Cigar Stacks
Terry Stork made it to a safe area of the factory where the ventilation system helped to filter the fumes. He was given time to recover his stamina, but he was suspicious that Äs Nödt hadn't found him, yet. He had access to a camera network, but the villain was still untraceable through the smoke. If only his sister were here, she would easily be able to trace this guy's sound. "Cough, cough…cough, cough!"
Terry heard coughing through the monitor and looked for the source. He saw the silhouette of someone through the smoke, on their knees while brambles seemed to bind their arms. "Wait… who is that?"
The smoke cleared away enough to reveal her form: Virginia Stork, Terry's mother. Forced to breathe the toxic fumes, Ginny glared at another figure through the smoke: a woman with a dreary expression and gray gown, her face wrinkled from all the cigarettes in her mouth. "Cough…who the heck are—cough…you?!"
"Isn't it obvious?" Äs Nödt asked, emerging from the fumes. "It's you. This is how your son imagines you."
"That's mom?!" Terry gasped, watching the scene. "My real mom?"
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Ginny shouted. "Cough!"
"You know this is the Dream World, don't you? I just brought you from your dream to your son's. He despises you so much that his entire subconscious is dedicated to that hatred. And a dream built on spite is a life full of anxiety! Kehehehehe!" His eyes curved in glee, and he grinned behind his mask. "I do enjoy these types of dreams! Imagine if more people could travel the subconscious and learn the spiteful feelings that others have for them. Would it compel those people to change, or would it create a rift between them? How do you feel now?"
"Cough, cough! I feel like taking these thorns and, cough, choking you!"
"Why don't we just choke you instead? You're the object of your son's frustration. Do you think if you die, then his dreams will grow more pleasant?"
"I know MY dreams are about to be more pleasant!" At that instant, a shadier version of Ginny leapt out of the smoke and ripped Nödt's spiked mask off from behind. It then shoved the facewear down his throat, forcing Nödt to choke as the spikes pricked his throat. His hold weakened as Ginny was able to escape the brambles, landing a firm SPANK to his hind. Nödt flung away as he hacked the mask out.
His mouth was exposed, robbed of lips with red veins around the hideous jaws. Nödt stretched more brambles from under his robe, but Ginny sank into a Veil once her shadow rejoined her. She sprung up to punch his jaw, but he dodged back and returned to bite her fist. Ginny kicked him away and broke free, but the bite caused holes to appear on her arm. Smoke rose from them, with the scent of cigarette. She was struck by Nödt's brambles, causing more smoke to emerge. Ginny tried to hold her breath and became a bat, dodging his thorns in the air before dropping down to stomp his forehead. Her shadow, Talia grabbed his head and tried to twist his neck, but Nödt withstood the pain and smacked her off.
Nödt stretched his thorns to swing up to a higher platform. He began to shoot thorns at the half-vampire. Ginny tried to fly up, but the smoke emitting from herself plus the air around her caused her to drop. "My thorns can morph your body into the form of your fear or worries. You choose to smoke, thinking it will ease your stress, but in reality, it's merely a reflection of your own stress. Or has this recent revelation shed a new light to your conscience?"
"I don't care, buddy, cough! With all the bad things happening, cough, and my kids having to, cough, go and stop it, cough, cough, I'll smoke as much as I-"
"Quit making excuses for yourself."
"Huh?"
"Eh?" Nödt cocked a brow. Terry had showed himself, trying to hold his breath.
"You're an addict, Mom. You say it relieves your stress, but you're just making it worse for yourself, and you're making it worse for us. I hate staying at our own house because I can't stand your breath! And every time I try to say this, you're always like, 'You're not around most of the time, so you kids won't get sick' or 'My vampire traits keep my skin healthy,' but you know what? I don't frickin' care, anymore. You're getting what you deserve."
"Cough…cough…" Virginia lost the will to push herself up off the ground, her eyes falling.
"So, the truth comes out." Nödt grinned sadistically. "Why don't we remodel this factory, shall we?"
Virginia suddenly slithered up to him via Veil and SPANKED the villain off the platform. Nödt stuck brambles down to the ground to hold himself up, but Ginny dropped down just as quickly and shoved him against the ground. She violently smacked his face a few times before Nödt shot her off. "How did your holes disappear?!"
"I dunno… maybe my conscience changed a bit." Ginny shrugged snidely.
"Heh! Then we'll just have to poke a new fear into you!" He thrusted multiple brambles, but Ginny grabbed one in her left hand, right hand, and teeth, as well as Talia's hands. They spun around and pulled Nödt closer via the brambles. Afterwards, Talia shoved her brambles into Nödt's throat and Ginny tied hers around the neck. "Aaah! Nuh! Uh neeles! Uh neeles ah eh-eh-ere! (The needles are everywhere!)"
"Huh?!" Virginia watched as needles began to erect everywhere around his body, his own Zanpakutō affecting him. Now a horrid mass of needles, he punched Ginny off with a pierce, ripping and hacking the brambles off him. Nödt lunged at Ginny to fill her with holes, but Ginny hurriedly shot Spank Hands to keep him back. Talia flew to grab and hold him back, and Ginny enhanced her vampire fangs. Braving the pain, Ginny bit through the needles and at his neck, Nödt screaming as the pointed teeth pierced him. His own needles expanded, poking the inside of Ginny's mouth, but she resisted the urge to vomit and kept tearing into him.
"The needles…the needles are taking me…NYYYAAAAAAHHH…"
Ginny jumped away as his needles expanded into a misshapen ball. He seemed to be unable to move, probably overwhelmed by his own fear. Her front full of holes, Ginny fell on her back in exhaust. "Mom!" Terry ran up in worry. "Are you… okay?"
"Huff…not really… I guess… I deserve this, huh?"
"That depends… are you gonna quit after we wake up?"
"I'll… try…"
Terry and his shadow lifted his mother and began to carry her across the factory. "We'll find some bandages in Kayla's office."
"Heh…so, Kayla's a nurse in your dream?"
"Nurse, therapist, massager, she's got a lot of talent." The fumes slowly cleared away as the sun shone through.
Dimension Matrix
Shelly stirred a large, swirly hill around herself and rose to the air. She kept it spinning and slid around the field in attempt to ram Pitch, who slid away and backwards while spraying Blacksand from his hands. The sprays corrupted Shelly's mound, prompting her to jump off. Shelly flooded the field with Dreamsand, so Pitch flew over it on a sand road. She thrusted pillars up in attempt to knock him down, Pitch dodging. He shot triple arrows, but Shelly sprung up on a curved pillar that launched her into Pitch, knocking him into the Dreamsand. She then willed three large fists to rise up and beat down on him, until Pitch made his own hands to hold them back. He morphed Shelly's sand arms black, along with the surrounding area, and thrusted the black fists at her. Shelly made three more fists and bombarded them against Pitch's.
Sand scattered about as clouds from the impacts, which Pitch used to shoot through and slice Shelly's head—it was a Sand Clone, and the real Shelly shot out from beneath and punched Pitch away. She then conjured a large shovel and charged to stab it against Pitch, forcing him into a cliff. He dissolved that cliff into sand and formed large spears to stab her, but Shelly dodged back and erected a wall in defense. Behind that wall, Shelly built a huge sandcastle with cannons, making them blast at Pitch. Some of them struck the thin general, until he created a tank to withstand the cannons and fire larger rounds at the castle. One tower after the other fell until the castle crumbled.
Pitch suspected that Shelly had retreated underground, so he morphed his tank with four large spiders legs to prop it high. He then positioned the cannon underneath to shoot the ground, and briefly noticed Shelly swimming beneath. He smirked and kept firing, following her trail. Shelly amassed a huge amount of sand under her control to create a giant fist, big enough to smash Pitch's tank. He merely tunneled through the fist to ambush her, but Shelly detached and flew back, swinging her foot to erect a pillar against him. Pitch called up a Sand Road on his flight and soared up to space. Shelly curiously watched him, wondering where he was going. His destination appeared to be another large asteroid floating several miles above.
Shelly gasped as the asteroid was steadily dissolving into Blacksand. "He's gonna squash this whole field with that thing! But two can play at that game!" Shelly began to transmit her chi around the entirety of this very asteroid. "That girl's gonna be pissed that I'm ruining her dreamscape, but whatever!"
After a while, Pitch's Black Comet began to rocket downward, but Shelly's Gold Comet was ready for movement as well. She willed it to fly away, and with Pitch's comet in pursuit, two streaks of gold and black cut across space. The comets rammed each other as parts broke off, eventually staying connected as they spiraled around. They fell through space for a while before closing in on an ocean. The conjoined comet impacted the sea with a terrific explosion of waves.
A new island was born on that sea, balanced between gold and black land. In time, a race of Sandmen would be born, made of those same colors. The primary landmarks were huge craters in the shapes of Shelly and Pitch, depicting their slumbering features, and the Sandmen would wonder what caused these craters. For now, they served as the resting places for these two fighters.
The Sandmen were once a race of mystical spirits known to help people fall to slumber. Over time, Pitch Black destroyed all the Sandmen, but they were reborn in the bodies of certain mortals. The Quartzite Family were some such mortals.
Death Carnival
Miyuki ran around a circus tent to avoid Death 13's downward stab, and when the spirit flew around with a spin attack, she used timebending to slow it down. She hurriedly used her fingernail to scratch something into her arm. Death 13 suddenly warped and emerged behind the tent wall, Miyuki barely dodging as her cheek was cut. Miyuki backed away, and the spirit watched as the cut froze over. "I don't know who's helping you in the Waking World, but you won't be able to move for long with these frozen cuts!"
"I won't have to keep it up very long!" Miyuki declared. The spirit flew at her with a lash of his scythe, but it was countered by a scythe of her own! It was black with a silver-edged blade, shining with a great polish. A clock was lodged in the blade's base, with spikes and a large orange bowtie.
"Impossible! You can't conjure things in MY dream!"
"I scratched the word 'Scythe' into my arm just now! Looks like Suki understood."
…
In Miyuki's room, Suki had carefully placed the retracted form of the scythe in her sister's bed. "I hope that helps somehow, Sister-chan…"
…
"Say hello to Memory Meister!" Miyuki channeled chi into the weapon as she clashed it against Death 13's scythe, sending it flying out of his hands. The spirit suffered a cut to the left hip of his robe, but he materialized another scythe, warped behind, and stabbed Miyuki's back… but she faded away, and the current Miyuki threw a cut to his right hip. "When it cuts you, a memory plays in your vision, distorting your view of the present!" As she explained this, he slashed down at her, but the memory dissolved as Miyuki got his back. "You keep remembering my previous positions after I already changed places!"
Death 13 spun aimlessly in attempt to cleave her no matter where she may be. When the spirit came her way, Miyuki quickly cast Age Regression on herself and reverted into a zygote, her weapon dropping on the ground. Death 13 ceased his attack and searched around, spotting the discarded weapon. "Hm? She must have had to drop it to get away." He approached the Memory Meister. "Let's dispose of it before she-"
Miyuki quickly sprouted back to normal, grabbed the scythe, and SLICED up his robe. "GYAAAAAAHHH…!"
"A wound like that will probably bring back some dark memories. I can't help but wonder what…" Miyuki decided to reach up and touch him.
Having been born in 1988, Manny was only 11 months old by the time his teeth grew in. They weren't normal, innocent baby teeth, but fangs. His parents were unsure how this defect developed, but were repulsed and called him a monster. The poor baby was abandoned in the desert, left to die. His young spirit consumed with vengeance, he formed the Zanpakutō known as Death 13, designed to torment mortals by abducting them from their dreams and into his own. His chosen victims were cute- or nice-looking mortals…
Madotsuki's House
Madotsuki, April, and the others had returned to the former's room. They each focused their chi over the Chiptoons, and the respective colors shone brighter. Lights rose from the Chiptoons and poofed to become physical forms: the Firstborn.
"Hey, how did I get here?!" Crest asked in shock.
"Nebula?" Jirachi spoke. "What's going on?"
"I didn't think you'd remember, Jirachi!" Mesprit grinned. "You helped make the Protoon a long time ago, but you were asleep while doing it. I sensed that it was broken, but I wasn't able to force my way in here. Looks like our Guardians pulled through for us!"
"I suggest making a more convenient entrance." April said.
"Duly noted!"
"Mew…"
"The Protoon?" Crest asked. "Miss Cresselia showed me that once. She said I might have to help fix it one day."
"But I don't really know how to fix it." Jirachi frowned.
"It's easy!" Mesprit cheered. "We just need to magnetically connect them with our bending."
"It's not gonna take long, is it?" Crest asked. "I was in the middle of a cool show."
"Oh, sorry if saving the Dream World isn't important to you." Marshadow remarked.
"And who're you supposed to be?"
"This is Marshadow." April answered. "He's the Nightmare Firstborn."
"He sure doesn't look fun."
"If you're gonna insult me, why don't you turn and face me?"
"Crest never looks at anyone directly." Diwata mentioned. "He likes to show people his crescent side!"
"What if we all look at him from different angles?" Sunni asked.
"I wouldn't do that, his head gets pretty twisty."
"Guys, bad news!" Murfy called, alerting them to the window. "The Hoodlums are coming back!"
"Man, can't they cut us a break?" Madotsuki sighed.
"We gotta fix the Protoon now!" Nebula exclaimed. "What about those Electoons you two saved, where are they?"
"The Electoons will have returned to the Protoon's temple." Mr. Dark answered. "Or at least the grounds around it, considering its current state. Darkrai himself is looming over the area, is he not?"
"Yeah…" Madotsuki said in worry. "I guess we were gonna have to face him anyway, right?"
"You're not gonna face him, are you?" Harvey asked. "All of us are here, we'll take him down!"
"But Madotsuki can become Marshadow's Guardian." April inferred. "And if she borrows his power, she could-"
"But she's not even an operative!"
"Are you still an operative?"
"Th-That doesn't matter! She's never had the right experience, she can't take on Darkrai I!"
"Honestly, I coincide with the boy." Dark replied. "I'd rather Madotsuki not get into such a dangerous fight. It should be you KND operatives' job. You've done this plenty of times before, at the expense of ignoring other kids in need."
"Wow, way to be passive aggressive."
"Wait! I just got an idea!" Murfy exclaimed. "Harvey, use your emotionbending on André, the Black Lums' boss! If we make him happy, he'll turn into a Red Lum, and all the other Lums he corrupted will follow!"
"I'm not sure if I can do that…"
"Why not?"
"Not that it comes as a surprise, but I haven't been very happy lately. I can only use strong emotions when I can feel them myself."
"Then I'll do it!" April decided. "I'll make André happy with my paint!"
"I'll stay behind to help!" Madotsuki insisted.
"No, I'll be fine! Save your strength for Darkrai!"
"Hey, we never agreed that-" Harvey tried to say.
"Just hurry and go!" April yelled. "We can worry after we fix the Protoon!"
"Fine, but… I want you to borrow these, April." Mado pulled the magnifier and other items out from her window. "I can probably just make other ones."
"Thanks, Mado. I'll catch up soon!"
Madotsuki and the others touched the image of Darkrai's cloud on the painting, being sucked into the library. April ran outside just as the Hoodlums arrived. "Thought you got the slip on me, huh?! Where are the rest of those brats?" André questioned.
"They're off fixing the Protoon. I'll be happy to entertain you until they're done."
"We'll see where that gets ya! It's time for me to try out my new costumes! I've been keepin' tabs on all the monsters you fought, so you're in for a little surprise!" (Play "The Dark Chimera" from Rayman Redemption!)
Boss fight: André
A cyclone of Black Lums enveloped André and changed him into the giant, monstrous Family Photo, its teeth replaced by Egliette's gold scissors. April pulled out a sketchpad and spread reflective paint over a page, making it mirror-like. She bounced one of the scissors toward the photo's lower portion and sliced through, trimming it down. When she bounced the next scissors, her reflective page was cut, so she painted another one. She cropped the photo twice more before the remaining strip with teeth leapt, turned vertical, and crashed down over April with a wide mouth. It would have snapped shut, but April latched the uvula with the Hookshot, shot up, and struck the weak point. The mouth snapped in half as André flew free. The Lum buzzed around and- "Ow!" bit April's shoulder. She hurriedly dodged his other quick attacks as she painted her fist yellow, throwing a punch at him.
"OOF! What gives, sweetheart? That kinda tickled! Bet you won't survive this one!" His minions circled him again and changed him into Richard Inkwell, with Bing Bong's trunk sticking from his dark head. The trunk shot missiles that April punched, but they exploded into candy tears as April was struck by one. Each missile would jut out of the trunk for a second before releasing, so April made her way over and punched a missile, exploding within his trunk. She repeated this twice before André flew up with an umbrella, shooting more missiles downward. When April punched some, they would release Pole Beads to help her climb after him. It was trickier to hit the missiles on these poles, having to jump away to get a good shot, then regrab. She did this to uncover more Pole Beads until she reached André, afterwards punching a missile within his trunk.
This form was destroyed, and April dropped to the ground as André tried to bite her again. She dodged and landed another yellow punch. "Hahaha! What is this stuff? Keep it off me!" The Hoodlums knitted his next costume: Queen Egliette's tiny doll head atop Jangles the Clown's rotund body. Puppet strings hoisted the clown up and swung it across the field in arches. April could jump on the body while it was at its lowest point in the middle, but Egliette's head was too small to hit. The clown flipped to shake her off and resumed its pattern again. When April jumped on it this time, she drank the Shrink Potion and could punch Egliette's head at this leveled size. The process repeated for the second hit, so André moved Egliette's head to beneath Jangles' pants, with scissors on top. It then positioned its shoes together and hung in the air for a bit before trying to smash April. She dodged a few times before noticing the small gap between its shoes. Her miniaturized form could stay between the shoes, the force springing her up as April punched the doll's head.
This body was destroyed, but André kept the large shoes and tried to squash the mini April with them. As she ran, a shoe slammed behind her, and the shockwave propelled her up for her to punch André. "Hahahaha! S-Stop it! Don't do it, anymore!" As April resized, André's minions dressed him in his next form: Oshiro's head on the torso of Pitch's horse, with Bing Bong's big rump and tail. The mutant horse about-faced and shot Toxic Sludge from its rear, April ducking or dodging as necessary. Hook Gems flew out with the sludge, so April hooked one to fling over, land in front of André, and punch him.
The horse pounced to the opposite end, and April noticed a Hook Gem in the air. The horse charged her, so April latched the gem to escape, but afterwards, André flew up rump-first, rammed, and smashed her to the ground. André hopped off and repeated the process. April latched the gem, but when André launched up, April quickly dropped down. She landed a punch to his head before he could recover. Oshiro's head swelled in rage as he began to gallop backwards at a fast pace. He did loops around the field and at varied heights, with April having to alternate up and down via the hook. She was nearly caught by surprised when André ran frontwards during a loop, seizing the chance to punch him. This form fell apart, but André kept the tail and began spinning endlessly, homing on April.
Her fists were deflected off the spinning, so she could only make loops around him using the hook. When André was lined between her and the hook, she shot it and rammed him in turn, stunning him enough to land a punch. "Hahaha! Stop it! I can't take any more!" The Hoodlums quickly stitched his next costume, composed of Jangles' big head on Oshiro's short body. He attempted to smash April with his large hammer, but she dodged as the quake bounced her up for a punch. Small clouds flew out of him as André began crying a river of Toxic Sludge. April watered the clouds with Sadness Tears to safely stand on them, jumping up to André's level to land a punch. André flew farther away and began to whack blobs of sludge over with his hammer. April watered and jumped more clouds to make her way to him, but even so, more sludges kept spawning in the way of his face.
André made vertical swings, so while the hammer was pointing down, she threw a punch and caused him to rotate for a bit. When his exposed head circled back around, she threw the last punch and destroyed that form. "OOOO, that's it! I've had enough! Lums: tear her to pieces!"
The Hoodlum swarm amassed around him again, forming the shape of the Holy Nightmare. They loomed above April, and running either direction wouldn't evade them. Their "cloak" spun like a twister as they drilled against her. She was trapped in the swarm as they began nipping her at every angle. Her only course of desperation was to rapidly punch her painted fists everywhere, striking and painting as many Lums as possible. Despite her Laughter Paint being yellow, making the Black Lums happy would turn them red, as it was their initial color before corruption. She punched for what felt like forever, and she feared she would give in to her wounds before long, but her determination to regroup with Mado and wake up kept her going.
There were less Hoodlums as the seconds rolled by, giving her more motivation to punch. Eventually, they were all restored to their happy colors. However, it seemed André wasn't among them, as the greater Black Lum swarm still loomed in the background. But it was then she noticed a particular Lum among them with arms: using the magnifying glass, she zoomed in on André and pulled him to the foreground. "DON'T TOUCH ME!" André fled away like a coward, but April charged after and threw the first punch. "NOOOO! DARKRAI!" The second punch. "SAVE MEEEEE!" Third punch. "AH'M SCAAAAARED!" And the final punch poofed André into a Red Lum. "NOOOOOO…hahahahahaha!" (End song.)
Before April's eyes, the swarm of Black Lums were filled with individual flashes of red, fluttering to the sky with scarlet sparkles. "Sigh…at least that's taken care of." Feeling exhausted from her wounds, April fell back on the ground. "Think I'll just… rest for a bit…"
Reading Rainbow
The Wart Machine was a yellow and red device with three chimneys. Wart, a chubby king in a yellow robe and crown (from Mario 2), was ripping fantastical creatures from the books and stuffing them in the machine. Wart was a hybrid of a toad and crocodile, with a white belly. The machine would converge the ingredients together and turn them into monsters, squirting them out of the chimneys.
"So, this is where you took all my books!"
"Ah?!" Wart jumped around with a start, seeing Index standing angrily in the doorway. "So, you've found me, eh? But you're too late! With my Moppets, King Darkrai will recognize the great Wart! I will become his most elite general! Wah ha ha—HOMP!" Index chucked a turnip down his throat.
"I remember you, Wart. You come from the Mushroomian fairytale, Doki Doki Panic, that my good friend Goombella showed me. You were allergic to vegetables. I even caught your 'Moppets' trying to dispose of the vegetables in my kitchen. Well, guess what?" Index smirked, reaching into a large sack to grab a thick carrot. "It's time for dinner!"
"You can eat my Curse Bubbles first!" Wart spat rounds of red bubbles. They flew like cannonballs, but Index was able to dodge her way up and throw the carrot in his mouth. She ran back to get a stalk of celery, waiting for another round of bubbles before tossing it to his throat like a spear. Index got a turnip and shot it forward with a small Light Beam, then a piece of broccoli, a cabbage, a dozen smaller brussel sprouts, followed by five onions. "HORF…corf…kah…ah, ribbit…" Gagging on the healthy produce, Wart fell over, his green skin growing pale.
Index fired Light Beams at the Wart Machine until it was destroyed. "It was certainly a weird context for an 'eat your vegetables' moral. Well, that'll be the end of that. 'Guess I should deal with these monsters though. I hope Madotsuki and the others win soon…"
Madotsuki's group were able to get through the library quickly thanks to Sunni's psychic, flying across the valley to the cumulonimbus that was Darkrai I. A thousand Electoons were amassed near the cloud, cowering at the sight of it. However, one of the little creatures saw the flying group and called attention to its friends. The ponytails of the Electoons all perked up when they recognized the Firstborn, as well as the Chiptoons in the Guardians' hands.
"Attention all Electoons!" Murfy called like a sergeant. "We need that Protoon fixed on the double and zero time to waste! Everybody in position!"
The Electoons aligned in a great wide circle, and the Firstborn sat in their own circle within the center, each holding their own Chiptoon. "So… we just channel power in and then push them together?" Marshadow asked.
"Uh-huh! Should be easy!" Mesprit smiled.
"Don't mess us up." Crest said.
"Hey, don't pressure him!" Jirachi yelled. "Don't worry. It'll be fine!"
"Hm…okay…" With a nervous heart, Marshadow focused fearbending over his Chiptoon. The others did the same, and the Electoons glowed as pink lines connected them. Their energy gravitated around the Firstborn, and they carefully pushed the gems together. Wishes, Imagination, Bliss, Feelings, and Fear all united as one… and with a bright, but soft flash, the Great Protoon levitated before them, sounding with a mystical whirrrr…
Waking World
"Hu-!" April gasped awake in her bed. She was wearing her light-purple pajamas, while her wounds had disappeared. "I…I'm awake? Did they fix the Protoon? Phew…But I need to check the others."
She pushed off her covers and ran to her friends' rooms- "Whoa!" first bumping into Chimney. "Move aside, April-chan! I had the worst dream, and I need something to eat!"
"Chimney! Hehe…sure, go ahead. But I need to get back to sleep soon."
…
"Huh?" Miyuki's eyes opened.
"Sister-chan!" She felt Suki's frosty weight on her in a hug. "You're finally awake! I was so worried!"
"Suki-chan…ow…" Miyuki tried to sit up, but felt the faint pain of the frozen cuts.
"Those weird cuts started appearing, so I tried to freeze them. You're not hurt… are you?"
"Heh heh…of course I'm hurt, Suki. But I feel a bit better now…"
…
"AAAH!" Mikoto Misaka gasped awake. "It…it was all a dream. I never wanna see Shokuhou's back again!"
"Thank goodness it was all a dream!" her roommate, Kuroko cried. "I never wanna see Sissy touching Touma's back again!"
…
Denny and Whitby ran into their parents' room after waking. "Mom! Dad!" They tried to shake the sleeping pair, but showed no signs of feeling. Denny worriedly checked their pulses. "Their hearts are still beating, but…"
"But they'll wake up eventually… right?"
"I hope… but if we woke, I guess everything's back to normal?"
…
"Yaaaawwwn." Shelly yawned awake in her room. "Man, that was the nicest dream. 'Guess I better check on Shorts…"
Dream Realm
"Hey… it's fixed!" Madotsuki beamed. "Does that mean we can wake up now?"
"You bet ya, kiddo!" Murfy fist-pumped. "I can sense balance returning to the dreams! Either that or my stomach's finally settled after that burrito."
"Then everyone can finally get away from this nightmare…" Marshadow smiled with relief. "Guys… thanks for helping me fix this."
"Aww, don't feel so sad!" Mesprit said. "You were a big help, too!"
"But it's my fault that it broke in the first place."
"I'm sure it was an accident." Jirachi smiled. "I don't really know how to say it, but… even though you feel scary, you don't feel mean. Right, Crest?"
"Yeah, whatever." Crest shrugged.
"Mew…"
"EEEAAAAAHH…"
A gruff scream resounded from inside the giant cloud, the group facing it with a start. "That sounds like my brother!" Marshadow yelled, running inside.
"Marshadow!" Madotsuki ran after.
The Protoon's light reflected off Mr. Dark's yellow eyes. A gloved hand reached for it. "What do you think you're doing?!" Harvey whacked the glove with a yo-yo.
"The Protoon needs to go back in its chamber, doesn't it?"
"Why should we let YOU take it?!"
"Simple." The Creation clasped the gem in his hands. "Because I may very well need it."
Darkrai II lay weakened after a powerful blow from his father. Feeling sick to his stomach, he conjured a giant Fear Sphere and cast it at the Holy Nightmare, but Darkrai I intercepted it with a larger sphere and crushed his son under both. Darkrai II survived the impact and struggled to float himself up. "Hur…Exor…" He spoke to his sword. "What has become of me…?"
"Heck if I know. You need to lose some weight."
"Is now really the time to insult me?!"
"He's right, big guy. You've been pretty out of practice lately." A snide voice spoke.
"Who…who said that?"
A purple-skinned chameleon-like monster with a blue tail and three fronds on its head became visible, holding a missile launcher with milk bottles. He had four arms and four legs. "Surprised to see me, 'Big Boss'?"
"Randall!" Darkrai II knew him as Randall Boggs, a rogue Nightmare who worked with Waternoose in his scheme. "What is that you're holding?!"
"You had no idea, did you, boy?" Darkrai I sneered. "Randall has been aiding me in this battle all along! On top of carrying tanks of Fear Chi into my being, he has been shooting you with Milk Missiles!"
"But how?! Even with your invisibility, I should've sensed you…"
"I've mastered Complete Invisibility! Even lugging all these things around, it went right under your nonexistent nose."
"Randall's been a most helpful servant. And once this is done, I'll throw out that softie Sullivan and reward you his executive position."
"You're a coward, First Darkrai!" NiGHTS shouted, wrestling with Reala in the air. "You KNOW you can't take us all on!"
"Who are you to call him a coward?" Reala asked, kicking NiGHTS in the jaw, then grabbing and slamming them to the ground. "Didn't you use to absorb the power of those children because you were too weak to fight?"
"Darkrai II made me that way!" NiGHTS performed a flip to force Reala to the ground, but he grabbed NiGHTS in his legs and spun to the air before kicking them away. "It's a power based on friendship, and it's better than being a puppet for those circus tents you call Wizeman and Darkrai I!"
Kirby had assumed a Sword form to clash with Ybrik, but looked back to Darkrai II's weakened form in worry. He tried to run to his aid, but dodged as Ybrik dealt a jump attack.
Dark Rayman dealt a punch to his Positive other and knocked him on his back. His nose bent from the punch, Rayman readied to defend the next attack, but Dark Rayman was forced back by purple lightning. Rayman's head twisted around and gasped: "Mr. Dark?!"
The cloaked Creation held the Protoon to his garb, while his free hand sizzled with electric. "The Protoon has returned to my hands, Rayman. I hope you aren't planning to stop me this time."
"Haha! I'm sure you'll put it to good use this time."
"Brother!" Marshadow raced into the area, but Madotsuki grabbed and pulled him back.
"Don't get too close!"
"Marshadow! You…you did it…" Darkrai II panted. "You fixed the Protoon!"
"Uh, hey buddy," Exor spoke nervously, "you might wanna-"
"AAAAAGH!" Darkrai I impaled his son with the nails of his right hand.
"BROTHER!!"
"I created you from merely my right pinky nail… and that was one nail wasted! It's time for us to be one again! RETURN to me… my wretched CLONE!"
The king pulled his hand away with such force that Darkrai II was torn into scraps like paper in the wind. "Gah…Marshadow… listen…" His voice cracked as his pieces faded into a mist, absorbed into his father's being. "You are not… just a Nightmare… you are… a Dream… and that is why… my father… fears y…" The thin white flame that was his head and eye were the last to disappear.
The heroes watched in despair as the Holy Nightmare's right pinky nail grew back. "Finally… all is as it should be… One Darkrai… one true Nightmare King…" With his left hand, he reached to reclaim the dropped Nightmare Sword.
"J-Just so you know, Your Majesty," Exor stuttered, "I never liked that other guy, he said some mean things about you, but I never agreed, I never teased you behind your back, I-I-I really-"
"Silence!" Darkrai hissed, the sword growing to match his hand's size. "Ah, it feels good to hold you again, Exor… and yet, I feel nothing. This hand is artificial… I'll need to fix that as well." He gazed down at Marshadow with wicked intent.
"Grrrrr!" Marshadow growled, trying to restrain his feelings. "Just you wait! I'll snap the nail right off and bring him back!"
"It's too late for that, child! His chi has returned to my veins, and his consciousness is no more! He is dead! He will never return!"
"YOU'RE LYING!"
"WAH hahahahahaha!" Darkrai laughed with glee. "He was never fit to be king! Ever since he was a child, he's been pitiful and soft! He has never relished in true fear! He thinks Nightmares can survive on menial fears like clowns, spiders, mailmen, balloons, or going to school naked? Ridiculous! True fear is far more than that. Anxiety, depression, denial, aggression, paranoia, spite, guilt, true fear is the culmination of all negative emotions! It is the facet of every aspect of mortal life! Maintaining social customs, achieving dreams, wanting love, it is all out of a fear of being alone, being hated, being forgotten, every decision you make is out of simple fear. And so long as fear exists, I will never die! Ah hahahahaha!"
Marshadow grit his teeth, anxious and confused. He wanted to believe his brother was still alive, but had no way to be sure…
"?" Marshadow was curious as Mado set him down. With shaded eyes, the Bubble Dreamer approached the laughing king. "M-Mado!" Harvey stuttered.
Her red boots squeaked against the chamber's ground, as they squeaked against any surface. She was remarkably tiny and fragile compared to the god, soft and ordinary under her cozy sweater. And yet, she approached him, with only wavering fear. "Why…"
"Wah hahaha…ah?" Darkrai gazed down at the tiny girl curiously.
"Why… do you laugh? If you're the Nightmare King… you should know how it feels to be afraid."
"Why do I laugh? The answer is quite simple." The titan leaned down, his enormous chin looming over the teen. "Because others' fear… delights me. Just watching mortals make hasty decisions, stuttering to say the right things to their peers or loved ones, begging for second chances… their misery and humility delights me. It is funny to watch. And the more they are overwhelmed by fear, the funnier it becomes. After all, why do a job you don't love? As the Nightmare God, I must love my job."
"No… you don't understand at all." Madotsuki faced up at him with serious eyes. "True fear… is experience."
"Experience, eh?"
"She is correct, Darkrai." The king turned to Mr. Dark. "When you look at a horrible thing from far away… even if the sight scares you, it is nothing to truly being in front of it. But one should not have to be in front of it to feel empathy. Your son surpassed you because he felt empathy. He may have taken delight to menial scares and pranks, but he never tortured mortals with true fears."
"What a noble thing for you to say, Mr. Dark~"
"You know me?"
"Wah ha ha ha! Of course! Even while imprisoned, I could taste all the greatest fears in the Dream World! None more so than Madotsuki's endless nightmare. I knew of you, the EVIL Mr. Dark, who stole the Great Protoon and defeated Betilla the Fairy as she tried to protect it! Troublesome and untidy… and that's why I liked you."
"You flatter me, Your Majesty."
"And that's why I would be remiss if I didn't make you an Elite General! When we harness the Protoon to its full potential, we'll be unstoppable! We'll scare them off! We'll terrorize all the KND and ignorant mortals who left your child to suffer for so long! You speak praise for my son, but in reality, he ignored Madotsuki's situation, too! He couldn't so much as show the KND a nightmare of her horrible trauma! But I will spare her from my nightmares. She will get the happy ending she so covets, so long as you-"
"SILENCE! I could never work for a monster who laughs at the fear of others! There can be no happy ending so long as YOU stand as king!"
"I feared you would be defiant… but it doesn't matter. Creating a replica of you will be easy. All I have to do is take apart your seams, harvest your chi, and create the perfect Darker Mr. Dark. We'll turn Madotsuki's dreamscape into a haven for Nightmares where he will be in command!"
"…" Attracted by the squeak of Mado's boots, Mr. Dark glanced to his creator, approaching him. His narrowed yellow eyes gazed down at her fierce red eyes. "You know nothing of true fear, Darkrai. But…"
"I'll show you," Madotsuki took the Protoon with conviction, "what it really means to be afraid!"