Author's Note: Sorry for keeping you waiting. I know everyone was eagerly awaiting for this update. Sorry if it's short.

The song featured here is a parody of "Nothing Left to Lose" from Tangled: the Series.

Enjoy the chapter. Any and all comments are welcome.

Aleena looked down from her tower window to see the backbreaking labor the masked humans were being forced to endure. She couldn't bear to see them being mind-controlled into slavery, but she also couldn't look away. She clenched her chest seeing what they were going through.

Then, her door opened. She turned and saw the Hooligans standing in the open doorway. Bark approached her and gave her a beautiful, white dress.

"What's this for?" Aleena asked.

"Dinner." Fang answered. "Scarlemagne's hosting a fancy dinner and he wants you to join him in the royal hall."

"And if I don't?" Aleena asked.

"He said it's your choice, but he insists."

"He promised it'll be a night you'll never forget." Bean said. "Maybe it'll have balloons or cake or..." Bark covered his bill with his hand to shut him up.

Aleena locked her eyes on the dress before accepting it. The Hooligans left the room to give her privacy to change.

Scarlemagne walked around the incredibly long table full of fresh food and dinnerware. He then turned to the servants. He clapped their hands and they headed to the kitchen in perfect synchronization.

"I swear, good help has gotten much easier to find lately." Scarlemagne said.

His eyes then gazed at the stairs when Aleena carefully walked down. He smiled seeing her in the white dress he picked out for her. He curtseyed to her and pulled out a seat for her at the table right near where he would be.

"Aleena. So glad you can make it. You have no idea how happy this makes me."

"Glad I can bring you a smile." Aleena said blankly taking her seat.

"Oh, you'll do so much more than that." Scarlemagne said. "Some drinks for the lovely hedgehog and I, if you don't mind!"

Aleena turned her head at the brainwashed human in the red suit and the white mask covering his whole face. She stared in horror at the lifeless eyes that were shown through the mask. The human gave a wine glass to each mute before setting down a green glass bottle between them.

Scarlemagne noticed Aleena's concern and dropped his smile. "You don't seem excited."

"Are you kidding?" Aleena asked. "I'm horrified."

"There's no reason to be." Scarlemagne said. "I promise not to harm you, and my pheromones can't brainwash you anyway."

"It's not me I'm concerned about." Aleena said. "You've enslaved over a hundred humans. You've been terrorizing Las Vistas for thirteen years."

"You call it terror, I call it order." Scarlemagne said. "I've brought a functional system to this city which has lost order for two hundred years. And as for the humans, I'm just paying them back for an entire eternity of being treated as pets. We were slaves first. We're just due our own kingdom. And that's what we're going to get."

"Yeah. I noticed." Aleena said looking at the window. She caught glimpses of human heads passing by.

"You like it?" Scarlemagne asked. "I'm calling it Aurum. It will serve as the capital city for our new mute kingdom. And once it's complete, I will hold a royal coronation to officially name me as supreme emperor of all mute-kind. And that's not all. To commemorate this fantastic occasion, I will be hosting another event. You see, the moment I am crowned king, you shall also become my queen."

Aleena's eyes widened as she turned them to Scarlemagne. "I'm sorry?"

"Yes. My coronation ceremony will also be our matrimonial ceremony." Scarlemagne said. "Just think of it. We can finally be together, just like we talked about back when we were young. Our promise finally fulfilled. What do you think?"

Aleena dropped her jaw. "N-No. I can't."

Once again, Scarlemagne's smile frowned. "Why not? Isn't this what you wanted? For us to be together?"

"Not like this." Aleena said. "Hugo, I…"

"Please!" Scarlemagne interrupted trying to hold back his anger. "Don't call me that. I'm Scarlemagne. Hugo is the name given to me by Lio. And you know as well as I what he's done."

Aleena frowned. "I know you're hurting, but you can't take it out on the rest of humanity. Lio was put in an impossible situation. He made a choice. You know that."

"Yes. And he didn't choose me." Scarlemagne said clenching his fist. "What I don't get is why you keep defending him? You were almost in the same situation as I was. The only difference is that we had different scientists monitoring us."

"That's not the only difference." Aleena said. "I'm a mother. I've seen through the eyes of parenthood. So I understand Lio's choice. As hard as it was to accept was he's done, you could at least understand why it is that he did what he did."

"Well, in either case, he serves a greater purpose now." Scarlemagne said before turning to the masked human. "Isn't that right, Lio?"

Aleena gasped turning to the same human. She reached out and removed the mask. She gasped louder seeing Lio flashing a creepy smile to his hosts. As she stared in disbelief, Scarlemagne cackled maniacally.

"What did you do to him?!" Aleena yelled out.

"I made him useful." Scarlemagne said. "He already broke down the chemical composition of my pheromones and taught me how to make more from scratch. And it'd be a waste to just leave him standing around. So for now, he's our personal server."

"This isn't right!" Aleena protested. "This isn't what Lio and Song taught you!"

"That was before what happened." Scarlemagne said.

Aleena frowned in disappointment. "Look, you're angry. I get it. But you're making a mistake.

Aleena:
The path you're on is a path paved in blood

You're taking something good and dragging it in mud

You think that it's right

But it's just a fright

To those who care

Don't you see the cup you fill has no bottom end

This isn't your peace. It's only pretend

They treat you so bad

So you treat them back

And call it fair

The truth is, there's no peace and no fairness

No joy and no justice

Extra fire won't ease up that burn

So you see, there's no repairs and no hope

No love at the end of the rope

By then, you'll reach the point of no return

The point of no return

"Trust me. Becoming the villain isn't…"

"Is that what you think I am?" Scarlemagne interrupted.

Scarlemagne:

The path I'm on is the only path for me

For the first time in my life, I'm finally free

No longer in a cage

This is a new age

Of Scarlemagne

Don't you know, this road I tread isn't one I paved

I'll take those who wronged me into an early grave

Call me a villain

But I am willin'

To make my claim

So you see, there's no mercy and no respect

This world's in no way perfect

That's the lesson that I was forced to learn

So I will have no restraint and no remorse

No restraint from my current course

Until I reach the point of no return

The point of no return

Aleena:
There's still time to turn this around

Scarlemagne:

Within days, we'll both be crowned

Aleena:
Listen, please

THERE'S NO HOPE IN THIS PATH YOU'RE ON

IS THERE NO WAY TO CONVINCE YOU IT'S WRONG

CAN'T YOU HEAR EVERYONE'S CRIES OF CONCERN

Scarlemagne:

THERE'S NO GOING OR EVEN TURNING MY HEAD

I MEANT WHAT I SAID

YOU CAN'T STOP THE WHEELS AS THEY TUUUUUUURN

"I've had enough of this!" Scarlemagne yelled impatiently. "Bean, Bark, lead our soon-to-be queen back to her chambers. She'll stay there until our wedding."

Bean and Bark nodded and grabbed Aleena's arms. Without a fight, she followed their lead back upstairs, but she hung her head in disappointment. Scarlemagne looked down with growling teeth.

"Not to worry, sir. We've got everything now." Fang assured.

"Not everything." Scarlemagne said. "I still don't have Aleena's children. The three hedgehogs who I originally sent you to apprehend."

Fang looked at him in confusion. "But boss, we already brought you to a whole burrow full of humans. Isn't that why you hired us in the first place."

"I was after the human girl for the burrow. But I need the hedgehogs kids for something more personal. Actually, better include Kipo too. Her Mega-Jaguar form is vital if I can make her sympathetic to my cause."

"But I…"

"No negotiations!" Scarlemagne yelled slamming her fist on the table. He took a breath and spoke calmer. "Bring me all three hedgehogs and the Mega-Jaguar, and you'll have everything you deserve. Come back with them, or don't come back at all."

Fang sighed. "Yes, sir. And I thought this was over." He walked away leaving Scarlemagne to dine alone in the empty dining room.

Scarlemagne:

Now… I've reached… the point… of no…

Retuuuuuuuuuuuuuurn

When the sun rose, Vector the Crocodile was woken up by a knock on the door. He groaned as he got up from the couch and stretched his arms.

"Charmy, would you mind getting that?"

"Okay!" Charmy replied from the next room. He hovered across the room in a drowsy state until he reached the door. He opened it up and widened his eyes at who it was.

"Vector! Espio! Look who it is!" he cried out.

Vector quickly rolled out of his couch and Espio appeared from out of thin air. They joined up with Charmy at the front door.

"Who is it? A mobster? A gangster?" Vector asked frantically.

"How about instead of asking, you look out the door?" Espio suggested.

Vector turned his head to find Kipo Underground standing on the other side of the door.

"Hey, guys." Kipo said. "We may need your help."