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I feel like the scariest nightmare (which was also a dream within a dream within a dream in which I woke up three times in a row before I snapped back to reality) should be right here.
Pikachu stood over a tiny mound with an arm poking out like the flag of a sand castle. It hadn't been too late since Pikachu got across the desert and rescued both Mario and Ike.
Ike set aside Ragnell and pulled at the arm until it brought the rest of a lifeless sand covered man with it. Ike gave him a few hard pats on the back making the man expel sand from his nose and mouth. The bandana had blown away a while ago. But other than that reaction, Marth's head lolled back alarming both Pikachu and Ike.
The mercenary shook his Subspace companion violently. Pikachu looked on in horror as Marth did not respond.
"Hey! Marth! Hang in there!" Ike shouted.
It's cold. Marth thought.
There was a cerulean light visible as soon as he opened his eyes. The blue surrounded him and stretched on forever. Marth's feet weren't even touching solid ground, but was suspended in air.
I want to sleep. Marth thought. My eyes are so heavy, I just want to…
A warm breeze made its way through a hospital where the group had now ended up.
The hospital out in the desert was random, but it was probably a part of the civilization destroyed courtesy of Reneria
Marth was fast asleep in the bed with all the proper medical equipment helping to check his vital signs. Mario had hooked him to the machines since the plumber was also a doctor after all. The older brother was checking vital signs at this moment.
A couple of the monitors belonging to the equipment that was being used were cracked and it took quite a bit of scavenging to find just one sterile needle in this place. This place was a mess.
The seafoam green tile walls were crumbling and the floor was flooded with sand. The sunlight was the only thing keeping the light and it was nearly sunset again.
Pikachu and Lucario were the only ones waiting in the grainy hallway for Dr. Mario's report.
Ike had stopped shaking the prince upon a small groan form the sandy man. Pikachu was relieved that his friend was alive. Ike and Mario supported their friend back to camp. Pikachu trotted beside them looking up.
Pikachu was beginning to nod off again. They had traveled most of the day and had made good distance. It began to lean against Lucario's leg unintentionally in its tiredness. The aura Pokemon was resting against the scratched tile. He had been awake when Pikachu returned.
Lucario woke up to their arrival, but kept his eyes closed and pretended it was asleep. The aura wasn't an enemy. It was only Pikachu, Ike and Mario. Where was Marth? Lucario had felt Marth and Pikachu's auras leave before slipping back into slumber. Lucario cracked open one eye briefly. He was there, but his aura wasn't there. Was the prince dead? He couldn't be.
Mario came out with the news to the two anxious Pokemon. "He seems fine apart from a cracked rib or two, but…"
"His aura is gone." Lucario said shakily. "He's near, but it's like he's somewhere else…? It's like there's a wall separating him from this world."
Pikachu heard what Lucario had said, but a different thing was on its mind entirely.
"Where did everyone go?" it asked the jackal.
"They went to look for our friends in this place." Lucario said.
Lucario felt Pikachu lean against his leg and drift off into sleep. The aura Pokemon sat down and let Pikachu rest on its shoulder. The sunset was seen through a hole above in the tiling.
Marth opened his eyes after what seemed like a long time. The ground under his feet solidified and he found gravity helping him realize it as he fell onto the new floor. He felt dust under him, but when he moved his hand about there was brick. Marth looked up from his position on the ground. He felt like a wrung out rag and hadn't the strength to get up.
The sky above was a faint twilight in an endless black. In front of him were stairs which had led up from somewhere. It took him a bit to realize this was the top of a building. Something was forming in front of Marth, but the blue haired prince already had an idea of who it was.
"I know you're not Rarim since looking through your memories." The broken violin voice squeaked. "But, both of you are THE SAME."
She knelt down and sized up Marth with her bird eye. "You are not a hero whatever your name was again. You never were. But, you couldn't save a single person you were always trying to be the brave leader and everyone's salvation. . You tried to make up for it by Deep down, you and my brother were both cowards."
Reneria turned away and began walking towards the edge of the building they were on but not close to the edge. "Because in the end, the only thing anyone ever cares about is themselves."
Marth felt some kind of strength return to him upon hearing that. He wobbled up to his feet, but felt sort of dizzy upon standing. "I understand why you would say that, Reneria."
He was going to rebut her statement. "Your brother told me everything that happened between you and your kingdom. I am truly sorry for what perspired in that.
"However, Rarim wants to apologize to you and has asked me to take you home for that reason. He cares about you and I'm sure there were those who did care for you before you killed them."
"There were no such people!" Reneria hissed as she whipped around.
"Your mother and father-" Marth began before he was cut off.
"GAVE ME UP TO THAT FIEND FOR MONEY!" She finished angrily.
Marth continued ignoring her. "They gave you to the king because they hoped you would live a better life under his care than in the slums."
"They didn't even know they were getting payment for their deed. Upon learning what had become of you and Rarim, the two of them tried to get you back from the greedy ruler but were denied. They went as far as to try and sneak into the castle, but were caught and exiled. Rarim did everything he did to prevent you from becoming what you made yourself: a beast which cannot even look beyond her hate."
"Wake up. You made yourself alone." Marth finished feeling nauseas afterwards.
He could see the fury in her expression upon hearing this. She was more livid than ever and began to growl at him like the beast Marth spoke of.
"You're right though, I couldn't save anyone because I suddenly thought I could save them all myself."Marth shook his head. "I forgot for that one moment that I had friends to help me because I was spurred on by the thoughts in my memories. That's how I ended up here, isn't it?"
Marth put his hand to Falchion and warmly remembered his friends in his homeland as well as the brawlers. He drew the sword in front of him ready to take on his foe.
Reneria was slower than before and Marth was able to trace her movements with his eyes before she got to him. The divine blade pierced the raven's chest just as her claws made their way to Marth's throat.
The wound didn't have the desired effect as she walked forward with the struggling prince in her grasp. She held him over the edge of the building. Marth looked down; there was only a white light below. Marth was far from giving up and his boot came up and kicked the raveness forcefully in the face. A loud crack echoed in whatever empty space they were in.
Maybe the wound he inflicted did have some effect. Reneria coughed up a glob of cerulean blood into the air. The blue separated from the blood and flowed back to Marth and the black aftermath fell into the white below. Marth felt stronger at the blue waves returning to him.
The raveness contracted in pain coughing up more of the blue blood until Marth felt all his strength and more fill his body while he felt Reneria's grip loosen on his throat. He leaned forward and drove his sword further into his foe until the cross-guard was pressing against her rib cage hoping to end the fight once and for all.
He pushed his weight forward until Reneria collapsed onto the brick of the building again and Marth tumbled beside her. Marth got up feeling like a new person, but looked to his side and saw that Reneria had shriveled up and aged like her brother in the aftermath of the prince's action.
She didn't even move. "Marth sheathed Falchion and sighed. "I'm sorry I couldn't fulfill your wish, Rarim."
It was only seconds of peace though, when something cracked like the chopping of lettuce as soon as he had sheathed his sword.
It was Reneria's neck as she looked toward Marth and hissed loudly. There was still fight left in her. She made the brick under them shake violently while talking in that language of monsters. Bricks fell away under Marth until the floor gave way under his weight. He fell into the white light below.
For the first time since the beginning of his journey Marth felt a gnawing shaking fear while the wind swallowed him. He was falling to an immeasurable depth below and there would be no one to save him now.
He wasn't sure why it would help at all, but he maneuvered himself in the air to stand upright while falling. The blue haired teen shut his eyes as tight as he could.
Marth opened his eyes with a jolt. He wasn't out of this world, but he at least he wasn't dead. He was standing upright and trembling slightly. His surroundings were now the brick building's interior. It was empty and dark except for the light above from which he fell. It illuminated a now identifiable four walled place that was uncomfortably claustrophobic. Screaming was heard faintly from above, first that inhuman violin then the full caw of a raven.
Debris fell onto Marth from above. How could he get out of here? And possibly back to where his friends were now that the thought had finally crossed his mind. Marth looked around for something until he found a single piece of paper on one of the walls.
The picture was of a dove. Marth tore it off and saw the beak begin to move. Rarim's voice spoke to him from the page. "I finally found you, kid! Well done in weakening her!"
The old man's voice was a welcome relief in this place. "This realm is the one where my sister gets her energy from in a way. You have survived longer than most people in this world because you had the gall to stand up to her. She may have lost some of the soul energy she stole from you, but she still has enough to sustain herself. I thought waiting it out for her to lose her energy would've been enough, but you must exploit her weakness now that you've found it."
"What do you mean in 'weakness'?" Marth asked.
"Why, it's the truth. She can't accept the reality that she made herself alone. The finishing blow is in her journal which I believe is in the hospital you're staying in right now." Rarim said.
"I'm staying in a hospital?" The prince looked at the paper confused.
"Your friends brought you here as soon as Reneria sucked you as dry as the desert you traveled. This is the same hospital where I stayed once so many years ago…" Rarim trailed off in memory.
"Is there any way up you can help me to leave this realm?" Marth cut off Rarim's reminiscing.
"I can help you leave this building, but not this realm. I do not have enough power for that. But, maybe he can." Rarim said pointing to Pikachu whose yellow shape was seen faintly from the break in the brick above.
"Drop this paper on the floor and step back." Rarim said as the prince did as he was told.
Rarim came out of the paper as a dove larger than the prince and almost pressed the blue-haired teen to the walls of the small confines. Large claws grabbed Marth by the shoulders and flew him upward.
Pikachu heard the flapping and dodged Rarim who shot up like a rocket from the hole in the building. Rarim dropped Marth off next to the electric Pokemon. White wings flew out from behind them. "This is all I can do for you for now, kid."
"Thank you!" Marth waved back to him as he flew off into the fading dark. The light was getting stronger in this place.
Pikachu looked relieved to see its friend. It urged the prince forward obviously knowing a way out. Marth smiled. He was relieved to see Pikachu too. Reneria was nowhere to be found. Marth didn't have time to think about that now, he thought about what Rarim told him about the journal.
Pikachu led him to a blue door into a bright light.
Marth woke up again it was dusk again and he was in Rarim's hospital room like he was told. It felt like he had held his breath for a long time and had to focus on taking deep breaths to get used to the sensation of breathing. Mario beside him didn't stir to his awakening. He reached underneath the bed with the arm not hooked up to the IV pole and found a notebook and pen like he was expecting.
Then he heard Pikachu come in the door. It climbed up the side of the bed and gave the blue haired man a hug which he returned with one arm curling around the mouse. Marth wondered how he forgot he had friends. He was so focused on doing everything himself in that desert he thought of nothing else. He felt Pikachu falling asleep again and felt like doing so himself. It had been a long night for the both of them.
Lucario smiled from the hallway feeling Marth's aura return, but then sensed an evil aura from where the others were at