Speaker 1: Hello, friends from across the nation, around the world. I'm Martin,
and you are listening to Dad's bedtime stories. Tonight, we're
headed back into the Dragon Knights universe, because yeah, I
kind of have to finish this series now. I don't
have a specific episode to go next. What I have
is the episode that kind of needs to go next,
where you the main character helps take over the Nature
Dragon stronghold in the last episode based on some pretty
clever ideas about the Nature Dragon General. We ended up
kind of learning the history of this general and how
they in fact helped the new Dragon Knights come to
be and have been waiting to help to be on
the side of the Dragon King, which I think is
a pretty cool plot point, And yeah, I thought we'd
continue from there. So that's basically what we're gonna do.
If you like the podcast, there's so many ways to
support it, rating it and reviewing it, leaving comments. That
sort of thing goes a really long way, as does
joining us on Patreon. I would really, actually, really really
prefer to have a podcast that is entirely sponsored by
listeners rather than advertisements, because I don't actually really love advertisements,
and that's part of the reason I created a Patreon,
and part of the reason that I put ad free
episodes there at every single support level, so even one
dollar a month, which is I think an amount of
money that many people would not notice, but I would notice.
If many people support me.
Speaker 2: With it, you get those ad free episodes, and yeah,
you actually get like your own private RSS feed where
all of the episodes go up as soon as they're recorded.
And if you're okay with ads, then that's awesome because
they support the podcast too, though if you do have
ideas to make them better or less disruptive. I am
all ears because I really, yeah, I am not really
about advertising.
Speaker 1: I'm about story making. So let me know your thoughts.
Now it's time to get as comfy as you can
in that bed, close your rise, and imagine yourself doing
what the kid in the story does, because you, my friend,
are the main character.
Speaker 3: Here.
Speaker 1: You stand inside the water Dragon Stronghold, looking out over
the icy cliffs and the ocean beyond. Not long ago,
this place belonged to the Dragon King. Well, it still
technically belonged to the water Dragons, of course, but the
water dragons had not belonged to themselves. They'd been trapped
under the Dragon King's control spell, forced to obey riders
that they themselves had never chosen. But now that's changed.
The fortress is alive again, not just with soldiers, and
not just with dragons or people rushing around trying to
repair damage caused from the battle. It's alive with true bonds.
Over the last few weeks, more and more Water dragons
have found riders of their own. Some of the dragons
had been without true riders for so long that the
moment the control spell broke, they could feel their perfect
match somewhere nearby. Some found children and nearby fishing villages.
Some found old warriors who had never expected to be chosen.
Some found sailors, farmers, and even one person who'd been
working in the kitchen. And now all around the stronghold,
new Water dragon knights train. They practice summoning their armor.
They practice summoning water from the sea, using their dragon
connection to the water element. The Dragon King's army has
lost one of its strongest regions, and yours has become
stronger than ever. You stand in the great Hall of
the Water Fortress with the other dragon Knights gathered around you. Ellie,
your elemental dragon rests behind you, her wings folded tight
against her body. Even sitting down, she's now enormous. Her
multi colored scales shimmer slightly in the cold light. August
stands near you with Eliara, her elemental dragon curled protectively
behind her. Bethy and Luna stand beside the great frozen table.
Jewels and Vine are nearby, looking well somewhat interested. Bennett
and Granite stand together, both looking solid and ready, which
makes sense because earth dragons and earth riders often look
like they are personally built by a mountain. James leans
against a pillar, while Whisper floats lazily beside him, not
really touching the ground because well, because they don't need to.
They're wind dragons. Connor and Bolts stand near by the entrance,
little sparks of electricity flickering from bolt scales. Ash and
Cinder have brought a group of fire dragons with them,
their bodies glowing warmly against the icy room. Curtis and
Phoenix stand a little further back, partly because Phoenix's poison
nature tends to make everyone else give them a bit
of space, and partially because Phoenix seems to enjoy looking
mysterious around all of You are representatives from the dragons
you have freed so far. Water dragons, fire dragons, Earth dragons,
Wind dragons, nature dragons, many of whom were once under
the Dragon King's command, but now have riders and ideas
of their own. It's not a small group anymore. It's
now an army. You take a deep breath. All right,
you say, I think it's time the conversations. Quiet, August
looks at you carefully. Time for the next stronghold, she
asks you.
Speaker 2: Nod.
Speaker 1: When your father took over the dragon world, he did
it one region at a time, fire than water, then
the others. He didn't win with one giant battle. He
won by taking pieces of the world until no one
could stop them. So we take it back the same way.
Smiles Nature dragons. Next, you glance at jewels and vine.
Nature dragons. Next, Vine lifts her head, her green scales glinting.
The jungle region will not be easy to take, she says.
Nature dragons are strongest when surrounded by life, trees, roots, vines, moss, flowers,
everything in the jungle. They are connected to more power
than almost anywhere else. Good, you say, then when we
free them, they'll be even more powerful.
Speaker 3: On our side.
Speaker 1: That is a good point, at least, says a wonderfully
simple point. I like that. You look over at August.
Do you think the Dragon King knows what we're doing?
August nods almost certainly. After losing the Fire region and
the Water stronghold, he'd have to be very bad at
noticing powers not to understand what comes next. That's what
I'm worried about. You say, Bennett crosses his arms. So
what's the plan? Sneak in again? You think about that.
The last few times you used stealth, you used invisibility,
you used surprise, and freed some of the dragons before
the full battle began. But this time something feels different.
You have an army of dragons, now so many dragons.
You have true dragon Knight, fire, water, earth, wind, nature,
and even lightning and poison. You have two elemental dragons
and a whole army of free dragons who are very
interested in helping free more of their own. Maybe hiding
and sneaking isn't the answer this time. Maybe it's time
for the Dragon King to see exactly what he's up against. No,
you say, this time, we don't sneak in. Everyone looks
at you, this time, we hit them with everything. We
have a full out attack. We overwhelm the stronghold, knock
the riders away from their dragons, and then August and
I free as many dragons as we can. A slow
smile spreads across Ash's face.
Speaker 3: I like this plan.
Speaker 1: You like any plan with lots of fire. Bethy says,
that doesn't mean it's a bad plan. Ash replies. Connor
lifts one hand. I also support any plan that involves lightning.
Of course you do, Bennett says. You look over at Jewels.
How do you feel about this? Jewels takes a deep
breath and places one hand against Vine's neck. If the
Nature dragons are still under the spell, then they're suffering.
I say, we go get them. Vine lowers her head.
The jungle remembers true nights. It may not help us
at first, but once the spells begin to break, I
believe the land itself will be on our side, and
that settles it. You climb onto Alley's back and feel
the familiar connection between you and your dragon open wide
inside your chest. All right, you say, dragon knights, let's fly.
Moments later, the skies above the water Dragon's stronghold fill
with wings. Dozens of dragons rise from the icy cliffs,
then dozens more. Ellie takes the lead, with you on
her back. August and Eli Yarra fly beside you. The
rest of the original dragon knights form around you. Behind
them come the newly freed dragons and their riders, spreading
into a gigantic formation that stretches across the sky. For
a moment, you look back. You can barely believe it.
Not long ago you were just a kid who found
an egg in the forest. Now you're leading a dragon army. Huh, Ellie,
you say, yes, this is kind of a lot. Yes,
Ellie replies, but in a good way. I hope, so
I believe. Hope is sort of the point, Ellie says.
The army flies for hours, crossing ocean cliffs, rivers, plains,
and finally the outer edges of the jungle region. At first,
you see only green. The jungle stretches beneath you in
every direction, and it's beautiful, but it's also clearly dangerous.
In the distance, the nature Dragon Stronghold rises from the
center of the jungle. It's not me of stone like
the earth bases, or ice like the water Fortress.
Speaker 3: It's grown.
Speaker 1: Massive trees twist together to form towers. Branches weave into bridges.
Walls are made of living wood covered in moss and
flowering vines. Platforms spiral around trunks wider than castles. Roots
form natural gates, and giant leaves curve overhead like rooftops.
It's less like a fortress built in a jungle and
more like the jungle itself decided to become a fortress.
Then you see movement, a lot of movement. August leans
forward on Aliara. Oh, now he's reinforced it. She's right.
Dragons rise from the stronghold, and not just nature dragons either.
Earth dragons climb up from the forest floor, launching themselves
into the sky with chunks of stone circling around them.
Wind dragons shoot out of the treetops and streaks of
gray and white, making sonic booms as they go. And
nature dragons rise and huge numbers vines trailing from their wings,
and above them all several elemental dragons shimmer into view.
The elementes. The Dragon King has clearly figured out your plan.
A voice booms across the sky from one of the
enemy riders. In the name of the Dragon King, give
the dragons back or be destroyed. You glance at August.
She shrugs. You're the leader, she says. You look ahead
at the army waiting above the jungle. Then you draw
your sword. No, you say, elly grins beneath you. I
was hoping you'd say something like that. The sky explodes.
Fire dragons on your side blast forward first, sending huge
streams of flame across the air. Enemy earth dragons answer
by launching boulders upward, each one spinning like a giant cannonball.
Water dragons sweep around from behind you, pulling moisture from
the humid jungle air and turning it into spears of ice.
Wind dragons blast air, and then the nature dragons attack.
Vines shoot upward from the trees below, reaching impossibly high
into the sky. Some wrap around wings, some lash like whips.
Others twist together into giant nets. Jewels and vine dive forward. Immediately,
Vine unleashes a blast of green energy, and trees beneath
the enemy dragons bend sharply, sending your own vines up
to meet theirs. Jewels leaps off of Vine's back onto
a spinning disk of wood, her green dragon nite armor
flashing as she slices through the enemy vines with her sword.
Go for the riders, you shout, separate the riders from
the dragons. The message passes through your army. That has
always been your greatest advantage. The controlled dragons are powerful,
but the riders of the weak point without orders, the
controlled dragons just kind of land on the ground and
sit there doing nothing, And so the dragon knights strike
at the riders. Bethy and Luna create a massive wave
of moisture in the air, sweeping three enemy riders from
their saddles and freezing them inside floating ice bubbles. Bennett
and Granite flies straight into the cluster of earth dragons.
Granite smashes through with storm of rocks.
Speaker 3: Well.
Speaker 1: Bennett leaps off of his dragon's back, lands on a
floating boulder and launches himself at an enemy rider, knocking
him cleanly away from his dragon. James in Whisper move
almost too fast to follow. Sonic booms crack through the
air as they zip between wind dragons, creating tiny little
tornadoes that pluck riders from adles and drop them safely
but firmly on the tree tops. Connor and Bolt rise
above the battle lightning flashing between them, Spray and pray.
Connor asks, I believe this is an excellent moment for it,
Bolt says. Then lightning bursts outward and dozens of directions,
not striking dragons directly, but forcing enemy riders to shield
their faces and lose control for just long enough for
your friends to move in. Ash and Cinder dive through
the center of the battle, fire roaring around them. They
release it and controlled blasts the knock three riders backward
without burning the dragons beneath them. Curtis and Phoenix take
a different approach. Phoenix releases a cloud of green mist
into the air. It swirls around a group of enemy riders,
making them cough, blink, and slump, just enough for Curtis
to send black vines snapping around them sleeping spores. Obviously,
you and Ellie fly straight towards one of the Elemental dragons.
The enemy rider raises a hand, and the Elemental Dragon
blasts fire, water, stone, wind, and vines all at once.
Ellie twists in the air, dodging the fire, cutting through
the wind as you reach out with your mind, grab
the water from the attack, freeze it, and send it
crashing back at the rider. The rider ducks ellie dives lower.
A boulder shoots toward you, but you split it in
half with your earth magic. Vines whip up where but
you burn them with fire. A blast of wind hits
you from the side, but you steady yourself using your
own command of the air. Then you see something strange.
The forest below you moves, not like trees swaying in
the wind, or vines responding to nature dragons. The forest
itself moves together all at once. Massive roots burst from
the ground. Trees bend their trunks like living giants. Vines
thicker than bridges shoot up from the jungle floor and
grab an earth dragon out of the sky. The dragon roars,
but the vines ramp around it, carefully, not crushing it.
More vines separate the rider from the saddle, wrapping the
rider up and carrying them away. Then another dragon is
pulled down, and another When dragons try to zip away,
but the trees launch nets of vines so quickly that
even they get caught. Nature dragons under the Dragon King's
control spell are wrapped up as well, pulled gently but
firmly toward the center of the stronghold. Even one of
the elemental dragons gets snagged by a dozen roots shooting
out of the highest trees. Huh, Ellie, you say, is
that you? No, Ellie says, I had assumed it was jewels.
You look down and see jewels, staring at the forest
with the same confusion on her face. It's not jewels, though,
August and Eliara fly closer. This is not my father's doing,
says then, who is it below you? The jungle continues
to rise. The captured dragons are being pulled toward the
center of the stronghold, where the largest tree towers above
all of the others. Its trunk is wider than a castle,
its branches stretching across the sky like roads. I think
we need to see what's happening, you say, agreed, August
says you, and August dive. Eli and eli Yara fold
their wings and shoot toward the center of the jungle
around you. The battle continues. Your friends keep fighting, using
incredible moves to knock riders away from dragons and stop
the dragon King's army from regrouping. You pass through a
whole bunch of leaves and land on a massive wooden
platform grown from the tree around you. And there she is.
The Nature Dragon General. Violet stands atop a large green dragon,
her armor shining black and red. Her dragon is huge
and beautiful, with scales like layered leaves, horns like branches,
and vines curling around her body bloom around Violet. Dozens
of dragons sit trapped in living wooden cages, not heard
or crushed, just contained or captured. Mostly nature dragons, though
you also see Earth dragons, Wind dragons, and one very
annoyed looking elemental dragon. Their riders are wrapped up separately
in a thick vine covered, arms pinned, and bodies held
safely away from their dragons, where no commands can be given.
Violet looks at you, Then she looks at August. Then
she sighs. Tuck you long enough, you blink. H'm sorry.
I've been waiting for the true dragon Knights to arrive
for years, Violet says, And now that you're here, you're
standing around looking confused. August narrows her eyes. Aren't you
the Nature Dragon General? Yes, don't you serve my father?
Violet gives her a sharp look. I serve no one.
You look at the dragons trapped all around her. You
did all this well, with help, Bloom did all of this.
I just sort of directed what I wanted Bloom to do. Unfortunately,
she's still trapped under your father's spell, which means I
can't really use my nature powers. Bloom's eyes are dull,
empty and silent. Well, Violet says, get going. These dragons
would prefer not to be controlled any longer. You look
at August, and August nods together. You step toward the
closest trapped nature dragon. You close your eyes and reach
out with your inner magic, not the elemental power, but
the human magic that August taught you. You search for
the cold thread of control, the false connection wrapped around
the dragon's mind and connected to the riders. You find it,
You grab it, and you pull. The spell snaps. The
dragon blinks, its glowing eyes fade into something fierce and alive.
It lifts its head and lets out a roar that
shakes the leaves from the trees. One by one, you
and August free the dragons. The change is instant. Every
time a dragon that sat empty, eyed and silent suddenly
snarls with anger. Another shakes its wings and rips through
the last of the spell with a roar. Oh dare
they sit on our backs without permission? One Nature dragon growls.
The tied up rider makes a muffled sound that could
be an apology or just sort of whimpering in fear.
Violet watches carefully. She says nothing as the dragons wake
at last, only Bloom remains. Violet slides down from her
dragon's back and stands beside her. For the first time
since you landed. She doesn't look like a general. She
looks like someone who has been waiting for this moment. Please,
she says, You and August step forward. You can feel
the spell around Bloom's mind, and so you pull it free.
Bloom trembles. Violet places one hand against Bloom's snout. Come
back to me, she whispers. I did what the Earth
showed me. I waited. I'm sorry, but I waited. Now
come back to me. The connection shatters, Blooms eyes flash
bright green, and a sudden blast of energy leaves the dragon,
hitting Violet in the chest. Instantly, Violet's old armor is
blasted away and replaced by Nature Dragon armor. True Nature
Dragon armor.
Speaker 3: You took long enough.
Speaker 1: Bloom says, and Violet laughs only with tears in her eyes.
A Violet draws her Nature Dragon's sword, and then she
begins glowing with green energy. The whole platform shakes as
the trees respond. Bloom spreads her wings, Violet climbs on
her back. Now, Violet says it's time to end this.
She lifts one hand and begins to glow. The other
freed Nature dragons join in, glowing green as well and
adding to her power. The jungle answers. All around the stronghold,
vines explode upward, not wildly or randomly, but with perfect control.
They wrap around enemy dragons still under the Dragon King's spell,
pinning wings without breaking them, catching tails without crushing them,
and pulling riders gently but firmly out of saddles and
tramping them in wooden cages. Together, the forest becomes a storm.
Roots rise like walls, branches bend like bridges, and trees
grow taller, joining in the fight like well, kind of
like gigantic giant trees that know how to fight. The
battle begins to change. Before your army was winning already,
Now the jungle itself is on your side. A group
of enemy Earth dragons try to regroup near the outer trees,
but Violet and Bloom send roots through the soil beneath them.
They burst upward, separating riders from dragons and pulling the
riders into cages. A wind dragon tries to flee, but
James in Whisper chase it straight into a net of vines.
The rider is caught and the dragon drops safely down
to the ground. One of the King's elemental dragons roars
and unleashes a blast of fire toward the central tree.
You and Ally dive in front of it. You pull
water out of the air itself, spin it into a
huge water shield, and stop the huge fire blast. Conner
and Bold strike from above with a flash of lightning
that knocks the rider out. Across the battlefield, the remaining
riders begin to break. The strongest of the remaining elemental
riders looks around, seeing freed nature dragons filling the skies
and giant trees entering the battle retreat. He yells back
to the Dragon King. The remaining Earth dragons, Wind dragons
and elemental dragons still under control turn and flee. For
a moment, you think about chasing them, but then you
look at all of the trapped dragons still waiting to
be freed. Let them go, you say, we'll get them eventually,
Elly nods. For the next hour, you and August move
from dragon to dragon, breaking the control spell again and again.
Nature dragons wake up, relieved to be free. Some immediately
sense their true riders somewhere in the world and launch
into the sky to find them. Others stay to help rebuild.
You gather with the others at the central platform, surrounded
by freed dragons, new allies, and the rest of your
dragon army. Violet stands beside I'd Bloom. For a long moment,
no one says anything. Then you step forward, so you say,
I guess you've been on our side the whole time.
Violet gives you a small smile. Not exactly, I was
on the side of what needed to happen, but yes,
in practical terms, that means I was waiting for you.
August crosses her arms. But you helped my father conquer strongholds.
Violet does not look away. Yes I did. I helped
him defeat earth dragons. I helped him take the Air Stronghold.
I commanded Bloom through a false bond. I did terrible things.
Bloom lowers her head beside her. Violet places a hand
on the dragon's scales. But long before that, I listened
to the Earth. I saw what was coming. The dragon
Knights were going to fail. Nothing I could do would
stop that. So I chose the only path the Earth
showed me. You understand before she says it the eggs,
Violet nods. I convinced the dragon knight's sex to hide
them fire, water, earth, wind, nature, elemental hope, hidden where
the dragon King could not find it. I did not
tell the others that their battle was destined to fail.
I only told them that hope needed to be planted.
So you're the reason we found our dragons. In part,
Violet says, the dragons chose you, the world guided you.
But yes, I helped make sure there was something left
to find. You look around at all of your friends.
All of you were here because someone long ago had
hidden eggs, had hidden hope, instead of spending it all
on a doomed battle. Violet looks at you. You are
well on your way to restoring balance. Fires, free water,
as free nature is free, more dragons wake every day.
The dragon King will be afraid. Now good, you say, yes,
Violet replies, But afraid enemies become dangerous. He still has earth,
dragon wind, dragons and the elementals, and he still has
the spell though it seems you found a way around
that too, But you will still need my help. I
know his army, I know his generals, I know how
he thinks, and unlike most of his riders and most
of you, I was trained as a true dragon Knight, Blooms,
smiles slightly. Well, you say, I'm pretty happy to have
an extremely powerful nature Dragon and a true Dragon Knight
on our side. Then let's restore balance together, she says,
But that can wait for tomorrow. Today you're feeling very tired.
Violet shows you around the Nature Dragon's stronghold to the
main fortress, where there's a whole bunch of rooms for guests.
You take one of the rooms, climb into one of
the beds that itself looks like it was grown out
of the ground instead of being built. You pull the
very comfortable covers up to your chin, close your eyes,
and slowly you begin to fall asleep.
Speaker 3: Good Night everyone, New York.
Speaker 4: More Union, no mo thing, no more game.
Speaker 3: M M
Speaker 4: No h as