The theme for this chapter is Ready, Aim, Fire, by Imagine Dragons.

I'd also really reccomend going back to Magmar's and Ember's songs.
Judgement Day Theme: Terminator two -for Mamgar
For Those Who Wait, by Fireflight -for Ember

Cynder felt sore all over. She realised dimly that she was being carried and struggled to raise her head. A fire dragon had lifted her on his back and was taking her somewhere. She was confused, and there was only one thing her mind wanted to focus on.

"Spyro…"

He was gone, Malefor had taken him.

She had to get him back.

Cynder tried to get up, but she was weakened after her fear attack. Her entire body was heavy and sore. All she remembered was anger and more magic then she had even known she possessed.

"What… happened?"

The fire dragon kept moving, but he looked back at her.

"You've used up a great deal of mana, you're seriously weakened. That attack you used was extraordinary, all of the orcs are fighting each other now, the whole army is destroying itself."

"The… siege… Where are you taking me?"

"The orcs are finished. Magmar had you retrieved from the battlefield. I'm taking you to the main meeting chamber now."

"What… what about Spyro?"

"The purple dragons have both disappeared. We haven't seen either of them."

"I have to find him…"

The fire dragon carried Cynder into the meeting chamber. She looked around at the familiar faces. Raze looked concerned for her and so did Flame. She struggled off the fire dragon's back and tried to get up, but fell. Suddenly Spark was beside her, he helped her get to her feet. He was small, but quite strong for his size.

Feyer and Ember were also in the room; Cynder looked around at all of them, feeling numb.

"He's… gone…"

"The Warfang dragons are here!" Spark looked excited. "I wanted to watch them, Imperia has got to be the one summoning the storm, she promised to show us that in one of her lessons."

The doors opened and Magmar walked into the room. The other fire dragon who had brought Cynder to the chamber hurried out, closing the door behind him.

"No doubt you're wondering why I called you here."

"Spyro's gone!" Cynder leant on Spark as she staggered to her feet. They were wasting time here.

Ember looked over in surprise, for a moment she looked stunned, then she hurried forwards, forgetting her fear of Cynder.

"Gone? What do you mean? How can he be gone? Cynder, what happened?"

"Malefor took him!"

Magmar's eyes glowed red. "I know. Now the Warfang dragons are here, an-"

"We… we need to search!" Cynder looked around; Ember was the only other one who seemed to get it. Malefor had Spyro, the dragon she loved was in danger, and they had to help him. "I have to talk to Volteer, he would have ideas about where Malefor would go. We need to get a message to him."

"He's already here." Magmar was looking annoyed as Cynder kept on ignoring him. "He came with the Warfang army."

"Right. I need… I need to talk to him…"

Spark nodded. "We have to get Spyro back again."

Ember looked around. "I can go right now and find Volteer."

"No." Magmar stalked around the room. "You aren't leaving, none of you. Cynder, don't ignore me."

Cynder turned away and began to slowly make her way to the door, leaning on Spark for support.

There was a soft growl from behind her, but she didn't turn.

Feyer spoke, he sounded nervous.

"What the heck is going on? Lord Magmar, wha-"

His voice was cut off suddenly.

"Feyer! Stop, what are you doing?" Raze shouted.

There was a sickening, wet crack.

Cynder turned, and a terrible feeling of hopelessness spread through her.

Magmar's glowing eyes were locked on Cynder, Feyer's body hung limp in his paws.

Magmar twisted his paws again; there was a second horrible crack, almost like a rotten branch being snapped. Feyer gurgled, a mixture of shock, confusion and fear in his eyes.

Magmar dropped him carelessly; the large orange dragon's head was resting on an unnatural angle.

"Is everyone paying attention now?"

There was only stunned silence.

Feyer hadn't made a very good impression on Cynder; he was arrogant but not very competent. He had lost to Cynder in the colosseum, and while he hadn't ever crossed the line to being a genuine bully he had certainly behaved like a jerk. And now he was wounded, probably dead, and nobody was able to react.

Magmar stalked forward, and then lunged with terrifying speed, Ember screamed. Magmar smacked Spark aside and the little red dragon hit a pillar with a heavy thud. Magmar's paw fastened around Cynder's throat and he slammed her against the stone wall, his burning red eyes locked on her pale green ones.

"I've been looking forward to this. Very much." His grip was too tight; he was choking the life out of her.

Cynder struggled and thrashed, but she was weakened from the battle and she had no hope of escape. Her vision was already getting blurry and the pain in her neck was growing sharper with each second.

She tried to control the wind, it brushed gently at her, but when she swept blades of it at Magmar they folded around him. She'd used up too much mana; her elemental attacks weren't going to save her.

"You die now. And the deaths of my people and my mate will be avenged. Your friends and the guardians will die next. Malefor come later, and Spyro soon after him. Then, finally, I can have peace."

Cynder swatted at Magmar's paw, but she already knew that she'd lost. Her strength was gone and her vision was fading.

Magmar watched her with triumphant eyes, he was so focused on her that he didn't see the fireball until it exploded on his left eye.

Magmar howled in pain, he hadn't closed his eye and the hit had been direct and painful. His grip on Cynder loosened. There was a sound of an impact, Magmar was driven back, and suddenly Cynder was falling.

She hit the ground with a thud, gasping in air.

"Nobody hurts Cynder."

Cynder looked up. Standing above her, facing down the monster, was Ember.

Ember was risking her life for Cynder. Ember, the pink dragoness who Cynder had been fighting against for as long as they had known each other, was trying to save her. Cynder was totally shocked.

Ember glanced back at her for a moment, but had to keep watching Magmar in case he charged at her.

"Flame! Get Cynder away from here!"

Cynder managed to choke out a few words.

"No, Ember… what are you doing? He'll… he's too strong."

"She's right, little girl. You have no chance against me."

"I don't care. I'm still not letting you hurt Cynder."

Cynder had to stop her. Ember's confidence and determination had always been extraordinary, but they were going to get her killed.

"Ember… no…"

Paws grabbed her and she was dragged away from Ember and Magmar. She tried to crawl back towards the pink dragoness but Flame was stronger.

Magmar growled and lashed his tail at Ember, but the pink dragoness leapt back and aimed three fireballs at him. Magmar was forced back slightly by each impact, but he darted forwards and hit Ember, knocking her off her feet.

"I'm not playing around, Ember. I will kill you." He frowned and stopped his attack, looking down at Feyer. "He's still alive, how pathetic. I should have done a better job." He raised his paw, and then he was seized from behind.

Magmar coiled around, snarling savagely. Raze waited a moment for the best chance to attack his face. Magmar jerked aside with astonishing speed, evading the blow before smashing Raze with a head-butt and sending him staggering back.

"You're outnumbered." Raze shook his head to clear it before taking a fighting stance.

"Not for long." Magmar advanced towards him.

A fireball exploded on his side, he turned with a roar, and another one caught his face dead on.

"You!" He went straight for Ember but Raze was onto him immediately.

The two fire dragons fought for a few savage seconds. Cynder staggered to her feet, with one glare she convinced Flame to let her go, she began to struggle towards them.

Raze had never stood a chance, Magmar had control of the fight in an instant. Magmar latched onto him with a hiss of anger. A fireball exploded on his wings but Magmar ignored it. Raze's eyes met Cynder right as Magmar clamped his jaws on the Warfang dragon's head. Raze had time for one brief look of panic, then Magmar bit down on him with a crunch. He hadn't even gotten a chance to use magic.

"No…"

Cynder had never really thought about Raze much, it was mostly due to luck that she even remembered his name. But he had apologised to her for how he'd treated her in the past, and she remembered that.

His body fell limp to the ground as Magmar dropped him.

Cynder stumbled forwards as Magmar spat out blood and flesh. She tried to prowl, but she had no grace. Her magic was practically useless, she had nothing.

"Why… why are you doing this?"

Magmar looked around at her, and for a moment she caught a flash of pain in his eyes.

"All I've ever wanted is to be left alone, no enemies, no threats, no deals, no truces. But I never got that chance."

Magmar stalked towards her, the brief emotion she had seen was hidden by anger and triumph.

"But you started this."

"I didn't, but I am going to finish it! The world doesn't leave me alone, it never has."

"Finish it? Kill Spyro, kill Malefor? You don't stand a chance against him."

"I didn't stand a chance against you either. We both know it, don't we? But now you've fallen. You're so weak you can barely stand. You think that you're gods, but you bleed like anyone else. It's just a matter of catching you when you're weakened."

Magmar exploded forwards, fire all around him. Cynder didn't even get to flinch before his paw smashed into her head, she fell to the floor.

Cynder's tail whipped up, but didn't cut his scales. Magmar grabbed her and smashed her head into the ground for that, not giving her a single moment to recover he stomped on her breast, Cynder screamed as her ribs strained.

Her tail whipped up again and Magmar roared as she caught him just above the eye. A trickle of blood ran like a tear down his muzzle.

"This is how you die, and after you this will be how Malefor dies. Weak, afraid, alone."

"She's not alone!"

Magmar was knocked off his feet as Ember struck him in the side with a comet dash. She started to hit him in the head again and again, shouting as she did.

"I! Won't! Let! You! Hurt! Cynder!"

Cynder tried to scream a warning, but was only able to manage a croak. As Ember struck Magmar surged upwards and hit her back.

"I'm sick of this!"

"And I'm sick of you!" A new voice cut through the fight. Magmar turned in fury, and then he almost started laughing. The dragon who had distracted him from Ember was none other than Spark.

"And I won't let you hurt Ember or Cynder!"

"Spark no!" Ember and Cynder screamed at exactly the same time. Spark looked at them with a raised eyebrow, and then he charged.

Somehow, incredibly, Spark rolled under Magmar's fire attack and hit him with a comet dash straight in the belly. Magmar tried to grab him, but Spark outmanoeuvred him. Ember spat fireballs. Between them the pink dragoness and the small red dragon were somehow holding their own against the raging monster.

Magmar grunted as Spark repeated his comet dash attack to the same part of Magmar's underbody, but he had been waiting for a chance, he grabbed Spark and threw him at a pillar.

"You two are strong for your respective ages. In a century you two could be remarkable dragons!"

Spark managed to get to his feet, looking up at Magmar with a savage grin. "I learned from the best teachers in Warfang."

"That's a shame for them."

Magmar's body coiled around.

His tail came down.

Spark died.

The little dragon never stood a chance; he was completely destroyed by the crushing blow. He didn't even have time to scream.

Magmar growled, shaking blood off his tail

Ember screamed, tears running freely down her face.

Cynder felt her eyes fill with tears of her own. She couldn't bear to look at what remained where Spark had stood, it was too horrible.

Ember looked at Magmar. "He was like my brother!"

"You can all die together."

Magmar moved faster than he ever had before, finally revealing his true speed. Cynder was weakened and knew instantly that she wouldn't be able to react in time, but Ember did. She drove her shoulder against Magmar, knocking him off balance, and then Magmar's claws dug into Ember's neck and he tore a massive piece out of her throat.

Bright red blood flew, Cynder stared at it. Ember stared at it too, then her eyes found Cynder's and she tried to speak.

More blood ran in streams over her pink scales, Ember seemed to realise that she had no hope of speaking, so she instead gave Cynder a slight, painful, smile.

Ember fell in a slowly growing pool of her own blood. She was choking, dying.

Magmar dismissed the pink dragoness from his mind, stepping over her as he moved towards Cynder.

Flame was the only one left with her. The fire dragon stepped in front of her protectively, but she gently brushed him aside.

Cynder looked at Magmar silently, with a hate that was as cold as ice, and as she looked his legs gave out under him and he too fell.

"What is happening to me?" Magmar grimaced in pain, trying to get back to his feet.

"Poison. When I cut your eye I poisoned you." Cynder spoke quietly. "Vengeance doesn't make you feel better, Ember taught me that. But you can consider this vengeance anyway…"

"Impossible!" Magmar made a massive effort and managed to rise again, he stood for a long moment, and took one more step towards Cynder before falling again. "No. This isn't right… It can't be…"

"It's fatal, you have no chance of survival."

"No. This isn't how I was meant to die. It's… it's not my destiny."

"I don't care about destiny!"

"There is no honour in this death!"

"And there is no honour in you! Just die! Stop talking and die, die, die!"

Cynder screamed at him, desperate and panicked. The poison was fatal, but Magmar was still coming. The fire dragon was slowly making his way towards her, jaws clenched in pain.

He wasn't dying, why wasn't he dying? Cynder found herself backing away as he crawled slowly towards her as if he'd never stop.

She edged away from him, Magmar's burning eyes followed her, but he couldn't turn. Cynder stepped back, away from the terrifying form of the fire king. His breathing was ragged, slowing, weakening.

Cynder was crying now, and she couldn't stop herself. What was left for her?

Magmar breathed in, but did not breathe out again. His eyes glowed brightly, and then he gave a kind of sigh. Then there was only silence.

Ember coughed.

Somehow she still wasn't dead. Her wound was surely lethal, but she was hanging on to life anyway.

Cynder forgot everything else and ran over to the pink dragoness.

"She's… she's still alive!" Cynder looked around frantically. "There must be healers! I… I need to get her to someone!" Cynder wrapped her wing around Ember's throat, trying to hold the blood inside of her. Ember's eyes flickered slightly, her heartbeat was very weak. "No Ember! You can't die! You have to hang on! Please!" Her tears dripped on Ember's pink snout.

Suddenly Cynder remembered Magmar saying that Feyer hadn't been dead either, she looked around at Flame.

"Help Feyer! He… he may not be dead! We have to help them!"

The red dragon looked sick and his eyes were dull, he was clearly in shock over what had happened, but when he heard Cynder's words his eyes refocused and he stirred.

"The healers are on the north corridors!" Flame hurried to Feyer. "His heart is still beating." He looked around, almost whimpering his next words. "But we can't leave the others here."

"We have to; we can't think about that, we need to get help for Feyer and Ember!" Cynder used all of her strength to drag Ember to the door. She pawed at it weakly, Flame opened it for her and the two of them started to struggle down the corridor.

Asha rounded the corner and her eyes widened in shock.

"What happened?" She ran towards them. Cynder managed to snarl at her, but she knew that if Asha tried to finish what Magmar had started then she wouldn't be able to stop the fire dragoness.

"Your brother… betrayed Warfang… tried to kill us."

Asha was rendered totally motionless by this revelation, but it was not in shock. Cynder knew instinctively that Asha had feared this would happen. Her eyes glowed like her brother's had as she looked over them, her attention fixed in particular on Ember.

"I take it that my brother is dead, then."

"Yes." Cynder tried to speak threateningly, but she couldn't make the words seem like they meant anything. Ember was dying, and Cynder could do nothing to save her.

Asha swore softly. "We have no time."

"They are dying!" Flame yelled angrily.

Asha shouted down the corridor and several fire dragons came towards them.

"Get these four to the hospital rooms! Right now! I have to go and make this right if I still can; the Warfang dragons need to be told what's happened here!"

Cynder was taken away, and everything was making her feel dizzy and she wanted to faint. She was dragged off Ember, she tried to fight but she wasn't strong enough. She watched as Ember's eyes slowly went dull and her horrible, terrible wound began to bleed more and more.

Two fire dragons carried Ember, speaking urgently to each other.

"This needs to be cauterised."

"She'll die if we do that. She can't survive a wound like this!"

"She'll bleed to death if we don't! This is all we can do."

A red dragon conjured blades of fire on his claws and began to burn Ember's wound.

Cynder was babbling to herself and to Ember, begging the pink dragoness to hold on and crying as if she could never stop. Everything was going wrong; she just wanted it all to stop so that she could try to sort out this mess that her life had become.

Cynder found herself lying on a bed, she didn't know what had happened, if she had fainted or not. A fire dragoness was watching her. She struggled to get up.

"I have to get to Spyro. Malefor has him. I need to see Volteer."

"Lady Cynder, you're suffering post-traumatic shock. Please lie down."

Cynder shook her head, there was something important. Something awful had happened. Her thoughts were all fuzzy. She looked around, there was a small vase of flowers at the end of her bed. Seeing the flowers cut though Cynder's daze as she realised what it was that had happened.

"Magmar! He… he tried to kill me. She saved my life, I have to…"

"You should rest lady Cynder. Everything else can wait."

"Where are they? Where is Raze? Spark? Ember, where is Ember?"

"The Warfang dragons are at the gates, Lady Asha is trying to ensure that there will be no violence. The dragons from the school are searching Shattershelf for the guardian dragoness, Flare, right now. Magmar, king of Shattershelf, has been confirmed dead, slain by poison; Lady Asha has taken temporary control of the city and its defences."

"Don't! Don't change the subject!" Cynder tried to get up again. "What happened to the others?"

"Please sit down."

"Tell me!"

"Very well. We identified the corpse of the Warfang dragon Raze, and as far as we know the other dead dragon is Spark. The orange dragon, Feyer, died a few minutes ago, his neck had been broken in multiple places and he was beyond our help."

"And… Ember?"

"I'm sorry Cynder… She's hanging on to life for now, but I fear that she will not recover."

Don't hate me. I'm just the messenger.

-4Dragons