[Intro.]
High over the horizon, a long, serpentine-like dragon, Shenron, soars through skies. Upon his head were the likes of Gohan, Goten, and Trunks enjoying the ride. Moments later, a portal opens. Flying past the dragon, Vegeta, and Piccolo enter the portal first as the trio looks on in awe. Shenron lets out a roar as he follows the two through it. The scenery quickly changes from Earth to Equis.
Celestia enjoyed a cup of tea on her balcony with her sister Luna as Shenron exits the portal in the background. Fluttershy was busy tending to the animals in her sanctuary as Angel bunny frantically points to the dragon above. The yellow pegasus looks up and gasps at the sight. Over in Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack hauling in her product before a large gust of wind from Shenron's passing blows her hat off. The farm mare puts down her produce and gives chase. In Ponyville, Pinkie gasps as she hovers in the air while Shenron passes. A moment later, the party mare disappears, leaving behind an outline of smoke. Rarity is struggling on a new line at the carousel boutique, featuring the combat Gi's Spike and Scootaloo wore before Shenron passes by her window. A look of inspiration hit the fashion mare as she quickly stretches something out before running outside. Rainbow Dash was resting on a cloud when she spotted Shenron in the skies. Looking at their destination, Rainbow shot off her perch with her signature sonic rain-boom. The trios of Saiyans leap off the great dragon while landing in front of the castle. There, Twilight is standing at the entrance, waving them over. The rest of the elements of harmony, Piccolo and Vegeta, were there to greet them.
Elsewhere, Dragonlord Ember was walking through a hellish landscape. The silhouette of a massive dragon was reaching toward her. She closes her eyes, only to open them again as Spike looks at her with concern. In a coliseum filled with cheering spectators, Scootaloo walks in with the E.A.T. belt around her waist. Her opponent was a man in a brown and white Gi that sported an afro. She shoots her opponent a confident grin as the two charge one another. A second later, Scootaloo sends her rival out of bounds as two announcers - one blond human and Earth pony of similar features - declare her the winner. High above the castle of Friendship, the Great Saiyaman floats above the structure as the sun rises. He smirks as he flies off into the rising sun.
The sunsets as the moon rising over a statue of Goku. Spike and Scootaloo stood there wearing somber expressions at the loss of their beloved mentor. However, the transparent image of Goku puts a reassuring hand on Scootaloo's and Spike's shoulders. They turn around in shock at his appearance. He smiles at his pupils before he fades away, with the two of them chasing after him. They don't get far as several figures cloaked in shadows appear before them. Gohan, Piccolo, Vegeta, Trunks, and Goten land beside them as they all take combat stances. There was a staredown between the two factions before they collide in an explosion of light. Finally, the ponies and dragons stand next to the Z fighters in front of the School of Friendship. Goku lands between his wife while draping his arm over Gohan's shoulder. They both share wide grins for their friends and family.
[Red Ribbon Main Command Center - Scootaloo POV.]
I didn't know a burnt body could smell so bad. It's way different from that time Goku cooked meat back during our training. I think the only thing worse than burning flesh is the fact that there's a burnt corpse in the first place. The dragons have it in for these red ribbon guys in the worst way possible. But why would Spike and Ember allow this? Especially Spike! What would Goku think? I was going to find them and get answers. Hopefully, there's a good reason for all this death! We started moving toward the remaining Ki signatures. That's when we found some dragons fighting more Red Ribbon goons. There were more dead bodies of humans, and a few dragons, as I noticed something. Smolder was here dragging an injured dragon away from the lasers. I instantly got them out of there while Gohan and Piccolo handled the troops. Smolder had bruises from head to claw. I wasn't to see Garble here. I frowned a little - remembering what he Did to Rainbow Dash - until I saw the gaping hole in his chest and wing. Garble was trying to act tough, but his pained gasp made that impossible. Smolder looked at me with a pleading face. I shook my head and sighed. I may not like Garble, but I can't let him suffer.
"I didn't think it would be this bad..," I said, fishing out my Senzu beans and handing both to them. "Why are you guys here?"
Garble snorts fire at my question. "Don't worry, you prissy pony head over it. We're here on official Dragon business!"
"Garble!" Smolder scolded, causing Garble to flinch.
"And, uh, t-thanks?"
I Scoffed at him before looking toward the fighting. "Whatever. Let's get back to the beatdown!"
With Gohan, Piccolo, and yours truly helping out, we easily beat back the Red Ribbon troops. Smolder handled herself well. I guess Spike and Ember taught her some sweet moves. But, I noticed how things turned south for the humans in a hurry. The dragons were playing for keeps in the most brutal way possible. I saw one of the bigger dragons swallow entire groups of humans whole. Other dragons used their claws to slice them to ribbons - pun not intended - while others squashed under their bodies. The worst part was the screams. Finding a burnt corpse and seeing it happen were two different things. It was starting to look like we're on the wrong side here. Over to my left, Garble caught a human in a headlock.
"Hey, Smolder, I caught one for you. What do you think his insides look like?"
Now, I knew Smolder from school. She was catching on to her friendship lesson nicely. She was like the girl version of Spike with extra snark thrown into the mix. I never thought I would see them flex her claws and go in for the kill like this. And she would've too if Gohan hadn't stepped in to stop her. He grabs her by the wrist as she struggled. "That's enough!!!"
"Hey, what gives?" Garble asked. "My sister was about to get her first kill!"
"Sister!?" I said in shock.
Piccolo landed next to me with a glare. "Focus!" I chuckled lamely at my mistake.
Gohan turns to Garble with a frown. "It's clear we Red Ribbon is beaten! We will bring them in for their crimes, not butcher them like savages!"
Garble snarls at Gohan. "These hairless apes have it coming. No one messing with the clutch and gets away with it!"
"Spike wouldn't agree that!" I hollered.
Garble then sent a smug grin at us. "The king consort gave the order himself!"
I was about to call him a liar when Ember joined us. "It's the truth. Spike and I cosigned on this decision!" Ember's hand shot out and grips that Red Ribbon guy by the neck. The glare she gives that guy sent a chill through my spine. "These humans committed the most grievous crime of stealing our eggs! Hatchlings are the future of the dragons. They mean everything to a dragon. Those that attempt to harm our future..."
*Snap*
The man didn't struggle anymore as he went still. With a flick of her wrist, Ember snaps his neck like a twig before tossing him away. "...Will find their future sealed! Dragons! Tear this place asunder! We will find our progeny!!!"
The dragons all roared in approval as they left. "It's not that simple! Ember! You always wanted to help dragon be better than this! You won't be any better than these jerks at this rate!" I said. "They got Gohan's family! We need to save them, not help kill them!!!"
Ember pauses at that, and I see a flash of regret before her face hardens again. "...I've given my order. I suggest you hurry,"
Gohan, Piccolo, and I left the area to find his mother and brother. We could feel their Ki buried underground. However, before we could do anything, a loud boom went off. We stopped our advance to find Spike locking arms with another human. It was that guy that was bragging earlier for kidnapping Goten and Chi-Chi. The human's shirt was gone, and blood was dripping down his chin. Spike was shirtless too, but he didn't seem as hurt. He had this smile that sent shivers down my spine. The strangest thing was that I could feel anything from the guy. It was the same as those androids back in North City. Not that it mattered Spike was wasting the guy. He broke the stalemate with a headbutt that made the stagger. The man tried to stab Spike with a dagger to his eye, but Spike bats his wrist away and slashes his stomach, I was sure the guy was dead, but the human managed to avoid the worst of it. Apart from me wanted to jump to get some licks in, but Spike had it handled, and something tells me he would appreciate us stepping on his fight.
"Your mother and brother are right below us," Piccolo said, gaining our attention.
"Akright, I'm up," I said, bringing my fingers to my forehead. We were in the same room as before; only Goten and Chi-Chi were waiting for us. Expect that now they were sitting in a forefield.
"Do you knuckle gragger have any idea who we are!? I have half a mind to teach you all a listen in respect!" Chi Chi shrieked.
"Mom! Goten!" Gohan shout, gaining their attention.
"Gohan?" Chi-Chi asked.
"Gohan!" Goten exclaimed with joy.
Piccolo destroys some console controlling the shield. Gohan and family all hugged each other in a true mushy fashion. "I'm glad you're both safe,"
"What's going on, Gohan? The last thing I remember was hiring a new tutor before falling asleep. Then Goten and I woke up here! Is this a prank!"
"There were a lot of guys running around here like they were scared or something," Goten added.
"The new Red Ribbon Army kidnapped you both," Gohan said.
"That guy from the twenty-third martial arts tournament?" Chi-Chi asked, and we nodded. "Urgh! Even dead, Goku still finds ways to stir up trouble," Just then, an earthquake shook the ceiling above us.
"We can save the pleasantries until after we left. I doubt the Equis dragons are keen on leaving any survivors,"
"Hold up, I can feel more dragons, but the signatures are weak. They're coming from inside the base," I said, trying to get a better lock on what I'm sensing. Once I got it, I brought us to a nursery of all things. There were dozens of dragon eggs sitting on some weird platform. But at least it's clear why the dragons are mad. "These idiots stole dragon eggs!?"
"That explains their hostility towards everyone on this base," Picciolo noted.
"The eggs are inside an incubation chamber. Was the Red Ribbon trying to hatch them?" Gohan asked.
I threw my hands up in the air as I spoke. "Who cares? If we bring the eggs back to Spike and Ember, then they'll stop the dragons!"
Piccolo studies me without saying a word before he lifted the eggs with his mind. I gently rest my hand on them while everyone grabs hold of me. I sure hope eggs don't get motion sickness. I did the process and teleported back outside. He'll see that the eggs are safe and stop acting like the next big villain. He's been weird ever since Goku died. I didn't know what to expect, but it sure wasn't this scene. Spike was grappling with the human again. But this time, his entire jaw was bitting down on that guy's arm. I started to call it to him before Spike went too far. I didn't make it in time.
*RIP*
[Third Person OV.]
It started as a simple motion. Spike was jerking his left as General Tao's arm followed. The assassin stumbles back in disbelief, clutching his severed limb as blood spattered on the ground. A lesser man would've been howling in pain before slipping into shock. However, the pain Tao felt had been reduced - dulled even - to allow him to keep fighting. He had to thank the doctor for her updates. But he could feel something else rising within his being-- fear. Spike chucks away the severed limb while licking at the fluids on his chin. He darts forward with his claws primed to tear General Tao to shreds. The mercenary leaps back while defending against the relentless slashes. One particular swipe cut off General Tao's ponytail. Gritting his teeth, General Tao took his stump and points at Spike. A barrel exits the wound and sprays more liquid nitrogen. Spike stops his assault as his arms froze over. Undeterred by the surprise attack, Spike flickers behind General Tao. Cloaking h in his Ki, Spike shatters the ice against General Tao's back.
The deadly assassin stumbles forward before taking a knee. A missile emerges from the joint and launches at the drake, who opens his mouth in response. There was a small explosion that proved ineffective against the King Consort. General Tao begins to sweat as Spike stalks towards him. Reaching into his pockets, General Tao tosses several grenades. Spike looks at the objects in confusion until they emitted an ear-piercing sound, bringing the Drak to his knees. General Tao was on Spike in seconds, launching a barrage of kicks to the temple. For the moment, General had the advantage. That is until Spike released a roar that destroyed the sonic grenades and damaged General Tao's eardrums. Spike slams his tail into General Tao's chest as he stumbles back and lays sprawl out on the earth. General Tao spits up the taste of dirt in his mouth as he glares at Spike.
"Insipid little reptile! Do you know who you're up against!?"
"Nope, can't say I care either. You could be the king of all humans for all that's worth,"
General Tao makes it back to one knee as he grunts in pain. "I am General Tao! I am the leader of the world's most dominant army in any world!"
Spike scoffs at this. "All I see is a weak little man whining like a child. Seriously, noisemakers, firecrackers, cold water. Do all these little toys help hide your average skill level? It says a lot about the humans in this world if they let you jokers run amok," General Tao was growing more and more frustrated with every word.
"Hey!" Spike turned to see Yamcha shaking an irritated fist at him. He returned with the others not too long ago during the fight. With the lull in combat, Yamcha voiced his grievances. "The Red Ribbon might be a joke to you, but they caused serious trouble back in the day! Don't forget that these came back to kill Goku!"
Spike slaps his hand against his head as he laughs. "Oh, yeah! I remember now! Didn't Goku beat you, dorks, as a kid? Then that kooky doctor built a bunch of robots to kill later? Can you bring those guys out? They might be an actual challenge,"
The rage General Tao felt was almost palpable. "You dare mock me...!"
Spike merely shrugs. "Well, yeah, it's easy. I mean, I thought you had androids that could battle a Super Saiyan. But, they must've decided to make you with discount parts or something,"
"Enough!!!" General Tao thrust out his chest as his chest fold opens, reveals another barrel. His remaining arm dislodges from his wrist as the light begins to gather. Three orbs appeared in front of his wrist and chest, connected by a chain link of electricity. Dust and debris start to rise in the air as the ground quakes. The bystanders shields themselves as the sparks grew more violent. "Ultra Dodan Ray!!!" The blast tore the earth asunder as it traveled to its target. It painted the sky with a blend of orange and yellow as it reached the King Consort. Spike brings up his guard before a deafening bomb goes off. A dome of light shrouds his forms as it expands. General Tao pants from extortion as the residual effects of the blast fade away. He smirks while staring into smoke ahead, and There, he could see a prone outline hunched over the ground. "Hehehe! That forked tongue of yours couldn't save from-- A.C.K.!?"
General Tao's words fell on dear ears as a purple tail burst from the ground and wraps around his neck. Tao looks back at the smoke with a panicked expression as Spike's form was clear as day. The attack did little more than scuffed up his scales while his tail impaled the earth. The same bone-chilling grin grew on Spike's face as he yanks his tail out from the ground. General Tao suddenly felt pulled forward, his face dragging against the unforgiving soil, as Spike slams him down over his shoulder. A gasp of breath General Tao as his body bounces off the ground. He pivots his hips and repeats the process several times over. Spike whips his tail upwards while releasing his grip, causing General Tao to flail helplessly in the air. Spike crouch down while flexing his claws as he made several swiping passes on Tao during his descent. Several gashes and lacerations littered General Tao's body by the time he hit the ground. Spike reappears on the ground next to Tao. He snorts in disgust as the man tried to crawl away, but the injuries were too serve. Spike reaches down and pulls his head up by the cut ponytail. It was hard to make out the General's face as blood poured from the various cuts. Spike primes his claws with one final target in mind-- General Tao's throat. General Tao felt a sense of renewed fear as Spike struck.
However, the death blow never came. "Stop it, Spike..." Scootaloo said, gripping Spike's wrist tightly.
"What gives, Scoots? I was about to finish up a tin man over here," Spike said.
"You got him already. The eggs are safe. You can stop it!"
"It's not that simple. Dragon conduct says anyone that harms the egg meets the business end of a set of claws!"
A growl escaped Scootaloo's muzzle. "That's not how to do things! We fight the bad guys. We beat the bad guys. We don't kill them!" Her aura flared up subtly with Spike's own. Scootaloo noted that she feels that malicious presence again. But she didn't care.
"Tell that to Sombra, Chrysalis, and Tirek. Better yet, the pony way of doing things might be worse than dragons. At least, we don't trap creatures on or inside a rock for thousands of years. I call that cruel and unusual punishment - driving creatures insane with solitude would be a fate worse than death. But since this is earth, not Equis - plus, no elements - we'll end things the fun-- Oof!"
An orange furred fist socked Spike right in the jaw, forcing him to drop General Tao. He stumbles back a few steps before glaring at Scootaloo. The pegasus glares as her body shudders. "AND WHAT WOULD GOKU THINK ABOUT THIS, HUH!? WE LEARNED NEVER TO HURT OR KILL, BUT TO SURPASS OUR LIMITS. TO BECOME THE GREATEST VERSION OF OURSELVES! IS THIS HOW YOU HONOR THE KAMESENN-RYU? WOULD GOKU APPROVE?"
Spike flinches as he looks around. The dragons were on his side, save for the small amount of doubt on Smolder. However, the Z warriors held varying degrees of disapproval, especially Krillin, Yamcha, and Gohan. Tien steps forwards as his eyes spike critically. "I once looked up to this man," He gestures to General Tao. "He was the brother to Master Crane - Chaoztu and I former mentor - of the Crane style school. Back then, I thought being a Martial Artists meant crushing your opponents till they pleaded for mercy. My master and General Tao nurtured those negative feelings, forging me into a deadly weapon, much like themselves. It wasn't until Goku showed me how misguided I was that I realized the truth. Anger and revenge are a position to all consumed by it. You are a leader. Goku's student. Be the example he was and turn away from this path,"
Spike was silent as he considered Tien's words. He looks back at General Tao, who trembles under his gaze before scoffing. "Whatever," Spike walks away from everyone and to the eggs. Ember was there looking them over as he nods to her.
The dragonlord raises the bloodstone specter and encases them in a red aura. "The eggs are reclaimed. Our future remains strong! The mark of Scorch Earth shall remain in these weak hearts for the rest of their days!" The dragons all roared in agreement. "Hit the skies, drakes! Return to the Dragonlands!"
Our heroes watched as the dragons flew off in the direction of capsule corp. Scootaloo's gaze lingered on Spike before he was out of sight. She gave a somber sigh as Gohan rest a hand on her shoulder. "Do you think he'll listen? I don't want him to end up..."
"He reacted when you brought my father, and you're right, he wouldn't approve of Spike's actions," Gohan said.
"I think it's too early to rule anything out," Piccolo suddenly said. "No one knows better than how fury can influence one's actions. He will need to sort these feels out for himself. Although..." Piccolo smirks as he looks at Scootaloo. "Like me, if he gets too rowdy, you can always be there to give him a reality check,"
Scootaloo grins while slamming her fist. "Hehe, right!"
"So, what about him?" Yamcha said, pointing to General Tao.
Gohan frowns as he started to approach, but Tien beats him to it. "I would've thought you finally learned your lesson by now, General,"
Tao spat up a gout of blood as he responds. "S-save me, your prattling boy!"
Tien shook his head in disappointment. "Humility is a lesson I gained from defeat. It calms the mind and cleanses the heart of wicked desires. Surely, you realize that the path you walk is the path to your destruction,"
"S-so sanctimonious now, aren't you? You think yourself my better because I lay broken on the dirt? You always neglected a pivotal lesson when it comes to Martial Arts,"
Tien narrows his eyes. "And what is that?"
"You're only beaten when you accept defeat!!!" General Tao opens his mouth wide to reveal a flashbang between his teeth.
The grenade goes off with a blinding flash as everyone shields themselves. General Tao took this moment to flee through one of the exposed panels and enact his escape. "Gera!!!" He called out, rushing through the corridors of the facility. "Where are you?"
"I'm inside lab B finishing the data I recovered. You best make your way here to ready the escape plan," Dr. Gera said over the intercom.
General Tao sprinted as far as his broken body could take until he reached the lab. However, he stops at the sight of Dr. Gera typing away at the console. On-screen was a D.N.A. strand of a human and dragon. "What are you doing? We need to make our escape! Those fools will be on us any second now!"
"Hmm? Oh, I'm just compiling the data on the integration of the dragon cells I recovered. I may have to spice it down beforehand. Dragons appear to have aggressive tendencies that hinder cohesive responses for bodily functions,"
General Tao felt his right eye twitch. "W-what? How did you get dragon D.N.A.!?"
"From those eggs. I needed them for another project. Plus, I wanted to enact a field test,"
"Y-you brought those miserable reptiles to our base!? Do you have any idea what you've done!? Our equipment! Our personnel! The bases defense, armaments, and machinery! All of it is now nothing more than ashes!!!"
"I know. I honestly thought the new Red Ribbon would fare better than that. Oh, well,"
Dr. Gera's relaxed tone and betrayal pushed General Tao over the edge. General Tao extends another blade as he leaps toward her. "DIIIIEEEE!!!!!"
Without looking behind her, Gera presses a button on the console. General Tao immediately pauses before hitting the ground. General grits his teeth as he tried to move but to no avail. "W-what have you done to m-me!?!?"
"I shut down all your essential motor functions. It's a feature Dr. Gero installed to keep the android under control. Though, it didn't do him much good since they destroyed him upon activation. Luckily, I'm not so careless. Your body will shut down in a few minutes," Gera finished typing on the console as a counter replaces the data on the screen. It displays a total of one minute, zero seconds. "To tell you the truth, General Tao. I never intended to rebuild the Red Ribbon Army. I mean, why bring back an organization that lost to a mere child? Granted, Son Goku was far from ordinary. But it still stands that they were grossly underprepared for threats beyond the scope of the earth. That's another reason I brought the Equis dragons here. If you couldn't handle otherwordly dragons, then the Red Ribbon was dead on arrival before we even touch Equis soil,"
"Y-You traitours wench--" General Tao barely manages to shift his head as Gera hits another button. The numbers began counting down. Gera wags a finger at his language.
"You personify the Red Ribbon Army as a whole. A self-serving lout too caught up in the fraction of power you wield. I'm after far greater ambitions than mere global domination. But that's not to say I didn't want to betray you completely. Your performance today solidified my low expectations of you, that's all," Gera went to console again as she turned the intercoms. "Warning! This facility will self-destruct in thirty seconds. Please make your way to the designated escape pods," She turned off the intercoms while picking up a bag. Shifting through it, she places a metal band on her wrist while pointing her arm in space. A small hole appears in the air as it grew to her height. She turns back to Tao with a please smirk. "You like this? I managed to outfit the portal frame to a more portable size. Pun unintended. A quick and instant way for interplanetary travel. Anyway, it's time to close the chapter on the Red Ribbon Army. Goodbye, General,"
With no more delays, Gera walks through the portal as it slowly closes. General Tao continues to watch with gritted teeth and rising panic. The lights around him flash bright red as the blaring alarms hit his ears. There was a small part of himself screaming at his utter ineptitude. He should've left well enough alone. He should've remained a bodyguard to low rent mobsters. At least then, General Tao knew there wouldn't face threats of alien boys and humanoids. But, Gera's words cut far more profound than the deadliest assassin cared to admit. He wanted the glory days back, where the Red Ribbon was a force beyond measure. A global influence that no one could topple no matter what they did. Only this time, it was General Tao's moment. This time, He would be the mastermind. All the resources, all the technology, all the human resources would be his to command. General Tao could see himself standing at the capital of the world as the president signs over control to him and him alone. The Red Ribbon's final victory was achieved and a life well-lived. It was a good dream. Sadly for General Tao, ideas often end before you get to the good part. His bloodshot eyes shifted to counter - revealing scarcely a few seconds left. He looks back to Gera, who sends him a wave accompanied by a cute smile. General Tao's eyes went wide as the portal closes, and the timer reaches zero. He felt fear for the last time. Then, he felt nothing.