Funny enough, I was working all month on this, and I realized...This chapter would end too long if I don't have a two-parter. I think this is the only chapter that really was split into two parts..."Rescue Mission" shouldn't count because it was different perspectives of one event XP.

Anyhow, lets go on with this chapter...I'm sad it's about to end DX

Unite Or Die Part 1

"Covered in Darkness?!" Inky sputtered. "You can't be serious!"

Sphinx glared at Inky. "I do not find the enslavement of others to be something of hysterics, Knight of Blue of the Royal Color!"

Pinky floated between the two. "Don't mind him, Sphinx, he's just in shock is all. So how are we gonna get to Winky before it's too late? Do you even know where she is?"

The Sphinx raised a paw slowly up to its gem, gently pressing on it before his paw back down. The gem began to glow bright purple and a tiny figure materialized.

Pinky and Inky jumped in surprise.

"You set us up?!" Inky snarled at Sphinx as the figure fell from the height of the gem to the sandy ground. "Oh, this ain't no setup, ghosties." The blue haired witch cackled.

Pinky glared at Penny bitterly. "Oh yeah, then what do you call your recent record of trying to destroy all of Pacmanity, ghosts, and other things Pac-Worldly?!"

Pen shrugged. "A really cool hobby." Inky lurched at her and Pinky made no attempt to stop him.

"Wait! I came to help!" Pen rushed.

Inky stopped just in front of the small witch. "Keep talking!" He snarled.

"Okay, so I know I haven't exactly been 'Ally of the Year' or anything, but I was actually trying to help!" Penny started. Sphinx lowered his head to ground level. "Penelope the Witch speaks truthfully. Even if it is said in the prophecy that she is a traitor-"

"Wait..." Inky interrupted. "Pen wasn't in the prophecy."

Penelope shook her head. "Naive little ghostie, you were right when you said I wanted to help, now you've lost all the little intelligence you had. I am indeed the curious traveler...And have I not betrayed my world?"

Pinky and Inky exchanged looks. "True..." They muttered.

"But how do we know we can trust you?" Pinky asked warily.

Penny muttered something under her breath and a small pinkish purple orb formed in front of them. "What is that?" Inky asked.

"It's my magic trapped in this ball. Now that I don't have my powers, there is no reason you can't trust me." Penny explained.

"Prove it." Inky demanded.

"How?" Penny asked with a smirk.

Pinky sighed impatiently. "We don't have time for this, Sphinx, we're gonna need a different guide."

Sphinx shook his head. "There are no more available resources of the prophecy and I cannot attend your ceremony with you for the destiny is not of mine. However, I assure you...Penelope the Witch speaks the truth. You must unite with her to find what was once her master, or die a thousand deaths with the Darkness."

Inky and Pinky exchanged one last worried look before nodding. "Alright..." Inky said. "Pen, lead the way."

Two ghosts and a tiny witch traveled through the hot-humid weather of Mirage Oasis. Inky stuck to the front next to Pen, while Pinky took up the rear.

"How much further is it?" Pinky asked growing more suspicious by the minute.

"Not too far. We need to get down to the chambers again if we'll get there in time." Pen explained. As she said this the temple came into view. Another Guardian Sphinx, identical to the last, sat patiently waiting for something, or someone.

"Halt!" It commanded.

The three stopped as they were told as the guardian sniffed them warily. "You have spoken to my brother." It said. "Yes, indeed my brother has deemed you worthy, yet you do not have an established trust in each other." The Sphinx rose to all four paws and readjusted itself.

"I cannot let you through if you do not have the Royal Color in your presence."

"But we're going to rescue her now." Inky explained. "We even brought the curious journeyer with us as our guide!"

Pinky floated forward. "We have to get down to the temple's chambers before the Darkness hurts the Royal Color."

The Sphinx lifted its nose up denying their request. "I must apologize if you wish to access the temple in the best interests of the Royal Color, but if she is not present, you cannot enter the temple. Whether you have a thousand Knights or Journeyers, you are not getting in without the Royal Color!"

Pen snarled. "Pinky, let me have my powers back, I'll zap this Sphinx into a pile of sand!"

Pinky shook her head. "No way, sister, we are going to reason with it. Now," she started looking up at the Sphinx, "we know you can't let us in without the Royal Color present, but what if we told you your brother said we could get in?"

Sphinx looked down at the three curiously. "My brother is an honorable Sphinx, always giving wisdom to those who travel in the Oasis, or even to the Princess herself. If my brother has let you go, you may, but not without challenging me. I must see if you are what you say you are."

Pinky smiled. "Alright if we win, then we get to go through to the temple."

"However if you lose, you will be obliterated whether you are prophesied or not."

"Deal." Pinky smirked.

Penny looked at Pinky in shock. "What are you doing, Pinky?! If we lose, we're going to die! That thing could eat me!"

Pinky ignored the small witch; Inky turned and looked at Pen. "Come on Penny, this is Pinky we're talking about. The cleverest ghost on the face of Pac-World."

Pinky and the Sphinx stood face-to-face. "If you are one of wisdom, as the Knight of Blue says...then guess my gender correctly and you pass my challenge."

Inky smirked. "Easy, it's a bo-" he was cut off by a punch in his side. "Shut up, Inky. There's no friggin' way you can guess by just looking at the thing! It looks exactly like its brother!" Pen hissed.

Pinky smiled and answered simply. "You're neither female nor male. Even if you do note that the other sphinx is your 'brother', it is what he preferred; however you do not care for gender-related titles. You're only care is to keep out anyone who isn't the Royal Color as you were told. Am I right?"

Sphinx sat on its haunches. "Wisdom beyond your years, Pinky the Ghost. You win the challenge." Sphinx rose up to its giant feet and lowered its head towards the pink ghost.

Pinky smiled and bowed back. "Yeah, you almost got me there, but I am pretty clever." She smirked back at Inky and winked.

Sphinx smiled. "As promised, your access will be granted."

Before the three could enter the temple, Sphinx stopped Pinky. "Oh and Pinky, I have decided I will have a desired gender...It will be female..." She smiled at Pinky and dipped her head again in respect. If you looked close enough you could see the black, stone-cold eyes turn hot pink matching the pink ghost's.

"Congrats." The pink ghost chimed.

The three wandered through the temple hall searching for the throne room. "That was awesome, Pinky! How'd you do it?" Pen exclaimed.

Pinky shrugged. "Like Inky said, I am the 'cleverest' ghost on the face of Pac-World."

The three laughed as they continued their search.

"You know, Penny, you're pretty cool for a witch. What are you really doing with a lame-o villain like the Darkness?" Inky asked.

Pen shrugged. "Dunno- turn right up here, I think this is where it was last time- the Darkness makes offers I can't refuse: a hand in enslaving the universe, magical opportunities you can't get as a normal Class A witch, heck, I even got a new broom."

Pinky nodded. "Those are some pretty good offers, but what do you think'll happen when he goes back on his word?"

"You do know he won't keep his end of the bargain, right?" Inky added.

Pen thought for a moment. "Yeah, I do, but I didn't come up with anything yet...I'm sure I'll think of something."

"Why don't you stick with us?" Inky asked.

After a few seconds of silence, they all burst out in laughter.

"Hehe, a w-witch working with g-ghosts?!" Penny choked out. "Oh dude, Inky, you're hilarious. But I admit I could be a possible ally...not friend."

Pinky nodded, realizing they had made it already to the underground Oasis. "Alright what now Pen?"

Penny pulled something out of her frilled blue skirt pocket. It looked like a tiny mirror. "Alright lift me up and toss me as far as you can." She ordered.

Inky shrugged at Pinky and extended his orbital; after whirling the tiny witch around to allow a farther throw, he finally let go and sent the small witch flying.

At first nothing happened, but then- boom! A large explosion of fireworks and then a black and purple portal opened up before them.

The portal emitted jolts of electricity in the air, threatening to shock anyone who dared stand near it. After about a good five minutes the tiny witch gasped, completely out of breath, crawling back up the rock way to the ghosts. "Man, I'm outta shape..." She panted lying on her back in front of Inky.

"Uh, Pen, what is that thing?" Pinky asked.

"Our way...to the...dimension...the Darkness...is in." She explained panting.

"Uh, what do you mean? Isn't this place where the Darkness wants to be?" Inky asked.

Pen shook her head and held her chest. "Well, yes and no. This entire un-Pac-Worldly place is a mirror image of Pac-World meant to be reflected into another place called Earth. It's where the Darkness originates from. This whole place is like a bridge to the Darkness's Realm." (A/N: Also where the next possible Pac-Man fan-fiction might take place...)

"Earth?" Inky tilted his head and turned to Pinky. "What's an 'Earth'?"

Pinky shrugged. "Dunno, sounds like a place where freaks like the Darkness get their sick kicks. They probably have no knowledge of us either, and their days completely oblivious to anything but their dull computer screens while they click around on random short stories slowly wasting away living off of FanFiction websites."

(A/N: She obviously doesn't understand that there are other things outside of FanFiction, where do you think we got the stories from to create the fan-based fictions? We have to go out sometime XD)

Silence fell in the group.

"What?" Inky asked.

Pen coughed slightly. "Yeah. But it doesn't matter, we're going destroy this entire place forever once we find Clyde, Blinky, and your stupid friend Winky."

Pinky shifted uncomfortably. "Actually Pen, our journey together kind of stops here. We have a job to do that will destroy the Darkness, and save all of the universe. And it starts with finding the others and the gems."

Pen looked shocked for a moment. "Saving the world? Is that even in your alignment description?"

Inky thought for a moment, but Pinky interrupted that thought. "No it isn't, but it's what we have to do."

"Then I'm goin' with you!" Pen declared.

"You can't, there is no way." Pinky snorted.

"Hey, I'm on your side now, and you can't take the Darkness down without me. Besides you heard that horse thing. He said we 'unite or die'."

Inky began his descent down the rocky pathway towards the portal. "Well we're already dead, so I'm fine with that."

Pinky nodded. "I agree with Inky, it's worth the risk. You'd probably double cross us just like you're doing the Darkness. People normally don't have that fast of a change of heart."

Pen sighed. "What if I have a motive behind my actions?"

"What motive could you possibly have that will convince us to trust you?" Pinky growled.

"It's probably cliché, but for love? Or strong like." She added quickly.

"This isn't about some junior high crush Penny, this is serious!" Pinky snapped.

"And so am I!" Penny argued back. "I really want to help!"

Pinky was about to retort something back when she realized that not only was Inky gone, but the portal as well.

"Inky?!" She squeaked startled. "INKY!" She looked around for the blue ghost. "Penny?! Where did that portal take him?!"

Penny shuffled her feet nervously. "I did say it takes one straight to the Darkness right?"

Pinky glared at the witch with tears threatening in her eyes. "BRING HIM BACK NOW!"

"I-I can't! I don't have another one of those portal openers! And the only way to go after him is taking the long route there. And don't try using your ghost powers...they're useless the closer you get to the Darkness."

Pinky took a deep breath and tried to clear her mind. She help up the glass ball that held Penny's powers. "I will smash this thing on your stupid head and you will never call yourself a Spooky Hallow Witch ever again if you do not take me to Inky, RIGHT NOW!"

Penny winced and covered her head fearfully. "Alright! I'll do it..." She muttered running out through the doorway they came through.

Pinky felt a single tear drop fall from her eye. "Oh Inky...I hope you're okay..."

Blinky, Winky, and Clyde were trapped to say the least, not only had all three of them lost their floating abilities, but they were unable to link themselves with any other ghostly talents they possessed. Winky leaned on Blinky as he cradled her reassuringly. "Blinky, I want you to know from the start I thought you were an arrogant jerk-face, who was a rude and disrespectful..."

"Is there a point to this? Or is it just to make me feel worse?" Blinky asked miserably.

"There is a point...And is that, I actually have come to crushing on you...I can't believe it...but if we ever get out if here by chance, I want to go..." She hesitated before saying her next words. "Go out sometime."

Blinky blushed. "Really? Well, I know this perfect spot where I can get us great reservations. They make scream cheese pizza to die for there."

Winky nuzzled him affectionately. "I love scream cheese. And maybe someday, I'll come to love you."

Blinky smiled. "I heard an 'I' 'love' 'you' in that sentence, and trust me those feelings are mutual."

Clyde coughed. "Sorry to interrupt Blinky, but we have company..."

Suddenly a blue form entered their dim and unknown imprisonment.

"Inky?" Winky asked unsure.

The figure groaned and attempted to sit up. "Winky is that you?" He asked. "Aww great, I knew I broke my orbital."

Winky giggled. "Actually, you're just experiencing the effects the Darkness put on this place...we aren't going anywhere...Where's Pinky?"

Inky looked around. "I have no idea..." He said dizzily. "I can't remember anything that happened, I went through the portal Penny opened then-"

"Wait? Pen? You went through a portal she opened!?" Winky snapped.

"Yeah, she's kind of on our side, Pinky was with her before I went through, she was behind me...I think."

Blinky, Clyde, and Winky exchanged looks. "Great...he's delusional." Blinky growled.

"No way I'm delusional, dude!" Inky snapped.

"Inky, why would Pen be helping you guys out?! She's our enemy!" Winky exclaimed.

"She's a part of the prophecy too. She is the curious journeyer."

Blinky sighed. "Do you know what else that prophecy said about the 'curious journeyer'?! IT SAYS SHE BETRAYS US!"

The room rang silent as Blinky yelled this.

"Pinky is in trouble, and now there is no way we can help her...Our only hope is out there with our greatest enemy's top henchman. What can we do?" Winky sighed hopelessly.

"We don't lose faith in our friend." Clyde declared. "Pinky is a smart ghost, she can handle Penny. I just know that any moment now, Pinky will be here helping us out."

Pinky kept a close eye on her witch-captive and the two of them hadn't said a word to each other since the incident at the temple. Pinky couldn't let her guard down for a second as Pen was leading her into a region she wasn't sure she knew of.

Of course nothing really changed in the oasis, of course the floating trees, talking Sphinxs, and multiplying spiders didn't really count as normal, but it was a start.

Soon the sand began to run out and turned into a dirt path sided by luscious green grass. A few yards ahead a fork in the road split into five directions.

"We're going to Celebration Ave." Pen announced.

Pinky stubbornly kept her mouth shut.

"Pinky...I said I was sorry... How was I supposed to know your idiot of a boyfriend wou-"

"You know what Penny," Pinky started, "you didn't say you were sorry. In fact, you didn't say anything of the sort. No remorse or anything. You only care about yourself, but what more can you expect from a witch?!"

Penny sneered at the mention of her kind being used as an insult.

"And if you ever call my friends 'idiots' or 'stupid' again, I swear by the powers hidden deep within the Spooky Hallow that I will make your life a living-"

Suddenly the ground quaked, sending up dust from the road.

"What is going on?" Pinky coughed from the dust piles.

"I don't know, you were scolding me then the ground shakes. I think this place isn't liking your bad vibes girlie."

"You are really pushing your limit." Pinky snarled.

Suddenly, right in front of the girls, the ground sunk in into a giant fifty foot gauge in the grass and dirt allowing something really big to pass through; however, it wasn't anything they anticipated. A one thousand foot black fox with a neatly brushed tail, wearing special types of shimmering jewelry, appeared from the hole. "Patra?!" Pinky asked surprised.

Patra laughed and cheerfully greeted her friend. "Hey Pinky. Thought I'd never see you again. I can't believe how big I've gotten!" The black fox mewled admiring her new height.

"Yeah...neither can I..." Pinky mumbled. "What...or how did this happen to you?"

"I don't really know." Patra giggled. "But I really like it; however, that is not important. We have to get back with Pac-Man, Roger, and Woofa. I have already located Inky, Blinky, Clyde and the Royal Color."

"Her name is Winky...and how did you find them?" Pinky asked.

"Easy, with Pac-Man's help, we managed to locate the Royal- I mean Winky's unique ghost spectrum, and the gems in the same location. We just don't know exactly how to get there."

"I can help..." Pen offered. She turned to Pinky and honestly looked into her eyes. "I know that villain to villain this probably sounds pretty cheesy, but...I am really sorry. I have to make things right with you if I'm ever gonna have allies to help me take over the world in the future. I should definitely start by getting your boyfriend and friends back for you, and aiding you to destroy a common adversary. So why don't we call a truce, and I'll even cross my heart and hope to die."

Pinky frowned and thought for a moment. "Fine we'll work together for just this once, but after this Penny, I never want to see you ever again."

"Alright not exactly what I wanted to hear, but deal."

Patra nodded. "It is nice to see a rivalrous argument settled every once in a while. Anyway, let's go, time cannot be wasted."

As the trio raced across the lands to Celebration Ave. -well in actuality it was Patra walking at a normally pace, Pinky floating along on her shoulder, and Penny running marathons to keep up- they encountered many strange and out of place things along the way. "Ignore the small nuisances." Patra mumbled as she continued through the field of popped corn.

"Easy for you to say!" Pen retorted. "You're not the one swimming through popcorn and being attacked by crows."

Pinky scouted ahead for more trouble from her perch on Patra's shoulder. "We should be coming up on Celebration Ave. soon, is that where Pac-Man and the others are?"

Patra nodded; the fox twitched her ears listening for anyone up ahead. "Now that you mention it, here they come." Patra turned around and picked up the tiny witch from the ground.

"Hey! I don't like to be man-handled! Let me down!" Pen squeaked.

Pinky rolled her eyes and kept a look out for her friends. Sure enough, Roger the Robot and Pac-Man approached; and both of them were just as giant as their fox friend.

"We lost Woofa in Crystal Cliffs, he said something about a disturbance there." Pac-Man explained as they approached.

"It's possibly the Darkness. We should go check it out." Patra muttered to herself. "You shall head back to HeadQuarters and meet with the elites. Your soldiers are fit for battle right, Roger?"

"ROGER BELIEVES HIS UNITS ARE FIT TO CORRECT STANDARDS." The mono-eyed robot replied.

"Alright then, I will meet with you later. I need to head back to the Temple and retrieve my two Sphinxs. If Pac-Man's calculations are correct we will be ready to launch the attack on the Darkness in Crystal Cliffs...Hopefully Woofa will get the message soon.-"

"So we're about to fight?" Pinky asked. "Now? We still haven't found the others."

Pac-Man smiled at Pinky. "Don't worry about it Pinky, it's part of the plan. Our battle will buy you time to get Winky, Blinky, Inky, and Clyde back and save the world."

"Saving the world...still not used to hearing that..." Pinky sighed. "Alright Pac-Man, we'll go on your command."

"Actually now would be the time to execute the plan."

"You're the boss dude, just tell us what's what." Pen grumbled.

"Take these and the rest will be clear." Pac-Man handed the smaller girls something that really was unclear until it reached Pinky's orbital. "Why are you giving us a basket of cookies?"

"THE APPARITION KNOWN AS PINKY IS NOT AWARE OF THE UNIQUE ATTRIBUTES OF THESE BAKED GLUCOSE INFUSED PELLETS." Roger stated to Pac-Man.

"Of course not but no time to explain, just eat them whenever the time is necessary." Pac-Man rushed as he pulled out a large tablet and pressed the screen a couple of times. "See you soon, Pinky, and please make sure your leader doesn't try to make any alliances with the Darkness."

"Don't worr-" Pinky was cut off when she and Penny were vaporized from thin air.

The Darkness smiled at himself in the mirror. "Despite taking the form of a human girl," he stated, "I still have the superior ferocity of a dark spirit." He gave the mirror a fierce smile and winked at his own reflection. "You're so conceited." His reflection sneered back at him. "Stupid human, you should cease to exist when I stole your corporeal body, but you continue to live on through the reflection of a mirror. How dare you show your ugly face at the beginning of my reign?!"

The reflection shook her head causing her deep brown curls to shift along with her head. "You do know you're only talking to a reflection, a reflection which is a copy of your own movement...not actually you? Sounds like someone feels guilty-"

"I feel no guilt stupid girl!" He roared, his stolen green eyes turning red. He puffed out a deep breath and stared around the room. Of course being stuck in a girl's body meant he resigned in a girl's room. Teenage boy band posters littered the walls, pink and blue paint dotted along every spot, and white furniture decorated the girly place. The Darkness sneered at his surroundings and picked up a jewelry box that was rudely dropped to the floor. "Ah, but my prisoners seem to be enjoying themselves." He cooed as he opened the box. Tiny ghost figures lied at the bottom of the box, slowly suffocating on themselves. "Hmm, I guess the pressure of my world is too much for you weak ghosts."

A purple colored ghost figure feebly tried to float out of the box only to be shoved back down.

"You poor naive girl, Winky. It's too bad your other friend won't be here to watch their only hope die. Pinky, was it? Well it won't be too long until my useless subordinate brings her to me."

Winky glared up at the Darkness, unable to catch her breath. She gasped as she tried once more to attack the Darkness head on, but once more she was pushed back down. She heaved for breath unsure how it was possible for a ghost to suffer the pressure of another atmosphere. "Things aren't making sense around here..."

"Things never do when I'm around." The Darkness growled at the ghost. "You should know this by know, ghost."

Winky took a deep breath and settled herself into a meager floating position. "I am going to stop you, whether you want me to or not."

"You are a lot stronger than I thought." The Darkness complimented, admiring Winky's stubbornness against the forced pressure set upon her. "It's too bad it'll be placed to waste."

Winky took a pained look at Blinky, then Clyde, and lastly her brother. Inky, Blinky, and Clyde were still, suffering the atmosphere just like her. She gulped and straightened up and glared at the Darkness.

With all her might, she used any ghost ability that managed to leak out to her, thank goodness it was speed. She zipped out of the box like a weak rocket and aimed for the neck jewelry around his neck. Again the Darkness simply swatted at the purple ghost, but this time when he attempted to away her, his hand froze in mid-air.

"You twit! What do you think you're doing?!" He growled.

"Trying to regain control of my body you weird cloud freak." The ghost of the stolen girl growled.

"That's all...I need!" Winky growled landing right in the Spooky Hallow Diamond. "Whoa..." She murmured realizing that as she touched it, not through orbit, but actually touched it, the gem glowed.

The Darkness began to chuckle darkly as he regained control. "Looks like the ghost girl is having trouble. I'd love to stay and chat but it seems you and your friends will have to go."

Suddenly the four ghosts altogether began to glow with the gem, before vaporizing into thin air.

How was that? Prepare for Part 2 sometime in December...possibly the beginning, school is calming down again...But I will be working all Thanksgiving Break for you all XD.

Until next time! Au revoir!

~Raph'