshy lake. He groaned as he got up. At least I landed in the mud.

The air was cold and humid. The water was so dirty you couldn't see the bottom. The sky overhead was gray and dreary. A storm was going to form.

Igneous swam to shore and rested on a mossy boulder. After his scratches from the fall stopped bleeding, he walked to the forest for shelter.

What was that? He asked himself. It was like I jumped out of a window. Where am I?

He walked around for a bit trying to map out where he was. He caught a few timber wolves and ate them.

As he looked at the place where he fell trying to fathom what just happened, he heard a rustling in the bushes. "Who's there?" he barked. He tried reaching for his knife, but it was gone. Uhg, I left it back at Jade Mountain!

Igneous suddenly felt a sharp pain on his neck. As he went to scratch what he thought was a bug bite, he felt a needle sticking out. He removed it and looked. It was a tranquilizer dart.

"Oh grea-" he started to feel dizzy. "You know…" he said drunkenly to the dart, "I never really liked you. I mean… I mean you're such a… such a pain in the neck! Haha! Get it? Oh Igneous! You're such a…a… a riot!" He fell to the ground and passed out.

Later…

Igneous woke up hanging from a tree tied up in rope. Blood rushed to his head and his vision was blurry.

"Well good mourning, sunshine!" said a scruffy voice. As Igneous's vision cleared a little, he saw that the voice belonged to a muscular, dirty brownish green Mudwing covered in scars and missing half of his teeth. He wore an eye patch and a short, torn up cape.

"Don't you 'sunshine' me!" Igneous snapped.

The repulsive Mudwing responded by pushing Igneous causing him to rock and spin. The Mudwing laughed like his spit was gravel. "You were always such a push-over, Igneous."

"How do you know my name?"

The Mudwing scuffed. "You seriously don't remember me? I'll give you a hint. Ahem. 'Dinner's ready. Slug and I caught a few caribou.'"

"Wait, Slob?" Igneous knew Slob. He was Landslide's bigwings. He bullied the two a lot when they were younger. "Is Landslide here with you?"

"I knew you'd say that! She's our new bigwings."

"But I thought you were the oldest."

"I am. But after that random attack, she thought it would be best if she were in charge. She is smarter than any of us."

"Well can you take me to her?" Igneous was so excited. I haven't seen her in years! I don't know if I ever smiled since then.

"Yeah. But I might have to untie you if you're going to walk."

"Then get me out."

"No, I think this is more fun." He cut the rope Igneous was hanging from but left him tied up. He dragged across the ground.

"Real mature Slob," Igneous rolled his eyes, "real mature."

After long hours of dragging on the stick-riddled ground, they arrived at an ancient temple. The temple was made from stone and colored clay. The structure looked like a dragonhead built on the cliff of a taiga hillside overlooking the blue ocean. Waterfalls poured from the mouth and eyes. Moss covered about a third of this massive ruin.

"Well you're in luck. We're done dragging." Slob said. He used his claw to cut the ropes open. He accidently scratched Igneous's leg.

"Ow! Hey!" Igneous said as he got up. His limbs fell asleep because of how long he's been out.

They flew towards the temple and landed inside the mouth. The place was a shallow pond dotted by mounds of mud and stone. Some of the mounds were four times the size of Igneous and had one or two trees on them.

Igneous also saw a few alligators, cranes, snapping turtles, frogs, and salamanders here and there.

"Is this some kind of dragon-made swamp?" Igneous asked.

"Yeah." Slob answered. "This place took us months of non-stop working. We only had one or two ours of sleep each night. Let me tell you, alligators do NOT like to be held. Especially that one." Slob pointed at a large gharial staring at them intensely. "She's the only gharial here. And for good reason too. She bit my eye out!"

"Where's Landslide?"

"I think my 'eyeball story' is more interesting."

"Ignee?" said a feminine voice. Igneous looked up at a cliff near the ceiling. Landslide stood there looking exactly how she looked before the raid.

"L-slide!" Igneous cheered.

Landslide glided towards Igneous and wrapped her wings around him as she landed. Igneous hugged back. They were both a lost for words.

"Surprise!" Slob said in a singsong voice.

"I missed you so much." Landslide said quietly.

"I did too." Igneous responded. "I saw the cage. I thought I- I lost you!" Igneous started to tear up.

A sound of a door slamming behind them interrupted there long waited moment. "Tsk, tsk, tsk!" Said a small dark brown Mudwing. His eyes were permanently cross-eyed. "Looks like after wishing upon shooting star after shooting star, you finally got what you asked for." The dragonet looked back at a very muscular crocodile green Mudwing following him, scowling. "You know what that means Slug? It means no more 'oh! I wish. I WISH my hero Igneous would be with me once again! OHHHHHH!'"

Slug responded with a huff and a slight nod.

"Stump," Landslide yelled, "I WILL order the crocodiles to devour you leaving nothing but bones!"

"Oh! I'm so scared!" Stump said very sarcastically.

"Anyway," Landslide said as she turned to Igneous ignoring her obnoxious brother, "how did you find us?"

"Technically, you found me. One minute I was fighting some freak of nature and then the next I magically appeared in the sky."

Landslide looked shocked. Almost as if she knew what he was talking about. "Well, you can make yourself at home."

"Oh, I can't stay!" Igneous said.

"But you must! We welcome you with open wings. See, even Slug is happy to see you!"

Slug marched to Igneous slowly. Igneous was surprised to know that Slug is the youngest. He was bigger than a full-grown Mudwing. Back home, the other Mudwing groups were terrified of him. He never talked or never blinked. Some say he's a cannibal, and others say he's not even a dragon at all. In fact, he looked a bit bigger.

Slug arched his neck. His pupils were so small you couldn't see them at first glance. Slug then grunted, keeping his blank face. He backed away and didn't move.

Igneous swore Slug could look at his soul.

"Wow." Slob said amused. "This is probably the happiest he's ever been! He never makes a sound when he's happy. Not even on his hatching day."

"Igneous, we're begging you." Landslide pleaded. "Please stay. Don't make me do the eyes, because I will do the eyes!"

"Your eyes will not make me stay." Igneous stated.

"You leave me no choice." Her pupils went big and a glimmer shined in her eyes.

Igneous blushed. He couldn't stand and ignore that. "Okay, I guess for a few days."

Landslide jumped for joy. She led him and the others further in the temple.

Chapter 5

PEACEMAKER

"Okay, let me get this straight." Glory said angrily. "A 'Moonwing' teleported two of your friends to the ends of the continent?"

"I know it seems absurd," Peacemaker said' "but it's true. Loyalty, tell them your theory."

Loyalty went closer to the Rainwing Queen. "It seems the stranger possesses the ability to bend space and time to transport matter to different locations. Andromeda saw where it led like looking through a window. I suggest we find them before someone else does."

"What?" Clay said.

"Don't worry," Glory reassured her Mudwing friend, "I can speak 'Starflight.'"

"Hey!" Starflight defended.

"He says the Moonwing or whatever it's called teleported Igneous and Waterfall to two ends of Pyhrria." She then looked at Peacemaker and his friends. "I'm sending three Rainwing soldiers with you."

"If you can call them 'soldiers.'" Tsunami muttered.

"Tsunami! Show some respect! Anyway, I'm going to split your team in two. Banana!"

A Rainwing appeared in a tree. "Yes?"

"Tell Toucan and the Flower Twins to meet at the palace."

"Okay!" The Rainwing flew towards the newly built Rainwing Castle.

"Peacemaker. You, Loyalty, and your rude Skywing friend go with the Flower Twins. Evergreen, I trust you to- Hey! Evergreen!" Evergreen was staring at a few butterflies. Glory was snapping her talons to get his attention. When Evergreen turned to look at her, she continued. "You, Andromeda, NightOwl, and your girlfriend go with Toucan."

"Girlfriend?" Evergreen froze up and almost fell of the ledge. Peacemaker caught him just in time.

"Girlfriend…" Angel blushed.

Andromeda flew away and came back with a pale full of water. She poured it on Evergreen and he shook himself awake. "Got it." He said to Glory. "Me, Andromeda, NightOwl, and Angel go with a toucan."

"No," Glory corrected, "with a Rainwing named Toucan."

"But can I take a regular toucan with me too?"

"No."

"Aww!"

Glory sighed. "If I wasn't your Aunt, I would slap you." Glory muttered to herself.

"Oh, you're Papaya's sister?" Andromeda asked.

"Apparently. She wanted to check because her husband said that we looked related. Okay. We're getting out of track here. Go to the palace base and meet up with them."

They flew away and left Glory to continue discussing with the other Dragonets of Destiny. They soon arrived at the palace.

The palace was entirely made of wood. It was made out of giant trees. Peacemaker heard Anemone the Seawing animus enchanted multiple tree saplings to grow together and become this massive structure. Tree houses and platforms were built on the sides. The base had a half of a dome in front with archways to enter through to get in. Peacemaker saw a Rainwing with gray scales so dark they were almost black standing with two pearl white barely full-grown dragons.

They landed in front of them.

Before Peacemaker could speak, Evergreen interrupted. "Wow! This place is way better than the last time I was here! I like the platforms and tree houses built on the sides. It's a very nice touch. Maybe I can decorate it with my colorful ice breath! I may have to replace them every five or so months, but it'll look awesome I swear!"

"Yeah, maybe." Peacemaker said to Evergreen. He looked up at the three dragons.

A large, old Rainwing who he guessed to be Toucan glared. He was a very dark gray and had orange and red patterns on his top jaw like a toucan. His frills were abnormally large.

"Hi, are you Toucan?" Peacemaker asked trying not to have fear in his voice.

"Who told you?" Toucan yelled. "Was it Glide? Tell him I'll pay him later. Tell him I don't have the money yet!"

He knows Glide? Glide was Waterfall's friend who gave them a place to lie low. To only betray them when they tried to leave. In that case, don't bring it up.

"No, Glory did."

"Oh. Then forget I said anything."

"Okay, and you two?" Peacemaker asked the two girls.

The twins looked exactly alike. The pattern they chose were the same too. Both pearl white with spiraling dart patterns. The only difference was one's pattern was yellow while the other was lavender.

"We are the Flower Twins!" They said at the same time.

"I'm Daisy!" said the yellow pattern one on the right.

"And I'm Lilac!" said the lavender one on the left.

Peacemaker sees that they shared the same tail. It looks like they're conjoined twins.

"Nice to meet you." Peacemaker greeted.

"What are we waiting for?" Evergreen said. "Lets roll out!"

"Okay, okay. Be patient."

They soon flew away after everyone introduced himself or herself. Evergreen's team and Peacemaker's team then separated. The Flower Twins flew with Peacemaker's team while Toucan went with the others.

"Did Glory really have the nerve to call me rude?" Pyrite asked Peacemaker as they flew. "Because I'll show her the true meaning of rude if she ever says that again!"

"I don't think you're rude." Peacemaker said.

Pyrite smiled and Peacemaker smiled back.

This is weird. He thought to himself. Why do I like her so much? Is it because I pity her for being forcefully dragged into this mess? No, that doesn't seem right. Maybe it's just God's plan. What is his plan? Maybe I should ask her. She knows more about this kind of stuff than me.

They continued flying as the sun set in the horizon.

Chapter 6

WATERFALL

The sandstorm soon passed. Pharaoh opened the trapdoor and him and Waterfall climbed out into the desert night.

"Oh no!" Pharaoh cried. The tent was gone. "Looks like I have to buy a new one." He checked in his satchel with disappointment.

"What's wrong?" Waterfall asked. "Not enough money?"

"No, I have enough. Barely. Lets hurry to the Scorpion Den." Pharaoh got out one of those snout contraptions and a pair of bronze goggles. "Here, put these on."

Waterfall grabbed them sort of confused. "But don't you need them?"

"I have an extra pair." He put on the goggles and the snout piece. He then helped Waterfall with hers.

They flew a long ways to the Scorpion Den. The place was completely redone. The border was in the shape of a scorpion. The dark sandstone walls had snake patterns near the top. Guards walked along the walkways of the walls.

A large castle made of sandstone and clay sat in the middle. Houses and factories surrounded it. The houses as well as the castle itself were surrounded by thousands upon thousands of marketplaces that stretched all the way to the border walls.

The kingdom entrance had no guards at all. Waterfall and Pharaoh walked in. Tents and stands crowded the place. You could barely see the cobblestone road leading towards the castle. They took their mask things off.

"Now remember," Pharaoh advised Waterfall, "don't look at anyone who looks like a killer, a maniac, or both."

"I can defend myself if I ever get into trouble." Waterfall said.

"You say that like you will get in trouble."

"Based on all the adventures I've had recently, the trouble comes to me either I know it or not."

"Adventures? Could you tell me about them?"

"Yeah. So it all began at Jade Mountain where me and my hybrid friends, Peacemaker, Evergreen, Igneous, NightOwl, and Andromeda, go to school when out of nowhere, a Nightwing named Feirceteeth jumps out and attacks Peacemaker and reveals that Peacemaker is a reincarnation of the Darkstalker. A few others and I fight Feirceteeth's soldiers. Then after a bunch of bangs, bams, and booms we escape to a safer place with a Skywing who claims to be a scavenger. We head to Umbertown where…" Waterfall told Pharaoh everything as they walked to their desired store.

Waterfall could tell she blew Pharaoh completely out of the water. She was surprised that he listened to her the whole way.

"All that really happened?" Pharaoh asked amused. "Are you sure you didn't come up with that?"

"I don't think even Evergreen could come up with something as crazy as that. But it's true. From the scavenger turning into a dragon to the whatchamacallit monster who teleported me here."

"Wow…" They arrived at a stand with racks hung with tarps, tents, and sheets.

A pale sand colored merchant with a peg leg and half a wing greeted them "Welcome to Rodent's Rags. How may I help you?"

"It happened again." Pharaoh said.

"Say no more." The wrinkly salesdragon unhooked a large roll of brown cloth. He wrapped a few strands of rope around it and set it on the counter. Pharaoh took the money out of his satchel and gave it to Rodent.

"Lets go this way." Pharaoh said to Waterfall pointing to the right. "Also, do you like smoothies?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Just a question." They walked over to a sandstone building the shape of a Sandwing lying on its stomach with its wings up. A counter window was on its side. Pharaoh went up to the front desk. "Two smoothies please." He ordered as he gave the cashier his last two coins. The cashier came back with two pink smoothies. Pharaoh grabbed them and gave Waterfall one.

"What's this for?" Waterfall asked.

"It's for you."

"But wasn't that your last two coins?"

"Like my mother always said before I was taken away: 'Without sacrifice, there can be no victory.'" They walked away drinking their smoothies. They tasted like cherries, mangos, and pineapples. Pharaoh tripped over spilling his shake. When he got up, he shrugged and continued walking with Waterfall.

Holy moons, Waterfall thought to herself, he likes me? What have I gotten myself into now?

Suddenly out of nowhere, a Sandwing wearing leather mask resembling a cow skull and leather shoulder pads with chains jumped in front of the two. And he was pointing a knife at them.

Chapter 7

IGNEOUS

Igneous and the others were fast asleep. The tour of the temple took until midnight. The three moons were full and high in the sky when Landslide quietly shook Igneous awake. "Ignee." She whispered. "Ignee!"

"What?" Igneous said sluggishly. He rubbed his temples.

"I want to show you something."

"Okay." They got up and flew out of the 'eye' of the temple. It was freezing outside. Igneous didn't like the cold. He wondered if that was part of the reason he was named after a type of rock created by magma and/or lava.

They arrived at a forest where the trees were closer together for some reason and landed.

"Did you ever wonder why those dragons attacked our village?" Landslide asked excitedly.

"No, I was too busy being mad at them." Igneous answered.

"Well, when we were captured, I eavesdropped and discovered they were after something. And Queen Moorhen had the map to it. Curiosity got the best of me and I escaped and stole it myself. After hearing the exciting news, we decided to take over the place and stay." She took a map out of a satchel and pointed at a small sketch of the temple they stayed in. "See? There's the Mudwing Temple. Fun fact: I figured out this place is called 'The Weeping Dragonet.'" She moved her talon and pointed at a sketch of a round piece of land with three horns around a pedestal. Evenly placed holes surrounded the structure.

Landslide and Igneous went into the dense trees. Landslide moved the bushes out of the way and they came across a clear, sparkling lake. And sitting in the middle of that lake, was a stone island that looks exactly like the sketch on the map.

"What is this place?" Igneous asked in awe. They both swam to the island and stood in front of the four giant wooden horns that had some hieroglyphics carved into them. Igneous felt the carvings with his talon; amazed with the mystic feel this structure gave off.

"They call it 'The Shrine of Moons.' Legend says if you find the Dragon Eye, you'll be granted powers that could save Pyhrria from extinction."

"Extinction?" Igneous asked shocked. "What's gonna kill us?"

"An unstoppable darkness from beyond."

"You don't think that seems farfetched? No offense, but are you delusional?"

Landslide gave him a disapproving look.

"I'm sorry! I just have a hard time believing that." She's gone insane! Well, that's understandable. I would go insane if I was stuck with her brothers.

"Igneous, do you trust me?" Landslide held Igneous's talon.

Igneous sighed. "I do. What should I do?"

Landslide pointed to the Mudwing Palace. "In the Mudwing Queen's treasury, the Dragon Eye is attached to the Scepter of Gold. The first Mudwing Queen used it early in the Scorching. She stopped an entire army with it. It came with a price however. She died a day later and the throne was given to her daughter. The Scepter is hidden away in the treasury." Landslide looked at Igneous with confidence. "You're going to get it."

Igneous's eyes went wide. But then he closed his eyes and breathed, "I'll do it. For you."

"You were always such a gentledragon." Landslide gave Igneous a kiss on the cheek. "Good luck."

Igneous hid his blush and nodded firmly. He grabbed the map and flew into the night sky.

Don't worry L-slide. I won't let you down.

Chapter 8

PEACEMAKER

Peacemaker, Pyrite, Loyalty, and the Twins headed south while the rest went west. They've been flying for an hour now and the moons were full and high in the sky. They rested at a tavern in Umbertown. The same dark oak tavern they saw last time they were there.

Though the Skywing Capitol is quite nice, Peacemaker didn't like it. He felt watched last time he was there.

However, he was relieved to know Glide was imprisoned. So no revenge story is happening.

Peacemaker went shopping for a bit. He was always fascinated by what the Skywing culture had to offer. He bought various fruits that only grow in the Palace, scrolls about history and mythology, salts and spices perfect for cooking pies, and other knickknacks.

He passed a stand with a beautiful sunstone necklace. The sunstones were a fire orange dotted with dark orange spots. They looked like sunspots.

Peacemaker thought for a moment. These would look great on Pyrite. Should I get them for her? No, she won't like them. However…

"I can see you eyeballing that necklace." Said an old Skywing. Her scales were a dark orange and red and her eyes were a sky blue. She shook a little with every move she made. Her smile was chapped but sweet. Peacemaker could see her teeth were made of wood.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Peacemaker apologized.

"No! No. It's all right. Eyes were made to see, weren't they? Are you planning on giving it to a special someone? Or are you going to wear it? I mean I'm not one to judge, but it doesn't quite match your scales."

"Oh no, I'm just looking. I'm not very big on jewelry."

"I was only kidding." Her chuckle sounded rusty.

"Where did you find them?" Peacemaker asked.

"Miles away from Pyhrria in an island where the Nightwings used to live. My granddaughter, Horizon, went there to see what happened to the place. What she found was extraordinary! Jewels, gems, and crystals sprinkled the surface of the volcano's remains. From sapphires to diamonds, they were all there. Some of the minerals were new and never heard or seen before! After the discovery, she became famous and became the Queen's royal archeologist. She said I could sell some. Those sunstones in particular were one of Horizon's most interesting finds. She found them perfectly smooth and round just like this." She picked them up and looked at Peacemaker with a hopeful smile. "I like you. How about I give it to you for free?"

"Really?" Peacemaker gasped.

"Shhhhh…" The elder dragon whispered. "My granddaughter lives in the lowest tower and could hear everything. She has abnormally good hearing. Take it."

"Thank you." Peacemaker whispered back.

"Don't mention it, sunny. Have a wonderful day." The Skywing had a huge grin on her face. "My name is Breeze, if you were wondering."

"I'm Peacemaker. It was very nice to meet you. Once again, thank you very much." Peacemaker carefully put the necklace in the bag and walked away with a little skip in his step.

I hope Pyrite would like these. He soon had a thought that was risky. His spine tingled of the idea. Maybe I could enchant it to keep her safe? I shouldn't. Although, It would help her if she gets hurt. She doesn't really know 'how to dragon.' I've made my decision.

Peacemaker took the necklace and leaned against a wall of a bakery.

"I enchant this necklace to protect the wearer from any sort of harm." He whispered. There's no turning back now.

Peacemaker felt a small surge of power in his talon. The same surge he had when he revived Evergreen. The surge stopped. Nothing physical really showed on the necklace.

Wait! Peacemaker realized. What about my soul? Doesn't enchanting something cause a part of your soul to disappear? Better be safe. No more enchantments.

Peacemaker took a deep breath. He flew the rest of the way back to the tavern. He prayed this would work.

Chapter 9

WATERFALL

A large jet of fire came out of Waterfall's mouth but she missed and the large Sandwing thug took her arm and threw her into a nearby market stand selling ripe watermelons.

Pharaoh pounced on the robber's neck. The thug roared and grabbed Pharaoh. He threw him to the ground with the knife's edge against his neck.

Waterfall got up and groaned, covered in watermelon juice. She spat out the watermelon chunks and wiped more off her head and eyes.

The Sandwing took his cow skull mask off to reveal a heavily scared face. The right half of his snout was wood and one of his eyes was a red jewel. He hissed. "Where is my payment, maggot?" He yelled.

"I just need more time!" Pharaoh choked.

"Lies! You have it! I smell it!"

Waterfall flew to the scarred dragon and elbowed his face, knocking him off. Pharaoh got up and shook himself. Waterfall felt a sharp pain in her wing socket. Oh. It's broken. Forgot.

The Sandwing tug got up and wiped his face. Waterfall must've knocked a tooth out because blood dripped out of his mouth. "Making someone else fight your battles. Pitiful yet expected of you." He growled.

"We got to go!" Pharaoh said to Waterfall. He grabbed her talon and ran.

"I told you to stop holding my talon!" Waterfall yelled. Pharaoh let go.

At least five large, muscular Sandwings took to the sky and dove after them. Some held a wired gray ball of some sort, lit it on fire, and threw it. Once they hit the sandy road Waterfall and Pharaoh ran on, they blew up. They almost hit them multiple times.

Pharaoh led Waterfall to a watchtower in the middle of this side of the city. A Sandwing guard wearing bronze armor stopped them in their tracks. "Halt!" she bellowed. "What in Oasis's name are you two going?"

"We're being attacked!" Pharaoh said.

The pale Sandwing looked at the five or so dragons flying towards them. The guard turned to the tower. "Fire to the southwest!" she yelled.

A dragon with the same type of armor nodded and aimed a large crossbow at Waterfall and Pharaoh's pursuers and shot an arrow.

It hit one of the thugs who were armed with those metal sphere things. He stopped midflight and crashed into some stands. The impact must've activated the spheres all at once because a giant explosion devastated every stand in a seventh of a mile radius.

The thugs turned back and flew away. About ten Sandwing soldiers armed with sharp iron spears chased them down. Waterfall and Pharaoh flew out of the city and flew back to the Pharaoh's place.

One they arrived, Pharaoh was rebuilding the tent house while Waterfall rested her wing.

"You need to answer questions, squid-brain." Waterfall ordered. She got 'squid-brain' from Tsunami.

"Imph rmhther nmph tmph oumphoum imph." Pharaoh responded with his snout piece on. He was about halfway done with the tent.

"You will too talk about it! Who were those guys? Why do you have to pay them?"

Pharaoh took his snout piece and his goggles off and sighed. "That was Blitzwing and his gang. They're a criminal band called The Hydrides. The Sandwing Kingdom's most wanted. I made a deal and I have to pay them. But I used up all my money for this tent twice and for you."

"The milkshakes weren't that much."

"I'm not talking about the milkshakes. When you crashed and went unconscious, a group of Sandwings put you up for bidding. They thought you were very valuable because you're a hybrid. I took my chances and used all the money I owe to buy you. I thought I could take care of you. The other bidders wanted to kill and skin you or use you as a hostage for the Skywing Guard to buy. To make you not escape, they permanently numbed your arm unless you use the antidote." He pulled out a jar with a powdery white liquid inside.

Waterfall was shocked. "You dirty little liar! You bought me?"

"It was me or weirdoes who wanted to skin you or worse!"

"But you could've let me leave but you didn't?"

"I'm sorry! I didn't want you to leave me!"

Waterfall growled and swiped it out of Pharaoh's sweaty talons. She drank it all and smashed it on the floor. Her wing was quickly healing. She glared at Pharaoh with her gills flaring with puffs of flame coming out every now and then. Small tears slid on her cheeks. "I'm so mad at you! I could bite your head off, impale it with a stick, attach it to a plank of wood, and let it drift out to sea were the seagulls and sharks and eat it until the skull is clean! That's how mad I am rat you right now! And I thought you the love of my life for a second!"

Pharaoh, who putted his head down in shame, suddenly looked surprised. "Y-You did?"

"Well not anymore! And guess whose fault is that? The universe? The homeless dragon I saw back at the Scorpion Den? Wait! I know whose fault it was! It's yours! Who the heck thinks to themselves, 'Oh look at her! I would buy her if she had a price! Oh she does? Oh boy! Let me just get my coupons and we can sign the waiver now!' You are sick! I HATE you!"

Pharaoh put his had over his head and cried. Waterfall stepped outside and flew with pure rage.

Don't look back, she said to herself, don't look back!

She looked back and frowned feeling sorry for Pharaoh. She felt bad for yelling at him. She shook the thought off and continued flying back to Jade Mountain.

Chapter 10

IGNEOUS

Igneous made it to the Mudwing Palace. He hid behind the barracks and waited until the cost was clear, he dashed to the castle.

He climbed up one of the dark gray towers. His dark, dark gray scaled blended in perfectly.

He slithered through the window. He snuck behind two guards and pinched a specific part of the neck. They fell to the floor asleep and paralyzed.

Looks like dragon anatomy class really paid off! He thought as he dragged the two guards behind a pillar. He took one of the guards' armor and wore it.

He took the spear and walked towards the treasury.

Four soldiers armed with the sharpest kind of spears guarded the treasury. In fact, the spearheads seemed to be on both ends of the rod. Instead of plane iron armor, they wore gold like plating with various red markings across the helmet, chestplate, and shin guards.

Looks like I came under dressed.

He went up to the marked guards. "Attention." Igneous said in a deep voice. "The Queen demands that all four of you to guard the border edges."

"We already have elites on the boarder edges." Said a rather tall, female Mudwing solider.

"Queen's orders. Not mine."

"Aren't you a little short to be a guard?" She saw that Igneous had gray scales. "And why are your scales so dark?"

"It's a medical condition. Now go."

The tall guard raised her brow. "Why should I believe you? You're a standard guard. You have no authority over us."

"Do you want to ask the Queen herself? Take it from me, you won't want to question your authority."

"Good point." She pointed at two guards. "You two with me. Mosquito, you keep an eye on this one."

The fourth guard, Mosquito, nodded and stood put. The other three guards walked away. Igneous stood by Mosquito.

After a while, Igneous leaned closer to Mosquito. "So, how are the kids?"

"I'm divorced." Mosquito snuffled. "And my wife took the kids. I never had a chance to say goodbye!" Mosquito put his head down with his free talon over his eyes crying.

"There, there." Igneous reassured patting his back. He slowly reached for Mosquito's neck. "Just let all your problems…" Igneous pinched the weak spot and Mosquito dropped like a fly. "…Put to sleep." He took the sleeping guard's spear and unlocked the door with it. It popped right open.

Igneous stepped in. He saw a scepter with a glowing orange stone on the end. As Igneous took off his helmet, he slowly reached after the stone.

Suddenly, a Nightwing flew over Igneous and grabbed the stone. The lean, pitch-black dragon perched on the window, smirking. He had shiny scales across his top snout. He barely had any stars on his wings. Far less than a normal Nightwing. His eyes were so purple they looked like they were made of amethysts.

"Thanks for making my job a little bit easier." The slim dragon said.

"That's mine!" Igneous yelled.

"And I should care, why?" He leaped out of the window and flew away.

"Come back you spineless lizard!" Igneous took one of the spears and chased him down.

Chapter 11

PEACEMAKER

The tavern rental expired the next day, so Peacemaker, Pyrite, Loyalty, and the Flower Twins continued flying north.

Peacemaker still hasn't given Pyrite the necklace yet. He didn't think it was time yet. He just needs a little bit more time.

It was sunrise and they made it to the Mudwing Palace. For some reason, guards surrounded the castle. Every single square foot of the marshland had one or two soldiers. Two large muscular Mudwings wearing iron armor stopped Peacemaker and the others midflight.

"This place is under lockdown." One said. "We advise you to turn around until further notice."

"But we're only going to the wingtip." Peacemaker stated.

"That's private Mudwing and Skywing territory."

The Flower Twins flew in front of Peacemaker holding a badge of some sort.

"Um… Like, excuse us!" Lilac spat. "We are, like, agents of Super-Best-Queen Glory. And, like, if you don't let us through we will report you and you'll, like, get fired."

"Yeah!" Daisy added. She was chewing something. It was probably a piece of those chewy fruits Clay told Peacemaker about. She was probably using it as a sensory thing.

"So, if you don't, like, let us through, then you can kiss your job goodbye." Lilac said snapping her talon and quickly moving her neck in a sassy fashion.

The second guard looked at the badge closely. "Yep," he said, "that right there is a genuine badge." He moved backwards and did a passing gesture. "Move along."

They continued moving north.

"That was weird." Pyrite said suddenly. "Why did you talk like that?"

"Like, what're you talking 'bout?" Daisy answered. "We are, like, so fluent."

"Uhg!" Lilac said. "I so, like, have a craving for pumpkins right now!"

"Like, same!" Daisy lit up. They continued babbling about stuff. They talked so fast; Peacemaker couldn't understand what they were saying.

"I have a theory that they put something in their pumpkins that makes them like this." Loyalty whispered to Peacemaker and Pyrite. They all nodded in agreement.

The team landed near a large muddy lake surrounded by pine trees. "I think this looks like the same taiga Andromeda described." Peacemaker said as they sat on the shore. Pine needles pressed against Peacemaker's scales. They definitely not the most comfortable thing in the world but… Actually, there is no 'but.' It hurts.

Okay, Peacemaker thought to himself, I think this's a good time. But I'm curious… Peacemaker was lucky he could turn off his mind reading powers unlike Moonwatcher. Moon told him all the things she heard in other dragons' minds and how she can't stop hearing them. Peacemaker didn't know why he could turn it off and on. He guessed it's because he couldn't read minds or foretell the future at all before Darkstalker came along. Darkstalker allowed Peacemaker to do those things.

Peacemaker practice mind reading on the way back to Jade Mountain after Darkstalker was defeated. He read the minds of other dragons on the way, Evergreen's sometimes (he regretted that because of how loud his brother's mind is,) and some birds and squirrels. Turns out, animals think in shapes and colors and not words.

But now he was going to read Pyrite's mind. He was nervous. He wanted to see if she liked him even a little bit. But before he could 'reach out,' Daisy grabbed his shoulder.

"Heyyyyyyy!" She said loudly.

"Hi?"

"We've been paying attention to you recently." Lilac said.

"Why? What did I- what do you thi- Wha-?" Peacemaker stammered.

"You, like, been diagnose with a bad case of the LOVE BUG!" Daisy sang.

"What? No! I-I mean…" Peacemaker blushed.

"We recognize that look you keep giving her!" Lilac giggled. "It's, like, so adorabs."

"Oh! Your dragonets would look so cute!" Daisy squealed.

"Shush!" Peacemaker said in a 'whisper yell.' "She might hear you!"

"You really got it BAD!" Lilac teased.

"Indeed he does." Loyalty jumped in.

"Oh no!" Peacemaker said with his talons on his face. "Is it really that obvious?"

"I'm not so easy to deceive." Loyalty said.

"Okay," Lilac said, "if you love her, you have to make a, like, HUGE gesture! And according to Royalty,"

"My name is Loyalty!" Loyalty corrected.

"Whatever. We know about the sunstones. You have to give it to her now! She'll think, like, they're so craz-amazing!"

"But," Peacemaker was embarrass, "I don't think it's time yet."

Daisy jumped up and started to sing. "Listen to your heart! When she's calling for you! Listen to your heart! There's-"

"Well my heart says 'not now!'"

Lilac stared make chicken noises. "Bock! BOCK!" she started flapping her arms. "Looks like someone's a big chicken!"

"Fine! I'll do it!" Peacemaker took a long deep breath and slowly walked over to Pyrite. His legs were shaking with each step.

"Very smooth." Whispered Loyalty.

Peacemaker gave him a look. He then turned back to Pyrite and continued. Okay, he reassured himself, you can do this. You can do this!

"Hey Pyrite?" His voice cracked. Dang it!

"Yeah?" She slowly turned her head gracefully.

She's so beautiful. Lord, please help me.

Before he could open his mouth, a boom sounded the air. A giant net trapped Peacemaker and Pyrite. Another net shot at Loyalty and the Flower Twins.

They all tried wiggling out, but somehow that made everything tighter. Peacemaker and Pyrite's backs were pressed together.

A large muscular Mudwing with the colors of a crocodile stood above them with a large vase looking stone thing. It must have been the thing that sot the net at them. A slightly smaller brownish green Mudwing had a tube in his mouth chuckled hoarsely.

"Nighty-night newcomers." He said. He blew tranquilizer darts at every one of Peacemaker's friends including him.

Peacemaker started to feel drunk and sleepy. I didn't even get the chance to tell her I…

He closed his eyes and went into slumber.

Chapter 12

WATERFALL

Stupid Pharaoh and his stupid gambling problem and his stupid face and his stupid… Waterfall went on and on about how mad she was in her head. She was almost out of the desert. She could see a lake glimmering in the rising sun ahead.

But in the corner of her eye, she saw a yellow dragon flying straight for her at full speed.

Oh no, she worried; It's one of Blitzwing's minions Pharaoh talked about!

She flew towards the lake as fast as she could. Certainly a Sandwing can't catch up to a Skywing. But Waterfall's wings still ached a little. Once she was over the lake, the yellow dragon crashed into her. The both fell into the lake. Waterfall quickly swam to shore. Even though she was half Seawing, she still didn't really like getting wet. She did enjoy a little swim every now and then but right now can't be further from a right time.

She arrived to the shore panting. She'd done a lot of running lately. Her attacker flew out of the water like a shooting star and he landed next to her. He wasn't a Sandwing at all. He was no other than Evergreen, her Rainwing/Icewing friend. And he was pure yellow with excitement.

"Waterfall!" he yelled. He wrapped his wings around her.

"Evergreen!" she yelled back as they hugged.

"Yergettafurdareddaoura!" Evergreen said unintelligently as he let go.

"Pardon?" Waterfall asked with her head tilted. Evergreen wasn't the smart one, but Waterfall never heard him say gibberish like that before.

"Yer. Getta. Furda. Redda. Oura." He said slowly.

"Think about the words you're going to say before you say them."

"We looked everywhere for you! What happened? Anything interesting? Also we need to help Peacemaker, Loyalty, and Caramel find Igneous."

"You mean 'Kaida?'"

"That's what I said, wasn't it?"

"Are the others with you?"

"Yes. Andromeda, NightOwl, Angel, and a very nice Rainwing named Toucan."

"I'M NOT NICE!" Yelled a large gray Rainwing with an orange and red snout. Andromeda, NightOwl, and Angel followed.

Angel dove in between Evergreen and Waterfall. "Did anyone hurt you?" she asked.

"No," Waterfall answered, "I'm all right."

"I wasn't talking to you!" Angel snapped. "I was talking to my sweet sugarplum!"

"Who's 'MySweetSugarplume?" Evergreen asked.

"I was talking about you, my love."

"I'm sorry to break it to you, but neither one of those names are mine."

"Your relationship is very, dare I say it, juicy!" NightOwl joked.

"I really didn't miss your awful puns when I was gone." Waterfall said with her talon on her face.

Andromeda went over to Waterfall. "It's so nice to see you again!" she said. "Tell us everything of what happened. Every. Single. Detail."

"Okay, if I must." Waterfall said with pride. She loved it when she was the center of attention.

She told her friends, and Toucan, everything. About Pharaoh (she didn't want to mention the milkshakes or the fact she developed feelings for him,) Blitzwing and his gang, the changes made to the Scorpion Den, and everything else.

"His name was 'Blitzwing?'" Evergreen said shocked. "There's a character in Talonmorphers named Blitzwing!"

"Aw, look how smart he is." Angel said. Waterfall swore if Angel had the ability to turn her eyes heart-shaped, she would every time she's near Evergreen.

"Why did you stay with Pharaoh for so long?" asked Andromeda.

"I told you, he numbed my wings and lied about it." She defended. She must've said it too defensively, because Andromeda, NightOwl, and Evergreen smirked.

Wait, Evergreen knows I liked him?

"What are we smiling about?" Evergreen asked Andromeda and NightOwl.

That makes more sense.

"That's not the reason why you stayed, isn't it?" Andromeda said.

"That's the EXACT reason why I stayed!" Waterfall snapped. "If my wings weren't numb to the bone, I would've fly right on out of there!"

NightOwl stepped in. "If you and Pharaoh had dragonets, I can believe you'd make a very good-"

"Don't you dare say 'mummy!' I get it, his name's 'Pharaoh!'"

"I was going to say 'a lucky dragoness.' But your idea is better."

"UHG!" Waterfall went in the lake, put her head underwater, and screamed. Once she was done, she went back and lay down.

"I'm sorry, Waterfall." Andromeda apologized.

Waterfall sighed. "I admit it. I did have feelings for him. But not anymore! What he did was unforgivable." She dug her head into her arms and cried a little. Just a little, though.

"He was only trying to save you. He just didn't want you to leave. And according to what you told us, he feels very bad about it. Maybe we should go find him and we can work things out."

Waterfall lifted her head and sniffed. "Thanks Andromeda." Waterfall said quietly as she wiped away the tears. "You're like the sister I never had."

"Hey, girls stick together." Andromeda said as they hugged.

"Um," Angel interrupted, "Evergreen is acting weird."

Evergreen's eyes were white. Waterfall knew what this meant; Peacemaker is in trouble. Evergreen suddenly tried to fly away, but Toucan grabbed him. Toucan then grabbed a nearby vine and wrapped it around Evergreen's neck holding him like a leash.

"You smell something, boy?" NightOwl jokingly asked. "Go get it! Fetch!"

They followed Evergreen to the northeast.

Chapter 13

IGNEOUS

Igneous finally caught up with the Nightwing after an hour of chasing him. The sunrise came in the distance. He rammed to his side knocking him out of thin air. The Nightwing crashed into the cold water of Diamond Spray Delta.

As Igneous landed next to the shoreline, he couldn't see any sign of the Nightwing or the Dragon Eye.

Suddenly, the Nightwing leaped out of the murky river and tackled Igneous. Igneous punched him in the face and pushed him off. As they both got up, Igneous reached for the orange stone but the Nightwing threw it at the other direction.

"You idiot!" Igneous roared.

"I don't know," the Nightwing, responded, "I thought it was pretty clever."

Igneous turned and sprinted towards the Dragon Eye. But then, a large Mudwing solider stood in his way. Behind her, a few other guards with red markings landed. They surrounded Igneous and the Nightwing with weapons ready.

"Truce?" The Nightwing asked Igneous, as they got ready to battle.

"For now." Igneous answered.

The two were back-to-back, fighting off soldiers left and right. Igneous felt a little guilty fighting his tribe. But it was for Landslide. He'll do anything for her even if it means jail time or certain death. He is a dragon of his word after all.

Igneous took one of the guards' spears and tail wacked him. He then used the spear to block a strike to the head. Igneous saw the Nightwing in the corner of his eye. A soldier was going to side swiped at him. Igneous signaled the Nightwing to duck and he did so. As he did though, the Nightwing maneuvered in front of Igneous and stabbed a soldier aiming a knife at Igneous's heart.

Igneous turned to deal a heavy blow at a Mudwing soldier behind him. He then skewered his spear through her eye. He threw the spear at another soldier but missed. The Mudwing leaped after him but Igneous tail whacked him across the face. Igneous took the double spear off the back of the chestplate he was holding and stabbed two in the neck at the same time.

They were all dead.

Igneous looked to see the Nightwing mercilessly breaking the neck of the last one with a deadly smirk. Once the soldier dropped dead, he held the orange stone to Igneous. "Here," he said, "You've earned it."

Igneous took it. "Thanks."

"My name's Hopekiller if you're wondering."

"Well I wasn't."

"I said 'if,' didn't I?"

"I'm Igneous."

"Well, nice to meet you. Anyway, I better get going. Tombs and treasuries don't raid themselves. If they did it would make my little hobby so much easier but wouldn't be much fun."

"You're a tomb raider?" Igneous asked. But Hopekiller few away before he could answer.

Weird. He thought. And not to mention quite rude. Anyway, I better get this back to Landslide. He looked at the Dragon Eye with uncertainty. It was round and spherical. If you squint a little, you could see something floating in some weird liquid inside it in a slightly hypnotic way. The thing inside it almost looked like an actual dragon eye. Igneous swore he saw it blink and he jumped.

I'm probably imagining things. He held it close to him and he flew back to the Mudwing Temple.

Chapter 14

PEACEMAKER

Peacemaker woke up. His head was fuzzy and he could barely see without getting dizzy. He looked around to see he was trapped in a metal box with his friends. His wings were clamped and his back talons were chained to the floor. Pyrite slept unconscious beside him.

"Pyrite." Peacemaker shook Pyrite. "Pyrite! Wake up."

"Listen Mom," Pyrite groaned sleepily, "I can't go to church today."

"Pyrite…"

Pyrite shook her head and rubbed her eyes. She looked around worried. "Where the #&%% am I?"

"I don't know." Peacemaker went as far as he could to Loyalty who was sleeping. "Loyalty!"

"Avada-cadabra!" Loyalty screamed with one of his fingers waving around like a wand as he shot up. He probably had a dream about his favorite scroll series again. "What?" he said waking up.

"Where are we?"

Loyalty looked around. "Well it's obviously a metal box with only one iron bar window. I know I'm smart but I thought you'd know something as simple as that."

Peacemaker looked out of the iron bars. All he could see was forest. They were moving. They must be on a cart. He looked as far as he could to see a very large and muscular Mudwing pulling it.

"Where are we?" Pyrite asked. She pushed Peacemaker out of the way and looked through the window herself. She gasped then growled. "Hey $$hole!" Pyrite yelled at the Mudwing pulling the cage. "Let us out or I'll beat the % #$ out of you so God $ %# hard, you won't feel the big pile of $#!% you call your face! You slimy son of a %!%$#!"

The Mudwing didn't respond to Pyrite's odd insults.

"What was that?" Loyalty asked her. "Most of those weren't even words."

"Well they're words in my vocabulary!" Pyrite sat in the corner and knocked her head against the wall making a clanking sound.

Peacemaker put one wing around her sympathetically. "We'll find a way out. We always do."

Pyrite slowly turned to him with little tears in her eyes. She wrapped her wings and arms around him. Peacemaker blushed so much his face practically looked like a Skywing's.

The Twins woke up smiling and cooing a little. Loyalty nodded at Peacemaker's satchel.

Peacemaker mouthed 'not now' at him as Pyrite dug her head in his shoulders. Loyalty mouthed 'yes now.'

Peacemaker sighed. "Pyrite, I've been meaning to give you this." As she let go, Peacemaker gave her the sunstone necklace.

Pyrite took them with utter shock. Her eyes were so wide they took up ninety percent of her face and her blushing made her scales more red orange than they already were. "Thank you…" She looked up at Peacemaker slowly with a large nervous smile. "…So much…!"

In Peacemaker's mind, Pyrite turned to a familiar, older Nightwing and the sunstones turned to moonstones. They were at a grassy cliff looking over the ocean in the middle of the night. Then everything turned back all at once.

One of Darkstalker's memories. Pyrite must be my new… Clearsight?

The two looked at each other's eyes. They leaned closer to each other.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooo!" The Twins squealed.

Peacemaker and Pyrite jumped and hit their heads on the ceiling. "Oh," Pyrite growled as he rubbed her head, "you three exist."

"Oh I can see it now!" Daisy exclaimed. "White wooden alters."

"Fancy jewelry." Lilac added.

"Gift baskets."

"Ribbons."

"Cake."

"And most importantly…"

"Daisies and lilacs!" they both screamed together.

"So how does it feel to get that out of you guys' chests?" Loyalty asked Peacemaker and Pyrite smiling.

"Shut up!" They both yelled blushing.

"'Pyritemaker!' Pyritemaker!' 'PYRITEMAKER!'" The Twins sang.

A huge bang interrupted the excitement. "Keep it down!" yelled a scratchy voice outside.

They remained quiet for the rest of the trip. And for the entire trip, Peacemaker couldn't stop thinking about Pyrite or looking at her. Daisy and Lilac's chant echoed in his head.

Pyritemaker. Pyritemaker! PYRITEMAKER!

Pyrite wore the necklace. She too was looking at Peacemaker. From the multiple facial expressions, he could tell she had a lot in her mind as well.

The back of the cage opened and the big Mudwing who pulled the cart unlocked their shackles and reattached them to their necks. He tugged them along a dark hallway probably to their demise.

Chapter 15

WATERFALL

Toucan could barely hold on to Evergreen. He wiggled, tugged, and tried to cut the leash. He was like a mad bear swatting honeybees off of him. They had to walk because Toucan needed all of his strength to hold on to the icy Rainwing.

Waterfall had a theory. What would happen if Angel kisses him again when he's on guard mode? "Angel?"

"Yeah?" She was very worried about Evergreen. She kept advising Toucan not to tug so hard. But really, he had no choice because Evergreen was the one who kept tugging. So her response to Waterfall was in an annoyed tone.

"Could you make him freeze again?"

Angel brightened up. She knew exactly what she was talking about. Jumped over and gave Evergreen a peck.

Evergreen came to a complete halt. His was still growling and bearing his teeth. Waterfall then turned Evergreen around and he stopped growling. Then she turned him back around and he growled again. He was like a compass, but alive and with rabies. He only growled when he was facing a certain direction.

"Well," Waterfall amused, "that worked better than I thought. I wonder if he's going to forget this one."

"Seriously," Andromeda spoke up, "how does that work?"

"I think it's because Darkstalker's enchantment gave Evergreen the ability to track Peacemaker down to his exact position when he's faced with any threat. Once the Peacemaker is found, Evergreen looks to the future and eliminates all possible attackers who might get there talons on either of them." NightOwl pointed out.

Everyone looked at him with his or her eyes wide surprised.

"What?" NightOwl shrugged. "Am I not allowed to say one thing that isn't a pun?"

"Did anyone else hear that?" Waterfall asked everyone. "Or did I eat something rotten?"

"I guess you could say what I said was hard to digest huh?"

"There it is."

Toucan put Evergreen on his back and flew where he growled. They arrived at the end of the continent's 'wingtip' where a giant carving of a Mudwing head attached to a mountain. They hid in the trees and watched from afar.

A large Mudwing with crocodile colored scales pulling a cart the size of five or four full-grown dragons. A scared brown and green Mudwing walked beside it.

Toucan directed Evergreen's head to face the cart. He growled loudly. "They're in there." Toucan pointed to the cart.

"Alright." Waterfall said. "Andromeda and I follow Evergreen. We'll help him attack the captures and free Peacemaker and the others. You three provide air support in case they try to escape and/or possibly get reinforcements."

"But I want to go with my sugarplum!" Angel whined holding on to Evergreen.

"Your 'sugarplum' will be fine."

Before Angel could object, NightOwl jumped in between them. "Don't worry Angel, not one drop of plum juice will squirt out of him."

Angel slapped him across the face.

"Just go!" Waterfall sighed with her talon on her face.

As Toucan, NightOwl, and Angel flew away, Andromeda got something out of her satchel.

"What's that?" Waterfall asked her.

"A tiny crossbow." She said as she strapped it on her wrist. "After Peacemaker told us about the vision he had, I got inspired. I made a tiny version as we went back to Jade Mountain. I even made arrows." She opened the satchel to reveal a hundred dozen or so twigs with stone arrow tips.

"Cool."

Andromeda grabbed a cup that was also in her bag. She went away and came back a few minutes later with some water. She poured it on Evergreen, and he shot after the Mudwings as Waterfall and Andromeda followed ready for a showdown.

Chapter 16

IGNEOUS

Igneous arrived at The Shrine of the Moons where Landside sat looking at the empty pedestal with a blank expression. Once she heard Igneous land, she turned around gleaming. "Did you get the Dragon Eye?"

"I did. Now, how are we going to save Pyhrria?"

Landslide slowly walked towards him. "Well, first of all," she put her talon on Igneous's chest, "we get rid of the heavy weight." She grabbed the stone and pushed Igneous into the lake.

"What the heck, L-slide!" Igneous shouted when he resurfaced. "What was that for?"

"You've done what you needed to." Landslide hissed. "And don't call me 'L-slide!'"

"What is your problem?"

Landslide set the Dragon Eye on the pedestal. It glowed and the thing inside of it was revealed to be a real eye. The horns surrounded it slowly separated. It looked like some sort of claw opening.

Orange light glowed from the holes surrounding the pedestal. The lake started to drain getting shallower and shallower. Boiling water bubbled within the holes with the ominous orange glow. The pedestal opened up and the Dragon Eye went inside. A small earthquake started and a whining sound filled the air.

Igneous didn't know what was happening but he knew it was bad. Igneous pounced on Landslide. He pinned her to the ground next to one of the orange pools of boiling water. They could feel the heat coming from the stone floor.

"What did you do?" Igneous screamed.

"I just saved a whole other world!" Landslide answered. "Soon when the biggest moon aligns with this place, the Moonwings will go back to a better world and I will be Crater's right talon dragon! But for the rest of Pyhrria, you'll all be rotting in space while I stay alive and well!"

"You selfish brat!" Igneous never felt so betrayed. His girlfriend put power over him and literally the rest of the planet! If he wants to save the world, he must destroy the shrine somehow. The sun is setting, so he must destroy it now.

Igneous rushed over at the pedestal but Landslide grabbed his tail and bit the weak spot. Igneous screamed in agony and blew fire at her. Landslide dodged and pounced on Igneous. His left wing got caught in one of the orange pools as he fell. A shearing pain ran through his wing. He rolled out and the patagium burned off. He looked it at disbelief.

Slob landed behind him and grabbed ahold of Igneous. Slob was covered in serrated scratches for some reason. Igneous tried to get out, but Slob's grip was too strong. Landslide walked over to Igneous.

"No hard feelings." She said. "I'll remember you when I'm sitting on my throne." She kissed him on the snout in a taunting way. She turned to look at the shrine and smiled triumphantly as a stream of light made it's way to the biggest moon rising from the horizon ready to aim.

Slob carried Igneous back to the Mudwing Temple. Three dragons appeared after them. Igneous squinted at them. It was NightOwl and Angel with a large orange and gray Rainwing. NightOwl and Angel shot blasts of fire at Slob. Slob dodged it with a barrel roll. The spin almost made Igneous throw up. The Rainwing shot venom at Slob's face. Slob screamed and winced, dropping Igneous covering his eyes in pain.

The large Rainwing grabbed Igneous in mid air. NightOwl and Angel set the Mudwing ablaze and he fell to the ground on fire.

Suddenly, Slug ran into the Rainwing. Slug too was covered in scratches. Half of his face had red ice crystals lodged in it. Igneous knew one dragon in the world that could do that: Evergreen. The rest came to rescue him.

Slug grabbed ahold of the Rainwings neck and twisted it making a bone cracking sound echo through the sky. The Rainwing fell dead back down. Slug then swooped Igneous up and took him to the temple.

He went through one of the doorways to a long hallway with multiple hallways attached to it. Slug went through the fifth closest entryway on the left leading to a stairway.

He escorted Igneous down to a long row of dungeons. Slug opened one of the metal windowless doors and threw Igneous inside.

Chapter 17

PEACEMAKER

Peacemaker was alone in his cell. There was no openings at all accept two small iron bar windows at the opposite ends leading to the other rooms. Peacemaker laid on the ground weeping.

I'm going to die here! He worried. And no one would know where I am. I never even properly told Pyrite-

"Hi neighbor!" a familiar voice cried from the other cell.

Peacemaker's ears shot up and his eyes went wide. "Evergreen?"

"Peacemaker!"

Peacemaker looked through the window and saw his god-brother's goofy face. "How'd you get here?"

"The other me said you were in danger so we followed you here. We found Waterfall in case you were wondering."

"We need to get out of her. Did you try blasting the door open?"

"Yeah. Loyalty in the other room told me to do that." Evergreen pointed at a large body of venom-tipped ice attached to the door. "It didn't open. And I feel so water-hungry after using that much ice."

"For the last time!" Loyalty yelled from the other side of Evergreen's cell. "You're thirsty! 'Water-Hungry' isn't a word!"

"If it's not a word," Evergreen questioned, "then why was I able to say it?"

"You MORON!" Loyalty yelled. Peacemaker could see a flame appear in Loyalty's window. He must've been very angry.

"You use that word a lot. What does it mean?"

"AHHRRRGGGGHHH!"

"Evergreen," Peacemaker advised, "I think it's best to let him let off steam."

"Loyalty has steam coming out of him?"

Peacemaker sighed. "Listen, we need to brainstorm about this."

"What's a brainstorm?"

"We're thinking about how we could escape."

"Nile said that pigs would fly if I ever think and I don't want the pigs to be afraid of heights."

Peacemaker chuckled briefly. Evergreen always said the most absurd things. "Well Nile was just being rude to you… and the pigs I guess. You can think."

"Okay, I'll try." Evergreen sat down and put his talons on the sides of his head. He grunted as he turned to various colors.

"Don't hurt yourself!"

"Sorry, thinking is hard. If I had magic, this would have been a lot easier."

Peacemaker had a torch lit above his head. He had an idea. "Wait, say that again."

"That again."

"No, what you said earlier."

"What you said earlier." Evergreen tilted his head. "Is this how brainstorming works?"

"You said 'magic' earlier, right?"

Evergreen shrugged. "I say a lot of things."

"How about I use my magic to get us out of here?"

"You're a wizard, Peacemaker." Said another familiar voice from the other wall. Peacemaker turned to see NightOwl laughing at his own joke.

"I'm going to give you a pass on that one." Peacemaker said. "But just that one time."

Peacemaker put his talons on the cold metal door. But before Peacemaker could think of a spell, the door swung open and Peacemaker toppled down. A Sandwing covered with bandages and wore bronze snout piece and goggles stood over him holding a pair of golden keys.

"Yrmph wlmphm." he muffled. He went to the other cell doors and opened them. Everyone came out.

Angel swooped over to Evergreen and pounced on him as he walked out. "Don't ever leave my side EVER AGAIN!" she shouted.

"I was still by you," Evergreen pointed out, "it's just that a bunch of walls were in between." They both got up and Angel gave Evergreen a soft smile.

Someone tapped Peacemaker's shoulder. He turned to see Pyrite.

"Pyrite!" Peacemaker jumped. He gave her a hug and let go. "I-"

Pyrite smacked him upside the head. "It took you that long to figure out that you could use magic to get us out of here? You are literally thecutest idiot to walk the face of the planet!" Pyrite smiled.

"Sorry." Peacemaker chuckled. He looked over Pyrite's shoulder to see Igneous. Igneous's left wing had no patagium and he was covered in bruises and little cuts. Dried tearstains were underneath his eyes and on his cheeks.

"Igneous, what happened?" Peacemaker put his talon on his friend's shoulder but Igneous swatted it away.

"Don't taunt me with your 'sympathy' and 'love.' Can't you see we're doomed? Because of me, the world will explode when the beacon hits the biggest moon! Worst of all, the only one I could ever love manipulated me into doing so." Igneous drooped. He punched a metal door leaving a dent.

Before Peacemaker could say anything, he heard yelling. He turned around to see Waterfall yelling at the Sandwing that saved them.

"Let me guess," Waterfall snapped at the masked dragon, "you came to take me back so you can put me up for sale to repay that monster!"

The dragon took off his snout thing and the goggles. "I came to rescue you and your friends because I was sorry!" he yelled back, "I care about you! Why can't you see that? I only wanted to keep you safe. The dessert, especially that area, is extremely dangerous! I'm surprised you're still alive!"

"I've had enough of your excuses!"

"I freed you because I love you! If I didn't, I wouldn't have freed your out-of-order friends!"

Evergreen stood up unexpectedly. "I'm out of order? I'm not out of order. You're out of order! The whole freaking system is out of order! You want the truth? You want the truth? You can't handle the truth! 'Cause when you reach over and put your talon in a pile of goo, that was your best friend's face, you'll know what to do! Forget it man, IT'S DRAGON-TOWN!"

"None of that makes sense!"

"I know! Why are we yelling? I thought this was a Yell Party and I wanted to be invited because I like parties!"

"Evergreen…!" Waterfall growled.

A thump interrupted the argument. A Nightwing came in with a very brown Mudwing with cross-eyes pinned to the ground. "Pharaoh," the Nightwing said to the cloth covered Sandwing, "I found this guy. He was the only one in the temple."

"STUMP!" Igneous roared. He went to a weapons rack in the other side of the room against the wall. He grabbed a rod. He flicked it and a blade half the size of his tail folded out at both ends of it. He pointed the blade at Stump. The tip was only an inch from his eye. Stump flinched, almost shook the Nightwing off.

"How do we destroy the shrine?" Igneous growled at Stump.

Stump nervously laughed. "If you really think you could get anything out of me, you got another thing coming."

Igneous moved the blade even closer.

"OKAY! Okay. Destroy the Dragon Eye!"

"But how are we going to do that if it's inside the pedestal?"

"I DON'T KNOW I SWEAR!"

Igneous looked at the Nightwing and they both nodded. The Nightwing turned Stump over with his back pressed against the stone floor. The Nightwing held him down as he squirmed and pleaded for mercy.

Igneous stabbed Stump between the neck and chest and blood splattered on Igneous's face. The Nightwing gave the carcass a triumphant smile.

Everyone else looked at it in horror.

"That was gruesome." Pyrite peeped after a short moment of silence.

"Well," the Nightwing said letting go of the dead dragon, "it's all in the day's work. I'm Hopekiller in case you were wondering." Hopekiller's eyes darted to Andromeda. He then smiled and put his back spikes back. "Hey baby…"

"No." she said sternly.

"Okay, okay."

Daisy and Lilac quietly gossiped to each other about Hopekiller and Andromeda. And Andromeda probably heard them because she looked humiliated and annoyed.

"We need to hurry." Igneous ordered. "We have to stop Landslide if we want a world to live in!"

Chapter 18

WATERFALL

Waterfall, Pyrite, Loyalty, and Angel (also apparently Evergreen since Angel 'couldn't leave without him again') flew around the shrine. A bright yellow orange beam shot from the shrine's middle. The pools of water were bubbling ferociously.

Suddenly, Slug and Slob blocked the team's direction. Slob must've somehow stopped the Rainwing venom from spreading. It only got into his already missing eye because his eye-patch melted off. He and Slug both blew large flames. The team tilted to dodge it. Waterfall shot a stream of fire aiming at Slob. He ducked and ran into Waterfall in midair. Waterfall bit his arm causing him to let go. As Waterfall fell, her wings caught the air again and she stood afloat.

Loyalty flew under Slob as he turned back. Loyalty slashed his tail on Slob's underbelly. Even though Loyalty's stinger had no venom, Slob still screamed in agony. Blood trickled below him.

Waterfall dealt the final blow by swiftly ramming into Slob. Slob flew backwards but maintained his balance. He gabbed Waterfall by the neck and flew downward, pinning her to the coarse ground. Waterfall struggled all she could, but Slob's grip was too strong. He grabbed a sharp knife from a small holster strapped to his chest. He arched the blade, aiming it straight to Waterfall's forehead.

A blast of red and pale green ice knocked Slob off of Waterfall. Evergreen landed by Waterfall. "Sorry!" He yelled at Slob apologetically.

"You BETTER be!" Slob yelled back. He slowly got back up, growling. Shards of colored ice were in between his scales.

Waterfall and Evergreen looked up at Loyalty, Pyrite, and Angel fighting Slug. Slug showed no emotion fighting them. Every time the three of them struck a blow, Slug didn't flinch or anything. It was almost kind of creepy.

Waterfall and Evergreen flew up there to help, but Slob was close behind.

Waterfall spun back around and set Slob on fire. The hot flames scorched his scratches Evergreen's ice breath made. He crashed back to the dirt, burning and rotting dead.

Slug almost bit Angel's neck, but Evergreen rammed into Slug. Pyrite was on Slug's back and tried scratching and punching and biting him.

"Evergreen!" Pyrite yelled trying to hold on. "Make an ice spike or something!"

Evergreen did so and Pyrite grabbed it. She used it to stab Slug in the eye. Strangely, no blood came out.

Slug roared in a very un-dragon-like way. It was loud and whooping and ghost like.

Slug shook Pyrite off. She fell but was caught by Peacemaker who flew out of the greenery below.

As Slug escaped, a spear hit his side. Pharaoh pounced on him stabbed the spear through the end of Slug's snout making a hole. Slug took the spear and hit Pharaoh with the blunt end. As Pharaoh strayed away from him, Slug broke the spear in half and flew towards the shrine where Landslide stood.

Unfortunately, that's where the others were heading.

Chapter 19

IGNEOUS

Igneous, Andromeda, Pharaoh, Hopekiller, NightOwl, and the Flower Twins hid in the shrubbery surrounding the shrine.

Even though we outnumber her, Igneous thought for a second, she still has the upper talon. Landslide's skills double mine, and Slug is a merciless killer. If we had someone who is MAGIC, this would make it SO much EASIER! But apparently he must SAVE HIS ONLY LOVE BECAUSE HE'S A LOVESICK MORON! He thought loudly hoping Peacemaker could hear his mind with his new Nightwing powers.

"Okay," Igneous ordered the rest, "here's the plan. Daisy and Lilac, you two distract them and lure Slug to you. That's when you come in." He pointed at Andromeda and NightOwl. "Andromeda, you tackle Slug and hold him down for as long as you can while NightOwl uses his fire. Pharaoh, help Andromeda if needed. Hopekiller, you and me are going after Landslide."

"This means you owe me twice." Hopekiller smirked. He then turned to Andromeda. "And try not to distract me with your beauty."

Andromeda frowned and faked a gag.

"Okay," Igneous proceeded, "Lets go."

The Twins both camouflaged and went to the other side of the shrine. They then turned to various bright colors and made annoying noises. "YOOHOO!" they both screamed. "Over here!"

Slug turned to the Twins and growled. He darted over to them. Andromeda, NightOwl, and Pharaoh then snuck over and attacked Slug from the back as he turned around. Andromeda grabbed ahold of Slug's horns and covered his eyes as NightOwl blew his blue-tinted fire at him. Pharaoh circled Slug, preventing him from escaping.

It was Igneous and Hopekiller's turn. Hopekiller flew in front of Landslide and blocked her path as Igneous attacked from behind. Landslide spun around and blocked Igneous's attack with a blade attached to an arm brace. Hopekiller thrust a spear aiming at Landslide's back, but she pulled out a sword under her wing and sliced it in half. She then spun around and hit Igneous in the face with her tail.

She went after Hopekiller with full force. She swung the bladed brace at Hopekiller. Luckily, he dodged it in time. Hopekiller ripped Landslide's arm brace off and elbowed her side. He then held her shoulders, pulling her back.

"Now!" Hopekiller yelled at Igneous.

Igneous sprinted to the pedestal. He could barely see it through the fire. He stabbed the double sword into the notch the Dragon Eye was in, trying to break it open. The blade then snapped in half. They had to go with plan B; Blow it up.

Landslide went out of Hopekiller's grasp and rammed into Igneous. She then pointed her sword at him. "Give up?" she snarled.

"No." Igneous huffed as he got up. "Never."

"Oh, so unwise."

Landslide swung her sword at Igneous. Igneous blocked it. He then thrust it at her but she moved aside and slashed his back talon. He roared in agony and swung the sword in an upward motion.

Landslide used her fire breath at Igneous's stomach. As Igneous toppled over wincing and holding the burn, Landslide aimed at his head.

Igneous blew the biggest, most powerful burst of flame he can muster and knocked Landslide back. Half her face was scorched.

Landslide got up and charged at Igneous with her sword ready to strike again. She swung it at him and he moved aside. He quickly grabbed her arm causing her to drop her weapon. Igneous then tail slapped her. Landslide punched him back. But before she could deal another blow, Igneous grabbed the sword she dropped and cut her left talon off.

She screamed in pain.

Hopekiller placed the exploding iron balls Pharaoh stole from Blitzwing around the pedestal. He then lit them on fire. Igneous ran while the rest flew. He looked back at Landslide, who lied down trying to stop the bleeding.

Igneous thought of what could've been if Landslide never worked for the Moonwings, if she hadn't gone mad. But Igneous then realized something. The old Landslide died years ago and this new Landslide isn't Landslide at all. Only metaphorically of coarse.

The Twins picked him up and they flew far away back to The Mudwing Temple.

Chapter 20

PEACEMAKER

They all arrived at the Mudwing Temple. Peacemaker thought it looked more beautiful since he's not seeing it wrapped in chains. They sat at the edge of the 'mouth.'

They sat down to watch the 'light show' Hopekiller keeps calling it.

"Three…" Hopekiller counted down. He sat next to Andromeda looking at her with a flirtatious smile across his face only to get the stink eye by Andromeda as a response. "Two… One!"

A deafening boom sounded the air. A cloud of ash rose from the area the shrine was. The beam faded.

The team cheered. Congratulating each other.

Waterfall hugged Pharaoh. "I forgive you." She whispered. Pharaoh blushed and smiled awkwardly.

Peacemaker and Pyrite looked at each other. They seemed to be getting closer and closer like two magnets.

"Um," Peacemaker said, "how are we getting closer together uncontrollably?"

"I don't know." Pyrite answered. "But I like it."

They were getting closer and closer. Peacemaker's legs and arms were shaking.

Their little romantic moment was interrupted by a shriek. Peacemaker turned to see Evergreen pointing at the moons screaming. Peacemaker and the others looked up to see why Evergreen was freaking out. They all gasped in horror.

Half of the biggest moon blew up.

Epilogue

LANDSLIDE

Slug carried Landslide to a small island not far from the shore. As they landed, they looked at the explosion the Hybrids and their friends made. A fiery, towering inferno.

All those years of hard work. Landslide thought to herself as Slug bandaged her cut limb. After all the sacrifices I've made, the dragons I've hurt, and the dark things I had to do. And for what? I have failed. Alpha is going to kill me…

Slug abruptly stopped. His eyes blinked green three times. That must mean Landslide had a message.

When Landslide first agreed to work for the Moonwings, she had to sacrifice one member of her family. And of course, the quietest and youngest of the bunch was chosen. They completely remade him into a lifeless, soulless, drone. His skeleton replaced with smelted skyfire, his brain replaced by a weird fungus the Moonwing scientists created, and more muscle. The perfect soldier/servant.

The sand-a-gram sand poured out from Slug's mouth. The sand morphed into a very, very large Moonwing. Landslide must've really screwed up; Crater never calls unless it's serious.

"Ally 1147892." Lord Crater said.

"You're excellency." Landslide bowed down.
Crater observed her wounds. "It appears your scars are as big as my disappointment."

Landslide shivered. She knew from experience Crater kills who fails him. "My apologies." Her voice shook.

"Spare me your sorrow. You knew the consequences."

This is it, Landslide worried, I'm done for!

"However, luckily for you, I give you a little bit of sympathy."

Landslide was relieved. Her muscles tensed less. But she was curious why Lord Crater wouldn't punish her. "Why am I spared?"

"An unplanned numerator entered the equation. The only one who could stop me survived two of our attempts to eradicate him."

"The Nightwing?"

"Indeed. However, we have an extra talon. Rendezvous to Blitzwing's base of operations where we will discuss this." Crater's image looked up to the night sky. "Although you have failed, there is always other ways to find home."

Landslide looked up. Her failure has cost more than she thought. Half of the Moonwing's old home was destroyed. But no matter, there are other options.

The sand went back into Slug's mouth. He and Landslide took off to the dessert.

THE END

Special thanks to:

Janet M.

Porter B.

Lance L. II

Kaily K.

Monica (Brianna) M.

Gavin J.

Samantha J.

Ally D.

Executive Producer

Steven Spielberg