All Sonic characters are copyrights of DIC, SEGA, or Archie comics. The "Dragon Fire Chili Pepper", "Ice Apple", "Azala the Dragon", "Dragon's Cave", and "Dragon Garden" are copyrights of mecha_sonic2001, Mecha-Sonic (Fanfiction.net name), and GuGoomba (My online name).

(I have changed Sonic's Buzz Saw Attack to Spindash, just so I know what I'm talking about. (I like Spindash better, anyway)

Sonic the Hedgehog: The Second Robot War

Dragon Tales

It was dinnertime in Knothole. A time of relaxation and solitude. But even then, some battles could really heat up, literally.

"Little spicy, but nothing special," said Sonic as he finished swallowing something. He was seated on a bench next to the campfire where they would hold their meals. On a stump across to his bench sat Dulcy, with a look of determination on her face. Standing all around them was every Freedom Fighter in the village.

"Okay, next up we have Sonic's Specialty Chilidogs!" said Rotor. Everyone clapped their hands as Tails came out of the nearest hut with two chilidogs on a plate. Sonic and Dulcy both took one. It was that time of the month again. The time when the two strongest stomachs in Knothole faced off.

Every month since about three years ago, Sonic and Dulcy had faced off against each other to see who could eat the spiciest thing without flinching, and they always loved it. Everyone in the village would bring the spiciest thing they could find or make, and they would see who could last through the most dishes.

Last month, Sonic had taken the title; but Dulcy was determined to take it back from him. It was their night, no doubt about it. Sally and Tails sat next to Sonic and cheered him on, while Bunnie and Antoine were rooting for Dulcy on her side. Rotor was to be the judge of the contest while Tails would go and fetch each of the new dishes.

So far, they had both had eaten chili peppers, 4-alarm chili, Bunnie's 5-pepper juice, and Rotor's Fiery Flame Surprise. Both of them knew that these were nothing compared to the dishes they made for each other in the competition.

While Dulcy's dish would usually differ from month to month, Sonic always stayed with his trusty chilidog recipes. And now was the time to see if his newest combination of spices and chili would win him the title again.

"All right. Since this is Sonic's dish, he will take the first taste," said Rotor. Sonic smiled as he took a bite of the chilidog. He chewed it for a few seconds, then he swallowed it, happy with the combination. Even though he passed his turn without some much as a budge, his eyes still started to water from the amount of spice.

"Okay. Sonic has passed this round. Now it is Dulcy's turn," said Rotor. Dulcy took a giant bite out of the chilidog and started chewing. It was about a minute after she swallowed that something started to burn in her chest. She felt a wave of pain as the heat traveled up to her neck. It was then that Sonic noticed something was wrong.

"Yo, Dulcy. Is something wrong?" he asked as he started to get up. But before he could start walking towards her, she held a hand up to her mouth. She then motioned frantically for everyone to get out of her way. Everyone dove to the ground just as a blast of fire burst from her mouth. Everyone turned towards Dulcy with a confused look on their faces.

"What was that about?" asked Sonic as got up and brushed himself off.

"I...I don't know what happened. I couldn't stop myself from breathing that fire," said Dulcy, looking very surprised at what she just did. Sonic laughed slightly.

"I think I might have made it a bit too spicy. I guess I shouldn't have put those special chili peppers in my sauce after all," said Sonic.

"What 'special chili peppers'?" she asked. Sonic ran off and returned a minute later with an orange chili shaped like an upside-down flame.

"This chili pepper," said Sonic, holding it up. Dulcy's eyes went wide with terror and she put both of her hands to her mouth when she saw the pepper. She started walking backwards, almost fainting as she fell backwards down onto the stump.

"What's wrong, Dulcy?" asked Sally as she walked over towards her. Dulcy just stared off into space and shook her head.

"The Dragon Fire Chili Pepper..." whispered Dulcy, just barely understandable. Sally looked back at Sonic, who just shrugged. Sally bent down, took Nicole off her boot, and opened her.

"Nicole, search databanks for entry, Dragon Fire Chili Pepper," said Sally. Nicole beeped a few times.

"Searching Sally...The Dragon Fire Chili Pepper. Believed to be the spiciest chili pepper on Mobius. While not harmful to most Mobians, the chili pepper is dangerous to dragons. If a dragon eats the pepper, they will loss their ability to control their fire-breathing powers. After 3 hours, the victim will come down with a severe fever and will start to become paralyzed from the feet up. If a cure is not applied within 12 hours from the beginning of the fever and paralysis, the effects can not be reversed. Death follows within two hours of that time," said Nicole. Everyone's eyes opened wide, then all eyes turned to Sonic. He started to back up, hands out in front of him.

"Hey! How was I to know they were dangerous? All I knew was that I tried one and it was the spiciest chili pepper I had ever tasted," said Sonic defensively. Sally shook her head and turned back to Nicole.

"Is there any known cure for the Dragon Fire Chili Pepper?" asked Sally.

"There is only one known cure. The Ice Apple. Located in Dragon's Cave, approximately 750 miles south of Knothole," said Nicole. Sally shook her head.

"Dulcy's not going to be able to fly there before the paralysis starts," said Sally. Sonic walked up to her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Don't worry. I'll go and get it," said Sonic. He turned towards Dulcy.

"I'm really sorry about this Dulcy. I promise you I'll bring that apple back in no time," said Sonic. Dulcy just nodded her head as she continued to stare off into space.

"I'll go to the Power Ring pool and fetch a ring," said Tails as he wound up his tails and flew off. Sonic dashed back to his hut to grab his pack while Sally drew up a map to the cave for him. All three of them met back at the campfire.

"Now remember, Sonic. You have to be back here in less than 15 hours. Otherwise, Dulcy won't make it," said Sally as she put the map into his pack.

"Hey, do you actually think I can't make it back here within that time?" asked Sonic. Sally rolled her eyes.

"Just get back here as fast as you can," she said. Tails flew into the clearing holding a Power Ring in his hands. Sonic flipped open his pack as Tails dropped the ring into it.

"Time to motor!" cried Sonic as he revved up and took off from Knothole with a sonic boom.

**********

When he ran out of the forest, he stopped to get his bearings. He took the map out of his pack and started looking it over.

"Man, Sal's gonna have to learn to draw better," he said as he tried to read the map. "At least she marked everything with a name. Now let's see. Here's Robotropolis...and here's the Great Forest...so according to this, Dragon's Cave is...this way," he said turning his head towards the south. He started to put the map back into his pack; but before he could, a gust of wind blew by, blowing the map out of his hands and carrying it high into the wind.

"Darn! Oh well, I know where I'm going," he said as he revved up and blasted away towards the south.

**********

*Why do I always get stuck with the most boring tasks,* thought Mecha-Sonic as he opened the hatch to the hover-unit he was in. He walked out and started to look around the clearing near the edge of the city for any intruders. He was about ready to turn around and enter the hover-unit when he noticed something flying wildly around in the breeze above him.

"What's that?" he asked himself as he activated his foot thrusters. He flew up and grabbed the object out of the air. When he uncrumpled it, he found it was Sonic's map.

*What is this?* he thought as he landed. *I'd better take this back to Snively.* He stepped back into the hover-unit, which took off and started back towards the Command Center.

**********

"Do you know what this is?" asked Snively as he looked up from the map.

"If I knew what it was, do you think I would be asking you?" asked Mecha-Sonic, folding his arms.

"Can't you see that it is a map leading to Dragon's Cave?" asked Snively.

"Well, that's what I thought, but I wanted to make sure," said Mecha-Sonic sarcastically. Snively shook his head.

"Well, the only reason I can think of that would send the Freedom Fighters to that place would be to retrieve an Ice Apple," said Snively. Mecha-Sonic looked totally confused.

"What is an Ice Apple?" asked Mecha-Sonic.

"When I was a younger, I overheard my uncle talking about a special type of apple that had the remarkable power to heal a dragon that had consumed a Dragon Fire Chili Pepper. From what I can remember, a wise dragon guards the apple from intruders. He is supposedly the only dragon left in the cave," said Snively. Mecha-Sonic was still as confused as ever, but decided just to go along with it.

"So, what do you want to do about whoever went there?" asked Mecha-Sonic. Snively started to pace back and forth as he thought about it.

"Well, since Dragon's Cave is about 750 miles to the south of us, the person most likely to make the trip would be Sonic. There's no way to get there before he does, so I'm not sure how to handle it," said Snively. He started pacing back and forth as he tried to think of a way to deal with the miserable hedgehog. He stopped and snapped his fingers as he thought of something.

"Come with me. I know a way you can deal with the hedgehog personally," he said as he walked out of the room.

"Now that's music to my ears," said Mecha-Sonic as he followed him out of the room.

**********

The door to Snively's secret lab opened with a whoosh as he walked inside, Mecha-Sonic hot on his heels. Snively walked up to a large machine connected to a platform located in the middle of the lab.

"What is that?" asked Mecha-Sonic as he studied the machine.

"This, my mechanical friend, is a teleporter I have been working on. While I will admit that it is not totally finished, it still works on small objects such as food and clothing. I still need a test subject for larger objects," he said, turning towards Mecha-Sonic with a smile on his face. Mecha-Sonic noticed the smile and started backing away.

"Oh no! Don't EVEN think about it!" cried Mecha-Sonic, trying to figure out someway to escape.

"Come now, Mecha-Sonic. I would have thought that a powerful robot like yourself would be afraid of nothing, let alone a simple machine," said Snively. Growling, Mecha-Sonic cautiously walked onto the teleporter platform.

"Your sure that this will work?" asked Mecha-Sonic as Snively activated the machine.

"Trust me, you won't feel a thing," said Snively as he put in the Dragon's Cave coordinates. The machine hummed to life as a beam of white light surrounded Mecha-Sonic as he disappeared into thin air. Suddenly, a warning light on the machine started flashing.

"Oh my! It's overloading!" he shouted as he reached to turn off the machine. But before he could, the teleporter reached critical mass and exploded, sending pieces of it flying all over the place. Snively had dove behind the control panel when the machine exploded and was saved from harm, but the machine was totaled.

"Well, so much for that invention. I guess I'd better send a retrieval unit to Dragon's Cave to pick him up," said Snively as he walked out of the room.

**********

"Try to stay calm, Dulcy. Sonic will be back with the apple before you know it," said Sally. Dulcy was in Sally's hut and was resting on the bed. But she couldn't relax for anything.

"How can you be sure? I mean, he doesn't even know about the Guardian of the cave," said Dulcy as she shook with fear.

"What 'Guardian'?" asked Sally.

"The Guardian is a dragon named Azala. He protects the cave and the Ice Apple from anything and everything with some sort of a test that he does for each person wanting the apple. But I don't know what that test is," said Dulcy as she finally calmed down enough to stop shaking the bed.

"Do you think Sugar-hog can pass the test?" asked Bunnie.

"I don't know. Most dragons that go to the cave come back empty handed, but Sonic is a lot faster and more agile than any dragon is; so he has a fair chance of passing the test, whatever it is," said Dulcy as her hopes brightened slightly. But that hope was instantly smashed when she burped up a flame that caught the drapes on fire. Rotor hurriedly ripped them off the window and stomped them out.

"I'm...I'm so...so...sorryyy," whimpered Dulcy as she buried her face in her hands and started crying.

"It's okay, Dulcy. I know it wasn't your fault," said Sally. "Just relax and stay calm. Everything will be all right."

**********

By now, it was almost completely dark outside as Sonic raced across the Great Unknown. It had been a couple of hours since he had left and the sun had retreated behind the nearby mountains, leaving him with only the moon's light to guide him through the night. He reached the top of a fairly good-sized hill and looked about, trying to figure out if he was anywhere near the cave.

"Man, I wish I still had Sal's map, even thought it was difficult to read," he said to himself as he scanned the area. It was then that he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He turned towards it to see a faint light in the distance. The light wasn't coming straight at him, but was being produced from inside the side of a cliff.

*That must be it,* thought Sonic as he revved up and blasted towards the entrance. Indeed, it was a cave that looked to house a dragon. It was gigantic on the inside. There had to be more than a square mile of room inside the cave leading to a small opening in the back. Sonic slowly walked inside, being careful not to activate any hidden traps.

After walking for a few minutes, he figured there must not be any traps and started walking at a normal pace. He had barely made it 500 feet into the cave when he felt a slight breeze behind him.

*Weird. Where did that wind come from? There wasn't any wind outside,* he thought as he stopped. It was then that he heard a low growl behind him. Sonic started to get really scared, which didn't happen very often. He gulped and turned around right into the face of a blue dragon twice the size of Dulcy. Sonic let out a yell and tried to run, but he had lost the ability to move his legs.

"What do you want?" hissed the dragon, its eyes glaring down at Sonic. Very cautiously, Sonic moved forward.

"I came here to get an Ice Apple," said Sonic, trying to hide his fear, but doing a poor job. The dragon raised both of his eyebrows and stood up to his full height.

"Really? It just so happens that another person that looks almost identical to you wanted the very same thing. He arrived just a few minutes ago," said the dragon. "Oh, excuse my manners. My name is Azala. And you are?" Sonic's courage returned when he saw how nice the dragon was being, so he figured he'd be nice as well.

"I'm Sonic," he said. The dragon looked surprised by that name.

"Amazing! The person who wants the Ice Apple has your name in his," said Azala.

*Oh no! I hope it isn't who I think it is,* thought Sonic as him and Azala turned around a corner to find themselves in a giant cavern. It was lit by several torches placed around the cave, illuminating it quite well. It was so big that Knothole could have easily have fitted in there with room to spare. Even though Sonic was breathtaken by the sheer size of the cave, he still snapped to attention when he saw the "other person" seated on a nearby rock.

"Mecha-Sonic! I should've know it was you," said Sonic, crossing his arms. Mecha-Sonic laughed as he stood up and walked over to him.

"Well, look at what the cat dragged in. A pathetic little rodent," said Mecha-Sonic. Sonic clenched his fists and started to rev up to charge him, but Azala grabbed his arm and lifted him off the ground before he knew what hit him. Azala then picked him up and put him at eye level with him.

"If you want the Ice Apple, then I suggest that you calm your aggressive side for the time being," growled Azala, clearly not pleased with Sonic's show of anger. Sonic calmed down and Azala placed him back on the floor of the cave.

"It is not often that I have two people that want the Ice Apple at the same time, but it does happen. In the few times it has happened, I have dispensed with the regular test and replaced it with a bit more of a challenge," said Azala. "Now then, you both will participate in this test. The winner will be awarded the Ice Apple."

"What is the test, anyway?" asked Sonic as they reached the center of the cave. Azala motioned for them to both stand about twenty feet apart from each other.

"Well, since I only have just one Ice Apple left until the next bloom, this test will see which of you is more deserving of the apple," said Azala as he flapped his enormous wings and flew up onto an outcropping near the ceiling.

"But what do we have to do?" asked Mecha-Sonic, growing impatient with the dragon.

"You must battle for it!" cried Azala, his voice shaking the entire cave. Mecha-Sonic started to raise his laser arm towards Sonic, but a blast of ice from Azala made him think twice.

"I give you the same warning, Mecha-Sonic. Don't attack until I give the okay," said Azala with the same amount of anger he had shown Sonic just a minute earlier. Mecha-Sonic cursed under his breath and he lowered his arm.

"The rules are simple. The battlefield is this very cavern. Leave its boundaries and you lose. You may each choose one weapon to use other than you own natural abilities. Choose now," said Azala.

"This one's an easy one for me. I choose my blaster," said Mecha-Sonic.

"I'll use my Power Ring," said Sonic, holding the ring above his head, but making sure not to activate it yet.

"Your weapons have been decided. Now for the last rule. This fight will end only when one of you gives up or is unable to fight anymore," said Azala. Both the hedgehogs, organic and robotic, nodded in agreement. Azala then let out a roar so loud, both of them had to put their hands to their ears.

"Let the battle begin!" yelled Azala.

**********

Inside Sally's hut, Dulcy had been relaxing just fine, except for the occasional burst of fire from her mouth; but suddenly, she started convulsing violently. It took Sally, Bunnie, Rotor, and Tails just to keep her from falling off the bed.

"What the...hoo ha's...wrong with Dulcy?" asked Bunnie as she struggled to keep the dragon from moving around. Dulcy finally stopped thrashing and laid back down, but this time, she looked very weak and her eyes were closed.

"What's going on?" asked Rotor as he looked at Dulcy. She had now started to shiver intensely, as if she was standing outside in the winter. Sally looked up at the clock in her room.

"Oh no. It's been a little over three hours since she ate the pepper. She's starting to paralyze," said Sally worriedly. Bunnie put her hand on Dulcy's forehead, only to find it burning up with fever.

"Oh mah stars! She's burning up, too!" said an alarmed Bunnie.

"Rotor! Go and get some ice from the fridge, quick! We have to try and keep her cool," said Sally. Rotor hurriedly went to the fridge and grabbed chunks of ice out of it. He then wrapped it in a cloth and placed it on Dulcy's forehead.

"Is Dulcy going to be okay?" asked Tails.

"She'll be fine, honey. Sonic will be back in no time with the apple. Don't worry," said Sally, even though she was getting worried herself. "All we can do now is try and make her as comfortable as possible."

"Hey! I've got an idea to help her keep cool!" exclaimed Tails as he snapped his fingers and ran up beside the head of the bed. He wound up his twin tails and started blowing the cool night's air onto Dulcy's overheated head.

"That's a good idea, Tails," said Rotor, patting the cub on the head. He just smiled and started whirling his tails even faster.

**********

A loud scrap sounded in the cave as Mecha-Sonic's razor sharp claws dug into a rock Sonic had just been in front. The two of them had been fighting now for nearly three hours, and both were starting to get tired.

"Wanna give it up, or what?" asked Sonic from the top of another rock behind Mecha-Sonic.

"Never!" cried Mecha-Sonic as he turned around and shot where Sonic was. But just as he always did, Sonic leaped off the rock and just ran up to the top of another one. Mecha-Sonic fired his foot thrusters and flew up into the air, giving him a better angle to shoot at Sonic.

But Sonic saw the advantage Mecha-Sonic had now and ran down the side of the rock just as Mecha-Sonic fired. The blast blew chunks of rock everywhere as the robotic hedgehog let out another cry of anger, eye lights glowing bright red. He then started flying around the cave, looking for his double. He eventually found him crouched on a ledge about thirty feet above the floor of the cave.

"I have you now!" cried Mecha-Sonic as he flew up onto the ledge. "Do you really think you can fight up here on such a small ledge?"

"I can and I will," said Sonic as he leaped at his robotic double, punching him in the face. The blow sent Mecha-Sonic back into the side of the wall.

"Good hit, hedgehog. But it will be your last!" cried Mecha-Sonic as he placed one foot on the wall of the cave. Before Sonic could react, Mecha-Sonic fired his foot thruster, sending him forward at an incredible speed. He slammed into Sonic, knocking him off the ledge. But Sonic caught the side of the ledge and hung on tight.

"If I were you, I would have just taken the fall, because now you will suffer before you hit bottom," cried Mecha-Sonic as he stomped on Sonic's hand. He then fired his foot thruster again, lighting Sonic's glove on fire and causing it to burn down to his skin. The smell of burnt flesh became present in the cave as Sonic let out a scream of pain. But before Mecha-Sonic could drop his foot down on Sonic's other hand, he let go of the ledge and started to fall to the cave floor below.

"Good bye, Sonic. Happy landings," teased Mecha-Sonic. But his expression quickly went from glee, to shock, and then to anger at the site he witnessed. Sonic had been falling for about ten feet, but then he curled up and went into a spindash while going down the cave wall. He rolled off the wall and continued on rolling until he was out of sight. He then got up and ran off, barely fazed by the fall he had just taken.

*Hmm. This is one of the best fights I've ever witnessed. But time will tell which of you will win,* thought Azala as he observed the two combatants from his perch near the ceiling.

**********

"Where is Sonic? He should have been back by now," said Sally as she paced around the hut. Dulcy's fever had been stabilized enough that she was awake again, but she was now paralyzed from the waist up.

"Now don't you worry none. I'm sure that little Sugar-hog is on his way back here right now," said Bunnie as she placed another wet cloth on Dulcy's head. Tails was still fanning her with his tails, but was showing obvious signs of tiring. He was panting loudly and sweating quite heavily.

"Tails? Are you okay, hon?" asked Bunnie. Tails recovered himself enough to look like he was fine.

"I'm okay, Aunt Bunnie. How's Dulcy doing?" he asked.

"She'll be just fine, sweetie," said Sally, trying her best to smile, but worried sick that Sonic might be too late for the first time in his life.

**********

Sonic dodged another laser blast as he raced around the floor of the cave. For more than a total of ten hours they had been at this. His stamina was almost gone, as was his patience with his robotic double. Mecha-Sonic had been chasing him throughout this whole fight, and Sonic decided it was time for him to fight back. He raced up the side of rock as Mecha-Sonic landed on another rock adjacent to his.

"I've had it with this game of cat and mouse, hedgehog. Now it's time to finish this," said Mecha-Sonic as he raised his laser arm towards Sonic, who looked like he would pass out at any time from exhaustion.

"You're right, Mecha-Sonic. It is time to finish this," said Sonic as he ran down the backside of the rock he was on just as Mecha-Sonic fired his laser again. The blast blew chunks of rock everywhere as Sonic ran up the side of the cave's wall. Mecha-Sonic kept his eye on his organic double as Sonic went into a spindash, rolled down the other side of the cave, and came speeding up and into Mecha-Sonic's back.

The robotic hedgehog went tumbling down the rock, bashing himself several times against the side of it as he rolled to a stop at the bottom. On top of the rock, Sonic collapsed, completely drained of his strength. But at the base of the rock, Mecha-Sonic wasn't finished.

"You foolish rodent. You have worn yourself out. Now you are mine!" cried Mecha-Sonic as he activated his foot thrusters. He flew up and grabbed the exhausted body of Sonic by the neck, lifting him off the ground. He then landed on the floor of the cave and squeezed Sonic's neck, cutting off his air supply.

"You are finally mine, Sonic. There is no escape for you this time," laughed Mecha-Sonic. Sonic tried to reach the Power Ring, but Mecha-Sonic caught on to what he was doing. He yanked the pack off Sonic's back and threw it several feet away.

"How does it feel, Sonic? How does it feel to be beaten by me? If you only knew how long I've waited for this day..." said Mecha-Sonic as he squeezed tighter. Sonic was on the verge of passing out from lack of air when he saw a slight flicker of light in the corner of his eye. The next thing he knew, he was on the ground, breathing.

He gulped for air, looked over his shoulder, and saw that Mecha-Sonic had been knocked several feet away. He turned towards where his pack had been thrown, ran over to it, and pulled the Power Ring from the pack, absorbing its energy into his body. By now, Mecha-Sonic had just gotten back on his feet and was just now getting his bearings.

"Hey, Chrome Dome! This game is point, set, match!" said Sonic as he went into a mid-air spindash and shot straight at the robotic hedgehog.

"Oh no," said Mecha-Sonic as Sonic collided with him. The energy Sonic had inherited through the Power Ring sent Mecha-Sonic flying through the air. He crashed right into the side of the cave wall and became stuck there, having left a huge indentation in the wall. Sonic walked over to him and saw that his eye lights were out.

"All right, Azala! He's out like a light! Come down here quick, cause I'm in a hurry! I have to get that apple back to my friend!" yelled Sonic, breathing heavily. Azala, who had lifted off from the outcropping and had begun a slow decent, went into a power dive much like that of Dulcy's.

Sonic realized what Azala was doing and quickly ran out of the way as Azala came spiraling towards the floor. But just before he landed, he stretched his wings and caught an air draft, slowing his descent to a mere float. He landed without making a sound.

"Sonic. You have almost proven yourself to be worthy of taking the Ice Apple. But there is one more test you must take," said Azala. Sonic groaned, but gave his head a nod, ready to accept this last challenge.

"You must defeat me in battle," said Azala, grinning. Sonic's eyes went wide with horror. He was far too tired to take on the dragon, which was about five times his size. But his sense of duty and his friendship with Dulcy gave him the strength he needed to continue.

"All right. What are the rules?" asked Sonic as he went into a fighting stance.

"There are no rules!" cried Azala as he shot a huge blast of fire from his mouth. Sonic wasn't expecting the attack, but he had enough presence of mind to dodge the blast. Unfortunately, he was too tired to dodge it entirely. The intense heat burned the fur on his left side, causing him to fall to the ground with pain and exhaustion.

"I suggest you give up now, Sonic. I could just as easily freeze you as I could burn you. And you appear too weak to keep fighting," laughed Azala. Sonic slowly stood up and glared at the huge dragon. He then tried to do a spindash at him, but found no strength left to use his speed. Instead, he ended up doing a half flip and landed right on his back.

"Your little quest for my apple is over!" yelled Azala as he shot a blast of ice from his mouth. Sonic tried to roll out of the way, but his hand didn't quite get out of the way. He howled in pain as his right hand became encased in ice. Azala looked as though he was enjoying it, but deep down, he wished that he didn't have to do this. But dragon law required him to give Sonic this last test.

"Do you give up yet? You know you cannot win!" shouted Azala triumphantly. Sonic, despite the intense pain he felt, got back up to his feet and took another fighting stance. He thought of Dulcy, in pain and on the verge of dying. He couldn't fail. He had caused all of this, and he was determined to right what he had wronged, even if he didn't make it.

"I'll never give up! I have a friend who needs that apple or she will die. And I'll give my life to get that apple to her!' shouted Sonic. But before he could make a move, a bright light both surrounded him and Azala, who appeared to be in a trance. The light was so bright that Sonic had to cover his eyes to keep from becoming blind. But the light faded away, leaving them in a beautiful garden surrounded by lush grass. In the middle of the garden stood a small tree about the same size as Azala.

"What happened?" asked Sonic, looking up at Azala, who was smiling.

"You passed the last test, Sonic. You are now worthy of taking the Ice Apple," said Azala.

"What do you mean I 'passed the test'? I didn't beat you," said Sonic.

"That's right, but you were willing to give your life to bring the apple back to you sick friend. That is the true purpose of the last test. To see how powerful the bond of friendship between two people really are. You have shown you care more for your friends than for yourself, and therefore, you passed," explained Azala.

"What is this place?" asked Sonic, finally taking in the view. Azala motioned for Sonic to follow him as he started walking towards the tree.

"This is the legendary Dragon Garden, where all the miracle cures for dragons are grown. The one you seek is in the tree in the middle of the garden," answered Azala. Sonic tried to run over to the tree, but was still too tired to even jog. But he did notice something else.

"Hey! I'm not burnt or frozen," he exclaimed. Indeed, his left side showed no burn marks of any kind and his right hand was just as warm as ever. Even the glove and hand Mecha-Sonic had set ablaze was renewed without any burns.

"All people who pass the last test are instantly healed from all injuries," said Azala as he reached up and plucked a large, blue apple from the tree. He handed it to Sonic, who put it into his pack. Then the light shined once more, bringing them back to the cave. Mecha-Sonic was gone, having been picked up by a retrieval unit just seconds after they had been teleported to the garden.

"I have to get back to Knothole and fast!" said Sonic as he tried to rev up. But once again, his exhaustion was too great for him to use his speed.

"Don't worry, Sonic. I'll give you a ride to the edge of the Great Forest. It will take me about three hours, so you'll have time to rest on the way," said Azala as he scooped Sonic up in his arms. He then took off with a great flap of his wings and soared out into the cool night air. He had barely left the cave when he looked down to see Sonic fast asleep in his arms.

*Rest, young one. You've had quite a fight and you'll need all your strength to get to your friend in time,* thought Azala as he soared over the Great Unknown.

**********

The sun was just starting to rise over the horizon as Azala landed just outside of the Great Forest, sleeping Sonic in tow. He gently touched down on the ground, landing with a soft thud. He put Sonic down to the ground and started shaking him lightly, causing the teenage hedgehog to stir. Sonic opened his eyes to see Azala staring him right in the face. He yelled and jumped back for the second time in one day, again surprised by the dragon.

"We have arrived at the edge of the Great Forest. I trust you know your way from here?" asked Azala.

"Yes, I know where I am," said Sonic, stretching. "Come and visit us in Knothole sometime."

"I might, but then again, I do have to guard my cave and the Ice Apple from intruders," said Azala. "Good bye, Sonic the Hedgehog." And with that, Azala flew off in the direction of Dragon's Cave. Sonic turned towards the forest and took the Ice Apple from his pack.

"Hold on, Dulcy. I'm coming," said Sonic as he revved up and shot off in the direction of Knothole.

**********

"How much longer does she have," asked Rotor. He, Bunnie, and Sally were outside the hut, trying to figure out a way to help their friend. But it looked hopeless.

"Unless Sonic gets here in the next thirty seconds, she won't make it," said Sally, tears starting to form in her eyes. They all had given up the hope that Sonic would be back in time.

**********

Sonic flew through the Great Forest at top speed. He had only twenty seconds to get to Dulcy.

"I can't let her down! I will get this apple to her!" shouted Sonic as he shot forward with even more speed, despite the enormous strain it was putting on his legs.

**********

*Eleven seconds*, thought Sally as she buried her hands into her face. Why did this have to happen? Dulcy was one of her closest friends. She had only been with the Freedom Fighters for a few short years. And worst of all, she was still a child! It only took her a mere second to think of all of this, but her hopes were renewed when a sonic boom sounded off, Sonic running into the village at speeds that only a Power Ring was capable of producing.

"Sonic!" cried Sally. But Sonic flew past her and right into the hut. But he couldn't stop in time to avoid crashing into the dresser. Tails nearly jumped out of his skin when Sonic came crashing in, but quickly recovered.

"Sonic! Hurry and give Dulcy the apple. She can't move her arms or neck anymore!" hollered Tails in alarm. Sonic quickly got to his feet and put the apple up to Dulcy's mouth. Dulcy took a big bite out of the apple, chewed and swallowed. Sonic looked her over and tried to tell if it had worked, but could see no signs of improvement. Dulcy looked him in the eye and then fell asleep.

Sonic couldn't bear to see this happen, not after all the things he had done to earn the Ice Apple; only to have been too late to help. He walked out of the hut and ran off towards the Power Ring pool, Sally watching him leave with a sad look on her face.

**********

*I blew it! I took too long! And now Dulcy paid the ultimate price for my slowness and stupidity. Why did I have to put those stupid peppers into my chili!* thought Sonic, his mind screaming in anguish at itself. He had been down at the pool for nearly an hour now, beating himself up over what had happened. He was so far gone, he didn't even hear the sound of footsteps coming up behind him.

"What's the matter?" asked a childish voice.

"Nothing, just leave me alone," said Sonic.

"Why, what happened?" asked the voice.

"I...I...couldn't help her," he choked out.

"Couldn't help out who, Sonic?" asked the voice.

"Du...Du...Dul...cy?" stuttered Sonic as he turned around. Standing before him, looking as healthy as he was fast, was Dulcy. Sonic jumped up off the rock and gave her a huge hug, almost knocking her to the ground.

"Easy, Sonic!" said Dulcy.

"I thought you didn't make it! You just went unconscious right after you ate the apple," exclaimed Sonic, pulling out of the hug.

"That's just a side effect the juices in the apple. It causes us dragons to fall asleep immediately after eating a bite of it," said Dulcy, smiling happily down at him. Sonic once again embraced her in a hug.

"I'm so sorry...I wish this hadn't happened," said Sonic. Dulcy pushed him away and looked him right in the eye.

"Don't blame yourself. You didn't know this was going to happen. The thing that counts is that you fixed it," said Dulcy.

"Thanks, Dulcy. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" asked Sonic.

"Well, I can think of one thing," said Dulcy, smiling.

"And what's that?" asked Sonic. Dulcy's smile grew even wider.

"I want to challenge you to our contest tonight," said Dulcy. Sonic couldn't help but smile, too.

"Sure Dulcy, I'd be happy to retake that challenge," said Sonic as they started walking back to the village.

**********

All the inhabitants of Knothole were once again crowded around Sonic and Dulcy, each sitting in their respectable spots, as Tails brought out a dish that was on fire. He had to hold it far away just to keep from being burned.

"What happened to that?" asked Sonic. Antoine cleared his throat, catching Sonic's attention.

"Nothing is wrong with my dish. You said to be making the hottest of dishes, so I made this one for your contest. It is a French delicacy, Crapes ala Flambé," said Antoine in his deep French accent.

"But why is it on fire?" asked Dulcy, pointing to the dish.

"That is how it is to be being," said Antoine. Sonic almost laughed as he shook his head.

"No, no, no, Ant. What we meant by hottest dish is the spiciest dish," said Sonic.

"Well, you were not be being very correct with your directions," said Antoine, crossing his arms. Rotor also had a smile on his face as he raised his hands.

"Due to the fact that Antoine's dish is on fire, I will allow the contestants to skip his dish and go right to Sonic's dish, which is once again, his Specialty Chili Dogs!" said Rotor as Tails went and fetched Sonic's dish. Sally leaned over towards Sonic and put a hand up to his ear.

"Are you sure you didn't put any of your 'special chili peppers' in your sauce this time?" she whispered. Sonic cupped a hand over her ear as he answered.

"No way would I make a mistake like that again. I decided to go with my winning combination from last month," he answered. By now, Tails had returned with the two chilidogs.

"Both will take a bite at the same time," said Rotor as he stood by to watch their reactions.

"You ready to lose, Dulcy?" asked Sonic.

"I won't lose this time. I know how you work. Once you find a good combination, you stick with it until I can handle it, so I've been eating plenty of your chili that was left over from last time," she answered coolly. Sonic started to sweat. How could she have known that he would use the same recipe as last month.

"Contestants, take your bites," said Rotor as both Sonic and Dulcy took big bites out of the chilidogs. Both chewed and then swallowed. But neither one of them flinched.

"Both have passed the round!" announced Rotor as a cheer went up through the crowd. Sonic began to get nervous. This time Dulcy had the upper hand, and he was sure she'd take it.

"Next up, we have Dulcy's Super Spicy Specialty Soup!" said Rotor as Tails went to fetch the two bowls.

"I have you now, Sonic. There is no way that you can handle this soup," said Dulcy with an evil grin. Sonic gulped as Tails walked out of the hut carrying two bowling of steaming soup.

"All right. As with the tradition held by Sonic with the last match before it was postponed, Dulcy will take the first taste," said Rotor. Dulcy picked up the spoon and dipped it into the soup. She then took a spoonful of it and placed it in her mouth. She tasted it for a few seconds, then swallowed. Sonic became even more nervous when he saw Dulcy fighting back tears. The dragon hardly ever shed a tear during their contest unless it was REALLY spicy.

"Now, it is Sonic's turn to taste," said Rotor as Tails handed him a different bowl. Sonic stirred his spoon in the soup, then placed a spoonful of the steaming soup into his mouth. He had hardly taken to spoon out of his mouth when his taste buds were overcome with heat. He couldn't stand it. He had to get water, something, anything in his mouth to cool it off and fast. But there wasn't anything to drink around the crowd, so he quickly stood and revved up as everyone quickly dove out of his way as he ran full speed towards Power Ring pool to take a drink from it.

"I guess that means Dulcy is the winner of this month's 'Strongest Stomach in Knothole' contest," announced Rotor.

"What did you put in that soup" asked Tails.

"Oh, I don't give up my secret recipe for anything," said Dulcy, looking with satisfaction towards the direction of the Power Ring pool.

**********

Standing behind a nearby tree, watching the contest unnoticed, stood a figure covered in a cloak. His only visible feature was his hands. In one hand was a green gem that glowed softly.

"You were lucky I was there to save you, blue hedgehog. But I might not be in time to help you in the future. Enjoy you festivities now, for the time of your calling is near, and only with the help of me and your friends will you become the one that will free this planet and its inhabitants from the greatest evil it has ever seen," said the figure. He then chanted a few words under his breath as the gem's glow grew brighter. It flashed for just a second, and then the figure was gone.

THE END

I would like to thank Sonique the Hedgehog and especially KM Holler for the encouragement I needed to start writing again and to continue with it. Thank you both.

Here is a preview of my next fanfic: "Two Hedgehogs, One Goal".

From on top of a nearby hill, out of sight from the two friends, sat a figure in a light tan cloak. He raised his head from his meditation, revealing a pair of red eyes. He reached into his cloak and pulled out a green gem that was glowing softly. He looked into the gem as an image of Sonic appeared in the gem's glowing core. Next to his image appeared that of a silver colored hedgehog.

"Your next challenge is close at hand, blue hedgehog. Only with the help of your worst enemy will you succeed. And it is only through this experience that you will come to trust this individual when the time comes to join forces to fight the ultimate evil," said the figure. It chanted two words under its breath as the glow of the gem brightened. Then the figure vanished into thin air.

You may E-mail me your comments at GuGoomba@aol.com