“Do you fear the darkness?”

“The hell? Did someone just say something?” I mumbled as I rubbed my head.

I groaned as I felt my eyes flutter open. What greeted me was not what I was expecting.

“Hello, Draconid’s plaything.” I looked up at a creature made of shadows, it’s body resembling a flowing black cloak as dark as a black hole with a blood red collar that looked like a predator’s teeth. A long, white, wispy head held a single glowing, cyan eye, the pupil nothing but a slit. If stood before me on long, spindly legs, it’s thin arms folded behind it’s back. “Welcome to the Dream Realm. Or, more specifically, the Draconid’s Waking Nightmare.”

“Huh, a Darkrai, and here I forgot to bring my Master Balls with me. Isn’t that a shame?” I joked with a forced grin.

“Hiding your fear behind a lackluster attempt at comedy,” the Darkrai said with a sigh, shaking its head as it turned to a pair of large, circular monitors. “How pathetic.”

“I’ll give you pathetic,” I told the Darkrai with narrowed eyes. “But how dare you insinuate my jokes are lackluster!?” I boomed as I jabbed a finger at him.

“You joke that you lack the one item that is supposedly guaranteed to capture me,” Darkrai said in a bored tone. “And yet you do not use the brainpower necessary to create these jokes to realise that I am not truly here.”

“Ya know, I am not in the mood to be insulted by an admitted illusion. So, I’m just going to flip you off, wake up from this dream and then I’m going to go back to doing what I was doing with Zinnia. Like this,” I then showed the Darkrai both of my middle fingers and closed my eyes as I strained to wake up.

“Again you act like a fool,” Darkrai sighed, turning to the screens again. “If you have any intelligence in your inferior mind, come and observe. For you have been taken from your body, so unless you find the true way out, you cannot simply ‘wake up’.”

“Even an idiot is smarter than a genius illusion,” I shot back with a smirk as I sauntered over to the monitors. When I did, my smirk instantly fell.

I was looking at my own limp, lifeless body. Zinnia’s hands raised slowly into view, the same blue, flaming energy from before trying to flare up again, this time mixed with the shadows of the room flying to her hands before falling again.

“Do you see now, young fool?” Darkrai asked, no hint of emotion in its voice. “Do you see what I mean?”

“All I see is a crappy tv show. Come on, let’s change the channel to something else.”

“Still you refuse to think. What you are looking at is the Draconid’s view, what she is seeing at this very moment.” I watched as the view slowly rose, Celestia, Luna and Morning Star appearing in the doorway to Zinnia’s bedroom, Sonar fluttering behind them with the egg in his claws. “It will not be long now. Her grief will feed me, allowing me to grow and fully command her Dragon within.”

“You’re lying,” I spat. “What you’re showing me isn’t real. I know your game Darkrai. You show people and Pokemon nightmares until you can break them. Make them into something you can use. Well, it’s not going to work on me. Because you’re not even the real Darkrai. At best, you’re the shadow of a shadow. So do your worst to me because I’m getting out of here and helping my family member.”

“Deny the truth all you want, fool,” Darkrai said, waving dismissively as it turned and strode away. “But luckily for you, a human’s brain operates at one billion times the speed of what you might think. You have a long quest ahead of you to escape, Vash the Stampede. I suggest you get started.”

With that, Darkrai sank into the ground, and an entire landscape flew together in the white space. Mountains rose, rivers flowed, fields rolled, and at regular intervals between them, buildings built themselves, seemingly random in order. The closest, it seemed, was a school.

“Guess I’d better go back to school,” I muttered as I approached the building. “Good thing I always bring a shiny red apple to get on the teacher’s good side.” I pushed past the doors and walked inside. The building seemed to be in okay condition, but it was empty. No one was around me. I shrugged and started walking in a random direction, figuring I’d stumble into something along the way.

As I turned a corner, however, I caught sight of something that made my blood run cold.

There, in the middle of the corridor, was two children. A little girl, and a slightly older boy. The boy lay unconscious, blood running freely from a large gash on his forehead that stained the three white stripes in his otherwise coal-black hair.

The girl stood over him, cowering under the gaze of three… nightmarish, I guess, figures. Each of them pure black with glowing blue eyes.

“Weave my bwutha alone!” the little girl cried, tears in her eyes. She let out a scream of pain, however, when the figure in the centre struck her, sending her to the ground in a bloody, broken heap from the first blow alone. “Mommy!! Help, pwease!!”

“Hey!” I cried as I rushed at the three black figures and attempted to shoulder tackle them. “Leave those kids alone you pieces of shit!”

“An interloper?” the leftmost figure asked, its voice cracked and distorted. “How? Did our Lord bring him here?”

“He must be new entertainment!” the rightmost figure cackled, revealing a set of jagged crimson teeth. “How thoughtful of our Lord!”

I pushed past the three figures and stood between them and the two children, shielding them from the darkness as best as I could. “Yeah, I’ll entertain you,” I chuckled darkly. “But I’m not letting you anywhere near these children.”

“P-pwease, mistah…” I heard, turning and blinking when I realised that the girl clearly a much younger version of Zinnia, her hair tied back into pigtails. Her eyes were the same, though, still a bright red. “Help my bwutha…”

“Don’t you worry about a thing,” I told her with the biggest grin I could. “I’m gonna stop these three. You grab your brother and get him to the nurse.”

“Nurse?” the central figure asked before scoffing, straightening out and taking a large swig from a bottle. “They never paid me enough to ever ‘nurse’ these brats.”

I turned and scowled at the figure, leveling my best death glare at it. “Say that again and I’ll shove that bottle so far up your ass that you’ll puke it out again.”

The figure scowled, breaking the bottle over the right one’s head and levelling the shattered remains at me. “You wanna go, bitch? I can kill her bastard brother, I can kill you too.”

“Yeah, and it’s three against one too,” the rightmost figure chuckled, levelling what looked like a spear at me.

“And what weapons do you have, anyway?” the left figure asked, priming a large hammer. “Not like you could take us unarmed, could you?”

“Heh, you’re right, it is three against one. You wanna take a few minutes and grab a few more guys to make this a fair fight?” I snarked with the cockiest grin I could manage under the circumstances.

All three of the creatures actually paused at that, looking between each other before laughing. “If you insist,” the spear-wielding one laughed, blowing on what looked like a whistle. Within seconds, all of the doors lining the corridor burst open, more shadow creatures swarming out and surrounding me and the children.

“Um, I remember saying a few more guys. This is clearly more than a few. You’re disqualified and I automatically win this fight.” I said, turning on my heel and grabbing Zinnia and her brother. “Come along children, we’re done here. Let’s go get some ice cream.”

What looked like a giant book stopped my path, held by a pure black, wrinkly old hand, almost skeletal actually. “You’re not going anywhere, sonny,” the skinny old hag holding the book sneered. “Our Lord wants you stopped.”

“Okay, I understand what you’re saying but…” I offered before I reared back with my foot and kicked the hag between the legs. “...You’ll never take me alive!” I cried as I hoisted both Zinnia and her brother onto my shoulders and started running as fast as my legs could carry me. Loads of oversized, pure black, weaponised school equipment was thrown at me as I ran, either shattering on impact or destroying the ground before me.

“This is not how to overcome the Nightmare Shadows,” Darkrai said boredly, rising from the shadows and floating along beside me. “Though I must admit, your odd tactics are… interesting.”

“Tactics would imply I have a plan,” I huffed as I rounded a corner. “I’m just making this shit up off the top of my head.”

“...you just lost the only shred of respect I have ever had for another being.”

“Considering you’re an evil son of a bitch, I’m taking that as a compliment.”

‘He’s right though, this isn’t working. Come on man, you can think your way out of this. Use that greymatter for something other than scrap-metal and tits. Think through everything Darkrai’s said so far.’ I closed my eyes and focused on everything that seemed relevant. After what felt like an eternity, my eyes shot open and a manic grin overtook my face. ‘Wait a minute, Quest, that could mean something. This is either the single greatest idea ever, or I’m an idiot that’s about to die in a blaze of glory… I’ll take those odds.’

I shifted Zinnia and her brother in my grasp and started to kick over any trash cans that we passed and slamming my shoulders into any and all lockers I could find in an attempt to force them open.

“Yes! Finally!” I cried as one of the lockers opened, revealing… “Okay, this is a school and there’s a god-damn machete in one of the lockers. Though if the teachers are that fucked up… Well, I’m just glad that I’ve already graduated.” I put Zinnia and her brother down and started patting her on the head. “You take your brother and hide. I need to take care of those things.”

“Thanks mistah,” young Zinnia said, hugging my legs as tears fell down her face. “You’re the goodest person I eva met.”

“Heh, trust me, you’re going to meet much nicer people than me. Don’t ever give up, okay?”

The girl nodded happily before wrapping her brother’s arm around her neck, moving down the hall with him. I sighed happily and started running in the direction that we had come from. ‘I am so going to die.’ I thought with a chuckle. Eventually I made it to the nearest shadow and swung my machete at it.

To my surprise, the blade of the machete cleaved right through the shadow, making it fall to the ground and look like it was burning away. I smirked evilly as I looked between the shadows and my machete.

“Normally I don’t approve of killing, but since this is a nightmare I’ll make an exception.” I then lunged forward and cleaved into the nearest shadow. The others jumped at me in an attempt to dog-pile on me, but I smirked and spun with my arm outstretched in a ridiculous looking maneuver.

Kinda wish I had dressed as a certain other red-coated character now, but hey, circumstances. I kept running through the hoard, slicing into and through the shadows and leaving behind a trail of slowly decaying shadows. I kept cutting through them, switching the machete to my other arm in a flourishy move when my main hand started to get tired. Eventually, I was back where I started and the three shadows that started all this were waiting for me.

“Huh, you found out how this works then?” the one with the hammer asked, now towering over me. Its features were much more defined this time - it actually looked like a giant, if really grotesque, man in glowing cyan goggles, with flowing white hair, pitch black clothes and a jagged crimson apron.

“Hey, you all got makeovers, now that’s just adorable,” I said with a cocky grin as I rested my machete on the back of my neck.

“Watch it, ya little twerp!” the ‘nurse’ growled, now sporting a flowing white ponytail, and a black nurse’s uniform with jagged red markings, a giant syringe in her grip instead of her broken bottle.

“This one’s funny!!” the spear-wielder shrieked with laughter, now looking like a generic gym coach with thinning white hair and a black sweatsuit with a jagged red collar and cuffs, resting his javelin on his shoulder. “Let’s kill ’im!”

“Heh, better men than you have tried to do that,” I laughed, keeping up my smirk. Now, come on, show me your moves!” I called out as I shadowboxed in place.

The nurse cried out in rage, aiming the syringe at me and charging forward, the blade glinting dangerously. I swung my machete in an upward arc, knocking the syringe away from me before I pulled back with my fist and punched the nurse as hard as I could with the battlecry of, “Shut up, Nurse!”

A cackle of mad laughter was the only warning I got before the Gym Coach’s javelin flew by my face, missing by mere inches purely because I managed to lean back.

‘I sure hope this works. Otherwise I’ll look like an idiot.’

“Hey coach?” I asked as I grabbed at the javelin lodged in the floor. “You want your stick back?”

“Yeah!” he laughed, holding his hand out. “Gimme!”

“Okay,” I shrugged, somehow managing to free it. “Head’s up!” I cackled as I threw the javelin right at his face. It pierced his right eye, flying out the back of his head with his brain impaled on it’s spike and leaving the laughing body behind to burn away.

“Did he just kill one of us?” the hammer-wielding one asked, lumbering forward and swinging it’s hammer over it’s shoulder. “Should I avenge him?”

“Yes, you idiot!” the nurse bellowed, aiming at me and pressing the plunger of her syringe in, firing blasts of what looked like blood at me.

“Hey, that’s no way to talk to your friend,” I pouted as I dodged the mysterious bloody liquid. The larger one’s hammer slammed down, and I just barely managed to dodge it.

“What’s a friend?” he asked, struggling to pull his hammer from the ground. I pressed my foot down on his hammer in order to give him a harder time with pulling it out.

“I’m glad you asked,” I beamed. “Friends are the people you can rely on. The ones that can always serve to make your day better and are with you in the highest and lowest moments of your life.”

He paused at that, tilting his head to the side. “...What’s a life?”

“Well, if you’ll be my friend I’ll show you,” I told him with a grin.

“...Can I hit you if I’m your friend?”

“No, but you can hit other things.”

“...I think I’ll just hit you.” With that, he swung again, this time spinning with the hammer until it embedded itself in the wall.

“What is it with you guys and throwing things at me?” I whined as I hacked away at the relatively defenseless shadow.

“JUST FUCKING DIE!!!” the nurse bellowed, going for a jumping stab with her syringe after firing a stream of blood at me. I let out a totally not-girly scream and rolled away from the nurse’s attack.

“You are a mean shadow lady!” I shouted, jumping back to my feet. She just let out a scream of pure, primal rage, charging forward again as her syringe seemed to change, becoming a sword with the blood vial being held in the centro of the blade. I brought up the machete and readied to defend myself against whatever kind of attack she had planned. She thrusted forward and I side-stepped, her bloody sword nearly grazing my cheek. I swung the machete, hoping to decapitate the angry nurse once and for all.

I landed in a crouch, panting heavily. Silence reigned for a second before something rolled into my view, revealing itself as the nurse’s head as it stopped.

“Fuck. You.”

“Come on nurse,” I started with a smirk. “There’s no need to lose your head over this.”

The last sound out of the nurse’s mouth before she burned away was a scream of pure rage. I turned just as the last of her body burned away, blinking when I realised it had carried on to impale the big hammer guy, meaning he was just finishing burning away too.

“Yes!” I cried as I threw my arms in the air while a victory tune played in my head. “I can’t believe that actually worked!” I turned and scanned all of the decaying shadows all around me. “I guess I should go tell Baby Z that she’s safe now,” I said as I slipped the machete into my belt.

I started walking down the halls and whistled to myself as I going to where I left her. Once I was right where left her I put a hand to the side of my mouth and called out, “Zi… little girl! You can come out now, everything’s fine!”

A quiet rattling sounded from further down the hall, and I hurried over to a locker just as young Zinnia tumbled out of it, her brother falling out of the one next to hers. “Thanks mistah!” she cried, beaming up at me as she pulled her brother into her lap. “We’d be in a wot of twubble without you!”

I knelt down on one knee so I could look her in the eye and started patting her on the head. “I couldn’t stand to see two kids get hurt like that. Especially when one is a fair maiden such as yourself,” I finished, adding a grandiose tone to my voice.

Little Zinnia giggled before going stiff, her eyes glowing golden. I stumbled back as she placed her hand on her brother’s head, his eyes flying open and glowing gold too.

“You have done a great deed, Dream Warrior,” they called out, speaking in unison. “As thanks for your efforts, accept the first part of the power needed to purge the Nightmare from this mind.”

With that, both kids burst into pure golden light, swirling into a small funnel of energy.

“Step into the light to receive your reward.”

Without thinking, I took a few jerky steps into the funnel of energy that was once the two children. When I did, my entire body felt… strange. I couldn’t really describe it well there was a lot of different feelings swirling around my body at once.

“Who is this? What do you mean by Dream Warrior?” I asked, whipping my head around in the funnel of energy.

“All will be revealed…” the voice said again, now sounding much softer, calmer… female. “In time.”

The light gathered over my forearms, forming a pair of golden gauntlets with powder blue and light pink crescent patterns.

I smiled as I rotated the gauntlets and chuckled to myself as I walked toward the closest exit. “And now I know who you are. Thank you.”

I walked out of the school and steadied myself for whatever this nightmare world would throw at me. There were no demonic shadows that greeted me as I returned to the odd landscape. I scanned the area and saw that the closest location was a park of sorts. I gulped a bit as I started to wonder what kind of horror awaited me. I eventually made it to the park, and much like the school it was devoid of life at first.

“No Daddy, I can’t swim!!”

I shot up as if I was struck with a cattle prod and ran over to the source of young Zinnia’s voice. Sprinting to the edge of the gigantic lake in the centre of the park, looking across the water to see a large Shadow, holding what looked like Zinnia in her early teens by the scruff of her neck, preparing to throw her in.

“Please Daddy, don’t do this!” she cried, struggling against his grip. “I’ll learn, I promise! Please let me go!”

“Your actions shame the whole family!” the figure, who I’m assuming was Zinnia’s father, bellowed, his voice echoing across the water. “If you cannot keep your hands to yourself you will spend your days under the lake!”

I felt a white hot rage overtake me from such an awful threat and I couldn’t resist roaring, “Hey dickhead! You’re the only shameful thing I see!”

The Shadow glanced up, rolling his eyes. “Stay out of this, you naive child. How I discipline my daughter is my business.”

“Not anymore it isn’t!” I thundered. “You lost the right to call her that when you made that threat!” I started running around the lake in order to confront the shadow. He watched me for a moment before letting out an exaggerated sigh, beginning to grow as large, almost majestic wings sprouted from his back. Being the idiot that I am, this didn’t deter me, stopping just a few feet away from him.

“What is it with you nightmare shadows and your costume changes?” I asked as I looked up at him.

“It is none of your concern how our Lord blesses us,” the shadow scoffed, casually throwing the young girl out into the centre of the lake, where she splashed down and began thrashing in a panic. “Now then, can you truly hope to fight me and save her at the same time?”

“I dunno, but I’m sure as hell gonna try,” I smirked as I dove into the lake.

I held my breath and stayed underwater as long as I could so that the shadow have a harder time hitting me. I swam as fast as I could in order to make it to Zinnia before anything could happen to her. Just as my lungs started screaming for precious oxygen I surfaced, whipping my head around to get a good look at Zinnia and the shadow.

As I thought, Zinnia was still in the water, thrashing about even as she started sinking. Just as I began swimming towards her, I felt a set of large talons close around me, and I was lifted into the air above the lake.

“Pathetic,” the Shadow spat, spinning in the air and flinging me into a tree, where I crashed into it back-first.

“Gah!” I cried out in pain as I felt like my spine was nearly turned into powder. I slowly slid down to the ground and pulled myself onto shaky feet. “Y-you’re not gonna stop me that easily,” I huffed as I spat a small stream of water onto his talon.

The Shadow reared back, hissing as steam rose from where the water had splashed him. I smirked when I saw that and started laughing a little. “Oh, does the big, bad shadow not like water?”

He snarled, rearing back and taking to the air. “I am the Pheonix of Nightmares, the Immortal Pride of Darkness! A mere splash of water shall never end me!”

As soon as he said that I nearly doubled over in laughter. “Hey dumbass!” I called out to him. The Shadow snapped it’s gaze to me, snarling slightly. “I’ve got an entire lake to throw at you!” I laughed as I dashed towards the lake again, ignoring the pain in my back. I managed to breach the water’s surface again, diving and doing my best to make it to Zinnia while the shadow looked for an opening against me. When I needed air again, I surfaced slightly so that only my nose was exposed. I took all the air I could get in an instant and went back down and kept going towards Zinnia’s thrashing body. I finally managed to make it to her and threw an arm around her waist.

“Calm down, I’ve got you.” I said as I surfaced. Zinnia began coughing and spluttering, taking in as much air as she could before answering.

“Tha-” she tried before coughing again, managing to calm down a second later. “Thank you…”

“Don’t thank me yet, I’ve still gotta get you onto dry land,” I said with a smile as I started kicking my legs and slowly making way towards the other side of the lake. A piercing shriek rang out, not unlike a hawks, before a shadow began to grow around us.

“Look out!” Zinnia cried.

“Hold your breath!” I boomed before I pulled us both under the water as the shadow jettisoned toward us. Zinnia struggled for a moment before wrapping her arms around me, holding on for dear life. The shadow pulled away as its claws narrowly avoided us. I pulled us back over the surface of the water, both of us started taking gulps of air. “Keep looking out for that thing, I’m gonna focus on getting us out of the water,” I said, resuming my kicking.

Zinnia nodded, holding on to me as she scanned the air. “I-I’m Zoey,” she said shakily.

“I’m V… Peter, nice to meet you.” I told her with as big of a smile I could manage. Zoey smiled back before looking to the sky again, her eyes widening.

“Uh… he’s coming back around…” she said, her grip tightening. “A-and he’s on fire!”

“Alright, I’m gonna need you to hold your breath again,” I said in a calm tone. “His fire shouldn’t hurt us while we’re underwater.” Zoey nodded and I pulled us back down. I shielded her with my body as well as I could manage and hoped for the best as the shadow dove down. I clenched my eyes and started worrying about everything that could happen if I had just made the wrong choice.

Nothing happened for a moment, and I almost swam back up for breath before the Shadow’s talons breached the waters, the fire surrounding them managing to keep the water away from its flesh by turning it to steam.

‘Clever bastard…’ I thought, bringing an arm up to defend us out of reflex and closing my eyes. When nothing happened, however, I risked opening them again only to see the Shadow once more in the air, and when I breached the surface I saw steam rising from its talons.

“Ha! Looks like your little fire trick didn’t work!” I laughed as I loosened my tight grip on Zoey slightly, starting to swim again. The Shadow snarled at me and dived again, faster than before. “Oh shit!” I screamed as I brought up my arm again without thinking. I winced and put myself in front of Zoey in a vain hope of protecting her. Just when I was prepared for the Shadow to pluck me out of the water, the gauntlet on my hand started to glow with a brilliant golden light. Then, a gout of water shot out from the light and struck the Shadow, causing it to let out a pain-filled shriek. The Shadow pulled up and I looked at my hand dumbly. “This might just be the best gift I’ve ever been given,” I said to myself.

The Shadow shrieked loudly in challenge, circling us as I began pulling Zoey to the shore again, the girl keeping her eyes on it. Whenever it looked like it would dive again, Zoey tapped me on the shoulder, and I spun around to fire at it, narrowly missing each time but still managing to scare it off long enough to make some progress. This continued for some time until the both of us were able to start wading through the shallow part of the lake.

I turned to Zoey with a determined look and told her, “You need to get out of here Zoey, I’ll deal with this guy.”

Zoey frowned, steadying herself. “No!” she cried. “I’m not going to run away and leave you with that… thing!”

“Are we really going to have this argument?” I sighed as I looked between her and the Shadow. Zoey huffed in response, crossing her arms.

“Get down!” she cried out suddenly, tackling me to the floor just before the Shadow swept past, it's talons tearing up the earth where I had just been standing.

“Hey, I’m supposed to be the one saving you here,” I joked with fake indignation. Zoey chuckled from her position on top of me before smirking, giving me a lidded gaze.

“Hmm, maybe you can save me from something else later~”

“Well, uh… first we have to deal with that thing,” I stuttered as I tried to bring myself to a sitting position. Zoey blinked before blushing, standing and helping me up.

“Right, sorry,” she mumbled, rubbing her arm.

“YOU HARLET!!!” the Shadow screeched, bursting into flames and diving at us. “CAN YOU NOT KEEP YOUR SINFUL HANDS TO YOURSELF FOR ONCE IN YOUR DISGRACEFUL LIFE!?!”

“Didn’t I already say that the only disgraceful thing here is you!” I roared as I thrusted both of my fists at the Shadow and fired as much water at the thing as possible. The Shadow’s flames died as soon as the water made contact and it let out the loudest shriek yet. The Shadow faltered in the air and crashed to the ground in a small explosion of dirt and rocks. I turned to Zoey and said, “Come on, if you wanna help then let’s finish that thing off.”

Zoey nodded, charging forwards and grabbing a rock before hurling it as hard as she could. The Shadow stopped, hovering there as the rock bounced off its chest, giving the girl a ‘did you really just do that’ look.

“Hold on, allow me to try something,” I chuckled as I punched the air with my gauntlets and fired more water at the Shadow. The giant bird-thing dived under the blasts, skimming the ground as it flew at us at tremendous speeds. “Shit! Get out of the way!” I cried as I pushed us down, feeling the Shadow’s talons rake across my still very sore back. I let out a hiss of air through my teeth and forced a smile onto my face. “You okay?”

Zoey stared up at me in shock, blinking. “Y-yeah…” she stammered.

“Good because I have another idea,” I chuckled to avoid groaning in pain as I slipped off one of my gauntlets and held it in front of her. “Let’s split up and fire at that bastard from two sides to make it harder for him to dodge.”

Zoey nodded dumbly, taking the gauntlet and fastening it to her arm. She turned, aiming her arm as the Shadow came back around for another strike and letting loose a stream of water, striking it in the side of the face and making it shriek in pain as it veered away.

“Nice shootin’, Tex!” I beamed as I followed her example and shot at the Shadow in continuous bursts. The Shadow rolled and attempted to dodge, but one or two lucky streams of water managed to hit it in the wings, causing it to shriek in anger and pain as it spun out toward the ground. “Looks like I clipped the little birdie’s wings,” I told Zoey with a grin as the Shadow continued to fall, the girl letting out a short bark of laughter.

“How dare you!!” the Shadow boomed, climbing to it's feet and looming over us. “You take away my Lord’s gift of flight!?! I will tear your flesh from your bones and use what’s left to pick my teeth!!”

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but first you gotta throw ‘em!” I laughed as I leveled my fist at the Shadow and fired right at its face. “Zoey, let ‘im have it!”

“Sir, yes sir!” Zoey cried, laughing madly as she skirted around the Shadow’s side, blasting it with a barrage of watery projectiles. We both circled around the Shadow, steam obscuring it from our view as the thing started to shriek pitifully. I almost felt bad for the thing, but then I remembered what it had tried to do to Zoey and started blasting it with more intensity. This went on for a few minutes and eventually the Shadow’s cries of pain died off.

“Alright, I think we’re done here,” I said as I lowered my hand and carefully watched the steam that veiled the Shadow. As the cloud cleared up, I chuckled as I saw the Shadow again, back into it’s more human-like form. “Hmm, now who’s pathetic?”

“Shut… up…” the Shadow panted, glaring at me as it struggled to lift itself. “You… will see… your end…”

“Maybe, but not because of anything you’ll do,” I smirked as I fired one more blast of water right between the Shadow’s eyes. The Shadow let out one final scream before wavering out of existence. I then looked over to Zoey with a confident smirk and smoldering eyes. “So, what was that about saving you from something else?”

Zoey smirked, taking the gauntlet off and tossing it back to me. “Perhaps another time, Dream Warrior,” she purred, her eyes beginning to glow bright gold.

I slumped over and let out a long sigh. “Figured that was gonna happen. Alright, turn into that golden light thing like before,” I said as I put the gauntlet back on. Zoey smiled serenely, spreading her arms wide just before she burst into the golden light from before, this time leaving behind a faint, powder-blue figure with pale yellow hair and soft pink ribbons connecting it’s shoulders to it’s wrists.

“As each obstacle is surpassed,” the figure chimed, holding her arm out as the funnel of light formed again. “More of my form is restored, and more of the Draconid’s mind is saved from her past. Step into the light, Dream Warrior, and receive your reward.”

“Can you answer a question for me?” I asked as I stepped forward. “Was there a reason why I was pulled into Zinnia’s mind? Or did I just happen to be close by when Darkrai’s influence was spreading?”

“What you saw was the foul substance poisoning ‘Zinnia’,” the figure explained. “I, however, managed to alter it, to pull the consciousness of Zinnia’s most trusted individual in range into her mind to purge it.” She paused, a light giggle sounding out. “So I suppose it was a combination of the two, in answer to your question. Should another, more trusted one have been nearby, you would not have been chosen, but that you were is a statement in and of itself.”

“Okay,” I shrugged stepping into the golden light. “Either way I was still going to do everything I could to help,” I chuckled and grinned at the figure.

“I had no doubt,” she nodded. “Good luck, Dream Warrior. Things will only become more difficult ahead.”

I nodded back as she faded away, looking down as the golden light followed suit and inspecting the new addition. A pair of golden, plated boots with powder blue cuffs and a small pink crescent on each of my ankles shined in the sunlight.

“Hmm, a little too flashy by my usual tastes. But if they’re half as useful as these gloves have been, then I love them,” I smiled as I walked out of the park. I surveyed the landscape to see what the closest location would be.

“Of course…” I muttered with a slight grin, seeing a large, purple-painted building in the distance with a giant neon sign of a busty woman on a stripper pole above it. A large white canopy hung over the front door, with another neon sign above that simply read ‘XXX’. “Looks like I’m going to be paying “Zeta” a visit,” I chuckled as I made my way down the hill and towards the city-scape that the building was a part of. It didn’t take me long to make it to the building. I figured the fact that I was inside a dream had something to do with that. I tried to make myself as unassuming as possible (something that is pretty hard to do with gold-plated boots) as I pushed the door to the building open and slipped inside.

It was pretty dark inside, with posters of what I assume were adult films in Zinnia’s world lining the walls. Titles like ‘Cum My Way’ and ‘Lady of the Cock Rings’. I blinked, pausing as I passed another two - ‘The Trouble with Tribbing’ and ‘Futa Fever’. Every one of the posters showed Zinnia in a state of undress and in a different position each time, but these two were… wow.

“I think I’m just gonna…” I mumbled as I took those last two off the wall and slipped them into my pocket. “... save these for later. Now, let’s see where ‘Zeta’ is so I can purge whatever darkness is here.”

I pulled myself away from the posters and started to look for where the ‘magic’ happened, figuring that was where I was most likely to find her. I passed through a long, dark hallway, the smell of perfume and stale sex heavy in the air. Eventually, there were bright spots of light shining at the end of the hallway. I quickened my pace and after a minute of jogging, I had found what I was looking for.

A professional film set - at least, I think it was - with hazy grey figures walking back and forth behind the cameras, working all the equipment. I reached out as one passed me, my arm phazing right through.

“Huh…” I muttered. “Passive memories, I guess.”

I looked up as a figure walked onto the stage, recognising her as Zinnia - or Zeta - in an incredibly tight dress with a low neck, her nipples showing through the fabric.

“Uh, I’m not sure about this one…” she said nervously, rubbing her arm.

‘Never thought I’d hear her say something like that,’ I thought as my eyes roved along her dress. ‘But, this is a younger Zinnia. I think I know who’s going to be the monster I have to fight this time. Cue the asshole, abusive director!’ I thought with a smirk.

One of the grey memories stood up, moving over and speaking to her for a moment before she gave it a quick hug. “O-okay, I guess… I guess I can try…” ‘Zeta’ muttered before the figure left the stage, taking a seat in the director’s chair. Zeta took a deep breath before nodding to the cameras, slipping into character as they began rolling. “Ugh, where is that landscaper…” she muttered, crossing her arms and pushing her breasts up.

‘Huh, so the director was a bust,’ I thought with a frown. ‘So who’s going to be the crazy monster I have to fight? This just looks like a classic porn scenario is about to play out. Do I have to find some other place to purge darkness?’ I scanned the room, only finding gray figures instead of the shadows like I had at the last two locations.

I looked up as Zeta gasped, seeing the door on the side of the set swing open. “There you are!” she cried, putting her hands on her hips in mock anger. “What took you so long!”

“Shut the fuck up, you fine little bitch!” a feminine voice boomed out, and a second later a tall, busty Shadow stepped in, grinning madly and brandishing a small knife. “There’s much better things you can do with your mouth.”

‘Oooh, it was the co-star,’ I thought with a look of realization as I snuck along the set, trying to get behind the shadow. ‘And it’s a woman too, now that is a clever twist on the whole landscaper and the rich debutante trope.’ I finished my thought as I made it to the doorframe that the Shadow had emerged from. I then jumped out, attempting to bring both of my fists down on the Shadow’s skull before she could transform.

The Shadow spun and swept her arms towards me, a blast of air sending me flying back. “Pathetic,” she spat before turning to Zeta again, slashing out with her knife. I crashed into a nearby wall, spare equipment and props clattering to the floor as I cried out in pain when I landed on the slash marks that I got earlier. I let out a low growl, picking up a dildo that had flopped onto my head and throwing it at the Shadow, flopping against her cheek harmlessly.

“Hey bitch! I’m not done with you yet!” I roared, standing up again.

The Shadow turned slowly, blood dripping from it’s blade. “Oh, does the little boy wanna get frisky?” she purred, a lecherous grin forming on her lips.

“What I want is for you to stop attacking my friend!” I growled, fists clenched at my sides. I took a step forwards, the boots glowing as I did and a block of stone shooting up from the floor, which I instinctively spun and kicked at the Shadow.

The Shadow dove out of the way, glaring at me as it stood afterwards and it began to grow, chest and rear expanding as it’s clothes shrank away. “Friend? Please. You just want her for her body,” she spat, standing tall and thrusting its chest out, eyes closed proudly. “Like how you’re staring at me right now.”

In response, I stomped on the floor several times, stones shooting up which I punched right at the Shadow’s face. All of them made contact and she opened her eyes to continue glaring at me. “I’m not in the mood for head games you ugly cunt. So let’s just fight so I can kill you and save my friend!”

“UGLY!?!” the Shadow cried in indignation, rearing back. “How DARE you!?! I’ll milk you dry until all that’s left is dust!!”

“Try me, bitch!” I boomed.

The Shadow thrust her hands forward, sending a gust of wind at me. I stomped on the ground again, a wall of rock preventing the wind from pushing me into the wall again. I punched the wall, sending it flying towards her. She sliced it in half with a wave of air and I tucked and rolled to avoid her attack.

The Shadow pressed her attack, advancing on me and sending constant blasts and slices of air with fluid swipes and kicks, jumping and flipping as she did so with some kind of martial art. I barely managed to dodge, erecting walls of earth when I couldn’t and sealing her in boxes of stone when I was cornered. I rushed over to one of the boxes of stone and roundhouse kicked one of the walls in an attempt to crush her. The wall started moving, but before it could hit her she sliced it in half with another wave of air. My eyes widened as the wave continued hurtling towards me. I wasn’t able to dodge and the wave sliced into my chest, causing me to cry out in pain and fall to the ground. I put a hand to my chest and examined it, groaning when I saw a thin layer of blood on it.

“Oh no~!” the Shadow cried sarcastically, stalking closer. “The whore’s ‘valiant knight’ isn’t a perfect fighter after all~!”

“You’re right, I’m not a perfect fighter,” I said with a groan. “But I’m not a valiant knight either,” I continued with a small smirk, stomping my foot to cause a jagged pillar of rock to erupt between the Shadow’s legs. “I fight like a rotten, no-good bastard.”

The Shadow froze, eye twitching as she let out a pathetic-sounding whine of pain. “Mother!” she cried before exploding in a flurry of shadows, the remnants sinking into the floor.

I laughed and allowed my head to fall to the floor, exhausted. “And here I thought a porn-star would love to have a long, hard pillar between her legs. Guess I was too much for her to handle.” I winced as I put a hand to my wound, pushing myself to my feet and stumbling over to Zeta, who lay sobbing in the centre of the stage, the grey passive-memories surrounding her and seeming to be in a panic.

“It’s okay now, she’s gone.” I said as I knelt down beside her. Zeta looked up to me, tears in her eyes, and I winced when I saw the huge cut across her lower back.

“I-it hurts…” she muttered shakily, looking up at me pleadingly.

“I know,” I said as I took one of her hands and put it on my chest wound causing me to flinch slightly. “But the pain will go away eventually.”

Zeta sniffled, whimpering slightly as she pushed herself up, wincing. “P… Promise?”

“For a girl like you? I’d promise anything,” I told her with a goofy smile. Zeta smiled shakily, moving over and hugging me gently.

“Th-thank you…” she muttered, shaking again as tears poured from her eyes. “Thank you… s-so much…”

“You’re welcome… I just wish I could’ve been faster. Then you wouldn’t have gotten that cut,” that last part I muttered to myself.

The girl went still, a golden light overtaking her body before splitting away, leaving the pale blue figure from before. Instead of swirling into a cone, however, the light wrapped around me, forming a white strap across my torso and a large, golden sword on my back, the guard and handle being a mix of blue and pink.

“The girl’s injuries were unavoidable, Dream Warrior,” the figure said sadly, stepping away. She was more defined now, a pale yellow gown covering her curves as she blinked with pure pink eyes. A large pink gem appeared in her forehead as she began floating. “They are a fixed point in her memory, the pain a part of her character. Ask about scars when you awake, and you shall see.”

“Okay, but could you maybe change up my weapon?” I asked as I tugged at the sword. “I’ve kinda gotten used to being a gunslinger.” The figure tilted her head curiously before nodding, holding her hands out.

“Of course. Merely hand me the weapon.”

I did as she asked and carefully placed the sword into her outstretched hands. Her hands glowed with a golden light that overtook the sword until it was a silhouette. The silhouette started to shift until it looked like the outline of a large pistol. When the light died down, the figure offered me the new weapon, a large golden revolver with two chambers that seemed to flip to line up with the barrel, both decorated with pink and blue crescents. The handle had a large guard around it, coloured pink and blue, and there was a large crescent moon on the side.

“Is that more to your preferences, Dream Warrior?” the figure asked, smiling sweetly. She then held out a much smaller, two-shot pistol with a gold body and blue/pink handle.

“I might have to get used to the double barrels,” I said as I took the guns and examined them. “But yeah, this is totally my speed,” I told the figure with a grin as I holstered the guns with a flourish.

“Wonderful. Now then, do you have any questions that need answering before you continue?”

‘None that wouldn’t offend,’ I thought as I stole a glance at the figure’s curves.

“Nope, I think I sated my curiosity last time.”

“I know of your urges,” the figure giggled. “Do not worry yourself about offending me. Please feel free to speak your mind.”

“Uhhh…” I drawled as a blush spread across my face. “I’d better get going, Zinnia needs saving!” I thundered as I ran out of the studio, the figure’s giggling ringing in my ears.

I burst through the doors and whipped my head to see where I’d need to go next. For some reason, one building in particular seemed to stick out. Which is strange considering it was one of the most typical houses I’ve ever seen. Two stories, white picket fence, the whole nine yards. I started jogging over to the house, wary of what I was going to find this time. I made it to the front door rather quickly and put my ear to it in an attempt to hear something. I didn’t hear anything so I slowly turned the knob with my hand hovering over my double barrel revolver. I walked inside to find a rather dark living room, no signs of life at first. I craned my head, keeping an eye out for anything that could sneak up on me.

“I don’t believe this…” I heard from further in the house. “You’re a prostitute? Really?”

“No, Mom,” a second, familiar voice groaned. “I’m an actress. I just happen to be in the adult film business.”

“All I hear is ‘whore for hire’,” the first voice spat.

‘Oh this is just going to end well,’ I thought as I drew my revolver and followed the sounds of the voices. Turning the next corner, I saw a young man with long black hair peeking around a doorframe. ‘That must be her brother, Ace,’ I thought as I got a good look at him.

“Hey, where’s Zoey?” I whispered.

Ace jumped, spinning to face me before glaring openly. “Great…” he muttered. “First Mom finds out about Zo’s job, and now some crazed fan wants to kidnap her.”

“I’m not here to kidnap anyone,” I deadpanned with a roll of my eyes. “I’m a friend of Zoey’s,” I said as I put the gun out of sight. “And you’re Ace, right? She’s told me a lot about you. Like what you did for her 18th birthday,” I finished with a knowing smile.

Ace blushed, turning away with a huff. “Alright, fine,” he grunted, looking around the door again. “Zo’s in there, talking to our mom. I wouldn’t go in there though, Mom’s got kind of an… explosive temper.”

“Yeah,” I chuckled as I strode towards where he indicated. “And I’ve got a winning personality, I think I’ll be just fine.” Before Ace could stop me, I walked into a kitchen to find Zoey and her Shadow mother in the middle of an argument. I cleared my throat to get their attention and said, “Hey, sorry if I’m interrupting something,” I paused and chuckled to myself for a moment. “Actually, that’s a lie, I really wanted to interrupt this argument.”

Zoey glanced up at me, her eyes widening. “Peter…” she breathed in disbelief.

“And just who are you?” the Shadow-Mom sneered, crossing her arms. “Another of my whore daughter’s boy-toys?”

I couldn’t resist the opportunity and struck a pose. “I am a hunter of peace, and I search for the elusive mayfly of love. And I am a friend of your daughter’s. Not just a dick attached to a body to scratch her feminine itches.”

“But you have scratched her itches, hmm?” the Shadow persisted, quirking her brow. “I can tell. You are just as sex-driven as her. You both disgust me.”

“I actually haven’t slept with your daughter,” I told the Shadow.

‘At least not at this point in her life.’

“I don’t believe you,” she spat. “The way you keep glancing at her, you know her much more than you let on. You’ve clearly been between her whorish legs on more than one occasion.” The Shadow huffed, turning and striding out of the kitchen. “I want the two of you out of my house. And you can take that money-wasting brother of yours with you, slut!”

“Mom, please!” Zoey cried, following after the Shadow. “Punish me, sure, it’s not like I want to stay anyway. But leave Ace out of it!”

“No! I’ve put up with that bastard child of mine long enough - if he wants to live off of his mother’s income, he can go and find his real mother!”

‘Oh… okay did not expect to hear that,’ I thought as I blinked in confusion. ‘Might have to apologize to Zinnia later for listening to all this private drama. ‘Anyway, better go shoot this nasty shadow-bitch right between the eyes.’

I stomped after the Shadow, a glare on my face. “Where the fuck do you get off talking to those two like that?!” I roared at her.

“I raised them, that’s where,” she spat, turning and glaring back at me. She reached behind herself, taking small wooden box from the fireplace and grabbing a key from it. “Where do you get off talking to me like that, hmm?”

“It’s called empathy, and respecting the choices of a fellow adult! What’s wrong with Zoey being in porn? Or Ace spending money, money that he earned by the way, on video games?!”

“They are not adults, they are children. Pornography is a disgusting and disgraceful use of a person’s body, and video games are an utter waste of their time which could instead be used studying, or maybe looking for a job.” The Shadow rolled her eyes, shoving past me and moving into the hallway, opening a small door under the stairwell with her key. She disappeared down the stairs revealed, returning a few moments later in a suit of dark, traditional Samurai armour, a large sword in her hands. “Now then, got out of my home before I throw you out.”

“See, now you’re threatening me,” I sighed as I pulled out the revolver that the figure gave me. “I don’t respond well to threats.”

“Zoey, let’s get out of here,” I heard Ace say, and a few seconds later I heard them running out the door.

“Cowards,” the Shadow spat. “Spineless cowards, both of them. I can’t believe even one of them is mine.”

“Neither of them is really yours,” I growled. “You’re just a bad memory,” I finished as I fired a shot at the Shadow’s exposed face. It dodged to the side just soon enough for the shot to ricochet off of it’s helmet, glaring at me.

“Well, that’s a relief then,” she grunted before charging forward, swinging the sword at me. I brought up my revolver in an attempt to block her swing. I stumbled a bit and pulled out the side gun, firing both of its shots.

“You are a coward too,” the Shadow growled, jumping back and blocking my shots with a blur of motion, her sword glinting with the movement. “A firearm is such a coward’s weapon. No skill, no intimacy.”

“And now I know you’re an idiot,” I laughed as I lazily spun my side arm on a finger. “A gun can be a tricky weapon to master. Especially if you’re like me and have vowed to never kill an opponent.”

“You refuse to take a life?” the Shadow gasped in shock, actually stumbling back. “You would dishonour your opponent like that!?”

“There is no honor in taking someone’s life,” I told her with narrowed eyes. “I’m no one’s executioner. Even if the devil himself fought me I’d let him live,” I finished as I fired a couple more shots.

“You clearly have no respect for tradition!” she spat, charging again with her blade held high. “I will rend your head from your neck and use your skull as a chalice!”

“Ya know, that threat sounds more viking than samurai,” I chuckled as I peppered shots aiming at various parts that seemed to be unprotected by her armor. “And you’re right, I don’t respect traditions. If an idea’s stupid, I’ll say it’s stupid. Doesn’t matter how long people have been doing it.”

The Shadow let out a scream of rage, swinging at me and ignoring any shots I took. She attacked with a flurry of motion, her blade blurring out of sight at the end of each swing and seeming to leave a trail of steel light behind.

“Oh shit!” I screamed as I tried to dodge her sword. Despite my best efforts, I felt the blade cutting into me several times. I groaned in pain and jumped back in a vain attempt to get away from the Shadow’s swings.

‘Shit,’ I thought with a pant as I looked between her sword and myself. ‘Wait… maybe,’ I thought with a faint smirk.

“That’s it, I’m putting my foot down, young lady!” I boomed as I stomped on the ground and tried to pull off the same trick I had with the last Shadow. The Shadow arched her brow, stepping back and slashing the pillar of earth in two, kicking it back at me.

“Did you think you could use the same tactics twice?” she asked in disbelief, arching her brow. “We know how the others are defeated, and we learn from their mistakes.”

“Really, cause you all seem to be making the same mistake,” I said with a confident smirk despite cursing internally at the failure of my trick.

“What might that be?” she asked. “Our vanity? The fact that we all know that we are better than you?”

“Well considering the fact I’ve beaten all the other Shadows that came before you, I wouldn’t say that you’re all better than me,” I laughed. “But no, that’s not the mistake you all keep making. It’s that you all think you can get away with terrorizing somebody I care about,” I finished as I stomped on the ground again, creating a wall of stone.

The Shadow charged forward, slicing through the stone before sliding to a stop. “...Where did he go?”

“Yeah, where did that handsome devil go?” I said as I pressed the revolver to the back of her neck. The Shadow froze, sighing and dropping her blade as she straightened out.

“As much as I am loath to admit it,” she muttered. “That was… well played. Congratulations. Now take my life.” I frowned a bit and pulled both triggers of my gun, the Shadow not making a sound as it burst out of existence.

‘You didn’t actually take a life,’ I assured myself with a deep, steadying breath. ‘These are just corrupted memories, nothing more.’ After collecting myself for a little bit I looked around the room and quirked a brow.

“So, where’s the golden light? It’s usually here by now,” I wondered aloud. Looking around, I realised that the younger Zinnia from the dream was actually gone, her and her brother nowhere to be seen. “Oh, great. Now I have to find them.” I sighed as I opened the door to the house and called out, “Zoey, Ace, where are you?!” I looked around the dreamscape and they didn’t seem to be anywhere in sight.

‘Okay, if I was Zinnia and her brother where would I be?’ I thought as I scratched the side of my head. ‘Uh… I don’t know all that much about Ace, really should’ve asked Zinnia more about him. Okay, my stupidity aside let’s try Zinnia. Hmm, where would she feel safe after being thrown out by her mother?’ I strained my brain for a moment before my face lit up. ‘Wait a second, back at the studio she seemed to have a good relationship with her director! I should head back there!’ I patted myself on the back for a moment for my brilliant idea and ran off to Zinnia’s workplace. I stopped in front of the door and caught my breath, all my cuts and injuries acting up and causing me to wince.

After shaking my head and pushing the pain to the back of my mind as best I could, I walked inside and called out, “Zoey, are you in here?”

A grey memory looked up from the desk in front of the door, seeming to say something before pointing down the hallway.

“Thanks,” I nodded before walking down the hallway and back into the studio. When I entered the room I found Zoey talking to a grey memory, Ace stood leaning against a wall not far away. “Zoey!” I called out, waving at her with a relieved smile. “You’re okay!”

Zoey looked up, a bright smile crossing her face as soon as she saw me. “Peter!” she cried, standing and rushing over to me, tackling me with a tight hug. “Thank you so much!”

“Gack!” I whined as I returned the hug as best as I could. “Careful, you might open up some of my cuts if you keep squeezing like that,” I managed to wheeze.

“Your what!?”

“I knew it…” Ace sighed, shaking his head. “I warned you about our Mom.”

“A few flesh wounds is nothing when it comes to defending the honor of a lady!” I beamed with a goofy smile at him. Ace just rolled his eyes, smiling a little.

“Well… thanks, I guess,” he said. “For helping us out when you did. Not many people in this world would do that.”

“Hmm, yeah,” Zoey hummed in agreement, still hugging me, though a lot more gently. “I feel so safe with my own Guardian Angel watching over me…”

“Heh, I’m no angel, Zoey, but my arm is!” I joked as I held up my right arm.

“Yes, quite,” a familiar voice chuckled, and I looked up to see Ace’s eyes glowing gold. Seconds later, Zoey pulled away, walking over to her brother with her own eyes glowing golden before taking his hand. Both of them seemed to merge into one, their bodies becoming golden light as they did before the figure from before appeared, now looking completely solid as she floated down to the ground, her gown fluttering in a non-existent breeze. “Congratulations, Dream Warrior. You now have but one demon to defeat in this quest, but be warned, he is the most powerful of your challenges.”

“I haven’t come this far just to give up now, Cresselia.” I said with a warm smile. “Even if I was the kind of person to abandon my friends, I’d still have to finish this quest to get back to the real world.”

Cresselia chuckled, shaking her head. “Of course you recognised me,” she said, waving her head and dispelling the dreamscape, leaving us in the white void from before, the twin monitors appearing behind me and a large, black castle before me. The building seemed to be steaming with shadows, it’s foundations spiderwebbing out and digging into the white void’s ground. “But no matter. Like I said, now is your greatest challenge, for you are fighting Darkrai’s Puppet himself. My final gift will help you, but only your skill will purge his darkness from this poor girl’s mind.”

Cresselia paused, looking up with a sad face before speaking again. “Although… I am afraid we may already be too late…” she sighed, gesturing to the monitors. I looked back to see them tinted red, my heart almost stopping when I realised that Morning was there, held by the throat with the hand holding her burning with blue flames, another hand coated with shadows ready to strike, presumably going for the kill.

“M...Morning,” I muttered, my legs buckling and threatening to go out from under me. Before I could collapse I steeled myself and turned back to Cresselia with determination in my eyes and a tear falling down my cheek. “I already said that Darkrai’s tricks won’t work on me. I’ll finish this fight, and I’ll make Darkrai regret ever screwing with me, and more importantly, Zinnia!”

Cresselia gave me a sad look, blurring out of my sight before I felt her slam into me, her arms wrapping me in a hug. “I am sorry, Dream Warrior…” she muttered. “But Darkrai spoke the truth. The images you see are true. But we can prevent any more damage from occurring, if we move fast.”

“I didn’t dress up as a character called Vash the Stampede, or the Humanoid Typhoon because I like moving slow,” I said with a cocky grin as I petted Cresselia’s hair.

‘It’s a shame she’s a Pokemon because she’s really cute like this,’ I dimly noted in the back of my head.

“Now, I’m kind of hoping your final gift is a Master Ball. I do like the irony in turning Darkrai into a servant considering everything he’s done to Zinnia and her friends,” I told her with a smile.

The Lunar Pokemon smiled, stepping back. “As poetic as that may be, that is not the case,” she said. “This gift is the most powerful of them all, to match the upcoming battle. As such, bestowing it upon you is going to require me being much more…” She paused, blushing a little as she looked away. “Intimate…”

“Uhh… what do you mean by intimate?” I asked with a dark blush of my own.

Cresselia’s blush grew, and she looked away as she crossed her arms almost self-consciously. “I… I am going to require you to disrobe…” she muttered. “You must be wearing only what I have gifted you.”

‘Is… is she serious?’ I thought with a dumb look. I turned back to the monitors again and my stomach lurched. ‘Damn it, I can’t hesitate, time is of the essence.’ I took a deep breath and practically tore all my clothing off, the various pieces of my outfit strewn about the white mindscape.

“There, n-now what do you need me to do?” I asked, staring down at the ground, seeing some of the red marks along my body from where the Shadows had hit me.

Cresselia glanced up and gulped. “I-I…“ she muttered, shaking slightly. “I-I… Um… I am extremely nervous right now…” Taking a deep breath, she turned to face me, face bright red as her dress falling away. “This does not need to finish, but we must be in the most intimate embrace two beings can partake in. Please, Dream Warrior… insert yourself into me.”

‘Goddammit,’ I thought as my blush overtook my face. ‘I’ve gotta do it with a Pokemon to save Zinnia. Couldn’t I have just slayed a demon army or something?’ I took a shaky breath and stepped up to Cresselia and took her in my arms.

“Ok I’ll… I’ll uh just… yeah,” I stuttered as I leaned down, tilting her head up as I pressed my lips to hers. Cresselia locked up as I did, shaking visibly even as she slowly placed her hands on my shoulders. I pulled away slightly and my blush intensified as I placed a hand on her cheek, stroking it softly. “R-relax, it’s not like I’m going to hurt you or anything,” I offered with a nervous chuckle.

Cresselia flinched slightly, closing her eyes. “... I know the pain of this embrace…” she muttered, resting her forehead on my chest. “I have heard of the pleasures, but only experienced pain. Please, just… get it over with…”

“Wait, what are you trying to say?” I asked, confused.

“... I have had to bestow this power before…” the Lunar Pokemon said. “And every time, when my Shards returned to me, all I felt from their experience was the pain of pen-” she stopped, seeming to choke on the word slightly. “P-Penetration.”

Clop is about to start, move onto the next marked point to skip it.

I pulled away from our embrace slightly, and got down to my knees. Then I grabbed Cresselia by the hips and brought her forward. “I know time is of the essence here, but I’m going to make sure that this is as painless as possible for you.” I said as I ducked my head between her legs and licked her slit from the bottom to her clit.

Cresselia gasped quietly, her hands flying to the back of my head. “O-oh my…” she muttered, her shaking calming slightly. “W-what did you do? Why… why are my nethers becoming wet?”

“I’m trying to stimulate you,” I answered between licks. “If you’re properly wet and aroused then it won’t hurt nearly as much when I penetrate you,” I finished before pulling her clit into my mouth and swirling my tongue around the little nub of flesh. Cresselia gasped again, doubling over slightly as her hands gripped my hair.

“O-oh… oh my… th-that is… r-rather nice…” she stammered, her breathing becoming ragged as she began gently pushing me further in. “P-please… do not s-stop…”

“Well, I have never been one to deny the requests of fair maidens,” I said with a grandiose tone as I looked up at her and wetted two fingers. “And it seems that habit extends to fair maidens that happen to be Pokemon,” I winked as I latched onto her clit again with my mouth, one of my fingers gently pressing at her entrance before going inside.

Cresselia winced out of habit, slowly calming down when she realised that the intrusion wasn’t hurting her. “H… how?” she muttered, a small moan escaping her lips. “How are you making me feel this way?”

“A true gentleman finds a way for a lady,” I winked at her, surprising myself with how easy the words came out of my mouth considering how uneasy I still felt about the whole situation. I shrugged the feeling away and continued slowly pushing my finger into her folds, rubbing it along her walls in an attempt to further stimulate her.

This continued for a time, with Cresselia letting out small moans and whimpers of pleasure, before the Lunar Pokemon stumbled back slightly, kneeling down with me.

“I think…” she said, flashing me a shy smile. “I think I am ready. For you.”

“If that is what the lady wishes,” I smiled at her, standing up. “I’ll let you take the lead. I don’t want to hurt you after all.”

Cresselia nodded, eyeing my member nervously before standing and reaching out. Slowly taking hold of it, she moved closer, stroking me gently as she did before leaning in and kissing me.

“Thank you, Vash,” she breathed, slowly guiding me to her opening. “Thank you for showing me the pleasurable side.”

“I just couldn’t stand the thought of hurting a beautiful lady,” I smiled at her. “A simple thing like that doesn’t deserve thanks,” I finished with a stroke of a cheek. “In fact, I should be thanking you for all the help you’ve been giving me throughout this quest.”

“Maybe,” she giggled, before pressing close to me, her slit resting on my tip. She shuddered a little, closing her eyes. “But… you have done more for me than any other in over ten thousand years. So thank you.” Smiling sweetly, Cresselia looked up at me, placing a quick kiss on my lips. “Now please… take what you have earned.”

“If that is what the lady wishes,” I repeated, moving my hips as slowly and gently as I could, parting her folds at a snail’s pace. I then wrapped my arms around Cresselia and kissed her deeply in an attempt to get her mind off any possible pain. Cresselia whimpered quietly, wrapping her arms around my neck as she pushed herself down a little faster, freezing when I felt a barrier within her.

Pulling back, Cresselia looked to me with wide, tearful eyes full of fear. “Please… be gentle…”

“Of course, I already said I didn’t want to hurt you,” I told her before pulling her back into a kiss, inching myself into her as slowly as I could manage. An idea popped into my head and I flicked my tongue at her mouth, asking permission to enter. The Lunar Pokemon shuddered at the feeling, slowly opening her mouth too and meeting my tongue halfway. I lazily wrestled her tongue with my own as I finally made it past her hymen, going rigid when I did.

Cresselia froze, holding me tightly for a moment as she let out a whimper of pain. I did everything I could to replace the pain with pleasure, kissing her deeper and running my hands up and down her body. Even circling her clit with a finger a few times. After a moment, the Lunar Pokemon seemed to relax, leaning on me.

“...Th-this is…” she muttered, shifting and sliding down further with a quiet gasp. “This is m-much better than before…”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself,” I said with a quick squeeze. “D-do I have to be all the way inside you before the… uh final gift thing can be given?” I asked, my nervousness returning.

“Y-yes… W-we must be as close a possible.”

“O-okay then, wanna help me with that then?” I asked with a nervous chuckle that I tried to play off as I squeezed a cheek of her ass. “This sort of thing is better if we work together.” She nodded nervously, rocking her hips slowly as she sank down my length, closing her eyes and moaning quietly. I did my part, slowly pushing inside her, desperate to avoid doing something that would hurt her. I had to bite back a moan myself as I slid further and further inside her velvet walls.

‘Damn, I really have to fight back the urge to just go wild. She feels... incredible.’ I thought as I let out a low moan. Cresselia pulled me close, kissing me passionately as she slid down the last few inches, suddenly wrapping her legs around my waist. I moaned into the kiss, reluctantly pulling away.

“I-I think I’m all the way in now. Are… are you feeling okay?”

Cresselia said nothing for a moment, resting her head on my shoulder. “...I feel… amazing…”

“I’m glad I could make you feel that way, even briefly,” I said with a bright smile. “So, is this the part where I get surrounded by a golden light again?”

The Lunar Pokemon smiled back. “Not quite,” she said, before leaning in and kissing me again, her whole body glowing golden before she melted into light, surrounding my body again.

Clop is over now, you can resume reading the story now.

I closed my eyes as the light blinded me, opening them moments later to find Cresselia gone. Looking down, I found myself clothed again, this time in a golden duster with blue and pink crescents on the collar and sleeve cuffs, a powder blue shirt with gold buttons, pale gold pants and a pink belt. Golden goggles hung around my neck, the strap blue and the lenses pink.

“The goggles will enhance your aim further,” Cresselia’s voice said, echoing in my ears. “The clothes are the lightest, strongest armour known to the Dream Realm. And the duster allows you to use your Angel Arm infinitely, with no repercussions to your health or Zinnia’s mind.” She paused and, a second later, reformed before me, fully clothed again and with a blush and a smile on her face. “Good luck, Dream Warrior. I hope to meet you again.” With that, she leaned in, planting a kiss on my cheek before vanishing.

I looked over my clothes one more time as I walked towards the dark castle. “Hmm, thoughtful and beautiful… kind of like the one that gave them to me.” I noted, trying not to blush as what Cresselia and I just did together replayed in my head. “Zinnia is going to have a field day when I tell her everything about this trip inside her head.” I chuckled while shaking my head. Eventually, I made it to the front gate of the dark castle and I smirked down at my right arm.

‘She did say I could use it infinitely.’ I removed my right gauntlet and concentrated for a moment. My arm shifting and morphing into the grey, and massive cannon that I feared going off in the real world. The Angel Arm was monstrous and almost beautiful at the same time. The back end of the gun looked like multiple wings atop each other. The center was an opening for a glowing yellow sphere that looked like a miniature sun. The front was the strangest of all, several female-looking faces circling it with another wing coming from the side of one of them. And around the barrel was what looked like a golden halo. A strange sound echoed through the mind scape as the Angel Arm charged. I took a deep breath and fired a pure white beam that punched into the castle doors, blowing them off their hinges.

“My my…” a deep, condescending voice chuckled. I stalked into the castle, seeing Darkrai himself sat on a large black,white and red throne at the end of the room. “Don’t you just love the theatrics, hmm? Let me guess, that stupid Cresselia gave you her virginity, just like all the other ‘Dream Warriors’ she’s managed to recruit over the past ten thousand years.”

“Look, can we not go over what Cresselia and I just did?” I asked with a sigh. “I am still in the middle of burying some confusing feelings deep into my subconscious where I’ll never be able to find them again. Right now, I just want to get you out of my friend’s head,” I finished, pointing my right arm at Darkrai in a threatening manner. “So, are you going to leave quietly, or is papa Vash going to have to give you a spanking?”

“I’m afraid I don’t swing that way, boy,” he chuckled, standing up. I blinked as he began to grow, a black scythe with a red crossbar, white blade and single glowing blue gemstone in the head appeared in his hand. “And I’m afraid it’s going to take more than pointing at me to get me to release your friend.”

“Oh, this arm can do a lot more than point,” I said with a cocky grin as I formed the Angel Arm again. The strange noise rang out through the room again and I fired the beam right into Darkrai’s face.

‘Vash used Hyper Beam,’ I snarked in my head. ‘Hyper Beam was super effective.’

I smirked, watching as the dust cloud the shot had kicked up cleared before blinking. I rubbed my eyes and looked again.

“Is there a problem?” Darkrai asked nonchalantly, a small, glowing green disc hovering in front of his face. “What? Did you not expect me to Protect myself?”

‘Well shit, this isn’t going to be a fun experience,’ I thought with a grimace as I put the goggles Cresselia gave me on. ‘Probably should’ve convinced Cresselia to let me finish.’

“Oh, I saw that coming,” I lied, pulling out my revolver and shrugging. “I was just letting you know what to expect from this fight. By the end of this, one of those is going right up your ass.”

“I thought I had already said I don’t swing that way,” the Pitch Black Pokemon sighed, stepping forward and twirling his scythe in one hand. “And I see you haven’t listened. You’re still not thinking. What’s to stop me having Zinnia kill one of your little girlfriends as we fight? Or even herself? I could literally ensure my success either way.”

“Well, for the latter it’s rather obvious,” I laughed. “If Zinnia dies, you do too. You’re not the real Darkrai. You’re just a piece of him left behind to corrupt her. Face it, you’re scared of death,” I said, getting into a fighting stance.

“Why would I fear He who I will soon command?” Darkrai shot back, a Dark Pulse forming in his hand “I am already the Master of Darkness. I command Satan, and I corrupted Loyalty and Kindness. The Moon Herself kneels before me, and it will not be long before her Sister joins her.”

“Maybe if you were the real Darkrai, but you’re not. You’re barely a piece of him. Like I said before, hell even you said you were an illusion, you’re the shadow of a shadow. Nothing more,” I taunted a sweet smile on my face.

‘Vash, why are we taunting the giant Pokemon?’ I... or a piece of me asked. ‘Because if I get him angry he might get sloppy?’ I offered. ‘Or he’ll just kill us faster… Yeah, haven’t really thought this out too well.’

“How is that conversation with yourself entertaining you?” Darkrai asked, arching a brow. He held a hand out behind him, a dark purple portal opening behind him. “In the time it took you to have that, I decided to call some reinforcements.”

I gulped at that, watching the portal as a tall figure stepped out, dressed head to toe in black plate armour, the plates each ending with jagged red trimming. A horn extended from her head, and a long, almost gaseous mane flowed back from her head, almost seeming to hold the night sky within…

“Wh-who is this?” I asked, stumbling back, not wanting to believe my eyes.

“You called for me?” the new figure asked, completely ignoring me. “You of all people should know that the Dark Lord is not one to take me from.”

“Now now, Nightmare,” Darkrai chuckled, shaking his head. “I’m sure I can deal without you while I borrow you for a while. I am merely having some… pest troubles.”

‘No, she can’t be real,’ I thought with wide eyes as my revolver clattered to the floor. ‘This is just Darkrai trying to get inside my head. It has to be!’

‘Nightmare’ turned to me, sneering. “Is this the pest then?” she asked, rolling her eyes. “He looks pathetic. Can’t even hold on to his weapon.”

I trembled as I continued to look at Nightmare Moon, from her black fur, her cyan cat-like eyes, her dark armor, and her pointed teeth.

‘She’s not real,’ I repeated to myself slowly lifting my trembling right arm. ‘This is just an illusion created by Darkrai. Luna’s back home at the castle, waiting for me to come back safe. This… thing can’t be her!’ I screamed in my head as I clenched my eyes shut and tried to create the Angel Arm again.

“Hmm, he seems like he recognises me,” the mare sneered, turning to me. “I take it he’s seen the me from his world then?”

“Not quite,” Darkrai chuckled again. “He is from before your first Nightmare.”

“Oh? You’re in my past?” Nightmare asked, surprise in her voice. “Huh. How am I, then? Am I as ample here as I was in my own past, or did Tia take that away early?” she spat, suddenly glaring angrily.

‘Damn it, why does she sound so much like her?!’ I screamed in my head as I clenched my eyes tighter. ‘Come on, she’s just an illusion, you can’t let this beat you!’ I snuck one more glance at her and fell to my knees, my right arm falling to my side.

“I… I can’t kill you,” I said, barely above a whisper. “Even if you are an illusion. I just can’t bring myself to do it, Luna.” I finished, tears falling to the floor in steady drips.

“Illusion?” Nightmare echoed, before bursting out into cruel laughter. “You think I’m an illusion!? Haha!!”

“She is no mere illusion, boy,” Darkrai sneered. “She is perfection. She was the first to take my gift, the first to fight in my name, and the first to fall in my return. Nightmare Moon is my QUEEN.”

“Just wait,” Nightmare spat, smirking. “Wait until your pathetic little Luna turns. If you can’t stop her, then the world will fall - I know mine would have. I was without true purpose on my first turning, and would have frozen the planet had I not been stopped.”

“Yes, a mistake on my part, I must admit,” Darkrai nodded. “I had not counted on your young mind affecting your true form so much, and was not prepared for you to dive straight for the final goal.”

“What did you just say?” I asked, my tears stopping and my eye twitching slightly. “Did you just say that that is Luna’s true form?!” I roared, grabbing my revolver. “This is nowhere close to who she really is!”

“That,” Nightmare growled, phasing into a cloud of smoke before charging at me. I fired into the cloud, but she just opened holes that my shots passed right through before surrounding me, knocking the gun from my hands and reforming as she pulled me into an armlock. “Is a matter of opinion.”

“Yeah, and mine is the right one,” I said as I pulled out my sidearm and fired both shots at her horn. Nightmare staggered back, crying out in pain, and seconds later the giant Darkrai charged at me, firing his Dark Pulse and holding the stream as he closed in. I hit the ground to avoid Darkrai’s Dark Pulse, reaching out and retrieving my revolver before letting loose on the charging Pokemon.

“Gah!” Darkrai cried, skidding to a halt and blocking the shots with his scythe. “Coward!”

“Coming from a rapist and manipulator that means nothing!” I shouted at him, stomping on the ground to create a spire of rock to send at him. Darkrai slashed through, quickly firing another Dark Pulse before diving into a Dark Void portal.

I dodged the Dark Pulse, whipping my head in a vain attempt to try and find him. ‘If I were Darkrai, where would I attack from?’ A lightbulb went off in my head and I pointed my gun directly beneath me and fired.

“Nice try!” Nightmare cried, tackling me from behind. As I fell, she turned to mist again, flying straight up as another Dark Void opened directly above me, Darkrai surging out and a giant, glowing mouth tearing open in his head.

“Dream Eater!!” he screeched, moving to chomp down on me.

I whipped my arm out and turned it into the Angel Arm. “Eat this!” I shouted as I fired the Arm at him. A green barrier appeared in front of the Pokemon seconds before the attack hit, Darkrai halting in the air and waiting me out.

‘What!?’ I shrieked in my head as I watched as my attack harmlessly bounced off the barrier. ‘How was he able to use Protect while in the middle of an attack?!’ Once the Arm was done firing I scrambled to my feet and started to run, Darkrai hot on my heels.

“Surprise, motherfucker!” Nightmare laughed, materialising and sticking her leg out, tripping me. I reached out with my flailing arms, grabbing Nightmare and pulling her down with me in a pile of tangled limbs.

“Gah!” I cried out as I fell.

“Let go of me, you disgusting prick!” Nightmare growled, kicking me viciously. “Or I’ll cut your dick off and feed it to you!!”

“Would you be surprised to hear that my Luna has threatened my junk before?” I laughed, grabbing her horn in an attempt to keep her from using her magic. Figuring that Darkrai wouldn’t eat me if I had his “Queen” hostage.

“Unhand me!” she screeched, rearing back and punching me in the face.

“Not gonna happen,” I said woozily. “This is what you get for tripping me, and threatening my dick. I’m still not done with the thing yet.”

A blade slammed down inches from my head, and Darkrai appeared over me. “Let her go,” he said simply. “Also, your physical body is female. Shut up.”

“Or what? You’ll do what you were already going to and kill me?” I asked as I stood up, my hand still firmly on Nightmare’s horn.

“Not,” he growled. “Worse. I’ll Nightmare you, then let you loose on your loved ones. You will be responsible for the fall of your world, and the deaths of your women.”

“Huh, that is a pretty terrifying threat,” I said simply as I shoved Nightmare over to Darkrai by her horn. The mare cried out in pain, stumbling through him and curling up on the floor, clutching the base of her horn tenderly.

‘And now I feel like a dick.’ I thought with a slight wince. ‘But right now the lives of Zinnia and the girls are more important than her feelings.’

“Hmm, so you can be rather ruthless when the moment calls for it,” Darkrai chuckled, charging a Dark Pulse right in my face. “A shame I’m being told to kill you. Another world is not useful until ours in conquered, and you are in the way.”

“Gah!” I cried as I stomped a wall of rock to block the Dark Pulse from hitting me. “Come on, can’t we at least try to be friends?” I offered with a weak chuckle. “I think we might’ve just gotten off on the wrong foot.”

“Yes, quite,” the Pitch Black Pokemon agreed, stepping through a Dark Void he opened in the wall. “You tried to stop me. I’d say that is most definitely the wrong foot.”

“Yeah, see,” I chuckled. “Maybe we should just bury the hatchet?”

“Is your name Hatchet?” Nightmare suddenly chimed, pushing herself to her feet.

“Uhh, no, my name is Vash.”

“Well then I’m afraid there will be hatchet burying,” Darkrai chuckled. “One of us is dying today. Nightmare, you are dismissed.”

“Yes, my Lord,” the mare said, bowing and stepping through a Dark Void that opened beside her.

“Why did you send her away?” I asked, blinking in confusion. “She gave you the advantage over me.”

“Because I realised that you are truly pathetic,” Darkrai spat. “You cannot defeat me, not alone. And you have no way to call for help.”

“Does he not, brother?”

“Cresselia?” I asked, looking around the room.

“Ah, wonderful,” Darkrai grumbled, straightening out. “How are you, sister dearest? Still lowering yourself to helping mortals?”

“Enough of your hatred, Darkrai,” Cresselia spat, materialising with a swirl of golden light in her humanoid form, a golden-headed cane in her grip, the wood painted a swirl of pinks and blues. “You do not belong in this girl’s mind, let alone this world. Leave now, or be destroyed.”

‘Uhh, I suddenly feel a lot less important,’ I thought, blinking a bit.

“Cresselia, what are you doing here?” I asked, bewildered by her sudden appearance.

She turned and smiled at me, pulling on the head of her cane, which slid back, revealing a long, thin blade. “Assisting you, as I have been this whole time,” she said, walking up to my side. “I just got tired of sitting on the sidelines.”

“Was part of it the dramatic timing?” I asked with a weak chuckle. “Because I can totally understand doing that.”

“Forgive me,” the Lunar Pokemon replied, looking away. “I had to gather my strength. Darkrai’s influence weakens me even now.”

“And I will destroy you because of it!” Darkrai roared, charging forward and swinging his scythe. Cresselia pushed me back, countering with the wood of her cane before striking with the blade, pushing Darkrai back.

“I still have my Light, brother!” she cried, pressing forward. “And we both know that you cannot defeat me while I hold that!”

I snuck around the two fighting Pokemon. Dodging the backlash of their attacks as I put myself behind Darkrai. While the two were distracted, I formed the Angel Arm and aimed it at the Pitch Black Pokemon. I charged the Arm with as much power as I could get into it, for some reason all of the items Cresselia gave me started glowing with an intense golden light. Before the thing could fire I shouted, “Cresselia! Get out of the way!”

The Lunar Pokemon looked up, eyes widening at the sight before she dived out of the way. ”Fire at will, my love!”

‘Wait, what did she just say?’ I thought as an intense golden beam shot out of my arm, hitting Darkrai right in the back of his head. For some reason, this shot seemed to be pushing me back, sending me flying down the entryway of the castle.

“Ahh!” I screamed as I kept flying, feeling my back hit something and drifted off to unconsciousness.