-Chapter 206-

Flights of Fancy


Knothole

Back in the waking world, everyone was working hard to try and find a cure for the curse. Energy drinks and coffee were being passed around all over. Much to everyone's surprise, Shadow's mug was simply full of coffee beans.

"Uh, Shadow?" Rotor began. "Your coffee looks a little…underfixed."

"I like my coffee straight," Shadow said simply.

"STRAIGHT!?" Antoine gestured to Shadow's cup with almost violent hand motions. ""You're drinking a cup of beans! Unbrewed. Unground. Unroasted. BEANS!"

Shadow blinked before looking down at the cup of beans in his hand.

"And your point is?" he questioned, completely straight-faced.

Antoine muttered indignantly before throwing his hands up and storming off, passing by Hope.

"So…" she began, "what's up with Antoine?"

"Search me," Shadow replied. "Probably just stressed."

Hope looked at his mug as she took a seat. "Please tell me you saved me some."

Shadow slid her the bag, which she got to work brewing. Meanwhile, since Kat was the only one who got any sleep, she was working to keep everyone caffeinated. She took fresh brewed cups from Ebony, passing them to the Brain Trust.

"Anything?" she questioned.

"Aside from finding out how Shadow takes his cup of coffee?" Johnny asked.

"What?" Shadow defended. "They're delicious. And crunchy."

"We all have our quirks," Kat pointed out. "I mean, I just watched Porker mix his coffee with straight Blue Cow (1)."

"Quirk?" Antoine demanded. "As a Mercian and a man of taste, zis is absolutely unacceptable! It's like...like eating scrambled eggs with mustard and jelly beans!"

Both Keith and Chris froze, slowly hiding behind their mugs.

"Before we can explode into arguments over our tastes in food and drink, I've spent all night looking into any similar cases," Hope cut in. "And I believe I found something." She set out papers she printed out. "This was right around the time the Great War ended. Two people from Twin Seeds in Eurish, Elliot Edwards and Claris Sinclair, apparently went through a similar experience when they were ten. When they woke up, they rambled on about the dream world and the like, but everyone thought they were just that: dreams."

"Yes, victims of their own Eternal Dream curse," Ebony mused. "They claimed they were aided by an entity known as Nights."

"Does it say anything else about the world they went to?" Sally asked. "Anything at all?"

Hope looked over her research notes. "They called it… Maginaryworld, as well as Nightopia."

Immediately, everyone started looking up the name.

"I've got something!" Tekno cried, everyone gathering around her. "Maginaryworld, the realm of dreams. It is said that it's divided into specialized zones that represent the different desires of Dreamers. And, apparently, the borders between it and the spirit world are quite thin. It's why diviners can often commune with the dead when asleep."

"The edges of sleep and death touch," Ebony noted. "One can't help the occasional crossover."

"Maybe that's why Tikal keeps hijacking my dreams," Kat remarked.

A long moment of silence followed.

"Wait…" Bunnie said at last. "Kat, say that again."

Kat raised an eyebrow, confused. "Uh... maybe that's why Tikal keeps hijacking my dreams?"

All eyes suddenly turned to her.

"Kathryn... how often are you visited by Tikal?" Ebony questioned.

"Um... usually when my PTSD causes me night terrors," Kat replied. "And uh... pretty much all week. It's why I've actually been able to sleep."

Sally sprang to her feet, grabbing her shoulders.

"That's it!" she exclaimed.

"What's it?" Rotor questioned.

"Kat remembers all of her dreams thanks to Tikal," Sally explained. "Maybe, just maybe... she can get into Maginaryworld and find Sonic!"

"That... That could work," Ebony mused.

"Well then, we best get to Angel Island," Kat decided. "I need to be near the Emerald for this to work."

"Then what are we waiting for!" Sally threw a Warp Ring, opening it. "We've got friends to save!"


Fire Bird

Back in Maginaryworld, Team Sonic, Nights, and Lumina found themselves atop a giant, bird-shaped airplane.

"What the heck?" Sonic let out.

"This... is Fire Bird," Lumina explained. "Born from the dreams of those who enjoy flying and freedom."

"Sounds like my kinda place," said Tails.

"Indeed it would be," Nights remarked, "if Void hadn't imprisoned the great Phoenix in this shell of unfeeling metal."

"Oh, so that's why it's called Fire Bird," Knuckles realized.

"He roboticized the Phoenix?!" Amy exclaimed. "That's terrible!"

"I don't suppose this would do any good?" Sonic asked, summoning the De-Roboticizer ray Kat had used on Sabina.

"Sadly, no," Nights remarked. "As with the Emerald Coast, we must find the Precioustone shard and collect it. Only then will the Phoenix be free."

Sonic pocketed the gun. "Well, it was worth a shot."

"No doubt the shard will be somewhere within the heart of this machine," Lumina mused.

"That's what the Miles Electric says," Tails confirmed.

"Then let's get going!" Sonic declared.

They didn't get far before they were accosted by more Voidlings, these ones flying mechanical creatures reflecting the area itself. They included propeller-powered mechanical wasps resembling Buzzbombers, complete with guns attached to their stingers, winged rockets, and winged mechanical fish. And just like the Voidlings at Emerald Coast, all of them were crying softly.

"More crying…" Tails realized. "Has to be more of those transformed Nightopians."

"Aw man…" Sonic sighed. "I'm gonna feel bad about smashing these things, I just know it." Sonic paused, then glanced down at the gun on his belt. "Hold on… if this is a dream, and whatever we say goes…" He yanked out the ray, shooting an incoming wasp-bot as it flew at him. It hit the bot, and the metal paneling immediately exploded, freeing the Nightopian inside. "Yes! It worked!"

The others all grinned.

"Everyone!" Knuckles declared. "Imagine a way to free these creatures without hurting them!"

Amy swung down with her hammer, cracking it open like a walnut, while Knuckles grabbed a fish, tearing it apart in halves. Both times, the Nightopian popped out, unharmed. Lumina gathered them all quickly, ushering them to safety as the team moved deeper into the Fire Bird. More Voidlings accosted them as they went, but they were easily dealt with. Eventually, they found themselves on the neck of the Phoenix. Tails checked the Miles Electric, getting a strong reading.

"The fragment's in its head," he reported. "If we can dislodge it…"

Suddenly, the phoenix roared, bucking its head wildly.

"Oh, no…" Nights gasped. "The Phoenix has become a Voidling!"

Sonic drew the raygun, firing at its head. The Precioustone fragment seemed to react, forming a shield that blocked the beam and dissipated it.

"Oh good," he deadpanned. "For a second there, I thought this was gonna be too easy."

"The Phoenix is the heart of this realm," Lumina pointed out. "As a Voidling, mere Dreamer's wishes are not enough."

"We will need to do this the hard way," Nights remarked.

"Right then," Tails nodded. "Guess it's my turn to dualize."

He and Nights grasped hands, merging together similar to Sonic before. With that done, Tails focused and snapped his fingers. Almost immediately, the X-Tornado came zooming in.

"Hop on!" Tails/Nights ordered.

"Everyone quickly climbed onboard.

"You think this'll be enough, Tails?" Amy asked.

"It will be," Tails/Nights replied.

Nights poured his magic through Tails and into the X-Tornado. It took off into the air, the Phoenix roaring before going after them.

"A dreaming dogfight," Sonic grinned. "This'll be good."

They flew around the Phoenix, dodging fireballs and the like as they went. Tails/Nights unloaded on it with the guns. With a screech of pain, the Phoenix reeled back, preparing a fire blast.

"Engaging X-Cyclone!" Tails/Nights declared.

The X-Tornado sprouted the telltale legs before diving down foot-first, slamming into the Phoenix's head and forcing its mouth shut. The effect was instantaneous, the flames going off in its beak and backfiring.

"Whoa!" Sonic exclaimed. "Nice one!"

"Look!" Knuckles shouted, pointing at its head. "It's coming loose!"

Indeed, the stone had been loosened by the explosion.

"I got it!" Sonic shouted.

He jumped out of the plane, skydiving toward the Phoenix and dodging its attacks as he landed and ran for its head. Sonic dove for the stone, grabbing and pulling. The entire time, the Phoenix attempted to buck him off.

"C'mon!" Sonic hissed through gritted teeth. "Don't flaunt it... if you're not gonna give it up!"

With a mighty tug, the Precioustone came loose in his hands, sending Sonic stumbling back. The X-Tornado swooped down to catch him, and that was when all hell broke loose. Panels began to fall away into the ether below, the Phoenix roaring as its metallic shell cracked.

"It's beginning!" Lumina cried. "The Phoenix has risen from the ashes!"

As she said this, flames came bursting out of the shell, the Phoenix rising from its prison. It roared and spread its wings, a wave of warmth spreading across the entire realm.

"And another realm is saved," Lumina sighed.

"And one more shard closer to stopping Void," Sonic remarked.

"Man, this was almost too easy," Knuckles mused.

"If you want, I can always up the difficulty."

They spun around, seeing Void floating there leisurely. Lumina flitted up, scowling.

"Void, stop this!" she demanded. "Return the Precioustone! Bring Lady Illumina back!"

"Your stubbornness is the cause of all of this, Lumina," Void said matter-of-factly. "If you would have just listened and cooperated, I wouldn't have to take such extremes."

"I will never bow to your demands!" Lumina swore.

"Then until you do, every Dreamer will suffer from an unending nightmare! You may have saved these realms for now, but what is to stop me from corrupting them again?!"

"How about this?!" Sonic shouted.

He leapt off the plane, tucking into a Homing Attack, only for Void to warp away. Tails quickly caught Sonic as the dark being looked over him with a small, smug smile.

"Isn't that just like you, Sonic? Solving all your problems by screaming and charging headfirst."

Sonic shrugged. "Works in my world."

"Well, this is my world," Void shot back. "And unless you wish to remain trapped here forever, you will convince Lumina to do what I want. Before all of Maginaryworld crumbles."

He warped away at that. Tails had his arms crossed in thought, confused.

"Something's fishy about all this," he insisted.

Sonic turned to him. "What do you mean?"

"The curse," Tails began. "He's trapped us in a permanent sleep... in this world, where we can intervene to stop him. Wouldn't it be easier to wait for us to wake up, and then just keep going with his plans? It doesn't make sense, Sonic."

"None can understand what goes on in the vile pit that is Void," Lumina said. "His actions and reasoning make sense to him alone."

"Whatever's going on, we can't wake up until we take him down," Knuckles pointed out.

"Yes," Lumina agreed. "The next realm awaits."


Angel Island

Back in the waking world, the Freedom Fighters and Chaotix had gathered before the altar of the Master Emerald, Team Sonic and Amy laid out in sleeping bags. Sticks looked between Azure Lake and the foursome, approaching them and about to grab Sonic when…

"I'll put you back in the jacket," Sally warned, not even turning to look at her.

Sticks immediately turned and walked away, whistling casually. Kat was climbing into her hammock, pulling her blanket over her.

"Are you sure this will work?" she asked.

"I don't know," Sally admitted. "But what choice do we have?"

"Once I cast this spell, you will fall into a deep slumber," Ebony explained. "From there, commune with Tikal, and try to find Sonic and the others."

"And to wake up?" Kat questioned.

"I am certain you can find a way," Ebony replied.

Kat took a breath, then made herself comfortable. "I'm coming, guys…"

Ebony waved a hand over Kat, and the girl's eyes fluttered closed…


Author's Note:

(1): Mobian Red Bull.

Another one bites the dust. Will Kat be able to find Team Sonic in the dream world?

The scene with Shadow's coffee beans and Antoine's reaction was suggested by WindstarOsprey, inspired by the Twitter Takeover questions.

Please R&R. Until next time!