Chapter 4 – Discovering the Truth

Ash grinned as she looked back to see the dragons following behind her. Her planned had worked as they believed her to be Cynder. She chuckled nastily to herself, knowing that as soon as she had lured them to a spot where they would be easy prey, she could wipe them all out, and they would not have anyone to help them, not even the real Cynder as she was incapacitated at the moment and trapped in her old body.

The other dragons were still wondering about the mission Cynder was talking about, as they never recalled that they had to go somewhere, and even if they did, they wondered why Cynder was being so secretive about it.

"Hey, Cynder," said Torden. "Can you tell us exactly where we are going?"

"Like I have already told you before," replied Ash. "We're going on a very special mission, and I need you all to be with me for this."

"But what kind of mission are we going?" asked Percival.

"I can't really say what it is," said Ash. "It's a top secret mission, very confidential, and I will explain it to you in better detail once we arrive there."

"In all seriousness, Cynder," said Jakkin. "Why can't ya tell us what this mission is? Since we're your friends, I think it's best to tell us what it is so we can all work together when the goin' gets tough."

Ash turned around and glared at Jakkin. "Listen, what I do is none of your beeswax, so you better have faith in my motives and roll along with it," she said sharply. "Have I made that clear, or should I knock some sense into you spineless saps?"

"Hey, sis, relax there," said Darky, nervously. "Jakkin was just asking you a question, so there's no need for you to be like that."

"Do you want me to give you a mouthful of teeth, you annoying little worm?!" threatened Ash.

Everyone was silent and shocked, especially Draco, Bowser, and Charonus. They had never expected Cynder to yell at Darky like that. He was very hurt and came close to crying as he felt the tears sting in his eyes.

Realising what she had just said and seeing the group staring at her, Ash quickly regained her composure. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she said sheepishly while she laughed. "I was only kidding! No way would I ever do that to anybody, not even the little one right here! Let's forget what I said and keep moving!"

Without saying a word, the dragons continued to follow their leader, knowing that it was better to stay silent for the time being until they see for themselves where they will be heading. Charonus felt very uneasy and suspicious about Cynder's abrasive behaviour as he knew her back when he first met her, Draco, and Bowser. He had that deep feeling that the very dragon leading them to wherever they were going was not Cynder at all.

Tails and Blaze continued to ponder over what had come over Cynder. The only thing they could agree on was that she was probably under some kind of spell, but they had no idea how they could reverse the effects. Ignatius and Shu just watched the two having their discussion while drinking some hot cocoa.

"What kind of a spell do you think Cynder could have been hit by?" asked Tails. "Was it probably hypnotism? I know the dragons have had experienced that with Bowser and Lily when they were possessed."

"I don't know for sure, Tails," said Blaze. "I mean, Cynder looked rather normal. We didn't see her with those eyes, so it may not have been hypnotism."

"That's another theory down," said Tails sadly. "If only I know something about magic, then we would have found a way to get Cynder back to normal."

"There's something that's bugging me, though," continued Blaze. "Cynder was sporting a rather familiar smirk. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I have seen that smile from somewhere before."

"Tails and Blaze!" called Shu. "Someone's coming!"

Alerted, Tails, Blaze and Ignatius looked out to the village entrance, expecting the Pyre Squad to cause trouble and attack the place. Soon as the figure came into view, they noticed that it was an albino Twilight Storm dragon, struggling to move. Quickly, Tails and Blaze realised that the dragon was Ash, who was actually Cynder in her body. This made them take fighting stances to defend the village.

"Better join in and help us, Ignatius and Shu," said Blaze. "That dragoness is Ash, and she is much more dangerous than the Pyre Squad."

"Is that so?" asked Ignatius as he turned to face Ash. "Well, she'd better be ready to feel the fury of my flames and claws!"

"Hold on a second," said Shu. "Look at her! It seems like she's having trouble trying to walk or something."

"Must… warn Draco and the others that they're in danger…" groaned Cynder as she breathed deeply, holding her right arm tightly to her chest. As soon as she looked up to face the village, she could see Tails, Blaze, Ignatius, and Shu, but the other dragons were missing, much to her dismay. "Tails and Blaze!" she cried. "You've got to help me!"

"Oh, no, you're not fooling anybody, Ash!" declared Tails. "We're ready to protect this village from whatever malevolent damage you're about to inflict!"

"No, I am not Ash!" protested Cynder. "She did it! Ash has casted a spell on me, and now she has taken control of my body!"

At first, Blaze found it hard to believe that Cynder was Ash and she angrily had her fists up ready for a fight, but when she looked into the albino Twilight Storm's eyes, she recognised that expression.

"Cynder, is that you?" she asked doubtfully.

"It really is me, Blaze," continued Cynder. "Your favourite music is gothic metal, your birthday is on the eighth of January, and you married Tails nearly seven years ago back when you were twenty-eight and he was twenty-two!"

Blaze smiled as she knew that the dragoness guessed her facts correctly. "Yes, it is you!" she exclaimed happily. "But you look terrible, so let Tails fix you up with a quick potion."

Tails hurried and used a healing potion on the albino Twilight Storm to cure her wound.

"Thanks, Tails, I needed that," said Cynder as she sighed in relief.

"Don't mention it," said Tails modestly.

"By the way, where's Draco and the others?" asked Cynder.

"Cynder, or should I say, Ash, has taken them out to go someplace," replied Blaze. "And if you're in Ash's body, then that means… uh-oh…"

"That means they're in danger!" gasped Tails in horror. "We better get to Draco and the others as fast as we can before Ash hurts them!"

Author's Note: Can Cynder, Tails, and Blaze reach the group in time before they fall into Ash's trap? Find out in the next chapter! Things are become more serious! Oh yeah, and this story has more homages to Dragon Ball Z with the mind-swap plot and all.