-Chapter 207-
Garden of Eden
Maginaryworld
When Kat opened her eyes, she found herself in a small field with a cherry blossom tree, beneath which Tikal sat.
"Welcome, Kathryn," the ancient Echidna greeted with a smile. "You're just in time."
"Tikal!" Kat sat up, grinning. "Thank Aurora it worked. Listen, I know you're probably tired from constantly saving me from nightmares, but-"
"Never," Tikal cut off.
"Whatever. My friends are trapped here, under some sort of curse-"
"Kathryn."
"-and we can't wake them up no matter how hard we try. I need to find them and-"
"Kathryn," Tikal said, a bit more firmly.
"-soon. Otherwise, who knows what's going to happen to-!"
Tikal reached out, placing two fingers on Kat's forehead. A wave of peace and serenity washed over her and she slowly sagged back against the cherry blossom tree.
"Mmm... cheater…" she slurred.
"Just relax," Tikal soothed. "I know what's been going on in Maginaryworld. Your friends will be coming to the garden soon, and will discover this little safe zone I have carved out. Until they do…" The ground shimmered, a large picnic blanket spreading across the ground as an ornate basket appeared. Chuckles appeared, settling right into Kat's lap. "How about we enjoy a picnic?"
Kat blissfully looked down, smiling. "You still cheated... but a picnic sounds nice."
Tikal smiled in satisfaction.
-X-
Around the same time, Team Sonic and Amy exited a portal, taking in the sights of a jungle dotted with dark pillars.
"What you see here is the Nature Zone," Lumina began. "Created from the dreams of those who enjoy being close to nature and its beauty."
"Normally I'd be all for nature and beauty," Amy said, "but this looks like something straight out of a nightmare…"
"Because, sadly, it is," Nights remarked.
"Void's darkness spreads like cancer," Lumina sighs. "Look what it's done to the jungle."
They took a closer look at the dark pillars, seeing that the grass and trees around them were withering away.
"The plants…" Sonic gasped. "Those shadow pillars are sucking them dry!"
"We have to stop this!" Knuckles exclaimed.
"We need a plan," Tails yawned, rubbing his eyes.
"What we need is a break," Amy yawned herself. "What we need is to sit down for a bit."
"I didn't want to say anything, but even I'm feeling run down," Sonic admitted.
"Considering you've been asleep for approximately three days, that's understandable," Nights mused.
That threw them for a loop.
"Three days?!" they all exclaimed.
"But we've only been in here for a few hours!" Tails insisted.
"Time is different here," Lumina said matter-of-factly.
"Oh man…" Sonic wrung his hands nervously. "The others must be worried sick…"
"Aurora…" Knuckles let out. "Kat's not gonna be taking my absence well at all."
Nights perked. "Kat? Tell me, is this Kat acquainted with the spirit Tikal?"
"Well, yeah," Amy confirmed. "Why?"
"Because if so, I may have an idea on how to get word to your friends. I just hope the sakura blossoms are untouched."
"Excuse me?" Sonic asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Just follow me. And don't touch those pillars. I shudder to think what they will do to Dreamers."
With that, he began flying off, the group following him.
-X-
After quite a bit of traveling, the dense jungle parted ways, revealing a mossy, cobblestone wall that seemed to surround a beautiful, sakura forest. Cherry blossoms fell like light snow, and the entire area just seemed peaceful. As they approached the wall, there was the soft hum of energy, and the air seemed to be shimmering just above the wall.
"Whoa…" Sonic managed. "What is this place?"
"A Safe Zone," Lumina replied. "Tikal has brought your friend here multiple times during Void's rampage."
"The power of the Guardians is truly remarkable," Nights mused. "Powerful enough to soothe even the most damaged of souls."
"If Kat's here, she's our only shot of getting word out to the others," Tails realized.
"C'mon."
Knuckles jumped over the small wall, passing through the shimmering barrier. As he did, all signs of exhaustion vanished. His clothes were replaced with a soft, red kimono. Sonic wasn't far behind, his outfit shifting into a blue kimono with red hakama matching his shoes. He immediately perked.
"Woo!" he exclaimed. "Feels like I just downed a big iced latte." He looked Knuckles over. "Don't you look spiffy."
"Same to you," Knuckles replied.
"This Safe Zone must have some sort of rules that must be followed," Tails mused.
"In a way, you are correct," Lumina confirmed. "This zone shifts occasionally, depending on Tikal's whims. It would seem today, she has chosen to incorporate a dream about the Yurashian Sakura festival."
"Hanami… (1)" Amy said. "Their spring flower viewing. I remember reading about it back in Mercia."
"Then Kat is here!" Tails exclaimed.
The two hopped the wall, Amy gaining a beautiful pink kimono covered in flowers, and Tails a forest green one with a brown hakama. As they moved deeper into the forest, singing began to reach their ears. It sounded like a nursery rhyme of sorts, but in Chun-ese.
"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Where are my friends? They're here! They're here! My friends are here!"
Knuckles stopped short. "That's Kat's voice..."
"Huh," said Sonic. "Who knew she had a decent singing voice?"
They got closer, and soon they saw Tikal's picnic, Kat continuing to sing her nursery rhyme as she petted Chuckles on the head. Chuckles looked up at their approach, tugging on Kat's sleeve and pointing in their direction. Kat stopped singing, turned, then her eyes lit up.
"Guys!" she exclaimed before jumping up and rushing over to them. She practically tackled Knuckles to the ground, fallen petals exploding like confetti when they landed. Letting them hug, Tikal rose to her feet.
"Welcome, everyone," she greeted. "You're late. I was expecting you an hour ago."
"Well, things got a little hectic for us," Sonic said.
"Well come, sit by the picnic," Tikal urged.
"Oh yeah!" Kat pulled Knuckles over to it. "The basket is really cool. Anything can come out of it."
She fished around, pulling out a pair of steaming pork buns. Tails scratched the side of his head in confusion.
"Wait. If this is just a dream, then will the food even-"
Sonic was already by the basket, pulling out a footlong chili dog. "Less thinking, more chilling, buddy."
"The food will nourish your souls, and give you the strength to continue," Nights informed him.
Tails nodded, the group sitting around the basket and pulling out food.
"Okay," Sonic began. "Just to be sure, how long have we been out?"
"About three days," Kat replied. "None of us have really slept since you guys didn't wake up. We've been downing coffee and Blue Cow like there's no tomorrow. Well... except Shadow. He apparently eats straight coffee beans."
They all blinked at that.
"Huh," Sonic let out. "You think you know a guy."
"Anyways, we were trying to figure out how to wake you, then Ebony told us how the spirit world and this place are connected. So they put a sleep spell on me so I could find you."
"Good thinking," Amy remarked.
Kat put down her pork bun, her question unspoken.
"Right, who's behind all this," said Tails. "Good thing you're sitting down. It's a doozy."
"The personification of nightmares, Void," Sonic began. "He's corrupting all of Maginaryworld."
"He's the reason we've been having nightmares all week," Knuckles pulled down his collar, revealing the curse mark. "And why we can't wake up."
"Right," Kat nodded. "So how do we wake you?"
"The only way to break the curse is to defeat Void and end his reign of terror," Lumina explained.
"And to do that, we need to put this back together." Amy held out the two fragments of the Precioustone they had collected so far.
"However, it's a big task, and frankly, we're all exhausted," Sonic remarked. "We could use some help."
"Tikal," Kat began, "I know you're always going out of your way to help me, and I understand if you say no, but-"
"I will happily bring your friends to the Safe Zone," Tikal cut in, Kat turning to her. "You don't need to be sorry, or ask me for anything. I intervene in your nightmares and aid you because I choose to."
Kat hugged her, a gesture Tikal returned in kind. As they parted ways, Kat stood up, clapping her hands.
"Right. Time to wake up. I'm gonna need a big shock, so someone punch me." Everyone exchanged shocked looks at that. Kat sighed, rolling her eyes. "Guys, seriously? It's a dream. I'll wake up before anyone even touches me, and I swear I won't hold it against anyone, so hit me!"
After a minute, Sonic approached, taking her shoulder with one hand. He took a deep breath, pulling back and winding up for a punch. The last thing Kat saw was his fist filling her field of vision and making contact…
Angel Island
..And then she snapped to outside of the shrine, her hammock spinning around before dumping her on the ground.
"YIPE!" Kat let out as she fell before picking herself up, rubbing her face. "Well, that was undignified."
Sally practically materialized by her side.
"Did you find them?" she let out desperately.
Kat sat up, grinning. "I did."
As the others gathered around, Kat brought them up to speed.
"Nightmares incarnate has taken over Maginaryworld. He cursed them, and they're trying to find this powerful stone in order to free them from the curse. But, since they've been asleep for three days and haven't had a chance to return to their bodies and such, they're exhausted. They need help."
Sally's eyes narrowed in determination. "I'm going in."
"Me too!" said Porker.
"Count me in," Johnny nodded.
"Damn straight," Shorty chimed in.
One by one, the founding Freedom Fighters and Team Thorndyke agreed to go... well, except for Sticks, who was currently being dragged to the jail cells by a disgruntled Locke. Kat raised an eyebrow.
"She tried to set off fireworks by Knuckles' head," Sally explained.
Kat hissed. "She's lucky he's not headed for the edge."
"I'll protect your bodies until you wake up," Shard swore. "I'd go with you, but I don't really sleep."
"I am certain you will be there in spirit," Ebony replied. "Now everyone, lay down, and brace yourselves."
Everyone found a comfortable spot to sit or lay down, Kat returning to her hammock. Ebony raised her hands, reciting the sleep spell…
Maginaryworld
In the picnic, Sonic was still looking down at his fist. Knuckles gave him a small shove.
"She literally asked for it, Sonic. Stop it."
Sonic nodded. "Right, sorry."
They were just sitting down when Tikal reappeared, the Freedom Fighters popping in after her one by one. Sonic perked, looking at the drink in his hands.
"That was fast," said the hedgehog. "My latte's still icy."
All of them quickly got their bearings, taking in the sights, and their various kimonos. When Kat appeared, she grinned.
"Help has arrived," she perked. "Oh! Real quick."
She closed her eyes and concentrated. When she did, a black hedgehog with golden highlights appeared. His muzzle and under fur was a metallic silver color. Sonic blinked.
"Shard?"
"He doesn't sleep, so he's with us in spirit," Kat explained.
Before Sonic could say anything else, he was practically tackled by a relieved Sally.
"Sonic!" she exclaimed. "You're here!"
"Good to see you too, Sal," Sonic said, his voice strained as he patted her back. "But you're... kinda breaking my back here."
"Sorry," Sally loosened her grip.
"We've been caught up on everything," Shorty informed them.
"Oh, good," said Tails. "That saves a long-winded explanation."
They showed them the Precioustone fragments.
"This is the Precioustone," Amy explained. "The heart of Maginaryworld, so to speak. The guy messing with this world, Void, shattered it and caused this whole mess."
"We need to find the shards, and fast," Sonic added.
"Indeed," said Lumina. "I can only pray Void does not curse you as he did these four. Their souls have been away from their bodies for far too long."
"If we repair the Precioustone, we can break this curse, right?" asked Rotor.
"And manage to get a decent night's sleep without sanity-tormenting nightmares every night," Knuckles added.
"Pretty much," Nights confirmed. "Sadly, the Garden is far denser than the previous realms we've visited, and the pillars will not make searching easy."
"Rotor, summon your suit," Tails ordered. "If you can imagine that its scanners can detect the Precioustone, it will."
"Then why not just summon the stone itself?" Bunnie questioned.
"Because the shards are in the hands of Voidlings," Lumina interjected. "And their power is far greater than the wishes of a Dreamer."
"Trust me, Bunnie," Amy began, "if we could just summon the Precioustone fragments, we would've done it by now and none of you would be here."
"Right, so I say we split up into teams," said Sonic. "Usual set up alright with everyone?"
"My team will take Shard, since I kinda made him," Kat decided.
"You all know what to do," Sally said. "So let's gather this Precioustone so we can wake up and, well... go to sleep."
With that, they all dispersed.
-X-
As they went, Rotor summoned his suit mentally. Porker was going all out, imagining and summoning a variety of objects while Johnny had just summoned his staff.
"Are you done yet?" he asked, bored.
"Hey, this is the first time I've ever had a lucid dream," Porker defended.
"You have to admit, this is rather fascinating," Rotor added. "I do hope we remember this when this is over."
"Maybe, maybe not," said Johnny. "Let's focus on making it over for now."
"Alright, fine," Porker sighed. "Killjoy."
Rotor checked his scanners, squinting. "Why is it that I'm getting interference on an imaginary scanner?"
"Because you're so used to interference in our world that it's ingrained into your imagination," Johnny said. "It's all in your head, man."
"Right…" Rotor nodded.
As Rotor focused, trying to get the interference away, they heard bizarre grunts and groans. Johnny spun around, seeing figures emerging from one of the dark pillars.
"Here comes company!"
The trees parted ways, revealing a large, grassy golem. Like all the Voidlings before it, tears were pouring from its eyes.
"So they do cry," Porker noted. "That's... unsettling."
"Try not to hurt it," Rotor insisted. "It's like the Roboticized people. It can't help it."
The golem swung a fist down, the group scrambling to dodge…
-X-
Meanwhile, as Shorty summoned his Cybernik armor, Antoine had summoned his sword, using it to cut through the greenery and clear a path.
"Are ya sure you should be hackin' away like that?" Bunnie asked. "I mean, this place is supposed to be rather lush, and I don't wanna ruin it anymore then it already is."
"Relax, cherie," Antoine soothed. "Look."
He pointed behind him, where the plants were automatically regrowing.
"Well... that's convenient," Shorty mused.
"Dream world, Shorty," Bunnie pointed out. "Logic is nonexistent."
"I'm well aware of that. Now, let's see…" Shorty raised a hand to his helmet, scanning around. "There's a boatload of interference, but I got something. Seems to be coming from the center of the jungle."
"Then that's where we're headed," Antoine decided.
They began marching towards the center. As they headed along, they heard an ominous hissing noise and stopped short.
"Please tell me that was the hydraulics in my suit..." Shorty pleaded.
"Nope…" Bunnie gulped.
Slowly, everyone looked up. They were greeted by the sight of a massive, red-scaled snake, sobbing and hissing as it glared down at them.
"I take it that is one of the Voidlings we were warned about," Antoine mused.
"If it ain't, I'll eat my hat." said Bunnie.
The snake lunged, the group darting aside. Eventually, however, it landed a lucky shot and wrapped Shorty up, beginning to squeeze. Shorty grunted before getting an arm free, aiming his blaster.
"That's it!" he screamed, enraged. "I've had it with this stinking snake in my freaking dream! (2)!"
Gunfire erupted from his blaster as the snake lunged…
-X-
Amy led Sally through the forest, the latter looking like she was in deep concentration.
"What are you doing?" Amy asked.
"I'm trying to see if I can do what Kat did…" Sally replied. "And summon…"
As if on cue, Nicole appeared out of nowhere. She didn't appear pixelated in the slightest, and looked like a flesh and blood Mobian.
"Yes! It worked!"
"You could have just summoned my handheld," Nicole pointed out.
"And miss out on a chance to let you be flesh and blood?" Sally asked. "This is my dream."
Nicole nodded. "Sound reasoning."
"Either way, we could really use your handheld right now," Amy pointed out.
"Right," Nicole held out her hand, summoning it herself. "Let's see what we can find."
She pressed a few buttons, looking around.
"Okay. There's more interference than usual due to all the trees, but I've got a faint reading. It seems to be coming from the heart of the Nature Zone."
"Makes sense," Amy noted. "I remember there being this really big tree in the center. It's covered in tire swings, tree houses. Basically, it's a haven."
"Here's hoping Void didn't get to it," said Sally.
"Let's keep moving," Nicole insisted.
They didn't get far before they heard rustling from above. Amy and Sally immediately got on the defensive, summoning their weapons as a monstrous creature swung in on a vine. As it jumped off and landed before them, they saw it was a purple-furred ape with a single horn in its head, wearing spiked bracelets and with two of the dark pillars sticking out of its shoulders. As with the others, it sniffled and wept as it stared the girls down.
"Another Voidling!" Amy cried.
"Is it-" Sally began.
"Yes, it's crying. They all do that," Amy cut off. "They're consumed by sorrow and pain."
"How can we help?" Nicole asked.
"Just keep them at bay while heading for the heart. Once we get the stone, all the Voidlings will be free."
The ape beat its chest, grunting and hooting before jumping at them…
-X-
Elsewhere, Team Thorndyke was trying to get through the jungle, but at every possible turn, dark pillars popped up and blocked their path. Eventually, they were led to a river.
"Okay, this is getting annoying," Hope let out. "If I wanted to go through an endless maze, I'd just go to the House of Mirrors at Twinkle Park."
"Hey, it's alright, Hope," Chris soothed. "We'll get through this."
"Is this river even safe?" Keith asked.
"Let's find out," Kat decided before jumping right in.
"And I thought Sonic was a reckless fool," Shard muttered.
"He is," Keith confirmed. "Kat's just a very close second."
Kat popped out of the water. "Looks clear to me!"
Keith took a step forward, his foot resting on a bumpy-looking log... and immediately, a giant alligator burst out, jaws snapping shut around the toe of his left shoe and chomping it off. Keith recoiled, holding his foot in shock and panic as Hope and Chris ran over.
"My toes!" Keith screamed. "Are they-?!"
Chris grabbed his foot, looking through the hole. A tense moment passed before, one by one, all five of Keith's toes poked out of what was left of his sneaker. They all breathed a sigh of relief.
"For Aurora's sake, how is that safe?!" Hope demanded, glaring at Kat.
"I thought it was a log!" Kat defended.
She glared at the gator. "You overgrown water lizard! Nobody messes with my boyfriend!"
She jumped out of the water before landing on the gator, getting it in a headlock and wrestling with it.
"Is she actually-" Shard began.
"Yep," Keith nodded.
"Seriously, was she ever normal?" Hope pondered.
"She literally punched out a shark because it stole Big's fish, and then proceeded to turn said shark into sushi," Chris recalled. "I don't think she even knows the definition of the word."
As they watched the water churn, things took a turn for the worse. The alligator spun its head around, snapping its jaws around Kat's midsection and performing a death roll before tossing her up and seemingly swallowing her whole.
"No!" Hope screamed. "Kat!"
"I-it'll be alright!" Chris stammered, clearly trying to convince himself more than anything. "It's only a dream!"
"For all we know, this is an Eddy Cougar situation!" Keith cried. "If you die here, then-"
He couldn't bring himself to finish. The alligator was about to dive down, before stopping, something straining from within. As they watched, its jaws were pried open from within, Kat straining to hold it open.
"Not! Today!" she cried out. "I did not survive the Death Egg Massacre and the Chaos Siphon just to end up as breakfast for an ugly suitcase that isn't even REAL!"
With a scream of effort, she forced the jaws apart before jumping out, landing on the ground, tucking and rolling before coming up superhero style. "Eat that, Dundee!"
Keith ran over, hugging her tightly in relief before flicking her in the forehead.
"Don't you ever do that again!" he exclaimed.
Kat shrugged. "You act like I haven't done worse."
"KAT!"
"Alright, alright," she held up her hands in surrender. "I yield. I'll try to tone down the recklessness."
-X-
As all this was going on, Team Sonic and Nights had made it to the center of the Nature Zone, following the Miles Electric.
"The scanner's going crazy," Tails reported. "We're right on top of it."
"'Kay, so what kinda Voidling are we gonna fight for the fragment?" Sonic asked. "Giant parrot? Piranha on legs?"
"I'd say a creepy tree with a face." Knuckles said matter-of-factly.
They turned to him, confused, before he pointed. They followed his finger to see just that, roots and branches overgrown with Void's dark pillars. Its eyes glowed green from the Precioustone fragment in its open mouth. Sonic shuddered at the sight.
"Like something out of Immortal Konflict (3)." he remarked.
"Right... So what's the plan?" Knuckles asked.
"For this one, we will require strength," Nights said, holding out his hand to Knuckles. "Are you ready?"
"Let's do this."
Knuckles took the hand, the two Dualizing. When it ended, Knuckles/Nights faced the tree.
"Keep any vines and branches away from us," they instructed. "We're going in."
Numerous vines lashed out at that. Sonic immediately began running around, slashing through them with Spin Attacks.
"It's all you guys!" he shouted. "We've got this!"
Knuckles/Nights flew into the mouth of the massive tree, Tails just barely managing to jump down on a branch attempting to intercept them. As the tree's mouth slammed shut, trapping them in, Knuckles/Nights made for the Precioustone fragment. Bracing themselves, they grabbed the fragment, pulling with all their might. Vines and bark twisted around it, as if trying to cling to the shard.
"Struggle all you like!" they shouted. "We will free you from this darkness no matter what!"
As hard as it tried, the tree's vines were no match for Knuckles' strength. Wood cracked and snapped as the Precioustone came loose in his hands. The echidna went flying out of the tree's mouth, separating from Nights as Void's influence began to crumble. All across the Nature Zone, the dark pillars shrank into nothingness, the plantlife regaining vitality and the Voidlings reverting to Nightopians. Each group watched as their adversary was transformed into a tiny fairy, all of whom bowed in gratitude towards the Dreamers.
"How… what…" Sally perked. "Sonic… of course."
Back with the tree, the dense forest parted, showing clear paths to each of the groups. They all gathered back up, reunited and safe. They watched as several child Dreamers played on the tree, now smiling and peaceful, swinging on the tire swings and climbing around like monkeys.
"How touching," a dark voice declared. Everyone spun around to see Void casually leaning against a tree. "This would move me to tears… If I had any left to shed."
"You…" Sally scowled. "You're the one who cursed Sonic! You're the reason they never woke up!"
"Indeed I am," Void confirmed. "Though I must admit, I'm surprised to see so many lucid Dreamers."
"Sonic's our friend! A Freedom Fighter!" Hope shouted. "You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us!"
"Well, if that's how you all feel…"
Void tilted his head back, then unleashed a massive wave of purple flames. It engulfed every single member of the Freedom Fighters, though the flames seemed to avoid the innocent Dreamers all around them. When the flames dissipated, everyone had the same curse marks Team Sonic and Amy did.
"No!" Lumina screamed. "Not them too! How low can you sink, Void?!"
"Sonic and his friends are paying the price for your stubbornness and lack of vision, Lumina," Void shot back. "You have only yourself to blame for their predicament."
He scowled. "All of this could have been avoided if you just did as you were told!"
"I will never bow to you, Void!" Lumina swore.
"Then they, and every Dreamer that crosses my path, will suffer the consequences of your actions."
Lumina's fists clenched. "You won't get away with this, you monster!"
Void scoffed. "You shun me as a monster, as evil... but I'm merely fulfilling my purpose. Have you ever heard the phrase 'misery builds character?' Suffering makes one stronger, provides conflict and challenge so people can learn and grow. The same applies to dreams."
That gave Sonic and his friends pause. Lumina blinked, before shaking her head.
"You lie!" she shrieked. "Lady Illumina's wish was to make Maginaryworld a world filled with beautiful light! You are an abomination! An affront to everything she stands for!"
That set Void off. He scowled in pure rage, clenching his fist.
"You FOOL!" he roared before slamming his fist into the tree he was standing by, smashing through the bark and toppling it. They recoiled as he breathed heavily, before composing himself and rising up off the ground. "Why do I even bother? You refuse to listen. You'd rather Maginaryworld crumble before opening your Illumina forsaken eyes. Perhaps when these Dreamers' souls wither to dust, you will see reason."
And with that, he flew off. As the group got their bearings, Sonic looked around, looking at the other Dreamers playing happily.
"Something funky's going on here," he insisted. "Why not target the civvies here, curse them too?"
"And trapping the others here just like he did us instead of letting them wake up, giving us more incentive and manpower to stop him," Tails added. "It's almost like he wants us to win."
"I told you that Void's reasons only make sense to him," Lumina reminded them. "Why bother questioning it?"
"No, Sonic and Tails are right," Sally said. "This is fishy. What does he want? And why does he keep acting like he wants us to win?"
"And here's another thing," Knuckles chimed in. "Why leave the Safe Zone alone? The pillars were everywhere but Tikal's garden."
Lumina opened her mouth to retort, but much to her shock, she had none.
"That's a very good question," Kat added. "Why give the people he's trapped a way to call for help?"
"The only way we're gonna get any answers is by repairing that stone," Amy decided.
"Thankfully, only one shard remains," Nights told them.
"Yes," Lumina nodded. "And only one more realm awaits."
"Then let's get moving," Sonic decided. "If we're all cursed now, the people still awake have got to be flipping out."
Angel Island
Back in the waking world, Cream and Cheese were seated by the sleeping Freedom Fighters. They watched in shock as the Endless Dream curse mark began appearing on the others as well, and when they tried to rouse them, their fears were confirmed.
"Miss Ebony!" Cream cried. "It's happening again!"
Shard and Ebony ran over, along with the remaining Freedom Fighters and Chaotix, and stopped short at the sight.
"Damn it all…" the witch cursed. "Not them too!"
"Not a single member was spared…" Espio let out.
Shadow cradled Hope, fear etched onto his face. "Isn't there anything we can do?"
"No…" Ebony shook her head. "We can't risk any more of you falling under the curse. It's up to them now."
Author's Note:
(1): Japanese for "flower viewing." The Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the transient beauty of flowers, especially cherry blossoms.
(2): Mobian Mortal Kombat.
Well, shit's hit the fan now. Will the Freedom Fighters collect the final Precioustone fragment and undo the evil that is Void? And just what is he planning?
Please R&R. Until next time!