Into the Void

Figure It Out

"Oh! And you know this because..." The hedgehog raised an eyebrow.

"I was the one who helped them," Kipo explained. "Since it was my dimension they were in, I thought it would be right to show them around and assist them in their endeavor. My friends helped out, too."

"Cool."

Sonic looked back at his cube to stare at the dim glow it emitted. He could only furrow his eyebrows at it out of worry. After all, his cube didn't have a sufficient amount of energy for him to send any stranded person to Planet Specter. Sonic didn't know what to do besides either find an alternative or wait for someone he knows personally to find him. But what about Kinger, Kipo, and Jake? How would he explain his situation to them without making them feel hopeless?

"Uh, Sonic?" Kinger said, snapping the hedgehog out of his trance. "Are you okay?"

"Uh..." Sonic turned to his cube, gripping it tightly in his fingers. But then, he slipped it back into his quills and grinned. "I'm good."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Sonic smiled nervously.

All of a sudden, Kinger slowly squinted his eyes at the hedgehog, who became quiet as he began to sweat. Sonic let out an awkward chuckle as the chess piece bent over to bring his face closer to the other. But then, Kinger pulled away and said, "Oh, okay! You know, for a second, I thought you didn't have a plan."

"Oh, I do have a plan," Sonic lied, for he didn't have one. "We'll keep searching all over this dimension for those who are stranded."

"And what about this Planet Specter you told us about?" Jake asked, raising an eyebrow. "How are you gonna send them there?"

"Oh, I'll figure it out," he said with a wave of his hand.

"Well, you better do so fast. I don't plan on sticking around here any longer!"

With that, the four continued their journey across the cartoon dimension. As they wandered, they collected more items that would be useful to them in the future. Jake found a crowbar he decided to arm himself with while Kinger gathered more cans of bacon soup, much to the former's dismay. Kipo found five matchboxes and more ammunition for the chess piece's shotgun. As for Sonic, he decided to bring some dynamite in case of emergencies.

But as their constant wandering went on, Sonic couldn't help but feel guilty for lying to his peers about his plan. He knows he will have to tell them the truth eventually, but he didn't know how to address it. For now, all he could do was keep their hopes up. But for how long until Kinger, Kipo, and Jake realize something is off about Sonic's "plan"?

The group's travels eventually led them to what appeared to be a music room. All of them were in awe as they looked around the new area, but as they did, a sudden thud was heard, causing Jake and Kinger to yelp in surprise as they readied their weapons. They initially thought it was a monster, but it was actually a cello that was tipped over.

With a hand on his chest, Kinger sighed with relief and said, "It was just a fallen instrument."

"Hmm?" Jake raised his eyebrows as his left foot landed on something wet and squishy. When he looked down, his foot was standing on a puddle of dark liquid. With another scream of shock, he yanked his foot out of the puddle and jumped backward until he fell on his rear. 

Meanwhile, Kipo and Sonic turned to the blond as the former asked, "Jake, what's wrong?!"

Jake lifted his foot to stare at the black substance on his sole, fearing something would happen. When nothing happened, he put his foot down and sighed, "I'm okay! It's just ink! For a second, I thought it was that slime monster that invaded my dimension!"