Hello it's me again, so um mild disclaimer, this chapter may be a little confusing. In fact yeah it will probably be so confusing that I should probably question myself for even posting this. As mentioned, I've had friends "help" with this collaboration, and showing them this did not end well.

So um...yeah as always I don't own earthbound

Chapter 36: The Mixing of Minds.

Ness, Paula, Lucas, Kumatora and Erick had continued to move onwards. However, Erick held Paula back for a bit just to talk Paula why'd you chose me...just out of curiosity, Erick asked. Well, Paula said, you seem to know Moon best...and to be honest I was wondering if you could tell me something. What is it? You've seemed...upset recently, is it about Moon and Sarah? Erick looked at her quizzically, kind of, it's complicated. I mean at first it was the four of us surviving, Then myself, Dyson, and Moon, then just Dyson and I. Paula looked at him I know it's hard for you to accept that type of ending, the bad one, Erick chuckled, Paula all endings are bad ones for at least someone. What do you mean...after Giygas was defeated everything ended happily for us, Paula said. Erick raised an eyebrow before lowering it quickly. That's right alternates, he said. What do you mean...what happened after you guys defeated Giygas?

By now they had rejoined with the other 3, Erick rubbed the back of his head. Um...it's literally super simple, he said, Damn it kid we aren't as smart as you just spit it out, Kumatora snapped. Our world as you now know is...nothing, even though Dyson and I survive this, our world, home, friends, and family are gone. Damn it, we forgot, Ness said, he is right, this world doesn't have the needles that Lucas's world once had, there is no way to fix this mess. Even if we kill Giygas, even if you two are in our world, it really doesn't end that well for you. Okay I know this is going to ruin the moment, but where's Lucas Kumatora asked.

Lucas...Lucas? Ness called out, Where'd he get to? I guess we'll meet up with him...Kumatora suddenly vanished. Oh crap someone's found us, Ness said. Erick? Erick? Paula said, Erick's eyes were darting in multiple different directions. Paula...aim PK Fire at this wall, he said quickly. What the hell, are you MAD! Ness shouted, Paula trust me, just do it. Paula nodded, PK FIRE! The fire bounced off the wall diagonally and continued to rebound up between the buildings. Before hitting the top and shooting off. Suddenly a bunch of Pigmasks could be heard shouting, Yep, Erick said. Just as I thought, quick calculations were all I needed to get that attack up to them, a laser gun fell onto the ground, and luckily, it gave me a weapon, he said. Wait how'd you know where they were? Ness asked, first off, the fact that none of noticed that Lucas vanished told me that it would've had to come from somewhere behind him, secondly, the only reason they didn't keep shooting was because we were not in the line of fire, they couldn't see or hit us.

Well done Erick, Moon said making them jump. Yes, indeed we finally made it, Sarah said, don't worry we won't leave you this time. There was someone we had to...visit, Moon said. Anyways, good new we found out where Giygas is, bad news, is well...where he is. That giant temple, that's the memory temple, shows up during a combined mindscape. Okay and why is that important, Paula asked. It contains memories from both of us combined to create a...mixture, basically if we both have the same memory together they'll get fused, Sarah answered.

So Giygas is at the memory temple? Ness asked. Yep it's the central hub to their mindscape, Erick said. It's where everything happens, all memories that involve both of them are there. Any feelings that they've ever shared for each other it's there, any dreams they shared it's there. So what about memories they don't share? Also how do we know what parts belong to Moon and what belongs to Sarah? Paula asked. Have you been looking around, it's pretty clear that this place is divided between both of them, Erick answered.

Ness and Paula looked around, Erick was certainly right about this, they stood on a purple walkway and looking the right across a very long indigo roadway of sorts, was a blue walkway. In fact looking at the temple, the same also happened to be the case, blue on the right, indigo in the middle, and purple on the left. Okay so we get to the temple, fight Giygas and then what? Ness asked. Moon and Sarah both shuddered, well...Erick began, hang on why are you the one talking? Moon is clearly the one who is more knowledged on this plan, Paula said. I'm kind of talking for them, their both trying to concentrate...or something like that, basically they are trying to contain Giygas to just a specific part of the temple,. If you look carefully you can see...never mind, just turn around, Erick said. Ness and Paula both turned back to the temple, which was now entirely a striped red and black, turning back to both Moon and Sarah they both were back to the flickering state that they were in when creating the dual-mindscape. You two ok? Erick asked, they both nodded as they became solid images again. Alright, then we might as well move on Ness said. However they failed to hear that Sarah was trying to get their attention.

Hey Ness...NESS? Sarah said, don't bother they can't hear us, Moon said. With Giygas in control of our central hub he's in control of us specifically, only him and anyone in the temple can hear us now. Why not also make us invisible to their eyes? The mind has rules to Sarah, and if we want to at least ensure that we have a method of contact we can't allow him to gain we've lost many abilities because he has the temple. We can't speak to anyone but ourselves, we can't exit the mindscape, we can't bring people in, we probably can't summon anything that will help us communicate with them, and worst of all we can't use PSI. Keeping him in the temple will prevent him from getting complete control over us. So...what can we do? We need to tell them that Pokey's in here too. Let me think about what we can do despite Giygas in control, you just try to signal it to them.

The five arrived at the temple which was now being closely guarded by Pigmask and Starman Supers Fantastic, Ness said, now we've got to fight and...Moon would you quit tapping my shoulder! He snapped, it was not Moon it was actually Sarah, when he had turned around she started to make movements with her hands, Ness looked at her, confused, and a little annoyed, what is it? He asked, Sarah just say it. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. Um, Erick, Ness said, somethings wrong with Sarah. Erick glanced up, oh...yeah, because Giygas is in control of the temple, they lose some of the freedoms they have in their minds, I believe that they are unable to communicate with anyone other than themsleves unless they are in the temple, they also can't use PSI, or exit this place, he can also take away stuff that they can magically create, so they probably can't create letters, paper and writing stuff, anything that would allow us to communicate with them. Well this is just great, Paula said. How are we supposed to know what's going on? What if it's something important?

Moon floated back over next to Sarah, any luck? He asked No...they don't seem to understand, did you figure out what we can summon? She responded. Yeah I did, just help me try and make a miniature version of the memory temple, this is going to take a while.

Ness, Paula, and Erick watched in confusion as the two continued to build up a miniature temple. So something to do the temple...Paula said, did they find another way in? As they said that miniature statues of Starmen and Pigmasks appeared at the front of their makeshift temple. An attack plan? Erick asked, Moon shook his head and opened the temple door, where statues of Pokey and Giygas now stood. Oh...OH! Ness said as it came to him, Pokey's here to? Sarah nodded. But why come in here? Paula asked. I think, Erick said, he's here until Giygas has gained full strength, Giygas may be revived in the real world, but he has to get all the strength from Moon and Sarah before he can travel between worlds. Pokey is only here to fight both of them if they happen to make it to Giygas. Okay so then why not just summon him in our world to begin the rampage immediately? Ness asked. Moon moved the statue of Giygas over to them and sized it up, then Sarah put a bomb in one of its hands. Ness, Paula and Erick still looked at both of them confused, Moon moved over to the temple and it vanished, Sarah made a small version of Pokey's Palace in its place, Moon shrank Giygas down, put him in the palace. Finally Sarah clapped her hands making the Palace walls vanish.

Ness and Paula were still confused but thankfully, Erick wasn't. So the reason he didn't do it in your world Ness is because once Giygas gains full strength he unleashes a burst of energy that will basically destroy everything in 2 mile radius. But since our world is already destroyed, that wouldn't matter too much. What about our friends, Ness asked, wouldn't they be killed? Moon shook his head and made an absolutely safe capsule replica, no our friends will be fine, the cell that we are in used the same technology for the absolutely safe capsule walls, Erick said. But if we hurry, none of that will even happen. First we need to get in, Paula said, but we don't want them being alerted so we need a plan before we do anything.

Moon and Sarah both watched from a distance as their friends tried worked out a way to take down the Starmen and Pigmasks quick enough before they could call for backup. I hope they can come up with something soon, Moon said. You've felt it too right? Sarah nodded, he's getting stronger, she said, I don't know how much longer we can hold him off. I give it maybe 1 hour before we have to cease our containment fight, once we get inside the temple, hopefully the pain will stop. Well there is an open window...we could just go in now, Sarah said glancing over at an opening in the wall. Moon floated up to the opening and returned a minute later, yeah let's not do that, he said coming back down. Why not? Sarah asked. Well...Giygas is in the window for one, and secondly, there's a shield or barrier or something of the sorts in the opening so we can't even get in, he said. Well, was Pokey there too? She asked. Yeah and Giygas did not look happy with him, Moon said. I wonder what they were talking about.

You know thinking back, in hindsight maybe I should've split this chapter in half, then again, we are getting to finally see how Giygas reacts to this whole mess next chapter so that'll probably be fun.

Also I took inspiration from this chapter after the whole Magicant place in Earthbound I saw it and was like hmm? What would happen if we brought others here? Or what if we could combine the Mindscape of two individuals to make it? What do you think?