Savannah opened her eyes with a soft gasp. She looked around. There was a soft wind blowing but it was so dim that she couldn't see anything.

She whirled around and there was a loud roar. She jumped and turned to see a large gray dragon looming over her.

She widened her eyes and froze. The dragon growled loudly and bared its teeth as it glowered at her with crimson red eyes.

She stepped back. "N-no... w-wait...!"

The dragon lunged at her with a snarl and she screamed.

Savannah shot upright with a gasp, her eyes wide. Beads of swear rolled down her head. She looked at the others. They were asleep.

She looked at the little dragon hatchling who was remained curled up by her side. She smiled a little and she gently rubbed his head before she got up. She carefully tiptoed over her friends and managed to go downstairs without tripping or making a noise.

She walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge door. She took out the milk jug and sighed. She set it down before she paused. A chill ran down her spine. She turned to the window.

It felt like she was being watched.

She frowned. There was a slight bump and she spun around, her eyes widening in surprise. Then she narrowed them. She reached for something, anything that she could use to try and defend herself.

She took a careful step forward. "Penny? Rhonda?" She called out. There was no answer. Then there was a slight bump and she felt her heart start to beat faster in her chest. She slowly walked towards the garage and she opened it only to freeze.

A pair of pale blue eyes stared at her.

"Wh-... what...?" She murmured, her hands shaking. The eyes moved forward and the light turned on with a click and Savannah saw that it was a white dragon.

The two stared at each other.

"Please don't scream," the dragon said softly. Then he jumped when Savannah started screaming. Her scream made the others jump awake.

"Savannah?!" Trinity exclaimed before she ran out of the room with the others following. The hatchlings scurried after them.

The dragon quickly grabbed Savannah, causing her to yelp and her panicked yells were muffled as the dragon covered her mouth.

"Shush! It's okay! I won't hurt you!" He exclaimed, "my name is Nimbus. You've had a clutch of eggs with you, right?? I wanted to check on them."

"Hey!"

He looked up and yelped when Penelope chucked one of her house shoes at him and it hit him in the face. Savannah scrambled over to her friends.

"W-wait!" She said, placing a hand over her beating heart while holding out her arm to try and placate her friends, "he said that his name is Nimbus. He... he said he's looking for the hatchlings."

Rhonda gave Nimbus a glare, "you're not taking them from us!"

The dragon rubbed his face and before he could try and deescalate the situation, there was a chirp and all eyes were on the hatchlings who were staring at Nimbus with curiosity. Nimbus widened his eyes, "they... they've already hatched?"

The hatchlings scurried over to him, chirping and squealing.

"Are you their dad?" Stacy asked. Nimbus barked a laugh and he shook his head.

"Heavens no," he said, looking more than relieved at his own words, "I'm only twenty years old. And these little ones are at least 12 months old."

Anika blinked in surprise and she rubbed the back of her head. "How do you know that?" She asked.

Nimbus looked at her, "that's how the world of dragons works." "Do they have names?" Reyna asked curiously.

"The dragoness hatchlings are Nyx, Saphira and Aurora. The dragon hatchling is Emberon. The wyverness hatchling is Zephyr and the wyvern hatchling is Thorn," Nimbus explained, "and the two drake hatchlings are Lazarus and Razeon. And since they've now grown attached to you, that makes you their wards."

"The names are pretty cool," Rhonda chuckled as she picked Zephyr up. She squeaked at her and wagged her tail.

"Wait, how did you find us?" Trinity asked Nimbus. The dragon took a deep breath and let it out.

"I... I need your help," he said, "in fact... the entire kingdom of EchoFlame needs your help. The queen was killed by the commander of the DarkStar empire."

Rhonda waved her hands, "wait, wait, hold up! Where exactly is this place? Who's the commander? I've got so many questions right now."

Nimbus let out a sharp exhale and he sat down. "The queen's name was Celeste. And like many queens and kings before her, she was a brave and good queen. But she had been battling with the queen of DarkStar for years. The queen's name was Penumbra. They had fought and fought for a long time... until a powerful weapon was used to seal Penumbra away. The Sword of Orion."

Nimbus lifted one of his wings and Savannah saw a silver sword that had a single reddish-blue gemstone in the middle of the golden handle.

"Ooh!" Penelope, Trinity and Reyna gasped, their eyes widening with amazement. "That's so awesome!" Rhonda exclaimed.

"This was created by drakes and drakelets long past," Nimbus said hesitantly, "and... I was hoping that it would be chosen by one of you." He gave the girls a small smile.

"Us?" Anika gasped, her eyes widening.

"But what could we possibly do with a sword?" Stacy asked nervously, "we can only handle musical instruments." "Which is why if the sword chooses one of you, I would try and teach you how to wield it," Nimbus said firmly.

He set the sword down and Emberon squealed at it. Savannah looked at him then at the sword. She didn't want to say it out loud but it felt like the sword had some kind of energy that was calling her. She didn't know how to explain it. She slowly stepped forward and she bent down and picked up the sword.

Nimbus looked at her and he widened his eyes when the gemstone started glowing brightly. A golden stream of light and fire swirled around Savannah, startling her.

The other girls watched with wide eyes as the stream lifted Savannah off her feet a little before the sword turned into a bracelet and it wrapped around her left wrist. She landed back on her feet and she stumbled backwards but Anika quickly caught her.

"Easy, sugarcube," she said. Savannah rubbed her head, "what... happened?"

"The sword chose you, Savannah," Nimbus replied, "now... I know everything has happened all too quickly in one night but I need to get you all to EchoFlame."

"Why?" Stacy asked. "Are there any dangers?" Felicity asked nervously.

"Dark Dragons," Nimbus said gravely, "now please. We have time. Get yourselves ready."

The girls exchanged nervous glances before they hurried back into the house to get dressed and grab their bags. Nyx squeaked at the other hatchlings and they hurried after their friends.

"Isn't this crazy?" Rhonda asked as she put on her shirt, "magic and dragons. Who knew right?"

"It certainly is a shocking development, darling," Reyna commented as she brushed her hair into a ponytail.

"Do you think Nimbus is telling the truth?" Stacy asked as she picked up Aurora who had been squeaking for attention.

"He sounded pretty serious to me," Penelope said as she picked up her backpack and slung it over her shoulders. She was wearing her usual daytime clothing. Savannah looked at her reflection in the mirror with uncertainty. She touched the bracelet and bit her bottom lip. She never thought a sword, of all things, would choose her as its wielder. And to top it all off, she had never used a sword. Ever.

What were to happen if she had to use it? Would she... have to kill to use it?

The thought made her ill.

"Sav?" Trinity said, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. She quickly drew it back when Savannah jumped and she looked at her.

"I... sorry," she said, rubbing her face, "I honestly never expected a sleepover to turn out like this." Emberon flapped his wings and he climbed into Savannah's lap. She looked at him and rubbed his head with a small smile.

"I'm okay, Emberon," she said, "it's just a little overwhelming." "Trust me when I say that we know what you mean," Anika chuckled, "but we're gonna get through this together."

The other girls nodded in agreement and Savannah smiled. "Thanks, girls," she said.

"Anytime, darling," Reyna smiled, "now let's not keep Nimbus waiting."

The girls gathered the hatchlings and walked to the backyard where Nimbus was. He was looking around.

"Uh, everything okay, Nimbus?" Rhonda asked. The dragon looked at them, "...yes. I just... I'm uneasy. That's all."

"Have you ever done this before?" Felicity asked. The dragon gave a dry chuckle and shook his head.

"No... I haven't. Shall we go?" He asked. Trinity nodded then she paused, "but how are we going to get there?"

Nimbus chuckled again and he lifted his claws. A mist-like stream of magic and fire swirled around the eight girls and the hatchlings, surprising them and they nearly yelped when the mist lifted them up into the air.

"Rest assured, you won't fall. My magic is strong and it will keep you floating until we reach our destination," Nimbus said before he opened his wings and he flew up into the air with the girls and the hatchlings following.