I'll have a cup of tea and tell you of my dreaming

[twistedspoon]

Who: Everyone
What: DREAMS
When: A whole 24 hours spanning from September 14th-15th
Warnings: Creepy nightmares? Innuendo? I don't know, the usual.



There had been so much buzz about those stupid lollipops for weeks now. Not only out loud, but in her head - thoughts ranging from what's the deal with those things? to gotta have more to pricy as fuck. Eventually, she confused the cravings of others for her own, and it just so happened that her very own roommate had a box right on her side of the room!

Casey wasn't supposed to touch it, but she didn't see why. Money issues, or something. She didn't get the big deal about money either. She wasn't a Meowth, so there was no reason for her to have any. Therefore, the rules about it didn't apply to her.

That was her logic, anyway.

When Ai was asleep, she opened up the box and put her telekinesis to good use. Five of the candies lifted into the air - two green, three yellow - and the wrappers tore off in perfect synchronization. Too bad nobody was watching. The Abra opened her mouth wide and crammed all of them in at once, because she had no concept of savouring anything.

Shortly after, she fell asleep, the sticks still poking out of her mouth. That had to be bad for her teeth.

Soon the dreaming began...

Comments

[bluestreaker]

Well, this was a first. In every variation of this nightmare Sonic had been alone, running with his tail between his legs without shameful glares falling over him. When Shadow's voice reverberated through his mind's eyes, Sonic's own fluttered open, listening to the blanketed silence that overcast the Hell he had fallen within. It was a moment of serenity he welcomed, missing the forgiveness of the planet he loved so dearly whenever he found himself here. This coldness of the night embraced him and it was the most wonderful feeling he could ask for right then.

Shadow's figure was a blur, but there it was. Sonic's confusion across his face was clear, nothing said as a different world was the other's backdrop, giving him a sliver of hope, but as soon as the comfort began to settle in, it took off, drawing back the crackling and popping, the rumbling of buildings falling in the distance, and the memory of where he currently stood.

Without greeting him, Sonic looked down at his chest, watching the wound begin to seal on its last lip. It weaved together like a spider's web, working its way to patching him up in criss-crossing laces and catching his draining spirit back into its web. Stay where you are, it ordered.

But the healing was when the worst was on its way. Panic struck him immediately, Shadow's presence forgotten for the sake of the suffering he had to evade.

"It's coming..." He whispered, shoving Shadow back and falling onto his side. He pushed himself back up this feet and began to run again. He looked back at Shadow. "RUN!"

But he didn't even have the opportunity to enjoy being on his feet. That skeleton claw of crystalline and faded colors came racing through the air, smashing right into Sonic's chest and drilling him back into the ground. Yeah, it wasn't done with you, hedgehog.

[vela_nova]

But then came another first. Licks of flame began to rise up on the claw. The sparks grew into embers, and suddenly roared to life with great intensity. It released Sonic, reeling back in pain as it was immolated.

Blaze leaped down from the nearest rooftop, arms outstretched, fingers curling. The very flames that engulfed the city bent to her will as she spread her arms and brought them together, crashing a wall of fire down on the attacker.

"Don't touch him," she hissed angrily.

[obfuskate]

No.

Shadow felt his heart drop to his stomach once he saw that- that thing pierce through him, driving him down to the ground and leaving him helpless. No, no, no, he was sure he was going to die now, he couldn't possibly survive that, shit shit shit shit.

Yet here was Blaze, combating the creature and giving him an opening. He was going to protect him. Should anyone get hurt from that thing again, it was going to be him.

He looked to the pyrokinetic, giving her a simple nod of acknowledge before he ran to Sonic's side, trying to roll him over to check his vitals and cleanse his wound, not knowing that it was just going to regenerate. He was worried. No, frankly, that was an underestimate. He was terrified.

"Dammit, blue, don't leave me now...!"

[bluestreaker]

The relief that washed over him upon seeing Blaze was an elation he couldn't even begin to describe. He was quite sure he'd never felt that level of happiness any other time in his life. Right now, he felt safe.

However, it was the same as before. His lungs were decimated and he just needed time, but speech was unavailable. Sonic squeezed his eyes shut as more of that cerulean fog poured away from his new injury. His lips parted to try and give Shadow anything to understand he was fine, but all he could manage was a choked gasp and a hand to grip at his chest. It's fine... I swear it'll be fine.

In this scenario, Sonic was weak and he knew it, and even though they had just saved him from another assault, he still carried a marginal sense of wounded pride. He didn't want anyone to know about this. He didn't want anyone to see what had happened.

Maybe he'd get lucky and they wouldn't ask, but he knew better.

As his chest began to spiral toward the center of his torso again, his breaths steadied out. His lungs had been fitted for speaking once again, and he inhaled a sharp breath of air when they were ready to go.

"It'll-- It'll come back," he started, tongue dry and throat scratchy. "It always does. We gotta go. We gotta..." He looked too tired to do much else than warn them now. That attack had been somewhere between the tenth and fifteenth one he had this night, sometimes sleeping so long they spiraled into the upper fifties before he finally woke up. It wasn't an easy nightmare to walk away from, so to speak.

[vela_nova]

"Then it's time we left," Blaze said, going to Sonic's side. She looked at Shadow. "Can you carry him? I'll cover you."

[obfuskate]

His wound was closing up.

Shadow's mouth was left ajar at the sight. He was definitely not seeing things here. That was definitely a swirl of flesh overcoming where he'd just been stabbed, breathing returning to some faint semblance of normalcy. His vitals were surprisingly stable, albeit quickened by what he had to guess was fear and adrenaline.

Get him out of there. Get out, get out, get out.

He didn't even bother giving Blaze a response as he scooped him into his arms and held him close. He'd thank her later somehow, but right now, he needed to get his Sonic somewhere safe.

He failed to protect Maria.

He was not going to fail this time.

And so he ran, his shoes bursting into flames below as he sped up, clutching onto the blue hedgehog for dear life. He was not going to let him get hurt. Not again.

[bluestreaker]

Sonic hadn't been joking. That thing was out for his life and it would have it. A beast raging without a full form, an arm looking to take what was it claimed was its own. Sonic's lost life brought about pain and misery, so he wanted to keep it. It was his. It was precious to him.

His own life meant the very planet's for once, not just living to be the hero that saves it. No, it was connected. They were connected. To the world, to the one holding him close, and to the other fighting to protect him when he couldn't fight on his own. They were connected. Even here. Even in this nightmare. He had to live. He had to survive. That was what happened back then. He never saw it coming but when he had been killed, everything fell to ruin. He never realized what was happening until it was too late and darkness stole him from the light.

But where could they escape?

Sonic's eyes fluttered open again and he looked up at Shadow. That's right. He had done something strange to their surroundings when he had arrived. Could he do it again?

"Go there," he tried to speak up, voice still hoarse from smoke and ash, drier than a desert landscape. "Where you just came from. Go!"

There it was. Screeching through the air for Sonic's heart, ready to tear through the cat and 'hog to get to the one it was homing in on.

[vela_nova]

Blaze followed quickly behind, easily able to keep up with them as she left a trail of flames behind her. As soon as she saw their assailant again, another volley of fireballs forced it back. A wall of fire rose up to block its path, as it tried to force its way through. "I'm keeping it back, but I can't hold it off forever. Hurry!"

[obfuskate]

Dammit. Shadow had to go back for her! There was no way she would survive if she stuck around back there! They needed more time!

More time...

Aha.

Shadow reached forward, wincing as he flexed a little further than he should have, pulling a muscle in his shoulder in the process. Regardless, he managed to grab her by the wrist, his other arm nestled tightly around Sonic. He had them both. He wasn't going to let them die, not today.

"Chaos Control!"

Time slowed around him, but for Sonic and Blaze, it was merely seconds. In that time, they went from being so near that creature to being mighty close to some sort of entryway in a building, a portal elsewhere.

Yes. Freedom. Shadow ran, a snarl bubbling from within as he told them, "Almost there!"

[vela_nova]

The creature made one last desperate move to grab them as they escaped. Blaze reached for her pocket, where she kept the one Sol Emerald she had been able to hold on to. Mercifully she still had it in this dreamscape. She called upon its powers and raised her hand, building up a sphere of flaming energy behind them, until finally...

A tremendous bang and the sphere detonated, forcing the hand too far back to catch them, while propelling them towards the exit.

[obfuskate]

Home-free.

Shadow lurched forth, nearly dropping Sonic as he careened through the exit. He focused more on the hedgehog in his arms than himself, really, when he tried to land on his feet and skid to a stop, but he knew it was inevitable. He was about to fall, and he wasn't about to smash his precious blue beneath him.

Thus, down he went with a loud grunt, hands stretched upward with the hero still there, lifting him high in the air to prevent any impact.

Ow. At least they made it back to the hub. Out of the fire and back into the oven.