"P-PLEASE! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"But why? Aren't we your friends?" The way the shadowed figures carried the emphasis of the word 'friends' felt other-worldly, and to Viper, made it even more horrifying.

"M-MY FRIENDS WOULD NEVER DO THIS TO ME!" The serpent slithered herself into a darkened corner of the jaded atmosphere. She took shallow, labored breaths with tears blinding her eyes as she looked around frantically for an escape. All whilst the shadowed figures continued to taunt her as they slowly trapped her in said corner, chanting the same phrase, over and over.

"Why didn't you save us? Why didn't you save us? Why didn't you save us?"

Yet, despite this, something clicked within Viper's foggy mind. She observed the dead and zombified bodies of her supposed 'friends'. She knew that the figures shown were a bit far fetched of reality, but in the heat of the moment she didn't come to think of just how far fetched it really was.

"My friends would never do this..."

Just then, the shadowed form that vaguely showed Monkey suddenly grabbed onto Viper's limp tail, making her act on reflex and whip her tail down on the shadow, making him poof and vanish in a pile of purple smoke. This was definitely the straw that broke the camel's back.

"Ha!" Viper exasperatedly laughed through the tears as the shadow figures of Po and Tigress went berserk at that moment. They vastly circled her as a piercing scream reigned amongst them.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?"

They continued to chant, but Viper now knew better. "I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! YOU ALL AREN'T REAL! NONE OF THIS IS!" She shouted back, feeling a little bit of triumph in her current circumstance.

But the nightmare wasn't over. They kept continuing to circle around her, despite her wishes and her ways to tell from reality and sickening mindgames.

Yet she had a feeling that she was slowly but surely going to make it. At least she could tell what was real and what was an illusion. She felt herself ease a bit when she came to the discovery that since this was all fake, that meant that her friends were probably still alive and well, right?

Even though she had an idea of what her true fear was, she decided to give herself the benefit of the doubt and call to the only person she knows she can rely on in the current oasis.

"MANTIS! MANTIS, ARE YOU OUT THERE!? HELP! PLEASE!" She yelled out as the terrifying shadows continued to circle her, attempting to block out her cries with their shrieks.

Even still, she persisted, continuing to call out to her bug friend with just a smidge of hope inside of her.

Meanwhile, on Mantis' side, he wasn't doing too well either, as he slumped on the ground in a corner where no one would step on him... not like they would notice anyways.

Ah yes, the tiniest, yet one of the most prestigious masters in China and across his insect...ual culture... was having an existential crisis.

It may have not been his actual core fear but it was insanely close.

"Why doesn't anyone hear me?" He kept asking himself as the usually composed warrior felt his eyes brim with tears. He quickly wiped them away. "T-this doesn't make sense! Am I... am I that forgettable?"

His intrusive thoughts started getting the better of him as he looked to the galloping crowd of animals. He limply picked himself up and slowly walked to the crowd, continuing to mutter to himself as his thoughts made him feel captivated with the thought of being crushed amongst the stampede.

"What do I bring to the group, anyways? I'm just the loud voice to fill the room, and other than that no one wants anything to do with me..." He pessimistically thought as he found himself ready to get stepped on by an onlooking bear. He closed his eyes and let a tear escape his eyes as he prepared for his fate.

"Maybe I'm better off forgotten..."

"MANTIS!"

Suddenly, the bug popped open his eyes at the sudden call of his name as the paw-foot that was meant to crush him suddenly poofed, along with the random bear figure himself, in a pile of purple smoke.

Mantis vastly took a step back, admittedly a little freaked out himself by the change in atmosphere. "What the—" Just then, without him noticing, he bumped into another figure, a pig, and saw the same effect happen with the pig. Poofing into nonexistence in a purple fog.

The insect hesitatingly got into a defensive position. "Well... that's... not normal at all."

He decided to give this new discovery another test, striking against another random figure—a bunny, and yet again, watching as the figure disappeared in a purple puff.

It was then that Mantis finally came to a distinct conclusion, "They're... illusions?"


Monkey huffed as he ran as fast as his four similar limbs could go, but even he felt he didn't go far. Despite this, he was met with the false security of his father being out of sight as the primate travelled through a sudden darkness.

His chest rose and fell erratically as his anxiety took over him, darting his head left to right in fear.

"I'm still here..." He froze at the sudden grumble of his father figure's voice, curdling behind him as Monkey felt a sweat drop drip down his head.

"I'M ALWAYS HERE!"
"AAH!"

In a flash, fortunately on warrior reflex, Monkey ducked and dodged as his drunk parental tried to bash the bottle against the young primate's head.

Monkey dashed further in the darkness, feeling tears start to brim his eyes as he experiences the fear that he wanted to forget about a long time ago. All whilst mumbling a nostalgic tune under his breath to calm his nerves.

"Sweet Xiao Monk, safe Xiao Monk, you will be alright..."

With him panting and continuously looking back, he continued to sing to himself, slowing his speed and shutting his eyes tight, as if he was back in that childlike mindset he used to have. All whilst he was unaware of the dark void surrounding him turning into a familiar atmosphere for him.

"Sweet Xiao Monk, safe Xiao Monk, you will see the light..."

Quickly wiping his tears, he looked up and felt his face go pale.

He looked at the sudden change in scenery, the dull colour palette of the home interior, the blocked up windows, the broken chairs, tables and plates, and teared up couch, the empty bottles littering the ground...

And as if it all didn't already trigger a spot close to home (literally) for Monkey, as he cautiously walked through this roughed and all too familiar shadow of a house, holding his arms close to his chest... he notices a certain toy on the ground.

Not just any toy; a jack-in-the-box. A red, formerly shiny box with a jester inside of it... just like the one his mother got him when he was just a child. That's where he got that tune from. His mom would used to twist the knob on the box whenever Monkey felt sad or scared, sing along those words with the tune, and then catch the young primate by surprise and laughter when the jester would pop out. Oh how he loved that toy.

He gently knelled down and curled in himself at the sight of it's now fractured state, for just like everything he held dear to himself, his father couldn't help but destroy it.

Because gods forbid that Monkey would experience any kind of joy whilst his father is there.

The thought of it alone suddenly didn't make him feel as scared as he did mere moments ago. In fact... it made him grow angry.

He didn't try to hold back any of the tears that poured from inside his soul as he openly sobbed and mourned that special toy he adored.

He didn't even have to look back to know his father's looming presence over him.

"Why... why do you hate me so much..?"

The elder ape scoffed. "You're the spitting image of your mother. Always so sensitive, melodramatic even. I did you a favour getting rid of those toys. Especially that stupid jester toy. I needed to teach you proper discipline."

Monkey was appalled by the utter apathy of his father's words. "Sensitive? Melodramatic? Stupid!? DISCIPLINE!?" He finally yelled and stood up straight, at last looking back at the shocked older monkey.

"HOW COULD YOU SAY THOSE THINGS!? WHAT HAVE I EVER DONE TO YOU TO MAKE YOU TORTURE ME SO MUCH!? I WAS JUST A KID!"

"DON'T YOU YELL AT ME, BOY!" The drunk father stumbled defence. He raised his bottle up high against the Monkey, "I'M YOUR FATHER! THEREFORE I KNOW BEST! YOU RESPECT ME"

"BULLSHIT! What in your right mind would make you think I would EVER hold respect for someone I don't even consider a father!? YOU'RE JUST A DRUNK JACKASS WHO RUINED A MOTHER AND HER SON'S LIFE!"

"LISTEN—"

"No! YOU listen!" Monkey snapped, causing the older primate to surprisingly shut himself up. "All my life, I've been hearing you say the same thing to me. Over and over! 'I'm smart, you're dumb, I'm big, you're little, I'm right, you're wrong'! As if that EVER gave you the right to make me feel worthless throughout my entire childhood. As if my very EXISTENCE was a NUISANCE to you! Well guess what, father? I'm not a pathetic little boy anymore!" For the first time in Monkey's life, he feels a sudden string of confidence and bravery radiate over him in terms of his father. And that confidence and bravery only made the old goober even more angry.

He tightened his hold on the glass bottle, causing it to rattle in his grasp as Monkey momentarily gulped with a bit of his fears peaking through again.

The older primate grit his crooked teeth, "So you wanna talk back, eh?" He muttered, lifting the bottle over Monkey's head, making him shut his eyes tight as he silently accepted his fate. "Seems you forgot about what happens when you show lack of discipline."

"Fuck. You." Was all Monkey uttered out in the last bit of fearlessness he possessed, before flinching and preparing for impact as his father swung the bottle against his head...

Only to realise something was immediately wrong when the primate felt nothing against his head. He cracked his eyes open and felt the top of his skull. Not a single glass shard or drop of blood in sight. Monkey opened his eyes to look at his father, who was just as confused as he was. In a fit of rage, the father tried to ram the bottle into Monkey's side, only to see it faze through his son yet again. "What the fuck—"

Monkey finally decided to wave his hand through the his father's form, coming to a shocking revelation when he saw the same effect happen with hand fazing through.

He laughed to himself. "You're not really here, are you?" He asked, making the old ape stutter in panic.

"HAHA! YOU'RE NOT ACTUALLY HERE!" Monkey happily sobbed. "THAT MEANS YOU'RE STILL ROTTING IN THAT JAIL CELL WHERE YOU BELONG!"

"EXCUSE ME!?" with the father trying to fight back aimlessly, his power metaphorically and literally started fading away as his form started to shrink, which made Monkey laugh even more like a madman.

"Awww, what's wrong, pops? Does my laughter and joy just... get you down? PAHAHAHA!" He howled, measuring the height between him and his shrinking older folk.

"HOW DARE YOU MOCK ME, BOY! NO MATTER IF I AM ACTUALLY HERE, YOU STILL COWER IN MY PRESENCE! YOU STILL ARE NOTHING BUT JUST THE PATHETIC, WEAK LITTLE KID I WAS FORCED TO TAKE CARE OF AFTER YOUR MOTHER PASSED!"

"Well somethings are worth changing with time, my old man! Because like I said, I'm not a little kid anymore..." Monkey started to move forward, making his father stagger back as he started to shrink further.

"I'm now a successful kung fu master, dammit! A warrior; a strong one at that! And I have friends who actually care about me! A family of my own that have raised me better than you ever did! You shouldn't have power over me anymore..." He finally knelled down when the illusion of his father has been shrunken down to the height of a toy ball.

"Nor will I ever let you have power over me ever again... after all... I'm smart, you're dumb, I'm right, you're wrong, I'm big and you're little... and you now mean nothing to me."

Monkey at last stood tall to his hind limbs in front of his father, rising up one of said hind limbs with a cynical intention in mind, yet one that was definitely satisfying.

"Good riddance, father."

And with that, he took a brave step to destroy his fear of his father once and for all by taking a literal step on it, watching the illusion of his father poof away in a purple smoke, as Monkey's surroundings of his harmful memories finally faded away.


"HEY! LET ME OUT OF HERE!" Tigress called out frantically as she banged on the metal door. This has been going on for some time, and the amethyst dragon that shrunk down to miniature size laid in the torn up bed and examined his claws in boredom.

"You know that's not gonna work, right?" He piped up in a sassy manner, only irritating the tiger master even more. "I mean come on, kitty~! You can't escape, you obviously can't fight me, the very least you could do is at least TRY to face your fear or just say you forfeit."

Tigress growled and turned to the dragon, "I already told you! I'm not my—my own fear!" She exasperatedly yelled.

"Oh yeah? Then why don't you just FACE the beast already!" Hàipà insisted as he gestured to the menacing creature sitting there in the dark corner, menacingly, before she perked her head at the dragon from that corner and screamed horridly.

"I AM NOT A BEAST!"

The air rippled at the very impact of that shout, leaving Hàipà and Tigress admittedly speechless.

"Yeesh, you used to be like that?" Hàipà muttered, making Tigress frown to herself sadly. And noticing her solemn expression, the dragon smirked and decided to take things further as he floated and circled around the tiger.

"I mean, no wonder everyone was so afraid of you. So much so that you became afraid of yourself the more you destroyed..."

"Be quiet."

"But then again, did you ever really change since then? Judging by your ferociousness and you're 'hardcoreness' now, it seems that you are still the same monster that you were always afraid of..."

Tigress growled. "I'm not—!"

"I'M NOT A MONSTER!"

Suddenly, a already broken chair was thrown in the direction of Tigress and Hàipà, making them step back as it crashed against the wall and look towards the beastly shadow in the corner, huffing and puffing with each heavy breath she took.

"WHY DO YOU ALL CALL ME THAT!? I'M NOT A MONSTER! I'M NOT, I'M NOT, I'M NOT!"

The shadowed creature shouted in a heated tantrum. The more she shouted, the more she revealed herself from the corner she hid, the more it only freaked out the great Master Tigress as Hàipà stepped aside silently.

With each step the tiger took back, the shadow only moved forward whilst simultaneously losing it's abnormal height.

"WHY ARE YOU MOVING AWAY FROM ME!? DON'T GO! PLEASE! I'M NOT A MONSTER! I JUST... I JUST..."

"Oh jeepers, here we go..." Hàipà rolled his eyes, making the feline simply turn to him in disgust before she braced herself for a forsaken blow from the creature.

But then, her ear twitched at a sound she didn't expect... the sound of... crying?

Tigress slowly turned her head back to the creature, but was taken by surprise when she saw that the beastly shadowed mirage deceived her eyes as it all only led to... a child.

A tiger cub with ripped up clothes, sobbing on the ground.

"I-I just... wanted t-to play..."

Tigress' ears faltered as she turned away, disgusted by herself. "She's... she's just a child."

"A child that looks a little familiar, don't you think?"

The tiger master glared hard into the dragon's eyes, angered by his way of playing with her mind, her emotions, so much so that he decided to make her face with a hardened truth at that moment...

There was a little girl behind her monster.

Slowly, Tigress walked towards the wailing cub, gently kneeling down and sitting criss-cross in front of her child self.

"Hello..." She quietly jested, causing the cub to look up at her and snarl.

"Who are you?" she asked accusingly, sitting up and hugging her knees to her chest, turning away from Tigress in defence.

"I'm—"

"Afraid?"

Tigress took a deep breath. She knew this would be a little harder than one would assume. Even as a kid, she was stubborn.

"...No..."

The cub's ear twitched as she slowly looked back, "W-well.. why aren't you!? Everyone else is! I'm Tigress; Tigress the MONSTER!" She bit back, before recoiling at her own words and burying her head in her knees.

"A monster no one wants..."

Tigress sighed. Slowly, calmly and patiently, the bigger feline moved closer to the cub, making sure she was fully in front of the little kid.

At first, she hesitated, not knowing what to say as she felt overwhelmed with emotion.

She knew she had to keep her composure, however... so, feeling a moment of deja vu, she whispered words of familiarity to the cub that she knew would strike a chord amongst the two.

"You're not a monster... you're just a little girl."

The cub perked her head up at Tigress, her small and saddened smile, and felt herself break. She wept, a lot more loudly as well, and tackled the bigger tiger back in a well-needed hug.

Little Tigress wrapped her arms tightly around bigger Tigress' torso, weeping into her hanfu as she finally let her emotions pour in a richness no one has ever seen before.

Tigress didn't mind it one bit.

"W-WHY DOES NO ONE WANT ME! I-I DON'T MEAN TO MAKE SUCH MESSES! I J-JUST GET SO A-ANGRY AND—"

"I know.." Tigress simply stated. "People just sometimes fear what they can't understand... and that fear can transfer to yourself in different ways..." She felt her left eye brim with a single tear. "But it's not your fault..."

The child only sobbed more, hearing such words of reassurance she wished she received sooner. Tigress simply smiled as the tear finally left her eye and streamed down her cheek. "And don't worry... you'll find people who'll love you. Soon you'll be taken into a palace, have a parent, friends, people who'll respect you..." The feline chuckled and blushed to herself. "You'll even fall in love with someone else..."

The tiger kitten wiped her eyes against the fabrics of the hanfu and looked up curiously.

"I-I will...?"

"Yes... you will. I promise. You will be and still are wanted. You just need to find the right people who will show you that."

The feline's sincere smile was all the cub needed to smile herself. She hugged the big tiger again, happily this time.

"Thank you..."

Tigress sniffled quietly as more tears down her face as she finally had the courage to hug her younger self back.

"No... thank you..."

The meaning behind those words meant more than she could ever express, yet, the moment was short-lived as instead of poofing in a huff of purple smoke, the child simply faded into a small beam of light, causing Tigress to stumble in her hug and instead hold her chest as the beam of light went into and illuminated her heart.

The former broken down room faded as well as Tigress was left to sit in a dark abyss, with the metallic door still standing tall amongst the darkness.

"See?..." Tigress looked up at the purple dragon sitting in front of her in his more accurate size. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

Tigress was still sceptical of the dragon, however. "You're not going to play with my mind anymore..?"

Hàipà sighed begrudgingly, "Yeah, unfortunately. I thought I would have fun breaking you but eh~ you won my game. I may be a merciless god of fear but I still play fair.."

And with the snap of his fingers, the door opened up to a sudden passage of light. Tigress felt relieved and satisfied with herself, but there was still something she needed to do.

"I want to go to Po."

Hàipà exasperatedly stuttered, "Wha— you— I'M LITERALLY GIVING YOU A TICKET WAY OUT OF HERE AND YOU STILL WOULD RATHER BE WITH YOUR PANDA!?"

Tigress simply smirked. "The game is not over... not yet... not until we're all out. For Po, I would jump through fire for him and right now, he needs me..."

"UUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGH..." The large dragon groaned dramatically. "Oh you remind me too much of my brother, Yùwàng. You and that romantic weirdo would get along too well..." He sighed, "Fine... I'll change the location from the door and take you to your panda boyfriend..."

"You can do that?" Tigress inquired.

"Bitch please! I'm the Dragon of Fear; I CAN DO ANYTHING~! It's kinda my job after doing this for dynasties..."

"Don't call me that." Tigress growled in a warning tone. "Also... Po's not my boyfriend."

"HE'S NOT!?"