Chapter 11: Fighting for the World
Natalya, former leader of the Red Scarves and now the foster mother of Lilac the Dragon Girl, had just found herself in a very familiar situation. She was now face-to-face with a very angry Lilac, the teen-dragon standing before her and looking about ready to unleash all hell on her. The last time this had happened had been outside the Caves of Malevolence, the hiding place of the Dark Stone. The fight hadn't ended in victory for either Lilac or Natalya at the time since the fight was just a distraction so Spade could get the Dark Stone and kidnap Carol. Natalya remembered how Lilac had broken her nose in the fight, something she was determined not to allow to happen again.
The dragon stood her ground as Lilac glared at her, Carol and Milla angrily. She was furious that she'd been woken up so abruptly but she was more furious at the fact somebody had just broken into her palace and unchained her slaves. She would make an example out of Natalya and show her what happens to those who defy her. She had taken over Shang Tu, she couldn't lose the kingdom now. The teen-dragon's fists clenched and her teeth gritted. Natalya wasn't fazed by the frightening gaze, she was used to those.
"Lilac my child…please stand down. You don't want to do this dear." Natalya said softly.
"Oh I don't do I?!" Lilac snapped angrily, storming towards Natalya menacingly, "Well then, explain why I don't wanna beat you to death for breaking into my palace and freeing my slaves! Nobody dares defy me and my rule! I'm the new Magister of Shang Tu and I demand respect!"
"Lilac, for god's sakes, listen to me!" Natalya screamed, "This isn't you at all! Knock it off! Fight the Dark Stone's power!"
"Yeah Lilac! You're stronger than this! Fight the curse! Destroy the corruption inside you!" Carol cried out.
"You're not a bad girl Lilac! You're the heroine of Avalice! You'd never hurt us or take over anybody's kingdoms!" Milla protested, "Please come back to us!"
"You have friends Lilac, friends who love you! Carol and Milla love you like a sister! And I…you know that I love you like a daughter!" Natalya cried, "I even wanted to adopt you and you said yes! You allowed me to become your new mother! Please Lilac…come back to us. Carol and Milla want their best friend back…and I want my adopted daughter back…"
She softened her expression and held out a hand as if expecting Lilac to take it. The dragon stood still and stared at her hand curiously. What was she up to? Natalya smiled warmly at her beloved Lilac.
"Please dear…do it for me…your friends…and for Dawn." the reformed crime boss said softly, "Your mother would be so heartbroken if she saw you like this. Don't dishonour her memory by letting the Dark Stone's evil power control you like this. You must fight it…and you must come back to us."
"Please Lilac! For us!" Carol begged.
"We love you and we want you back to normal!" Milla piped.
Lilac scowled at the trio before her, clearly annoyed with their begs and pleads. But as she took them in, something began to come over her. She was beginning to feel strange. It was as if somebody had pulled a plug in her head and the evil inside her was going down the drain. She was beginning to lose her villainous streak and horrible personality. She was beginning to feel less oppressive and was beginning to feel something she wasn't quite sure about. Was it regret? Regret over what she'd done? She slowly reached forward and touched Natalya's hand. Her eyes were still red but they looked a little less fearsome. They looked perplexed as if the dragon had no idea what was happening.
"My…friends…" she murmured, "Carol…Milla…Natalya…my friends…my adopted mom…"
"That's it you brilliant child! You're doing it! Good girl, keep fighting!" Natalya cried excitedly.
"You can do it!" Carol encouraged, "Come on!"
"I can…do it…fight off the evil…" Lilac mused, her voice sounding very far away.
But just as Lilac's positive side was beginning to come through, the Dark Stone Energy in her mind suddenly reacted. A sharp pain flared through Lilac's head as the stone's energy fought to keep control of her. Pain was something that could cause negative emotions and now Lilac was in pain, the Dark Stone Energy was beginning to feed off of her cries of agony. The dragon screeched in anguish.
"ARRRRGGGGHHHH! My head, it's killing me! Help me!" Lilac wailed.
"Calm down dear, you can do it!" Natalya insisted, "Don't let the Dark Stone's energy corrupt you! Fight it!"
"Come on Lilac! We believe in you!" Milla squealed.
Lilac tried to calm down but the pain was too much. She was in total agony and what was worse was that as she tried to think positively, the Dark Stone's Energy just hurt her all the more. It wasn't helping how as Lilac tried to think positively and push the evil energy out of her mind, she instead ended up with horrible, dark thoughts that flared her up with anxiety and despair. The memories of what she had done under the stone's evil influence two weeks ago were plaguing her mind, something that the Dark Stone Energy was playing off of beautifully. There were also the thoughts of the crowd lambasting her and doubting her and now the thoughts of what she'd done today. Harming Carol and Milla and imprisoning them, imprisoning The Magister and General Gong, making Neera Li dress casually to humiliate her and making an alliance with the Red Scarves. Those thoughts were enough to keep her under the stone's control. She couldn't fight off the evil with too many negative emotions and thoughts in her mind. Lilac gave up fighting and glared at Natalya again with her fearsome red eyes. Carol and Milla looked nervous, knowing that the dragon had failed to fight off her curse and was about to attack. Lilac seized Natalya by the wrist and threw her across the room with strength beyond what she was capable of. Natalya screamed loudly as she flew across the room and into a wall with a heavy thud. Lilac had never been that strong before! The Dark Stone's Energy had to be amplifying her strength. The dragon marched towards Natalya, her eyes full of death and hatred.
"Sweet-talking me will get you nowhere you sorry excuse for a dragon!" Lilac snarled, "You're not my adopted mom, Carol and Milla are my slaves and I'm soon to be Avalice's ruler! I'll rule the three kingdoms with an iron fist and no leather-clad woman is gonna ruin that for me now!"
Natalya picked herself up and gave Lilac a face that was a mixture of sadness and anger. Sadness over her poor, adopted daughter's failure to fight off the corruption in her mind and anger that Lilac had insulted her and that she now had to fight off her beloved teen-dragon. She had hoped never to fight Lilac again, especially for the late Dawn the Dragon Woman's sake. Sighing, Natalya adopted a battle-ready stance.
"I'm so sorry my child…but I'm going to have to fight you again…" the dragon said with tears in her eyes, "I don't like the thought of fighting my best friend's daughter again…especially now you're my adopted daughter. But so be it…I'll fight you if it means saving you from the Dark Stone's power."
"You're gonna be sorry you were born Natalya…" Lilac growled, "Tonight…you die!"
Screeching viciously, Lilac torpedoed towards Natalya at a speed that defied all belief and a speed that should have allowed her a clean hit on the woman. But Natalya knew Lilac very well. She had anticipated the move. After all, most dragons, especially female dragons, knew the Dragon Boost attack and it was commonly known that dragons could move fast. Natalya leapt out of the way, leaving Lilac to miss and slam straight into the wall. The scene looked quite comical, like a scene from a cartoon short. Natalya hesitated for a moment as Lilac stood away from the wall and rubbed her face better. She hoped that the young girl hadn't hurt herself too much. But Lilac quickly recovered and glared at Natalya as if disgusted at the fact she'd dodged her attack. Angered, the teen-dragon rushed towards Natalya and unleashed a Dragon Cyclone on her. She spun around like a spinning top and walloped Natalya repeatedly with her tendrils. Natalya grunted with every hit. It was like being whacked by a baseball bat repeatedly. In Natalya's eyes though, she'd rather take the bat.
Once Lilac's Dragon Cyclone had concluded, she kicked Natalya in the gut and knocked her down onto her back. The older dragon grunted as she hit the floor but she wasn't down for long. Lilac tried to launch another attack on her but Natalya swung her legs up and kicked outwards like a kangaroo. Her booted feet slammed into the teen-dragon's stomach, throwing her off her feet and winding her. Lilac fought for breath as Natalya sprang up onto her feet and rocketed towards her. The dragon recovered and just as Natalya had her hand raised and ready for a vicious chop across the head, Lilac lashed out and drove her fist straight into Natalya's chest just above the sternum. The leather-clad woman gasped as the wind was knocked right of her. She'd never been hit so hard before in her life. Even her broken nose at Lilac's hands hadn't been this hard and painful. For a terrifying moment, Natalya was struggling to breathe and she thought for a moment she was going to pass out. Lilac took advantage of this by spinning on the balls of her feet and kicking Natalya in the side of her head.
The dragon was thrown onto her side, her head spinning from the kick. It was much harder than any kick Lilac had thrown at her before. The Dark Stone's energy had to be amplifying her strength after all. There was no other explanation for Lilac's sudden power boost. Lilac advanced on Natalya and smirked wickedly, clearly pleased with herself. She was confident and in total control. The fight was hers. Carol and Milla watched, scarcely daring to breathe. Natalya couldn't lose now! She never went down so quickly! Natalya rolled onto her back and stared up at Lilac.
"Looks like I'm gonna win again." the corrupted heroine sneered, "Ha, ha, ha…I knew I would. You never had a chance against me Natalya! Never! Now you're gonna see Lord Brevon in hell where you belong!"
"I can't say I'm keen to go there yet…" muttered Natalya.
She then suddenly sprung up onto her feet and dropkicked Lilac in the forehead, throwing her backwards and sending her sprawling. The move had been so fast that Carol and Milla had barely seen it. It was almost as if Lilac had been smacked by thin air. The blow was more like being hit by a sledgehammer in Lilac's case. The teen dragon lay on her back, wondering what had hit her. She clutched her forehead in pain and rubbed it vigorously. Natalya walked towards Lilac, being extremely cautious for she knew Lilac could strike at any moment.
"Look at yourself Lilac! You're getting hurt senselessly and pointlessly!" the former villainess insisted, "You don't need to do this and get hurt so badly! Please cease your attempts to conquer the world and come back to us!"
Lilac forced herself back onto her feet and groaned as her forehead started throbbing. She glared angrily at Natalya.
"Why would I want to give up my attempts to conquer the world?!" she demanded, "I'm a dragon! I'm the superior creature! After all, it's thanks to a dragon that these three kingdoms we know and occupy exist! I deserve to rule them all!"
"Does THAT sound familiar?" Carol snorted sarcastically.
"But Lilac, you'll not get all the respect you want! People will hate you and rebel against you!" Natalya protested, "And punishing them won't stop them! You'll just make more enemies and get more people determined to overthrow you! I should know…I was blind enough to believe that by ruling Avalice, I'd have the world united and at peace. But I've seen that I was wrong…and now you need to as well!"
"You wasn't blind! You had the right idea!" Lilac screamed angrily, "You've just gone soft you have! Truly a disgrace to our proud race Natalya! I wanna rule these kingdoms and that's the end of it!"
"Wow, the Dark Stone Energy really has messed her up…" Carol muttered, sad to hear her friend saying those words to the very dragon who had once been as deranged as her.
"I sure hope Natalya can save her…" Milla said sadly.
The cat and dog watched as Lilac and Natalya circled each other, ready to launch another attack. The two were very silent and very tense, focused squarely on each other and nothing else. They were waiting for even the slightest excuse to attack. Natalya looked more relaxed and patient whereas Lilac looked as if she was about to spring at any moment now. The two stopped circling and stood still, waiting to spring. But then suddenly, Natalya looked over Lilac's shoulder and pointed ahead, looking very excited.
"Oh my gosh look, it's the Kingdom Stone!" she exclaimed.
Lilac turned around and glanced out of the window in Natalya's direction. The Kingdom Stone? Here? If it was here then she could try using its energy against Natalya and flatten her easily! But there was nothing there. No vortex of stars swirling around in the sky. It had been a trick and Lilac realized far too late that she'd fallen for it. Natalya zoomed towards her and uppercut the corrupted dragon in the chin, taking her up off her feet and sending her spiralling crazily through the air. Lilac cried out as she was sent flying and she crashed down heavily onto The Magister's throne. The throne withstood the impact. Natalya smirked mockingly at Lilac.
"I can't believe you fell for that…" she crowed.
Lilac picked herself up, her back aching from the impact. Before she could have a chance to attack, Natalya Dragon-Boosted towards Lilac. Unlike the dragon girl, she didn't leave a trail of sparkles behind when she unleashed her Dragon-Boost. Lilac just managed to take in the fact something was coming towards her before Natalya hit her and took her for a ride across the room. She slammed Lilac into a support post and leapt back as the dragon slid down onto the floor, dazed from the attack. The impact had left a neat imprint of herself on the post but it held firm. No need to worry about the roof falling on top of them. Lilac stood back, her face contorted with rage. She Dragon-Boosted towards Natalya, leaving behind a curious purple trail of sparkles instead of the white ones she usually had tail-ending her boosts. The Dark Stone's energy had corrupted not just her mind, but her attacks too. Natalya stepped out of the way as Lilac torpedoed towards her. She felt the wind rush by as Lilac missed her. But the dragon didn't crash into a wall again. She instead skidded to a halt and stopped herself with her boots making a loud squeaking sound as they slid across the smooth, polished floor. Lilac didn't look as if she was ready to give-up at this point. Her eyes were still full of rage and hatred at the older dragon.
Lilac waited a few seconds before making her next move. She had worked out that Dragon-Boosting into Natalya wasn't going to do her any favours. She just couldn't hit him. So Lilac began thinking of how to take Natalya out without using her strongest move. The dragon had plenty of moves she could use on her opponent that would still swing the fight in her favour. She hadn't lost yet, far from it. Lilac ran towards Natalya and then made her move. She leapt up into the air and came spiralling towards the leather-clad dragon in another Dragon Cyclone attack. Natalya jumped aside, hoping to dodge the attack but the Dragon Cyclone was an attack that didn't just go straight forward. Lilac made a U-turn and came spinning towards Natalya in a purple blur. The dragon didn't have time to dodge as her opponent collided into her, her trademark twin tendrils battering her mercilessly. Natalya cried out, each wallop of the tendrils feeling like a heavy punch to the face on her, and Lilac concluded her attack by upper-cutting Natalya in the face with a flick of her tendrils. The dragon stumbled backwards but didn't fall down. She regained her balance and lowered her head. Lilac ran towards her with both fists raised and ready to punch Natalya in the face. The mauve dragon reacted first, charging into Lilac like a wild bull. Her head slammed into the lilac dragon's gut, causing her to double over and the blow was so powerful that it knocked Lilac off of her feet. The teen-dragon felt as if she'd been slugged by a caveman's club. She lay on the floor, writhing in pain and clutching her stomach tenderly. Natalya stood over Lilac, her fist raised and aiming straight at her head. It would be quick and painless. A simple blow to the head that would knock her precious Lilac unconscious and prevent her from resisting as she, Carol and Milla escorted her to a hospital to remove the energy from her mind. Once Lilac was saved, she would hunt down the demon who had done this to her adopted daughter and slaughter him or her for the wicked deed.
But just as Natalya swung her hand down, Lilac suddenly rolled out of the way. Natalya's hand ended up slamming down onto empty space, pain flooding up her hand from the impact. The dragon winced but held her pain. She'd been hurt much, much worse before, this was nothing. Lilac leapt up onto her feet and began unleashing a rapid round of fisticuffs on Natalya. The dragon blocked the other dragon's attacks with her arms held in an X shape as Lilac threw punches rapidly at her. She was trying to mimic Carol's trademark attack but Natalya could see from the way the attack was being executed that Lilac wasn't used to using her hands the way Carol did. Her hands moved much slower than Carol's, meaning the blows were a lot less heavy then the dragon hoped they would be. But Lilac was mostly intending to distract Natalya than hurt her badly. Her hands hammered onto the dragon so much that Natalya couldn't attack back. This gave Lilac the opportunity of a life time. She stopped punching Natalya and Dragon-Boosted straight into her just as she lowered her arms and prepared to attack. Lilac hit Natalya in the torso and slammed her into a wall as if she was a cannonball that had been shot at her. The wall cracked from the impact and Natalya was left to slump onto the floor, wondering what on Avalice had just hit her. Lilac leapt back, pleased to finally have hit Natalya with her strongest attack. Natalya picked herself up, coughing heavily but looking very much like she was still willing to go on. The former criminal had tremendous stamina, it would take a while for Lilac to tire her out. The teen-dragon smiled confidently at Natalya, clearly believing that she was on top and that she was going to win.
"You're very good…" Natalya complimented, "I never thought of doing that before in any of my battles."
"I'm not just a pretty face you know." Lilac sneered, "So do you give up?"
"Not until we get the Dark Stone's energy out of your head my dear…" the mauve dragon said gravely.
"I have no idea what you're on about crazy woman." the lilac dragon snapped, "But I can promise ya this, you're gonna be begging for mercy when I'm finished with you!"
"Funny…I don't even know how to do that." Natalya scoffed.
That remark seemed to annoy Lilac for some reason. Her face contorted with loathing and Natalya could swear that it was slowly beginning to turn red. Then suddenly, Lilac struck. She Dragon-Boosted towards Natalya but the dragon had been so taken aback by Lilac's reaction that she hadn't even had time to dodge. The charging dragon slammed into Natalya like a bowling ball and she sent the stricken woman slamming into the wall once again. The wall cracked even more and bits of plaster began to sprinkle down on top of Natalya. The dragon grunted, annoyed that she'd allowed herself to be hit by another Dragon-Boost. She couldn't let this happen otherwise Lilac would well and truly beat her. Lilac uncurled from her ball and prepared to punch Natalya in the nose. The elder dragon dodged the attack and grabbed Lilac's arm. She twisted it sharply, numbing Lilac's hand and making her cry out in pain. Natalya then wrapped her arm around Lilac's neck, trapping her in a choke hold. She intended to press her arm hard enough against Lilac's neck to make her pass out so she could finish this once and for all. But Lilac wasn't going to give up to easily. She slammed the back of her head against Natalya's face three times in an attempt to make her let go. Natalya grimaced as she was hit but fought to keep her grip. Lilac then suddenly reached over her shoulder and jabbed Natalya in the eye with two fingers. Even somebody was strong and endurable as Natalya wasn't immune to the searing pain one receives when jabbed in the eye. The dragon screeched in agony and let go of Lilac to rub her eye better. Now released, Lilac turned around and socked Natalya in the mouth. Because Natalya was very close to the wall, her head shot backwards the punch and hit the wall, momentarily distorting her.
With Natalya in a slight daze, Lilac was free to whale on her as much as she wanted. She punched Natalya three times in the gut, once in the chest and then in both shoulders. The poor dragon didn't even get chance to block her attacks as she fought to stay conscious. Lilac then roundhouse kicked Natalya away from the wall and sent her skidding towards the throne. Natalya slid across the floor, wincing from her injuries and she came to a stop just in front of it. She forced herself up, using the throne for support and panting heavily. Lilac didn't let her rest. She curled up into a ball and Dragon-Boosted towards Natalya for a third time. The dragon hadn't even heard Lilac coming as the dragon slammed into her, squashing her against the backrest of the throne and breaking it clean off. Natalya and the backrest both sprawled across the floor and came to a stop just outside the balcony. The dragon woman grunted and tried desperately to force herself back up. But she could only manage to get herself up onto her knees. She felt very weak and like she just wanted to lie down and rest. But she couldn't, not with Lilac still ready to beat her to death. She stared ahead as Lilac prepared to charge at her again. She wouldn't be able to dodge another Dragon-Boost, not while she was in this state. She'd be much too slow. Lilac bent down, ready to strike. Her face radiated confidence and triumph. She was winning and she was going to finish this fight off once and for all.
"You really shouldn't pick fights with people you can't beat." she gloated.
She then curled into a ball and Dragon-Boosted towards Natalya. But that one moment of pausing to gloat had given Natalya enough time to dodge the attack. She was already pushing herself to the side as Lilac came rocketing towards her. As Lilac neared, Natalya raised her foot and hit the speeding dragon. This sent Lilac hurling up into the ceiling like a football that's been kicked up too high. She hit the ceiling, causing bits of it to sprinkle down onto the floor and smash into pieces. The impact was shockingly loud, making Natalya cringe and worry if she'd caused Lilac to severely hurt herself. Carol and Milla both winced, wondering how much that had hurt Lilac. The dragon fell free from the ceiling and fell down towards the floor. Natalya reacted quickly, throwing herself into Lilac's path so she could catch her and save her. If Lilac hit the floor, she'd be dead. The impact would fracture enough bones to finish her off. They couldn't save Lilac if she was dead. Natalya just managed to catch Lilac in her arms as the dragon fell into them. The two dragons sprawled across the floor with Lilac rolling out of Natalya's arms and coming to a stop just a few inches from her. She quickly picked herself up, showing no real signs of injury or fatigue despite what had happened. That relived Natalya. She didn't want to save Lilac with the girl having a few broken bones. Lilac growled angrily at Natalya as if thinking she'd tried deliberately to get her killed and she ran towards her. Natalya picked herself up and whipped Lilac across the face with her tendril. Lilac's head snapped to the side but she quickly recovered. She had more strength than Natalya for she hadn't been weakened so badly yet. Lilac punched Natalya in the face and then kicked her in the stomach. As Natalya doubled over, Lilac then thumped the woman callously on the head with her fist. This knocked Natalya down onto the floor and left her vulnerable for another attack. Smirking wickedly, Lilac raised her foot and prepared to slam it down on Natalya's head. She would crush her skull and kill her instantly.
But Carol and Milla had finally decided they'd had enough of standing around waiting for Lilac to lose. They had to help Natalya and fast. Milla summoned a green block to her hands and threw it at Lilac as she raised her foot. The dragon saw it coming towards her in the corner of her eye but had no time to dodge it as it slammed into her. It was like being hit by a car, only far less painful and damaging. Lilac landed down heavily onto her side, grimacing as she fought off the pain from the impact. With Lilac momentarily down, Carol and Milla scampered over to Natalya and helped her up. The dragon stared at the two with a rather heartfelt smile on her face.
"You…you saved my life…" she gasped.
"Consider it a token of thanks for turning good." Milla said graciously, "You're very welcome."
"You wanna save Lilac so we're returning the favour." Carol said with a wink, "Now how's about we stop Little Miss Corrupted Pants together? Whadda ya say?"
"I think it's a great idea." Natalya said approvingly.
Carol and Milla beamed, thrilled to get the chance to help get their friend back to normal. Lilac picked herself up, glaring angrily at her opponents. She seemed livid to see that Carol and Milla were by Natalya's side and ready to take her out. She'd show them why they should know better than to dare mutiny against her. She clenched her fists and prepared to fight. Her eyes were like pools of fire, waiting to leap out and burn her opponents to a crisp.
"So Carol and Milla, you're betraying me and siding with Natalya!" she snarled, "Well I've got a big punishment in mind for you two disobedient slaves!"
"Save it Lilac! We're gonna get that evil brew out of your head and then you'll be turned back to normal and this nightmare will be over!" Carol declared, "Now how about you make our job easier for us?!"
"Please Lilac, don't make us have to fight you again!" pleaded Milla.
"I'm not backing outta this one!" the corrupted dragon growled, "I'm keeping my title as Magister and I'm gonna show you what happens if you don't give me the respect I deserve!"
Before she could make any moves at all, something big, round and metallic suddenly shot out of nowhere and hit Lilac in the side, hurling her to the side like a felled tree in a storm. The metal thing landed with a clatter onto the floor and Carol quickly picked it up. It was quite heavy and very, very large. It was a shield. But not just any shield. It was General Gong's shield! Natalya, Carol and Milla turned and saw a very surprising sight before them. Miguel, Lela, Gong and Neera Li were all standing by the doorway, looking pleased to see the trio. Miguel, Lela and Gong had decided to fetch Neera to help them save Lilac. They had quickly explained to her that the Dark Stone's energy was the reason Lilac had turned evil. Neera has suspected this herself and hadn't been surprised at all. She was back in her normal attire now and looking much more comfortable as a result. She still didn't have her ice sceptre though. Lilac had hidden it and likely wouldn't be willing to tell her where it was anytime soon. Milla was ecstatic, already scampering over to her parents and throwing herself into their arms.
"Mommy! Daddy! You're here too!" Milla squealed happily.
"Oh my precious baby!" Lela exclaimed, embracing her daughter happily, "Of course we came!"
"After hearing what had happened on the news, we and Natalya planned to come here and save Lilac." Miguel explained softly, "We've been in the dungeons getting Gong and The Magister free and we've also recruited Neera Li so she can help us save Lilac."
"It hurt me to have to throw my shield at her but it'll be worth it when we get that head of hers emptied of all Dark Stone Energy!" Gong declared.
"Lilac's selflessly put herself above others on many occasions and has done amazing things for our world. We owe her that much." Neera said, "We're gonna save her this time."
"And with all of us together, Lilac has no chance of winning!" Carol declared, "She's as good as saved with all of us fighting against her."
"Indeed so." Natalya said happily.
Lilac picked herself up and found herself staring at a large bunch of Avalicians ready to fight her and take her down. There were seven of them in total, all staring at her and looking eager to take a shot at her. Of course, they were eager because they wanted to get the energy out of Lilac's head and restore her to normal. The dragon didn't see it that way though. She saw usurpers just wanting to throw her off of the throne of Shang Tu. She wasn't going to let them overthrow her without a fight though. She was going to take them all out if she had to.
"So I've got a little band of anarchists mutinying and rebelling against me…how very droll…" the dragon snarled, "Well then…I'LL TAKE YOU ALL ON!"
Snarling with rage, Lilac curled up into a ball and Dragon-Boosted towards the band of Avalicians she was now up against. Carol still had Gong's shield in her hands and she quickly held it up to defend herself as Lilac came speeding towards her like a dragster. The wildcat braced herself, knowing that the impact was going to be very hard when Lilac hit. The dragon slammed into the shield and sent Carol flying backwards. The cat even felt the shield shudder against her arms as Lilac hit it. But the shield had done its job. It had protected her from the attack. Carol landed on her back but she was otherwise unhurt. She picked herself up and threw the shield back over to General Gong. It was too heavy for her to use as a weapon so she decided to let Gong have it back. The panda caught it just in time to raise it and block a Dragon Cyclone attack from Lilac. He could feel the girl's whippy tendrils slamming vigorously against the shield. But hit it as hard as she could, Lilac couldn't damage it in anyway. The shield was too tough. Once Lilac's Dragon Cyclone had finished, Gong swung his arm and walloped the dragon with the shield. Lilac grunted as she was hit and fell down onto the floor, wondering which part of her to rub better first. It felt like being hit by a solid metal bar. Lilac stood back up only to then be tripped up by Neera Li as the panda slid across the floor and took her legs out from underneath her. Despite knowing that Lilac had been corrupted by the Dark Stone's energy and wasn't evil under her own volition, she still felt as if she needed to pay her back for making her dress in scant clothing earlier. Lilac hit the floor, groaning in annoyance as she forced herself back onto her feet. She wasn't going to lose this fight! Not now! She'd beat them all if she had to tear the palace apart in order to do so.
The furious dragon waited for Neera Li to stand back up before throwing herself at the priestess and pile-diving her in the back. Neera cried out in surprise as she was hit and she slammed down onto the floor front first, grimacing from the impact. Lilac pinned her down and then sharply twisted the panda's arm behind her back, making her screech loudly. But Neera wasn't down for long. Milla summoned a green block to her hands and threw it at Lilac, hitting her squarely in the back and making her flinch instinctively. The dragon turned around, releasing her grip on Neera as she glared at Milla. She leapt up onto her feet and Dragon-Boosted towards Milla. The dog summoned a green energy shield to her hands and blocked the attack, wincing as she felt the weight of her friend slamming against the shield. Lilac's attack was powerful enough to push Milla back, but not enough to break through the shield. Once Lilac's Dragon-Boost had ended, Milla fired a blast of energy from her shield and sent Lilac reeling backwards. It was like she'd been punched in the face only not by a fist but by energy. With Lilac momentarily distracted from the pain of Milla's attack, Miguel and Lela seized the opportunity to double-team her. They ran up behind Lilac and kicked her in the back, throwing her down onto the floor heavily. The two took a moment to feel sorry that they'd had to do this to Lilac before running towards her and attempting to make another move. But Lilac rolled over onto her back, raised her legs up and kicked both Miguel and Lela in the groin. The two hounds screamed in agony and collapsed onto their knees, clutching their groins and willing the pain to go away. Lilac leapt back onto her feet and was about to attack the two stunned hounds when suddenly, Carol threw herself at the dragon and tackled her down onto the floor.
The two found themselves in a mad case of roly-poly as they sprawled across the floor, tumbling over one another continuously before finally coming to a stop near the balcony. Both combatants picked themselves up and Carol threw a terrific punch at Lilac's face before she could react. The punch sent Lilac reeling backwards and in order to make sure the dragon couldn't hold her over the edge of the balcony again, Carol decided to take the fight away from it. She roundhouse kicked Lilac and sent her hurling backwards away from the balcony. She landed just near the destroyed throne. Growling in annoyance, Lilac stood back up and waited for Carol to come charging at her again. The wildcat did just that but the dragon had an idea. She picked up the broken off backrest of the throne and kicked it towards Carol, sending it sweeping through the air and slamming straight into her. To Carol, it was like she'd been hit by an oncoming train. The backrest knocked her down onto the floor and the wildcat was left lying there wondering which way was up. Lilac smirked confidently at Carol but her smirk quickly disappeared as Natalya sneaked up behind her and elbowed her in the back. Lilac cried out and spun around, swinging her fists at the elder dragon. Natalya ducked and then uppercut Lilac in the chin, sending her head snapping backwards and nearly throwing her off balance. Lilac managed to keep herself from falling over but not for long. As she regained balance, Natalya kicked her in the stomach and brought her down onto her knees. Lilac winced in pain and Natalya prepared to knock her out once again. But Lilac recovered fast enough to dodge as Natalya swung her fist sideways towards her head. The moment Natalya missed, Lilac lashed out and socked the dragon in between the eyes just above the bridge of her nose. The trench-coated Avalician stumbled backwards, reeling from the punch but before the younger dragon could hit her again, Milla ran forward and threw another energy block at Lilac. The block slammed into the dragon and threw her down onto the floor. Lilac forced herself to stand back up only to then by pummelled by General Gong as the heavyweight panda lumbered towards her and threw a punch at her. Lilac was thrown backwards by the punch and she soon found herself being pile-dived by Neera Li once again. The she-panda positioned herself behind Lilac and kicked her towards the entrance. Lilac crashed into the closed door and winced in pain. She steadied herself against the door, panting and gasping. She was beginning to feel weaker and like she wouldn't be able to go on much longer. She couldn't win this fight, not by a long shot. She had to think of a way to win this. The seven Avalicians all advanced on the corrupted dragon, ready to subdue her at long last. Natalya was at the front of the team.
"You've lost Lilac. You can't take us all on." the dragon insisted, "So just make it easy on yourself and surrender. We promise we won't hurt you too much. We just want to subdue you so we can restore you to normal."
"You'll never take me alive!" Lilac exclaimed angrily.
With that said, Lilac suddenly wrenched the door open and darted through it, closing it behind her as she ran. Natalya stared, bewildered at what had happened. What was Lilac trying to do now? Was she attempting to flee? They couldn't let her get away, not while they were so close to saving her. The gang ran to the door, opened it and chased after Lilac down the corridor. They all ran by Spade's still unconscious body as they ran after the dragon. Their footsteps woke him up, the ninja panda groaning groggily as he came back into consciousness. Spade sat up and stretched, wondering what was happening. He then caught sight of Natalya and the others running down the corridor. What were they after? It didn't matter. Spade would rather not stick around so they could arrest him. Seizing his chance, he boosted off down another corridor, leaving green after images behind him as he fled, and he headed on out of the palace. He'd gather the Red Scarves up and then they'd leave Shang Tu. He wondered what Memphis would think to what was going on...
As Lilac fled down the corridor, she already knew what she had to do in order to win this battle. She'd hidden Neera Li's ice sceptre in the last place that anybody would think to look...under her own bed. She had slept in The Magister's room before being woken up earlier and had hidden the sceptre under his bed in case of emergencies. She'd hidden it under there without Neera Li knowing and now she was going to use the sceptre to freeze her rebels and keep a tight hold on her precious throne. They thought they'd beaten her, but they were very wrong. Lilac reached The Magister's bedroom and flung the door open. A surprising sight met her eyes as she walked into the room. There was somebody standing before her wearing a red robe and carrying a cane of some sort. The figure's face was concealed by a huge, oversized hood. How had he got in here? Lilac soon realized for she noticed that the curtains to one of the windows were open and flapping gently in the night breeze. The figure had obviously climbed up the wall somehow and let himself in through the window. The dragon's red eyes scowled at the intruder.
"Who the heck are you?!" she demanded.
The figure didn't answer. He instead just aimed his cane at Lilac and pressed a button on it. At first, it seemed nothing happened and Lilac wondered what the cane was supposed to do. But then suddenly, a trail of purple mist started to reach out from her head and back into the cane's tip. It was as if the cane was snatching the Dark Stone Energy straight out of her head. The dragon cried out as she felt the evil energy escaping from her brain and being sealed away in this stranger's cane. She knew what was going on. The intruder had an energy conductor. But how? They were illegal! He couldn't possibly have one! But he did and was now using it to take back the Dark Stone Energy that he'd sprayed into her. The whole process lasted a few seconds and as the last of the energy left Lilac's head, the overwhelmed girl collapsed onto the floor. She wouldn't be unconscious for long though. The figure smiled to himself and then proceeded to leap out of the open window before anybody could see him. The moment he disappeared, Natalya and the gang caught up to Lilac and ran into the bedroom. They saw a very surprising sight as they entered. Lilac was there just as they'd hoped she would be but she was lying on the floor and unconscious. What had happened to her? Carol ran over to her friend, her face full of concern.
"Lilac?" she asked worriedly, "Are...are you OK?"
She shook her friend lightly, hoping to wake her up. Luckily for her, Lilac did just that. Her eyes opened up and she mumbled groggily to herself. Carol noted with delight that the dragon's eyes had returned to normal. They were no longer red, they were their natural pink colour. Lilac sat up, her head spinning and a sick feeling in her stomach as she came back to reality. The Avalicians held their breath, wondering if Lilac had miraculously been cured. The dragon looked at them sleepily.
"Ooooh man...what a nightmare..." she muttered, "What happened...?"
"Lilac!" Carol squealed, "Holy galoshes, you're back to normal! Yippee!"
"I...I am?" Lilac asked quizzically, "What happened to me like?"
"You don't remember dear?" asked Natalya softly, kneeling down so she could embrace her adopted daughter.
"Well...I don't think so...all I can remember is being sprayed by purple gas and..."
Lilac's face suddenly went pale as she realized that she actually did remember what happened. It all came back to her. Her turn to evil, her takeover of Shang Tu, her harsh treatment of Carol and Milla, her demands to the world and her desire to take out anybody who rebelled against her. She even remembered nearly killing Natalya by stomping on her head before Milla intervened. Lilac's face fell and tears began to trickle out of her eyes. She felt utterly dreadful, worse than when the Dark Stone had been used on her two weeks ago.
"Oh no...oh no!" she wailed, "I turned evil and subjugated the Royal Palace! I locked up The Magister and Gong, chained Carol and Milla up and made Neera Li my servant girl! I even demanded that Shuigang and Shang Mu give themselves up to me! Oh no...my reputation's pretty much destroyed at this point! Everybody's gonna hate me and demand my punishment! Oh how am I gonna make up for all of this?!"
"Sssh, sssh, it's OK Lilac dear. Don't panic." Natalya said kindly, hugging her sobbing daughter tenderly and stroking her tendrils, "We know what happened to you and now we can tell everybody what happened. Somebody corrupted you with energy from the Dark Stone. They'll understand.
"I...I hope they do..." Lilac sobbed.
"Speaking of which, how did you get back to normal?" asked Carol curiously.
"I don't know...I...I honestly don't know..." the dragon mused.
"I guess somebody had an energy conductor and used it on you to get rid of the energy." Neera suggested, "But who? And why has he or she not stuck around to receive our thanks?"
"This is very puzzling indeed..." Gong murmured, "I have a feeling that things are not what they seem..."
"Indeed." Natalya agreed, "Well, let's go and find The Magister and let him know that you're back to normal Lilac."
"Yeah...let's do that." Lilac said, wiping away her tears, "Still, I hope I didn't hurt any of you guys too much when I was corrupted...especially you carol." she added, glancing over at her best friend, "I'll never forgive myself for holding you over the balcony and threatening to drop you..."
"Lilac, don't sweat it. It's OK. It wasn't you who did that, it was the Dark Stone's Energy that did it." the wildcat said softly, her face carrying a sympathetic, heartfelt smile, "You're blameless in all of this Lilac. Don't be so hard on yourself."
"I...I won't. Thank you." Lilac said appreciatively, smiling at her best friend.
Carol beamed, glad to be of help for her draconian comrade. But then suddenly, somebody ran up towards the bedroom and glanced in to see what everybody was doing. It was The Magister. Everybody turned to see the blue-robed Avalician and were surprised to not only see him, but see him looking so frantic. His eyes were wide in shock as if he'd just witnessed his own death and had seen his grave. He looked disturbed about something.
"My friends..." he murmured, his voice still flat and stoic, not quite matching his facial expression, "It appears we have a problem. There is an angry mob outside...and they're demanding Lilac's head on a platter. Timothy Turtle is leading them."
The Avalicians gasped in horror. No, this couldn't be happening! Not now! Not while Lilac had only just been restored to normal! But then again, maybe they could tell everybody that was what had happened, Lilac was now back to normal and was ready to make up for what she'd done. They supposed that the mob had indeed picked the perfect time to arrive. Lilac breathed in deeply and let it out again.
"Very well...let's show the mob that I'm back to normal." she declared, "They'll believe me."
"It's good to see that you're no longer corrupted dragon blood." The Magister said briskly, "How did it happen?"
"I can't remember." Lilac admitted, "But we can just say that my friends literally beat the energy out of me. They'll buy it hopefully."
The Magister nodded, not sure if he believed that the angry crowd outside would buy it. With no other choice, Lilac and friends walked out of the bedroom and downstairs. Before that though, Lilac quickly reached under the bed and gave Neera Li her sceptre back. She had a feeling the priestess might need it if the crowd got too wild. Neera was grateful to have the sceptre back in her hands and she smiled appreciatively at Lilac. Lilac smiled back and then headed on down to the bottom floor. As soon as she and the others reached the bottom floor, Lilac swallowed nervously as she opened the door and stepped outside. Just as The Magister had said, there was a large crowd outside the palace. The whole populace of Shang Tu had emerged from their houses and were raving like maniacs. Their shouts made the dragon feel deathly nervous and Lilac could see that they didn't seem to be in any mood to listen. Some of them had signs saying "Down with Dragons!" and "Death to the Traitor!". One sign even said, "Punish all Dragons before they punish us!" The signs made Lilac's heart ache with despair. And to think there was once a time where she would be praised and beloved before this whole business had happened. Timothy Turtle was in front of the crowd, looking extremely angry as usual. He had been the one to rile up the crowd and bring them here. He held up his cane for silence and the crowd obeyed. Their shouts died away into nothing and a tense silence fell over Shang Tu. Then Timothy barked.
"What a fortuitous turnout this is!" he exclaimed, "The Magister has gathered together a band of rebels and has now captured the traitor you see before you! Now she can be punished for her immoral actions!"
The crowd cheered, thinking that what Timothy had said was true. But their cheers were quickly silenced as The Magister held up his hands hastily. The crowd stared at their ruler, wondering what he was going to say.
"I'm afraid you are mistaken." The Magister said, "Lilac has not been arrested. You see...we've been wrong the whole time. Lilac was not acting under her own orders. She was corrupted by energy from the Dark Stone. What she did was the Dark Stone's doing."
"And you have proof of this?!" growled Timothy challengingly.
The Magister froze. He didn't have proof at all! How could he convince the crowd that Lilac was innocent now? It seemed Lilac was ready to do so herself. She stepped forward, the crowd glaring at her intensely.
"It's true! Honest!" Lilac cried out, "I was looking for Carol in the forests of Dragon Valley earlier and somebody sprayed me with purple gas! The gas was Dark Stone Energy and it turned me evil!"
"Did none of you people see her red eyes like?" Carol asked.
The crowd didn't buy the story for one minute. None of them had seen Lilac's red eyes for she'd been high up on the balcony when speaking to them.
"You're a liar!" yelled one crowd member.
"Yeah! You can't fool us!" yelled another citizen.
"The Dark Stone was destroyed!" Timothy barked, "How could the stone's energy possibly have corrupted her?! It's a lie and the fact the Royal Magister himself believes this ridiculous story beggars belief! There's a conspiracy against our kingdoms and he's in on it! He's working with Lilac to undermine our peace and serenity and he wants Shang Mu and Shuigang under Lilac's control just like his own kingdom! I bet he even LET Lilac take over Shang Tu! Or even worse...I don't think Lilac even took it over! I bet The Magister gave her the kingdom and is allowing her to carry out her evil plans!"
"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" bellowed Lilac.
"Oh yes it is you disgusting dragon!" Timothy snarled, "You're throwing your lot in with Natalya, the leader of the Red Scarves herself might I add, you've taken Shang Tu and demand Shang Mu and Shuigang to give themselves up to you and you're with the Red Scarves! You told them to break Spade out of prison and many people saw them patrolling the kingdom, obviously intending to protect you!"
"Please listen, you've got it all wrong, I can explain everything!" Lilac begged.
"Shut your mouth you evil creature!" snapped the crowd in unison.
"Lilac is a criminal, a dictator and a traitor! She's no saint and we demand that she be punished for her actions!" the old turtle bellowed, "If The Magister ISN'T in on Lilac's plans, then she must be punished! Go on Magister, punish that dragon! Prove that you're on our side! PUNISH THE DRAGON!"
"Pun-ish the dragon! Pun-ish the dragon! Pun-ish the dragon!" the crowd chanted repeatedly.
Lilac stared at the crowd helplessly. Everybody was against her and nobody believed for a minute that she was innocent. Worse still, they were accusing The Magister of siding with her and being part of a non-existent conspiracy. How could they believe all of this?! Why did nobody believe her? Lilac glared accusingly at Timothy, certain that the whole thing was his fault. But she couldn't see anything on the turtle that proved he was behind all of this. Either he was very good at hiding his tracks or Timothy was as delusional as he was and had been duped along with the rest of the crowd. The Magister looked equally as defeated. What could he do? He couldn't give Lilac the benefit of the doubt, the crowd would accuse him of being a traitor and demand he be overthrown. He'd lose whatever respect he had and Shang Mu and Shuigang would never trust him again. The whole thing could become a scandal that could tear his kingdom apart. He didn't want to punish Lilac. But he had no choice. He would have to do just that in order to save himself, and even Lilac from the crowd's wrath. Sighing, The Magister held up his hands and the crowd fell silent.
"Very well...I shall." The Magister murmured, "I'll arrange a meeting with King Dail and Mayor Zao tomorrow morning. We shall decide on Lilac's punishment together. For tonight, she will remain in my custody until her sentence is ready to be delivered."
The crowd was pleased to hear this. Lilac and her friends were utterly horrified. How could The Magister do this?! He believed Lilac was innocent! He couldn't possibly do this!
"Magister please, you can't!" Lilac begged feebly, "You know I'm innocent! Don't do this please!"
"I'm sorry...but I have no choice." The Magister murmured sadly, "If I let you off without any proof that you're innocent, my kingdom's reputation could be in jeopardy. Nobody would trust me again and I'd be accused of orchestrating a scandal against the three kingdoms...it hurts me to have to do this...it really does."
He then turned to General Gong.
"Lock her up general." he ordered, "I shall decide on her fate along with Dail and Zao tomorrow."
"Yes sir..." mumbled Gong, looking none too happy about what he had to do.
Gong took Lilac firmly by the hand and led her inside, the crowd cheering as she was taken away. Lilac didn't resist. She allowed herself to be taken away. She was numb with grief and horror. She no longer had the strength to try defending herself or even break away. All she could do was cry, worried over what her fate was going to be. Carol, Milla, Miguel, Lela, Natalya and Neera Li all watched with despair. The injustice of it all! How could this be allowed to happen to Lilac?! Why had somebody ruined her reputation to the point the three leaders of the three kingdoms of Avalice were now going to decide how to punish her?! And what would they have to do in order to prove that Lilac was innocent once and for all? Never before had a situation looked so helpless. As Lilac was led into the dungeon, the Avalicians looked at each other in defeat, knowing that there was nothing they could do to save Lilac now. They could only hope that she would be given a merciful sentence...
This...does...not...look...good...Lilac's good again but nobody believes her. What will happen to her now? What will The Magister, Dail and Zao decide on when they meet up? What will Lilac's punishment be? Find out in the final chapter as we're given "Lilac's Sentence"...