Chapter 38: Sour Dragons

Author's Note: Hello, everyone! I'm very excited to be back with the next chapter of Kind At Heart! Older readers will know what will happen in this chapter, but as for newer readers, keep reading, and I hope that older readers will enjoy my various upgrades!

mattTheWriter072, Tyler's elimination was definitely one of my favorite moments to write so far, so I'm glad that you enjoyed it! The lyrics of the Oompa-Loompa song were also a blast to write!

SonAmy4everrr, I'll consider that! A screen cameo could be a fun idea, and I love the idea of Augustus and Ulala being canon in this universe. XD

Sonny April, I haven't seen "Over the Garden Wall," but I believe I've heard it's really good. And I'm glad that you liked the Tyler redemption arc. I read how people were not a fan of it in Next in Line, so I wanted to improve on it here. I'm glad that you liked the song lyrics, too!

XXCandyLoverXX, you're welcome for keeping that fan-favorite line. I'm glad that you liked the Tyler redemption arc as well, and Matt wanted me to tell you that he takes no offense at all.

Guest, it was! I'm happy that you caught it!

Zombie Slugworth, oh my! How ever will I escape from you?

Random Guy, that's a funny suggestion. XD

MOUseonION, I'm not sure why Wonka would make that, but thanks for the suggestion (and laugh) regardless. lol

Steve, wow, Minecraft Steve reviewing Kind At Heart? I'm glad that the chapter reminded you of your home-game!

rivers, I'm not sure how Wonka could eat a chili dog in the middle of the tour, but thanks for the suggestion!

food 66, thank you for the list! I could actually see Wonka making Sticky Toffee Pudding, perhaps.

Chief Blank and Ulala, I'm rooting for you, Ulala! You and Augustus, to be more exact. :)

Now, it's time for the next chapter! Enjoy, everyone!

(Credits: Sour Dragons and Shock Soda were made by dragonserpent18.)

"I can't believe that Tyler is actually gone," Chris told Jenna as they walked Kitsune as she was being escorted away. "This tour has gone by really fast."

"I didn't know that he had it so rough," Jenna admitted. "I saw on the interview how his dad acted towards him, but I didn't know it was this bad. I actually kinda feel bad for him."

"Me too," Chris replied. "I wonder how the Oompa-Loompas will fix him up."

Mr. Wonka and Charlie guided the remaining three Golden Ticket winners and their guardians out of the witch's hut and through more wet, swampy plant life. Their feet squelched as the two tour guides approached a tunnel which was covered by moss on both sides.

"Over here, please," Charlie called out to make sure that everyone could hear him. Mr. Wonka tapped his cane against the wet plants as well.

The group went through the tunnel, which was almost completely dark except for a few lanterns illuminating the walls. At the end was another round, safe-like door, but this one had no letters on it. Mr. Wonka opened it, and the party entered another corridor in the factory.

"Three children already?" Mr. Wonka remarked as he and Charlie led everyone down the corridor, which was well lit and had shining silver walls as well as a red carpet. "Our tour group is vanishing like rabbits in their burrow!"

After about a minute or two of walking down the corridor, Mr. Wonka and Charlie stopped in front of a door that said, "SOUR DRAGONS." Mr. Wonka turned the handle, pushed the door open, and gestured for everyone to go inside.

What they saw took their breath away. The Sour Dragons room was as large as a football field and went higher than the eye could see. A giant old-fashioned castle with a tower on each side of it stood in the center of the room, as well as a brown drawbridge. There was also a moat which was composed of a clear, yellowish liquid that circled around the castle.

A blue sky with white cotton candy clouds completed the room's cheerful atmosphere, but by far the most astonishing part was the Sour Dragons themselves. Walking in the room's pastures were seven large, colorful dragons, all of which were every color of the rainbow. Their translucent bodies were covered in the same powder used to coat sour candy.

"Oh my gosh!" Jenna exclaimed, pointing at the Sour Dragons. "Look at that!"

"These are our Sour Dragons, everyone," Mr. Wonka told the group, guiding the group towards the dragons, who were now lying down. "They're related to our very similar Cocoa Cats, but these came before them, and they were one of our first attempts to give our candies life-like qualities. I made the first full-size Sour Dragon for a candy-making competition years ago, and everyone was amazed when they watched it move its head in different directions and even walk for short distances. Of course, they have evolved since then, and the latest incarnation, which you're seeing here, can actually fly, and even glow in the dark!"

"May we touch them?" Chris asked, walking up slowly towards a red dragon in curiosity.

"Of course you can, Chris," Charlie replied with a grin. "Same goes with the rest of you."

Jenna, Daniel, and the three remaining guardians followed Chris's example and walked up to a Sour Dragon of their own. Daniel stood by a yellow dragon, and Chris was taking a small bite of the red dragon's wing. At this, it began to lie down, and it turned its head towards the Wonka-loving boy.

"By the way," Charlie said, "when you begin eating one of these dragons, the dragon will offer you a chance to ride it. So go ahead, Chris. Mount your dragon."

"Wait, Chris!" Jenna exclaimed as Chris was climbing onto its back. "I'll go with you!"

"Are you sure?" Chris asked her, concerned. "It looks like there's only enough room for one person on these creatures."

"Come on," Jenna pleaded. "I think we can make it." She watched as Daniel climbed on the yellow dragon's back and began flying around the room. "Let's do it, Chris."

Charlie and Mr. Wonka smiled as the two of them began to climb onto the Sour Dragon, using spikes on its long neck as grab handles.

"When you're flying, though, be careful of the moat," Mr. Wonka told them as they sat together on the Sour Dragon. "It's full of our Shock Soda. Take one sip, and your hair will stand on end, hahaha!"

"We'll be careful," Chris assured them. He looked over his shoulder. "Are you ready, Jenna?"

Jenna nodded, and the Sour Dragon leaped goodness knows how many feet in the air, and after a minute or two, Chris and Jenna could no longer see the ground below them clearly. The grass and trees looked like ants, and Mr. Wonka and the rest of the group could no longer be seen. They were currently flying next to the large stone castle, which looked even more intimidating up close. Chris guided the dragon around several cotton candy clouds and grabbed a puff of one and gave it to Jenna, who licked her lips as she ate it. Then he flew it around the castle so that they could view it from every angle, including a tower where a female Oompa-Loompa was inside with a male Oompa-Loompa wearing a prince outfit. The female Oompa-Loompa had a pointy princess hat on and waved to the two as they flew past her, and they waved back.

As the Sour Dragon swerved around more and more of the room, Chris could feel Jenna's soft, red hair tickling the back of his neck as she leaned against his head.

"Hey, Chris," Jenna whispered softly into Chris' ear. "We shouldn't keep everyone waiting, so I think that we should start landing."

"And how would you like me to do that, Jenna?" Chris asked with a sinister-looking grin. "Nice and easy, or quick and terrifying?"

"I'll take quick and terrifying," Jenna whispered, caressing Chris' hair. While she was doing this, she kissed him on the cheek, causing Chris to gasp in surprise. Shocked, he turned around to see Jenna giggling at his reaction. While doing so, however, he involuntarily jerked his arm, which pointed the dragon's head sharply downwards.

"Hold on!" Chris shouted, and Jenna held on tightly to his waist as their Sour Dragon dived towards the ground. The air whistled around them, completely drowning out their happy screams. Just as they were about to crash-land on the ground, Chris quickly jerked the dragon's head to a horizontal position, and they glided gently to the ground. Daniel made a smooth landing a few seconds later, and everyone got off of their dragons.

"Wow," Jenna said, fixing her hair. "That was quick and terrifying, all right. Let's do it again!" On the other hand, Chris was standing still, holding Jenna's hand while the memory of her kiss played over and over in his mind like a broken record.

"I don't want this to end!" Daniel said proudly, snapping Chris out of his thoughts. "That was awesome!"

"I'm very glad you guys had a good time," Charlie said, "but we must press on. Come along, everyone." And with that, he and Willy led the group out of the Sour Dragons room to continue the tour.

Author's Note: That's the chapter! What did you think? I had a lot of fun writing it, especially since the original Sour Dragons room had no room description. I also really loved making this chapter as a tribute to dragonserpent18. If anyone downloaded his stories before he disappeared, please tell me in the review section or DMs, and I'll work on reuploading them. I hope that you're all excited for the next chapter, so stay tuned!

Until then,

Gabe S. :)