Night fell, and Tails brought Sonic to the Gates of Castle Noctoterra. There, Felicia greeted them in an elegant gown. "Hello again!," said Felicia. "I hope I am not, how you say, flashy. I just wanted to look my best to meet you." Sonic asked, "You look great, but can you tell me a little more about this land?" She told them, "But of course. This land is full of magic. The magic can be good or evil. Be careful what you encounter here."
"Thanks for the tip, Felicia!," said Sonic. "Yes," said the lovely red fox. She hesitated a moment and said, "If you'll excuse me, I have some work to do in the castle. Maybe we can meet tomorrow night? I hope to meet some more of your friends. Goodbye!" At that, she left and returned to the castle. Sonic then told Tails, "You might wanna rest up for tomorrow night! I have a little night mission to do!" Reluctantly, Tails said, "Okay, Sonic." Sonic then returned to the crypt and found a keyhole in one of the walls. He put it in and entered a secret passage.
Chapter 13: In The Castle- First Time
Sonic soon found himself in the castle. He knew he was in the castle because of the artwork. He opened one of the doors and climbed up a stairway. As he climbed, he heard some voices. He put his ear to the door to eavesdrop on the conversation. One voice sounded almost like Felicia, while the other voice he already knew-- the voice of Robotnik! The woman shouted to Robotnik, "Thus it will be my plan that will succeed. MY plan, not your petty little revenge scheme!" Robotnik said, "Just wait, Countess Fulva! One of these days I will become the new Leader of the Night!" Countess Fulva?!, thought Sonic. Could it be that--? He put his ear to the door and listened some more.
"Hah!," said the one female. "You think you are such a big leader. Well, your failure has proved you wrong, Julian! Soon, I will be the ruler of Mobius!" "I will have my revenge!," shouted Robotnik. "On who?," snickered the woman. "Me, or the little blue hedgehog?" Robotnik lashed out, "Both of you! On you, for betraying me, and on Sonic for making me what I am now. My revenge is not to kill you, since I have some place in my dark heart for you, but to merely take over as YOUR master!"
"This is why you'll never become 'Leader of the Night', Julian!," giggled the one female voice, "Because you always make rash decisions." Sonic then backed off and decided to explore the castle some more. He then went to one of the towers and found a little boy, obviously a vampire child. Along with him is a female white cat with a sword and some tough yet feminine clothes. "Who is it, Crystala?," said the little boy. "Some visitor," said Crystala, who was the warrior woman. "Ask him what he wants," the little child replied.
Sonic introduced himself, then the boy introduced himself and his friend: "My name is Timothy, and this is Crystala." "Hi!," said the lovely white cat. "I've been looking for you, kid!," said Sonic. "Your parents miss you!" Timothy said, "I miss my parents too, but the castle is now my home." Sonic, with a tear in his eye, asked, "Is there anything I can do, though?" Timothy said, "What would really make me happy is if you could get the ball Crystala made for me." Sonic had a thought. "I'll try to get your ball as soon as possible!," he said with a smile. "Bye!," said Timothy, "Visit us again another night!"
Chapter 14: Reuniting a Family
The next morning, Sonic asked the mayor where Timothy's room was. He showed him to the room and Sonic asked if he could have the ball. Reluctantly, he consented. Keeping it in his backpack, Sonic went into the forest for adventure, and he did: Drago was attacking Silver Comet! "Help me, Sonic!," cried Silver Comet. Sonic did a Spin Dash that knocked him into the cave. A white flash came out afterwards. "What happened?," asked the Blue Blur. "The magic of the cave sent him to... I think the Great Unknown. I am not sure," answered SC. Sonic talked about Timothy while in the cave. Silver Comet then had a thought: "Sonic! Do you know the legend of the Star of Isis?"
"Why, yes!," replied Sonic, "Frostara told me of it. Oh, did I neglect to mention? Timothy has a friend named Crystala." Silver Comet then told of how Crystala can trade her life for Timothy, though it may cost her her life. "I understand," sighed Sonic. He looked out the mouth of the cave and said, "It's gettin' late, and I must speak to Felicia." Before he left, Silver Comet warned Sonic, "I would not entirely trust this Felicia, if I were you, so be careful around her!" "Okay!," said Sonic. It was night time when Sonic made it to the gates, and Felicia again greeted him. He decided to hide all signs of suspicion.
"Greetings again, Sonic!," said Felicia. "I learned your name from some of my friends in the castle, who heard of your adventures! You need to be careful, though, there are many dangers in this land. Well, I need some things from you, but... I don't want you to get hurt for my sake. Well, I think I have to take care of things in the castle. I hope you are prepared for the tasks I may give you when we meet again! Farewell!" She then went back into the castle. Sonic went back into the secret passage in the crypt to the castle. Sonic found his way back to Timothy's Room and gave him the ball. When Crystala caught glimpse of the ball, she let him in.
As soon as the child got the ball, Sonic knew that he had gained the boy's trust. "Do you want to play ball with me?," asked Timothy. Sonic then starts to talk about the Star of Isis. Timothy said, "I like the Star of Isis. It's very pretty. Are you saying it'll change me into a real boy again?" "Yeah," Sonic replied. "But what else will the Star do?," asked Crystala. Sonic explains about sacrifice. Crystala placed her hand on Sonic's shoulder and said, "I understand. Let's go to reunite Timothy to his parents. Take us to the Star of Isis now-- the sooner, the better!
Once there, a tingling sensation overwealmed the two. "I feel afraid, Crystala," said Timothy. "I am too, honey," said Crystala. Timothy then asked, "I know you were always there to care for and protect me, but who'll take care of you?" Crystala sighed, "I don't know." Timothy said, "I'll take care of you then." Then the Star lit. "My task is at hand!," said a voice coming from the crystal. It floated between Timothy and Crystala. It said to Crystala, "Your love for the boy is great." Crystala, with a tear in her eye, bows her head. The voice asks, "Will you give your life to give life to the boy?" "Yes," answered Crystala. The voice continued, "Will you willingly die for the one you love and serve?" Crystala said in a soft whisper, "Yes." Timothy, shocked, cried, "CRYSTALA! NO!" The voice then said, "Thus shall the sacrifice be made." In a bright flash of light, the crystal made the life energy transfer. Timothy was now a living boy, while Crystala lay on the ground... dead. The body of Crystala soon turned to light and entered the crystal. "Thus is the sacrifice complete," said the crystal, "I am again the Star of Isis."
Sonic went to Timothy, whose face is moist with tears. The boy cried, "Crystala! I'm sorry!... I love you too, Crystala!" Sonic then carried the boy to the Inn, where the mayor and his wife, as well as the Freedom Fighters, were suprised to see Sonic carrying a child with him. Sonic explained what had happened. It was about an hour until Sonic could get to his room and sleep for the rest of the night.
Chapter 15: A House Rebuilt
The next day, Sonic and his friends were greeted in the dining room by the mayor and his family. They were indeed grateful about Sonic saving their boy. "Well, I didn't do this by myself," said Sonic with a sigh. "Crystala gave her life to bring him back." "She may have looked tough," said Sally, "But she had a heart of gold." Then Frostara and Snowmaar came as soon as they left the Inn. "Frostara has something to tell you," said Snowmaar. "Whatever it is, it's not good!" "No, it's not," sighed Frostara. "Because of what happened, whoever took Timothy is now greatly angered. I would be careful traveling at night, if I were you." They explored and met Silver Comet in the cave, and he had something to tell them as well.
"I overheard something while I was spying with my telepathic form at night," said SC. "In the castle, I saw a mysterious woman shouting in anger, or in sorrow, 'I cannot believe that that hedgehog did this to me. My boy... gone!' It had the hair on my neck stand up on end. Frostara obviously told the truth when she said that you angered someone. Be careful!" Sonic and his friends kept this warning in their minds as the traveled back to town (after playing some games with Silver Comet). There they rested until the next day.
Chapter 16: Robotnik's Ambush
The next day, Sonic found a note nest to his bed that read "Meet me outside the gates tonight. We've got a lot to discuss. Bring your friends, too! -Felicia." Sonic told his friends about the letter and, after hiking in the woods until dark, trekked to the castle gates. The magic that Silver Comet gave them protected them well. But as they neared the castle gates, instead of Felicia greeting them at the gates, before they got within view of the gates, they met... Robotnik!
"Ah, how nice of you to come!," snickered Robotnik. "I seemed to have put the wrong signature on by mistake. It's been quite a while since we last met. Please let me take a look at you." Shivering, Sally asked, "How could be alive after being disintegrated by the Doomsday Machine?" Robotnik snapped, "Alive? ALIVE?! Do you really think I am alive?! Fools! I am far greater than I was in life, and you yourselves have much to learn before your own death!" King Acorn pulled his sword out and said, "We have defeated you before, we can take you down again!" "Go ahead and try," chortled Robotnik, "But you will not succeed."
Tails asked about the "Leader of the Night" and Robotnik's answer was, "Don't tell me you don't even know who you were talking to these past nights. Countess 'Felicia' Fulva is the 'Leader of the Night'. But enough of that, I have a big suprise for you!" At that, some more Shadowduck droids pop out of nowhere and grab the Freedom Fighters and took them to the castle dungeon.
Chapter 17: Robotnik Unveils The Truth
In the dungeon, the Freedom Fighters were locked into different cells. Robotnik gloated, "Did you really think you could defeat me so easily? I have you now, and you shall all pay for my death! It is because of you that I am now a vampire. Not that I mind being an undead or that I serve Countess Fulva, since I think it is such an honor to serve such a beautiful and powerful vampiress. Of course, she hardly did anything that angered me... just ordered me not to harm you, that's all. You probably blame me for all the problems. You know nothing. It is Countess Fulva, the Leader of the Night, who is the cause of all the woe in Noctoterra. She brought you here despite my better judgment, and plans to make you undead like me. But I'll spare you that fate. Tomorrow night, I will put an end to your miserable lives. Then Fulva and I will summon the Shadows of Dark Mobius. Thus we shall never limited to travel at night again, for it will be eternal night.
"Once that is done, we will create an army of undead and conquer this planet. Pity you won't be around to see it. The sun is rising, and I must go to my rest. You shall rest as well. I will never allow you the chance to use that stake and hammer. Ha! The means of my destruction so close, and yet, so far. Sleep well, Freedom Fighters! Tomorrow night... you shall die!" At that, Robotnik filled the dungeon with sleeping gas. Robotnik, being undead, was not affected, but the Freedom Fighters soon fell asleep.
It was sunset when they awoke. Sonic then used a Sonic spin to break out. He freed King Acorn, Sally, Lupe, Ari, Barby and Walt, Knuckles, and Melody. They then look at one part of the wall that looked strangely different from the rest of the wall. Lupe pressed a loose brick, unveiling a secret passage. Barby picked up the stake and hammer and followed the rest down the passage. They soon found themselves in a hidden bedroom, with a coffin where a bed should be. Sonic opened the coffin and, to the Freedom Fighters' suprise, saw Felicia Fulva in there. From what they learned from Robotnik, this was the "Countess Fulva" he was talking about. Barby gave them the stake and hammer. Sonic held the stake over Fulva's heart while King Acorn was ready to drive it in.
Then Sally said, "Wait! We're most likely doing what Robotnik wants us to do!" "Say what?!," replied Sonic. "Think about it," explained Sally, "The only reason why Robotnik hadn't killed us before is because she ordered him not to. But if we kill Fulva--" The Freedom Fighters shuddered to think what would happen. It was nightfall when they got down there. Sonic threw the stake and hammer to one side of the room, but the noise woke Fulva. The Freedom Fighters soon found themselves unable to move! Fulva looked around and said, "What are you doing here!" She then looked at the stake and hammer on one side of the room and shouted, "You dare to threaten my life?!"
"Thanks for the tip, Felicia!," said Sonic. "Yes," said the lovely red fox. She hesitated a moment and said, "If you'll excuse me, I have some work to do in the castle. Maybe we can meet tomorrow night? I hope to meet some more of your friends. Goodbye!" At that, she left and returned to the castle. Sonic then told Tails, "You might wanna rest up for tomorrow night! I have a little night mission to do!" Reluctantly, Tails said, "Okay, Sonic." Sonic then returned to the crypt and found a keyhole in one of the walls. He put it in and entered a secret passage.
Chapter 13: In The Castle- First Time
Sonic soon found himself in the castle. He knew he was in the castle because of the artwork. He opened one of the doors and climbed up a stairway. As he climbed, he heard some voices. He put his ear to the door to eavesdrop on the conversation. One voice sounded almost like Felicia, while the other voice he already knew-- the voice of Robotnik! The woman shouted to Robotnik, "Thus it will be my plan that will succeed. MY plan, not your petty little revenge scheme!" Robotnik said, "Just wait, Countess Fulva! One of these days I will become the new Leader of the Night!" Countess Fulva?!, thought Sonic. Could it be that--? He put his ear to the door and listened some more.
"Hah!," said the one female. "You think you are such a big leader. Well, your failure has proved you wrong, Julian! Soon, I will be the ruler of Mobius!" "I will have my revenge!," shouted Robotnik. "On who?," snickered the woman. "Me, or the little blue hedgehog?" Robotnik lashed out, "Both of you! On you, for betraying me, and on Sonic for making me what I am now. My revenge is not to kill you, since I have some place in my dark heart for you, but to merely take over as YOUR master!"
"This is why you'll never become 'Leader of the Night', Julian!," giggled the one female voice, "Because you always make rash decisions." Sonic then backed off and decided to explore the castle some more. He then went to one of the towers and found a little boy, obviously a vampire child. Along with him is a female white cat with a sword and some tough yet feminine clothes. "Who is it, Crystala?," said the little boy. "Some visitor," said Crystala, who was the warrior woman. "Ask him what he wants," the little child replied.
Sonic introduced himself, then the boy introduced himself and his friend: "My name is Timothy, and this is Crystala." "Hi!," said the lovely white cat. "I've been looking for you, kid!," said Sonic. "Your parents miss you!" Timothy said, "I miss my parents too, but the castle is now my home." Sonic, with a tear in his eye, asked, "Is there anything I can do, though?" Timothy said, "What would really make me happy is if you could get the ball Crystala made for me." Sonic had a thought. "I'll try to get your ball as soon as possible!," he said with a smile. "Bye!," said Timothy, "Visit us again another night!"
Chapter 14: Reuniting a Family
The next morning, Sonic asked the mayor where Timothy's room was. He showed him to the room and Sonic asked if he could have the ball. Reluctantly, he consented. Keeping it in his backpack, Sonic went into the forest for adventure, and he did: Drago was attacking Silver Comet! "Help me, Sonic!," cried Silver Comet. Sonic did a Spin Dash that knocked him into the cave. A white flash came out afterwards. "What happened?," asked the Blue Blur. "The magic of the cave sent him to... I think the Great Unknown. I am not sure," answered SC. Sonic talked about Timothy while in the cave. Silver Comet then had a thought: "Sonic! Do you know the legend of the Star of Isis?"
"Why, yes!," replied Sonic, "Frostara told me of it. Oh, did I neglect to mention? Timothy has a friend named Crystala." Silver Comet then told of how Crystala can trade her life for Timothy, though it may cost her her life. "I understand," sighed Sonic. He looked out the mouth of the cave and said, "It's gettin' late, and I must speak to Felicia." Before he left, Silver Comet warned Sonic, "I would not entirely trust this Felicia, if I were you, so be careful around her!" "Okay!," said Sonic. It was night time when Sonic made it to the gates, and Felicia again greeted him. He decided to hide all signs of suspicion.
"Greetings again, Sonic!," said Felicia. "I learned your name from some of my friends in the castle, who heard of your adventures! You need to be careful, though, there are many dangers in this land. Well, I need some things from you, but... I don't want you to get hurt for my sake. Well, I think I have to take care of things in the castle. I hope you are prepared for the tasks I may give you when we meet again! Farewell!" She then went back into the castle. Sonic went back into the secret passage in the crypt to the castle. Sonic found his way back to Timothy's Room and gave him the ball. When Crystala caught glimpse of the ball, she let him in.
As soon as the child got the ball, Sonic knew that he had gained the boy's trust. "Do you want to play ball with me?," asked Timothy. Sonic then starts to talk about the Star of Isis. Timothy said, "I like the Star of Isis. It's very pretty. Are you saying it'll change me into a real boy again?" "Yeah," Sonic replied. "But what else will the Star do?," asked Crystala. Sonic explains about sacrifice. Crystala placed her hand on Sonic's shoulder and said, "I understand. Let's go to reunite Timothy to his parents. Take us to the Star of Isis now-- the sooner, the better!
Once there, a tingling sensation overwealmed the two. "I feel afraid, Crystala," said Timothy. "I am too, honey," said Crystala. Timothy then asked, "I know you were always there to care for and protect me, but who'll take care of you?" Crystala sighed, "I don't know." Timothy said, "I'll take care of you then." Then the Star lit. "My task is at hand!," said a voice coming from the crystal. It floated between Timothy and Crystala. It said to Crystala, "Your love for the boy is great." Crystala, with a tear in her eye, bows her head. The voice asks, "Will you give your life to give life to the boy?" "Yes," answered Crystala. The voice continued, "Will you willingly die for the one you love and serve?" Crystala said in a soft whisper, "Yes." Timothy, shocked, cried, "CRYSTALA! NO!" The voice then said, "Thus shall the sacrifice be made." In a bright flash of light, the crystal made the life energy transfer. Timothy was now a living boy, while Crystala lay on the ground... dead. The body of Crystala soon turned to light and entered the crystal. "Thus is the sacrifice complete," said the crystal, "I am again the Star of Isis."
Sonic went to Timothy, whose face is moist with tears. The boy cried, "Crystala! I'm sorry!... I love you too, Crystala!" Sonic then carried the boy to the Inn, where the mayor and his wife, as well as the Freedom Fighters, were suprised to see Sonic carrying a child with him. Sonic explained what had happened. It was about an hour until Sonic could get to his room and sleep for the rest of the night.
Chapter 15: A House Rebuilt
The next day, Sonic and his friends were greeted in the dining room by the mayor and his family. They were indeed grateful about Sonic saving their boy. "Well, I didn't do this by myself," said Sonic with a sigh. "Crystala gave her life to bring him back." "She may have looked tough," said Sally, "But she had a heart of gold." Then Frostara and Snowmaar came as soon as they left the Inn. "Frostara has something to tell you," said Snowmaar. "Whatever it is, it's not good!" "No, it's not," sighed Frostara. "Because of what happened, whoever took Timothy is now greatly angered. I would be careful traveling at night, if I were you." They explored and met Silver Comet in the cave, and he had something to tell them as well.
"I overheard something while I was spying with my telepathic form at night," said SC. "In the castle, I saw a mysterious woman shouting in anger, or in sorrow, 'I cannot believe that that hedgehog did this to me. My boy... gone!' It had the hair on my neck stand up on end. Frostara obviously told the truth when she said that you angered someone. Be careful!" Sonic and his friends kept this warning in their minds as the traveled back to town (after playing some games with Silver Comet). There they rested until the next day.
Chapter 16: Robotnik's Ambush
The next day, Sonic found a note nest to his bed that read "Meet me outside the gates tonight. We've got a lot to discuss. Bring your friends, too! -Felicia." Sonic told his friends about the letter and, after hiking in the woods until dark, trekked to the castle gates. The magic that Silver Comet gave them protected them well. But as they neared the castle gates, instead of Felicia greeting them at the gates, before they got within view of the gates, they met... Robotnik!
"Ah, how nice of you to come!," snickered Robotnik. "I seemed to have put the wrong signature on by mistake. It's been quite a while since we last met. Please let me take a look at you." Shivering, Sally asked, "How could be alive after being disintegrated by the Doomsday Machine?" Robotnik snapped, "Alive? ALIVE?! Do you really think I am alive?! Fools! I am far greater than I was in life, and you yourselves have much to learn before your own death!" King Acorn pulled his sword out and said, "We have defeated you before, we can take you down again!" "Go ahead and try," chortled Robotnik, "But you will not succeed."
Tails asked about the "Leader of the Night" and Robotnik's answer was, "Don't tell me you don't even know who you were talking to these past nights. Countess 'Felicia' Fulva is the 'Leader of the Night'. But enough of that, I have a big suprise for you!" At that, some more Shadowduck droids pop out of nowhere and grab the Freedom Fighters and took them to the castle dungeon.
Chapter 17: Robotnik Unveils The Truth
In the dungeon, the Freedom Fighters were locked into different cells. Robotnik gloated, "Did you really think you could defeat me so easily? I have you now, and you shall all pay for my death! It is because of you that I am now a vampire. Not that I mind being an undead or that I serve Countess Fulva, since I think it is such an honor to serve such a beautiful and powerful vampiress. Of course, she hardly did anything that angered me... just ordered me not to harm you, that's all. You probably blame me for all the problems. You know nothing. It is Countess Fulva, the Leader of the Night, who is the cause of all the woe in Noctoterra. She brought you here despite my better judgment, and plans to make you undead like me. But I'll spare you that fate. Tomorrow night, I will put an end to your miserable lives. Then Fulva and I will summon the Shadows of Dark Mobius. Thus we shall never limited to travel at night again, for it will be eternal night.
"Once that is done, we will create an army of undead and conquer this planet. Pity you won't be around to see it. The sun is rising, and I must go to my rest. You shall rest as well. I will never allow you the chance to use that stake and hammer. Ha! The means of my destruction so close, and yet, so far. Sleep well, Freedom Fighters! Tomorrow night... you shall die!" At that, Robotnik filled the dungeon with sleeping gas. Robotnik, being undead, was not affected, but the Freedom Fighters soon fell asleep.
It was sunset when they awoke. Sonic then used a Sonic spin to break out. He freed King Acorn, Sally, Lupe, Ari, Barby and Walt, Knuckles, and Melody. They then look at one part of the wall that looked strangely different from the rest of the wall. Lupe pressed a loose brick, unveiling a secret passage. Barby picked up the stake and hammer and followed the rest down the passage. They soon found themselves in a hidden bedroom, with a coffin where a bed should be. Sonic opened the coffin and, to the Freedom Fighters' suprise, saw Felicia Fulva in there. From what they learned from Robotnik, this was the "Countess Fulva" he was talking about. Barby gave them the stake and hammer. Sonic held the stake over Fulva's heart while King Acorn was ready to drive it in.
Then Sally said, "Wait! We're most likely doing what Robotnik wants us to do!" "Say what?!," replied Sonic. "Think about it," explained Sally, "The only reason why Robotnik hadn't killed us before is because she ordered him not to. But if we kill Fulva--" The Freedom Fighters shuddered to think what would happen. It was nightfall when they got down there. Sonic threw the stake and hammer to one side of the room, but the noise woke Fulva. The Freedom Fighters soon found themselves unable to move! Fulva looked around and said, "What are you doing here!" She then looked at the stake and hammer on one side of the room and shouted, "You dare to threaten my life?!"