"M-....mom..?"
Scruffles, Matthew, Young Sonia, and Fear Sonia stood there stunned to see Sonia's mother standing before them. Her aura glows with joy and motherly love, something that Sonia has been needing for over ten years. Fear Sonia loses feeling in her legs as she stands before her own mother, unable to speak any words except for a few stammers and stutters. Young Sonia felt a widespread feeling of emotions that she could not understand and stood there frozen while her body shivered coldly. Sonia's mother stared deep into Fear Sonia and looked at her with loving eyes while Fear Sonia tries to hold back her tears and avoid bawling out, costing her and Young Sonia a headache. Matthew had fainted from the sight of seeing the mother of his master, and Scruffles's eyes widened in wonder and curiosity. Sonia's mom gave a gentle giggle, similar to one Feliferi gives when she is comprehending Sonia's awkwardness or jokes. The glowing mother then proceeded to give Fear Sonia a motherly hug, albeit it wasn't truly a real hug and Sonia has been broken into multiple pieces of herself. Young Sonia stood there, wanting to hug but unsure if this glowing woman was real.
"It's ok, my little girl," Sonia's mother explained peacefully and walked to Young Sonia, "You don't have to be afraid. Mommy's got you." She then gently hugs Young Sonia, and the little girl hugged her tight and began to cry. Sonia's glowing mother cradled the crying little girl, and gently presses her against her bosom.
"I see you got a new pet," Sonia's mom giggled, "and it's a cat, too." Both Sonias silently nod their heads and her mother invitingly welcomes the two pets for a hug. Scruffles wakes Matthew up, but since the dog was still fainted, she drags her body to the glowing mother. Sonia's mom laughed gently and hugged them all, putting her warmth and love over them and making everyone feel at ease.
"M-mommy... why-why did you have to go...? I-I-I- After the accident- I just... I couldn't-... you-you could have just..." Fear Sonia stuttered as memories fluttered through her mind. The rivers near them began to tone down in its violent ways as Sonia lets her heart out. Somewhere within the real Sonia, her cocoon covers many her body except her face, but a red area where her heart is located began to glow dimly. Fear Sonia tried to continue speaking, but Sonia's mother gently put her finger on her lip and explained, "I know it was sudden... but it was the only way to keep you out of harm. A mother does everything to protect her child.... Even if it means taking a car crash for them."
That one moment of words hit Sonia's memory harshly. Sonia was only five years old, and her parents and she were travelling on a family vacation to a theme park. Everyone laughed and smiled while telling silly jokes along the way. However, all the fun abruptly ended when a truck, speeding down for miles suddenly crashes into the back of the family van, tipping them over onto the hood and slid off the road into a nearby tree. Everyone in the family van became severely hurt and the van was badly crunched in a way where it was tough to get out. With Sonia's mother being the only one who wasn't as trapped, she immediately pulled herself out and David out as well.
"Katrina, help me get our baby-girl!" David ordered frantically as he tries to open Sonia's extremely damaged door. Katrina and David pull hard on the door, causing it to fly open once they put enough strength in it. David tries to unbuckle Sonia, who has a gash on her head as blood trails down her forehead and cheek, but the seat belts are too jammed from the impact. However, as they try, a small car whose tries to swerve around the wreckage, overshoots his chance and drives too far into the grass area where the Hardells are. Seeing that the driver was coming in too fast, Katrina rips Sonia from out of her seat belt and throws the girl over to David, but before she could properly move, the car SLAMS deep into Katrina and the tree, fatally wounding her as she let out a horrifying scream. David cried out for her, and immediately dialed 911. It was minutes later that a response team finally came and pulled Katrina from her incapacitation. However, it wasn't enough to save her in time.... She died an hour before she could even get to the hospital, and that moment seemingly made Sonia silent... forever... The image that burned the Hardell family's mind was the fatal incident those years ago, causing the remaining members and their pup Matthew a few years later to move away from their original home to Orujinshinaka so they could never be reminded of that nightmare again...
Young Sonia and Sonia flourish all of the emotion that they bottled up from that one memory and the rivers and waterfalls around the five lowered more and more to the very last drop while the heart of the real Sonia grew brighter and brighter by the second.
"That's it, Sunshine. Let it all out," Katrina's ghost spoke softly, allowing both Sonias to cry as hard amounts of tears fall from their faces. Scruffles looks and sees the rivers gone and points, signaling them as well. Katrina, Sonia (both young and fearful), and the finally-awaken Matthew all take a look and gasp while Katrina smiles happily.
"C'mon," the ghost started, "let's go get your mind back." Katrina's ghost then holds Matthew, Scruffles, and the Sonias in a glowing aura and floats all of them down the once-dense waterfall and safely go inside the hole that was once surrounded by jagged rocks. Down inside was a Sonia that was battered and bruised from the fall. She lays there as she holds in all of her regret and awaits her untimely death. But then, a shine of light blinds the regretful being. It wasn't heaven that came down, but it felt like it was, because the glowing light of Katrina came down to her cave and looked at the broken girl. The ghostly woman held out her hand, gently grabbing the regretful one of Sonia and her love instantly healed the girl's broken injuries, and in turn, the other Sonias hold onto her too, forming a golden glow and turning the gloomy world around them into a world of peace and harmony. The blood moon that once was, became white and the skies now a gentle violet. Next, Young Sonia, Fear Sonia, and Memorial Sonia, alongside Katrina's ghost and the heroic pets fly out of the hole entirely and head back up to safety.
"Dang girl," Scruffles calmly commented in awe to one of the Sonias, "Your mom is pretty cool."
"Yeah..." Fear Sonia said as she cracked a small smile while staring at her mother's ghost, "She really is..." Katrina's ghost giggled as they said that, but then the terrifying roar blasted the skies and the Nightmare Demon flew over, scraping the ground hard around the heroes, but instead of attacking them, it flies off into another portal.
"Huh, well that was anti-climactic," Scruffles bluffed, "He didn't even try to attack us,"
"He must be headed for the body! We have to go!" Matthew added.
"But how? We're down here with no portal of our own to go through!" Fear Sonia retorted. However, Katrina gently calmed them down and spoke, "Not to worry, kids. I know another way." The ghost's eyes glowed, and she raise her hand gently, and suddenly a glowing white portal opened above them. Katrina raises her other hand and causes everyone to float high up into the portal, transporting them to a black and lonely area with the only thing showing is a dimmed spotlight, and a cocoon with a part of it glowing an on-and-off red color.
"Sonia..." Matthew and Scruffles spoke to themselves while everyone else looked at her cocooned body quietly. The cocoon that surrounds Sonia's real body is all detriments of the Nightmare Demon's vicious work, encasing her in a capsule of her own fear and misery, torturing her from the inside, dimming her light of freedom and spirit while her glowing heart calls out for help. Not wanting to waste any more time, everyone dashed over to the cocoon and was able to get a closer look at it once they reached.
"How are we gonna get this open?" Matthew pondered, "Scruffles, do you think you can claw this thing apart?" Scruffles nods and then lets out her claws and then tries to jab them into the cocoon, but the demonic capsule was as hard as a boulder, causing Scruffles to yelp in pain at her pained hand and also curse the capsule. Young Sonia covered her ears at Scruffles' cursing while everyone, except Katrina and Young Sonia anyway, sighed as they saw their cat friend get angry at the capsule and kick it as well, inflicting more unnecessary pain to herself.
"I need to put a serious damper in her attitude later...." The dog thought to himself.
"The body responds to the personality it owns," Katrina's ghost calmly explained. She then places her hand upon the capsule, letting it glow and blocking any offending matter that may try to stop her.
"As long as there is at least one Sonia alive, she will restore the others back to life and eventually revive this body," Katrina also explained. She then looked at the three Sonias and gently acknowledged them. The three Sonias slowly walk up to the cocoon but then look at Katrina a little fearfully. Katrina smiled and assured them that it will be OK, and they comply slowly, placing their hands upon the encasing. The amulets that the three Sonias held around their necks began to shine, and their eyes began to glow pure white, projecting energy from themselves and the capsule, causing the world around them to rumble.
The Sonias emit an echoing yell as their magic began to work, but was also causing their body to enter the real Sonia, particle by particle, and crystal by crystal, reshaping from the girl with a shattered personality back into one. The capsule began to crack, unable to withstand the amulet's power and Sonia's balance over it, and it suddenly explodes a very bright light, making Matthew and Scruffles look away while Katrina stares intimately at the magic. A body that was once three now formed into one, and slowly floated down as the intense light dimmed back to a normal one. Sonia, who is finally back to herself again yet still in her pajamas, lays down, resting her eyes, and exhales in exhaustion. Matthew and Scruffles cry out for Sonia and run up to her, embracing their master with a few hugs and doggy licks on the cheek. Sonia smiled as she was happy to be herself again.
"Didn't no one tell you not to pull off such crazy stunts like that?!" Scruffles yelled to Sonia, "I outta kill you myself for that!"
"Aww Scruffy," Sonia playfully retorted with a soft-spoken voice and a giggle, "I thought I was your hero." Scruffles immediately blushed and looked away with her eyes going in different directions as she tried to call her off.
"You-...The-That was a time and a place. There's-There's no reason to bring that up ever. NOT EVEN WHEN WE'RE DYING, EVER." Sonia simply rubbed her black cat's head and replied, "That's a good kitty." Suddenly, an evil cackle his heard, as black magic slithered past the four without any notice and a flaming blue portal opens up in front of them.
"It seems you have one more little errand to run, honey," Katrina commented, "You'd better go if you want to get out of here." Sonia, Matthew, and Scruffles look at Katrina and nod confidently. They then look at each other and run towards the portal. Matthew and Scruffles head in first, but Sonia stops midway to get one last look at her mother, wondering why she isn't following.
"You're not coming...?" Sonia asked reluctantly. Katrina's ghost simply gave a soft-hearted smile as she stands face-to-face with her living daughter.
"I've done what I needed to do," Katrina replied.
"But... what about dad...? What if we somehow restore your body...? I-I-I-."
"Shhh..." Katrina began as she gently placed a finger on Sonia's lip, "You're growing into a strong girl. I've been watching from up above, and I've seen you do great things even despite your few missteps." Sonia's eyes opened as they shook with small tears ready to descend. Katrina continued, "You will grow up to be an amazing contribution to this world, and if not just that, then you'll be one to this whole universe. I'm sorry I never got to see you grow physically, but even if I can't change the past, I'll always be here to guide you along the way." Katrina gently presses her finger on Sonia's heart and then gently kisses her forehead and hugs her daughter. The hug felt like a protective shield that Sonia could hold. Sonia could even smell the beds of roses that she and Katrina used to roll in, and her touch felt like soft cotton after a thorough washing and basking in the sun. Sonia then hugged her mother tightly and softly spoke through her tears, "I love you, mommy..."
"I love you too, Sonny-bear..." Katrina lovingly replied. She then gives Sonia a playful shake of confidence and added, "Now go get that monster." Sonia sniffled but also gave a confident smile and she activated the power of Mystica, revealing the crown of protection embedded in her hair with three golden beads sticking out proudly, and unsheathed the sword from her amulet to grasp its unlimited power. Sonia gave her mother one last look, smiled, and then jumped right in the flaming portal and it disappears in front of Katrina.
"Best wishes, Sonia... best wishes to you and David too," are the last few words that Katrina says, and the words play in Sonia's thoughts as she flies within the portal, ready to end this horrible nightmare.