Chapter 16: Sonic's Nightmare:

Sonic's POV:

I'm running through this deserted field. "Sonic, where were you when the brains were handed out?"

"Sal," I asked. Now there's a cave interior with a collapsing bridge and Sally's on the end. A swatbot comes from behind her and grabs her, along with another lugging a portable Roboticizer. "Hang in, Sal! Here comes the hedgehog!" Then there's a storm and I'm stuck in mud. "Mega Muck! This is starting to tick me off! Auuggh! I'm coming, Sal... AAUUGGHH!" I then broke free and tried to get to the beginning of the bridge.

"SONIC! WHERE WERE YOU WHEN THE BRAINS WERE HANDED OUT!?"

The bridge then collapses. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-!" Sally's made into a robot and I start falling to my doom...

. . .

I then woke up. "Man, I gotta stop eating my own cookin'."

. . .

The next morning, I walked up to Rotor while he was working on something. "Yo Rote, what's up," I asked.

"Same ol', same ol', Sonic. How 'bout you," asks Rotor.

"I had a WILD dream this morning. You know anything about dreams," I asked.

"Not much... Sally told me once that there usually about some kind of personal fear," says Rotor.

Then Sally came in. "Guys- guys, Nicole just intercepted one of Robotnik's transmissions," says Sally.

"I know it's not good news," I said.

"No, it's terrible news! Listen to this," says Sally. She then taps a button.

"Attention, Swatbot unit 1, prepare chemical payload for cloud seeding. Rendezvous with cloud burster on Island of Nimbus, precisely 1200 hours. Coordinates to follow," says Robotnik.

"That's all of it," says Sally.

"He's gonna seed clouds with chemicals," asks Rotor.

"Toxic rain," says Sally.

"What's a little more toxic rain," I asked, "all of Mobius is fuming with the stuff!"

"I bet it's another one of Robotnik's crummy traps," says Rotor.

"You're probably right, Rotor. But we don't know for sure. If that island is inhabited, we need to warn people," says Sally.

"Well, that's no prob. But what about dustin' Buttnik's acid rain," I asked.

"I have the old plan..." Sally begins.

. . .

Me, Sally, Bunnie, and Antoine were waiting outside Rotor's workshop. "Stand back guys! This could be ugly..." says Rotor. He then opens it up and an avalanche of junk came out.

"Oh, mah stars! 'n aah thought mah closet was a mess..." says Bunnie.

Rotor pops out the top and begins searching for something while waste deep in all of it.

"Yo Rote! We're waiting..." I said.

"Oh, I know they're in here someplace... Ah-HA! Here's one," says Rotor. He pulls out a Swat-Bot torso.

"Uh-how mahny swaht-baht suits ahre you hahveeng, Rahtor," asks Antoine.

"Three. One for Sally," says Rotor, "one for Bunnie, and one for you."

We then saw something coming out of the junk. It was Big. "About time," says Big, "I've been in there for too long!"

"I was wondering where he's been," says Sally.

Sally's POV:

We were at a mountain. A giant eight-wheeled beast hauling what looks like a missile the shape of a blimp roars by. Antoine, Bunnie, and me were disguised as swatbots.

"Stars alive! Would ya look at the size of that ugly ol' thin'," asks Bunny.

"That must be the cloud burster," I said.

We heard a clicking, and it turned out to be Antoine. "Just relax, Antoine," says Bunnie.

"Uh... oui oui. I ahm cheelleen'."

"Ready, Bunnie," I asked.

"Always ready, Sugar," says Bunnie.

"Do it," I said.

Bunnie activates a mechanical hand grenade and lunges it in front of the vehicle, obstructing its path with smoke.

"Swatbot Team 1," says Snively, "see what that smoke is about!"

Four Swat-bots leave the vehicle to check things out.

"They're in the smoke, let's go," I said. We then got on. "You guys guard the door, it won't take me long." I then plugged Nicole into the computer. "NICOLE, access cloud burster security code."

"Attempting access, Sally," says NICOLE.

Numbers begin spinning across the screen.

I then saw the swatbots were returning. "Come on, NICOLE..." I said.

"Swahtbaht cahmeeng!"

"Just keep your cute lil' ol' knees quiet, Antoine, 'n we'll be fine," says Bunnie.

"RETURN TO STATION," says the swatbot. Antoine goes on instinct and calmly walks to his 'Station'... only to trip, cause the head to fall off, and blow their cover. "HALT! INTRUDER!"

Bunnie raises her hand behind the Swatbot's back, ready for a sneak attack, only to have two other Swat-bots raise their weapons at her as well. "DON'T MOVE!"

"Aah sure do hate when this happens..." says Bunnie.

"First digit in place, Sally... Second digit, Sally..." says NICOLE.

"Hurry, NICOLE," I said. There's then a swatbot facing me.

Snively's POV:

I have learned that there are intruders. The swatbots then take them to me. "Well, well...wolves in Swat-bot clothing... Doctor Robotnik will be very pleased..." I said.

Sonic's POV:

I just ran through the mountains and now I'm looking over an island. "That's gotta be ol' Nimbus Island," I said.

"Good guess," says Knuckles as he appeared.

"Knuckles, what do you want," I asked.

"What your group stole from me," says Knuckles.

"Espio did it by accident," I said.

"But this will be on purpose," says Knuckles. We then fought.

"You can't trust Robotnik," I said.

"I don't, but I don't trust you either," says Knuckles. I then had to run, and Knuckles chased after me.

. . .

I then found everyone was gone. They must've been captured! I can hear Knuckles coming for me. I then looked at the swatbot head and had an idea!

. . .

As soon as Knuckles came, I hit his head with the swatbot head, knocking him out. "Now for Robotnik," I said.

Sally's POV:

"What's wrong with your 'Great Leader'!? Is he too chicken to confront us himself," I asked.

"My... such a challenging tone..." Robotnik then comes from the shadows. "Hardly appropriate for a Princess... Not to mention the slander of poor Cluck's species..." His robotic pet then snaps at me. "Where is the hedgehog?"

"... In your dreams, Doctor," I said.

"No matter, Princess. Patience is one of my strong points, heh heh... He'll be along," says Robotnik.

Sonic's POV:

I'm following the vehicle tracks, and they lead me to the island. I then saw the blimp missile leading to the sky. "Uh-oh," I said.

Dr. Robotnik's POV:

"Re-check all functions. There will be no errors," I said.

"Doctor Robotnik, the guest of honor has arrived..." says Snively.

"Excellent, let the party begin," I said.

Sonic's POV:

My friends are being held captive by swatbots. "Hang tough, guys! I'm there in a Sonic-Second," I said. I then heard something. I then saw a giant ball of fire coming for me. "Better hit the ol' after burners!" I then ran and the ball of fire chased after me. "Time to douse this lame ol' fire!" I then jumped in the water and the fire died out when it got to it. Lucky for me, it wasn't that deep. I then got out.

"Now I have you, hedgehog," says Robotnik, "look around!" I then get ambushed by multiple swatbots. "I hoped the great hedgehog would be more of a challenge... You disappoint me."

"It ain't over till the fat-bot sings, Robuttnik," I said. I then drew the swatbots to dry land, but then my legs get stuck in a puddle of mega muck... wait, this seems familiar. I then got my legs out. "Sorry, bolt-brains! Gotta juice!" I then leaped on them from head-to-head, knocking them in the water. "Oh, forgot to tell ya: 'Watch that first step.' Adios!"

. . .

I then found my friends locked in a laser force-field. "Hey, I heard a little girl crying," I said.

"Perhahps eet wahs because she wahs scahred zat she'll nevair see hair mahmmy ahgain, but I'm sure she'll be ahll bettair now."

"Chill guys, I'll bust you outta there..." I began.

"Sonic, don't touch the bars," says Sally.

"Why not," I asked.

"Because they'll repel you," says Sally.

"To say nothin' of knockin' y'all own your little ol' sugar-hog behind," says Bunnie.

"Besides, we're not the important thing right now," says Sally.

"You're not," I asked.

"You know, I'm sinkeeng naht to deesahgree weeth you, Preencess, but-"

"Antoine, if we don't stop Robotnik, we'll all be swimming in real acid rain," says Sally.

I then saw the blimp take to the sky. "Gotta be a way to take out that sucker," I said. I then stopped and started to remember my dream.

"What the hey is eatin' that hunky lil' hedgehog? he looks lak he's seen a ghost," says Bunnie.

"He seems to be daydreaming... We have to snap him out of it, or we're all done for," says Sally.

"Sahneec! Sahneec, you unceevilized peencushion! wahke up! WAHKE UP," shouts Antoine.

"Sonic, it's Sally! Can you hear me!? Sonic? Sonic," asks Sally.

"Sonic... where were you when the brains were handed out... Brains... Brains... BRAINS..."

I then snapped out of it. "Sonic, hurry! He's gonna release the acid rainstorm," says Sally.

"Gotta use my brain..." I said.

"Aah know this is your line, but we're waiting," says Bunnie.

"Zat wahs pretty good," says Antoine.

"Man, if there was some way to use those wells, I could make it rain on old 'Buttnik's parade," I said.

"How," asks Sally.

"Sal, got a past cool idea! Gotta juice!"

. . .

I'm now under the blimp. "YO! ROBUTTNIK! Gotta little surprise..." I said.

"I don't like surprises, hedgehog. Especially from you," says Robotnik.

"But this one will be a kick... Promise," I said.

I then turned myself into a living drill and spun myself into the center of the island. I then found a small cavity under the land, and in it, a worn-down machine once used to pump out water. I then got on the gears and made them into a personal treadmill. "Time for some major hedgehog power!" Water begins to flow through the piping.

Before Robotnik and Snively can get away, a geyser of muddled down water shoots straight at the blimp, and the two begin to freak out as they lose control, quickly flooding the inside.

. . .

I then got to the others and freed them. "Sonic! Are you all right," asks Sally.

"Nothing a serious shake and snake can't fix," I said.

We then saw Robotnik's blimp crashing, but Knuckles comes just in time and saves Robotnik and Snively and they all leave. I don't think Knuckles knew what they were doing. Sally then kisses me on the cheek.

Knuckles' POV:

"Thank you for the save, my friend," says Robotnik.

"You never told me what you were doing," I said.

"It doesn't matter," says Robotnik, "the hedgehog got away!"

Someday, I may have to take them both down.

Sally's POV:

"You know, I'm no expert, Sonic, but my guess is that your bad dream was some kind of a warning. So, from now on you'll think before you act, right...? Uh... Sonic," I asked.

"Oooh, you're the most mondo, beautiful thing that I have ever seen..." says Sonic. "You make my heart pound... My mouth water... YYYYYYYYYeeeeeeeeesssssssss... there's nothing like a chili dog..."

"Oh brother," I said.

In the next chapter, the Freedom Fighters find themselves defending an underground city of Mobian refugees, all the while coming to terms with their own personal relationships.