A/N: Last time, our heroes were invited to have a chat with the leader of Yagyu Clan in the Dragon Kingdom. While they were given a not-so-friendly greeting, it appears they smoothed things out. However, Sonic, Tails, and Kor run into the Destructix, to which Fiona strikes a deal with them. As they prepare to breach the Iron Fortress, one question arises: if this works as planned, how will they find the Shinobi?

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Sega and Archie except my OC.

The Freedom Fighters and Destructix moved their plan into action, splitting into 3 teams. Team A consisted of Predator Hawk, Flying Frog, and Tails. Team B had Sally and Fiona in an awkward team-up, and team C was formed by Sonic, Ken, Sgt. Simian, and Kor. Team A distracted the ninjas closest to the inner gate while team B cranked the gate's shaft. This allowed team C to simply blow down the outer gate without much problems. Once all the teams converged they ran straight for the throne room.

Once they entered, they were greeted by several rather angry ninja lyxnes holding various weapons. At the throne chairs, stood Lightning Lynx, and next him was a female lynx wearing a purple gi outfit, steel-plated shoes and a conical straw hat. This was Conquering Storm, the Bride of the Raiju. "So, the King of the Free People has raised himself a little army. Fine by me! Only fools declare war on the Raiju Clan." She sneered.

However, Ken thought otherwise. "That is true, but we did not come here to wage war. We only came to talk."

"By invading the fortress entrusted to me by my masters?" Conquering Storm said, unconvinced.

"Would you have listened to us otherwise?" Ken pointed out.

"No." The Bride admitted. "State your case, and do it quickly..."

"Break away from the Iron Dominion. As King of the Free People, on my word of honor, I promise to uphold your rights to your lands. I'll let you keep the Iron Fortress as well." The cyborg stated.

"You'll 'let us' keep it? Bold words, but we can't be bought like the lowly Yagyu...we are the mighty Raiju! Only through one's strength, through action, do you earn anything!" Conquering Storm proclaimed.

Ken smirked. "Then I propose we wager upon a duel. Should your champion win, we will surrender to you. We'd be prime prisoners for the Iron Queen."

"Not that they're lookin' for us already..." Kor pointed out.

"And if ours is victorious, you renounce the Dominion." Ken finished.

The bride took a moment to think it over. "With the Four Houses already falling apart, the Dominion couldn't possibly retaliate against us, even with their legionnaires. And with the heroes busy, little can stop us from reaching our real goal." She thought and smirked. "Either way, I win." Conquering Storm muttered to herself. "Agreed. Lightning! You will fight to prove your continued worth to your clan."

Lightning was a bit shocked by her request. "Y-Yes. Thank you."

Ken chose Sonic to be his fighter. Lightning was shocked a second time as he expected to fight Ken. He knew he wouldn't last long against the Hero of Mobius, but he swallowed his fear and attacked relentlessly. He was not about to be banished from his home again.

Sonic reeled from the punches and kicks thrown at him, but he knew he and the others need to get back to New Mobotropolis as quick as possible. Dodging another swing at him, Sonic launched a series of homing attacks at the lynx until Lightning was too dazed to continue. "I didn't realize you invested so much into this, but we've got a whole city to save. I'm sorry, but my friends and family have to come first..." The hedgehog told defeated ninja.

Conquering Storm rolled her eyes. "That was pathetic. Lightning is henceforth Raiju no more. Again."

"No! Wait! I can still be of use to you!" Lightning pleaded.

"No, you cant."

"Please don't! I love-" He was cut off as Conquering Storm glared at him.

"Do not embarrass yourself further. That's what got you banished the first time." She stated. The bride and Lightning stared at each other for a minute before Lightning sighed and accepted his fate.

Sonic watched Lightning sulk in defeat and glared at Fiona. "This isn't what we agreed to..."

"Yes it was. You just didn't know it." The vixen smirked.

Simian, Predator, and Frog conforted their comrade. "You were never of them Lightning, you are one of us." Simian told him

"They would have rejected you eventually. However, we won't." Predator chimed in.

"Hey...you're running with us now. And I promise you, with what I got planned, they'll get what's coming to them." Fiona told the lynx.

Lightning stared at the floor, rage emitting from him. "All of them?..."

"All of them."

"Good...Let's go." Lightning said.

"The Raiju have lost, and by my word of honor I renounce our ties to the Iron Dominion. However, that does not make us allies. Leave." Conquering Storm commanded.

Once the heroes exited the fortress, Tails noted the Destructix were gone. "Looks like Fiona and the Destructix didn't stick around to say good-bye."

"Not that it matters pardner. If we see em' again we're enemies anyway." Kor said.

"Speaking of which, thanks for earlier Kor." Tails said, causing the red fox to look at him confused. "Thanks for stopping Fiona from teasing me...or whatever that was."

"No biggie. Given her type I don't like it when people play with the emotions of others...I know how that feels, but I don't want someone like you to have to put up with that." The engineer explained.

"To be frank, I was about to punch her myself, but I think I might be over-stepping my bounds. I'm not some kind of thug." Sally said.

"I can imagine it already." Sonic said, smirking. "I second that." Ken said.

"Maybe next time you should be the one to slug her Aunt Sally." Tails agreed. Sonic and Ken chuckled whilst Kor shook his head in amusement.

"I'm drowning in testorterone..." Sally muttered to herself.

"Anyway, with that aside, got any idea where the Shinobi Clan likes to hang Ken?" Kor asked.

"I have no idea..."

"Lame monkey-boy!" Sonic groaned.

"I'm serious! They're known for their secrecy. All I know is that they're chameleons. Everything else is just rumors and legends." The cyborg explained.

"Maybe if we can get to Angel Island and borrow Knuckles. He knows how to spot them." Sonic said thoughtfully.

"No. He's busy safe-guarding the place. Besides, we can't have examine every inch of the Dragon Kingdom."

"Guess these guys are alot like spahs. They don't show themselves unless they want you to see em'. Of course back in my day if a spah made a mistake and showed himself at the wrong time he'd be killed..." Kor muttered.

"So how do we find someone who doesn't want to be found?" Tails asked.

"You'll need a guide...and a friend you can trust." A familiar voice said. The heroes looked all over to find the owner, only to find Espio coming out of his camoflauge just feet away from them.

"You!" Ken yelled in anger, charging his atom-bat. "You have the nerve to shwo your face after you-"

Sonic quickly stepped in front of him. "Hold on Ken, chill for a sec ok?"

"He's a traitor to you and his team!"

"And he's been a friend for much longer." Sonic retorted with a friendly smile.

"Yet he attacked you. He even punched you in the face!"

"And we've gotten into three times as many fights. By that logic, I should be stomping you into the dirt." The hedgehog grinned.

Ken glared at him before sighing. "Fine...have it your way." He said in a chilling tone.

"I usually do." Sonic smirked.

"Ken raises a good point though. You've made it clear you're in with the Iron Dominion Espio, so why are you here now?" Sally asked.

"I don't want to debate semantics, but I am with the Shinobi Clan. I'm only with the Dominion through extenuating circumstances..." The chameleon explained.

"Knuckles mentioned something along those lines, but he wasn't sure what you meant."

"I'm not permitted to say much, but my clan leader will reveal everything. The Bride of Constant Vigil has been observing your efforts in trying to dismantle the Clan of Four Houses. I volunteered to guide you to a meeting with her." Espio explained with a friendly smile.

"Im sorry Espio, but your word isn't good enough now..." Sally told him.

Espio mulled in thought for a moment before sighing. "Very well then, no more secrets. I'll give you all the information I have on each of you, removing any advantage I might have had."

Sonic smirked. "Secrets? Us? We're the heroes, Es. We're squeaky clean."

"Speak for yourself..." Kor muttered.

For the next few minutes, Espio told everyone the secrets they were sure no one else had known: Sonic's stint as 'The Sneak', Tails' fan-made comic called 'Captain Super Fox-Man', the location of Sally's royal birthmark, and even Kor's record of the funniest kills he's made as a mercenary. There was some debate with Ken though when Espio told the cyborg there were 'more like him'.

"Ok ok so you've proved you got dirt on all of us. What makes you think we trust you now?" Sonic asked.

"Information is everything within my clan. By revealing the secrets I knew I have left myself entirely vulnerable to you. The fact I know any of those things just comes from doing my job." Espio explained.

"I can get behind that. Spah's job was usually about gettin' intel on our enemies positions and of course eliminatin' key targets. But, he always reported what he knew to us first before the rest of us would move in." Kor said.

Espio nodded. "As I said before, my clan will reveal all." He thank took out five hankercheifs. "Please accept these blindfolds so I may take you to our secret headquarters. Oh and Kor, please so not try to peak using your infrared vision..."

"Yeah yeah, gotchya." The engineer said, taking one. The others looked at each other for a minute before doing the same.

"Alright Espio. We'll follow your lead, for now..." Sally told him.

"Thank you princess. I promise, you won't regret it." The chameleon said before leading them.

After several minutes of blind walking and stumbling with nothing but the sound of Espio's voice leading the way, Sonic grew impatient. "Ok, it's bad enough we're going so slow, but I can safely say I'm totally lost now."

Espio took off the hedgehog's blindfold. "That's the point."

The other take off their rags and find themselves in a large cavern. There was only one path leading towards another opening, which sat just across what seemed to be a bottomless pit. "Welcome to the Way of the Blind. You will find my master if you can reach the other side." Espio explained.

"Wait, what do you mean 'if'? Kor asked.

"I'm sorry, but this is our way." Was all the ninja said before disappearing.

"Great...so how are we supposed to find our way across this?" Sonic asked.

"Don't worry Sonic, I can just fly us over." Tails said, already lifting himself into the air.

However, Ken grabbed the kit's foot. "Don't." He lifted his atom-bat and conjured electricity into the air, lighting up the cave ceiling.

It was shown that the Shinobi were also good at concealing traps in plain sight. The ceiling was filled with almost every medieval trap you could imagine: arrows, axes, beartraps, buzzsaws, etc. It was clear anyone who tried to cheat their way by flying would meet an untimely demise.

Tails shuddered. "And I almost flew right into that...thanks Ken."

"My gears are turnin'. Epsio said their clan is very secretive and gather info right? So what if there's some sort of invisible path? Back in my day we used to uncover spahs by dousin' em' with fire, bleeding them, and for some reason Sniper used to throw-" Kor said before Sally cut him off.

"Please don't finish that sentence...but invisible objects does give me an idea." The chipmunk said. She picked up some dirt and threw it towards the chasm. Instead of falling into the black abyss like one would estimate, it sat there as if it was floating. "Looks like your guess was spot on Kor, but I'm wary of this idea. It could be a maze or laden with traps...we should take this one step at a time."

While she was talking, Sonic grabbed a mound of dirt and ran out onto the hidden path. "Sorry Sal, but you know I don't do slow." He smirked.

"Be careful Sonic!" Sally shouted.

"Careful? So many foreign words today!" Sonic teased. He continued to spread the dirt all over the path to make it visible, though he nearly fell off. "Espio made have had some dirt on us, but I got dirt on his tricky path." The hedgehog taunted.

"Never knew you to play dirty hedgehog." Ken said.

"Can you please stop with the dirt jokes?..." Kor sighed.

"Ok guys, we've overcome their first challenge, so be ready for anything." Said the princess.

Your trepidation is unnecessary. Come in and we will speak plainly." A new voice said.

They found the Shinobi Clan's bride sitting on a large pillow with the clan's banner on the wall behind her. The bride herself was a purple chameleon wearing a green outfit #purple in her first appearance# with yellow trim, a red sash at the waist, studded bands at the wrists and ankles, and sandals. She also had 4 horns on her head, two of which had jewelry attached to them. This, is the Bride of Constant Vigil. Next to her, Espio was pouring her a cup of tea.

"You can also forego the honorifics. I am well aware of who you are." The bride added.

"Very well then...the Clan of the Four Houses-" Ken began.

"Is evil, and its support crumbles. I know you are here to convince us to break away." Vigil stated.

"I like your directness ma'am. So does that mean you'll break ties as well?" Kor asked.

"Yes, you have my word of honor. The Clan of Four Houses is no more." The bride said, taking a sip from her cup.

"Well, that was easy! Thanks for your time, we know the way out." Sonic said, turning to leave.

"Now wait just a minute!" Ken shouted. The blue blur sighed. "You can't let it be simple can you?..."

"It's not that simple! We spent days traveling here and risking our lives to convince each clan's bride! You had to leave your family and friends behind in the hands of those monsters! And the Dragon Kingdom Freedom Fighters-!"

"Ken, take a minute." Sally suggedted.

Ken fumed for a moment before sighing. "I've heard the Shinobi Clan call themselves the protectors of these lands. If that's true, why didn't you help us fight? Why did you side with the Iron Dominion?"

Constant Vigil sighed, bringing old memories to bear. "Generations ago, we thought as you did. We've fought openly against the other clans. We even tried to police the Free People of the Dragon Kingdom. As a result, we were nearly wiped out for our efforts..." She paused. "As a result, we adopted our shadowy ways to survive. We learned to do more with less. Our clan is small at this time, and had we chosen to stand and fight, the Iron Dominion and the other clans would have wiped us out once and for all. The destruction of your freedom fighters proves my thinking as correct. We did as we have done for generations: watch and wait." The bride explained. "But...sometimes action must be taken. Espio has shown me this by deviating greatly from his mission."

"Wait, what mission? We all thought you were just a native to Angel Island." Sonic pointed out.

"Well..." Espio looked at his leader. "With your permission." The bride nodded as she continued to drink.

"I'm the most recent agent sent to monitor the Guardian of Angel Island." The ninja stated.

"So you were spying on Knuckles this whole time?" Tails asked.

"More or less. Knuckles comes from a long line of Guardians called "The Brotherhood." They took it upon themselves to monitor Mobius for threats against Angel Island. My clan didn't think a powerful, species-centric organization like them should go unchecked, so each generation one of us is chosen to keep track of the active guardian to protect mobius. My mentor was Valdez. He was monitoring Locke and his dealings with the Kingdom of Acorn. He later helped me settle in Rainbow Valley and build my identity as just another local. I was supposed to just observe Knuckles and report any dangerous decisions he made. I was only allowed to reveal myself if the situation was dire, such as for example, when Eggman captured you all on Angel Island. I wasn't supposed to be working directly with him, join the Chaotix, or be his friend, but..." Espio paused, unable to find the right words.

"While Espio has broken the taboo of his station, I cannot ignore that it had been the right choice." Vigil stated, causing Espio to look at her in confusion.

"You are to return to your station on Angel Island, and you have permission to act as you see fit." The bride said, smiling.

Espio was surprised at the sudden gesture. "Really?! I can?! Thank you, mo-" He stopped himself short. "I-I mean master. Please excuse my outburst."

"Before you go, retreive the Mystical Fan of Fen Xing and bring it to New Mobotropolis. Your friends will need its power." Vigil ordered.

"At once." Espio said before leaving. "See you back in the city!"

"You better. You're way behind on your heroism quota." Sonic smirked.

"You may have broken the Clan of the Four Houses, but your work has just begun, King of the Free People." The bride stated.

"I know." Ken nodded. He removed his ring headband and gave it a jolt, reshaping a part of it to show a red jem in the center. "With this crown, I swear I will do my best to protect both my people and to honor the authority of the clans. You have my word of honor. I just hope I can live up to the hype..."

"I know you will." Sally smiled.

"You will have the Shinobi Clan ensuring a safe departure from the Dragon Kingdom." Constant Vigil told them.

"Thank you, Bride of Constant Vigil. We appreciate all you've revealed to us." Sally and Ken bowed.

"Are you sure you can spare the extra muscle? I mean, you don't even have guards in here." Sonic asked.

"Oh? Did you truly believe I would leave myself totally prone to such powerful outsiders?" The bride asked.

At that moment, Tails and Kor's ears picked up movement from above. Upon gazing upward, they saw various chameleons watching them.

"I knew I had the feeling we were bein' watched." Kor said.

"I gotta admit, that's pretty cool." Sonic stated.

After that, the heroes returned to stormtop village. They decided to rest for the night considering how late it was and the amount of work they put it today. Each of them were eager with anticipation of driving the Iron Dominion out of New Mobotropolis. However, Kor still had to come to terms with the fact he may have to destroy his best creation to date. Once again he didn't sleep much, but instead worked on making his sentry mobile. Using the part he brought with him, he made two pairs of treads for the level 3 sentry.

Come the following morning, Sally and Ken bid their goodbyes to Li Yuen while Tails was gifted a good basket for the trip back from Li Moon. Sonic tapped his foot impatiently while Kor got the plane ready. Whilst doing so he looked over his remodeled sentry on his PDA. "At least it won't be a sitting target for Hornet..." The engineer muttered. "Hey guys, Tornado's ready."

"Feeling more confident than when we landed Sal?" Sonic asked.

"Much more. Let's go save the day." Sally smiled.

"And let's kick those jerks out of my city." Kor smirked.

"That's more like it! Hang on Freedom Fighters! The cavalry's on the way!" Sonic boasted.

A/N: For summer, you would think these chapters would come more frequently, but work stops for no one. Glad I'm done with this chapter so now I can focus on writing the rest. With the Clan of the Four Houses finally broken, the heroes set their sites on New Mobotropolis, but has the Dominion been up to in their absence? You'll find out next chapter.