Chapter 11: Pumpkin Town, Part 2
Cream and Bokkun sat quietly in a spare bedroom that Maximus had let them use. The two had been in Pumpkin Town for six days now, and the place was always…lively.
Because of the weirdness that normally followed Cream around, and Bokkun's life with Eggman, neither were scared or surprized by anything around them, except the Werehogs. Those things were freaking weird.
The only thing that was constant was the howling of wolves every night, which kept Cream and Bokkun up.
Cream's eyes hurt from trying to keep them open; she turned to Bokkun, whose whole body was facing away from her. She knew that he was awake, as Cream found out yesterday when he fell asleep in the park with the Pumpkin; Bokkun was always restless when he dreamed.
"Mr. Bokkun?" Cream asked drowsily, but staying awake for the chance that he might tell her what she wanted to know.
"Yeah, Cream?" Bokkun asked, nowhere near as tired, as he taken to taking naps earlier in the days.
"Why were you in the mall that day?" Cream looked at Bokkun, trying to figure it out in her head.
"The Red Emerald…" Bokkun turned his head to Cream, looking at here confused as to why it was important.
Cream stared at him, she couldn't figure out why he needed the Emeralds. Team Metal wasn't connected with Eggman, something Bokkun told her, so why'd they need the Emeralds if there weren't anything big machines to power?
"What do you want them for?"
Bokkun leaned up and looked at Cream seriously, "The Emeralds are…important, we need them to stop Bronze." Bokkun said as if this were a life changing event, as far as Cream knew this was just a normal event in life, and really Bronze didn't seem powerful enough to need Super Sonic.
On the other hand, Bronze beat all the Sonic Heroes at once, minus the Chaotix. Cream reminded herself. Maybe this would be better handled by Team Metal then Team Sonic…Cream blinked her eyes, as if to remind herself that this was Team Metal she was talking about, Metal Sonic was evil enough to lock his maker away, Wrath, not that she knew anything about him but he beat Knuckles up for fun, and Bokkun…was her friend.
"So, what are you going to do, that Mr. Sonic or Mr. Shadow couldn't do?"
Bokkun thought about this, if he told her, would Metal and Wrath be mad at him? It wasn't a closely guarded secret, and Cream might even help if she knew the real reason.
"Bronze told Wrath that we needed to gather all the warriors to beat him. The Warriors are the seven Chaos Emeralds. We've got one, the white emerald. We need to gather the emerald and return them to their normal forms." Bokkun looked at Cream to see if she understood all this, she seemed to get it, but then she looked confused.
"What do you mean normal forms?"
"The Emeralds used to be people. They turned into Emeralds after they died protecting the Master Emerald, or so I've been told."
Cream stared at his eyes, trying to figure out if he was lying. Cream would like to believe that Bokkun was nice and her friend, but she knew that he'd do just about anything to be annoying or to be a prankster.
"Bokkun, promise me something?" Cream had lost her energy for the conversation. She sounded tired, and what she didn't know was that it freaked Bokkun out.
"Um…yeah?"
"If I give you the red Emerald, you won't tell anyone that I 'gave' it to you?"
Bokkun heard the unspoken question, if he told anyone she gave him the emerald out of her own free will she'd look bad to the Sonic Heroes, and they wouldn't trust her.
"I Promise."
Cream laid her head down to rest against the pillow, letting out a sigh as she got comfortable.
"Good, I'll give you it tomorrow." And like that the sound of a Werehog cut throughout the house, but Cream had gotten so tired that she simply slept through it. Bokkun soon went back to laying on his side, and soon followed her.
Well they were doing that, off enjoying the nightlife was a fox. Purple in colour, he walked around in a purple suit; he looked to be about fourteen. He wore on his arms two bracelets, one silver the other gold, both with purple gems encrusted in the centers. He had gained the title of The Shadow Maker, but his closer friends called him Cyrus.
And right now he was hunting down his employer, Doctor Ivo Pumpknik, better known as Pumpknik.
Cyrus was hanging around quietly, he had to keep side stepping trying to avoid the crazy Werehogs. Then he felt a strange sensation tapping his shoulder, well strange to normal people. It wasn't there, but it was, for it was a shadow that was tapping him.
Cyrus turned around and stared at the wooden wall of the town Cake Shop, one the wooden walls a shadow without a source was cast, it took the shape of a tall man, with a giant belly. The shadow stroked it's moustache. Cyrus knew that was the calling card of Pumpknik.
"Oh, you brilliant little shadow you, can you lead me to him?" The shadow nodded it's head, and attached itself to Cyrus, taking his form as it was his shadow. The shadow stuck to him, but it dissolved into a circle like shape, it sped off to where Pumpknik was, and Cyrus followed.
After a ten minute long run, fill with Werehogs freaking out about his shadow, Cyrus' shadow had stopped. What it had stopped in front of a small one story wooden building. There was Jazzed up versions of Halloween Songs playing in the background. Above the door written in a sickly green were the words 'The Pumpkin Pub.'
"Of course…come along shadow." At his command, his shadow once again reformed till it looked like a normal shadow, moving with the light.
Cyrus walked into the Pub, took quick note of the Vampire's drinking a blood pumpkin juice. They seemed fairly giddy, Cyrus was willing to bet there was more than just blood and pumpkin juice in that drink. Cyrus then noticed the bartender. He wore a pumpkin outfit, his eyes were covered by orange tinted goggles, something that had to be worn to protect one's self from the vampire's hypnotising stares. But most importantly, he had a moustache, long and orange. This was Ivo Pumpknik.
Cyrus waltzed over to a bar stool, and sat down looking at Pumpknik.
"Hey Bartender, I'll have some Pumpkin Juice and my mission, if you please." Cyrus looked at Pumpknik a giddy grin on his face. Pumpknik looked at Cyrus, got him his drink and loudly shouted, "Okay! Everybody out!"
The Werewolves and Werehogs freaked out at the loud noise and ran out as fast as they could. The Vampires on the other hand, merely giggled in a childish manner at Pumpknik,
"Or what? Gonna get man? What ya gonna do, Pumpkin?" A vampire said in a cruel manner, his buddies giggling along with him. Before Pumpknik could lose his mind, the vampire tripped on nothing.
"OI, what was that?" One of the vampire's friends said confused. At this time, Cyrus finished drinking his juice. He then turned around and jumped off his stool. He turned to the vampires, his face excited.
"You heard the man, everybody out." Cyrus made a flicking motion with his hand towards the door. As he expected, laugher answered him.
"Oh yeah, or you'll do what?" The first and by far rudest Vampire said mockingly right in Cyrus' face. What the vampire didn't see was Cyrus' shadow moving, no one noticed it. Then the shadow moved till it was next to the vampire's. Cyrus's shadow then picked up the vampire's shadow and threw it outside of the pub. As the vampire's shadow was still attached, the vampire went flying with his shadow.
"So, anyone else want to try? Because I could do that all day!" Cyrus said cockily, his shadow creped around them, and because giant cast itself against the wall behind the vampires. Its finger's lightly brushed every vampire's shadow, and they all shivered as if a ghost had passed through them.
"Ooo, do you feel that shiver? You sure getting on Pumpknik's bad side is smart?" One of the vampire was going to retort, but shadow held his shadow by the neck, and he felt so cold.
"Run!" The cold vampire yelled, the group following behind without a thought. The shadow shrunk, but stayed on the wall across the room. It acted as if it were attached to someone who was laughing manically.
Pumpknik looked at Cyrus, then at his shadow that moved of its own accord. Pumpknik smirked evilly, "Guess those stories were true about you, Shadow Maker… before we begin, why'd you stop those vampires?" Pumpknik wondered, it didn't really matter, but no one stood up for Pumpknik. No one.
"Well, it's bad business. If I didn't do that, you might have been mad with me for not helping you, and if your boss is mad with you, well, that's bad business." Cyrus smiled smugly, he then clicked his fingers and his shadow returned to his side.
"But the workings of good and bad business aren't important here, what's my mission, boss man?"
Pumpknik smiled at Cyrus, for Cyrus got to business quickly.
"Hmm, I wanted your help stealing something."
Cyrus stared at Pumpknik as if he were crazy. "You want me, the Shadow Maker, to steal something? Not that that's hard for me to do, but what's so important about this?"
Pumpknik walked around, making himself a drink of pumpkin juice.
"This item is always hiding in plain sight; it hides inside of the Black Pumpkin in the middle of the town park."
Cyrus looked at Pumpknik as if to say, 'Oh Really?' Cyrus sighed bored.
"Okay…but, there is the issue of my pay." Cyrus pulled out a piece of aged yellow paper. He threw some purple dust over it, which left some purple letters.
"This contract states that when I'm done…I can have your shadow." A sinister grin was present on Cyrus' face as he spoke, Pumpknik noticed this but didn't realise the reason for the evil smile.
"You want my shadow? Ha! Fine, I don't mind you wasting your time to help me!" Pumpknik signs the dotted line. Cyrus laughs evil, his shadow laughing with him. He pulled the contract back and into his inner jacket pocket.
"When should I steal this item?"
"Tomorrow. Right now, you to sleep it's four in the morning! I'm not going to have you tired!" Pumpknik demanded that Cyrus go to sleep, he went to the wall and leaned on it as he drifted off, his shadow once again moving around him, protecting him from things he couldn't fight well asleep.
Pumpknik went off and gathered his supplies for his magic for the day that would follow.
Murky sighed as he awoke from his dreams. It was fairly easy for him to sleep through the Werehogs howling, it came with living in Pumpkin Town.
"Better see how those two are doing…" Murky quickly got dressed, and grabbed his crooked hat. He threw some black dust at the floor and just like that he was in the guest bedroom.
He looked around Cream was sleeping soundly, most likely only having a couple of hours of sleep. Bokkun on the other hand didn't look so peaceful; he kept muttering the word "Metal" over and over.
Murky had heard him muttering this before in the seven days they'd been in Pumpkin Town, but never asked.
'Probably doesn't matter' Murky thought to himself.
Murky went over to Bokkun, and clicked his fingers in front of Bokkun's face. The sound seemed to work and Bokkun woke up just like that. He blinked his eyes, annoyed at being woken up when he was still tired.
"Murky, do you really need to do that?" Bokkun whined, sleep had always been easy for him to get as he didn't really have a bedtime or a time he needed to be up for, and Maximus' rule that everyone should be away before 10:00AM was annoying.
"Better you being tired them father being angered. I'm waking Cream up now." Murky shuck Cream awake. She was annoyed by the lack of sleep, but didn't complain about it.
Cream grabbed her orange maids outfit, and left the room to change. Bokkun grabbed his jester clothing and got dressed as quickly as he could. As soon as Bokkun was in his costume, he and Murky left the guest bedroom.
They quickly caught up with Cream, who had changed into her maid outfit.
Murky looked around, and remember something that happened yesterday. He turned to Bokkun.
"Bokkun yesterday didn't you want to see that Pumpkin in the middle of the park?"
"Yeah I did, why is it there?"
"No one knows, it's always been there. No one questions it." Murky went on explaining the little bit he knew about the pumpkin, the trio stepped out of the Crow's house and started flying the small distance to the park.
When they got there it was fairly quiet. Not a soul was around, except for one. Cyrus was looking at the Pumpkin. He looked straight into the giant cut out eyes as the flame flashed at him.
The group looked at Cyrus strangely, he didn't look like someone just marvelling at something, he looked like someone waiting for something to happen.
Murky stared at Cyrus oddly.
"Um, Sir? Could you take a picture of us?" Murky gestured to Cream and Bokkun, as well as the camera in his own hands.
Cyrus looked at the trio, and smiled kindly.
"Oh, sure." Cyrus took the camera and got a couple of feet away from the trio, who all got in front of the Pumpkin. Cream smiled and waved, Bokkun started juggling some bombs that were thankfully deactivated, and Murky leaned on the pumpkin, bored.
The camera was set to take ten pictures at once, and the shutter setting was set fast enough to snap pictures without blurring anything. After ten seconds Cyrus handed the camera back.
"Thanks Mister!" Cream said happily. Cyrus smiled at her, handed her the camera.
Cyrus felt his shadow tap him on the back, were no one could see the shadow at work.
"Well, I've got to be going now, bye!" Cyrus spun around on his heel, and waved as he walked off.
"He was nice, wasn't he?" Cream said happily.
"Yes, very nice." Murky rolled his eyes as he spoke, "So, I'll give you this camera and you guys can go home now."
"Great!" Bokkun said happily, thinking about Metal and Wrath. Bokkun thought about this, and something struck him.
'I wonder what happened to them after we left.' Bokkun thought worriedly. He hoped they were okay.
The trio had gotten to the town hall. Maximus was there, he was going to be using the Chaos Emerald as Cream didn't know how she activated it in the first place.
Maximus sighed deeply maybe annoyed that he had to do this.
"Chaos is power, Power enriched by dreams. The Controller is the one that bonds with the Chaos, Only-" Before Maximus could finish his line, the sky turned from a lovely blue with white clouds, to a slimly green with black clouds.
"Father, what's going on?" Murky said in a panicked voice, he had never seen the sky do that, and when you lived in a world full of monsters, this was one of the few things that could scare him.
"I don't know." After Maximus said this, all of the hedgehogs in sight transformed into their werehog forms, as the change at spooked them.
"Mwhahahahaha!" A far off voice hackled in joy. Bokkun, Cream, Maximus and Murky all turned to the source of the noise, the park.
"Chaos Control!" Maximus yelled, teleporting himself and the children to the park, right in front of the pumpkin. On top of the Pumpkin, was Pumpknik, standing up tall around in his Pumpkin costume. Sitting a little bit away from Pumpknik, was Cyrus whose legs hung above on of the Pumpkin's eyes.
"Cream, sorry to say, don't think he was a nice guy." Bokkun muttered, himself shocked at the turn of events.
Maximus looked at Cyrus, then Pumpknik. He gritted his teeth, annoyed at the stupidity.
"Who are you, and how are you connected with this?" Maximus pointed to the sky to state his point. Pumpknik laughed more.
"I'm Dr. Ivo Pumpknik! And for years I've been planning this day. With the power I stole form the Pumpkin below me, I'll control this world and make everyone in it my slave!" Bokkun's eyes were wondering around, and he noticed that Cyrus' shadow moved by itself, but that wasn't what surprized Bokkun. No, what surprized Bokkun was that the shadow appeared to be laughing at Pumpknik's speech.
"Oh please, you'll make everyone your slaves, huh? The Werehogs and Wolves wouldn't follow you, for you'd have to be the Alpha Male in their packs. And the vampire wouldn't follow your lead, they don't follow anyone but their selves." Murky said smartly.
Pumpknik appeared to be thinking about this, then he smiled sinisterly. He placed one of his hand into his pocket, and pulled out, a black Chaos Emerald.
Cream and Bokkun looked at it shocked.
"That was in the Pumpkin? And the crazy guy has it?" Cream asked, surprized about the power that Pumpknik really had.
"With this jewel, and my magic, I'll turn everything besides Warlocks into stone!" As he spoke, energy leaked off of him and the emerald, then it washed over everything, turning it into stone as it passed. Maximus saved Cream and Bokkun with the Chaos Emerald, by teleporting away.
The group of four appeared on top of Town Hall, Maximus placed a chaos shield around Bokkun, Cream and Murky, and they simply…watched.
They watched as the energy from Pumpknik swept throughout Pumpkin Town turning houses, shops, and people into stone as it passed.
Pumpknik smiled at the once bright world, now turned to stone. HE laughed in a crazy manner.
"What do you think, Shadow Maker?"
"Oh, very classy." Cyrus said humoured.
Out of sight from Pumpknik Cyrus' shadow still laughed manically.
"Cream, was it? Yeah…can you help me please?"
Cream's eyes snapped to the red emerald still in Maximus' hand.
"Oh good, I've got your attention. Now, Pumpknik placed a control spell onto the black Emerald. IF you can get close enough to him, together we could break his hold on the emerald."
"Mr. Maximus, give me the emerald. Bokkun, will you help me get to Pumpknik?"
"Sure I'll help."
Maximus looked at Cream as if she were an idiot, he then noticed the red emerald gleam, and he handed it over without question.
Cream and Bokkun jumped from Town Hall, and started flying towards Pumpknik. Murky jumped from the building, and landed on his feet. He started running after the two flyers.
Pumpknik turned towards the trio, having heard the sound coming from Bokkun's jets. Pumpknik noticed the Emerald in Cream's hand, and shivered at the thought of what could happen. He turned to Cyrus, his shadow powers could stop them without fail.
"Shadow Maker, stop them!"
"No, sorry. I f I stuck around and helped you any longer, it'd be bad business." Cyrus said smugly, his shadow laughing harder and harder.
"What! You can't quit on me now! If you do, you can't have my shadow!" Pumpknik roared in Cyrus' face
"Yeah, you want to know another bit of bad business? Never sign someone else's contract. It clearly states all I have to do is help you get the emerald and get it back into the Pumpkin, and that's already been done. Your shadow already belongs to me…" Cyrus looked at Pumpknik with an evil glare, and it chilled Pumpknik.
"Oh, you useless. Little. Fox!" Pumpknik picks Cyrus up, and throws him as far as he can towards Murky, Murky stopped to catch Cyrus. Murky looked around, Cream and Bokkun hadn't stopped to look at them.
"Why, Cyrus?"
"What do you mean, Murky? It's just business, isn't it? I'll get my pay from Pumpknik, but it'd be easier if he were in a cell. You want my help?" Cyrus smirked, Murky smiled back.
"Thanks, Shadow Maker." The two jumped up and once again sped off to face Pumpknik. After a short jog, all the children were together.
The group of children stood in front of Pumpknik.
"You can't win, you hear me? I control this world; everything is in the palm of my hand!" Pumpknik laughed evilly.
Bokkun charged forward, a bomb in his hand ready to blow. Pumpknik saw Bokkun coming, and pointed his finger at him. Pure energy fired at Bokkun, it hit the bomb and it exploded in Bokkun's hand.
"Oh this isn't good." Murky muttered, he threw a handful of dust at the floor and he was teleported next to Pumpknik, as quick as he could he summoned his steel combat staff. He held it in a fighting stance.
"Oh, really? Mister Crow boy thinks he can handle me?" Pumpknik summoned an energy ball in his hand, and threw it Murky, he summersaulted out of the way, when the ball it the ground it exploded taking the area with it.
Murky looked back and tried to stay calm. Bokkun recovered from his bomb, and moved to attack again well Pumpknik was distracted with Murky. He summoned another bomb, and threw it Pumpknik's feet.
Pumpknik noticed this however, and made an energy shield around himself to protect from the blast. Murky didn't have enough time to conjurer a full shield, only being able to make one that protected him, but made his Battle Staff go flying.
Pumpknik saw that he was unarmed, and summoned a sword with his pure magic energy; he then grabbed Murky by one of his arms, and placed the blade at the crow's neck.
Everyone tensed up at the sight.
"Okay, enough is enough! You, Rabbit Girl, give me you Emerald or this crow's gonna go bye bye!"
Cream looked Pumpknik, he wasn't lying, and he'd do it. Cream walked over to Pumpknik, the emerald in her hand outstretched.
At that second, Pumpknik felt a shiver. He felt his arm that held the blade twitch, he looked around and noticed Cyrus who had a smug grin on his face. Pumpknik looked down to the ground and noticed that Cyrus' shadow was holding Pumpknik's shadow in place. Slowly Cyrus' shadow pulled Pumpknik's arm away from Murky's neck.
Pumpknik used his magic to make a thousand lights appear around him, the light messed with Cyrus' shadow, so it rushed back to Cyrus, weakened. Murky still had a chance to run away.
Cream had been inching her way closer all the time, and when she was close enough she picked up her maids brush, and quickly tickled Pumpknik's face. He sneezed, as he went to wipe his nose Bokkun rushed over, a bomb in his hand. As soon as he was close enough he activated it. It was a smoke bomb, and as soon as it was set no one could see anything.
The smoke lasted for a minute, and when it cleared Pumpknik was made.
"You! Why do you all waste my time? I'm going to destroy you with the rest of this stupid world!" Pumpknik shoved his hand into the air, and the earth shuck. That's all.
"What!" Pumpknik shouted enraged. He looked at his hand, the emerald was gone. He looked around for it, had he dropped it. He then turned to Cyrus, who was holding the emerald happily, his shadow laughing.
"Well would you look at that? Guess without your power source, you aren't strong." Murky muttered darkly, he then used a spell to tie Pumpknik's arms together, and force him not to move.
"Pass me that emerald." Cream said kindly, happy that Cyrus wasn't all bad. Cyrus smiled back at her, and threw the jewel.
Cream caught it, and focused, with the power of the red emerald she could break the spell on the black emerald. But she'd need a new container…
"Murky, the black emerald is one of the items keeping your world stable with its power. I'm going to break Pumpknik's spell, but it will break the emerald. I need you to be ready to absorb the energy. Okay?" Cream asked him seriously. Murky nodded understanding what was going on.
Cream focused once more, placing all the energy she could give into the black emerald…there was a crack of white on the emerald, then another, and another, and more followed till the emerald exploded in white light. Murky quickly stepped over and absorbed the energy, which he was going to transfer to Maximus later.
"We're done here." Murky muttered darkly. Murky teleported everyone including Pumpknik back to town hall, were Murky and Maximus placed him in a cell in the basement of the building.
Everyone left the basement, except for Cyrus.
"Now about our deal, Pumpknik." Cyrus smiled cruelly. He raised his arm with the silver bracelet. The gem flashed, and shadows rushed out from it. Cyrus' own shadow also came away from him. They all surrounded Cyrus, Cyrus looked at Pumpknik who was scared out of his mind.
"Now, Shadow Maker…please don't?" Pumpknik was terrified.
"Oh, but you singed a contract. Get his shadow, boys." The shadows around Cyrus rushed at Pumpknik gleefully; many of them had claws, which they used to rip into Pumpknik's own shadow. Pumpknik moaned in pain, Cyrus laughed cruelly enjoying the show before him. Cyrus' own shadow started pulling Pumpknik's shadow towards the bars, moving Pumpknik along to.
The shadows started pulling and ripping Pumpknik's shadow away from his body, making Pumpknik cry out in pain.
Finally, Pumpknik's shadow detached from his body Cyrus used his sliver bracelet to suck Pumpknik's shadow, along with the rest besides his own, back up. Pumpknik cried from the pain, he felt cold without his shadow.
"Final tip, its bad business doing business with me." Cyrus laughed evilly as he left the basement, leaving Pumpknik to the cold.
Murky placed all the power of the black Chaos Emerald into Maximus, as Maximus could handle it better.
"This time, you're going home." Maximus started muttering a dark spell, and a door way appeared before them.
"Walk through, and you'll back to your world." Maximus nodded at the children. Murky went up and hugged them both, handing them his camera after.
"Good bye Bokkun. Good bye Cream." Murky said sadly.
"See ya…" Cream said, nearly crying.
"Don't worry, we'll be back next Halloween!" Bokkun said happily, which made Cream happy and Murky laugh.
Bokkun and Cream then walked through the door. Well walking through the hall Cream handed Bokkun the red emerald.
"That was a fun week." Bokkun said happily, enjoying the odd Halloween world.
"Yeah, but my mother's going to be worried sick." Cream said, a nervous tone in her voice.
"Oh, yeah forgot about that. So, want to meet Metal and Wrath? There not so bad when you get to know them." Bokkun asked, hopefully.
"Sure, should be fun!" Cream giggled.
I put all this work in, and at the most I'm going to get two review for it...one if I'm lucky. It's a sad day to be a writer.
First posted on Halloween, 31/10/12
