-Chapter 124-
Meddle Not in the Affairs of Dragons
Knothole
It was a lazy day in Knothole. The Freedom Fighters were hanging out in the TV room, Cream and Cheese playing a new game Sonic had bought at their request. On the screen were the three Marxio Brothers, doing such things as hopping on evil turtles, going down green pipes, and busting bricks with their heads
"Super Marxio Bros.?" Chris read from the case. "Aren't the Marxios-"
"Yep," Sonic nodded. "The guys who ran Spring Yard on South Island and Spring Stadium on Flicky Island for Eggman. They bailed out after they got paid for the stadium, said they were gonna make a game about themselves."
Shorty scoffed. "Who cares about the adventures of three electricians?"
Sonic shrugged. "Cream asked nicely, and I felt she earned it after helping save Meropis."
"A true Freedom Fighter, and she's only six," Bunnie mused.
Suddenly, a loud, draconic roar shook the entire area. Everyone jumped out of their skins, looking around nervously
"Uh…" Mina began nervously, "what was that?"
"I have an idea," Sonic replied. "Everyone outside! We have company!"
They headed out at that, Sonic in the lead. As they got outside, they spotted a familiar silhouette descending from the sky, landing in front of the group.
"I thought it was you," Sonic mused. "Guys, meet Dulcinea. Or Dulcy for short."
"Hello, Freedom Fighters," Dulcy greeted in heavily accented English.
Antoine blinked. "You speak English now?"
"Enough to get by," Dulcy replied. "Still learning. Your language is… hard."
"Say no more," Sonic assured. "I'll go snag our translator."
Echidnaopolis
Knuckles and Kat were getting all of their stuff situated back in their rooms.
"I'm glad you're both willing to return on a more permanent basis," Locke said.
"I'm glad you're actually keeping your word this time," Knuckles replied.
"I'm well aware this is my last chance, and I have no intention of ruining it by backsliding," Locke told them.
Kat and Knuckles both nodded in approval, and it was at that moment Sonic warped in.
"Sonic," Knuckles greeted. "What's up?"
"I need Kat, if you don't mind."
Kat blinked. "Me?"
"Your friend's come by for a visit," Sonic explained.
"My fri-" Kat perked. "Dulcy!"
Knothole
Kat and Sonic warped back, Kat beaming at the sight of Dulcy.
"Dulcy!" she exclaimed in Chun-nese the second she caught Dulcy's attention. "You came to Knothole!"
"Good to see you too," Dulcy greeted. "But... I'm afraid this isn't a social call."
Kat tensed, looking worried. "What is it? Is it your mom?"
"No," Dulcy shook her head. "Dragon's Nest recently came under attack by Dr. Robotnik. He made off with the mother of a newly-laid egg."
"He what?!" Kat shrieked.
"Kat, fill us in?" Sonic requested.
"Eggman just kidnapped a mother from Dragon's Nest! One who just laid an egg!"
"Seriously?" Tails scowled. "Every time I think that sleaze couldn't possibly sink any lower, he does."
"What's his encore?" Amy spat. "Singing 'Great Balls of Fire' at the burn ward? Going to the orphanage to make fun of the kids with no parents? (1)"
"He must have taken advantage of how weak dragon's are after they lay," Kat mused. "Damn Eggman."
"My people are going out on a hunt to retrieve the mother before she suffers the same fate as my own," Dulcy explained. "However, in order to do this, we require someone to protect the freshly hatched egg."
"She wants us to guard the egg while the Nest gets the mom back," Kat translated.
"You got it," Sonic nodded. "We'll handle things."
"I know this is an off day for us, but a good portion of the team is helping with the final pieces of Station Square," Sally pointed out.
Sonic shrugged. "Relax. It's guard duty. A small team should be fine."
"I'll come," Shorty decided. "Hope finished up my new suit, and I'm curious to see if it'll work as well as it did when I was trapped in it."
"Count me in too," Tails said.
"I'm coming for obvious reasons," Kat said.
"Obviously," Sonic nodded. "Maybe Knux can be convinced to come too."
"You may need me for diplomatic reasons," Sally pointed out.
"Alright, then I think we have our team," Sonic decided.
As the others got ready, Shorty was led into the lab where Hope revealed the redesigned Cybernik armor. It was sleeker, shinier, with new boots as well as red gloves and shoulder pads with black stripes. The most notable change, however, was the helmet, which had been changed to a motorcycle helmet-esque design with a pane of glass over the face, similar to Rotor's own armor.
"I tried to make it cooler and less claustrophobic," Hope said. "What do you think?"
"I think it'll do perfectly," Shorty replied. "Thanks."
Hope smiled. "Anytime."
After collecting Knuckles from the island, the group gathered around Dulcy, handing the dragon one of the Warp Rings.
"Be warned," Dulcy began. "While the council did approve of my decision to recruit you, there are many among the nest who do not care for non-dragons."
"Watch out for bigoted dragons," Kat clarified.
"That's why you have me," Sally said. "Here's hoping they're more willing to hear me out than Deena's parents were."
Dulcy gave the ring a flick, opening up a massive portal to the base of Dragon's Nest.
Sonic gestured for her to enter. "Dragons and ladies first."
Dulcy in the lead, everyone went through the ring.
Dragon's Nest
On the other side, the group looked up, beholding Dragon's Nest for the first time. It was a stone structure situated on a high rock pillar emerging from the bottom of a canyon. The nest had bone decorations on the outside, as well as paintings. Inside was a stone floor, ornaments in the form of golden dragon heads, and a large nest that was reminiscent of an eagle's nest.
"Whoa…" everyone let out in awe.
"Dragon's Nest is the cradle of our civilization," Dulcy told them, Kat translating. "Dragons from all over Mobius come here to lay eggs and raise the newborn pups."
"I never imagined I'd ever see this place outside of books," Kat mused. "And now I'm walking in as a guest."
"Hard to believe, ain't it?" Knuckles questioned.
"Please follow me," Dulcy requested, switching to English for simplicity sake. "The Elder is waiting for us."
As they headed deeper into the nest, they were greeted by a large, older dragon with red scales, wearing a black robe with silver accents. He had a long white beard, a black ring like Dulcy's, and a golden left eye. He looked upon the group as Dulcy bowed, the Freedom Fighters following suit.
"Elder Glint, I bring you the Freedom Fighters," she informed him.
Glint looked them up and down. "We've heard much about you. All of it good."
"Thank you, sir," Kat said politely. "We are honored to be welcomed into this sacred place, and will gladly fulfill the duty bestowed upon us."
Glint led them up to the nest, where a lone dragon egg sat. It was a very large egg, one that was a vibrant red color and ridged like scales. It shimmered in the light, and hummed with a surprising amount of power..
"Anyone else getting weird vibes from that egg?" Sonic asked.
"I know what you mean," Knuckles mused. "This thing's giving off a ton of Chaos Energy."
"Be at ease, there's nothing wrong," Glint assured. "Dulcinea's egg was much the same."
"Dragons require Chaos Energy to thrive," Dulcy explained. "Our eggs flood our bodies with it until we are strong enough to hatch."
Sally turned to Glint. "Elder, you have our word we'll take care of this egg. No harm will come to it while we're on guard."
Glint gave a small nod. At that moment, they heard a furious roar, and turned to see a massive, serpentine red dragon slither in, glaring at the Freedom Fighters in absolute hatred. All of them quickly tensed, fighting their instincts to go on the defensive. Dulcy didn't, stepping in front of the Freedom Fighters and staring down the dragon.
"Zan, you're supposed to be preparing for the raid," she said. "What are you doing here?"
"So it's true," Zan growled. "You did bring outsiders to protect my egg. Have you lost your mind, Dulcy?"
"We must focus on recovering Cinder, or do you not care what happens to your mate?" Dulcy shot back.
"The serpent is Zan, the egg's dad," Kat whispered to the others. "The missing mother is his mate, and he's one of the bigoted dragons."
"Of course…" Shorty sighed.
"These outsiders do not belong here," Zan spat. "They defile this sacred ground, they defile MY EGG!"
"They're here to protect it from future attacks by Dr. Robotnik, Zan," Glint cut in. "The least you can do is be grateful."
"This paltry group of six?" Zan questioned. "They are no warriors, they are children. They cannot protect my egg!"
"Zan, I'll have you know these are the Freedom Fighters," Dulcy retorted. "Sonic the Hedgehog is among them. They've fought Robotnik for over a year. If not for their efforts, he would have conquered Mobius ten times over by now."
Zan just let out a long, feral snarl, smoke curling out of his nose.
"Should anything happen to my egg, I will smite them all," he warned.
He slithered off at that. Kat and Dulcy watched him go with nothing but disdain, while Glint sighed.
"What are we going to do with him?" he pondered.
"He'd make a very handsome throw rug," Dulcy suggested. "Just think: whenever he gets dirty, we can take him out and beat him."
Kat snorted at that, while Glint looked at Dulcy reproachfully.
"What?" the female dragon defended. "Glint, we both know Zan should have been expelled from the colony long ago. He's a danger, and a racist, and an asshole, and we'd obviously be better off without him."
"I'm afraid that his behavior is not enough to warrant expulsion," Glint said. "Until he does something that threatens the sanctity of the Nest, his place here remains uncontested."
Dulcy sighed bitterly. "Yes, Elder Glint."
As the Elder took his leave, Kat gave a quick summary of events.
"Dulcy wants Zan gone, they can't cause being an asshole ain't a crime."
"It seems she has a history with him," Tails remarked.
"I do," Dulcy replied, trying to speak in English again. "We were mates once. He was... cruel. I left."
Kat winced at that.
"Did he…" Tails faltered for a moment, "hurt you?"
"He yelled a lot, got angry fast. The first time he hit me, I gave as good as I got, then left quickly after."
"And another lady dragon apparently loved him enough to pop out an egg with him?" Sonic questioned. "No accounting for taste, I suppose."
Sally gave him an angry look, to which Sonic just shrugged.
"What? Everyone's thinking it. I'm just saying it."
"Cinder hoped to tame him," Dulcy explained as best she could. "Thought an egg would help calm his inner fire. At the very least, he hasn't laid a claw on her."
"Thank Aurora for small miracles," Kat remarked.
"He can complain about us all he wants," Knuckles insisted. "We came here to protect that egg, and that's what we're gonna do."
Later, after the dragons took their leave, Sonic and the others watched over the egg, doing whatever they could to pass the time. Tails, Knuckles, Kat, and Shorty were playing cards, Sally performing some basic dances with her Ring Blades, preparing for a fight should it arrive.
"Got any sevens?" Tails asked.
"Go fish," Shorty replied.
Sonic stood up, stretching. "I'm gonna go for a run. Check the perimeter."
"Don't go too far," Sally warned. "This isn't Knothole. You don't know this area as well as back home."
"Wasn't planning on it," Sonic assured.
He zipped out of the Nest, going out to enjoy the crisp night air. He gave a stretch, sighing happily.
"Hard to believe the day just started for us and it's already night here. Guess that's what instant transcontinental travel will do to you."
At that moment, he heard a low growl, and looked up to see Zan floating overhead.
"Zan?" he let out. "Wait... shouldn't he be helping with his mate's rescue?"
He ducked for cover, grateful for the cover of night as he watched the dragon make for a clearing at the base of the nest. Sonic's eyes narrowing, he zipped back into the Nest, where Kat was collecting cards from Knuckles.
"And that's another group for me," she bragged.
"You have got to be cheating," Knuckles insisted.
"Nope, I'm-"
Sonic snagged her around the waist, disappearing with her as her cards fluttered to the ground
"Well... guess she's out," Tails said casually.
-X-
Sonic darted to the clearing where he saw Zan headed, setting Kat down.
"Sorry to yank you away from your card game, but I needed a translator," he told her.
"What's going on?" Kat asked. "What am I translating?"
"Whatever he's saying,"
Sonic pointed ahead. The two looked to see Zan standing a few meters ahead. Their jaws dropped when they saw a familiar TV drone approaching.
"Let's see if this translation software works," Robotnik's voice came before being translated into Chun-ese. "Can you understand me, creature?"
"I am no creature. I am a dragon, and yes I understand you," Zan replied.
"Alright, good. Now tell me, why would you choose to betray your colony?"
"I'm not betraying anyone. I'm doing what I have to in order to save my mate," Zan shot back.
"Ah yes, my latest acquisition," Robotnik mused. "What's your offer?"
"Your nemesis Sonic and his friends are at Dragon's Nest right now, guarding my egg. Release my mate and spare my egg, and you can have their heads on a platter."
"Oho!" Robotnik chortled. "Now that's a bargain! And it gives me a perfect opportunity to test out my latest super-weapon."
"Then we have a deal?" Zan asked.
"Indeed. You can collect your mate, and none of my bots will touch your egg,"
Kat's expression soured as she turned to Sonic.
"He sold us out to Eggman," she reported. "Trading us for Cinder and his egg."
"Well... now Dulcy finally has a legitimate reason to kick him to the curb," Sonic mused.
-X-
They hurried back to the nest. Once they explained what was happening, Knuckles let out a yell and smashed a stalagmite.
"Damn it!" he cursed.
"Eggman mentioned something about a new super-weapon he's dying to try out on us," Sonic informed them.
"I don't like the sound of that," Sally fretted.
"I better suit up then," Shorty decided. "Eggman won't give us much room to prepare."
He immediately began donning his suit, just as something began blocking out the moonlight. They looked up, seeing a cloud overhead.
"A raincloud?" Sonic asked. "Damn weathermen are always wrong."
"Sonic… that's not a cloud," Kat informed him. "It's moving against the wind. I think that's a Nimbus."
"A what now?" Sonic questioned.
"A Nimbus," Kat explained. "It's a mystical cloud used for transport by some people in Yurashia. Mostly exclusive to the citizens of Kar Leung."
"So… what's one doing here?" Tails asked.
"Well, we're gonna find out," Shorty mused.
As the cloud neared, a figure jumped off. The Freedom Fighters took in the sight of a male Mobian monkey with brown fur and blue eyes, donned in a uniform similar to Akhlut's, but red and turquoise. Also unlike Akhlut, he outwardly appeared no different from an average, non-robotic Mobian. In his hands, he wielded a golden staff with red gemstone-like points on both ends.
"Freedom Fighters," he ordered in perfect English. "Stand down and surrender."
"Whoa, fluent English," Sonic mused.
"And if we refuse to surrender?" Knuckles questioned.
The monkey twirled his staff rapidly, both ends crackling with electricity before he held it at the ready. "Then you will feel the wrath of Monkey Khan."
"Bring it on, monkey boy!" Sonic shot back.
Khan pointed his staff at Sonic, which began sparking. Sonic narrowly managed to dart to the side as a lightning bolt came crashing down.
"Nice trick," Sonic quipped. "Now let me show you mine!"
He began crackling with Chaos lightning, blue light filling the Nest. He charged, engaging Khan. Sonic took multiple hits and zaps from his staff, but kept going. Shorty took aim, firing several shots of his own. Sally came in herself, Ring Blades at the ready. Khan parried her attacks before knocking her back, her blades flying away. Rather than strike while she was down and disarmed, Khan stopped and waited for her to retrieve her blades, giving Kat a chance to get a shot in. He casually dodged her strikes and ducked away, much to her annoyance.
"Fight me, you damn, dirty ape!" she shouted.
"You are a child and an unarmed one at that," Khan replied. "There's no honor in such a battle."
"Unarmed child huh?" Kat retorted.
She reared back her foot and kicked as hard as she could between his legs. There was a loud metallic clang as Khan's eyes widened, tears in his eyes as he recoiled, cupping his groin. Kat herself hopped back, yelping as she held her foot and examined her toes.
"Okay, ow!" she shouted. "I feel sorry for your poor girlfriend!"
"It appears… you can hold your own," Khan managed, his voice strained.
"And you… are not a full Mobian," Kat remarked.
"Of course…" Tails realized. "He's been Cyberized like Akhlut!"
"If that's the case, then why isn't he acting like a complete and utter asshole?" Sonic questioned bluntly. "I mean, the guy's attacking us yeah, but he gave Sally a chance to recover her weapon, and hasn't touched Kat."
At that moment, Kat received a massive kick to the stomach.
"Until now," Sonic amended.
Sally perked in realization. "Because he's not like Akhlut."
"Come again?" Shorty questioned.
"Khan didn't join Eggman or be Cyberized of his own volition," Sally theorized. "He must've been captured and had it forced on him. He's been brainwashed."
"Great," Knuckles sighed. "And us without our resident ring-bearer."
Khan then shot a blast at the group, forcing them to scatter.
"Face me, Freedom Fighters!" he ordered. "Face your death with honor!"
"Any bright ideas?" Tails asked.
"Pin him down," Kat ordered. "I got this."
She opened her jacket, revealing a Power Ring capsule.
"Keith give it to you?" Sally asked.
Kat nodded. "A while back actually, for cases such as this. Better to have it and not need it then need it and not have it."
"Well, we need it, and you have it," Sonic noted. "Shorty! Disarm this guy! Knuckles, go for the left, Sally, go for the right. I got the legs."
They immediately went on the attack as Kat popped open the capsule..
"A good rule to go by," Khan began, "Do not say your plans out loud when your enemy is mere feet away."
Knuckles winced. "Good plan."
Khan deftly avoided Shorty's attempt to disarm him, stabbing his staff into his chestplate. the resulting shock sent Shorty flying back, embedding the squirrel in the wall. Knuckles went for a grab, and was deftly smacked in the stomach, then the face. As he was kicked aside, Khan turned to Sally, both of their weapons glowing with power.
"We're trying to help you," she insisted. "Stop fighting us."
"Surrender, and I shall," Khan retorted.
"I'm afraid that's not an option."
"So be it."
They clashed for a bit. Khan broke her guard before spinning his staff, jabbing it into her stomach and sending an electric shock that sent her rolling back. Seeing this, Sonic gasped before sparking, his eyes lighting up with rage as he whirled on the monkey.
"KHAAAAAAN!" he screamed, power surging around him.
Khan had just enough time to turn before Sonic went on the attack, giving him a vicious headbutt, unleashing a barrage of Spin Dashes, and finally plowing him into the ground. Khan laid there, stunned, a bug-eyed and stupefied look on his face as he let out a pained wheeze while Sonic put a hand over his face, breathing deeply and calming down before going to check on Sally.
"All you, Kat," he said simply.
"Damn…" Kat mused. "And I thought I had a hair trigger."
Still, she held out the Power Ring, looking Khan over. She couldn't find any access port, so she just shrugged.
"Well, hope this works."
She slipped the ring on his head, where it rested like a circlet. Shockingly, the glow from the ring began to fade as it solidified into a solid gold circlet. The power itself rushed through Khan's body, seemingly initiating a full system reboot. After a minute, Khan's eyes opened, and he looked around, rubbing his head.
"Wǒ de tóu… (2)" he managed.
Realizing he'd slipped into Chun-nese, Kat stepped forward, squatting down so she was eye level with the monkey.
"Monkey Khan? Are you alright?"
Khan turned to her, nodding slowly as he came to grips with his free will being returned.
"Thank you for releasing me."
"Do you still understand English? It would make this easier on my friends."
"I do, yes," he replied in English as he got up and dusted himself off. "I suppose there is at least one benefit to this entire ordeal." He turned to the others, bowing. "My true name is Ken Khan. Thank you for liberating me from Robotnik's control."
Sonic just nodded before helping Sally to her feet.
"You okay, Sal?"
"My legs feel like jello, and I'm pretty sure it looks like my hairdo exploded. Other than that, I'm just peachy."
"You have my sincerest apologies for my attack on you," Ken told them. "I did everything in my power to give you a sporting chance. Even as a mindless puppet, I refused to let go of my honor."
Sonic waved a hand, dismissing it. "Eggman's fault, not yours."
"How did you even end up like this?" Shorty asked.
"The one you call Eggman came to my village," Ken explained. "He wanted soldiers with our abilities. In order to spare my people, I offered myself as a sacrifice. He installed cybernetic augmentations across approximately fifty percent of my body, and stole my mind to make me his puppet. It was after that was complete he sent me here."
"And I thought he couldn't do anything worse than Roboticization," Sonic spat.
"No," Knuckles shook his head. "Legionization, Cyberization… whatever it's called, it's way worse."
"Now that I'm free, I must return to my home," Ken declared. "I know the doctor will return, and I must defend my people."
"Good luck," Sonic told him. "And if Eggman becomes too much, feel free to hit us up. We'll gladly come help you kick his ass five ways to Sunday."
"I will."
With that, Ken summoned his Nimbus and flew away, leaving the Freedom Fighters to continue guarding the egg.
Some time later, Dulcy and the other dragons returned, a black-scaled dragon dressed in a uniform similar to Dulcy's, clearly Cinder, with them.
"I take it the raid was successful," Sonic noted, his tone even and his emotions unreadable.
"Yes," Dulcy noted. "We were surprised. Few guards, and little resistance."
"Like they wanted you to take her…" Kat muttered.
The Freedom Fighters were immediately on edge when Zan appeared, nuzzling Cinder before coming to check on his egg.
"I see that these creatures actually succeeded in protecting our egg," he remarked.
"It is unharmed?" his mate asked.
Zan curled around the egg, examining it thoroughly for even the smallest of cracks.
"Not so much as a scale out of place…" he sighed.
"No thanks to you, you eel in dragon scales," Kat spat.
Zan gaped at her, in shock at both her audacity and knowledge of Chun-ese. The others were equally so, and the Freedom Fighters just waited, watching this unfold.
"How dare you speak to me that way, human!" he roared.
"I'll speak any way I want to the slimy snake who sold me and my friends out to Robotnik!" Kat shot back.
The other dragons gasped. Zan began to sweat, but tried to maintain a calm face.
"You have no proof or evidence of that," he growled.
"Sonic and I both witnessed you conversing with Robotnik, offering our lives in exchange for your mate and your egg," Kat informed him. "And I swear to Aurora and to the purity of the Gaia of Light that I speak not but the truth."
The other dragons began murmuring amongst themselves
"You... you can't honestly believe the words of this human whelp!" Zan insisted.
"It definitely explains why it was so easy to get Cinder out of there," Dulcy hissed. "Robotnik let us take her in accordance with your little deal!"
Realizing he was exposed, Zan whirled on Kat with a snarl. He reared back and prepared to blast her with a stream of fire. However, Dulcy was faster. Her fire struck Zan in the side of the head, knocking him aside.
"I knew you hated non-dragons, and that you'd stoop low to get what you wanted, Zan," she snarled. "But this? Conspiring with the man who kidnapped your mate and roboticized my mother?!"
"Your mother was weak and deserved what she got!" Zan shot back. "My Cinder is innocent! I was ensuring the sanctity of my family! Those pests are not worthy to even look upon this sacred ground, and now they walk among us as if they belong, speaking out as if they are our betters!"
"SILENCE!" Glint cut in.
Everyone suddenly froze, all eyes turning to Glint.
"I put up with your twisted beliefs and attitudes, hoping that someday you would improve and that fatherhood would mellow you out," the elder said, calm but cold. "But now you conspire with Dr. Robotnik, and ridicule Sabina's fate. You've crossed the line, Zan, and it's time I do what should have been done long ago."
Zan's face went pale at that.
"Wait… no!" he pleaded. "I have protected this Nest time and time again!"
"And you have threatened its safety, and the safety of those we deemed allies," Glint shot back. "This cannot be overlooked, nor can it be forgiven. You are hereby banished from Dragon's Nest for the rest of your days, and will pay the ultimate price for betraying the colony."
A few dragons came forward, one holding what appeared to be a jewelry box. Dulcy held Zan in place as the box-holder opened it to reveal what appeared to be a Power Ring. Zan struggled, but it was no use; the black ring in his nose was yanked right out and replaced with the golden one.
"A Power Ring?" Sonic asked.
"Not quite," Dulcy explained. "The Black Singe Rings we wear are a symbol of honor, and pride. Those golden rings rid us of our flame breath. To be bestowed a golden nose ring is reserved only for the worst offenders of dragon code."
Once the golden ring is in place, several other dragons grab Zan, dragging him off
"At least tell my pup about his father! That I loved him and everything I did was for him!"
Cinder looked right into his eyes, hurt and anger written all over her face as she pulled her egg close to her body.
"No. He won't even know your name."
That set Zan off. He began fighting and kicking, roaring to high heavens.
"You will suffer for this, Freedom Fighters! I will hunt you all down and destroy everything you love! Starting with you, you little brat! I will tear your life apart as you did mine, and I will make you beg me to end your suffering!"
He was finally dragged out of sight and Kat just snorted
"You're about a year too late for that."
Knuckles, who had been providing play by play throughout this entire ordeal, went over to Kat and put a hand on her shoulder. She placed her own over his, giving him a smile.
"Well, seems we've got another asshole to worry about in the future," Sonic sighed.
"That's a concern for another day," Sally decided.
Cinder turned to them, smiling. "Thank you, Freedom Fighters, for protecting the nest and my egg."
"And for exposing the truth about Zan." Glint added.
Cinder looked in the direction her former mate was dragged off, snorting a breath of smoke from her nose in contempt.
"To think I loved him. I would have done anything for him. And for him to pull something like this…" she sighed. "He's the worst piece of slime it's been my misfortune to know."
"Some jerks will never change, and Zan is one of said jerks," Knuckles told her, deciding to speak up for once. "You're better off without him."
"Just make sure your pup knows that its mother does love it, and that its father does not define it," Kat cautioned.
"Of course," Cinder promised. "If any good came out of this, it's that I have a baby on the way."
She curled around her egg, sighing in relief.
"You all are welcome to come whenever you wish," Dulcy informed the Freedom Fighters. "You have proven yourselves true Lóng yǒu (3)."
"C'mon everyone," Sally said. "Let's go home."
She fished out a Warp Ring and they all hopped through, returning home to Knothole.
Robotropolis
After being cast out by the other dragons, Zan eventually made his way to Robotropolis and was meeting with Robotnik, who had recently installed the translator software into his metal arm for convenience.
"Well, if it isn't the draconic turncoat," he noted. "I returned your mate, as promised, but I'm afraid my ultimate weapon did not live up to its expectations."
"It doesn't matter," Zan replied. "The Freedom Fighters found out about our deal and ratted me out to the council. Which is why I'm here."
"Is that so?" Robotnik asked. "Go on."
"I've been banished, deprived of my prized fire breath. The Freedom Fighters ruined my life and cost me everything, and you have the resources I need to restore my strength and make them pay."
"So you came to work for me. It's only fair to warn you... allegiance to the Robotnik Empire comes at a price."
"No price is too great, I assure you."
Robotnik grinned maliciously. "That, my friend, is exactly what I wanted to hear."
Author's Note:
(1): Childish and petty? Yes. But considering Robotnik damn near ruined Sonic Man, a kids' show, just because it made fun of him, Sonic and co. aren't putting anything past him.
(2): Chinese for "My head."
(3): Chinese for "dragon friend."
Well, another one down, and we get to see more of the dragons. This episode was inspired in part by the SatAM episode "Dulcy." All dragon characters, as well as Monkey Khan, are from Archie; Cinder, Zan's mate, is my own OC, as is her future baby.
Voice cast for this chapter:
* Glint - Sab Shimono (Mr. Murakami from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2012, Jack's father from Samurai Jack)
* Zan - James Sie (Jackie Chan & Shendu from Jackie Chan Adventures, Professor Hojo in Final Fantasy VII Remake, Eddy Raja from Uncharted)
* Monkey Khan - Xander Mobus (Joker from Persona 5, Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki from Boruto, Juzo Shima from Blue Exorcist)
* Cinder - Ming-Na Wen (Mulan's voice in the animated movies, Melinda May from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Ellen Yin from The Batman)
Please R&R. Until next time!
