"THE PORTALS!!!" Matthew, Scruffles, and Fear Sonia screamed. Surrounding the fateful team was an array of portals that were left in ruins, with only three portals protected by the glowing crystals above them, leaving one of them as a possible exit.
"This demon's already killing us..." said a distraught Fear Sonia, "We've only saved two of ourselves but it's not enough... We're never gonna win..." Fear Sonia is then greeted to a slap to the face, complimentary of Scruffles as the cat strongly replied, "We already almost DIED in a hellish burning forest, do you really think everyone's just gonna give up after that?"
"Scruffles is right, Fear. We have to save any remaining Sonia's that the demon has not killed yet and fast," Matthew explained. A shine of light above, slowly illuminates above the four. Young Sonia squints her eyes at the sight of the light, and it is shown that a tiny black humanoid shadow can be seen through the illumination. The body shape of the figure is largely recognizable, and the young girl signals the others to look up. The others gasp in exasperation to see the real body of their master up trapped above in the "ceiling" of the dark hub world.
"Oh man, but how do we get to it. It's not like we can fly or nothing," Scruffles complained. Matthew slowly looked around and then his eyes widened. He was picking up a scent across the ruined portals and immediately started tracking it. Young Sonia immediately followed him, leaving Fear Sonia and Scruffles pondering. Young Sonia looks back and signals them to follow the two leaders, and they reluctantly oblige. Scouring through all of the wreckage, Matthew suddenly picked up another Sonia scent and immediately points ahead... However, where he was pointing led into a black nothingness.
"Uh, yeah-no. I am not going into some black abyss just like that," Scruffles noted, implying that she may have a fear of the dark. Young Sonia held onto her tall counterpart's hand tightly, stepping closer to her and hugging her legs as well. Matthew simply walked behind Scruffles and grabbed her by the back of her collar using his mouth and carries her in the blackness.
"HEY!!" Scruffles yelled while shaking her claws, arms, and legs, "PUT ME DOWN, YOU BIG OAF!! I'M NOT GOING IN THE DARK!!" Scruffles last few words echoed as the cat and dog walked in. Fear Sonia looked down at her young self and gently kneels down and rubbed her chin and softly spoke, "It's gonna be ok... I won't let you go." She then takes Young Sonia and walks her into the black nothingness as well.
Trudging through the blackness was a difficult challenge. Whenever darkness lays upon your quiet home, you cannot see anything...not even your own two hands. You can only feel, and that feel can be soft as a pillow, or hard as a rock, or even sharp as a knife. Scruffles, Matthew, and the two Sonias keep behind one another in a line and occasionally call each other out to make sure that they aren't left behind.
"KUUUUMMMMQUUAAAAAAAATTTTT~" Scruffles randomly sang.
"Why'd you do that?" Matthew questioned.
"Just in case someone would respond," Scruffles noted.
"Well it's no 'TURKEY LEG' but I can live with that," Fear Sonia joked, making Young Sonia giggle. Scruffles waved her paw to feel for Matthew's face, and she ended up tapping his nose and sighed with relief. She then begins to ask the dog, "So Matt, what ARE we looking for exactly?"
"I don't know... but whatever it is, it's scent is pretty big," Matthew explained. Suddenly, Matthew felt no ground and suddenly fell, taking Scruffles with him.
"YOU BLUNDERING BUFFOOOOOOOON!!!!" The black cat screamed as she fell as well. Young Sonia and Fear Sonia heard the screams and follow it in the direction as well, and soon, they began falling as well. The screams echoed through the black nothingness, and disappeared lower and lower as they fell. As they fell, walls were suddenly surrounding the four, getting smaller and smaller the further they fell down. Soon, they all felt as if they were getting crushed in between the walls until it couldn't go anymore. Scruffles suddenly was stuck at the very bottom while the others piled on top.
"Yeeeeeeee-OOOOOOOOOOWWWWWW!!!" Scruffles whined as everyone piled on her.
"Scruffles, are you ok?" Fear Sonia asked.
"You're... all.. CRUSHING ME....." Scruffles gasped.
"Oh great. We're stuck..." Matthew noted, "We need to find a way out, but it's too dark to see." Matthew then had an idea rush through her mind and says, "Sonia, use your amulet to blast us outta here. Unsure of whom Matthew was talking to, both Sonias squeeze and pull out their amulets and begin to connect with them. A shining light begins to illuminate brightly from the two, ready to blast their way out. Scruffles, however, was still crushed at the bottom, and began to yell in exasperation for them not to shoot.
"HEY WAIT-!" Scruffles tried to yell out, but the two Sonias had already blasted at the bottom where Scruffles was. Through the blast, the four suddenly fall through a landscape of white space. They land to the ground somewhat harshly, with Matthew having small burns from the amulet blast and Scruffles having her whole fur being torched and incinerated. The angry cat then stares at Matthew with a death glare, while Matthew takes a glance at her feline friend and puts out a flame that was still lit upon her head.
"Would'ja get off?!" Scruffles shouted as she slapped Matthew's hands away and then slaps his nose, making it jiggle like an extended wooden plank. She then stands up and brushes off any extra ashes that may be on her head and then looks around and asks in an annoyed manner, "So where the heck are we NOW?" Fear Sonia, Young Sonia, and Matthew had no feasible answer. All they could do is ponder themselves and look around.
"I think we're in.... purgatory?" Matthew says hypothetically.
"We're not dead... at least... I don't... think.. so..?" Fear Sonia pondered. Young Sonia's eyes were widened in both query and fear, trying to comprehend what and where they are.
"Well whatever we're in, I'm sure it's because we didn't pay our dues or anything," Scruffles says. She then takes a few steps forward and suddenly falls into what feels like water. The cat shouts and flails her arms and quickly hops out and exaggerates, "WHAT THE HELL'S WATER DOIN' IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS WHITENESS!?!" Matthew sighs at her feline friend's stupidity and pats her head gently to calm her down. The landscape that the four have landed in had a mysterious feel to it. The gang wandered carefully, taking slow steps in the process. To the Sonias, this place felt oddly familiar to them, but since everything was blank, it was hard to tell. Just then, an echo is heard from the left of Matthew and Fear Sonia.
"What was that? Matthew asked as he then ran towards the sound. He and Fear Sonia are suddenly stopped by a type of "wall" and begin to feel for an opening. Through the frustration, an aura of the Nightmare Demon's dark magic grew closer. The evil aura made Young Sonia feel queasy, and Fear Sonia twitch.
"W-we must be getting close...." Fear Sonia shuddered, "I can a spirit passing through my body..."
"How does it feel? Scruffles asks as she watches Matthew push his way through the invisible wall.
"It feels... odd," Fear Sonia started, "Like through the black abyss... there's a soul trapped inside... but it's still alive." Young Sonia and Scruffles look up at her in wonder. Fear Sonia then pulled out Mystica and aimed it in front of her and stood to wait. Scruffles and Young Sonia look at her and wonder if she is ok.
"Sonia...? You alright?" Scruffles asked worriedly, but Fear Sonia hushed her as she began to concentrate. A purple light suddenly illuminated from Fear Sonia's eyes and power slowly powered up the crimson crystal of the amulet. The red shade of the amulet grew wider and wider, fading the white world into a red one as the power grew. Just then, the lines began to form the world around the four. Each line formed different pieces of a landscape from boulders to trees to even the grass that they stand upon. It turns out that the area they are in is Sonia's subconscious of regret. The four look around in amazement at the world they are in... then also bad memories and deep thoughts pass through them like a harsh wind. Young Sonia gulps as she looks over and sees the jagged, dangerous waterfall below them with only a small gaping hole as the only gamble of safety.
"Yeesh... I don't wanna be the one that falls in," Scruffles noted to Young Sonia as she pulled the ten-year-old back some. Just behind them, a glowing light illuminated from in a dark cave behind them, and a shadowy, peaceful figure walked over. The four squinted their eyes and the Sonias try to get a proper view.
"I had a feeling you would finally come," the voice spoke softly yet in an echoing tone. The voice triggered a familiar memory into both Young and Fearful Sonia as the illumination finally stood forth before them. The body among the light formed into that of a tall woman, yet as her face slowly revealed itself into formation, the reveal nearly made Matthew have a heart attack while Young Sonia and Fearful Sonia stare in disbelief.
"M-....mom..?"