Dragonets of Hope

When the World had Realized its True Power.

When you have Forgiven yourselves.

When the Time has Come to Save yourselves and the World.

When the Day of Rising and Hope have Arrived.

. . . Only then Will you wield the True Power.

. . . Of Wings of Fire.

The night skies once again plagued the earth, engulfing the world in darkness. No wind, no rain, no weather appeared in any form. The desert was dead quiet, the sand had paused, as if time itself had frozen. Stars and clouds were scattered across the sky, but they seemed to be motionless. Far up in the sky however, not everything was as it should be. There were three large fireballs that looked to be stars, or planets that could be seen at this time of the decade. At least, that is what most would think . . . that is what most would pray for them to be.

Far down below, in the middle of the desert, a place where no one would ever find, were items. They were laid out in a large circle. There were trinkets, jewels, random objects of sorts, something regular Scavengers and dragons would use. In the middle of the circle stood a dragon in a black cloak, arms stretched out, head raised to the sky. The figure was worshiping the three fireballs as if they were gods themselves. Salvation and redemption was taking place right before them, and the first to welcome them was the figure.

Behind the cloaked dragon, entering from a few feet away, seeming to emerge from the shadows themselves, were Turtle, Anemone, Jerboa, and Stonemover. They walked with glares on their faces, not taking their eyes off the figure in front of them. When they were standing only five steps away from the circle, they stopped. Turtle slowly looked up to see the three fireballs hurtling towards Pyrrhia . . . the three moons.

The cloaked dragon turned, facing the four dragonets, its burning red eyes piercing into their souls.

" . . . Doth thou now seest the world I hast desired to create since the beginning of time?" Said the Lord of Flies. "Art thou aware of what my intentions truly were when I was banished? Now thy understandeth thy purposes. Now thy realize why thy live. Why thy hatched. What all this means. Thou were spoken of a destiny . . . thou were hatched for a greater purpose . . . thy lives hast a much greater meaning than thou could ever imagine. . . . This is the night of the birth of thy new world. The bringer of new light. Thy light. My light. Thy hope. My hope. Thy understandeth. Thy realize the true purpose of this broken, dying world."

" . . . It never was dying," Turtle said. " . . . The world was only trying to rebuild. Only you were standing in our way of life."

"I seest thou hast not accepted the offer I hast given thee. Thou shalt see meaning in all this very soon."

"What meaning of hope is in any of this?" Anemone said. "You're only destroying the world so you can make it into something we all hate. Something only you ever wanted."

"Thou hast not learneth either. Perhaps thou shalt realize thy purpose when the moons fall."

"They won't," Stonemover said, "not as long as we have the gifts that have brought us here to defeat you."

"The gift I hast given to thou. Thy gift which hast been passed down from generation to generation. Ages to ages. Decades to decades. Centuries to centuries. All finally lead up to this night. I hast given my power to thee since the beginning of thy resurgence. I canst take it away if I desire. I shall not. Thy power must be used to remake the world into my vision. My image. Broken down, built up again. As thou hast continued to do forever. At the dawn of every age, thou hast an idea of thy own world. Thy own rules. Thy own kingdom standing high. Thou shalt not be here if I hast not been here."

"You may have been the one to present the very idea of the Scorching," said Jerboa, "and you may have given us our ultimate weapon, but even we as dragons can live peacefully with the Scavengers, and we can live without your tolerance."

"Tolerance hast been thy strongest ability in thy life, Jerboa, as thou hast lived with it thy entire life. Thou hast no need to hide thy true identity anymore. I canst already see the lies thy endure."

Turtle, Anemone, and Stonemover were confused by this. When they looked back at their ally, they gasped. Jerboa looked at them with concern, then realized the reason behind their expressions. Her hand - it was bone. The other one had lost all claws except for the thumb; her chest was ripped open, revealing her entire rib cage; her wings were filled with holes; both her legs were nothing but muscle and bone; her tail barb was broken in half; her face . . . was half bone, half scale and muscle, and both her eyes were gone.

"Thou wisheth to let thy gift turn thee into what she hast become?" Said the Lord of Flies.

" . . . No," said Turtle. "You did this to her."

"My interference hast nothing to do with what she hast become now."

"Jerboa," said Anemone, " . . . what did you do to yourself?"

The broken SandWing stared at her allies. "No . . . no, I didn't do this. My mother. She put a curse on me. She was the one that did this."

"Constant lies. Constant betrayal. Blood hast shed from thy wounds of thy own parent. The family sins thrive inside the corpse thou seest before thee."

"No, this can't be true," Anemone said.

"You lie again," Turtle growled. "I will not believe the words that come out of your mouth."

"What truth must be presented, even after what she hast done to thee and thy friends? Thou try to save a world beyond this continent, yet she is the one who hast spread the lie that a world beyond is false. She hast let them suffer."

"No, she couldn't have."

"Turtle, you know she tried to kill your friends," Stonemover said. "Even you as well."

"Thou now begin to seest a truth. Thy allies are thy enemy, and thou must destroy them. Watch them suffer as thou hast suffered for the actions thy enemy hast committed."

"No!" Anemone screamed.

"Give in. Thou knoweth thy not want to resist."

"We came here to destroy you," Turtle shouted. "We have lived under your lies for far too long, Lord of Flies. Now we will show you a truth you refused to let come to light."

"No, Turtle," Jerboa said. "The Lord of Flies is right. Why am I here? Why should I live anymore? What purpose is there to fight? We know we couldn't beat it from the start, why even try?"

"Don't say that."

"It is true."

"No, it's not."

"The truth is thy to know, and now . . . thou shalt be given the truth!"

The Lord of Flies lifted its arms into the air, and a strong gust of wind caused the dragonets to fall backwards. Sand flew around them, and the three moons began to enter the atmosphere. The skies started to burn, the lands began to fall, and all hope was beginning to die.

"The truth is here! The truth is being born! Witness its great power!"

The moons started to fall faster, and before they knew it, the moons were almost as large as the kingdoms themselves. The dragonets looked up to see the end of the world taking place before their eyes, and they all felt helpless against their enemy. The trinkets around the Lord of Flies began to shake. They suddenly lifted off the ground, spinning rapidly in a circle, creating a force of energy that was a combination of fire, and lava. The dragonets were then overwhelmed by the screams of a thousand souls being tortured, suffering constantly, perdition as fate, even death brought no escape from their eternal pain.

"I hast given thee a gift which hast given thee life. A purpose, a destiny. Why give it all away? I hast brought thee here to watch I shift the world into the shape it hast always meant to be. If thou refuseth to comply with my offering, then I canst give thee greater gifts than the one thy worship. Gifts canst maketh thou the greatest species ever known to the entire universe. Thy hopes, thy dreams, all thy fantasies come to life. Doth not be similar to what she hast become. Doth not sacrifice thyself for thy greater good. Instead, giveth to thy own will, thy own power, use it for thy own . . . because it is what thou hast always desired." It lifted its arm towards them. "Take thy power. Become greater. Become perfect. Become . . . a god. Thou hast always dreameth of thy gift. Thou shalt receiveth. . . . Take my hand. Salvation is thy to possess."

The dragonets stood their ground, staring at their enemy before them, the creature that crawled from the depths of the Underworld to morph the world into its own. They were face to face with the most wicked thing to ever exist. But its speech . . . was somewhat extremely persuasive. All four of the dragonets had been ignored, looked down on, and forgotten by everyone on the continent of Pyrrhia.

Turtle had somewhat put himself in that position because he did not want to be used as a weapon. He was his own dragon, his own self, not something that could be used and thrown away. But it presented him to be seen as weak, small, nothing. His brothers, his father, his sisters, even his own mother despised him. Behind their smiles, behind their kindness, they never accepted him as their child, their sibling, their son. With all that power of salvation however, he could finally have the thing he always craved for: A loving family.

Anemone was never received the love of her family. She was nothing but a weapon to them. A weapon of destruction, domination, used for the structure of a powerful domain. She never had a say in it. She never expressed her opinions, and was never given freedom. For as long as she could remember, Anemone had that cursed leash around her neck since her hatching, forced to act like an animal Scavengers use to hunt. She was considered a "precious" thing to her mother, but if she dare go against her, or defy her in any way, or even mention a challenge for the throne, her mother would kill her in an instant. Anemone was living under the will of a psychopath, and she had to live with it for half of her life. With the power to enchant whatever she wanted though, she could finally receive the respect she always deserved. She didn't need another gift, she already had what she rightfully deserved. All Anemone needed to do was to say the word, and everything would be perfect.

Stonemover was in collusion with Morrowseer to make sure the Dragonets of Destiny would indefinitely choose Blister as the next SandWing Queen before the Dragonets could even fly. When his wife, Thorn of the Outclaws found out, she forgot about him. Banished him from her domain, which in turn Stonemover exiled himself to the deepest caves of Jade Mountain. There he enchanted his claws and talons to turn to stone, forcing him to stay in one place for the rest of his life, never forgiving himself of the things he had done to hurt his only friend. With the power of redemption, he could make Thorn forgive him, love him again. They would be together, until their deaths.

Jerboa was hurt the most out of all four of them. Her mother used her Animus Magic to create her, morph her into the dragon she has become now. Years of mistakes, tests, then the final result: A zombie. A husk of what was once a dragon, made out of nothing. That is what she was, that is what she hid from the world, disguising herself as a SandWing. Underneath the enchantment, Jerboa was nothing but a living disgrace. Except, if she had the power of not Animus Magic, but of perfection, she could be whatever she wanted to be. She wouldn't be a corpse, she wouldn't be an experiment, she wouldn't be the flaw of life. Instead, she would be a true SandWing, with real blood, bones, everything a dragon was. Not this creature made out of complete emptiness.

The greatest power anyone could ever ask for was being offered to them right now, right at this very moment. But looking at what they had become now, seeing what everyone saw them as, seeing what their true friends saw them to be . . . what meaning was there if they had that power? What would they do with it? What would it cost to have it? Their lives? The love, hope, and faith they had left inside? . . . Or their soul?

The dragonets looked at the Lord of Flies, then at the end of the world raining down upon them. The sky had almost become day. Flames scorched the earth, reaching throughout all continents known and unknown. Everything they could ever ask for was right in front of them . . . yet, what would they do if everyone they knew and loved died so they could have whatever they wanted? What world would there be left for dragonets of all Wings?

Turtle shut his eyes tight, thinking of the possibilities he could do with all that power . . . and his friends. He lifted his head, and said with a loud voice: " . . . Gifts, affection, perfection, that is what you have given us in the first place, and have been since the very beginning. That is something we all have wanted, something we all prayed for, what we begged for. Everything we had been through. The worst times we have lived through, the horrid things we had done to each other, and ourselves, it was something we did to get whatever we wanted. But to make an entire generation shed blood only for something we craved for, that never was the right thing to do. Lord of Flies, do you really think we would give up the gifts we already had from the day we hatched and replace them with worse offerings?"

"We are not tools," said Anemone, "we are not weapons, and we are not objects used to other dragon's liking. We are our own dragon. We have our own freedom. We will not give it up for spoils."

"I gave up everything because of my shame," said Stonemover. "I have been a coward, a fool. I ran from guilt, I ran from battle to hide myself in my mountain of sorrows. Not anymore. After we kill you, I will return to my friends. I will apologize for what I have done. I will rise up from my regrets, and move on to be the powerful and strong dragon I once was."

" . . . I look at myself and see a monster," said Jerboa. "Everyday I wake up reminding myself that I was made to be a mistake. My mother always told me I was nothing, made from nothing, destined to be nothing. I see the monster I have become with my power. . . . Now I realize I am more than that, more than what I thought I was - I just never took the time to notice it before. Even after everything I have done to hurt others, after all I have lived through, and after all I was created to be by my mother's magic, I know that I can become the dragon I was always meant to be. I have my own magic."

"Thy motivation is useless. There is nothing thou canst do to stop what is coming. A new world is on the horizon . . . my horizon . . . my light."

"There is nothing you can offer us to change our minds, Lord of Flies," Turtle said, straining his claws. "This world never belonged to you, and we will not let you take it from us. We will use your own power against you, but ours has something you will never take away. We have the power of Wings of Fire, and we will use it to save everyone. They look to us, see hope come when we come. That is what we are. The Dragonets of Hope!"

Good and evil stared each other down as the end of the world drew near. The Lord of Flies hissed, smoke emanating from its mouth. Fire blazed above its head, the moons beginning to touch the earth. The Lord of Flies lifted its arms above its head. The trinkets were every last one of the Animus touched objects from around the continent, gathered here to bring the three moons down.

The four Dragonets growled, then took flight, charging. The Lord of Flies did not change its emotion. When the Dragonets came into impact with the spinning objects, they screamed in pain. The flames burned their scales, throwing them to the sand. The cloaked dragon stood motionless as a statue, and the four stood back up. They looked at the sky - not much time left to save everyone.

With a brave face, Turtle was the first to attack. He ran, letting out a roar, lashing his claw as hard as he could. The flames faltered, but did not separate. The SeaWing's claws burned from the strike, yet Turtle continued to thrash. He was soon joined by his sister, who tried to use her Animus Magic to stop the spin. Stonemover flew around the Lord of Flies, breathing fire, increasing the heat of his flames with his magic. Jerboa stood in place, waving her arms in the air, forcing the sand around her to levitate, thrusting it at the Lord of Flies. The sand stung and burned against the shield, making sparks, but not breaking it. Instead, the strike backfired. The sand hit Jerboa right in her eyes - the pain was worse than anything she felt before.

Soon all of the Dragonets succumbed to defeat when the flames in the shield burned their scales, causing them to back off. The cloaked dragon then put its arms out to the sides, and the objects became lava itself. They spun faster than anything the Dragonets had seen or experienced before, and the trinkets, random items used for daily routines became a new form of Animus Magic. The flames started to glow white, burning the sand. The three moons suddenly seemed to fall faster, and the Lord of Flies let out a roar so loud, and so horrifying, all their hopes felt as if it had faded.

The cloaked dragon took flight, hurtling itself towards its enemies, bringing the white ring of fire with it. The Lord of Flies went for Turtle first, throwing the white flame at his face, burning a few of his scales off and causing him to scream in pain. It then lashed a claw, which also burned. Anemone used her magic to shove the cloaked dragon to the side, but it stayed on its talons. She helped her brother up, and they both used their magic to attempt to crush the Lord of Flies' bones. It growled in pain, but then it threw a plume of white fire at them. The flame exploded when it got close, and the two siblings yelped in agony, falling backwards.

Stonemover flapped his wings hard, throwing himself into the air, growling angrily. He managed to land on the cloaked dragon's back, thrashing as hard as he could. The Lord of Flies looked as if it was not feeling anything at all. It grabbed the NightWing by the shoulder blade, digging its claws into his scales. The Lord of Flies effortlessly threw him to the ground, using the white fire to attack. The flames burned his body as it spun rapidly. Stonemover tried to concentrate, trying to fight back using his magic, but the pain was far too great for him to endure.

Jerboa was able to use her Animus Magic to enchant the sand once more to levitate and hurtle it at the Lord of Flies. The sand hit its face, causing the cloaked dragon to growl. It redirected the flames, away from Stonemover. The Lord of Flies levitated the flames in front of it, deflecting the sand. Jerboa fought through the pain that coursed throughout her body, and snarled, trying to break through the fire. The cloaked dragon's eyes seemed to glow brighter, which it then slowly lifted its arm, and threw a large amount of the white fire at the SandWing. Jerboa shrieked in utter agony as she fell to the sand, attempting to douse the flames across her body.

The Lord of Flies started to chant. The white fire started to break into pieces, diving into the sand. Turtle and Anemone helped their friends to stand back up, and turned to face their enemy. They built up Animus Magic together. The Lord of Flies turned, its eyes burning into theirs. By now, the flame circle had completely disintegrated into the ground. The Lord of Flies let out a roar, raising its arm up. The white fire shot upwards, straight into the three moons. The attack took the Dragonets by surprise.

The flames around the three moons exploded, shaking the air. All of a sudden, before anyone could see it coming . . . the moons fought back. Meteors and asteroids plummeted down to the earth, destroying the landscape with ease, scorching everything in sight. The ground shook violently, and the Dragonets were barely able to keep their stance. Beams of fire then came, turning the beautiful and colorful earth into charred darkness of what it once was. The heat burned, sending off clouds of smoke. All the while, the Lord of Flies laughed maniacally, and its cackle was the most wicked thing the Dragonets had ever heard over the sounds of their own screams of agony.

The pain Jerboa was experiencing was something she never thought could be real. Stonemover felt helpless, and it hurt to even breathe. Anemone felt her power drain from her body, killing her slowly. Turtle felt the heat and true evil rain down on him as he lay defenseless, motionless, fragile. He could barely open his eyes, only to see destruction taking place before him. He already heard his friends, his family, everyone he ever loved and cared about, dying, screaming. The end had come. Everything and everyone he loved, the dragons who guided him, the dragons who helped him on his journey through life, they were all gone. All of it. Gone. Nothing now, nothing left . . . except death, and he would be the first - he knew it.

In the midst of all the chaos, the loud noises, Turtle saw a figure walking towards him. The shape of pure wickedness, the form of the ultimate evil, it stood towering before him. The Lord of Flies grabbed the SeaWing by the throat, lifting him above its head, forcing him to witness everything happening all at once.

" . . . Look. Doth thou not suppose it is lovely? Doth thou not see it as beautiful? . . . No. Thou refuseth, as thou hast always refuseth me. Now cometh a bright dawn. A new horizon, a new age, a new millenia, and thou shalt die before thou seest thy new, great, perfect world. For all . . . I am thy god."

The Lord of Flies opened its mouth as wide as it could. Turtle watched as a white essence left his body, the cloaked dragon consuming it. He felt his entire life flash before him, every moment he had as family . . . the ones which were limited. He felt his life come to an end . . . everything . . . was already dead.

. . . Then, Turtle didn't know why, but he thought about how the Dragonets of Destiny saved everyone from Blister at the end of the War of SandWing Succession. He remembered the inspiration they gave to everyone after the fight was over. He recalled their dedication they put into building the academy, inviting everyone to join. Before, everyone in Pyrrhia had lost all hope. Their lives, their faith, they were all gone. But when the Prophecy foresaw their arrival, the Dragonets came, and gave light to the souls of every dragon young and old, far and wide. They saved the world . . . they saved everyone, no matter who they were. Now . . . Turtle, his friends, and every dragon on the continent, must continue what the Dragonets had started. They must truly become . . . the Dragonets of Hope.

Turtle opened his eyes. With the smallest amount of strength left inside of him, he used his Animus Magic. He pulled his soul back, ripping it out of the Lord of Flies' mouth, putting it back in his own body. While he did so, Turtle realized something else: When his soul was being taken, his magic was as well. His Animus Magic was the one thing giving the Lord of Flies its strength. When Turtle took back his soul, he ripped his enemy's power away . . . along with its life!

The cloaked dragon screamed in agony and dropped the SeaWing.

Turtle ran, kneeling next to his sister, saying: "Anemone! Anemone, come on, wake up."

Anemone groaned, lifting her head weakly. " . . . T-Turtle?"

"Listen to me, you have to get back up."

"I can't . . . I'm too weak."

"No, Anemone, you are not weak. The dragons who try to stop us, they're the ones who are weak. Not you, and not me. I know how to defeat the Lord of Flies."

Anemone's eyes lit up. "What?"

"Come on, we have to keep fighting."

Turtle helped his sister back up, but turned their heads when they heard the Lord of Flies roar at them. It raised its arm, taking a flame from the three crashing moons, building a large fireball in its claws, throwing it at the two SeaWings. Turtle shoved himself and Anemone to the ground, right when the fireball skimmed past their heads. Turtle growled, and ran up to the Lord of Flies. Anemone screamed his name. Turtle skidded to a stop, lashed his arm, using a heavy amount of Animus Magic, then pulling it back as hard as he could. The cloaked dragon roared in pain as blood flew out of its body, and more of its power was drained.

Anemone could not believe her eyes. Stonemover and Jerboa had watched the whole thing, and they were baffled beyond their beliefs.

Turtle ran back to his sister, and said: "That's what you have to do. The Lord of Flies absorbs our souls, takes away our power, and has the souls of every Animus dragon that ever lived, that's how it gets stronger. But if we rip away its power, we can kill it."

"That's suicide," Stonemover said, running up to them. "We'll not only kill the Lord of Flies, but kill ourselves too."

"We have to," Turtle said.
"No, there has to be another way," Anemone pleaded.

"Listen to me. The Dragonets of Destiny risked all their lives trying to save us, trying to save the world. New Dragonets come to continue what they started in the beginning when the war ended. I'm willing to give up my life to save the world we live in. If we can't, who will stand up to the Lord of Flies after the dragons are gone?"

"Turtle's right," Jerboa said. "The only way to defeat the Lord of Flies and put the moons back is taking away its power, taking back the souls it's consumed." She looked at her claws. "Animus Magic took everything from me . . . I won't let it take away what little I have left."

The Dragonets looked at themselves, then at one another, then at their enemy. The Lord of Flies was standing, building power, channeling flames as the moons were about to hit the earth. The heat was intense, but it did not bother the Dragonets whatsoever. They strained their claws, barring their teeth, and the Lord of Flies' eyes burned like the fire around it, and roared as flies flew out of its mouth.

Jerboa and Stonemover blasted fire, burning every last one of the insects. Once they were gone, the Dragonets charged, taking flight, roaring as they did so, bringing hope with them. They bombarded the Lord of Flies, who thrashed hard at them, instantly drawing blood. The Dragonets growled in pain when they landed. Turtle stood in front of his enemy, attacking it head on. He threw claw after claw, scowling as he did so. He spun around, lashing his tail, but the cloaked dragon caught the strike. It threw the SeaWing across the sand, hurtling him at Anemone.

The two dragons went down. Jerboa jumped, bringing a hard claw down. She threw another at its stomach, then again to the face. The Lord of Flies grabbed her by the shoulder. Jerboa breathed a fireball. The flame exploded, burning the cloak, giving Jerboa the chance to free herself, and fight back. She threw her broken tail barb across the Lord of Flies' head, lashing at its chest. The cloaked dragon thrashed its jaws, biting down on the SandWing's face. The pain was indescribable, but she was saved by Stonemover, who did what Turtle had instructed him to do. He made an enchantment, then pulled back, causing blood to fly.

The Lord of Flies roared angrily, throwing Jerboa to the ground and turning its attention to the NightWing. It lunged, thrashing claws, catching Stonemover off guard. The cloaked dragon's mouth dropped open, attempting to eat the soul of his adversary. It suddenly roared in pain when behind him, Anemone used her magic, tearing away an immense amount of power. The Lord of Flies turned, face covered in rage and pain. Fire built up in its mouth, and released the flames.

Anemone used her magic to deflect the fire, and Stonemover took his chance to strike. He lashed a claw, causing the Lord of Flies to stop breathing fire. Anemone threw the flames back, burning the cloaked dragon's face. While this happened, Stonemover used his magic, pulling back. His enemy fell, weak and blanketed in agony.

The Dragonets used this as an opportunity to attack, breathing fire and lashing talon after talon. In the midst of the fighting, the Lord of Flies' claws twitched, and the fire above started to broil again. It roared with a mouth opened wider than it should have been. Asteroids once more rained down on the earth, shaking the very planet itself. The cloaked dragon fought back, using its own Animus Magic. It threw a heavy amount of sand at Stonemover, putting him in a small tornado; it levitated Jerboa's blood, tearing it from her body, causing her to scream in pain; fire flew from its wrist, almost burning Anemone alive; Turtle rammed into his adversary, growling.

The SeaWing lashed a claw at his enemy's side, then again at the chest. The Lord of Flies clawed at his throat, but it wasn't enough to draw any blood. The cloaked dragon slashed at his head, releasing fire at the same time. Turtle grunted, taking a few steps back. The Lord of Flies roared and charged. It jumped, spreading its wings, taking flight. It flew to the moons, drew its claw across the flames, then soaring back down, straight towards Turtle. It carried a long streak of fire, and threw it right at Turtle's face. The SeaWing lashed his claw, dousing the flame, catching the Lord of Flies' arm. It threw another strike, but Turtle caught that one as well.

They glared at each other, trying to overcome the other's strength. They both roared, and the cloaked dragon's eyes revealed all the fires of the Underworld. Turtle did not succumb to fear, and instead flapped his wings. He took flight, digging his claws into his enemy's arms, then threw him into the sand.

Anemone ran up and made an enchantment. She pulled, taking more of the Lord of Flies' power away. Jerboa did the same, then Stonemover shot a fireball, burning its scales. The cloaked dragon could barely stand at this point, but fought back with the last bit of strength it had left. It threw a claw at Anemone, instantly making blood fall, then the Lord of Flies breathed fire in her face. She screamed in pain, but soon after Turtle landed, lashing at its face, bringing the cloaked dragon to the ground. Jerboa then attacked, thrashing and breathing fire ruthlessly, but the Lord of Flies clawed at her chest so hard, the strike tore off a terrifying amount of scales. The dragon roared, and was about to kill her, but Stonemover used his magic, tearing more of its life away, causing the Lord of Flies to roar in utter agony.

The dragon went down, and the Dragonets took their chance to kill it once and for all - the moons were only minutes away from crashing into the earth. Anemone and Stonemover used whatever magic they still had against their enemy while Turtle ran to Jerboa's side.

"Jerboa?" Turtle said. "Jerboa, are you alright?"

The SandWing coughed up blood, her breathing weak. " . . . W-What's going on?"

"Jerboa, it's me, Turtle. Are you okay?"

" . . . I'm dying . . . I can't go on anymore."

"No, you have to get back up. The Lord of Flies is almost dead, the moons are about to hit."

"I'm sorry. . . . I'm sorry I tried to kill you . . . I'm sorry for everything I did to you, and your friends."

"That doesn't matter now. You may have tried to harm us before, but now . . . you're a Dragonet of Hope."

Jerboa stared at him without eyes, feeling her life slip away.

As Anemone and Stonemover took away the last bit of power the Lord of Flies had left, they were also tearing pieces of its scales away as well. While they did so, they realized there was another layer of body underneath. With this realization, the two dragons realized, they were forcing the cloaked dragon to reveal its true form underneath the disguise it used to call itself a dragon.

The pain the Lord of Flies was experiencing was something it had never felt before, and would never have thought someone would do this to it. Pain had never been inflicted on it until now, and it was furious. The cloaked dragon dug its claws into the sand as more of its power was torn from it. The dragon leaned back while letting out a roar, raising the sand into the air, tossing the Dragonets to the ground.

Turtle saw what was happening, and flew towards his adversary. He thrashed claws, but the Lord of Flies caught his arms, lifting him over its head, and driving him into the ground. The dragon struck while growling, clawing at the SeaWing's eyes. Turtle grunted in pain and tried to get away, but the Lord of Flies showed no mercy. Turtle lifted his arms to block the strikes, and saw the horrifying image of what his enemy truly was. He did his best to focus, and used his Animus Magic to raise the sand in front of him, catching the Lord of Flies off guard. This gave Turtle the chance to attack, thrusting himself forward, trying to bring the cloaked dragon down.

He thrashed at its side as hard as he could, but the Lord of Flies pounded its claw against his back - a slight cracking sound was heard. Turtle yelped in pain, taking a step back, but the dragon slashed its arm upward, leaving a large mark in the SeaWing's chest. Turtle threw a claw, missed. The Lord of Flies grabbed him by the face, lifting him off the ground. The other Dragonets were in a daze, unable to help their friend. Turtle tried to free himself, but felt his head being crushed, and already could feel his blood falling down his neck.

The Lord of Flies hissed. " . . . Thy soul . . . is mine."

It opened its mouth, and Turtle felt his soul leaving his body. His life was fading, but with the last amount of strength, he pulled his head away, and threw a claw. The Lord of Flies caught his arm, and Turtle saw his soul consumed in front of his eyes. He tried to thrust his claw forward, but he had to overcome the strength of his adversary. Both dragons growled at one another, and felt the heat of the moons come down on them. They used their Animus Magic to get the better of their enemy. They roared at each other, and their magic exploded, throwing them both to the ground, causing fire from above to come crashing down.

The Dragonets heard their friend scream in pain. Turtle groaned, slowly picking himself up, flinching at the pain in his side. He heard the Lord of Flies growl, and watched it stand up, then turn to face him. Turtle stared at the true form of the cloaked dragon. Its hood was torn away, revealing nothing but muscle and bone; the veins were lava; fire burned for eternity inside its mouth; the eyes glowed with all the fires of the Underworld. Pure wickedness stood before the SeaWing, and as the moons were only seconds away from hitting the ground, the Lord of Flies spread its wings, roaring at the top of its lungs, in all its fury and rage, along with the endless suffering of fallen souls.

The cloaked dragon took flight, charging. Turtle tried to fight back, or move out of the way, but was paralyzed by fear and hopelessness. The Lord of Flies grabbed him by the throat, driving him into the ground. The dragon opened its mouth once more, feasting on his soul. Almost immediately, Turtle felt weak and numb, his life fading away from his own body.

The Lord of Flies then screamed in pain, and Turtle's soul was returned. He coughed, sat up, and saw his sister standing beside him. She was giving all her magic, everything she had left to kill her enemy once and for all. Turtle stood up, joining her. The cloaked dragon's eyes burned with utter hatred, and walked towards the dragons. The siblings were giving every amount of their magic, but they weren't strong enough to cease their enemy's movements. Before they knew it, the SeaWings were joined by Stonemover, causing the dragon to take a few steps back. Even still, it continued walking, building power in its claws, about to kill them right then and there.

The three Dragonets fell to their knees. The Lord of Flies reached out its claw to them, taking their souls with the most sinful hiss they ever heard. They were dying, they were failing, but they stood, trying to overcome their enemy. The heat burned their scales, fire erupted all around them, and it seemed as if they were already in the Underworld.

Their souls returned to their bodies when the Lord of Flies screamed in pain once more. The Dragonets were joined by a dying Jerboa, who was using the last bit of strength to fight. The Lord of Flies tried to stay standing, tried to build power, but hope was overcoming it, and the fire was being doused. With one last strike, the Dragonets of Hope pulled, tearing away everything the cloaked dragon had left. The fire from above faded away, the Dragonets roared their loudest, and the Lord of Flies raised its arms to the sky to give one last scream . . . then everything went silent.

An explosion of light had occurred, but after that, silence. The Dragonets looked at one another, then out at the world. The area was scorched, but the fire had gone. The moons were rising back into space, and all that remained was charred remains only a few feet away from the Dragonets. They stared, then started walking. There was nothing left but ashes, leaving a shape of their adversary in the sand. Something was off about it though. The figure was not a dragon. Rather, it was the form of a goat.

The Lord of Flies . . . was finally dead.

The excitement the Dragonets were feeling was immense, but quickly broke when Jerboa fell to the ground.

"Woah, hey," Turtle said, "Jerboa, are you alright?"

" . . . No," Jerboa replied, weakly.

"What's wrong?" Anemone asked, but received no answer.

"It's her magic," Stonemover answered. "We killed the Lord of Flies. We destroyed the source of Animus Magic. It's all gone, and without it . . . Jerboa can't keep herself alive."

"N-No," Turtle said. "Jerboa, you have to stay with us."

" . . . I'm sorry," the SandWing replied, barely keeping her head up, " . . . I can't . . . not anymore."

"No . . . no, no, no," Anemone said, tears filling her eyes. "You can't be dying. Stay with us . . . please."

" . . . I'm sorry . . . for everything I did to you. I never wanted to be like this . . . I never wanted this power. I was a terrible dragon . . . I'm so sorry . . . ."

" . . . No, Jerboa," Turtle said calmly. "You're not a terrible dragon. You're not evil. You're strong. You're brave. You gave your life to help us. You joined us to stop wickedness from taking over the world. You are a Dragonet of Hope . . . like all of us."

Jerboa stared up at her allies, her friends . . . her true, real family. " . . . Thank you, Turtle . . . thank . . . you . . . ."

Nothing came but silence, and no more than that. Turtle and Anemone began to cry, all three of the Dragonets mourning for their friend, right when the three moons were placed back where they belonged.

A month had passed. After ten Dragonets left to save the dragons of the Lost Continent. After the great battle that almost ended the world. After Jerboa's death. They had buried her in a forest, away from the beach, away from her hut, away from the grave of her mother. They thought she deserved to be somewhere peaceful, far from hatred, and far from devastation. Word soon got out that Jerboa had died. Even though the world did not have much to say, the rest of the Dragonets reminded them that she was not pure evil . . . only lost.

Today was a cloudy day. A fog had rolled in, the trees were wet, the air was freezing, and Turtle stood in front of the grave. He read the title on the headstone three times already: Here Lies Jerboa. A Dragon Lost to the Seeds of Hatred and Revenge. Died a Dragonet of Hope. He stared at those words for a long time - he, his sister, and Stonemover decided to write that.

Turtle had insisted that what he had done to Jade Mountain Academy and everyone who attended could never be forgiven. He told his sister that after the fight, he would return to his cell. Anemone refused, and let him go, saying pure evil is now dead, and he was there to face it head on; there is no reason for him to be locked away.

Animus Magic was dead, and no dragon on earth could use it anymore. Due to the death of the Lord of Flies, the great power had ended after thousands of years. Turtle had asked Stonemover what would happen now that Animus Magic was gone. His response was that dragons throughout Pyrrhia would soon realize it is gone, and in time, learn to accept things as they are now and ever will be for a long, long time. Maybe violence will slow, or maybe it will get worse, but no souls would be taken, and no dragons would succumb to wickedness any longer. The world was saved, thanks to them.

The battle was considered a secret though, and still dragons wondered what meaning was behind that huge burning fire in the desert one month ago. That didn't matter now. The world was saved . . . everyone was saved.

Turtle heard someone coming up behind him. He turned and saw an IceWing.

"Hello there," he said.

"Hello."

"Are you taking a walk?"

"I'm here to see the grave."

"I see." The IceWing stood beside him, staring at the headstone. "Did you know her?"

"No, but my friend did. She's actually the Queen of the IceWings."

"Oh. I take it your name is Lynx?"

"Yes."

"My name's Turtle."

"Nice to meet you." They went back to looking at the grave. " . . . Jerboa always seemed so kind."

" . . . She was. A lot of dragons didn't see that."

"Dragons should always try to see the good in others, even if they're not nice."

" . . . I agree."

" . . . I wish I could have known her better."

"Me too."

"How long have you known her for?"

"Not very . . . I wish I did."

"I'm sorry."

" . . . She was a hero in the end."

"You really think so?"

" . . . Yes. She was a Dragonet of Hope, and proved it before she . . . went. I think, even after everything she had gone through, and everything she did . . . deep down, she wanted to be a better dragon."

"Do you think she was?"

" . . . Yes."

A few minutes later, a light rain began to fall, and Lynx went her way. Turtle stood staring at the grave, grabbing a flower next to him, and placing it in front of the headstone. He turned to leave, but noticed movement in the corner of his eye. He looked, and there was Stonemover. The two dragons stared at one another for a moment . . . then smiled, and nodded.

Acknowledgements

I want these stories to pay tribute to the Wings of Fire series after it has officially ended in two thousand twenty two with Wings of Fire: The Flames of Hope. I wanted them to be my own vision, my own idea of how the series could go if it was done in a different way, which is what the series did to inspire me. I imagined an alternate design to the dragons, not so much as to make them look completely different, but to give them a little more design, because I kind of thought all of the dragons look the same. In the graphic novels, SeaWings, NightWings, MudWings, and all other dragon breeds looked the same to me, so I like to imagine them looking a little different.

Bringing in new characters was a cool idea to me. Adding them in made the plot seem more interesting for people to read. I want this to be a celebration for the Wings of Fire series itself, a way to thank the author for giving us an amazing series to read. Wings of Fire has been around for about ten years now. This is the longest story I have ever written, Fanfiction and NonFanfiction, I had never gotten to this many pages. I thought the first book came out in two thousand thirteen, but it actually came out in two thousand twelve. Think of this as a late ten year anniversary celebration, and to be thankful this amazing series of books is here for us to read.

Acknowledgements on "Queen Wasp vs. Queen Blister"

I thought this would be really cool to write about. The idea of Wasp fighting Blister sounded very interesting to me, and I did my best coming up with a way of how the two would interact with each other, what they would say, or how they would act if they met.

I thought it would be a nice addition to see Wasp act in a very creepy way when she is possessed, because the Plant itself is trying to puppeteer this dragon to do whatever it wants to do.

It is clear Blister won that fight, but if her soldier had not helped her defeat Wasp, she would have been killed.

Acknowledgements on "Dawn of the Scorching"

This is a story most of us fans of Wings of Fire had been itching to know more about. This is mainly my depiction of how the Scorching played out. I decided to remove Cottonmouth because I wanted to focus more on the dragons themselves. It also serves as an origin story to how things in the series came to be. Nostradamus as the first NightWing to read minds and predict the future; Plato being the first Animus; and Aethra to be the first dragon queen.

Acknowledgements on "The Story of Aftermath, the Three Eyed Dragon"

I remember when I read the graphic novel of "The Brightest Night," the scene where Smolder and Sunny go to meet Scarlet, they pass by all the collections Burn has had over the years. On one display it shows a dragon skull with three eye sockets. As I was looking at that, I thought to myself: "Maybe I should add this to my story. Well, I have enough already. . . . I should write a story about this." Thus I created Aftermath, the SkyWing, the three eyed dragon.

I thought it would be better to give him a much bigger purpose to how the War of SandWing Succession started, giving him background and more character arc. With this story, I wanted to have a backstory where we know a little more about Blister, Blaze, and Burn, because we never really knew much about them in the main series. I also thought it would be a good addition to have him be friends with Six-Claws.

Acknowledgements on "A Tale That Wasn't Right"

I got the idea of this title from a song I heard. The song itself I thought could somehow be used to be a tribute to the Wings of Fire series, because the title, "A Tale That Wasn't Right," kind of refers to the Dragonet Prophecy not being real in the end, but still is at the same time. I had second guesses about using this title because I got it from a song, but it's also a saying, so I didn't worry too much about it.

I wanted to have the Dragonets of Destiny fight Blister as the big finale for the first arc. I got the idea of the fight inspired by rpg games.

Acknowledgements on "Coral's Insanity"

With Tsunami and her family's conflicts getting resolved, I still had a thought in mind: "What if Coral did find out Tsunami killed Gill?" Knowing how Coral's character is, we could guess how she would react. This story would fit well within the genre of a reimagined version of Wings of Fire, and could also serve as a redemption arc for Tsunami, seeing what her actions would bring to her if they had consequences for killing her father. In the main series itself, we don't know if she will ever tell her mother that she killed her father, or what might happen to her mother even after everything she did to her children, because truth be told - and we all know this as well - Coral is a horrible person that should be punished for her actions.

With the events of this story taking place, it could also redeem Anemone for her actions in the next arc.

Acknowledgements on "Requite for Glory"

This is something I personally wanted to see in "Escaping Peril." When Ruby goes to fight Scarlet in the arena, we see Peril go off and think about her life, until she finally hears a cracking sound, indicating that Ruby has killed Scarlet. That was something I really wanted to see, the big fight against Queen Scarlet, because she is one of the best villains in the series - in my opinion. I thought the Dragonets should have at least showed up to help Ruby fight Scarlet, because she has the most conflict towards them, and has ever since the first book.

I wanted to give the Dragonets a bigger motive for them to go and fight her head on, which led me to killing off Glory. Another addition I added to the story was getting an idea of what Scarlet's past was like, how she came to be queen, and how she became the sadistic, iconic, evil dragon we all know and love today.

Acknowledgements on "The First Animus"

This is something a lot of us readers of the series had been asking to learn more about. I have heard problems about Animus Magic itself, and that we don't have enough information to know how it really works. The problem I have seen with it is that it is unlimited, and anyone could do anything they wanted, without limit.

The way I fixed this problem is that I made Animus Magic limited and unlimited at the same time, where you have to make your magic stronger by doing one thing, then having to do that again to achieve true power. Kind of like in a video game, where you gain experience from a battle, and learn new moves as you level up.

Acknowledgements on "Kinkajou's Fate"

This is another story that most of us wanted: A story revolving around Kinkajou. Although this story takes a dark tone, I thought it would be interesting to see how this character could react to these situations. I decided to bring in different characters from the series, and introduce a new character by the name of Fate. He kind of serves as the Grim Reaper, but he is also the person who decides the fates of every dragon in Pyrrhia.

Acknowledgements on "Turtle's Descent"

This serves as the sequel to Turtle's story arc in "The First Animus." A little like how Anemone for a moment turned evil and tried to kill her brother in "Talons of Power," but it's Turtle who is the one who snaps. Continuing Tsunami's redemption arc, she must find a way to stop her brother's rampage and save the dragonets of Jade Mountain Academy, while also learning how and why Turtle descended into madness.

Acknowledgements on "Maker of Prophecies"

This is another plot hole that should have a little resolution in the main series. In the second and third arc, we see that Moonwatcher has visions of a real prophecy, and as I was thinking of where this message could have come from, I thought it might have come from a higher being. Having this taking place in the future would be an interesting plot for these characters, and what Darkstalker's reign could have looked like if he had won.

Acknowledgements on "Everyone vs. Darkstalker"

This is a story I thought would be really cool to see. I remember in "The Dangerous Gift," in Snowfall's thoughts she mentions the words: "Everyone vs. Darkstalker." I thought that would be interesting to see, and I wanted to make the fight memorable, and have a bigger climax to it. Darkstalker has reached the full potential of Animus Magic, and this was the moment that, if he had won, the events of "Maker of Prophecies" would take place.

Acknowledgements on "The Dark Ally"

At the very end of "The Poisonous Jungle," we hear Jerboa's thoughts say that she wanted Animus Magic to end, and that she always wanted this to be so. As I read that, I thought to myself: "What if Jerboa had secretly been working with Queen Wasp?" Even in her backstory in "The Dangerous Gift," I thought that was the best way to introduce a villain, but we never got that potential. Jerboa just ended Animus Magic because she wanted to, and her story arc could have built up the perfect villain for the final book. I gave her that chance in this short story, exactly the way I imagined it.

Acknowledgements on "The New Queen Wasp"

This story had a little inspiration from DC comics, with their Elseworlds storylines and different ideas of having one character become this thing, and have all these other plot holes happen as well. I chose different characters as the New Dragonets of Destiny, mainly because I thought it would be nice having these characters team up. It also serves as to how these characters would interact with each other, and how previous events have impacted their lives.

Acknowledgements on "Dragonets of Hope"

I wanted there to be five Dragonets fighting off against the final foe, but since I needed Animus dragons to fight the Lord of Flies, there ended up being four. I named them Dragonets of Hope because I wanted it to sound like an inspiration name, which is what the Dragonets of Destiny had done to impact the world after they defeated Blister and Darkstalker. This ends the reign of the Lord of Flies in an epic battle between good and pure evil. Originally I wanted Jerboa to live, but since Animus Magic is finally over after the death of the Lord of Flies, there was no way she could still be alive even after that. This is the true final fight of this series of short stories, and ends my rewritten version of Wings of Fire.

Who do you think was the best character? I am always open for feedback.

All familiar characters and places are made and rightfully owned by Tui T. Sutherland, all rights reserved.