-Chapter 203-
Sonic Scared Stupid, Part 2
Sylvania Castle
Outside the castle, just by the main gates, Knuckles stood off to the side as Lindsey got her makeup fixed up.
"You were fantastic in that last take, Lindsey, but I would like to give it one more go," the director told her. "Take it slower, and let those tears go this time." He then turned to the lead actor. "And Roger, please try to show some feelings this take."
"Yeah right," Knuckles muttered. "Omochao has better acting skills than that guy."
"Well, in his defense, anyone would look bad next to Lindsey Fair," Breezie pointed out.
Knuckles shrugged. "You got me on that one."
"Alright, let's go," the director announced. "Places, please!"
The actors all got into position.
"Action!"
Lindsey's character rushed over to Roger's character, her face a mask of anguish as she reached out to him.
"But Bret, what will I do without you?" she pleaded. "You can't leave me now!"
Roger's character, Bret, turned and began walking away.
"Bret, don't go!" Lindsey cried, tears beginning to fall. "Please! I need you!"
He ignored her and kept walking away. Lindsey collapsed to the ground, sobbing in earnest. Knuckles suppressed a whistle at the scene, then his eyes caught sight of one of the large spotlights moving very slowly towards the edge of the castle walls. Quickly, he realized that the light was right above Lindsey, and there was no chance she'd survive if it fell. Indeed, a loud snap sounded, and the light dropped. Knuckles immediately sprang into action.
"LOOK OUT!" he screamed, tackling Lindsey out of the way as the light crashed down. It shattered, cracking the stonework as he set her down gently.
"Oh my…" Lindsey let out.
"CUT!" the director shouted. "What the hell?! Who was in charge of that light?!"
"I saw it," Knuckles chimed in. "It was moving by itself."
"By Aurora…" the director sighed. "Take five, everyone! And someone clean up this mess!"
Breezie approached, concerned etched on her face.
"Thank Aurora you jumped in when you did, Red," she said to Knuckles before turning to Lindsey. "Are you okay?"
"Shaken a little, but fine," Lindsey assured.
"Damn these Booms…" Knuckles spat. "Sonic and the others better do something about them, and fast."
Meanwhile, Chris, Keith, and Kat had gone to investigate the woods around the castle.
"First time in ages I get to watch Mom work, and it's in a haunted castle," Chris muttered.
"Don't worry, cuz," Keith assured. "We'll stop these ghosts and you'll get to enjoy the shoot."
"Here's hoping."
Keith raised a small gadget that seemed to be cobbled together from an old tape player, fiddling with a few knobs.
"What's that?" Kat asked. "Your dad's old tape deck?"
"It was," Keith replied. "We managed to work it into an EMF Meter."
Kat raised an eyebrow. "You realize you're talking to the girl with a C average in science, right?"
"EMF. Electromagnetic frequency," Chris clarified. "Ghosts give off electrical waves."
"You know those stories about how lights flicker or TVs and whatnot go flippy whenever ghosts are around?" Keith asked. "That's why."
"Oh…" Kat let out, nodding in understanding.
"With the EMF Meter, we'll be able to tune into their electrical frequency and hopefully track where they're coming from." Keith added.
"You getting anything yet?" Chris questioned.
Keith turned his attention back to the EMF Meter, turning a knob. "Not yet."
They went a bit further, before hearing rustling in the bushes. They immediately spun toward the source, seeing glinting eyes through it. The boys ducked behind Kat, who reached for her bracers... just as the owner of the eyes popped out, revealing it to just be a Ricky with an acorn in hand, nibbling away.
"Don't move," Kat said flatly. "I think it can smell fear."
The boys relaxed, chuckling to themselves.
"Okay, seriously," Kat sighed. "I know we're all jumpy, but the Booms don't do light, and its the middle of the day."
"Well, the trees and shade are pretty thick," Chris defended. "You never know."
"She's trying to make us feel better and you're ruining it!" Keith snapped. "Stop ruining it with logic."
"Right, sorry."
As they began to relax, the EMF Meter's antenna extended, making noise as an ominous shadow appeared behind them. The Ricky dropped its acorn, letting out a high-pitched scream before taking off, only doubling back briefly to grab the acorn. The kids all gulped.
"So…" Kat began, "you guys keen on meeting whatever this thing is?"
They both shook their heads.
"Yeah, me neither. Let's get the hell outta here."
All three of them bolted.
In the dining hall, Rotor and Porker were going over instruments while Johnny stood at the ready, light-emitting devices attached to either end of his staff.
"Okay, so once we find the Booms, what's the plan?" he questioned. "Suck them up with a vacuum cleaner or whatever?"
"You have been playing way too many Marxio Bros. games," Porker deadpanned.
"For now, we just try and keep them at bay until Sonic and his team figure out how to permanently get rid of the Booms," Rotor replied.
"Hold the line, eh? Works for me."
As they sat around, the EMF Meter began going off. Porker snatched it up.
"Oh crap... I'm getting a boatload of signals heading this way!"
Johnny immediately snatched up his staff as they heard approaching clanking noises, just before they heard the sound of steel meeting wood as a sword pierced through the door.
"Yipe!" he exclaimed.
"Well, guess we're going with the possessed armor cliché," Rotor mused.
Indeed, as the door was chopped down, suits of armor wielding all manner of medieval weaponry storming in.
"Rotor, this one's on you!" Johnny shouted.
"Right!" Rotor readied his weapons.
The sword-wielding knight charged forward, Johnny raising his staff to block its strike as Rotor fired a laser through another one.
"Hurry up, Sonic!" Porker shouted.
Rotor's suit began whirring and hissing, going on the fritz.
"Crap!" he shouted. "The Booms are messing with my suit!"
Johnny shoved the knight back, backing up.
"Rotor?" he let out.
"I-I can't control it!" Rotor screamed.
He turned towards his friends, weapons priming. "RUN!"
They immediately took off, dodging lasers as they went.
"If we survive this, remind me to add supernatural proofing to his suit!" Porker cried.
"Gladly!" Johnny agreed.
In an upper hallway, Bunnie, Antoine, Cream, and Cheese were looking around, Bunnie having a tight grip on Cream's hand.
"It's so scary here…" Cream remarked. "I don't like it…"
Cheese chirped in agreement, hugging the bunny's arm.
"Just stay close to us, sweetie," Bunnie said gently.
"We'll protect you, petit (1)," Antoine assured. "No one will hurt you."
They looked between the numerous doors.
"Well, suppose we better start lookin'," said Bunnie.
She approached one door, opening it to see nothing but an old mattress. Suddenly, it began pulsating before splitting down the middle, thick black goo spreading across the floor toward them. Bunnie immediately slammed it shut.
"Not that room," she remarked.
Antoine went to another one, looking around before two giant, hairy hands shot out, grabbing him and yanking him in.
"Mr. Antoine!" Cream screamed.
They heard shouts, crashes, and blows landing before Antoine darted out, slamming the door behind him.
"Let's… not go in there," he said.
"Cream, sweetie," Bunnie began, "Don't open any doors, alright?"
Cream just nodded, clinging to Cheese in fright.
Slowly approaching the last door, Bunnie opened it from a distance using her extendo arm. They waited for a few minutes, but nothing happened. Confused, Cream peeked in, seeing two skeletons at a poker table. They looked over, annoyed.
"Hey!" one of them let out. "Do you mind?"
"Oh," Cream chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry."
She closed the door, exchanging a look with Cheese, who chirped questioningly.
"No, I don't think it's worth questioning." Cream replied.
"Now what?" Antoine asked.
Cheese chirped again.
"Cheese says we should probably move in in case there's a fire-breathing dragon behind the next door," Cream translated. "Or worse."
"You heard the Chao," Bunnie agreed. "Let's scram."
Sticks had headed off by herself, planting garlic bulbs on every corner and spreading a line of salt as she went.
"Ain't no ghosts getting past me!" she declared. "Nuh-uh, not a chance!"
Eventually, she came to what appeared to be an old study, cobweb-ridden bookshelves and an ancient Mobini deer head mounted on the wall. She began planting more salt and garlic before sitting down on a chair... which collapsed under her weight, spilling her to the floor.
A cracking noise sounded, and she looked to see the deer head turning to her before cracking up laughing. She blinked a few times, realizing it was, then heard other laughs, turning to see the bookshelves and candlesticks around her had also begun shaking with laughter, bobbing up and down. A moment passed, Sticks standing in the middle of the room, before something in her head snapped and she began laughing herself. Then, in the midst of her laughter, she launched herself at the deer head, ripping it off the wall before using it to smash the bookshelf, and the candlesticks. She began tearing everything apart, acting like one of her feral counterparts throughout the entire process.
At that moment, the doorknob jiggled before beginning to open. Sticks immediately jumped at the person entering, jabbing the deer head's antlers down with all her might. They ended up shattering on the Megatal shell of Shorty's suit, the squirrel looking down at the antler before leveling the badger with a deadpan stare.
"And this is why you don't run off without your partner, Sticks," he said flatly.
Sticks dropped the head, looking around before clearing her throat.
"The whole room just started laughin' at me, Shorty. The ghosts are here, messin' with me! Drivin' me crazy!" Shorty raised an eyebrow. "Okay, crazier."
"Just try to make sure it's a ghost you're stabbing, and not your teammates," Shorty remarked. "I'd say friends, but I don't think you even know the definition of the word."
Sticks pouted. "Now that's just mean."
In the lower corridors, Sam and Hope were looking around, flashlights at the ready as they talked.
"Okay," Sam began, "If we're gonna make it through this, just remember and follow the three rules to surviving a horror movie. Number one: Never have sex. Number two: don't drink or do drugs. Number three: Don't ever say I'll be right back. Because you won't be back."
"Well, thankfully we're underage and can't do the first two anyway," Hope deadpanned.
"Right. My dad would flay me alive."
"No, Shadow would flay you alive. Your dad would get the remains."
"Yeah…" Sam rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
"Now, keep your eyes peeled for anything suspicious," Hope went on. "A secret room or whatever, something that'll give us a clue to how to stop the Booms."
She heard the sound of a door being thrown open and a yell from Sam, spinning to see he had fallen through a trap door that had opened under his feet.
"Found something." his deadpan voice came.
"Sam?!" Hope rushed to the edge of the trapdoor, seeing him sitting there, rubbing his behind. "Sam! Are you okay?!"
"Peachy…" Sam let out as he stood up carefully. "Good thing my butt broke the fall."
As she leaned over the hole, a Boom appeared behind her, laughing before pushing her in. She screamed, landing right on top of Sam and sending them to the floor in a heap.
"Okay, ow…" Sam wheezed.
"Something pushed me!" Hope let out.
Sam pulled himself up, rubbing his head before offering her a hand up. "Well, guess it wouldn't be a classic horror movie experience without a trip to the creepy cellar."
"Uh…" Hope began. "Try torture room."
She pointed ahead as several torches lit up, illuminating the medieval torture chamber. The Rack, an Iron Maiden, a pendulum... all the works were there, complete with skeletons in each one. The blood drained from Hope's face at the sight, while Sam was surprisingly less perturbed.
"Well…" he began, "that's unsettling."
"Is- WHAT?!" Hope shouted. "Is that all you have to say about this?! Just how desensitized ARE YOU?!"
Sam shrugged.
"I grew up watching horror movies with a drill sergeant for a dad. By this point, Hope, I've seen scarier things in the toilets at school," At her confused look, he shuddered. "Let's just say you'd expect junior high school kids to know how to flush and leave it at that."
"First off, gross," Hope said simply. "Second, good point, but still!"
"Besides, the skeletons are clearly plastic," Sam added. "Most likely props for Mrs. Fair's movie."
Hope relaxed at that. "Plastic?"
"Yeah," Sam went to the one on the Rack, rapping his knuckles on its head to prove it.
"Let me guess. If they were real, you'd be screaming with me?"
"Oh, big time. I'm desensitized to scary shit, but not that much."
Hope sighed. "Oh, good."
They headed for the door, opening it up and looking around.
"What a freaky place," Sam mused. "All that's missing is spooky hands coming out of the wall."
As if on cue, ghostly hands began to emerge from the walls behind them. Omochao peeked out of Hope's bag, seeing them and immediately began tugging on his creator's sleeve. Seeing them, Hope gasped before grabbing Sam's shoulder. He sighed.
"Let me guess," he began, "spooky hands coming out of the wall?"
"Yyyep."
"Hope…" Sam grabbed her wrist. "Run for it."
They bolted towards the door, only to find it locked. Immediately, Hope drew her gun, shooting the lock so they could escape. The arms slithered after them, sending the two fleeing into a hallway lined with multiple doors. It went back and forth for a while, Sam and Hope being chased to-and-fro before chasing each other and the arms themselves, until suddenly, the kids disappeared (2). The arms opened a door, looking left and right and seeing nothing but an old wine cellar before departing. At that moment, Sam peeked out of an empty barrel.
"I think we lost 'em," he reported, climbing out before helping Hope out herself.
"Okay…" Hope sighed. "That was terrifying."
She leaned in on him, burying her face in his shirt. He stiffened briefly before gently hugging her, patting her back.
"Hey…" he soothed. "Don't be scared. We'll make it through this."
"I know… I just…" Hope clung to him. "It's so much… If you weren't here... I'd probably have lost it already. I am so lucky to have you in my life."
Sam turned red at that, rubbing his head before pulling away briefly.
"Hope... I've been meaning to ask this. What exactly are we to each other?"
Hope turned to him at that.
"Honestly… there's only one way to describe it."
She leaned forward, kissing him. He blinked before leaning into it, the two embracing. As it began to get more heated, they heard the sound of someone's throat clearing. Immediately, their heads snapped toward the door, seeing Kat leaning against it, Chris and Keith just outside.
"Y'know, when we followed the sounds of gunshots, this is not what I was expecting to find," Kat deadpanned.
"Guys, we're supposed to be searching for Booms, not sneaking off to make out," Chris added.
Sam immediately pulled away from Hope, both blushing.
"I-it's not like that!" Hope babbled. "The Booms chased us in here! We barely got away, I was about to freak out, and, well…"
"Yeah, gonna stop you there," Keith cut off. "Let's get going."
Hope got up, heading out. As Sam followed, Kat placed a hand on his chest, stopping him. She met his gaze, giving him a glare that sent a shudder down his spine.
"You ever hurt Hope or break her heart, and I'll break every single bone in your body, one by one, then leave what's left to the Devil Dogs," she said, deadly calm. "Understand?"
Sam gulped.
"Wouldn't dream of it," he said meekly.
Kat smiled, her demeanor returning to normal as she pulled her hand away. For some reason, there was a char mark left in its wake. "Good. Let's get outta here."
Sam looked at the char mark in confusion before shrugging and following her out.
As all this was going on, Sonic, Tails, Sally, and Amy had hunkered down in the library, gathering stacks of books.
"There has to be something in here about those Booms," Tails insisted. "Where they came from and how to get rid of them."
"Tails, if there was a way to get rid of them, don't you think the previous owners of the castle would have?" Amy questioned.
"Well, they clearly did something to keep them at bay," Tails pointed out. "A spell or something."
"Shame none of us are wizards." Sonic mused.
He was pacing back and forth, looking amongst the bookshelves.
"Ugh... I can't see a thing in this light," he grumbled. "Why do castles have such horrible lighting?"
"Hang on." Sally grabbed a large candle off the wall. Immediately, the bookcase Sonic was standing in front of spun around to the other side of the wall, taking him with it.
"Sonic?!" Sally cried, running over and pulling at the sides of the case. "Sonic! Can you hear me?!"
"Put… the candle… back!" Sonic's voice came from the other side of the wall.
Sally did so, only for the wall to do another complete rotation, ending with him on the other side again.
"Okay... I got an idea," Sonic said. "Take the candle out again, and I'll block the bookcase."
"How are you gonna do that?" Sally demanded.
"Just do it, Sal!"
Sally removed the candle again, and just as it began another full rotation, Sonic blocked it off with his body, squashing himself between the wall and bookcase.
"Sonic…" Sally rolled her eyes as Sonic managed to get his head out.
"Okay, Sal…" he began, his voice strained, "Don't put the candle back this time. Push against the other side with everything you've got."
"Alright," Sally braced herself. "Ready? One, two… three!"
She shoved against the bookcase, freeing Sonic, only to end up on the other side of the wall..
"Sally?" he turned to the wall, sighing. "Oh, boy... You're behind the case, aren't you?"
"Put… the candle… back!" Sally shouted from the other side.
Sonic did so, and just as it began to rotate, he quickly removed the candle, leaving the bookcase open and revealing a secret passage.
"Well, that was tedious," Sally sighed, exiting.
"But it might be what we're looking for," Tails pointed out, approaching.
"'I'm getting strong readings from below," Nicole reported. "The Booms must be coming from in there."
Sonic looked down the cobweb-ridden passage and stairs, grabbing a flashlight.
"Everyone stick close," he ordered. "Aurora knows what's gonna happen."
They all stuck close as they make their way down, unaware of the bookcase sliding back into place with a familiar, ominous giggle.
-X-
As they headed down the stairs, the group made small talk to try to keep their minds off of what waited below.
"So... I've been thinking of taking cooking lessons from Ella," Amy said.
"Oh, really?" Sonic asked. "The Thorndykes' cook? Nice choice."
"Yeah," Amy nodded. "Especially after... well, you know."
"You mean you blowing up the kitchen at HQ trying to cook a pie?" Tails questioned.
"I thought if I turned it up high enough, it would cook faster," Amy defended.
"Yeah, you definitely need cooking lessons," Sally deadpanned.
"Believe me, I know," Amy sighed. "First thing I'm gonna do if we make it through this is ask her."
"Don't say 'if,'" Sonic insisted. "We've been through worse."
"Yeah," Tails agreed. "If we can survive Death Eggs, the end of time itself, and an alien invasion, we can deal with ghosts."
As they reached the bottom of the staircase, Amy suddenly let out a scream, followed by a loud thud. They all spun around, seeing she was on the floor, having tripped over something.
"Ow, ow, owww…" she let out, wincing. "Stupid thing!"
She grabbed it in a fit of rage, about to throw it before stopping. "Huh? Hey guys, check this out."
They gathered around, seeing what she had tripped over was an hourglass-shaped stone statue with the figure of a sun on one side and a crescent moon with a star in the center on the other.
"If that's not important, I'll eat my crown," Sally declared.
Sonic had his arms crossed in thought, before perking.
"Wait a sec…" he took it in his hands. "I saw something like this outside, before we went to the library. The cameraman mentioned it was blocking his view, so he moved it."
"And... didn't Knuckles say that there was a talisman like that in the pyramid?" Tails asked. "One Kat used to get rid of them?"
"Yeah…" Sally snapped her fingers. "Whatever this thing is, it's our ticket to getting rid of the Booms."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Sonic asked. "Let's meet up with the others."
They headed back up the stairs, only to find the bookcase was closed.
"Oh no, we're trapped in the spooky old secret passage," Sonic said, totally deadpan. "How will we ever get out?"
They all stepped to the side as Sally readied her Ring Blades. She pierced clean through the wall, cutting open a hole big enough for them to fit through. "After you."
As soon as they got out, they heard lasers blasting, everyone perking.
"Not good!" Sonic shouted.
-X-
They hurried for the courtyard, the different groups converging to see Porker and Johnny fleeing from Rotor.
"Mr. Rotor, what are you doing?!" Cream shouted.
"It's not me!" Rotor cried. "The Booms jacked up my suit! I can't stop it!"
"Oh, boy…" Sonic sighed. "Hang on, Rote! I'm coming!"
He charged forward, tackling him and allowing Porker and Johnny to take cover.
"What do I do?" Sonic demanded. "Do you have an eject button on this thing or something?!"
"Just take it apart! Rip it up like a Badnik!" Rotor fired a laser, which Sonic dodged. "I can always build another! Preferably a ghost-proof one!"
"Right," Sonic took a step back. "I hate to do this, Rotor, but you're not yourself right now!"
He darted forward, plowing into Rotor with a Spin Attack before blitzing him from all sides. Eventually, he managed to rip off the suit's chestplate, grabbing Rotor before pulling him free. The suit collapsed into scrap, Rotor gasping in relief.
"Thanks…" he let out.
Sonic smiled. "Hey, what else are friends for?"
Some time later, as the sun went down, they were gathered around, each group detailing what they had experienced.
"These Booms are actively trying to kill everyone here," Knuckles reported. "Chris' mom was almost turned into a pancake.
"What?!" Chris shrieked.
"They tried to drop a stage light on her head," Knuckles explained, holding up his hands in a pacifying gesture. "Don't worry, she's fine. I got her out of the way just in time."
"Thank Aurora…" Chris collapsed in relief.
"Death traps are everywhere," Hope added. "Sam and I ended up in a torture dungeon."
"Sylvania Castle does have a dark history," Sally mused.
"Thankfully, the skeletons there were just props," Sam tacked on.
"The taxidermied deer head Sticks tried to kill me with wasn't," Shorty deadpanned.
All eyes slowly turned to Sticks.
"I thought he was one of the spooks!" she objected. "It was instinctive!"
"Okay, you're totally insane," Kat deadpanned. "And that's from the girl who's not all there herself."
"Not much on our end," Keith cut in. "A Ricky gave us a jumpscare, and we decided to beat it before we ran into whatever was there. But, on another note, whatever Sam and Hope went through, we found them making out in the wine cellar."
Sam and Hope immediately blushed, Hope elbowing Keith in the ribs.
"Yep," Kat grinned. "And I'mma tell Shadow."
"If he kills me, Kat, I'll come back to haunt you," Sam warned.
Kat shrugged. "Meh, not the first ghost I've busted."
"Speaking of ghost busting…" Sonic began, holding up the talisman, "This look familiar?"
Kat was immediately on her feet, taking it in her hands.
"Yes!" she exclaimed. "This is it! Appears with the Moon, Disappears with the Sun!"
"So if we use this talisman, can we send the Booms back where they came from?" Sam questioned.
"That we can," Knuckles confirmed. "We just gotta figure out where it belongs and put it back."
"Sun side up," Kat added.
"As the Booms are more active at night, perhaps it's best to wait until sunrise to carry this plan out," Omochao suggested.
"Sounds like a plan to me," Knuckles agreed. "Besides, it's sundown anyway, and I for one am exhausted."
A chorus of yawns sounded.
"After dark already?" Hope remarked. "Well... guess time flies when you're being scared silly."
"More like scared stupid," Shorty offered.
"Har har," Sonic deadpanned. "Bed, everyone."
"Don't worry about the ghosts tryin' to get you in your sleep," Sticks said. "I put salt circles around everyone's beds before Shorty found me. Just... watch where you step."
One by one, everyone filed out.
"Oh, and Sam?" Knuckles began. "Stay in your own room. Don't need you and Hope becoming that couple in horror movies."
Sam blushed.
"Dude!" he began indignantly. "We're way too young for that!"
Knuckles just smirked as they all went to their own rooms.
Chris dropped by his mother's room on the way back, where she was in the midst of cleaning off her makeup.
"Knuckles told me about the stage light incident," he said. "I wanted to make sure you were okay."
"Oh darling, I'm quite alright," Lindsey assured. "Just a bit of a scare, that's all."
She went over and hugged him. "How about you? There was such a terrible racket earlier."
"Long story," Chris replied. "But we found out how to stop the ghosts. We're gonna do it in the morning. They hate the light, so it's our best bet."
They embraced, Lindsey kissing Chris on the forehead.
"Sweet dreams, my dear," Lindsey said with a smile.
"You too, Mom. Good night."
He headed out, Lindsey sitting back down when she heard the sound of children laughing.
"Chris, honey?"
The laughing continued. Lindsey stood up.
"All right, come out here. This little joke has gone far enough."
She looked around, but no one was there.
"I thought I heard something," she shrugged. "Perhaps it was just the wind."
She turned back to her makeup removal. "It's been such a long day…"
Suddenly Lindsey's reflection, which had been looking away from her, looked back towards her, the reflection's face being that of a Boom.
"Well, hello there!" it declared in an ominous voice.
Across the castle, Lindsey's terrified scream reverberated, startling the Freedom Fighters out of their rooms.
"Mom!" Chris screamed, bolting down the hall in a panic.
The others followed, Chris throwing open Lindsey's door to find it empty.
"Mom?!" Chris let out desperately.
"Aunt Lindsey?!" Keith added. "Can you hear me?!"
Chris started tearing the room apart in a panic.
"Nonononono…" he let out. "MOM!"
Before long, everyone was gathered at the door.
"The Booms…" Chris managed. "They took my Mom…"
His eyes fell on Sticks. Scowling, he grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her.
"You put salt circles and all that protection around us, but never thought to do the same for her?!"
"I thought she'd be fine!" Sticks objected. "She wasn't bein' nosy like we were!"
"THEY TRIED TO DROP A SPOTLIGHT ON HER!" Chris screamed.
Kat pulled Chris off of Sticks, putting him in a hold that doubled as a hug.
"Hey, it's alright," she soothed, rocking him gently while keeping her voice quiet. "It's alright. We're gonna get her back, I promise. Just breathe and calm down."
Recalling Mr. Tanaka's teachings, including meditation classes, Chris took slow, deep breaths, composing himself.
"Right…" he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Right. Sorry about that, Sticks."
"No worries," Sticks assured. "Having parents dragged off by otherworldly spirits would have anyone on edge."
"Can I let you go now?" Kat asked.
Chris nodded, and Kat did so.
"Well gang, looks like we're gonna have to enact the Boom-busting plan ahead of schedule," said Sonic.
"Oh great... and it's the middle of the night," Knuckles grumbled. "They literally have the advantage."
Sonic shrugged. "Eh, I've never been one for the odds."
Before long, they were gathered in front of the secret passage Sonic and Sally had found in the library. Cheese, however, was shaking in fear, not too keen on going.
"C'mon, Cheese," Omochao insisted. "We're right here with you."
Cheese just chirped, shaking his head.
"What are you?" The robo-Chao asked. "A Chao or a Micky?"
Cheese immediately dropped to the ground, protruding his front teeth so they looked buck before getting on all fours and squeaking like a mouse. Omochao sighed before facepalming.
"Maybe I shouldn't have said anything…" he muttered.
Cream gently picked up Cheese, holding him.
"It's alright, Cheese. Just stay close to me," she soothed. "We'll be okay."
"Of course we will," Amy assured. "We still have the totem, right?"
"Right," Sonic held it up. "We're ready for anything they can throw at us. We ain't afraid of no Booms!"
"Speak for yourself," Knuckles deadpanned.
Sonic just rolled his eyes before pulling out the candle, opening the passageway. One by one, everyone filed down the stairs, each one doing their best to stay brave in the face of this new danger.
"Remember, ghosts love it if they see you're scared, so if you run into one, stay calm," Amy advised.
"Guess Knuckles is out," Sonic deadpanned.
"You know the spikes on my fist aren't just for show, right?" Knuckles warned.
"You have to catch me first, Knuckles the Cucky," Sonic teased with a smirk.
"I'll have you know I'm the bravest Echidna on Angel Island!"
"Yeah? Well, considering you ducked out of helping us check out the grounds, I'd say you're more like Mobius' bravest coward."
"You're just giving me excuses to pummel that smug little face of yours!"
"Will you boys stop it?" Sally snapped. "We have enough to deal with right now without you two trying to kill each other."
"Well, excuse me, but it's how I deal with stress." Sonic defended.
"Everyone hush up," Bunnie cut in. "I hear something."
They all quieted down, listening. Laughter reached their ears. High pitched, grating laughter.
"GYAH!" Hope suddenly screamed, startling everyone.
"What is it?" Sam demanded. "What's wrong?!"
"Something's got my leg!" Hope cried.
"Hope, it's just me." Cream said.
She looked down, a hand over her pounding heart to see it was indeed Cream behind her leg.
"And now we've just given away our position," Sonic sighed. "Great…"
Four Booms appeared, their fangs extended. Amy raised the talisman, and immediately, at the sight of it, they recoiled and fled.
"At least we know this still works," Amy remarked.
"Just keep the sun pointed out and we're good," said Knuckles.
Eventually, they reached a large stone door. Sonic pushed it open to reveal a massive room, in the center of which sat a pedestal.
"That's it," Kat informed them. "It's a perfect replica of the pedestal back in the pyramid."
"Then we just put it here, and this crazy little misadventure is over," said Sonic.
They slowly made their way forward, and the door slammed shut behind them as a deep, growling laugh sounded. Knuckles and Kat stiffened, recalling the laugh from the pyramid.
"Uh oh…" they both let out.
"No," Sticks insisted. "No Uh-ohs. Uh-ohs after deep, ominous laugh is never good!"
"Guys... what was that?" Sally asked.
"The king…" Kat informed them.
On cue, a swirling purple vortex appeared before the pedestal, two clawed arms appearing and pulling their owner out.
"Boooooo-m!" a deep voice bellowed. "Here comes the master of mischief, the titan of terror…"
He fully emerged, looming over them with a cackle. "King Boom Boo!"
The others stepped away in shock.
"Amy!" Sonic shouted. "The talisman!"
Amy nodded. She made a break for the pedestal, King Boom Boo turning to attack her before Sonic darted in his path.
"You're fighting us, buddy!" he declared.
Chris was already donning a Nitro Glove.
"Where's my mom?!" he demanded. "What have you done to her?!"
The king smirked. "She's in here… with us."
"Give her back!"
"No, I don't think I will."
Chris scowled. "Give... her... BACK!"
He shoves his glove into the King's translucent body, activating it. King Boom Boo howled in agony as the Nitro Glove's light coursed through him. Seeing this, Keith popped out a Power Ring from a capsule..
"Sonic, think fast!"
He tossed the ring to Sonic, who took it before rolling into a spin dash and charging at King Boom Boo. He plowed into the ghost, sending him flying into the opposite side of the wall. A few minutes passed before he got back up, scowling before snapping his fingers. Ghostly arms snaked out of the portal, one grabbing Sally before she could react. Another Boom phased into her, the arm dropping her as Sonic darted over, catching her.
"Sally?!" he shook her. "Sally! C'mon, wake up!"
Sally's eyes flew open, revealing the multi-colored madness of the Boom, her mouth a serrated, manic grin.
"Stop interfering with the king's plans, or none of you will leave this castle alive!" she declared in a distorted voice before slashing with a Ring Blade, Sonic darting back to avoid it.
"Let her go, or I'll make you wish you never died," he hissed.
Sally just cackled before turning her attention to Amy. Sonic darted forward, grabbing her in a bear hug as she squirmed.
"Uh, Amy?" Tails began. "Not to rush you, but... HURRY UP!"
"They're not making it easy!" Amy shot back, faced with a swarm of Booms.
Kat flared up, the light scaring the Booms away as Amy continued. Sally struggled furiously, before clenching a fist and bringing it with all her strength right between Sonic's legs. Sympathetic groans sounded as Sonic fell back, eyes watering as he cupped his groin and collapsed.
"Ow…" he let out, his voice a pained falsetto. "Cheap shot."
"AMY!" Kat screamed.
Amy slammed the totem down on the pedestal. A bright light shined out, causing the ghosts to reel back. The one in Sally was forced out as well, screaming. Sonic shakily got up, wincing as he caught her.
"You okay, Sal?" he asked.
"Ugh…" Sally opened her eyes, rubbing her head. "What happened?"
"Well, you were possessed by a Boom and kinda... gave me a critical hit to the nads."
She hissed in sympathy. "Sorry."
"Not your fault."
King Boom Boo scowled, rising up. "I may not be able to remain in this world for much longer... but if I'm going back to the spirit realm, you're all coming with me!"
"And that's our cue to boogie!" Sam declared.
Everyone starts running. As they fled, King Boom Boo was hot on their heels, tearing up the catacombs in a rage.
"I'LL SWALLOW YOUR SOULS!"
Chris spun around, Nitro Ball in hand. "Swallow this!"
He aimed right at the King's gaping maw. King Boom Boo cried out in pain as the ball went off inside of him, allowing the group to continue their escape. He choked and gagged before something began pulling him back. As he was sucked back into his prison, the King let out one last curse:
"I will be back! You haven't seen the last of me, Sonic the Hedgehog! JUST YOU WAIT!"
They make it out of the secret passage, slamming the shelf back into place with a loud thud. As they caught their breaths, Keith perked.
"Oh, my gosh... Aunt Lindsey! We never found her!"
"Found me?"
They perked as she came into the library, looking confused.
"Mrs. Thorndyke?" Hope let out. "But how... what the…"
"We thought you were still with the ghosts," Sonic said.
"It's the strangest thing," Lindsey replied. "I was trapped in this strange, kaleidoscopic world, I blink, and suddenly I'm back in my room. I heard all of you running around down here, so I came to check on you."
Chris nearly tackled her, hugging her tightly as he sighed in relief.
"Don't worry about it," he let out. "The ghosts are gone. It's all over."
"Oh, Chris…" Lindsey soothed, returning the hug. "I'm alright."
With that done, everyone yawned, fatigue setting in.
"Well, I'd say it's way past our bedtime right now," Amy remarked.
"Agreed," said Sonic. "What do you say we let Breezie know we stopped the Booms after about eight hours of sleep?"
"Sounds like a plan to me," Sally agreed.
As they headed to their rooms, Sonic turned to Lindsey.
"And in the future, maybe make sure your film shoots aren't around any haunted locations," he advised.
Lindsey nodded. "I'll have that put in my contract first thing in the morning."
Author's Note:
(1): French for "small", according to Google Translate.
(2): Yep. The classic Scooby-Doo door chase gag.
Well, this fun little romp is over. And yes, the scene with Sticks was taken from Evil Dead II.
What will happen next? You'll just have to wait and see. ;)
Please R&R. Until next time!
