Chapter Text
Zonic sighed as he trudged up the mountain to where the old abandoned castle was waiting. Many knight's had taken this challenge and they had all failed. Zonic wouldn't fail.
Zonic narrowed his eyes in determination before moving a bit faster and then the old castle was in sight. It was a large and ugly thing with cracked walls and mossy stone as its exterior.
Zonic huffed as he approached and then he paused at the large rotting wood door and he placed himself against it and pushed. It didn't move an inch.
Zonic frowned and began to circle the old castle as he searched for another opening. It took him half an hour to circle the whole castle and he found no openings which meant that he would have to opt for hoping that his spin dash was strong enough to break that door.
Zonic gave himself some distance from the door and then he ran and jumped and performed his best homing attack. The door creaked and then it fell and he uncurled quickly and took in his surroundings.
The inside of the castle was destroyed and ancient. Bones, armor and many weapons littered the floor and it was quite horrifying but Zonic would not be deterred. He was going to save the princess and become king so that he could change the kingdom for the better.
He walked deeper into the castle as quietly as possible and kept an eye out for the dragon that guarded the place. The dragon itself was said to be a massive beast with scales like emeralds and eyes like the sky. Zonic got to what was probably supposed to be a staircase but looked more like a death wish when he heard a loud huff.
Zonic turned his head slowly and locked eyes with the massive beast that was atleast four times his size. Its sky blue eyes seemed to shimmer with intelligence and its scales looked smooth but he knew they were tough and the two horns on its head were long and curved slightly downwards.
Zonic didn't dare to breathe as the dragon seemed to access him. Smoke curled from its nostrils and he gulped quietly as he waited to be turned into a very cooked hedgehog.
The dragon huffed and then opened its jaws and Zonic threw himself out of the way just in time to avoid a burst of flames.
Zonic then ran between the dragon's legs and the beast released a loud roar before turning to chase after him. Zonic lead it on a long chase around the castle floor and then he leaped as high as possible and landed on the upper part of the staircase.
The dragon sent another burst of fire at him and he scrambled into another jump at the next part of the staircase and he landed on the second floor.
Zonic gasped before rushing to the opposite side of the room and then the dragon burst into the middle of the room from the floor and snarled viciously.
Zonic threw open the door he was infront of and ran around the second floor of the castle in a horrible and deadly version of hide and seek until he found another staircase. He was panting at this point and the dragon didn't seem even the slightest bit worn. It was quite clear who the winner would be but Zonic wasn't a quitter.
Zonic shook himself before racing up the staircase where he threw open the door to where the princess was supposed to be held but all he saw was a massive hoard of jewels and knick knacks.
The dragon bellowed in rage behind him and he ran to the other side of the room and whipped around just in time to see the dragons head crash into the room with its teeth bared and its eyes shining with rage.
Zonic gulped and then he got in his best defensive stance despite it being quite useless at the moment. What would quills do against a dragon's hide anyways?
"Where are you hiding the princess?" Zonic growled as fiercely as possible.
The dragon stared at him for a moment and then snorted.
Zonic didn't let up his stance.
"I know you have her!" Zonic hissed aggressively.
The dragon huffed before opening its jaws once more to prepare a fire blast. Zonic quickly dove behind the mound of jewels and knick knacks and the blast didn't come although he did hear the dragon release a frustrated snarl.
"Her name is Princess Zally! Did you eat her?" Zonic questioned loudly as he prepared to sprint if needed.
The dragon huffed and Zonic looked up to see the dragon staring down at him from atop the mound. It seemed to be contemplating something and Zonic wasn't about to wait to figure out what so he rushed around the mound and leapt for the staircase where he fell to the second floor and grunted.
Behind him the dragon roared and Zonic ran and ignored the slight ache in his legs. He honestly should of considered his leg pains more before going on this adventure.
Zonic ran through many rooms with the dragon chasing him before he encountered the one with the massive hole in the floor and he leapt down to the first floor and raced for the front door.
The dragon was right behind him and he barely dodged a swipe of a talon and then he was outside.
The dragon stopped at the door and snarled loudly before prowling back to wherever it came from within the old castle.
Zonic frowned but decided to not worry about it. He was alive and that was all that mattered currently as he sat down and breathed heavily.
He sat around for maybe a minute before getting back up and walking a mile south where he set up camp for the night. He would definitely be returning to the castle and this time he would search for the dragon's den in hopes that the princess might be there.