Chapter 7: Fallen Innocence

Enter Pax:

Lines drew out buildings and towers, color coming afterward to "build" Flipside around us.

"Ah, there they are," Merlin said, walking toward us with Nozan by his side. "What did I tell you? It wouldn't take them six hours!"

"Wait, hang on a second," I said, holding out my hands. "Exactly how long were we gone?"

"Well, time is relative to different Dreams, buuuuut…" Merlin pulled out a pocket watch and clicked it open. "By Dreamer Standard Time, it took you roughly three hours and twenty nine minutes."

"…wow," I blinked. "Is that, like, a new record or something?"

"We don't keep records on-" started Nozan.

"Sure is!" Merlin interrupted. "You guys did GREAT out there!"

"Thanks!" I grinned.

"Wait, were you guys watching us?" Goombella asked.

"Now what kind of all powerful organization would we be if we didn't?" Merlin retorted, walking back to his house. "Come hither, we've got some debriefing to do."

"So this computer lets you keep tabs on wherever I am?" I asked. We were on the second floor of Merlin's house, and in the center of it was a large, complex computer with multiple screens. On the center screen showed us in this exact room, myself being the focus. All the other screens showed different information about me, like my current Keychains, my pulse rate, Coron's status of health…

"I can't tell if this is fascinating or creepy," Goombella spoke my own thoughts.

"A little bit of both," Merlin admitted. "Still, this allowed us to keep tabs on you during your last adventure. Nozan here came up with the idea and built it himself!"

"You're giving me far too much credit, sir," Nozan said modestly. "I simply re-configured the communication system we commonly use with our Elite Agents into an observation system via altering the observation posts to take in the light waves reflected off the surfaces of the Dreams. After that, it was child's play to lock onto the Dream Keeper's Soul."

"Er, Pax," I corrected him. "That would be Pax's Soul."

"Toe-may-toes, tuh-mah-toes," Nozan shrugged off. "Now back to the matter at hand, we would like to discuss the Nobodies you encountered."

"We encountered Nobodies?" I asked.

"…oh, right!" Goombella realized. "Remember, Coron taunted O'Chunks about him not having a Soul?"

"Right!" I smacked my head. "So O'Chunks is a Nobody… I guess Dimentio was, too?"

"The problem is, though, we were only aware of ONE Nobody in the ranks of the Nightmares," Merlin piped in. "The Lord of Nightmares himself. We were hoping Coron might be able to tell us more about these others."

"And why he never mentioned them before," Nozan followed up, eyeing my claw in suspicion.

"I'll see if he's up for talking," I said. "Hey, Coron? You feeling alright?"

Yeah, MUCH better, Coron replied. He couldn't form an image of himself in my mind's eye, but I could hear his voice in my head. I should be ready for action in about an hour.

"Oh, no need," I replied. "We already got the Pure Heart."

Seriously? Coron asked. Damn, you work fast.

"I know, we even beat the record!"

Wait, the Dreamers hold records for this sort of thing?

"Apparently!"

Merlin politely clearing his throat brought my attention back to the matter at hand.

"Hey, we have a couple of questions for you about the Nobodies," I told Coron. "Think you could enlighten us?"

Right, the New Organization… Coron muttered. I'll tell you as much as I can, yeah. I think I can hitch a ride on your senses, just a second…

"Alri-wait, what did you-" I started, but I was cut off as I felt a cold presence move around my eyes and ears. I had to blink a few times to adjust.

"Okay, THAT was weird…" I said, shaking my head. "What did you just do?"

I adjusted myself so I can see what you see and hear what you hear, Coron answered. I can hear you guys talk, all you have to do is relay my messages to them.

"Oh, alright!" I nodded. I turned back to Nozan and Merlin. "He's all ears, guys."

"First things first," Nozan said, glaring. "Why didn't you mention these Nobodies earlier?"

I figured you already knew about them, Coron said simply. That, and before now all the Nobodies worked behind the scenes rather than going out into battle.

I relayed the message to everyone.

"Then why are they coming into the forefront now?" Nozan asked.

How the hell am I supposed to know? Coron retorted in irritation.

"He hasn't the faintest," I translated.

"Fine then, tell us everything you DO know about the Nobodies," Nozan crossed his arms.

I want to punch you.

"He requests you say please."

"What?" Nozan asked. "Are you mad?"

"Well, that's an… accurate choice of words," I replied, rubbing the back of my head sheepishly. "Basically, he doesn't like your attitude."

Merlin had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing too loud. Nozan simply glared at my claw. "…fine. Please tell us what you know about Nobodies, Coron."

Much better. Now then, last I checked there were four members. The Lord of Nightmares, you already know him. His second-in-command is Tashanax, codename Nastasia.

"Wait," I said after relaying the message. "Nobodies have codenames?"

Before you ask, no, I have NO idea why they do.

"So Tashanax?" Merlin encouraged after I relayed Coron's message.

Right. You probably already know this, but when a Nobody is created, the most powerful abilities they had in life are magnified and manifested into supernatural powers. Hers was apparently manipulation, because she can control almost anybody like a puppet. Well, anybody with a Soul, at least. Domination over empty shells is the Lord of Nightmares' forte.

"Wait, so they have an agent who has the power of Mind Control?" Goombella asked. "Why the heck don't they just use her more often?"

Two reasons. One, she can only dominate one person at a time, so she wouldn't be useful in an actual battle with hundreds of people swarming you all over the place. Secondly, she is NOT a fighter. She generally lets someone else weaken someone first before she sweeps in to dominate them.

"Well… at least that means we won't have to worry about-" started Goombella.

"Don't finish that sentence," I warned, knocking on the nearby wall. "We have had WAY too much bad luck the last hundred or so times we tempted Fate like that, let's not give her any more ammunition."

"Alright, fair point," Goombella admitted.

"So the Lord of Nightmares and Tashanax makes two," Nozan brought us back to the subject at hand. "And you said there were four members."

Right, I'm getting to that. The third one, the Nobody I'm most familiar with, is Rixamim, codename Mimi. Her most prominent special ability is the ability to polymorph, but the power that makes her the most useful is the ability to essentially drill small holes through even the most protected of Dreams, allowing a few Nightmare agents to go through. She's the reason I was able to escape into Mario's world and chase after Pax. You might remember her as the Dragon you fought back in your first adventure.

"That thing was a Nobody?" I asked after relaying the message. "Um… wow. I managed to beat down a Nobody before I even had the Sword of Dreams."

Well, she WAS going easy on you…

"Please don't ruin the moment," I requested. Coron laughed.

Right. Well finally, we have O'Chunks. I didn't really see him all that often, so I never learned his real name. He was in charge of training the Nightmare soldiers, but I finished all my training before he even lost his Soul. Based on his fighting, I'd say his special ability is to make the Earth move to his will.

"What about Dimentio?" Goombella asked.

Who?

"Coron doesn't know Dimentio," I translated. "He must have joined the… what did you call it?"

The New Organization, Coron replied. The Lord of Nightmares was inspired by the legends of the original Organization XIII, so he began developing his own army of Nobodies. He made sure to learn from the mistakes of Organization XIII, though, and kept the New Organization small so as to prevent any rebellions.

"Right," I nodded after relaying this message. "So Dimentio joined the New Organization within the last six months."

"You'd better be especially careful," Merlin said to all of us. "If the New Organization is getting as bold as to send its members after you now, they might try just about anything. These Nobodies are vastly unpredictable."

His serious tone was ruined by the sudden appearance of his infectious grin. "But, what am I saying? I have complete faith you'll be able to conquer anything they have to throw at you!"

"Oh stop, you're making me blush," I replied. "Alright, next order on the list… could you point us in the direction of the nearest restaurant and Inn?"

"Wha… are you insane?!" Nozan cried out, looking appalled. "The Void is constantly spreading! You need to hurry to the next World before-"

"Nozan, just because you seem to never need rest doesn't mean everyone can survive working at their fullest 24/7," Merlin interrupted. "You saw them fight Fracktail yourself. Frankly, I think they NEED this rest. The Inn is just down the street to your left when you leave my house, and the restaurant is down on the second floor. You can reach it by the elevator near the store."

"Got it, thanks!" I waved, leaving the house with Goombella and Mario. "Well Goombella, looks like we owe you some stew."

"Glad to see you're not trying to weasel out of your bet!" laughed Goombella as Mario tried to sneak away.

"Oh no you don't, buddy!" I grabbed Mario by the collar of his shirt. "You lost the bet just as much as I did, you're helping me pay!"

Mario snapped his fingers, as if silently saying "oh darn." Goombella and I laughed as we headed toward the restaurant.

Enter Dimentio:

I was leaning against a pillar back in the Void, looking into the smooth, black sphere I created just a little while ago, watching scenes from the Dream Keeper's fight against Fracktail play out inside of it.

He's a bold fighter, I thought. And his significant other is very intelligent… together, they make a deadly team. This Chosen One, on the other hand… he's strong, but I doubt he'll be much trouble.

"Heya Dimentio!"

The overly bubbly voice of Mimi called my attention to her presence before I took the effort to raise my eyes to see her. She was back in her normal form, though she was wearing a maid's outfit.

"Dare I ask?" I raised an eyebrow.

"You think it's cute?" Mimi giggled, twirling around and letting the skirt flow. I chose to ignore her as I turned my eyes back to the sphere.

"C'mon," she said in a playful tone. "You know you think I'm cute!"

"A moment ago you asked if the outfit itself was cute," I reminded her. "Besides, we're Nobodies. How could any of us understand the concept of attraction?"

"Only your Soul is gone," Mimi said in a teasing voice as she leaned her head against my shoulder. "The Libido stays perfectly in place!"

"…"

I took a step away, letting her fall to the ground with an "Eep!"

"You're… what, twelve?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"THIRTEEN, thank you very much!" Mimi stuck her tongue out at me as she stood up, dusting her dress off. "Besides, I'm not much younger than you are!"

"You have no idea how old I am," I retorted, crossing my arms.

"No, but I COULD know if you took your mask off!" Mimi pouted. "Come on, stop being such a meanie-head!"

"How about I stop being a 'meanie-head' when you stop being annoying?" I asked in irritation. Mimi was about to make a retort when we noticed Count Bleck and Nastasia walking into the room.

"Count," I bowed. "Nastasia."

"Dimentio," Nastasia nodded her head, keeping her eyes on me.

"Count Bleeeeeck!" Mimi ran up to the Count and hugged him. "Dimentio's being a meanie-head!"

"There there, Mimi," the Count patted her back. "Would a mission make you feel better?"

"Ooh, a mission?" Mimi's eyes lit up. "What do you need me to do?"

"We've found the probable second location the Dream Keeper will reach in his journey," Nastasia piped in, adjusting her glasses.

"And you do want to get some revenge against him, don't you?" Count Bleck asked.

"Of course I do!" Mimi nodded eagerly. "I want to rip his head off his shoulders and shove it right up his butt!"

"Lovely visual there, Mimi," I rolled my eyes.

"Aw, thanksies!" Mimi replied, not getting the sarcasm in my voice.

"In that case, hold still…" Count Bleck gently held Mimi's face in his hands. "I have a gift for you."

His arms glowed a deep purple, filling Mimi with this same energy. She closed her eyes and shuddered under his grip for a few moments until he let go.

"I have filled your essence with the power of the Void," the Count said. "Once you enter your true form, you will become completely invulnerable."

"…SQUEEEEEE!" Mimi practically tackled the Count in a hug. "OH THANK YOU SO SO SOOOOOO MUCH COUNT-Y! YOU WON'T REGRET IT!"

She pulled away and skipped off, ripping a hole through reality to skip through.

"Right…" Count Bleck cleared his throat, patting his suit down.

"You need me to keep an eye on her, too?" I asked.

"Let her have her fun for a while," the Count waved his hand dismissively. "My little 'gift' doubles as essentially a spying device. I'll be keeping an eye on her, I'll let you know when you need to save her from the Dream Keeper."

The Count started to walk away, but paused and turned to me. "Oh, and Dimentio? Excellent job keeping O'Chunks alive, he barely has a scratch on him."

"Thank the Darkness, not me," I replied with a smirk.

"Darkness is just a force, you are the medium that controls it," the Count pointed out.

"Darkness is stronger than you may think," I said. The Count, in reply, shrugged.

"Either way, I'm going to congratulate you," he said, walking off. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do. Good day."

I bowed as he walked off, leaving Nastasia and me alone.

"Don't you have work to do, too?" I asked, leaning back against the wall and turning my gaze to the sphere.

"As a matter of fact, I do," Nastasia replied, her voice slow and calculating. "I'm off to stop the few souls left resisting the Void's power."

"Does that include the Princess and the man in green?" I countered, looking straight at her and grinning under my mask.

"…it does," she said carefully. "It would be a… shame to the Organization if either of them got away."

"Indeed it would," I nodded. "Then again, you don't really know what I would define as a 'shame'."

We stared at each other in silence. This was a common occurrence between the two of us, a never ending chess match. Only instead of a chess board, we used the Organization.

"I'll be leaving now," Nastasia said, turning around.

"What makes you so sure I'll sweep in and save the day?" I asked as she began to walk, stabbing right to the core of the matter. She froze in place, apparently thinking.

"I have backup plans," I sneered. "Can you say the same, Tashanax?"

Her fists clenched at her sides.

"Food for thought," I shrugged, pocketing the sphere. "I'm late for an appointment. I'll leave it to you to decide what that appointment may be."

I walked off, leaving the woman to contemplate things further. Playing with her mind was just way too much fun sometimes.

Enter Peach:

"Oh… my head…"

My eyes slowly opened as I woke up in an unfamiliar location. I sat up, trying to remember what happened last. I was in the castle… then some man in a white suit showed up, saying something about a wedding… there was this strange location of black and purple, and this woman… she spoke to me, but I couldn't remember what she said. Everything after that was just a blank, and…

"AAAIIEEE!" I screamed, bending over and hugging my torso. I can't even remember why I screamed… I think I was in pain? I was still in the strange location… I think. There were squares, but they were floating. Purple and black were all around, and strange… unnatural shapes. They were pressing into me… the whole world was pressing into me. An intense sound nearly deafened me, and it took some time for me to realize it was the sound of my own heartbeat.

"What… what is this…" I gasped, trying to stand up. A wave of nausea washed over me as I fell back to the ground, curling into fetal position. This world… this whole place, it felt like it was trying to tear my very essence apart. I felt vulnerable, completely defenseless against the waves of assault against my very being. My mind and heart felt fractured, like they were ready to shatter any second… And it was just getting worse by the minute.

I was about to slip back into unconsciousness just to escape these horrors when a voice called out to me. Using every ounce of effort within me, I slowly sat up and blinked to the source of the voice. A Koopa and a Hammer Bro ran up to me. I could tell they were shouting, but their voices seemed muffled to my ears. They grabbed my arms and helped me to my feet, and I offered absolutely no resistance.

"…incess!" the muffled voice was finally coming into focus as the Hammer Bro grabbed my face in his hands. "Princess Peach! You gotta stay awake or this place will destroy you!"

"Wha…" I blinked hard, then bent over as another wave of pain flashed through my being, shaking me to the very core.

"Look, I know it hurts!" the Hammer Bro grabbed my shoulders to keep me from curling in fetal position again. "But you have to stay focused!"

He grabbed my face and made me look him in the eyes. "Breathe with me. Okay? Just breathe with me, Princess."

He took slow, steady breaths through his mouth. I focused on only his breathing as I synchronized my breaths with his. A minute later, my heart rate dropped, and I was soon standing straight up again.

"Thank you…" I breathed.

"Don't thank me yet, ma'am," the Hammer Bro shook his head. "We still need to get you outta here."

"Where IS here?" I asked, looking around at the area around me. I regretted it a minute later when the alien geometry started pressing down on me and I had to close my eyes to prevent my mind from shattering.

"Easy now…" the Hammer Bro said gently, keeping a firm hold on me. "I really don't know where we are, all I know is that it tears at us the longer we stay here."

"W… we've been l-looking for an escape… for the… past few hours…" the Koopa struggled.

"Don't strain yourself, Karl," the Hammer Bro said. "I need you to conserve your energy, alright?"

"I… it…" Karl groaned, gripping himself. "It's hard to think… things are pressing on me, all over the place… m-my Soul, Anderson! It's trying to rip my Soul!"

"Get a hold of yourself!" the Hammer Bro-Anderson-barked, gripping Karl's shoulders. "You're stronger than this, Karl! You can fight it!"

"I don't know how long I CAN, Anderson!" Karl snapped back. Tears were welling in his eyes. "I've been fighting, but… I'm not… I'm not as strong as you…"

"Cut the crap, that's an order!" Anderson said. "You lasted this long, Karl. That's more than can be said for a lot of other people. We've almost reached the end, I can feel it. You just need to hold strong for a little while longer."

"I… o-okay," Karl nodded nervously. "I'm sorry."

Anderson sighed, patting his shoulder. "I know it's tough, but we have to pull through."

He turned back to me. "Look, I know you probably don't trust us, seeing as we're minions of Bowser and all, but we all have to work together if we hope of getting out of here alive."

"Of course," I nodded. "You helped me get my bearings back together, I owe you at least my trust."

Anderson smiled. "Alright. Come on, I think I have a good idea where the exit may be."

"Right," I nodded, stepping forward. The world around me seemed to tilt as I lost balance. Anderson and Karl managed to catch me before I fell.

"The first steps are always the worse," Anderson said encouragingly. "Just keep at it, you should get used to it after a little bit."

I nodded, taking slow breaths as I took careful, deliberate steps. Anderson and Karl stayed at my side, ready to catch me if I fell, but after a minute or so I was balanced enough to not need their help.

"Can you at least tell me what happened?" I asked as we walked through the dark halls of this alien location.

"Oh man, it was… it was INSANE," Karl shook his head. "We were gathered in Bowser's Castle, planning an attack on the Mushroom Kingdom-no offence, Princess."

"None taken."

"Right. Well, out of the blue, this creepy man in a white suit showed up and offered Bowser your hand in marriage."

"He did WHAT?!" I stopped in my tracks. "How did… WHY did…"

"I thought it was fishy too, but you were right there, completely willing to marry him," Anderson said. "You looked… off, though. Like, something just wasn't right…"

"Of COURSE something wasn't right, I was marrying Bowser!" I stomped my foot. "…but why don't I remember it?"

"Maybe it was that lady?" Karl suggested.

"Lady?" I blinked. "What… wait. About a head shorter than me, wears her hair in a bun, wears glasses?"

"That's the one," Anderson snapped his fingers. "You've seen her?"

"I… think…" I pressed my fingers against my temples and closed my eyes. "I remember… she was talking to me for a long time. Trying to convince me of something. The longer we talked, the more I realized she was right, but… I don't even remember what we were talking about, or anything that happened after that."

"Yeah… no doubt about it, that's her…" Karl shivered.

"That woman patrols this place," Anderson told me. "I think she uses the affect this place has on us against us. She pushes on someone's mind, tells them things that they eventually accept as truth. It's… how we lost a good portion of our men."

"That's horrible!" I cried, covering my mouth.

"There's nothing we can do about them now, though," Anderson shook his head. "The best we can do is get out of here before she gets to us and think of a plan of action."

"What about the rest of you?" I asked as we started walking again. "You said this woman got most of them."

"Everyone else… they snapped," Anderson shuddered. "They-"

"PLEASE."

We both looked at Karl, whose face was white as a ghost's.

"Please, just… don't… don't make me remember…" he shivered, looking at his feet as he walked.

"…I'm sorry about your brother," Anderson said softly.

"You already said that," Karl shook his head. "I just… don't want to think about it, alright?"

"Okay," Anderson nodded, looking ahead. "Come on, if what I overheard was correct, there should be an exit this way."

We walked in silence for half an hour after that. We had to stop occasionally for one of us to bend over in pain, but we would comfort that person and get them back to walking again. Anderson only had one such experience the entire time, but he was able to force himself back to his feet through sheer willpower.

We eventually came to a fork in the "road." Anderson looked down both ways to make sure it was safe.

"Alright," he said to us. "Down this way is the exit."

"We THINK," Karl reminded us.

"No, it HAS to be there," Anderson said stubbornly. "I didn't fight this long and lose this many men to hit a dead end. We're going to go through and-"

"HALT!"

We whirled to the other hall, where a small platoon of Koopas was marching toward us. What got me the most were their eyes: They looked completely empty. Not glazed over, but… gone.

"Karl, take the Princess and get her out of here!" Anderson barked, stepping forward and pulling out his hammer.

"B-but Anderson-"

"That's an ORDER, soldier!" Anderson barked as he threw a hammer at the Koopas, knocking them onto their backs.

"Y-yes sir!" Karl saluted before taking my hand. "Come on, we have to get out of here!"

"Karl!" Anderson smiled sadly at us. "…take care of her. I'll see you both soon!"

Karl nodded before leading me down the hall. We could hear screaming and the sound of battle behind us before things went eerily quiet. I couldn't tell if this was because something happened to Anderson or if we were getting deeper into this noise stealing Void.

I like to think it's the later.

"AUGH!" Karl gripped his chest and fell to his knees out of nowhere. I stopped short, running back to grab his arm.

"Come on!" I said. "Just a little further!"

"It… no, Princess…" he shook his head. "It's too late for me… everyone… Stars, they're gone. Everyone's gone."

His tears fell to the ground as he tried to curl into a ball. "Just leave me here… you still have a chance…"

"…no," I shook my head, taking his arm by force and wrapping it around my shoulders, practically dragging him down the hall.

"Wh… what are you doing?" Karl asked.

"You two helped me when I needed it," I told him. "It's time I returned the favor."

"Princess…" Karl started.

"Please," I smiled at him. "Call me Peach."

"…" Karl returned the smile, but both of our smiles faltered when I started screaming, the world crushing down on me. It felt like it was trying to rip my heart right out of my body, I could feel my mind crack apart, I didn't think I could last this much longer under this assault…

"PEACH!" Karl brought me back, looking at me with concern in his eyes. I didn't remember falling, but he was holding me like he stopped me from collapsing.

"I know… I felt…" I panted. Karl shook his head, not wanting me to continue.

"We'll carry each other," he offered, keeping his arm wrapped around my shoulders. I slowly nodded and did the same to him with my arm, and we supported each other down the hall.

I don't know how we survived the constant onslaughts. The world didn't just come and go, it was constantly pushing on us now. I think the only reason we managed to keep going was through sheer will power. I don't know how long we were walking. It could have been ten minutes, it could have been ten hours. All I know is that we eventually reached some sort of bridge overlooking a bottomless pit. I forced myself not to look down. We started to go across, but the world seemed to want us to stay: The Purple and Black squares closed in on the bridge, and we could do was watch helplessly as the bridge faded away in front of us.

"Dead end…" Karl whispered, shaking his head. "It's a dead end… no escape…"

"No… I refuse to believe it!" I clenched my jaw, forcing myself not to cringe in pain from the world. "There has to be a way out!"

"Oh no," a calm voice said behind us. "I'm afraid your friend was right. This is your dead end."

We whirled around to face the woman, a small army of blank-eyed Koopas behind her.

"Wh…" I panted, forcing myself to stand strong. "Who ARE you, anyway?!"

"Who I am is of no concern," she said casually, adjusting the glasses on her face. I could feel a fog settle in around my mind, but I refused to let myself wear down. "What does concern me, though, is that you're still running around with that nasty will of yours. Surrender now, both of you, and serve the Lord of Nightmares."

"Go to the Underwhere," Karl spat, glaring right at her.

"Yeah, see, that attitude won't be tolerated," the woman replied. "I think you'll find life much easier once you join us, though. You're in a lot of pain, we can take it away."

"Take the… pain… nyeh…" Karl's eyes started to fog.

"Leave him alone!" I shouted, holding Karl defensively.

"I see you're not going to make this easy for me…" the woman sighed. "Right. Minions, why don't you just grab them and-"

A strange sound came from behind us. We turned our heads to see a hole made of darkness rip open in the air behind us.

"Stop them!" the woman shouted. The Koopas ran forward, ready to attack.

"I'll hold them off, you go!" Karl shoved me back, holding out his arms defensively. I looked at the portal, then back at him. His eyes were shut, ready to take the hit.

"NO!" I screamed, hooking my arms under Karl's before flinging him around, letting the momentum throw us both into the hole. It closed behind us, leaving us falling through a corridor of Darkness.

On one hand, I didn't feel like my very essence was being ripped apart… but on the other hand, I felt like something dark and alien was creeping into me, weighing my heart down with a sick, powerful presence. I hugged Karl close to my chest as I closed my eyes, breathing deeply to try and combat the Darkness. I was just so weak though… I couldn't fight it. I fell unconscious, falling through the Darkness.

Enter Pax:

"…really?" I asked the image of Coron. "Spiced Curry?"

What's wrong with that? Coron asked.

"Nothing I guess, just… not what I expected to be your favorite dish," I shrugged.

The two of us were sitting on the roof of the Inn, watching the stars in the sky and talking.

This feels strange, Coron said out of the blue.

"What does?" I asked.

This whole… talking thing, Coron waved his hand. I haven't had a conversation like this in… well, ever.

"Get used to it, I've got a lot on my mind," I laughed, leaning back.

"How did I know you were going to be here?"

Girlfriend at seven o-clock, Coron pointed as I turned around, seeing Goombella walk up next to me.

"I dunno, I like roofs?" I shrugged, laying my head back down. "My house's roof is made of tin, so I never get to do this at home."

"You do realize you're going to regret this in the morning, right?" Goombella asked as she lay down next to me. "Sleep deprivation doesn't mix well with adventure."

"Yeah, well… I was just in the mood to do this," I shrugged. "Don't judge."

"When have I ever judged you?" Goombella asked with a snicker.

"…well-"

"Oh shut up!"

We shared a laugh.

"The stars sure are beautiful tonight…" Goombella breathed, cuddling up next to me. "You know, minus that ugly Void."

"Yeah… oh!" I sat up, summoning the Sword of Dreams. "That reminds me, I gotta show you this neat trick I learned!"

I focused energy into the sword and sliced it upward. The sky seemed to part and open up, revealing an endless sea of colors. Floating in this sea were countless spheres, each one holding the faint outline of an entire world in them. The only disturbance to this gorgeous sight was the Void sitting in the middle of the sky.

"Wow…" Goombella's voice was barely a whisper as her eyes grew, taking this all in.

"I thought you'd like it," I smiled, wrapping an arm around her. "All of these Dreams out there, floating along without a care in the world…"

"When we're done saving the world…" Goombella said, looking at me. "And, you know, AFTER I explain to my folks where I disappeared to… you think we could explore them? Just you and me?"

"Of course!" I grinned. "Once we beat the Lord of Nightmares, the Dream World will be safe for us to do whatever the heck we want!"

"Mm…" She buried her face in my torso. "I'm just… this is all so much to take in. I know we're on a do-or-die quest here, but… I've never been so happy. We're exploring different Worlds, and you're here with me…"

I leaned down and brushed aside her blonde hair, gently kissing her forehead. "It's a dream come true for me, too… no pun intended."

"You HAD to do it, didn't you?" Goombella smirked, but that blush lighting up on her cheeks let me know I did something right.

Out of nowhere, my claw started to tingle as Coron's head snapped up.

Look up! He said. I snapped my head to the sky, seeing a Dark Portal form.

"What's wro…" started Goombella, turning her head to see the portal too. "Oh crap."

From the portal fell two people. I couldn't really make out details, just pink and green. The pink was flowing… yellow hair…

"That's Peach!" I said, standing up and running forward. "Jesus… Shift!"

Enter Coron:

I dropped to all fours as the black flames subsided, dashing like mad toward the falling figures. I jumped once I hit the edge of the roof, flying toward their falling forms. It was a close shot, but I managed to stretch my arms and grab them before turning myself into a ball around them, absorbing the impact of the shock. Once we were on solid ground, I unwrapped myself and spread the two people on the ground.

One of them was a Koopa, his eyes barely open as he was shivering uncontrollably. The other was a young woman in a pink dress and blonde hair, completely unconscious. I moved my hands over them to feel their auras.

"Dammit, the Darkness has gotten to them," I cursed, gently placing my hands on them.

Vivian warned me about that, Pax remembered. I just thought falling through a Dark Portal unprepared caused you pain, though?

"Well it sure didn't tickle them now, did it?" I retorted. "Short bursts at full strength, yes, it can sting. Long falls when you're feeling weak, which I'm gathering happened to these two, can sap your Soul and possibly corrupt you!"

What happens when you're corrupted? Pax gulped. I chose not to answer him as I pressed my hands INTO their bodies, closing my eyes and focusing. They both convulsed as I spread my mind into their Souls, drawing out all the excess Darkness I could.

"…there," I breathed, pulling my hands out. "They still need attention, but they're better off than they were a minute ago."

Maybe Merlin can help? Pax suggested.

"Good idea," I nodded, slinging them over my shoulders as I stood up.

"HEY!" Goombella called from the roof. "WHAT'S GOING ON DOWN THERE?!"

"THESE GUYS ARE HURT, I'M TAKING THEM TO MERLIN!" I called back.

Tell her to get Mario and meet us there, Pax encouraged.

"What? Why?"

That's his lady, he'll want to see!

"Oh fine. GET MARIO AND MEET US AT MERLIN'S!"

"GOT IT!" Goombella shouted before running back inside. I turned around and made a dash to Merlin's house, hoping he wouldn't be too hard to wake up.

Enter Dimentio:

I smirked to myself as I watched the Nightmare carry off the two, hidden in the folds of Darkness.

"And thus another hero is added to the party…" I muttered to myself as I tossed the sphere in my hand. The prophecy was unfolding quite well. The woman seemed strong, but I could handle her without much effort. The Koopa? Well… they were to face Mimi tomorrow. I would see what he's capable of then.

I turned around and let the Darkness engulf me, taking me back to the Void.