I slowly felt myself wake up, my entire body feeling like it was coated in a layer of lead and my head pounding with an awful headache. I let out a long groan as my mind started working again. One thought in particular shot through me and I bolted up from where I was on wobbly feet.

        “Morning! Zinnia! Are you okay?!” I asked, whipping my head around the room. The girls were nowhere to be seen, making me panic a bit. Bolting up, I sprinted down the halls, desperately searching for them, barely registering that none of the guards were at their normal posts.

        Quiet sobbing reached my ears as I neared the throne room again. I narrowed my eyes and ran even faster, crashing through the doors of the throne room and stumbling my way inside.

        “Morning?! Zinnia?! Please tell me you’re in here!” I boomed, taking a moment to catch my breath.

        ‘Damn, that dream must’ve taken a lot out of me. I shouldn’t feel so tired from that short of a run,’ I noted as I collected myself. Looking around frantically, I saw Zinnia stood there, still as a statue, with Morning on the ground before her. Celestia and Luna stood off to the side, shock and fear in their eyes as guards surrounded Zinnia, holding her at weapon-point.

        I frowned and pointed my left arm at the surrounding guards, silently thanking Hodge as the hidden gunbarrel within it was revealed.

        “Guards, put those weapons down or I’m shooting them out of your hands,” I said with as much authority as a naked woman could.

        “We cannot do that,” one guard said, not looking away from Zinnia. “She has attacked our captain and threatened the lives of the princesses.”

        “And if you would put those weapons down, I’ll tell you exactly why it wasn’t her fault that she did that.”

        “No,” Zinnia whispered as the guards shared a look, slowly backing away. “No, Vash… They’re right. I’m a danger…” She paused, sniffling slightly. “I-I should’ve just gone home the first night…”

        I looked her right in the eye, smiled and said, “Zoey, can’t you just shut up and listen to a little story from your ‘Guardian Angel’?”

        She went rigid at that before a small, almost reluctant giggle escaped her lips. “Huh… I coulda swore I’d made him up…”

        “Vash, what are you trying to say?” Luna asked, tilting her head in confusion.

        “Zinnia going out of control wasn’t her, or even the dragon in her’s fault. It was Darkrai’s. He left a piece of him inside her during one of their meetings back on Zinnia’s world,” I explained, giving Zinnia a sad look. “But, that shadow gunk that surrounded me allowed me to enter her mind and purge that piece of Darkrai from her mind… with a little help from Cresselia.”

        “Huh,” the Draconid muttered, hugging her arms self-consciously. “S-so Darkrai was in my head? A-and I didn’t even know?”

        “Apparently, but he’s gone now. The fact that you and I are able to talk to each other like this is proof of that,” I told her with a bright smile.

        “What are you talking about?” Celestia asked. “Who are Darkrai and Cresselia?”

        “They’re two Pokemon from Zinnia’s world,” I answered. “Think of them as two sides of the same coin. Darkrai representing nightmares and darkness, and Cresselia representing good dreams and light. That sound about right, Zinnia?”

        “Y-yeah,” Zinnia nodded, shivering slightly. “They’re siblings, though I guess all the Legendaries are related. Though their official titles are ‘Harbinger of the New Moon’ for Darkrai and ‘Paragon of the Full Moon’ for Cresselia.”

        “Well to me, Darkrai is the Harbinger of the Assholes,” I laughed. Zinnia managed a small chuckle before looking to Morning, tears building in her eyes again.

        “I…” she breathed, dropping to her knees. “I remember everything… the rage, the… the need to kill…” She paused, holding her hands in front of her and whimpering slightly. “I-I hurt her… I…” Sniffling quietly, she slumped over, her shoulder shaking with her sobs.

        I walked over to her, going down to one knee and taking both of her hands in my own. “Zinnia, that wasn’t you, that wasn’t even the dragon in you. You didn’t hurt Morning, and once she hears what really happened I know that she’ll understand. You can’t beat yourself up over this. If there’s anyone that you should be beating up over this, it’s Darkrai. And when you do, call me, I’d love to kick his ass again,” I added a quick laugh at the end of that, smiling as brightly as I could. Zinnia managed a small smile too, for all of a second, before she glanced at her hands and winced again.

        “Vash…” she mumbled, just loud enough for me to hear. “I… I have blood on my hands…” Taking her hands back, she turned the left one over, the side of it streaked with blood. “Literally. I… I can’t be here if there’s even the slightest risk that Darkrai is still in my head…”

        “Zinnia, before I went inside your mind you said you trusted me. So trust me when I say that Cresselia and I kicked the everloving shit out of Darkrai and he is gone from your head. Forever.” I finished, emphasizing and drawing out that last point. “In fact, I’ll tell you exactly how I did it, but not here. We might wanna go somewhere private considering some of the details of my story.”

        “We’re interested in your story too, Vash,” Luna chimed, walking up to our side and placing a comforting hand on Zinnia’s hand, giving the Draconid a soft smile. Celestia joined her not long after, resigning herself to just smiling. I flinched a bit at seeing Luna, Nightmare’s face appearing before her own for a brief moment. I shook off the sight as quickly as it appeared.

        “Well, my complete story involves personal details of Zinnia’s life, so it’s up to her if she wants you to hear anything like that. Whaddya say?” I asked

        “I don’t mind,” Zinnia shrugged. “I… kind of owe them something after all this. And don’t say I don’t, because I feel like I do.”

        “Yeah, and I feel like there should be dangly bits between my legs, doesn’t mean they’re there,” I joked, sticking my tongue out at her and winking. “But, if you’re okay with sharing things with them then that’s up to you.” I stood up and offered her my left hand (without the gun being out) to help her up. “Now, let’s go find a comfy place to talk. And maybe we should grab a few snacks. This is going to be a long and entertaining story. And there’s one bit that I know you’re going to like.”

        Zinnia giggled, taking my hand and standing slowly. We turned to leave, Celestia ordering the guards to take Morning to the nurse to make sure she was okay and to stitch up any cuts, the mention of which made Zinnia wince. Just as the guards left and we reached the doors leading towards our bedroom, the main doors were flown open, Patty charging in, seeming to be in a frenzy of panic.

        “What the fuck happened?!” she cried, bare naked with twin scythes drawn. “Where is everyone!? WHO HURT MY BABY GIRL!?!?!”

        “Oh, hi Patty,” I said in an impression of a certain frenchman. “And the answer to your question is Darkrai, but I already took care of him. You can go back to having insane sex with Hodge now, or you can come and listen to the awesome story of how I saved the day. Spoiler alert, lasers will be involved.”

        The Displacer blinked slowly, seeming to come to her senses before she blushed brightly. “We, uh… We just ended up playing strip Twister. But yeah, let’s go.” She turned to follow us, dismissing her weapons and snapping her fingers, thin but covering clothes appearing on all of us.

        “Aww, I kind of liked walking around the castle naked,” I whined playfully. “I was starting to feel really sexy in this body.”

        “Fine,” Patty shrugged, snapping her fingers again and making my clothes disappear. “Not like I’m gonna pass up the view.”

        “I must say, it is a very nice one,” Luna giggled.

        “I concur,” Celestia nodded, staying behind me and her eyes locked on a certain part of my anatomy.

        “Good to know I can get a good reaction from you two no matter what gender I am,” I laughed as I entered the bedroom and took a seat in a chair in the corner of the room. “Now, who wants to hear the story of the great and noble hero Vash the Stampede… not to mention handsome, and how he defeated the douchebag Darkrai?” I asked in the voice of a stereotypical storyteller.

        “Oh, just shut up and tell us,” Zinnia giggled, taking a seat next to me and leaning on my shoulder. “Hope you don’t mind. I just… I need to be held right now.”

        “Not at all,” I enthused, wrapping my right arm around her. “I’m yours for the night, remember? And I don’t skip out on my promises.” I then cleared my throat and retold the story of what happened in Zinnia’s mind. From my initial meeting of Darkrai, to the fights with all of the corrupted memories, finishing off with the final defeat of Darkrai. I briefly considered leaving out what Cresselia and I did together, but I figured that Zinnia could use a bit of levity. What I did leave out though was the arrival of Nightmare Moon, I… I don’t know exactly why I did that, but I just didn’t feel comfortable talking about her. I finished my story with, “... and then all the stuff Cresselia gave me started to glow, and my Angel Arm fired a golden beam right in the back of Darkrai’s head. And that children, is the story of how Vash saved Christmas, and Zinnia. The end.”

        Silence reigned for all of five minutes before Celestia piped up. “What’s Christmas?”

        “Hearth’s Warming, hun,” Patty explained, chuckling to herself. “With a few changes here and there. I’m sure Vash can explain it another day.” She then sighed, leaning back on her hands and frowning. “I just… I can’t believe I didn’t pick up on that.”

        “Me neither…” Zinnia mumbled before she sat up, frowning playfully. “Hang on a second. You fucked a Legendary Pokemon in my head? I don’t know whether to feel violated or jealous.”

        “Yes Vash, do explain to us again why it was absolutely crucial for you to sleep with that whore… I mean, Cresselia?” Luna asked in a threatening tone, her horn glowing with her magical aura.

        I gulped nervously and replied, “Well, like I said before, she said it was so I could get the power necessary to defeat Darkrai. And that’s the truth. Oh, and Zinnia, get this. Apparently she’s a ten-thousand-year-old virgin. Crazy, right?”

        “Actually, I can believe that,” the Draconid said with a shrug. “From what you said, she was terrified of sex, probably because any ‘Dream Warriors’ she had to give that final gift to abused her trust of them.”

        “I guess,” I frowned. “But I can’t see how anyone could do that to her and feel right. Even if she is a Pokemon, she still has feelings. So, other than questions about human holidays, does anyone else want something cleared up?” I asked, my frown turning upside down.

        “Yeah,” Patty said, sitting up. “You said you think you heard Cresselia say something as you were blasted out, right? What was it?”

        I scrunched my face up and tried to recall what she said. “Yeah, I think she said, “Fire at will,” and there was something after that but I couldn’t make it out between the sound of her fight with Darkrai and the noise that the Angel Arm makes when it charges. She probably just called me Dream Warrior again,” I shrugged.

        All the girls shared a quick, concerned glance before turning back to me. “Vash…” Luna said. “Do you… do you know how it makes a girl feel when they’re scared of something hurting, and a man shows her how good it can be?”

        “Uhhh…” I drawled, not sure how to respond as I gaped like a fish. “No?” I finally admitted weakly.

        “I think she may slightly like you, dude,” Zinnia provided. “Like, like like you.”

        “What?!” I shrieked, a dark blush on my face. “Th-that’s… I mean she… and I… she’s a… and I’m… I… uh… there’s just no way she could like me that way,” I managed to get out with a nervous chuckle while I rubbed the back of my neck.

        “Are you sure?” Patty asked. “Because I could bring her here. We could just ask her.”

        “Vash, you’re an idiot,” Luna deadpanned.

        “Thicker than the castle walls,” Celestia commented as she shook her head and dragged a hand down her face.

        “Uhh…” I drawled again, not quite capable of processing what Patty just said.

        Zinnia sighed, nudging me in the arm. “Let’s just leave it for now,” she said. “I’m tired and feeling guilty, so I need snuggle sleeps. Who’s with me?”

        “I’m in, and Patty,” I said turning to her. “You might wanna hold off on changing me back to a man. Zinnia still hasn’t had a proper turn with Valerie the Stampede,” I winked at her. “And neither have you for that matter. With the way you’ve been eyeing and groping me, it’d be rude to have you change me back without at least a little taste.”

        “Oh, would you fucking drop that!” Zinnia shouted, rounding on me angrily. “I don’t care anymore, don’t you get it!? I’ve said it how many times now that you’ve done more than enough!” She paused, breathing heavily with tears in her eyes before huffing and storming out.

        “You really are terrible with women’s feelings, aren’t you?” Patty sighed, following her out. “Don’t follow. Trust me, you’re not needed this time.”

        “Zinnia wait!” I cried, darting after her and Patty. I caught up to them fairly quickly and put a hand on Zinnia’s shoulder and spun her around. “Look, I’m an idiot. I’m fully aware of that. I know more about the conductivity of metals and how to make a jury rigged tesla coil than I do being tactful. I just… I was trying in my own stupid way to make you feel better. I’m sorry.”

        Zinnia was quiet for a moment, Patty stood to the side (I swear I saw a brief flash of metal in her hand). After staring at me for a time, Zinnia just sighed, shaking her head.

        “It’s okay Vash, I just…” she said, sighing again as she stepped back, turning and walking away. “I need some distance for now.”

        “Yeah, take all the time you need,” I said weakly. “I’m just… gonna go now. Patty,” I started turning my head to her but not looking her in the eye. “Can I have those clothes back? I plan on hitting the forge. Need to clear my head.” The Displacer said nothing, turning as she snapped her fingers and walking away. My normal clothes appeared on me, complete with my regular body. “Thanks,” I mumbled, sighing as I walked down the halls.

I slowly made it down to the forge, putting on my leather apron and looked over my work area. I sorted through various things from the scales I got from Zinnia to the plans I drew up for the changeling village, even the notes I had on magic theory. I grumbled something unintelligible and just threw all of that on some table and picked up a random piece of metal and lit the forge. Various thoughts ran through my head as I worked. From what I said to Zinnia, to the possibility of a Legendary Pokemon having feelings for me. Most of what dominated my thoughts was Nightmare Moon. I had been terrified of her. Not because she was strong or anything like that. But because of what she represented. She could easily appear and take over my Luna if I wasn’t careful. And with the way I handled Zinnia, I wasn’t confident that I could prevent her arrival. I don’t know how long I was working or thinking, but when I actually thought to look down I just saw a malformed piece of metal with no possible function. I cursed for a few minutes before putting the lump into the smelter to start the process all over again.

“Vash.”

I jumped, spinning around to see Patty stood in the darkness of a corner, arms crossed and armour back on, though this set covered her a bit more. “What is it?” I asked softly, turning back to my mindless hammering.

She was quiet for a time, just watching me, before speaking up. “I know you mean well,” she said simply. “But sometimes you need to pull back a bit. See if your jokes will be appreciated first.”

        “I figured out that much between the first and second time I started on this piece of metal,” I said, still hammering away.

        “...I know how you can make it up to her.”

        “How? I don’t care what it is, I’ll do it.” I said, finally putting the hammer down and turning to face her.

        “Well first of all,” the Displacer said, walking into the light of the fire. “I’m taking her home in the morning. And I know it won’t be ready by then.” She held up her hand before I could protest, giving me a sad look. “She asked me to. Trust me, it’s for the best right now.”

        I trembled for a bit before turning and picking up the hammer and banging away angrily on the metal. “God I’m an idiot!” I roared, pounding the metal into oblivion. “Why can’t I ever learn to just shut my fucking mouth!? If I can’t even keep my friend happy, how am I ever going to keep Luna from…” I stopped, clamming up as I started to sob silently, tears flowing down my face in steady streams.

        “One step at a time,” Patty said softly, placing a hand on my shoulder. “We’re all idiots, Vash. There isn’t a being in existence that doesn’t make mistakes, not even gods.” She paused, wiping some of my tears away. “All you can do for Luna is be there. Don’t let her be alone when she needs a shoulder to cry on. You’ve already changed the timeline for the better.”

        “I just… this isn’t easy for me. Wires, machines, that stuff came easy to me. All this, living up to the character I’ve become. Having an entire world depend on choices I make. It’s so much, and I don’t think I’m up to it,” I admitted, still trembling.

        “It’s never easy,” the Displacer said, smiling sadly. “You get better at it, sure, but there are always times when it’s hard. It just so happens they get less often as you get better.” She paused, looking away for a second before closing her eyes. “...I know how you feel. About the world depending on you, I mean. My homeworld… I failed it.”

        “I’m sorry to hear that,” I sighed before letting out a weak chuckle. “Quite the pair of idiots we make right now, huh?”

        “Heh, yeah, I guess we do,” Patty chuckled. “That’s why I only displace people to help them. Because I’ve already failed an entire planet. This… this is how I’m making up for it.” She paused, shaking her head. “But enough about that. I was telling you about how to make up to Zinnia.”

        “Please, I really want to see her smile again. I’d rather take on Darkrai again than make her feel bad.”

        “It’s not you,” Patty sighed. “Not entirely. She still blames herself for what happened. She… she thought you were dead, Vash.” She paused again, sighing once more as she leaned on my desk. “...You know the claws from the Predator movies?”

        “Yeah?” I asked, not sure where this was going.

        “Make her a set if you can,” she continued. “Left handed. Four inch long blades. Trust me on this.”

        “I can totally do that,” I said, smiling softly for the first time in… however long I was down in the forge. “Now, if I could get some help from an admitted time traveler so I can get this done in time,” I said, nudging her playfully.

        Patty chuckled, shaking her head. “Sorry Vash, but some things I can’t mess with. There’s a certain point in her timeline you have to give her those, no sooner than that. You’ll know when.”

        “Ugh…” I groaned slumping over. “Throw me a bone here, Patty. Please, I can’t stand how much I’ve fucked this up. If I can’t give her the claws now. Isn’t there something, anything I can do that can help her even a little before she leaves?” I pleaded, desperation bleeding out of each word.

        “I’m sorry,” she sighed, shaking her head. “That’s it. Nothing else you could do would be ready in time, even if you refused to sleep. The most I can do is give you something to make the claws out of.”

        “No.” I said simply, balling my fists.

        “No?” Patty echoed. “Vash, it’s the Rules of Time. There are fixed points that have to happen!”

        “Fuck your rules of time!” I growled, picking up my hammer again. “I did not go through what I did with Darkrai to start failing now! I’m going to make those claws, I’m going to finish them. And not even Physics is going to stop me!” I thundered, rushing over to my materials and grabbing the World Serpent scale that Jason gave me. “Now, do you wanna help me with this? Or am I going to bend the Space-Time continuum over the table by myself?!” I asked her, a manic grin on my face.

        Patty gave me a sad look before sighing. “I’m sorry Vash…” she muttered. “I hope you can forgive me for this.” With that, she clicked her fingers, and suddenly I felt my eyes getting really heavy.

        “D-don’t do this Patty,” I said, trying to fight off the spell. “Please,” I pleaded again.

        She just shook her head sadly. “I’m sorry. But I have to protect the fabric of time.”

        “At least… At least tell her… I’m sorry,” I muttered, collapsing to the floor in a heap.

        Patty knelt down, and in my last minutes of consciousness, I felt her lift me onto her shoulder. “I promise…”