"Alright," Sonic grinned, "You guys ready?"
"Ready," Knuckles and Sticks nodded from the other side of the volleyball court.
"Ready, Tails?"
"Ready, Amy?"
When he got no response, he, and everyone else turned to the referee seat to see that Amy wasn't there.
Knuckles tilted his head, "You'd think we would've noticed that a bit sooner."
"I'll go see what's keeping her," Sonic sighed. The blue hedgehog zipped from the court over to his friend's house. "Hey, Amy, we're about to play volleyball and we need a referee to remind us not to fly, use super speed or booby traps, or spike the ball with, well, spikes." He rubbed his knuckles at that last part.
Hearing a groan coming from behind the couch, Sonic walked around to see Amy lying on the floor, barely conscious. "Whoa, you okay?" He immediately helped her up. "Man, you're burning up. Better call in some help."
The rest of the gang met Sonic outside Amy's house.
"Amy's sick?" Tails repeated to which Sonic nodded.
"Did you take her temperature?" Joe asked. He then leaned forward, grinning, "Never mind. I'm sure you of all people know how hot she is."
Sonic glared at him, "Less shippy, more caretakey." He pointed a finger at the front door, "Now get in there, robot man."
Joe's grin morphed into a frown as he walked into the house.
"Can I get you anything else?" Joe asked.
"A salad would be nice," Amy rasped out from her spot on the couch.
Nodding, Joe went to the kitchen and began gathering ingredients. "'You're a robot, so you won't get sick.'" He muttered to himself, repeating Sonic's unspoken logic. "Sure, rub that in, Sonic. Maybe next time, I'll bring up your body issues."
As her friend ranted and raved, Amy's eyes slowly closed as she nodded off. When she opened her eyes a crack, she saw what looked like a great tempest of wind outside her window. Even stranger was what she spotted among the wind: Comedy Chimp in a witch costume riding a broom.
"Hahahaha!" The chimp cackled maniacally before pausing. "I wonder what I'm laughing at."
Before Amy could question what she just saw, she drifted back to sleep. When she opened her eyes again, she saw that everything had died down. Her eyes widened as she realized something. She quickly sat up. 'No more aches.' She felt her own forehead. 'No more fever.' The pink hedgehog got to her feet, "Joe, my fever's gone!" After a second, her excitement wore off and she realized that she was alone in the house, save for Bea.
"That's weird. Joe wouldn't just ditch me," the pink hedgehog thought out loud. Hoping her friends might simply be outside, she went and opened her front door. She froze in shock. "Bea? Could you come over here?" With her pet by her side, she asked, "Is there really a colorful fantasy village in front of us, or am I just going crazy?" Bea buzzed, making Amy nod, "Okay, yeah, it's real."
Numerous people began emerging from the village, all of them resembling people she knew, just in different clothing. The one looking like Lady Walrus bowed and addressed her, "We thank you for your service."
"What service?" Amy asked, confused.
"Crushing the Chimp Witch of the East, I betcha," the Beth lookalike answered happily.
Amy's eyes widened as she looked around before spotting Comedy Chimp's legs sticking out from under the edge of her house. She was so shocked she didn't even notice that his shoes were a shiny red color. "Oh, my gosh! Did I do that!? Am I a murderer!?" The pink hedgehog fell to her knees, sobbing loudly.
The villagers looked on for a moment before the Vector lookalike walked over and put a hand on her shoulder, "Uh, if it makes you feel any better, we all thought he was annoying."
"That does make me feel a little better," Amy sniffled as she got up. Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, she asked, "Now, could you tell me where I am?"
"I can answer that." A certain voice said. To Amy's surprise, Zooey floated in out of nowhere in a pink bubble of energy, which disappeared as she landed.
Amy spat out questions nonstop, "Zooey? What are you doing here? And why are you dressed like a fairy?"
"To answer your questions out of order, I'm not Zooey, I'm the Foxy Witch of the North," the yellow vixen said as she did a little twirl. "As for what I'm doing here? Exposition, of course! Now, I know you asked where you were, but I think you'd be more interested in hearing how to get home, correct?" Seeing Amy nod, she continued, "All you have to do is follow the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald Hills. There you'll find the Wizard of Hogs. Just show him your Ruby Slippers and he'll help you out."
"What? I don't have any Ruby Sl-" Amy paused when the Foxy Witch pointed at her feet. Looking down, she saw that her shoes had turned a sparkly red, same as the Chimp Witch's shoes. "How did that happen?"
"Magic."
"Ooookay. But why would the Wizard help me just for having Ruby Slippers?" Amy asked.
The Foxy Witch giggled, "He's a fan of magical jewels." She got serious for a second, "On that same note, you'd better watch out. Lots of people would love to get ahold of those slippers."
Amy furrowed her brows, "Like who?"
"Generic thieves, for one. But, worse than that, the Eggwitch of the West could come after you," the Foxy Witch explained.
"Good luck on your journey," the crowd said enthusiastically.
Amy stood there for a moment, taking a deep breath as she processed everything. Once she did, she smiled, "Well, thank you for all that." She started walking down the road, beckoning for Bea to follow.
The pink duo walked for over half an hour. As they passed by some cornfields, they heard something odd.
"Boo!...Boo!"
Amy shared a glance with her pet. With a shrug, she decided to check out what was going on. Making her way through the corn, she found her way into a clearing where she saw an unexpected sight.
It looked like Knuckles, except he was dressed up like a scarecrow and repeatedly yelling "Boo!" at a murder of crows, who weren't bothered at all by his attempts to scare them.
Amy wasn't sure whether to laugh or cringe at the sight. Either way, she decided to make herself known. "Uh, Knuckles? What are you doing?"
That took the scarecrow's attention off the birds. "Who's Knuckles? I'm just a scarecrow…Or I would be if I could scare these dang crows!" He put his hand to his head dramatically, "If only I had a brain. Maybe I could think of some better scare tactics."
"I see," Amy nodded, taking his plight in stride. "Well, I'm sorry to hear that. You know, I'm off to see the Wizard of Hogs. Maybe he could give you a brain?"
"Really?! That's great!" the scarecrow exclaimed. He briefly looked back at the crows, punching his fist into his hand, "I thought I'd have to make them fear me another way."
Chuckling awkwardly, Amy placed a hand on the scarecrow's fist and lowered it, "No need to get violent. Let's just go."
And so, Amy resumed her journey with her new companion. He was quickly making her regret letting him join her, though.
"Are we there yet?"
"No."
"Are we there yet?"
"No."
"Are we there yet?"
"No."
"Hey, what's that?"
"No-Wait, what?" Amy snapped out of her default response and saw the Scarecrow pointing.
Following his finger, she spotted a familiar, green robot wearing a funnel on his head. More bizarre than that, he was holding a small basket full of artichokes and was smooshing them against his chest one by one. Realizing he was being watched, he stopped what he was doing, "Hi there. Can I help you?"
Remembering her encounter with the Scarecrow, Amy asked, "Um, we're fine, thanks. Who are you?"
"Well, I used to be a normal woodsman, but after one too many missed swings I needed my body parts replaced. My legs, my arms, my heart, you name; eventually leaving me as the Tin Man you see now," the Tin Man explained.
"Wait, so you kept chopping yourself up by mistake? Why not just change professions?" Amy asked, scratching her chin.
The Tin Man shrugged, "Chopping is my passion."
"Uuuuh, okay. So, why do you have those artichokes?" the pink hedgehog followed up.
"I heard that these things have hearts inside them," the Tin Man said, holding one of the vegetables up to his face. "But no matter how many I go through; I never find a single heart."
The Scarecrow leaned to the side and whispered to Amy, "I'm starting to think I'm not the one who needs a brain here."
"I heard that," the Tin Man deadpanned.
Amy and the Scarecrow chuckled awkwardly, with Amy asking, "Uh, instead of wasting food, how about you come with us to see the Wizard of Hogs?"
The Scarecrow gasped, "Hey, that's right! He's gonna give me a brain, maybe he can give you a new heart…plus, y'know, your other body parts."
"Eh, if it gets me a heart, I'll do anything," the Tin Man shrugged.
As the group continued walking down the road, the Scarecrow asked, "So, should we come up with a headcount limit? Don't wanna get sidetracked forever."
"Makes sense to me," the Tin Man nodded. Bea even buzzed in agreement.
"Okay then, we'll help one more person at most. After that, we'll make a straight line for the Emerald Hills," Amy said.
"Hmm." A mustachioed man hummed as he peered into a crystal ball. He wore dark glasses, a black robe, and a witch's hat. "Looks like the Ruby Slippers have found new owners." He threw his hands in the air and laughed maniacally, "This is perfect! I doubt she's a witch, so she'll be helpless!"
The witch clapped his hands, prompting a walrus, a beaver, and a weasel to enter the room. They wore fezzes and purple robes, and, unlike normal versions of their kind, they all had wings to fly into the room with. Gesturing to an open window in the room, he commanded, "Fly, my not-so-pretties! FLY!"
All of the minions looked unimpressed. "That joke was barely funny the first time you said it," the weasel droned.
"Just get out there!" the witch ordered.
"Man, we've been walking foreveeeer," the Scarecrow whined as he slouched from exhaustion. "I'm booored."
"I've got something for ya, buddy," the Tin Man soothed. Reaching behind his back, he pulled out what Amy thought was the handle for Joe's usual saber. But, once it was turned on, she saw that it was a laser axe instead of a laser sword.
"Whooaa." The Scarecrow took the axe and started swinging it around.
"Just be careful with it. You could cut off your own-" the Tin Man paused as the Scarecrow chopped off his own arm. "-limbs." He sighed and turned to Amy, "You wouldn't happen to know how to sew, would you?"
Amy nodded and pulled out a sewing kit. However, before she could make much progress-
"aaaaaAAAAHHHH!"
The gang perked up as the sound of screaming got closer and closer. Amy squinted her eyes, spotting someone coming at them through the trees. Before they knew what happened, a little, yellow, twin-tailed fox boy ran past them.
Pursuing the fox were several large animals: a giant mantis, a giant crab, a giant ladybug. As the fox ran, a giant beetle flew in from the side and tripped up his feet, making him stumble into a tree. Cornered by the beasts, the fox shivered in fear. "Someone!" he crouched down, "Help me!"
Amy gasped, "We have to help him!"
"Okay, but he's the last guy we add to our party," the Tin Man said. "Gimme." He took back his axe from the Scarecrow. "Think you can fight with one arm?"
The Scarecrow grinned, "Heck yeah, I can!"
Amy cringed as her companions slashed and smashed. Turns out fights can be brutal against organic opponents. To distract herself, she comforted the fox, "Are you okay, Tails?"
The boy stopped shaking and looked at her. "Tails?" he chuckled, "K-Kinda weird, b-but it's better than what everyone else calls me."
"What does everyone call you?" Amy asked gently.
"The Cowardly Fox."
"No offence, but I can see where that comes from," the Tin Man commented as he held up the crab by its pincers for the Scarecrow to punch.
"Yeah, he kinda ran here screaming like a girl," the Scarecrow nodded in agreement. He flinched at the glare Amy gave him, "Shutting up now." He went back to punching the crab's underbelly.
Returning her focus to the fox, she put a hand on his shoulder, "Cheer up. You just need a little courage is all."
"You make it sound so easy." The Cowardly Fox hung his head, a sad smile on his face.
Amy helped him to his feet, "Tell you what. How about you come with us to see the Wizard of Hogs?"
The Tin Man threw the giant mantis against a tree before turning back to Amy and the Fox, "Just a reminder. No more team members after him."
Planting his foot on the giant ladybug, the Scarecrow raised his remaining arm, "Hey, uh, not trying to make things about me, but can you finish sewing my arm back on?"
"Sure thing." Amy picked up the Scarecrow's arm, "Let me just-"
Suddenly, the three minions the witch had summoned swooped in and flocked around Amy. The girl swatted at them only for them to swarm her.
Bea fired a shot, taking out the weasel guy but the other two grabbed Amy's arms and started carrying her away. The Tin Man managed to grab her foot, but after a brief tug of war, he lost his grip, allowing the minions to get away with their friend.
"Aw, man," the Scarecrow groaned. He shrugged, "Oh well. Let's get back on the road."
"Works for me," the Tin Man nodded, stowing his laser axe.
The Cowardly Fox looked at the two of them, appalled. "W-What!? You're just gonna let that slide!?"
The two travelers shared a glance, with the Tin Man answering, "Yep."
As they began walking away, the Fox's shock turned to anger. "Hey!" he yelled, getting their attention, "Your friend just got kidnapped and you're gonna walk away like nothing happened!?"
"I mean, we only knew her for a few hours," the Scarecrow listed.
"And I'm literally heartless, sooooo-" the Tin Man added.
"So nothing!" the Fox scolded, "That girl was the first person who didn't make fun of me for being scared, and I'm going to help her." He pointed at them, "And you're gonna help me!"
"Wait, what?" the Tin Man asked.
"Okay, I'm in," the Scarecrow shrugged with a smile.
"Wait, what?!" the Tin Man asked. "You're going along just like that?"
The Scarecrow nodded, "Yep, it's one of the up sides of having no brain."
"That's not a-Ugh, you know what? Never mind," the Tin Man conceded, sighing. "Alright, I guess we're doing this. Anyone know how to track Amy down?"
The Scarecrow raised a hand, "I do! I can sense my missing arm, and since Amy still has it, it'll lead us straight to her!"
"Then lead the way!" the Cowardly Fox commanded.
Nodding, the Scarecrow began guiding the group. "So, does this make you the 'Assertive Fox' now?" the Tin Man asked.
CRA-KOOM!
Next thing they knew, rain began pouring down on them. The sound of thunder making the Fox leap up and cling to the Tin Man's head in fright. "Never mind," the Tin Man muttered.
"Back! Get back!" Amy yelled. After the minions had brought her to the Eggwitch's tower, she began swatting at them with the Scarecrow's severed arm, preventing them from restraining her.
Suddenly, a broomstick bashed over the head from behind. "Alright, that's enough!"
Amy turned around to see- "Eggman!? You're the Eggwitch?" She paused, "Wait, why am I even surprised?"
"I don't know who this 'Eggman' is, but you should be more concerned with who I am," the Eggwitch growled, glaring down at the girl, "And now I'm going to-"
"-STOP RIGHT THERE!"
The Eggwitch looked up to see Amy's soaking wet companions standing at the entrance to the room, "Who are you!?...And don't finish my sentences for me!"
"We're three good-lookin' dudes!" the Scarecrow introduced.
"And we came to get our friend back!" the Cowardly Fox declared.
"Yes, very nice," the Eggwitch nodded, clearly unimpressed. He then turned to his two flying minions "Get them."
Seeing the minions fly at them, the Tin Man stepped in front of the group and raised his fists above his head. "Boo yah!" he brought his fists down on the minions' heads, knocking them out instantly.
"Alright, guys! Just like we talked about on the tedious walk here!" the Scarecrow ordered. He grabbed the Fox and ran at the Eggwitch with him. The Eggwitch flicked out his hand, casting a green energy ring at the two of them. Right as the ring was about to ensnare him, the Scarecrow threw the Fox, who hit the Witch in the chest with a punch.
"AAAAAAHHHH!" the Eggwitch clutched his chest and staggered back.
The Tin Man tilted his head at the sight, "Wow, you're stronger than I thought, Fox."
"Are you kidding!? His punch didn't hurt at all! The water on his fist is making me melt!" the Eggwitch shouted as his body began to steam.
"What?" all present heroes asked at once.
With a final groan, the Eggwitch fell forward and splashed as if his body were made of liquid.
"Uh, okay, that happened," the Tin Man commented. "Let's just get out of here."
And so, once they got out of the Eggwitch's lair, the group followed the Yellow Brick Road until they reached the Emerald Hill.
The Scarecrow leaned down to look at the grass and saw how the hills got their name. Each blade of grass shined as if it were made of crystal, giving the whole area a sparkly look. "Whoa, this place is crazy!"
"Hey, I think I see the Wizard's place!" the Cowardly Fox pointed.
Following his finger, Amy saw what looked an awful lot like Sonic's shack, "Let's go!"
The group walked up to the shack, only for Sticks to run around from behind the shack and brandish her boomerang, "Hold it right there! No one sees the Wizard without goin' through me first!"
Suddenly, Sonic appeared in between all of them in a blur, "Easy there, Sticks. These guys look nice enough."
Sticks grumbled, "Why'd you hire me as a bodyguard if you just engage with everyone anyway!?"
"Sonic? You're the Wizard of Hogs?" Amy thought out aloud.
"Sure am. Anyway, what can I do for you guys?" the Wizard asked, putting his hands on his hips.
The Scarecrow raised his hand, "Oh, oh! Me first! I need a brain!"
"I got you covered, man," the Wizard nodded. He reached behind his back and pulled out a key with a brain-shaped keychain, "Whenever you need an idea, just look at this thing."
The Tin Man tapped the Scarecrow on the shoulder, prompting him to move aside, "I need a heart. So, whaddya got for me?"
The Wizard chuckled and shook his head, "You already got it. You just didn't know it." Seeing the Tin Man was confused, he elaborated, "You knocked out those minions in the Eggwitch's tower with you could've just chopped them up. And you politely had your friend move out of the way just now. You have more of a heart than you realize."
"…Wow, you just blew my mind," the Tin Man muttered.
"And you," the Wizard turned to face the Cowardly Fox, "You stood up to two guys on behalf of a girl you only just met, and you led a mission to the Eggwitch's tower. Congrats, kid. You've got courage."
"Wow. You're right," the Fox said, wide-eyed. He smiled, "You know what? Starting today, I'm the Courageous Fox!"
And then there was Amy. "Do you have a way to get me home?" the girl asked.
"Sure I do. You just gotta wake up."
Amy blinked when the Wizard started speaking in Knuckles's voice. "I'm sorry. What now?"
"Wake up! I command you to wake up!" The Wizard grabbed Amy by the shoulders and started shaking her.
"Knuckles, cut it out! You're gonna break her neck!" Sonic shouted.
Knuckles didn't listen and kept shaking Amy, prompting Joe and Sticks to pry him off her. Just as they did, the pink hedgehog started coming to.
"Ugh, I just had a crazy dream," Amy said, rubbing her forehead.
Tails chuckled, "Well, it was a literal fever dream, so that's to be expected. I hope it wasn't scary or anything?"
"It wasn't. If anything, it taught me something," Amy smiled at the gang, "There's no place like home."
Her friends all shared a glance before looking back at her in confusion. "Uh, is that something you were in doubt of?" Sonic asked.