GeneX - Nightmare Zone: Act X
Title - Nightmare Asylum
Note: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA and
Sonic Team. You knew that, right?
GeneX and related fanchars are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.
A dark castle. A terrible monster. A ghostly robot. Oh, god, the nightmare again. Sonic sees the bodies. Knuckles... Amy... Copter is flung to his doom. Nightmare Chaos, the horrible combination of Shadow Chaos and Xenegg, holds Tails up like a rag doll, crushing his bones in his grip! Sonic shivers below, watching the scene in horror. He lets out an ear piercing scream. "...And then I wake up."
Sonic is sitting on a psychiatric couch. Laying on it, really. He describes the horror that has plagued his nights for two years now. Dr. Eggman sits across from him, wearing a white coat and holding a clipboard. "Yes, you've gone over this before, Sonic. We both know it didn't happen quite like that, but your mind makes it worse than it was. Because of the trauma of losing so many friends in one night..." he sighs. Sonic hugged his knees. Sometimes he wondered if it would've been better if he'd died that night, too. How would things be different? Maybe there's a whole alternate timeline where he died. He liked to picture it. He liked to imagine that at least Tails would be brought back somehow in exchange for his life. He was...too young. Eggman glanced at the hedgehog, stroking his moustache. "What about these ghosts you keep seeing, Sonic?" he asks. Sonic shivers. "I've seen them... Knuckles. Amy. Tails... They call for help." he shivered. "Surely you haven't seen Knuckles lately..." Eggman muttered, jotting something in his notes, "Oh, err... Sonic, this is clearly a case of survivor's guilt. You are haunted by their deaths, and wish to save them. It makes perfect sense... in a perfectly insane way." he said, standing up, "Look at me! I've processed my survivor's guilt in a most healthy capacity! I'm using it to help those still here...like you, my blue friend..." he said with a smile, helping Sonic to his feet. He gave the doctor a light smile back. He never dreamed Eggman would be his therapist, but here they were. Jet the hawk soon came to the door. "Ah. Orderly, help me lead Sonic to his room... We wouldn't want a ghost to bother him." Eggman winked. The Asylum was run largely by birds, reformed rogues and Battle Bird Armada members. Eggman was all about rehabilitation, now.
Sonic and Eggman weren't the only survivors of the Nightmare Zone, however. Rainbow the echidna had been taken to safety by Illusi the Shrew, who had been watching over her and Punchy. He could only save one of them, and he chose the pure-hearted Rainbow. Now, she had to move on without Punchy. It wasn't going to be easy, but she found purpose with the other survivors. Shadow had narrowly escaped death by using Chaos Control, but realized later that his haste to escape left Rouge to die. Richard Gunner had escaped, too, and his time there showed him that there were worse things in the world than talking animals. Far worse. Using his GUN connections, he found Gemini the fennec, and allied her with Shadow and Rainbow to form a team. Their goal... To end nightmares, wherever they may hide. Together, they brought down werewolves, aliens, hell beasts and more. Their latest mission pit them against a vicious witch, known as Tabitha. Flying high on a broomstick above a graveyard, the witch tossed deadly spells at Gemini as she evaded and blocked with spells from her wand. "Guys, how's the plan coming?" she asked through a communicator. Shadow was busy nearby, shooting zombies as they rose from the nearby graves with a crossbow, equipped with blessed arrows. "Plan's in the toilet, as usual." he grunted. "Hold your position! Don't let the witch leave!" Gunner ordered over the communicator. Tabitha cackled at them. "You honestly thought you could defeat me!? I am the mistress of darne--!!" Tabitha was cut off, and she gurgled a little as something sharp pierced her chest from behind! Rainbow had launched herself up with a portable spring, and drove a wooden stake through her back! "Know what? These don't just work on vampires..." she whispered before both of them dropped to the ground, Tabitha's body crumbling into dust. "Think we've earned a break?" Gemini sighed. "Not likely!" Gunner said over the communicator, "Get back here. We've got reports of weird goings on at Eggham Island." he stated. Shadow looked nervous. "What? That's... where Sonic is..." he muttered. Rainbow nodded. "Don't worry, Shade. We'll handle it. Speedy won't be traumatized any further, I promise." she said hopefully. "Don't make promises you can't keep. You know that..." Gemini sighed.
It took a plane and a boat to get the monster hunting team to Eggham Island. There, they were soon greeted by Dr. Eggman, the Babylon Rogues, and former Battle Lord, Kukku. "Shadow, so good to see you after all this time!" Eggman said with a grin. Shadow glared at him. "I don't care how many leaves you turn over. I don't trust you, old man." he said bluntly. Gunner was with them, too. "Ivo, you wouldn't be harboring...monsters... would you? Even you can see the danger such fiends pose, right?" he asked, getting to the point. Eggman chuckled. "Why don't you all get something to eat? You must be famished after coming such a long way!" he offered. The rogues motioned for them to follow, and Gemini crossed her arms. "He didn't answer the question." she whispered. "Don't jump to conclusions, Wanda... I'm hungry!" Rainbow sighed.
Sonic was wandering to the recreation area by this point. No sense milling about his room so he could hallucinate his dead friends, right? Besides...he actually had friends here. He had a small smile as he reached the room and saw Silver. This hedgehog was amusing. Claimed to be from the future. Crazy. He was playing cards with Patch the fox, who was giggling to himself as always. This made Sonic frown. Patch always made him uneasy. He'd best look for someone else to hang out with. There was sweet Libra the fennec in the corner, who was getting her hair brushed by one of the bird orderlies. The birds loved to take care of Libra. "Oh, hi, Sonic. How are you?" she called sweetly. Sonic waved to her and continued to glance around. Vector was sitting in his straightjacket. He didn't take Knuckles' death too well. Spiny the porcupine, paranoia. Gator...delusional. Sonic backed away a step. Did he really belong with these crazies? Suddenly, he heard it. "S-soniiic!!" His eyes widened. No mistaking. That was Tails' voice! He spun around. "H-help me, Soniiiic!!" Wait, this sounded... like it was coming from somewhere! Sonic took off in search of the voice. "Tails! Little buddy, where are ya?! If you can hear me, don't stop calling!" he cried. If Tails was somehow alive, if Sonic was to dare to hope for this...he couldn't fail him again! He ran through the asylum frantically, listening for the fox's voice. "S-soniiiic!! Oh noo!!" He sounded scared. Fortunately, Sonic was close. He kicked open a door...and then his jaw dropped open. Tails' spirit, his ghost, was ankle-deep inside of a blob-like entity, that was pulling him into its gelatinous body! Sonic gasped, his eyes widening in horror, watching helplessly as his friend's very soul was being...eaten! "Sonic!! I...I'm done for...RUN!!" Tails cried as his fearful face was pulled into the gooey creature!
Everyone was getting seated in the asylum's dining area when Sonic's scream echoed through the building. "S-speedy!? That was Speedy!" Rainbow stammered, getting up quickly. Shadow was right behind it. "Damn it, I knew I shouldn't trust you, doctor!" he growled as he, Rainbow and Gemini hurried to the source of the scream. "Now, friends, let's not jump to conclusions!" Eggman babbled as he followed them. Gunner remained seated for the moment. "...Does this mean dinner's off? It was a long trip, and I could really go for a bite..." he mumbled. Jet chuckled. "Yes, bite... Very good, sir..." he grinned. Storm blocked the exit, sneering at the old man, who began to grow uneasy. "...Hey, what are you... Aaah!!" he gasped as Wave jumped into his lap! "Shhh... You want a bite... I'll give you a bite!!" she said, baring fangs as the other Rogues showed off theirs! "V-vampires!! Freaks!! N-noooo!!" Gunner wailed.
Shadow, Rainbow and Gemini found Sonic crouched in a corner, holding his knees and sobbing. Eggman rubbed his bald head as he found this scene. "You were supposed to be resting in your room, Sonic." he stated blankly. "C-couldn't sleep..." he stammered. Gemini knelt beside him with a sympathetic expression. "It's okay. We're here now. What happened?" she asked. "Is the doctor hurting you here?!" Shadow grunted. Sonic shook his head. "I s-saw... Tails... Or, his g-ghost. Poor guy...s-still so h-helpless... He was eaten b-by this... blob-thing! It was horrible! So horrible!" he said, sobbing. The trio of monster hunters glanced at Eggman. "The hedgehog's crazy. I hear he's living in a nut house!" he said with a raised eyebrow, "I mean come on! Blobs eating ghosts! That's just utter lunacy!" he insisted. "Something's definitely fishy around here, Tubby..." Rainbow sighed. "Why can't you be professional and not call me that?" Eggman groaned.
Suddenly, the lights went out with a buzzing sound. Gemini held up her wand like a flashlight, casting a glow around. "Power outages common around here?" she asked. Eggman, however, was gone! "Tubby's up to something, isn't he?" Rainbow sighed. "D-don't leave me in the dark like this..." Sonic whimpered. Shadow glared at him disdainfully. "Pull yourself together, Sonic! You defeated Xenegg, or don't you remember?! Gah, fine... I'll take you back to your room... You baby." he growled, pulling Sonic to his feet. Gemini looked worried. "We'd better get back. Gunner could be in trouble..." she murmured.
The inmates were scrambling around the darkened asylum in a bit of a panic, no one quite sure what to do, some not sane enough to even know what was going on. The bird orderlies grinned, baring fangs as they watched their prey move about. Patch followed at the back of the group. "Heehee...don't worry fellas, you're safe with me! Ohh...but are you safe FROM me??" he giggled. "Knock it off, Patch!" Vector growled. As Patch skipped behind the group, he was suddenly yanked into the shadows by a bird, squealing as his neck was bitten! Libra squeaked amidst the crowd. "P-patch...?" she murmured. Suddenly, a swarm of bats flew around them, causing the inmates to scatter! "W-wait! Don't leave me!!" Libra cried. "Don't worry!" Silver said, standing by her, "I'll protect you!" From amidst the bats, Kukku approached Silver and Libra. "Come, come, my friends... Let me lead you to your rooms..." he smirked. Silver shivered. Something wasn't right. However, Kukku seized upon him quickly, baring his fangs as the hedgehog struggled! Libra let out a scream, and Silver shouted for her to run!
Sonic and Shadow could hear all the shouting as they went towards the rooms. "Something terrible is happening...again..." Sonic gulped. Shadow nodded. "I have to deal with it. Not all of us have the luxury of having a nervous breakdown after seeing our friends die." he growled. Suddenly, they heard a new voice, calling to them. "Sonic!! Shadow!! H-help!!" It was... Amy?! "...Tell me you heard that." Sonic murmured. Shadow nodded. "Damn... Let's go!" he said.
Rainbow and Gemini raced to the cafeteria, where they found Gunner still seated. Their hearts sank when they found blood trickling down his neck. "Vampires! You jinxed us somehow, Rainbow!" Gemini stammered. Suddenly, Gunner's eyes shot open! Rainbow backed up slowly. "G-gramps...? Any chance you're not evil again?" she asked. Gunner let out a mindless snarl, baring his fangs, and suddenly Jet and Wave appeared from the shadows to surround the girls! "...I'm not planning to go out like this! You ready, Rainbow?!" Gemini asked. "J-just don't look into their eyes! They'll hypnotize us! That's a thing, right?" Rainbow stammered. Jet cackled at them. "Why don't you come closer and find out?" he sneered.
The roaming vampires didn't escape Shadow's notice as he escorted Sonic towards the source of Amy's voice. However, Amy's calls sounded urgent, so he simply did his best to keep them both away from the bloodthirsty birds and out of sight. "This island is becoming worse than those woods from two years ago. I hope the girls are alright..." he sighed. Sonic gasped as they stepped into the room Amy's voice was coming from. "Eggman...I-I trusted you!!" he cried. There stood Eggman, operating a sort of robotic claw that was somehow restraining Amy's spirit as he guided her towards the blob creature! He glanced at Sonic and Shadow. "Oh, big surprise! The guy who went nuts and lured you to your death two years ago is still nuts and evil! Seriously, how could you ever fall for my reformed act?? Even I'm dumbfounded at your stupidity! I should throw the book at you!" he said, holding up the "Dos and Don'ts of Scary Scenarios" book that Sonic and friends had done such a fine job ignoring two years prior. Amy let out a shriek as the blob devoured her, and Sonic clenched his fists, growing angry. "Why, Eggman!? What do you even have to gain from this!?" he shouted. Eggman stroked his moustache. "Obviously, I still plan to kill you! Keeping you placated as an inmate here was a good way to keep you out of my hair while I cultivated this beast... Leftovers from the Lost Ones, which your monster hunting friends destroyed. This soul-sucking blob, which I dub the EggBlob, now has enough power to devour the living... Flesh, soul and all! And guess what, Sonic!? You're first on the menu!!" he announced. Shadow listened to all this and scoffed. "That has got to be the dumbest plan I've ever heard." he stated. "Well, I AM crazy. EAT UP, BLOBBY!!" Eggman shouted, prompting the blob to leap at them with alarming speed!
Gemini and Rainbow were busy trying to fend off the vampires. Gemini used her magic to keep Jet and Wave at bay, blasting them back as they approached, while Rainbow fought Gunner directly. He was spry for an old guy, but that could be the supernatural curse running through him. "Don't got any garlic in this kitchen, do ya, birdies?" she shouted, a little worried. Suddenly, Illusi appeared in the room with a burst of smoke. He held up a cross, causing Jet and Wave to hiss and flee into the asylum. Gunner was too mindless to think about it, instead opting to continue fighting. Illusi walked over to him and smacked him across the face with said cross, burning it onto his face and making him snarl as he writhed on the ground, stunned. "Stake him and let's go!" he said. "I'm not leaving the others, not this time!" Rainbow told him. Illusi looked at the girls and sighed. "Fighting all the vampires is pointless. You need to find their leader and destroy him." he said. Gemini nodded. "Thank you, Illusi... I think I have a notion of where to look, let's go!"
Sonic and Shadow fled from the blob and Dr. Eggman. "It's no use running, Sonic... I've finally created the perfect weapon! You can't fight it, can't even touch it! Once it catches you, you're done! And once I duplicate the EggBlob, it will form the army that will finally conquer the world for me!" the doctor declared, laughing darkly. The trio soon came to the yard, where the inmates were let out for fresh air and exercise on occasion. There, they found the surviving inmates cornered by the vampires, some with their necks getting punctured. "Vampires!? ...I knew it was fishy that all these birds wanted jobs with me." Eggman mumbled, "Never mind! The blob will devour them all!" Shadow handed Sonic a cross. "You're going to have to step up, Sonic." he grunted. The blue hedgehog nodded. "...For Amy and Tails... I have to make Eggman pay!" he declared. The pair turned and ran to the vampires, Sonic starting by slapping Patch with the cross. "Rarr! Hee hee! That tickles!" Patch babbled. Sonic grunted and tried the face, knocking the vampire-fox down. "Never liked you..." he grunted. Vector stood over Shadow, his massive jaws baring terrifying fangs. "That's just great..." he grumbled. Spiny, Gator and Libra were toward the back, apparently still alive, but Kukku was leading Storm and some other birds to them. It didn't look good, until Rainbow and Gemini hurried in! Gemini shot some light magic at Storm, knocking him back as bats flew next to him, turning into Jet and Wave. "Yeah, there's a divine mage here..." Jet sighed. Storm groaned. "Hate that..." he muttered. Rainbow had some wooden stakes in her hands, and set about fighting the birds guarding Kukku. "Go, go! Save us!!" Gator cheered, jumping as he heard a bite, and turned to see Kukku draining Spiny. "At least save me!!" Gator cried. Eggman watched the fighting with his arms crossed, drumming his fingers against his arm impatiently. "You're just gonna ignore and upstage my blob?? This is MY island! Get in there, blobby!!" he commanded. "Gah!! Shadow, help!!" Sonic yelped, surrounded by Rogues and a blob all of a sudden. Shadow gasped and rushed over. "Chaos Spear!!" he shouted, knocking Storm and Wave aside before diving in to push Sonic to safety. He then turned to look for Jet, only to be kicked by the hawk before he could get his bearings, and fall backwards directly into the blob! "Sh-shadow, NOOO!!" Sonic cried, watching as the black hedgehog sank into the gelatinous beast, his struggles proving useless against it. He looked to Sonic with regret. "Save...yourself..." he sighed before his face was pulled under. "No... Shade's dead..." Rainbow gasped, choking on her tears.
Angered, Gemini turned her wand on Kukku, slamming him against the wall with a forceful spell before he could reach Libra and Gator. "Your dark reign ends here... And then we'll deal with Eggman! Now, Rainbow!" she cried. Amidst Kukku's protests, Rainbow drove a stake through his heart, and with a gurgle, vampire Kukku was defeated. However, Jet simply laughed. "What was that supposed to do? He might be the Battle Bird Boss back in the day, but he's nobody here!" he shouted. Sonic and Gator joined Rainbow and Gemini as the vampires surrounded them, looking around nervously. "B-but, if he's not the head vampire..." Rainbow stammered. Gemini looked around and saw Libra. She held her hand to her mouth in a gasp. "Libra... no... It can't be!" she stammered. Some of the birds bowed to Libra, and she smirked as she stepped towards them. "Poor Gemini... Orphaned at a young age...sister goes missing, too... Whatever happened to young Libra?" she snickered, "I found a different family... But sis... I still miss you..." she said, her eyes glowing as she gazed into Gemini's eyes, "Come with me, Gem... We can be a real family... I'll be the sister you always wished for..." she said, offering her hand. Gemini nodded slowly, starting forward, but Sonic and Rainbow grabbed her arms. "Wait, stop! Sh-she'll kill you!" Sonic stammered. "She's not your sister anymore!" Rainbow cried. Gemini pulled free and stepped close to Libra, who was starting to bare her fangs. It appeared Gemini was done for. Eggman had somehow gotten popcorn to watch this, he was enjoying the show. Just as Libra was moving to bite Gemini, Illusi appeared between them, intercepting the bite, and getting bitten himself! "M-mousy!!" Rainbow cried, eyes wide. Gemini snapped out of the hypnotic trance as she saw Illusi sacrifice himself. "No...what have I done?" she gasped. "...Don't let me die in vain..." Illusi gasped. Enraged, Libra bit him harder, seeking to drain him completely. In a moment, the shrew collapsed as a lifeless husk in a cape. "...You're all going to die now. Sorry, sis." Libra growled.
Eggman finished his popcorn and let out a sigh. "Okay, blobby? Get Sonic. Let the others kill each other, but be sure to get Sonic!!" he commanded. Gator grabbed the cross out of Sonic's hand. "I need this more than you, you're dealing with a blob!" he shouted, running away. Sonic saw the blob coming and had a thought. "Ladies, you feel free to work out this sibling rivalry... I have the first good idea I've had in two years to try out!" he smirked, finally starting to look like his old self. Rainbow and Gemini nodded, and the heroes split up to start this final, desperate battle! Gemini hurled spells at the Babylon Rogues to gain breathing room before going after her sister, who summoned a swarm of bats to attack and tear at the two girls in her path! Rainbow swatted at the bats with her wooden stakes, and pulled out a vial of holy water. "This should work on something...gah!!" Suddenly, she was lifted by Silver's psychic powers! "Vampire Shiny?! That's not fair!" she grunted, "Oh well..." she sighed, chucking the holy water at Silver. The vial broke over him, and he wailed and fell to the floor, groaning. "That won't hold him long... Better...huh??" she gasped as Sonic ran by. He was pursued by the blob, which bulldozed right over Silver, leaving no trace of him once it passed! "This is the hedgehog cleanup crew! Vampires cleaned up while you wait!" Sonic snickered, racing about the room and leading the speedy blob towards as many of the vampires as he could safely approach. Eggman was getting angry at this. "No, no! Eat Sonic!! SONIC!! Blue vitamins are good for you! Who knows where those vampires have been!" the doctor shouted. Libra wasn't too pleased with this, either. She tried to stop Gemini by casting a beam of darkness at her, so the fennec blocked with a magical shield. "L-libra... I'm sorry it has to be this way... I've missed you so much, sister..." Gemini cried. Libra snarled. "Then you should have joined with me!" Sonic, meanwhile, raced by the Babylon Rogues. "Still too slow, Jet!" he teased. "What? N-noooo!!" Jet cried as the blob swallowed him and his fellow rogues! There were still a few bird vampires about, but they seemed unlimited. Libra had to be stopped. Rainbow crept behind Libra, holding up a stake. Gemini nodded, but Libra turned and grabbed Rainbow's arm tightly. "I guess you'll be taking my sister's place!" she sneered. "Never!!" Gemini cried, firing a blast from her wand...but not at Libra. Seeking to evade, Libra stepped back a bit, but the intended target, Rainbow, was knocked aside! "Now, Sonic!!" Gemini shouted. Sonic sped over to Libra and leapt up, doing a backwards homing attack to knock her directly into the blob that was chasing him! Libra cried out in terror. "No... NOO!! Gemini... We... We could've been immortal! Now you'll be eaten by this THING, like me!! N-n-nooooo!!" she wailed as she was pulled into the oozing depths of the blob creature.
The remaining vampires instantly turned to dust, but Libra had a point. The blob was looking much bigger and stronger now. Eggman chuckled at this development. "Well, goody. You beat the vampires. Can't beat my blob, though. See you in hell, Sonic!" he cackled. Sonic, Rainbow and Gemini backed away from the creature, but Gator stupidly stepped in front of it. "Is the Halloween Special over?" he asked, only to notice the shadow cast over him. "I DIED!!" he screamed as the blob grabbed him, sucking him into its body! Sonic, Gemini and Rainbow shivered, figuring they were next. However, the blob began to quiver and groan. It even made an "Eeew" noise. Eggman's mustache drooped as he watched. "You're telling me that guy gave you indigestion? WHY!?" he stammered. Suddenly, the blob exploded into bits of harmless goo, leaving Gator alive and well, though coated in slime. "I HATE HALLOWEEN!!" he whined. Sonic, Rainbow and Gemini then looked over at Eggman. "Uhh... well... I guess I'll see you all around!" Eggman babbled, only to yelp and scream as a powerful beam as fired from Gemini's wand, soon reducing the evil scientist to nothing but ashes! "...He killed people... Okay, I'm just upset because... M-my sister..." she sniffled, stepping over to Rainbow who was quick to hug her. Sonic gasped and pointed upward. "Look, girls..." Above where the blob had exploded...the spirits of those it had devoured were moving, free at last. Silver and Jet, Vector and Spiny... A few ghosts hovered down to greet the trio. The ghost of Punchy was there, and shared a last hug with Rainbow. The ghosts of Tails, Knuckles and Amy met Sonic, as well as Shadow's ghost. "Everyone... I'm sorry... I failed you..." Sonic sniffled. "It's not your fault, Sonic." Amy said, "Please, don't stop living your life on our account. Be happy." she smiled. Tails nodded. "You set us free, Sonic. You will always be my hero...and my friend." he said, giving him a thumbs up. Shadow nodded silently, and Knuckles grinned at him. "Hey, find someone to take care of the Master Emerald, would ya?" he asked. Finally, Gemini was met with the ghost of Libra, who looked at her apologetically. "I was cursed to be a vampire long ago... It was in a place called...the Nightmare Zone." she sighed, "I haven't been me ever since. Thank you, Gemini... You've saved my soul." she smiled. Gemini nodded tearfully. "I'll still miss you, sister..." she said. Libra glanced over at Sonic. "...Maybe you can start a new family." she suggested, making Gemini blush.
Months later, Gemini and Rainbow raced to escape an Egyptian tomb, black-clad mummies hot on their trail. As the tomb was collapsing, Gemini cast a warping spell, and the two found themselves safely outside, watching the tomb crumble. "Whew... We barely made it..." Rainbow sighed. "What took you, ladies?" The girls turned to find Sonic standing there, leaning against a crossbow. He set it down and chuckled. "Another day, another nightmare averted... Glad we're all back in one piece!" he smiled. Gemini stepped over and hugged the hedgehog before kissing his cheek. "I think it's about time we had a vacation, don't you?" she winked. Rainbow rolled her eyes. "You get your own room then! You two are too mushy even for me!" she giggled. Sonic laughed and hugged his fennec tighter, kissing her back. It took one more nightmare for him to move on with his life...but he was glad it happened, because now his world seemed brighter than it had in years. The nightmares were over at last.
The End!
...WAIT!! THERE ARE STILL TONS OF PLOT HOLES IN THIS TIMELINE!! (Oh, come on all-caps-guy, I'm tiiiired!!)
Happy Halloween!
