Scene #7188: Metal Sonic Shuffle 01: Welcome To Maginaryworld

Owner	Pose
Eggman	MAGINARYWORLD The arrival is gradual. It's the slow decay of reality, the slow melting of the Egg Carrier's private beach as drowsiness takes hold. The voice of Doctor Eggman gets more and more distant. Sleepy eyes. Heavy lids. Just laying down for a moment- -and then blinking awake in another world. And what a world it is. A massive red moon hangs in a roiling dark purple sky. Spotlights pierce upwards to illuminate flying chains hung from the night itself. Swinging guillotines swish back and forth from the chains under glittering cage-lamps full of blue fire. Slowly, slowly, the rest of the world seems to take shape. A massive Eggman Empire logo - the stylized face of the Doctor - stands in front of a tall wall like a huge gate. The spotlights lighting the chains come from behind it, illuminating a massive, stylized statue of Eggman himself looking down over the area. A ghostly red-and-yellow ferris wheel turns without riders. Futuristic highways criss-cross above the walls so futuristic hovercars can race without limits. Tall buildings rise amidst roller coasters as screens alternatively flash the Eggman Empire symbol and a huge disturbing purple eye. It's a massive, trippy amusement park city underneath a nightmarish sky, guarded by floating robots and.... Weird...floating...creepy...jester things? Huh. That's weird. The teeth of the Egg Gate swing open. The reception must be here. And what a reception it is. It is a tall, floating, semi-robotic entity. It has no body to speak of hidden underneath flowing blue robes embroidered with the everpresent logo. A purple shawl is fastened to what must be its head by a gold hoop. Silver armored robotic-looking shoulderpads sit above the shawl. An eyeless silver helmet, from which metallic finger-like jointed spikes emerge, is placed at the top, backed by a golden halo and sitting on a red pillow surrounded by a gold pauldron. Around the thing hover six robot hands with glowing purple eyes. The entity is accompanied by two other creatures. On the left, a jester with a gold domino mask, red-and-black head-tails, and pale white skin floats, arms crossed, a haughty look upon its face. On the right, an androgynous creature with light purple skin, green hair styled like flames, a blue cape, and starlit eyes dangles in the air, wearing a similar gold mask. The obvious leader floats forward and spreads its floating hands. It speaks. Its voice is deep and distorted like the tail end of a bad dream about a killer robot, echoing in all directions. "I am...Wizeman." "God of Nightmare. Servant of the Eggman Empire." The metal hands sweep outwards towards the theme park. "Welcome, Visitors, to the Egg Night Zone."
Majima Goro	Majima can nap. Sure. He's reclined on a chair, hands behind his head, taking a deep breath, and... Whoa. Whoa. Okay. This is some nightmare shit. The ex-Yakuza cracks his neck, looking around. This is... ... ... "...Eh? Who the fuck'm I kiddin'? This is peak fuckin' Eggman right here." There's a crack of knuckles, and he strides through the Egg Gate. ...Which, he decides, really would have been better as a kaleidoscope of crazy colors, for a joke that frankly he doesn't care to vocalize. So, three floating kinda-robots, weirdass jester theme. He can deal with this. This is firmly within the realm of acceptable behaviour. "...Neheheh. Ya got a good intro goin' here, Doc!" He even slaps his knee, letting out a good, solid guffaw. "Well, beats havin' ta build ya a theme park, I guess!"
Mordred	The world of Maginary is not what Mordred was expecting. She had heard it would be a strange dreamscape, yes, but she wasn't expecting it to be this surreal. She finds herself just staring at the red moon for several long moments while stretching her legs out from inside her armor, eyeing those flying chains as though she's preparing to try and catch one of them. She would, if not for the other haunting sights drawing the swordsman's attention elsewhere. The robots. The jesters. The gate with the strange teeth and the voice coming out of the leading thing with the hand eyes. Naturally, the knight approaches Wizeman, and she holds a hand up to the one of those eyeball'd hands. "Mordred, Knight of Treachery, Servant to nobody. Can you see through those things?" She pauses for a moment, snickering at Majima's own amusement before turning back to the multi-handed thing. "So. Where we headed first? I'm guessing you've got some kinda itinerary for this... All this."
Guzma	It's time to beat up anthropomorphic jerk animals. That is what Guzma has been told. It's also time to go to a magical dreamland. When he told the gang he was heading out to help, Tupp, Rapp, and Zipp, despite having just started a riot LAST NIGHT and temporarily became vampires and all that stuff, decide they want to do this too. That is why Guzma has to corral them through the Egg Carrier, to the land of sleep, where they pass out immediately, and Guzma not long after them. When they reawaken in the massive spooky themepark, the Egg Night Zone, the trio go 'woaaaah' and Guzma grunts and nods. When the reception arrive...he waits for them to approach, eyes scanning, before he speaks. "Yo. This place is pretty cool. Wizeman, huh? I'm the big bad Guzma." Stretching his arms behind his head, he's full of confidence. "The doc said that a bunch of punks found out about this place, right? Where are they? We can beat some sense into them."
Hesinca	Hesinca and her small squadron of prinnies arrive. She's supposing she can't get the Pocket Netherworld entrance to port straight there since it's some sort of dreamland, so she'll just have to take the Dream Pocket Netherworld with her - or something? It's not quite clear how that works, and probably the universe just looks the other way. "... Huh. Alright. I kinda like the decor..." says Hesinca, looking up at it. Behind her, the small army of prinnies that have shown up with her are also looking up at something, but not the same thing she is. "Dood..." says one softly. "Is it that time already?" "I guess it is, dood... thought they were gonna throw us a going away party first," says another. "Maybe they forgot... not important now, doods," says a third. "It's been an honor, doods. See you all on the other side. Let's go live awesome new lives." All at the same time, the prinnies just sort of... collapse, their cloth golem shells all opening at the front and falling away, revealing dozens of bright-white orbs that all slowly float up towards the red moon. Hesinca's too busy critiquing the decor to really notice.
Flamel Parsons	Flamel Parsons is here! He was helping make sure that the astral projection technologies and systems required were in place! He also is one of the last to get here, since he was on the other side making sure it was all working. "So," Flamel explains during this entrance. "My going theory is that our friend Doctor Eggman's probably stumbled interacting with a section of the Collective Unconscious. That's tough stuff to break into, especially without astrally projecting yourself to do it! So, I don't know how Sonic and his friends got here, but I'm going to guess it's actually their astral projections, or that it's an autonomous Sonic-related memetic influence." "Hi!" Flamel's own telekinesis summons several large, floating, translucent, glowing hands arround him, and he offers all of them to shake Wizeman's. "I'm Flamel Parsons, agent of a vague yet menacing government agency! We're here on behalf of Doctor Eggman about an animal infestation issue. Can you show us where you're having trouble with that?"
Staren	Claris Elliot >Staren ...into Dreams... Staren grunts as he tries to shake off the 'sleepiness' of the transition, but it doesn't really help -- the world of dreams comes at its own pace. The catman can only look around with curiousity, taking it all in. The realm of nightmares conquered by Eggman... Eggman's influence is clear, but the rest... Staren wonders WHY specifically swinging blades, jesters, and an eye (is it watching you sleep? Is that the message?) But then perhaps that's merely the nightmare here and now and this place changes every few minutes, like a dream. The mouth is a door because of course it is, but at least rather than walking in, reception walk-- well, floats out. Again, in a world of dreams, Staren has no expectations about the inhabitants, although he had assumed that the local Egg Head would be a robot. "Well." Staren blinks, then bows slightly and makes a sweeping gesture with his hand. "Staren Wiremu, Gifted of the Concord, ally of Eggman." He steps forward and holds out a hand. "Pleased to make your acquaintance? I'm not sure what to expect from a world of dreams... so your guidance to the workings of this world as we work to foil the Doctor's foes would be appreciated."
Bowser	Bowser can only sleep with a blanket, his face mask, and a small picture of Princess Peach next to him. EVEN IN WEIRD SPACE HYPER SLEEP. Out comes Bowser, staggering drunkenly into the open to look at the area. He glances at it. He glances up at the sky. HHe glances at the big weird thing. He points at Wizeman. "YOU!" "WHERE IS THE HOT DOG STAND!?"
Lezard Valeth	Lezard has been a stranger to the land of sleep for some time. Why allow yourself to waste time in slumber when you can simply eliminated that need with a simple application of alchemy, magic, and/or proper homunculus design? Then again, that might explain some things about him. Still, not sleeping normally does not mean one CANNOT sleep, and as such it is, perhaps, a surprise to him when he drifts from the world of the waking into the world of imagination. He disembarks into the mad imaginary theme park with the others, looking over the place with a mixture of interest and speculation. "My my. This has certainly been worth the time already." He says. "It is quite the spectacle." The sudden release of the Prinnies gains a blink of surprise as well, the necromancer adjusting his glasses. "Did they just... spontaneously release from this plane of existence?" He asks aloud, then glances over at Hesinca, who had led the creatures here. She hasn't even noticed, so he simply shrugs and looks on. He turns as the motley crew arrives, and arches an eyebrow at the introductions. The eyebrow then promptly twitches as one introduces themselves as a god. "What, pray tell, is a deity doing serving Doctor Eggman, one wonders." Lezard asks aloud. Yeah, he's going to be That Guy.
Hesinca	"Hmm? Spontaneously release from-" Hesinca looks behind her, and then wheels around and looks up at the orbs floating away into the night sky. "HEY, YOU IDIOTS! THIS IS ALL A DREAM, YOU DO KNOW THAT?" The orbs pause. And then slowly, they float back down and reanimate the cloth golem shells. "Man, what a rip, dood." "I was super excited to get born, dood." "Way to let us down, dood." "I am super over this place already, dood." "This sucks, dood." Prinny discontent: rising.
Metal Sonic	A trip to Maginaryworld. A Journey Into Dreams. Between the cold practical applications of crushing everyone's fantasies under foot of their mighty metallic heels, and the fact that the one hundred percent inferior, fake hedgehog has somehow made their way in, there's no reason not to go. Also something about theme parks, but that's more Eggman's thing. The metal erinaceidae rubs his nose as they take a moment to take in the scenery. Outside of the nightmarish layout and atmosphere, the decorations are pretty much up to par with what's expected of the Eggman Empire. In fact, he might like them even a bit better compared to what's back home. He mentally records the layout for later. He'll talk to the Doctor about it. Once they've met with Wizeman, and they've introduced themself, Metal Sonic finally chimes in. "This is the Egg Head in charge of Egg Night Zone, as previously mentioned on the radio. And I am Metal Sonic, the greatest creation of Doctor Eggman and his Empire. Unfortunately though you are probably already aware, the Doctor could not make it, so I will be doing my part in taking his place in the mean time." There's a pause as they take in the scenery again before nodding. "Though as it stands, you do not seem to need much input."
Eggman	The green-haired androgyne sort of stutters through the air like a bad hiccup on a CD until they appear in front of Majima. Their eyes are wells of night sky and stars. They peer at him, tilting their head this way and that before flickering back to Wizeman's side. The Nightmare God simply hangs there in the air as Mordred raises her hand to it. More of the eye-hands zoom around to look at her. There is the unpleasant sense that the robot-dream-god is staring at her from all directions before it simply nods. The hands break off to make eye contact with everyone. The red jester floats down near Mordred, arms crossed firmly over their chest as they look at her from the gold masquerade mask. "Hmph. I don't know why the Doctor thought this was necessary. We could have handled this Hedgehog and his friends ourselves." The green-haired one flickers over to the jester. "If Doctor Eggman thinks they can help, Reala, then we should be supportive....right?" They look around at the party, somewhat nervously, like a dog that's been beaten into fearing its master. Reala, the jester, simply shrugs their shoulders. "That's Void," they say, jerking a thumb at the other one, "I'm Reala. We are Nightmaren, creations of Wizeman, loyal servants of Doctor Eggman." Bowser demands to know where the hot dog stand is. Wizeman simply floats in the air, unmoving. Void glitches over in front of Bowser eagerly. "Th-there's a hot dog stand inside the park! Do you want to see it? The rides are a lot of fun...!" They look around at the more receptive people, like Guzma and the Goonzmas, Staren, Majima, and Mordred. "The...the park is, actually, it's really....I-I mean...if you like theme parks...it's...it's only a little scary..." Poor thing feels almost desperately eager to make friends. Especially since Reala just looks so.... Metal Sonic-y. In fact Reala just starts glowering at Metal Sonic once they notice the robot. It's like one of those Rivals moments Seifer mentioned, where you meet someone you just know you're gonna hate. This is one of those in action. Wizeman places one of its hands over its lack of a chest at various introductions. Then it turns and starts floating towards the gate. Reala follows, while Void hangs around the party, glitching around. "Master Wizeman used to be imprisoned," Void says to Lezard, "But the Doctor released them. Well, it's more complicated than that, but our Master and their sibling are..." Reala scoffs. "Master Wizeman's sibling chose to rebel. Convinced one of our own, NiGHTS, to turn on us. The two of them decided that they would stop the Doctor's plan and protect Maginaryworld and its Ideya."
Eggman	The park itself is immediately fascinating. Just walking through the gate, the party is met with a bunch of mascots, all of which look like big comedically-overdesigned Eggmans in various colored outfits. They're giving out vouchers. Who doesn't love vouchers? All of them sort of flinch away as Wizeman passes, though, avoiding its gaze. The stallworkers are all weird jester-looking robots, and lots of weird floating jesters fill the park like attendants and attendees. Faceless, immaterial people, probably living beings having actual nightmares, wander around, looking lost. Indeed there is park food. it looks delicious. It tastes like dreams. Not even bad ones. It has the taste of those lovely dreams where you're flying - fluffy and cloudy and sweet. Even the hot dogs have that ephemeral, beautiful quality to them. They're also free, but there's the sense that they're free just for the Concord. Somebody else would have to pay. Although how anybody else would get in to begin with is a mystery. Wizeman's eerie robotic voice echoes around the party as its eyes turn abruptly away from itself and towards them. "Sonic the Hedgehog is here. It is no dream. My sibling, Lumina, used their power to draw Sonic and his friends in as Visitors of their own. You are our Master's Visitors." "Visitors produce a special form of dreamscape when they enter - a Nightopia. There, those dreamers hold power over Ideya - a form of energy that our master designed this city to harvest." Wizeman's many hands wave around to emphasize the tall buildings, the goofy amusement park rides, the EGGMAN MUSEUM, the food stalls. There is indeed an eerie weaponization quality to it, a sense of bristled, barely-hidden danger. It's as much a military base as it is a city and an amusement park. Weird. "The Good Doctor has selected you to challenge the Visitors of Lumina in a series of contests." Wizeman stops hovering and turns back to the party, its eyeless helmet tilting down. "Each contest will determine the fate of a dreamer's Nightopia - and its Ideya. Your goal is to win every contest with Sonic and his friends. Defeat them, corrupt their Nightopias, harvest their Ideya, and thereby complete our takeover of Maginaryworld."
Majima Goro	It's not that Majima isn't taking in this long, indepth explanation as to their tasks. This is Concord business, and he's going to take it seriously, and honestly, this sounds suspiciously like it's going to be an incredible blast. That said, it's not like he's coming back here with anything approaching regularity. Ergo, it is encumbent upon him to acquire at least one(1) of every form of Dream Food, in order to fulfill some obsessive, inexplicable completionist tendency. On the upside, all of the food is delicious and free, so at least there's that. "Arright, so makin' sure," He slurps on a truly transcendent, dreamlike soft drink. It's ice-cold, but without ice displacing all the soda. It's perfect. "So, ya got in a siblin' spat over who runs this dream world. Anyone who shows up makes this kinda dream energy, Eggman wants a ton o' it for, I assume, some shit." Sip. "So, we go inta these contests, we wreck some animals' hopes and dreams, Eggman gets a bunch of energy, and all's good, yeah? Sounds like a blast, I'm in. Where do we start?"
Hesinca	"I'm not sure how I feel about energy being harvested from any part of me," says Hesinca, without any trace of hypocrisy. "All this feels sort of sketchy." "Yeah, all this feels sketchy, dood!" "I bet there isn't even real dog in these hot dogs, dood." "Why can't we just shoot Sonic with a gun, dood." "Wiseman's obviously going to turn and kill everyone, dood." "I'm not sure I ended up in the same prinny again, dood..." "But I'm down for new experiences, and honestly, 'crushing dreams' is sort of my day job already," says Hesinca, smashing a fist into a palm. "Are we going for torture here, or more towards demoralization? Or just sort of 'you're nearly middle age with a degree in literature you're never going to make money off of' style dream crushing? I can be flexible."
Bowser	Bowser missed the part about the dreams. He doesn't always pay attention. "GOOD! I just woke up, it's breakfast time." He plows forward past them to the park, arm sweeping out. He snatches a handful of vouchers along the way, grabbing at everything offered to him. THEN park food. Once Bowser has been satisfied with an unholy amount of hotdogs, churros, and cotton candy, he seems more receptive to the situation. After he gets an Eggman hat and an Eggman balloon. Okay, now he's ready. "Where are these goofballs? We'll just challenge them to a punching contest, I punch them into the su-" Bowser glances up. "Uh... wait, where's the sun?"
Guzma	As soon as food is mentioned, Tupp, Rapp, and Zipp mysteriously disappear to go eat hot dogs. Guzma continues to listen for them. "So we play games, corrupt some dreams, kick some butts, take over the world. Sounds good. When do we start?" The trio soon reappear, Rapp starting speaking. "Important question! This is an amusement park, right? Can we win stuffed animals?!"
Staren	Prinny things happen. What. Well, it makes as much sense as anything else here... When Bowser ~~asked for~~ demanded a hotdog stand, Staren didn't actually expect one. He tries one but it tastes like flying. Weird but nice! He looks around as they walk with Wizeman, who exposits. "Well that seems... straightforward. What sort of contests are we dealing with here?" When he sees Majima with a slurpee, he has to try one too. Perfection! He looks to Hesinca, "They didn't say that Ideya comes FROM visitors, just that they hold sway over it. Perhaps it is naturally produced here, to form dreams and nightmares out of." He makes a face at her inventive ideas of torture. "We're defeating them in contests, not crushing their souls. Unless they're really sore losers, I guess..."
Metal Sonic	Metal Sonic's pupils move over to see Reala staring at them, and there's a weird increase in brightness in his eyes. It is there, then and now, that is known. They aren't going to get along. Not because they are different, but because they're exactly the same. Their epic rivalry that will exist through the ages will have to wait, because there is a bigger problem than ego measuring right this moment. Well, that's a lie. There really isn't a moment where it's bad to flex how superior he is, but he'd rather do that beating Sonic and proving that they need them rather than just beating them up right now. It's very high concept rivalry stuff that people won't get. As they go through the amusement park, Metal Sonic is just kind of collecting all the free vouchers. He doesn't have pockets however, so by the end of it all, he's holding at least twenty in each hand. Given that his face is kind of designed to always look a mixture of menacing and angry, it's hard to tell just how annoyed he is. But a safe bet is 'very'. Wizeman goes over the rules of the world, which just causes Metal Sonic to smirk. Internally smirk, a mental smirk. He doesn't have a mouth. Having a mouth would be weird. "A series of contests? Good."
Mordred	That feeling of being watched isn't necessarily pleasant, but Mordred also doesn't mind drawing attention by her mere presence. She seems to be reveling in it, even, eyeing those eyes and smirking when the red jester expresses its thoughts on getting help at all. "Maybe your boss just doesn't think you got it in ya." She taunts at first, complete with a shit-eating grin, but she settles quickly into a more challenging sort of tone as she looks between the jesters a few times. Eventually, her gaze settles directly on Reala. "Bet you're gonna prove him wrong about that, yeah? Between all of us and the lot of you, it should be easy taking down that Sonic and... The other ones." She probably forgot all the other names already. As the group progresses through the park, Mordred's trying rather hard not to look too interested. It's kind of difficult to hide the wide-eyed stares, though, and how quickly she's just downing all that food. Just as well, since she'll need the energy when the purpose of their visit is revealed. "So... We're not just beating their heads in? Huh. Alright. This should be a fun change of pace... Lemme at 'em!"
Hesinca	"But crushing their souls is the best part," says Hesinca to Staren. "It's how you get all the juice out."
Flamel Parsons	"Hmmm!" Flamel taps his chin as he walks-and-talks the guidance on this. "That sounds good! Do we take them one at a time, or do we split up for this? You're our local contact, so I know you know the strategy best." He grabs a hot-dog and muffles, slightly the rest of what he says. "This is fairly traditional agent stuff, actually -- that is to say, backing a local power to coup the existing power structure. I think it should turn out right, from the look of it. Should we be worrying about Lumina, or Luminal forces too? I mean, I don't know the rules of this side of the Collective Unconscious, so I don't know how much trouble to expect /between/ the contests." "Wow, this is /delicious/. Very nice thoughts about food around here. Thanks lots!" He finishes off the hot dog, and seems ready to dig into the challenges, full of resolve!
Lezard Valeth	Lezard almost laughs as the Prinnies are put back into their place. Almost. Outright laughter would be gauche. So he chuckles instead. That seems appropriate. Still, that is a minor amusement in a vast world of... amusements? Amusements and horror, perhaps. There is something twisted about the place. He looks back to Wizeman, listening to the explanation, and after some conferring with the local expert on psychic psituations. "So we are to assist in defeating Sonic and his associates in a number of contests throughout the land in order to secure this power for the use of ourselves and the Doctor." Lezard recaps, and shrugs. "Very well. It has been too long since I had a chance to properly ruin a hero's day." Because Lezard's soul is atrophied and cold, he doesn't avail himself of the flavorful merchandise and delicious imaginary carnival food. He feeds on the suffering of his foes like most people from Terrible Mostly Nordic Hellhole Land.
Eggman	Void glitches over to Majima. "Um, w-well. Everybody makes Ideya when they sleep. But they don't make Nightopias, because they aren't here. They just make...y-y'know, pieces. Dreamers." Void flickers over to some of the ghostly shapes wandering the park. "Th-these are Dreamers, right? They're experiencing nightmares right now, s-so they're in the Egg Night Zone." Reala cuts in, and Void winces. "Visitors are aware that they're here. They consolidate all that Ideya into Nightopias. Dreamscapes shaped by them." Void flickers back behind Reala, sort of hiding like they've been hit. "But yes. You enter these contests and you take control of the Nightopia. Therein you transform it into a state that we can expand the Egg Night Zone into." Void flickers over to Rapp. "Y-yeah! There's a bunch of booths, um, that give tickets, s-so...." They fold their hands behind their back and sort of put Rapp between themselves and Reala. Reala just scoffs at Bowser. "Sun? Maybe in a Nightopia. Not here. Maginaryworld only has a moon." Wizeman turns when the Prinnies declare that it will obviously betray the party. Its many-eyed hands simply stare down at them. The Eggman Empire logo on its robes flaps as the robe does the same, with a bit of a howling wind behind it. "I am a loyal servant of Doctor Eggman," it says in a tone that sounds insulted and angered by the mere suggestion, "Freed from my prison, shaped by the Doctor, I am your guide and your ally. I have no plans but those my master crafted. I have no goals but those I was given. Even if I did, they would be the same - to take over Maginaryworld and spread Egg Night Zone to every corner, to capture all the Ideya of the world." It turns back around, but the hands keep staring until Wizeman feels the prinnies are sufficiently cowed. Reala's gaze is fixated on Metal Sonic for most of this conversation. When Mordred says that they'll all be able to win together, Reala does that thing that most edgy rival characters do, and clicks its teeth together with a 'hmph.' Void, though, nods eagerly. Reala shrugs their shoulders. "This would be going a lot more smoothly if Selph hadn't up and vanished and Nights hadn't turned on us," they say irritably, "That's why we need you. Otherwise me, Nights, Selph, and probably Void could handle four challengers. But since it's just me and Void, and we can't generate Nightopias of our own, there's nothing else we can do." Wizeman turns back to the party. "The contests will be duels of speed and skill and luck. Nightopias come in many shapes. The ones I am aware of..." One of Wizeman's hands starts to swirl the stuff of the world. It trails ripples in the air, distorting the amusement park around them. "Emerald Coast - Spinball." "Fire Bird - Cosmo Fighter." "Mythic Jungle - Mean Bean Machine." "Riot Train - Drift." The swirls each show brief glimpses of the worlds - a beautiful beach pinball machine, a bird-like spaceship with fighters all around it, a jungle raining lines of colored blocks, and a runaway train over which hovercars skid and drive. The images disappear as Wizeman releases its hold on the fabric of existence. "Your Nightopias have yet to activate. Whatsoever shape they take, I know not, but I know the shape of the contests to come." "Schoolhouse." "Riders." "Tennis." "Music Maker." Reala rolls their eyes. "All of these stupid contests come from the dreams of other worlds. Space stuff, games, racing, dancing, quizzes, sports...so they're set in stone. Only the shape of the Nightopia will change them."
Eggman	Void shakes their head. "I don't think Lumina will attack us while you're playing the contests, b-but if they do, Reala and I can handle their forces. We have m-many more Nightmaren than Lumina has Maginaries to fight us. W-we might even invade some of their territory."
Bowser	Bowser lifts his hands over his head, "SPEED, SKILL AND LUCK?! I am pretty skilled and super lucky, but that is totally lame! Hold on, this is a dream, right. I can think up a big boxing match right?" He closes his eyes, clenches his jaw, and thinks as hard as he can. He leans his head forward, clenching his fists. HRRRRGHHHH! HRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH! "OW!" One eye cracks open, "Alright, it worked, right?"
Eggman	Nothing appears in front of Bowser. Sad. Reala rolls their eyes again. "It doesn't work like that. This isn't your Nightopia - this is the Egg Night Zone. This place, and the other half of Maginaryworld, are stable. When you go outside the boundaries you enter the realms of Nightopias."
Majima Goro	There's a moment as Majima slings his bat around behind his shoulders, resting one wrist on either side. "Eh? Heh. That sounds like some -absolute- crazy shit." He considers a moment further. "Huh. Stupid question. These 'Luminas' or whatever. They can drag more people in, right? So there's a chance we're gonna be up 'gainst more than just some ol' Eggman's favorite rodents, when push comes ta shove." He cracks his neck side to side. "I mean, ain't like I'm not signin' up for something called 'Cosmo Fighter' regardless."
Hesinca	The prinnies are indeed sufficiently cowed - but the Prinny Dissatisfaction gauge is still silently rising. "... Spinball?" asks Hesinca, that having caught her eye. "Did someone just start writing 'pinball' and then forget to not put an 's' in front of it?"
Majima Goro	"Sometimes ya forget not ta put an 's' in front of shit, Helsinca," Majima admonishes. "Ya don't gotta be like that over it."
Staren	"So Doctor Eggman's found a way to harvest dream energy..." But you know, it doesn't sound like the energy was DOING anything before, so better for Eggman to use it, right? "Nights and Seph? Does that mean they'll be helping Sonic and his friends?" He glances around. "Although we still have plenty of numbers." Then Wizeman shows the stages they'll be going to, and he moves closer to look in with interest. Staren opens his mouth to question, but Reala answers before he can speak. He nods. "I guess that makes as much sense as anything... although, I don't think I've ever dreamed about... contests like this before."
Hesinca	"Okay, okay, I suppose you're right, Smajima," says Helsinca. "I apologize."
Mordred	"Yeah, like swords and spears. I mean, you could probably eat all of 'em if you're some kind of literatureary nerd." Mordred comments to Hesinca and Majima, cricking her neck while turning back to the Wizeman and his... Minions? Children? As Mordred puzzles over what was most likely an already answered question, she looks towards the trails leading to each of the different Nightopias and their respective contests. "I'm kinda liking the look of that Riot Train over there... But the heck is that supposed to be?" She points at the Mythic Jungle trail, squinting slightly to try and make heads or tails of those things she's looking at. "That some kinda... Cooking or eating contest or something? Could be interesting, too..."
Flamel Parsons	Flamel takes a good, long look at this. Each mindscape -- sorry, Nightopia -- is considered strongly. "Oh, pinball! I love pinball! I'm /awful/ at pinball if we're not allowed to do telekinesis on the balls though. Just the worst at it!" He examines the COSMO FIGHTER. "Oh, I bet I could use my stealth-jet skills on this one. This is one I definitely need to be on, whether we split up or take them in sequence."
Staren	"Oh, are we each going to one of these or is each a team contest between us and Sonic's group?" Staren adds, as others talk about the dream contests. "The starfighter one looks interesting, though I also did pretty well at that race a few months back..."
Eggman	"Hmph. We don't know where Selph got to or what they're doing," Reala says haughtily, "Just that they decided to leave. You'll almost certainly face Nights, though. Nights decided to abandon the Nightmaren and chose to defend the Maginaries. Like I said, Maginaries are natural dreams, good and bad. Nightmaren are different. We're servants of Master Wizeman, shaped dreams. Lucid dreams." Wizeman answers Majima directly. "Lumina is my sibling, created at the same time I was, released from the prison we shared. But rather than being grateful to the Doctor they chose to rebel. Though they took a portion of our power with them, it is more than likely all they could do to summon their Visitors. Whether they can even protect the Temple of Light is something unknown to me." Wizeman waves its hands. "You will likely all need to participate against Lumina's Visitors. They, also, will all contest. So having one at a time is inefficient." Two of the hands turn to look at Mordred. "It is some form of game sunk deep into human consciousness. I do not know. I suppose you will find out for yourselves." Void says to Staren, "W-well, you wouldn't have dreamed about them personally. B-but people fantasize about space, right? And they play games like the one in Mythic Jungle and the one in Emerald Coast, a-and they fantasize about going fast. S-some people learn in their sleep, or listen to music while they sleep. S-some people dream about being the best at sports and g-getting glory. They're archetypes."
Metal Sonic	Metal Sonic is idly sorting and organizing the various vouchers as Wizeman goes over the various dreamscapes. Though, predictably, he has a comment about the contents of the duels. "If it's a contest of speed. Then there is no contest so long as I'm here." Metal Sonic, once again, rubs his nose like the condescending asshole he lets Wizeman continue with his explanation. Riot Train sticks out to them in particular, but other than that, the killer robot remains silent for the remainder. Even when Real speaks up.
Bowser	"Wait, hold on! What don't I just cheat? I always cheat at scontests like these. I just go around and steal their sstuff, why can't I just do that now?"
Eggman	"Your agent friend just told you. Going too far outside the rules will cause backlash. If not to you personally, then to the Nightopia you're competing in, which might collapse it." Reala has a peevishness to them as they respond to Bowser. "And then all the Ideya is lost to us."
Bowser	Bowser huffs, "That's stupid!" He is working on getting his name stitched into his hat, "Also I haven't really been listening. When do we get to PLAY. I want to show those wimps up!"
Mordred	"Hm. Yeah, might as well. It looks..." Mordred narrows her eyes as she keeps staring at that one Nightopia with the beans. Her stomach growls. She ate before coming, though. "We'll get to it once more people start passin' out more. Or... Something. Hold your horses." She responds to Bowser, raising an eyebrow after a moment and realizing that she's talking to a giant turtle dragon thing. "Bet I can beat more of 'em than you by the time we're done."
Bowser	Bowser spins around immediately, thrusting a hand forward with an eggman balloon tied around it to point at Mordred, "YER ON! I'm the best at any scontest! And beating wimps!"
Metal Sonic	Metal Sonic squints at Bowser. They don't have eye lids, so instead their pupils just kind of become red lines. "If you don't understand it the way it's being explained now. Allow me to explain it another way. It is a lot more gratifying to crush the opposition under a set of annoying gimmick rules than it is just getting straight to the point. I believe that is more in tune with your Evil King sensibilities, correct?" They fan the stack of paper in their hands with their thumb like a flip book at the end of their sentence to make it sound more dramatic. And because it's cool.
Lezard Valeth	Lezard simply watches the back and forth, shrugging. "This looks straightforward enough. I am certainly not unfamiliar with doing strange, oddly high-intensity tasks in order to resolve existential problems." Lezard says, looking off into the middle distance. "Meta-puzzles." He mutters for no apparent reason. The overview of the various challenges gets nods. "I am not entirely well adapted to some of these options. Still, I will strive to destroy our enemies as needed. I am sadly not omnicompetent." He glances over to where Mordred and Bowser are facing off. "Goodness. They /are/ enthusiastic." He comments offhandedly, but then he glances to one side. "There are certainly a number of things that will need to be investigated during our time here. There still seem to be unexplored depths." His glasses gleam. "For now."
Staren	Seeing Metal Sonic sorting vouchers reminds Staren that he received them too -- he pulls them from his coat pocket to review them and see what they're for. Rides? Also he wonders if writing is actually stable, or if it behaves like in dreams. He nods to Metal Sonic's comment about rules. "It depends on whether you just want the rewards for winning, or whether you want to actually win." He echoes, not looking up from the vouchers.
Bowser	"I'm not evil! I have my own skingdom to make prosper and by unifying with the Mushroom Skingdom by marriage with the beautiful and perfect Princess Peach, both of our skingdoms will thrive, our economies will grow and we'll be able to provide more to our people!" "And stealing all their coins when they just about to get the star is so AWESOME!"
Mordred	Mordred laughs at Bowser's acceptance, and she pounds a fist against the chestplate of her armor with a hearty banging noise accompanying it. "Let's do it, then! Whenever they're ready, we'll crush 'em all and scount 'em out at the end!" With that fire under their feet, the only thing left for Mordred to do is approach Wizeman and start pestering him. "Hey. Is it ready yet? How about nyow? Hey."
Eggman	"The obnoxious blue toy is right," Reala says in Bowser's direction, "It's more satisfying to dominate an inferior opponent in a way that lets them know that even if you're restricted you can crush them." Staren, upon looking at the vouchers, finds that they're stable. It's very strange. The writing is actually sort of structured. There's weird circuitry on it, and the Eggman Empire logo stamped under the text. Some of them are for rides. Some of them are for games. Some of them are for prizes. Some of them are for food. Things like EGG NIGHTMARE WALk, EGG COASTER, EGGMAN MUSEUM, right alongside tickets for specific prize booths, swag like Bowser's grabbed, and food from various food stalls. There's a surprisingly wide number of food stalls. Or maybe not that surprising, considering Eggman. Wizeman stares at Lezard from its many hands. "Your numbers should be enough. Adding additional contestants skews the contest in our favor regardless of how well-suited you may be. Luck is indeed a skill, and you are the type to make your own, Lezard Valeth." The God of Nightmare continues staring at him eerily. "If you wish to explore the rules of Maginaryworld, I have no interest in stopping you. I will answer whatever questions you wish. You are the Doctor's allies, and you have my direct superior among you. I have nothing to hide." Reala goes 'tch.' "That stupid blue toy is our boss. Ugh." Mordred moves up to Wizeman. Wizeman does not float back. It's kind of weird to be basically up against a piece of cloth without a body. "The contests will begin soon. Have patience." "She's right, you know. You're too slow, Wizeman." The voice comes from behind the party, and it's pretty obvious who it is. Annoyingly high-pitched. Full of that self-righteousness one might expect from a so-called hero. It's a blue hedgehog wearing red-and-white pointy racing shoes, tapping his foot fast enough to sound like a jackhammer. Next to him is a big red thing with dreadlocks and spiked knuckles on white gloves, a two-tailed fox wearing similar shoes to the hedgehog, and a pink hedgehog with a big hammer and a skirt-and-shirt combo. A purple jester who looks remarkably like Reala, but without a mask, hovers nearby. Void waves. Reala slaps them. Void cowers. "Hey, look at that, a funhouse mirror." Sonic the Hedgehog's already got a hot dog in his hand, staring at the party. "And a bunch of Eggman's...I don't know, friends? Does he even have friends?" Sonic runs forward to look at everyone. "So you guys are his Visitors, huh?" The Hedgehog leans forward, tapping his foot on the ground some more. "Nice to meet you, I guess. I'm Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog." "The one and only." Yeah that's obviously pointed at Metal. Sonic sticks out his hand at the rest of the party, a big grin on his face. It's kind of like looking at the wind - fast, whimsical, and completely unrestrained. "I don't know why you're helping Eggman conquer this place, but I'm gonna do my best to stop you." "I mean, you could come over and do the right thing, but I bet you're not gonna, right?"
Hesinca	Hesinca wheels around. "That tone..." "A HERO!" The reaction is immediate once the demon makes that determination. She charges, trying to stomp Sonic underfoot! "Wait, didn't they just say not to do that, dood?" calls one of the prinnies, who has at least sort of followed the plot.
Mordred	"Fine, fine. But they're taking for-" And then Sonic and crew arrives. Mordred laughs boisterously as she turns to face them, her mirth tempered considerably when she sees exactly what it is the Concord is up against. "Mordred, Knight of Treachery and Tyrant of Brittany." She has enough sense to introduce herself, at least, although it's pretty obvious that comprehending the anthromorphic animals is taking longer than normal. After a few moments, she turns to Bowser once more. "... How come all of /you/ don't have to wear clothes? This is supposed to be some kinda dreamspace, ain't it?" She grumbles, crossing her arms after another moment. "Shit, how come I don't get to wear more comfortable dream clothes while I'm in here?"
Staren	Staren is wondering if any prizes will come back with him to the real world. A giant plushie or something, as long as it's not of Eggman, seems like the kind of thing his girlfriend would appreciate... well, back when he had one. He's jerked free of that somber reverie by Wizeman declaring to Lezard that all questions about the workings of this realm will be answered. A smile grows on Staren's face as he tries to decide which question about dreamworld physics to ask first, and then-- Sonic shows up. Staren looks at the Blue Blur, glances over his friends. They're... shorter than he expected. "What if he does have friends?" Staren turns to face the hedgehog. "And what's right or wrong about deciding how the Ideya is used? If we both do nothing, it just sits here. Perhaps Lumina wants to do something with it? Has she told you what?"
Bowser	Bowser has lost interest in the rest of the rules, he'll be fine. Bowser is always fine. Bowser is the SBEST! Bowser blinks at Mordred, "I wear CLOTHES. This is just my BAD DUDE outfit! It's like armor!" He pounds his fist against his chest." He turns to the sound of the drill bit being ran. "Heeey, don't I know these guys?" He squints one eye, "Sochi, I think. Yeeeea. You are sDoctor Eggman's biggest enemy? You don't SEEM that tough. Kind of tiny and edgy." There goes Hesinca. Bowser shrugs, looking at a 'Eggamn wolrd?!' shirt, trying to find one in xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxl.
Flamel Parsons	Flamel whirls around, eyes gleaming white! "Oh! You're the mutant hedgehog that's having disagreements with our friend! Hello!" The cheerfulness and friendliness is always excessive. He even offers a handshake! "I'm Flamel Parsons, agent of a vague yet menacing government agency! You're currently engaging in some /very/ unlicensed astral projection, so it'd be really swell if you'd hold still a bit and we can talk out how to handle your confinement!" He ponders attempting to breach Sonic's mind early, but with this array of allies, he doubts Sonic will be in one place long enough to manage that. It's not like you can just astrally project wherever and whenever you want, you /do/ have to aim it. "Why've you decided to stop Doctor Eggman from conquering this place, exactly?"
Metal Sonic	THE ONE AND ONLY He's comparing themselves to them. Again. The cardinal sin that Metal Sonic shall never forgive. How dare the inferior version even imply such things. How dare he. How dare he, how dare he, how dare he. They've had enough. No more. Metal Sonic is gone in a flash, dropping the vouchers as he lets them start to flutter to the ground. Before Sonic can get another bite of their hot dog, it's gone, with seemingly no signs of who could have caused it other than a gust of blue colored wind. As quickly as Metal Sonic had disappeared, he's back, hot dog in hand and the falling vouchers neatly recollected. "Hmph." They drop the partially eaten carnival food on the ground, stepping on it for emphasize, before wagging their finger at Sonic in an extremely snarky and spiteful way.
Lezard Valeth	The very being that can answer most of Lezard's questions, to be sure, is the exact also being Lezard is least well-disposed to on general principle. However, he's a god in a /subservient/ position, which might be a loophole in said principles. Lezard nods to Wizeman. "You are certainly correct. I make my own luck. And my own way. Whatever challenge arises, I will strive to conquer it. As to the rest... I will consult with you and yours later, for it seems we have company." He turns towards Sonic, and frowns. "Why do you even care about this place, Sonic? This surely has nothing to do with your homeland, and it is distracting your nemesis from continuing to menace you. Would it not be better to simply leave it be and let him indulge himself so you can enjoy your chili dogs in peace?"
Eggman	At Mordred's question, Void glitches away, and then returns with a tee-shirt. It's red-and-yellow has the Eggman Empire logo on it stamped in black. It looks super comfy. It is like wearing a cloud. Hesinca charges at Sonic. Rather than Sonic dodging out of the way, she's met by the pure strength of the red echidna. He's not quite as strong as she is, but he's strong enough to eat the hit and slow her down, grinding his heels against the amusement park ground. Their eyes are determined. "Hey. No fighting here, right?" He continues to grind his heels against the ground. His teeth are clenched. He knows he's not as strong as he is but he's definitely the type to try anyway. "Don't...be...an...idiot! We're not...allowed..." He grits his teeth as he's pushed backwards, "To...fight...here!" Sonic peers at Bowser. "Aren't you the guy from...?" "Aren't you Bozo or something like that?" "Yeah, yeah! You're King Bozo!" Amy crosses her arms. "I'm sure your evil friend told you, but we're protecting Maginaryworld from being turned into a horrible place! Look at this amusement park!" She waves her hands all around. "Look at it! It's so creepy! If this is the only dream anybody gets to go to, then everybody's sad! I won't let him have his way!" "Nevermind all the Maginaries he's captured," Tails says, his tails, well, twitching, "All the Maginaries he's robotomized, and all the Maginaries he wants to change himself. All the dreams of the world controlled by Doctor Eggman? No thanks." Sonic's grip is actually pretty firm as he shakes Flamel's hand. "Uh, thanks, but I'm no mutant. Sonic's my name, and speed's my game. We're just another kind of people on our world." "And if you wanna hold me down you're gonna have to try real hard, pal." He goes to take a bite of his hot dog, only to have it literally plucked from his hands. He wasn't paying attention. Sonic makes a face. "Dang. Faker's getting better. I guess Eggman gave you an upgrade, huh?" He looks back at Flamel. "Anyway, we're not unlicensed. We got invited here by the other god of this place. That's not unlicensed, right?" Sonic crosses his arms and does that jackhammer super-fast foot-tap. "You can't call it unlicensed if we're invited." Before Sonic can answer Lezard, Nights speaks up. The purple Jester has a calm, soothing voice, full of confidence and certainty, but gentle and kind at the same time. "This realm is a realm of dreams from many worlds, including theirs. Allowing Doctor Eggman to reshape it...would be making this Egg Night Zone into the only dream anyone can have. Miss Amy is right. Eggman must be stopped. If you cannot be convinced of that then...I'm sorry. But we must oppose you. I don't want to, but...I will if I must." Their eyes stray to Void. Void looks away. Reala simply clicks their tongue. "Nights is a traitor to the Empire, and a weakling who sided with another weakling to protect something that's barely worth protecting at all. Don't listen to them."
Bowser	Bowser is in a middle phase, where he is content and has no reason to be angry. His face immediately hardens down and he frowns, "KING BOZO!?!" Bowser stomps forward to look at the team, "I'LL BEAT EVERY ONE OF YOU SO HARD YOU'LL GO CRYING TO YOUR MAMAS!" He literally doesn't hear anything about anything else because he probably doesn't care anyways about their problems until it personally impacts him. He does jab a finger at them, making the balloon bobble, "That's Sking BOWSER and I'll CREAM YOU AT EVERY CONTEST, WIMPS!"
Hesinca	Hesinca pauses her contested charge, makes a hmmph sound, and then takes a step back. "That's fine, I'll simply crush your soul on the battlefield!" she says as she backs the rest of the way up. "Minigames, not battlefield, and dreams, not soul, Miss Hesinca dood," corrects a prinny. "Whatever! Crushing will happen!" She stomps her hoof, and one of the prinnies blinks out of existence. "... Oh, I must have moved my leg in real life, and woke it up..." she says. "(More like kicked it into the wall, probably, dood,)" whispers one prinny to another.
Majima Goro	Majima, for his part, is picking his teeth with a wooden toothpick he got from somewhere. "Ya know, gotta wonder how dream cotton candy gets stuck in ya teeth. How's that even work?" He cackles a little. "...But I'll make it clear, eh? Doctor Eggman 'n I are on good terms. That means if he wants a thing, I'm gonna make it happen." He snaps his gloved hands, to demonstrate. "And if that means I gotta beatcha at some games, well..." He takes a wider stance, hands on his hips as he leans back, knees bending. "NEEEHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! Ain't that shit all the better?!"
Metal Sonic	"Faker? The only fake hedgehog I see around here is you, my loathsome copy." DAMN THIS HEDGEHOG. DAMN THIS HEDGEHOG. DAMN THIS HEDGEHOG. If not for the actual laws of these lands, he'd have used this annoying rodent's body to grind across the ground at top speeds by now.
Mordred	"That explains you, then." Mordred nods at Bowser, then points at Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles afterwards. "But the three of you...!" And then she's distracted by a free t-shirt. Mordred holds up that shirt, turning it around a few times before just... Clothes magic'ing her armor off and that shirt on, helmet and all. Immediately, Mordred is all smiles. "... Damn, that's nice. I'm keeping it." Mordred seems unusually placated by the shirt, and it's actually kind of hard to listen to the arguments presented by Sonic's friends. "Right, right... Yeah. Sounds good. Er." Getting her head back in thegame, Mordred stands back up properly and flaps tehend of the shirt a few times while listening to the non-masked purple jester. That's what has Mordred grinning defiantly once more. "If it's that bad, then it's even more important that you and the hedgehog and the other hedgehog and the fox and the..." She stares at Knuckles for a moment, then shrugs. "... That the whole lot of you take this seriously. Otherwise, we're gonna make things a whole lot worse! Got it?!" IS she trying to intimidate them or inspire them?
Lezard Valeth	Lezard shrugs. "Short sighted as always. But such is life." The purple jester simply gets a smile. "This dream is positively idyllic compared to some that could be made. How much are they suffering? A little fear, perhaps? Surely one who lives in a world like this know well of the true depths of darkness that can be conjured by an unshackled mind." "Regardless, those who insist on being heroes..." He laughs. "You too will know what it means to suffer that title. You will find that the Doctor is far more merciful than I. At least, as long as he remains in good humor."
Flamel Parsons	Flamel flashes his badge, a stylized brain on a three-lobe symbol. "There's a whole bureau about it and everything." He explains. "Trust me, I have a license, and if you're consorting with a totally unknown UPE, that's definitely /extra/-unlicensed." His tone is the tone of someone like a hostage negotiator. "Just understand, I /do/ have a professional obligation to deal with this issue if you're not giving up on this. It's a Psychonaut's job! Plus, I think this is the only time anyone at the /entire/ agency can get a Nightmare into something approximating a laboratory context, those things are just about impossible to work with. There's really not a practical reason to leave this like this." The companions are regarded with a palpable concern. Nights, particularly, has an aura of unspoken risk to Flamel. The agent knows a particular aesthetic when he sees it, and is full of a certain specific kind of concern for what it will mean.
Staren	Amy's words make Staren stand up straighter, and Nights echoes them. "Is that really how it works?" He walks over to one of the dreamers, waves a hand in front of their face, and through them if they're intangible. "They don't seem like they're interacting with this place at all..." But the worry that they're right is in his voice. Lezard, of all people, brings up a moral point. "That's true. Dreams could be a lot more horrible than this..." He shivers at something barely remembered. A red sky, misshapen people... "...At least this one has rides. And food!"
Eggman	Void looks surprisingly happy at Mordred's approval. They float around her like an eager puppy. "You like it?" It's the first time they haven't stammered. "I'm glad....I'm really glad!" They smile. Nights floats over to Mordred, and Void hangs there for a moment, not recoiling immediately. Then Void glitches away, and Nights peers at Mordred. They're sort of...pretty. Like all the others, androgynous. Genderless. Their smile is gentle. "You sound angry, but you have the soul of a Hero, don't you?" Lezard distracts them, and they flow away and a bit back from Lezard. They shake their head. "It's not that simple. If this was only the Nightmare realm, then it wouldn't matter. You need both dreams and nightmares. They're the same. If Doctor Eggman reshapes Maginaryworld into nothing but nightmare, then some joy, some part of being alive, falls away. Don't you think that's a cause worth fighting for?" "He doesn't," Sonic says, shaking his head, "They're as much villains as Eggman is. Anybody who's fighting with that guy..." "Anybody who can stand to be around that guy, or Metal Sonic, isn't somebody who's gonna listen to something like that. Eggman wants it, so you'll give it to him, right?" Sonic stares at the badge as Flamel produces it. "What?" He crosses his arms and narrows his eyes, "So somebody asking for help has to ask the right way? And Eggman's friends get to say what is or isn't OK?" "Yeah," he says, poking Flamel in the chest, "You can consider that handshake revoked, pal. Eggman doesn't get to say who can and can't ask for help and neither do you." The Dreamers do seem to be actually interacting with the Egg Night Zone. They're obviously having their own nightmares, but it's probably distorted through the lens of the Egg Night Zone - the robot Maginaries probably belong to some of these Dreamers, and there's undoubtedly some carnivalesque elements going on. It's not a one-to-one correspondence for sure but there's an aspect of it that's absolutely true. Amy nods. "It is. The Temple oF Light is a beautiful place for good dreams. This place is a dark place for bad dreams. Like Nights said! You have to have both...but if this place becomes the only dream, then we lose a lot of happy things." Sonic gives Majima a disgusted look. "How can you be on good terms with that guy? You don't know him like I do. He's the kinda guy who wants to turn everything in the world into a machine. Every tree, every rock, every village, a factory pumping out smog forever. Is that seriously something you can say is good? Polluted air where nothing can breathe? Toxic water? Even dreams turned into a nightmare like this?" Knuckles crosses his arms and looks Hesinca in the eye. "I'm lookin' forward to beating you too." He looks over at Bowser. "Yeah, yeah. We'll see if you've got the strength to back that up."
Majima Goro	So, little thing about Majima. Majima Goro, Mad Dog of Shimano, for whatever reason unknown to anyone, is a fervent environmentalist. Sonic's argument actually hits home for a minute. "...Yeah. That's a little shit. Alright. Mighta have ta have words with him 'bout sprucin' up his environmental policies a bit, ya know?" He lets out a sigh, rubbing a thumb along his chin. "...But that shit doesn't fuckin' matter. I signed up for the Concord, and part of that shit is ya put your goddamn personal quarrels to the side, and ya back each other." He takes a step towards Sonic, waving his knife around in a little circle. "...And right now, that means even though I agree, I'm gonna put that aside, and I'm gonna pound ya and your friends at any of these games, ya got it?" He seems actually angry now, honestly, and he's actually yelling. For what it's worth, he absolutely clearly believes in backing Eggman to the end, against his own mores and ethics. The snakeskin jacket is tossed to the wind, fluttering away on the breeze. Majima is serious.
Bowser	Bowser, now wearing his monogrammed hat, grabs up a nearby cart that is carrying Eggman fans with squirt bottles for 300 dollars. He hoists it up over his head with both hands, grunting as it holds it up over his head. Then he pulls it down, smashing it in half over his shoulders and neck. He tosses both pieces to the ground, then leans forward, "You are going down! Into the trash! Because you are garbage!"
Mordred	"Why wouldn't I? It feels good. Hell of a lot more comfortable than a suit of armor." Mordred answers Void rather bluntly, seeming confused briefly at their elated reaction. She just goes with the flow, though, shrugging after a moment and just alternating between relaxing in that extremely comfortable shirt and being weirdly encouraging while Nights asks her another confusing question. "The soul of a Hero and the Next Great King, thank you very much. Just like my father before me, I'm going to become a King that nobody will ever forget!" A moment later, Mordred actually frowns and crosses her arms. "... Nah. Something felt off about that. Something... Missing. I dunno." She's a little rusty. Mordred gets that second wind back, though, as she scowls and approaches Sonic. "Oi. You really like talking a lot of crap about one of our guys before the game even starts, don'tcha? If it really means that much to you..." She leans in close, giving the hedgehog another confident smirk. "... Then don't lose. Or maybe we really will ruin everything, and we'll have fun doing it."
Hesinca	A couple of prinnies wander over and stand behind Bowser after that display. Hesinca glares at them till they get back in line.
Lezard Valeth	Lezard stares back at Nights, his gaze positively seething as the creature makes its case. "Do you? Do you really need dreams and nightmares? Who is to say that if dreams fell away, that nightmare would not split? Besides... What good are dreams?" He clenches a fist. "Just hollow promises sent by a manipulative creature, trite things to mollify the unsettled in order to have them continue to accept their place. Ambition needs not sleep." He points. "You have already chosen to fight for your right to be lied to. I will show you the truth: The world has no need for a god of dreams."
Staren	It was a dreamworld full of new possibilities! Exploiting the energy of a dreamworld to further someone's goals is exactly the kind of outside-the-box thinking the Concord employs and everyone else is too timid to! Until Amy's words, and Nights's words. Staren could say such a world has its merits, but then the 'plan' turns far darker. Metal and Wizeman confirm it -- at least they're honest. All this time, Staren thought that Eggman's plans had a silver lining. He'd become a world dictator but at least be competent at it, running the world better than it is now, and if people have to go to the amusement park sometimes, well, every world has its quirks. But this... this is a step in a larger plan not to rule the world but to make there be no world (as Staren recognizes one, anyway) at all. Staren's left with his hands in his pockets, scowling at the floor. Majima's right, they're here to support Eggman, but... ...This is wrong. For once maybe the shortsighted status-quo-defending condescending hero has a point.
Flamel Parsons	"Every kind of genius has a world inside the mind. Doctor Eggman's is a lot more abhorrent to specific tastes, but that doesn't make it any worse than any other genius's mind. I think you shouldn't take his dreams so literally! I know they're sort of the practicality for you, but everyone compromises and changes on the path. Right now, I don't think I can demand Doctor Eggman give up his theme-park psychohazard-dream without giving up his genius too!" Flamel explains his position to Nights a bit. "Oh, you need me to revoke the handshake? Uh, I can remove the psychic impression, sure! Hang on." Flamel licks his finger, places it on his palm, and shuts his eyes like he's expecting an explosion. There's about a two second wait, then a full-sized phantasmal image of Sonic the Hedgehog rips out of his palm, screams in anguish, and is torn apart by psychic decoherence. "Okay! Sorry about that, that should revoke the handshake now." Flamel beams! "Don't worry, they can ask for help, it's just a matter of being unregistered! That's what UPE means, Unregistered Paranormal Entity. I'm sure something could get figured out if they went through the paperwork."
Eggman	Nights smiles at Mordred. "Your dream is a great one. I look forward to seeing you make it come true." Sonic taps his foot. "He'll run out of animals eventually. Do you really think Eggman is the type to just stop when he runs out of a power source? He'll just change it up. Change it over to something worse. He knows that, and we know that. He's got prototypes for it already. Chemical factories and stuff like that. He's already prepared for when he takes over." Sonic jerks a thumb at himself. "That's why we're gonna stop him, whether you like it or not." Knuckles whistles at Bowser. "Not bad, big guy. We'll see if you can back it up when we go toe to toe, huh?" He points his knuckles at Bowser. He's either calling him out or waiting for a fist-bump. It's hard to tell which. Mordred leans in at Sonic. Sonic's foot goes a lot faster. "I'm not gonna lose." He leans forward, his black nose bumping up against Mordred's. Literally eye to eye. "We're not gonna lose. Thanks for the pep talk, Your Highness, but we don't need to hear that from the likes of you." Flamel literally rips the handshake out of Sonic, who stares, binks, and then shakes his head as if to clear it. "What the..." Nights looks horrified. They float backwards, grabbing Sonic and dragging him back with them. "We shouldn't be here any longer, Sonic. That person can hurt you even here, and Wizeman..." Wizeman simply hangs in the air, as ominous as the coming dawn. Nights disappears, and along with them, the rest of the Lumina Team. Wizeman's eyes turn on the party. And, then... They're waking up on Eggman's private beach, the memories of Egg Night Zone still clear in their minds, under a soothing, bright sun.