GeneX - Tails the Fox
Chapter 35 - Tails Worst Nightmare
Boss 24 - Dream King

Note: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA and 
Sonic Team. You knew that, right?

Tails walked up the stone steps leading to the entrance to the Dream Temple. Realizing that he was heading in alone, he turned around and called to Espio. "Aren't you coming, Espio? You've been such a big help so far, and I was hoping you might help me here, too." Espio looked up at him. "I can't go any farther, Tails. Don't worry about it, though. You have been alone for the entire trip." Before Tails could say anything, Espio vanished as though he never existed. "Gee... I wonder where the real Espio is..." Tails murmured after recovering from the surprise. Truly, he was on his own.

The interior of the Dream Temple was also crystal, except for the floor, which was stone. The entrance room was a large chamber with several hallways leading in different directions. Directly across from the entrance door was a stairway leading up. This was the path Tails had to take, he could feel it. He climbed the stairs, and as he did, everything appeared to grow darker the higher he climbed. As he reached the top, the walls and floor of the temple appeared to be swallowed up by the darkness. However, that was all the darkness hid. Tails could see standing across from him, clear as day, Shadow Tails. Tails was also shocked to see his friends, tied up and suspended in midair by the ropes. Cream, Amy, Knuckles, and even Sonic were held captive, and were apparently unconscious! Shadow Tails cackled devilishly. "So, you have come, young hero of light. And now, you face your nightmares. I know all your fears, everything that terrifies you." he said. He turned to his captives. "Let's see what happens when I do this..." Shadow Tails fired a beam of energy from his hands at Knuckles, who disintegrated into ashes upon impact! "No!!" Tails shouted, horrified. Shadow Tails just laughed in response, then fired another bolt at Amy, reducing her to ash as well. Tails watched helplessly, only able to shout out, "Stop it!" Shadow Tails continued laughing. "Oh, now we're up to 'stop it,' eh? Let's see what happens when I smite your hero!" Another energy bolt pierced through Sonic, yet another reduced to ashes. Each one's remains seemed to vanish into the darkness, leaving nothing. As Shadow Tails turned to Cream, Tails could take no more. He ran after Shadow Tails and threw a punch at him, which Shadow Tails quickly turned around and caught. Grasping Tails' arm, Shadow Tails cackled menacingly as he fired his another bolt and finished the last of Tails' friends. As Shadow Tails released Tails, the young fox fell to his knees, sobbing. Shadow Tails seemed to find this incredibly amusing. "All right, I guess you're lonely...." A wave of his hand brought those he had just destroyed back into the room, this time wide awake. Tails, not taking time to think, ran over to his friends, then watched as they collapsed into dust again from another attack by Shadow Tails. "Do you understand the nature of this place yet?" Shadow Tails asked. "Here, you face your darkest nightmares. But the only person actually here is you... And perhaps me." Tails, slowly comprehending what he had been told, turned to face Shadow Tails. "Who are you!?"

"Who am I? A funny question. Am I perhaps a symbolic mirror? A ghost? Perhaps I don't even exist at all..." Shadow Tails speculated. "This is for you to decide. Perhaps the question you should ask is not who, but what."
"What, then?" Tails asked. Shadow Tails let out a low, menacing chuckle. "I am the darkness within your spirit, manifested by your dreams! For you see, there is darkness in every spirit. It is shown to us in our nightmares!"
Tails thought a moment, then asked another, more pressing question. "If you know about my dreams, can you tell me the identity of the dark fox?" Shadow Tails nodded. "Yes. But I shall not." he said, but Tails had to know. "Is it Copter?" he wondered. Shadow Tails laughed. "I will not tell you!" Tails thought another moment, then tried again, a bit shakily. "Is it... me?"
"Let's find out..." Shadow Tails whispered. Suddenly, the ground began shaking violently as Shadow Tails began to morph into a new shape. He began to transform into the same monster Tails remembered from his nightmares, but since Tails had never been asleep long enough to see what that creature actually was, the transformation stopped short. Instead, the creature decided to take the shape of a giant black serpent with fangs as big as Tails himself. The creature let out a laugh that echoed through the temple. "I am the Dream King! The dark lord of nightmares!"

The temple began to shake increasingly more violently, and Tails struggled to keep his footing. "W-what's happening to this place!" he shouted. The Dream King began to slither around Tails, surrounding him with its snake body. "This temple is collapsing! Your nightmares shall become your tomb!" Thinking fast, Tails decided to attempt to fight. He slipped on his Tailband of Chaos, and flew above the black snake. The Dream King looked up at him and made a disgusted face. "What's that? A Chaos Tailband? Bah! Not even that can save you now!" Tails landed a good distance away from the Dream King, and watched it transform again, this time into a skeletal wolf creature. Tails fear began to make him doubt himself. "Maybe he's right. I can't fight something like this. It would even take the Chaos Emeralds for Sonic to beat it..."

Suddenly, the voice of Tikal called out to Tails. "Don't listen to the Dream King! Follow your heart! It will lead you to the truth!" Tails thought about Tikal's words for a moment. The Dream King began to run after Tails at the same time. Just before the skeleton wolf could catch him, Tails jumped and smashed the skull with a Tailband powered attack! As Tails flew away from the Dream King, the bones collapsed and then took the shape of a black wyvern. Tails stood firm in the face of this threat. "I can see the truth. That Dark Fox isn't me, or Copter!" The Dream King laughed uncontrollably, nodding to confirm Tails' statement. "It is darkness itself!"
"Believe in yourself!" Tikal cried. Tails nodded. "I can do it... I th-think...."
The Dream King burst forth with wicked laughter again. "You are afraid! Your fear will destroy you, without delay!"

The Dream King flew after Tails, blazing flames erupting from its mouth, claws thrashing to slice him to ribbons. With a new determination, fueled by the desire to escape and help his friends, Tails jumped onward into the sky with the aid of his Spring Shoes, using all his strength to crash into the Dream King's dark form. A brilliant explosion of flames and light erupted from the point of their impact, filling the entire room, which had begun to collapse, with a blinding flash. The flash slowly subsided, and the temple ceased its shaking...

As Tails slowly opened his eyes, he found himself standing before the Dream King, collapsed on the ground. Its wyvern body was wreathed in flame, and its glowing red eyes were glaring at Tails. "Well done... Hero of light!"

The Dream King vanished in a vortex of flames, leaving Tails alone in the dark. As Tails turned to look for an exit, he saw Tikal standing behind him. "Good work, Tails!" she cheered. Tails looked at her questioningly. "Why did you lead me here, Tikal?" he asked. "I was hoping you'd understand by now." she replied. Tails, not taking a moment to think, said what he believed in his heart. "The dark fox in my dream... It wasn't Copter." he said. Tikal smiled, nodding excitedly. "That's right!"
"Then, maybe he isn't really such a bad guy. Maybe Eggman's exerting some sort of hold on him." Tails speculated. Tikal looked thoughtful. "Possibly..." she said. "I can't help thinking that there's more to it than that." Tails said. "But you know what you must do!" Tikal said. "Confront Copter! Save him from his dark path!" With that, Tikal vanished, and light illuminated the room, allowing Tails to find the stairway back down.

As Tails started down the stone steps in front of the Dream Temple, he came to a realization. "Now what am I gonna do? I don't know where Copter is..." His thoughts were interrupted by a familiar beeping sound. SPOT dashed out of the trees and pounced into Tails' arms. "Hey! How'd you get here, buddy?" Tails said, delighted. He got his answer when Cream & Cheese emerged from the trees as well. Tails placed SPOT on the ground and ran to Cream, a look of concern on his face. "What're you doing way out here, Cream?" SPOT followed Tails and beeped at him, so Tails looked at its monitor and read what it had to say. "Sonic had to go help Vector?" he read. "Yes." Cream said, "So I came to look for you myself. But there were a lot of scary monsters in this forest..." Tails examined SPOT. "There must've been. Looks like SPOT used up all his weapons to protect you... I'm so sorry, Cream. I didn't want you to put yourself in danger..." Cream interrupted him by tugging his arm. "That's OK, Tails! But we should catch up with Mr. Sonic, quick!" she insisted. Tails agreed. "SPOT, where is Sonic?" he asked. SPOT displayed some text on its monitor, as well as a map. "Dr. Eggman's new stronghold, Darkegg Fortress. Sonic is there."

"Then let's go! Time to take down Eggman!" Tails declared. He pulled out the Tornado Remote he had used on Aqua Isle to call the Tornado before. "We'll fly to Eggman's base! Ready, Cream?" Cream and Cheese looked excited and ready for action. "We're right behind you, Tails!" she said. Just then, the Tornado arrived and landed nearby. As they climbed in, Tails felt a new determination within him. Similar to what he felt fighting the Dream King. He knew that the final battle of this adventure was nearing, and he was determined to help his friends put a stop to Eggman's latest plan, and to help Copter escape from the dark forces that controlled him!

To be continued...