Ghost of a Chance
"Father!" Sally squealed in delight embracing the king. "I'm so happy to see you again. I can't believe you're back."
"My girl, I'm overjoyed to see you once again." He smiled at the sobbing princess. "Nothing will distract me now from being a good king and a good father… I wonder what's for dinner."
"Well," the princess talked with her newly returned father. "Tails and Rotor were questioning Sonic about what had happened."
"So this Warpnik pulled you and Dulcy into the void to rescue Nagus?" Rotor asked, scratching his chin with his claw. "Obviously, the wizard had bribed Julian's cousin with a promise of wealth and power, if he set him free."
"Yeah, but old Warpnik won't be able to enjoy it." Sonic chuckled. "Nagus left him high and dry, trapped in the Void for the rest of eternity."
"Wow, Sonic. I can't believe you outsmarted Nagus." Tails noted. "But why didn't the king turn to crystal when you brought him out? And why has Dulcy turned into a regular Mobian like the rest of us?"
Turning away from his conversation with Princess Sally, the king reached into his pocket and pulled out a strange and green looking gemstone.
"My boy, this chaos emerald is what Warpnik was striving for." The king said as he handed the gem over to Tails. "My guess is its weird magic is what stopped me from turning to crystal."
"Wowie, another chaos emerald." Tails exclaimed looking at his own reflection in the gem. "Just how many of these are there?"
"I think we should get it back to the lab to run some test." Rotor said gazing at the gemstone. He thought he saw a spooky face reflecting on the gem, but when he turned around there was nothing there. "Whoa guys, did you see that?"
"Stop seeing things, keed." Sonic replied. Rotor looked back at the chaos emerald and the spooky face wasn't there.
"I got to lay off the chili dogs." Rotor replied.
"Sonic, I want you to join me and my father at the celebration tonight." Sally commented, smiling as she looked back at the recently returned King Acorn. "We will be holding a great banquet in honor of the return of Soleanna's great king.
"Soleanna? Isn't the city in ruins? We lived in Mobotropolis." King Acorn asked.
"Father, we have a lot of catching up to do." Sally exclaimed rolling her eyes. "But in the meantime, we have your homecoming party to attend."
It was a grand celebration that night with banners and streamers decorating every city block in the capital. Street performers and musicians sang and danced for the amusement of all. In the town square, many dignitaries and diplomats spoke with the king and welcomed him home from his long exile.
"Your majesty, the people of Mobius are grateful to have you back." Lupe greeted him, bowing politely to King Acorn. "I am certain our two nations will only know friendship under your just rule once again."
"Why thank you, my dear." The king replied looking around. "But tell me, do you happen to know when they will be serving dinner?" While the king was speaking with the guests, Amy and Bunnie were off at the side of the town square looking at an ugly old tree that had been planted in the middle of the village green.
"Eww. Bunnie, what's that creepy looking old tree over there for?" Amy asked with a look of disgust on her face. "Why don't they just chop it down? It looks sick."
"Ah, come on now, sugar." Bunnie told her. "Y'all mean to tell me you've never heard of the cursed tree of the Lost Brigade?"
"No, what's that?" Amy asked feeling seriously dark vibes coming off of the sickly looking tree.
"It was planted in honor of Captain Boom's Brigade, one of the best fighting units in the Great War." Bunnie said, narrowing her eyes and trying to talk in a creepy voice. "Legend has it that Captain Boom was a cruel and bloodthirsty commander. His brigade destroyed whole villages and killed innocent Mobians who had surrendered without a fight."
"Talk about heartless." Amy commented her eye twitching in shock.
"King Acorn's father got fed up with Boom's insubordination and so abandoned him and his unit to die." Bunnie continued. "Several family members of lost soldier in the unit demanded that this tree be planted as a memorial to their loved ones, but the tree grew all twisted and gnarled."
"Why would the tree grow up so sickly?" Amy asked looking at the monstrous plant. "Was it something in the soil."
"Nobody knows." Bunnie answered. "It is said that the spirits of Captain Boom and his soldiers dwell inside the very bark of the tree watching and waiting to strike back at the royal family who betrayed them."
"That's definitely a good story to tell at a celebration in honor of the king." Amy replied sarcastically. "Why don't we go over and get some punch and stop looking at this creepy old thing."
Bunnie nodded still laughing but as the two went over to the refreshment table. Amy couldn't stop staring at the horrible looking plant. After a while, she noticed a dark aura begin to form around the plant. It started off small at first, but quickly seemed to grow taking on a life all its own.
It was, then, that Amy noticed several of Antione's guards had brought out the glass case displaying the recovered chaos emeralds. As they set them down near the tree, she noticed the cloud of dark energy really flare up. The bark seemed to crumble away instantly and dark shadows and shapes began to more around everyone and everything at the party unnoticed.
"Uh, Bunnie?" Amy said nervously, looking at the strange lights flying all around them. "I think that tree might be really haunted."
"Oh lighten up on the drama sugar." Bunnie answered, dismissively. "We have a party to enjoy." The dark shapes seemed to coil around several of the guest at the party. It was, then, that Amy began to notice some of the guest were acting unusual.
"Ah, Rotor. Why did you dump that punch on me?" Sally shouted with her skirt soaked in the stuff. "This skirt is very hard to clean."
"Well excuuuuse me, princess." Rotor replied sticking his tongue out at her. "Can't take a little water, Sally?"
"Rotor, I can't believe you said that." The princess snapped in disgust. "Such rude language isn't like you." While the two of them were arguing, Amy heard another fight break out behind her.
"You gonna make me do it, Knucklehead!?" Sonic growled glaring at the red echidna. "I won't apologize to you, even if you were the last guardian on Mobius."
"I'm going to make you eat those word, you slimy blue porcupine." Knuckles barked back holding his fists, cracking them in anger. "One more word out of your big mouth, and I will send you flying from here to Down Under."
"Amy, girl. What the heck is going on here?" Bunnie asked her. "Sounds like every boy at the party has gone plum loco?"
"I think Boom and his ghosts have busted out of the tree." Amy said. The tension in her voice was rising. "We gotta do something before everybody is affected."
"Well, sugar. I don't think us, lady folk, have nothing to worry about." Bunnie responded. "Looks like Tails isn't affected either." Tails just walked by Amy and then flipped her skirt up.
"Spoke too soon." Amy squealed from embarrassment pulling her skirt back down. "Gather the rest of the girls together, we're gonna bust some ghosts." The two quickly raced around the square gathering up what sane females were left. The rest were either screaming, crying, hiding under the table, or ran away.
"This was all we could find?" Amy asked desperately seeing only Sally, Lupe, and Dulcy. The dragon, herself, was now sporting a purple and white jumpsuit. "We're going to have a hard time exorcising these ghosts from our friends."
"Hey girl, we're better than nothing." Dulcy snapped flexing her wings angerly. "Give Sally an eye five minutes and will have all these spooks smashed."
"The spirits are most restless tonight." Lupe said.
"No duh, thank you miss obvious." One of the males within earshot of them called out. "You wimply little females aren't gonna do diddly-squat to us fighting soldiers." Suddenly an anger flared up in all five ladies. They're eyes burning with the red hot temper from the possessed jerk's sexist remark.
"Did he just say what I thought he said." Dulcy growled angerly.
"It was unwise to make such a flippant remark." Lupe snarled wiping some of the icing from a nearby cake as war paint.
"You're going to wish you never open your mouth, ghost boy." Sally chittered in rage.
"Y'all won't be comin' back, now you hear." Bunnie said slapping her fist into her metal hand. "Girls," Amy said raising her hammer. "Let's take out some trash."
"We'll teach you girls not to interfere." The possessed Sonic told them with his eyes glowing red. "Boys, let's get 'em."
Everything exploded a mad frenzy. Rotor lunged at Sally slamming his claw into the ground as the princess jumped back.
"I can't believe you're doing this old friend." Sally said sadly. "After all, we've been through together."
"Sorry, but Rotor's not in right now." The possessed walrus snarled chopping towards the princess with his large tusks. "Please leave a message at the sound of the beep." As he bit towards Sally, the princess picked up a plank from one of the shattered tables. His attack pushed his teeth down into the solid wood.
"There." Sally explained. "Here's something to chew on. But really, you need more fiber in your diet."
"Mphh, mphh, mphh." Rotor growled incomprehensibly trying to chew the wood to pieces getting splitters in his teeth. Sally jumped up and spin kicked Rotor in the side of the head, sending the mechanic tumbling over.
Meanwhile, Lupe was facing down Tails, an angry fox, who spun in the air over her head. Going around in circles kicking her in the back of the head when she isn't looking.
"What's the matter, Lupe?" Tails asked. "Stop hitting yourself. Stop hitting yourself. Stop hitting yourself. Stop hitting yourself."
"I'm not hitting myself, you are." Lupe rebuked angerly. "My you ghosts, are as bright as a burnt out bulb."
"That's not bright at all." The possessed Tails said. "That's what you thing, injun. Me gonna scalp you really good."
"Okay, that does it furball." Lupe growled with her fangs bearing. "Time to hunt some fox." As Tails flew around and around her head, Lupe closed her eyes. When she sensed Tails near, she lunged out with the butt end of his spear, catching the two-tailed mobian on the forehead and knocking him out.
"Well, well, well." Knuckles snapped swinging his spiked gloves at Bunnie. "Looks like I'm going to win myself a lucky rabbit's foot."
"Ah, y'all just being offensive now, sugar." Bunnie remarked. "And you ain't gonna like what I'm gonna have to do to y'all." Knuckles jumped forward trying to head butt the cyborg rabbit. Bunnie kicked the angry echidna in the noggin sending his flying him backwards.
"So, think you're gonna get me that way." Knuckles chuckled. "Well, I'm going under." He dug down into the ground, disappearing from view. Bunnie looked around but saw no trace of him.
"Now, where'd that annoying dreadhead go?" she said. "Knuckles, y'all come out now you hear?" Suddenly she felt the ground open behind her and felt a gloved hand grab her behind.
"Look, I got a rabbit's tail." Knuckles called out yanking downward on Bunnie's tail. "Does this mean I'm gonna have good luck?"
"OUCH! That hurts, scalliewag." Bunnie cried out in pain. "I'm gonna teach you to mess with a Southern lady." Knuckles began popping out of the ground in several spots. Bunnie dove at him with her organic fist trying to hit him without hurting him. Knuckle continually avoided her attacks, making faces, and sticking his tongue out.
"Nya nya, can't hit me." Knuckles stated blowing a raspberry. "You're even slower than Sonic."
"That doesn't make any sense, sugar." She said. Knuckles paused thinking about.
"Wait, that didn't come out right." He replied. Bunnie took advantage of his moment's pause to send him flying back down the hole.
"Y'all come out of there, sugar." Bunnie said sticking her head down the hole. Suddenly a pair of glove hands grabbed onto her ears and yanked her down the hole. Several explosions of dirt could be seen shooting out of the holes as the two fought. Finally, a ripping sound followed by Bunnie's scream before the surprised rabbit was sent shooting back up out of the hole in her underwear.
"You little pervert, that was my best dress." The pissed off mobian growled. Pulling her robotic fist up, she thrusted it into the ground. Shaking the earth and causing the surprised echidna to pop out of the center hole. "Got cha." Bunnie grabbed Knuckles by the throat with her metal hand and held him up into the air. "Lights out, sugar." She exclaimed before punching him with her other hand.
Amy felt dizzy as Sonic ran around and around her in circles leaving a blue trail that never seemed to be endless.
"I'm getting dizzy." Amy said holding her head and closing her eyes. "Sonic, please stop it. I don't want to hurt you."
"Hurt me?" The ghost replied with Sonic's lips not moving. "That's a laugh. You couldn't catch me if you tried, slow mo." Amy tried to block out the whirling blue vortex around her and concentrating.
"Sonic's mouth isn't moving." Amy thought. "So, that means the ghost is having a hard time controlling him. If I can just disrupt his concentration a bit, Sonic's will power should overwhelm it."
"Hey, you slimy spook." Amy called out defying, raising her piko piko over her head. "How would you like a face full of hammer."
"Fat chance, you pink tramp." The ghost replied, angerly. "You'd never hurt your precious Sonokku."
"Sonic, this is going to hurt me a lot more than it's going to hurt you…" Amy said.
"You're not going to do it." The ghost replied. "No, you wouldn't."
"It's hammer time." Amy replied as she swung the hammer downward.
"Oh crap." The ghost said as it slammed down on his noggin. Looking dizzy Sonic turned to faced Amy. A small smile on his face appeared.
"Ames, you broke the spell without a kiss." Sonic said, his eyes spinning in his head. "Way past cool." He collapsed onto the ground. "Can someone get me the number of that chili dog truck?"
Suddenly, the remaining mobian males all swarmed in on the girls. But just as they were about to rip them to shreds, a thin flame shot down from above driving the attacking mob back.
"Leave my friends alone bozos." Dulcy called out, spewing a stream of fire at them. "Or you are gonna get burned." The terrified mobians ran in the other direction as strange white forms began to rise out of all of the males.
"Amy, look it's the ghosts." Sally said pointing upwards. "They're coming out of all their victims."
"Indeed, we have exorcised the fowl spirits." Lupe said triumphantly holding her spear above her head.
"Eww, they look just like those ghosts from that one video game with the plumbers." Dulcy remarked. "Except for the creepy bug eyes."
"Doesn't matter, what they look like, sugar." Bunnie added. "We still whooped their butts good."
"That's you think." A deep voice growled angerly. Suddenly, all of the ghosts came together merging into a single giant ghost with fangs and a tongue grossly slobbering out of its mouth.
"Eww, that's just disgusting." Dulcy replied staring down at the ugly spook.
"So, y'all that must be General Boom." Bunnie replied looking up at the ghost. "back to get y'all's revenge."
"That's right, until you silly little girls interfered." Boom roared. "And now, King Boomboo shall devour your souls." The five girls looked at each other before bursting out laughing. "What's so funny?" He demanded.
"King Boomboo? That's the stupidest name ever." Sally replied trying to stop herself from laughing. "Where did you come up with that? After reading a comic book?"
"STOP IT! I'M A GENERAL!" the ghost roared. "MY NAME IS AS BRILLIANT AS MY STRATEGY!"
"Sugar, that sounds like the name I'd see on a cheap B-film." Bunnie added. "Y'all should stop watchin' the late night monster movies."
"SILENCE! I COMMAND YOU TO STOP THIS INSTANT!" the ghost cried out even more furious than before. "I'll make you wish you never messed with the West Side Butcher." The ghost lunged at them barring his fangs. The four girls jumped backwards.
"Here, why don't you try this on for size?" Ducly said raising a gloved hand and spitting a ball of fire into it. She pitched it towards him, hitting the ghost square between the eyes. "Eat napalm, punk." The ball exploded on contact, burning the spirit's face.
"AAHHHHH! You filthy dragon." King Boom roared swing his tongue lick a club and slamming the dragon into a nearby wall.
"It's okay, ma." Dulcy said as she saw stars spinning her head. "I'm ready to go to bed now."
"Foul spirit, I shall cleanse this world of your presense." Lupe snarled shoving her spear's tip into the spectral form. "Everyone knows that evil spirits are weak to the metal iron." The ghost turned to her and laughed.
"I'm no fairy, kid." The ghost stated. "But thanks for playing." King Boom spat out venom at her, sending the wolf pack chief flying backwards.
"Eww, I've been slimed." Lupe said clearing the snot like substance off her clothes and looking down at her chest. "This is worse than being in a wet t-shirt contest."
Bunnie and Sally jumped at the ghost but went right through him.
"So the two of you, think you can hurt me?" the ghost roared with laughter. "Who's foolish now? I am invincible."
"Actually, none of us think we can beat you." Sally added. A small smile forming on her face.
"We were trying to keep you distracted, sugar." Bunnie remarked.
"From what?" He asked; then, he fell over in pain. Behind him, he saw Amy Rose raising her charged hammer over the cursed tree. Bringing it down in one mighty swing.
"NOOOOO!" the ghost roared. "STOOOOP!" Amy Brought the hammer with a mighty crash, sending the tree toppling over revealing a purple stuck in the wood. Amy quickly reached out plucking the emerald from the stump.
"Bye-bye, Boomboom." Amy remarked holding up the emerald and winking at the ghost. "See you on the other side."
"IT CAN'T END THIS WAY!" he shouted as he was fading away in a swirl of smoke. "MY REVENGE!" The ghost vanished with a popping sound. Amy ran over to her battered and dizzied friends.
"Is everybody, okay?" Amy asked them, helping Lupe back to her feet. "You all did a great job distracting him while I smashed the tree."
"I'm all right, sugar." Bunnie said. "Nothing hurt but my pride." She looked down at her torn clothing.
"I'm okay, ma." Dulcy said. "But is it time to go to school?" Sally just splashed some water on her. "Wait, what happened? Did we beat him?"
"The spirits must have been drawing power from the chaos emerald within the tree." Lupe said, pulling more goo off of herself. "The emerald must have been a war trophy Boomboo brought back from a battle and one of his family member buried it in the soil next to the tree seed as a memorial."
"So, with the emerald gone. The ghosts simply crossed over." Sally sighed. "And so, that's the end of King Boomboo." Just then, a small hovercar came flying in and a hedgehog with a mustache got out.
"Hey, what's going on here?" Uncle Chuck asked looking around and seen all of the battered males and the streets completely trashed. "Did I miss something?" At that moment, all five girls suddenly fell over laughing hysterically.
"Oh, we just ran into trouble." Amy commented with a smile. "But it didn't stand a ghost of a chance."