Chapter 5

Breaking Free of the Chains

Ever since she was reunited with Teddy, Shy felt more calm than she had been in a long time. Whenever she felt scared on lonely, Shy would hug her stuffed teddy bear close to her, just like in her childhood. She probably wouldn't have been reunited with her toy if Kittycorn hadn't helped her. She would never forget what Kittycorn and the others had done to help her.

After waking up, Shy placed Teddy on the center of her bed before heading out of her room. As she walked through the castle, Shy took notice of Kittycorn, so she walked over to her to greet her.

"Hi, Kittycorn!" Shy greeted.

Kittycorn turned around and gave Shy a friendly smile. "Hi, Shy! Have you been feeling better lately?"

Shy nodded. "Yes. I'm still having nightmares of Master Death, but Teddy has been making those nights more tolerable."

Deep down, Kittycorn felt bad for Shy. Even though Shy has been doing better, Kittycorn wished that Shy didn't have to be alone all the time. That was when Kittycorn came up with an idea.

"Hey, Shy! Would you like to have a sleepover in my room tonight? I know things haven't been easy for you since you have been having nightmares, so maybe we can do something fun for a change! You can even bring Teddy with you!"

Shy soon began to smile, happy with Kittycorn's idea. "I actually really like that idea, Kittycorn!"

"Great! I'll make sure to get the sleepover ready so we can have fun. I'll see you tonight." Kittycorn waved goodbye before she decided to tell the news to her parents.

Later that night, Unikitty and Puppycorn were helping Kittycorn get ready for her sleepover by setting out snacks, board games, and movies. It wasn't long before everything was ready, so now all Kittycorn had to do was wait for Shy.

"We are so happy that you and Shy are going to spend time with each other tonight!" said Unikitty.

"Yeah! Unikitty and I hope you two have a fun time tonight!" Puppycorn smiled.

"I know that we will! I'm sure that Shy will be here any minute!" Kittycorn replied.

As if on cue, everyone heard a knock on Kittycorn's door. Kittycorn opened the door, revealing Shy, who was holding Teddy in her arms.

"Shy! You made it!" Kittycorn ran over to Shy before giving her a hug.

Shy smiled before hugging her girlfriend back. "Thank you for having me over for the sleepover, Kittycorn! I've never had a sleepover before! This is exciting!"

"Looks like you two are going to have a pretty awesome sleepover!" Puppycorn commented.

"I'm sure that we will, Dad!" said Kittycorn.

"Well, just let us know if you need anything. Have fun!" Unikitty said before she and Puppycorn left the room.

Once Unikitty and Puppycorn left, Kittycorn and Shy officially began their sleepover. They were having fun by playing board games, watching movies with some popcorn, and having pillow fights.

After all of the drama that had been going on, Kittycorn was happy to finally see Shy having a fun time. A couple of hours had passed when it started to get late and the two friends started to get tired.

"Are you feeling sleepy, Shy?" Kittycorn rubbed her eyes with her paw.

Shy nodded. "Yes. Guess it's time to go to bed. So, where am I going to sleep at?"

"Oh, I was kind of wondering if you would like to sleep with me in my bed tonight." Kittycorn gave a slight blush.

Soon, Shy started to blush as well. She never shared a bed with anyone before. Despite that, she felt that anything was better than sleeping alone.

"Sure! I think I would like that, Kittycorn!"

At that moment, Shy got under the covers right next to Kittycorn before placing her stuffed teddy bear on the other side of the bed. Once they were under the covers, Kittycorn noticed that Shy looked uneasy about something.

"Are you okay, Shy?"

"Oh, don't worry. I'm fine. I was just thinking about something." Shy explained. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure. What is it?" Kittycorn asked.

"Do you think I could truly be free of Master Death? I know that I've been getting better, but I'm still scared."

Kittycorn stayed silent, as she chose her words carefully, not wanting to risk upsetting Shy. "Shy, I know you would be free of Master Death someday. In the meantime everyone will continue to help you because we all care about you!"

As she heard Kittycorn's words, Shy began to feel safe.

"Thank you, Kittycorn! You have really helped me through a lot!" Shy soon looked at the clock and noticed that it was getting late. "I guess we should get some sleep soon. I love you, Kittycorn!"

"I love you too, Shy! Goodnight!"

With that, Kittycorn passionately kissed Shy on the lips before she kissed her back. Once they eventually pulled away from each other, Kittycorn reached over towards her lamp and turned off the lights. Soon, Kittycorn felt Shy snuggle up close to her. This caused Kittycorn to blush, but she honestly didn't care as she snuggled up to Shy as well.

Every passing hour, Shy started to get more and more sleepy until she finally rested her eyes. It wasn't long before Shy opened her eyes and found herself in an empty unfamiliar place. It was obvious to Shy that she was now dreaming. She explored through her dream, but there was nothing in sight. There was no sound either, apart from Shy's footsteps. Just when Shy thought she was alone, she heard the sinister voice of her former mentor behind her.

"Hello, Master Shyness!"

Normally, Shy would be terrified, but she has had enough of being tormented. Whether the person behind her was a hallucination, a ghost, or even a memory, she was not going to give Master Death any satisfaction.

Without even turning to face Master Death, Shy greeted him in a casual tone. "Master Death."

"Alone again, I see! It doesn't matter how much your friends help you! You can never hope to get rid of me!"

As much as she hated to admit it, Shy knew that Master Death was right. Despite everything, he would always come back to haunt her.

"You're right, Master Death. I can't get rid of you. You have put me through all kinds of abuse that no child my age should ever have to go through. You murdered my parents, you emotionally abused me for the past 5 years, and you hurt everyone I ever cared about! It would take a long time for me to get over the horrible things you had done to me. In fact, I might never get over them! However, despite everything you have done to me," Shy turned around to face Master Death for the first time. "I feel sorry for you."

Master Death raised a confused eyebrow. "You feel sorry for me? What are you talking about."

"Despite everything you took away from me, I still have something that you never had! People who love and care about me!" Shy pointed out. "You can torment me all you want, but no matter what, I would always have the people who care about me get me through this tough time. Hawkodile, Dr. Fox, Richard, King Puppycorn, Queen Unikitty, and especially Kittycorn! I might not know what the future holds for me, but one thing I can happily say for certain is that I am no longer your apprentice!"

Without another word, Shy turned and walked away from Master Death. As Shy walked away, Master Death sent a glare towards her before taking his dagger and pointed it threateningly at her.

"Don't you dare turn your back on me, Master Shyness!" Master Death demanded, but Shy simply ignored his words as she walked further away. "Did you not hear me! I told you to stop! Look at me! Take one more step, and I will kill everyone you love, including Kittycorn!"

As Master Death said that, Shy stopped in her tracks. It appeared that she was pondering something before she opened her mouth to speak.

"You can't hurt anyone anymore. You are already dead." Shy said before she continued to walk away.

The more Shy ignored him, the more furious Master Death became.

"Stop! Get back here! Sue!" Master Death yelled Shy's real name for the first time in years.

Losing his patience, Master Death sprinted after Shy in an attempt to kill her. Despite that, Shy remained calm. Right when Master Death was about to stab her with his dagger. He suddenly disappeared out of thin air. Shy gave a relived smile now that Master Death was no longer haunting her nightmares.

Back in the real world, Kittycorn and Shy continued to sleep with each other. This was the first time Shy had a goodnight sleep in a long time. With no more nightmares, Shy slept peacefully the rest of the night.