Pooh and the others stared at the two giants nervously. He could feel Honey Maple sink her claws into his shoulder. Pooh flinched from the pain. He looked at Queen Flamesong. "Queen Flamesong. What should we do?"

Queen Flamesong bit her lower lip. "Head west. There should be a dune to take cover. Hurry!"

Pooh shifted Honey Maple around. He turned to his friends. "Come on!" Pooh only ran a few feet but it was too late. The Bad Dream King had spotted him. Pooh tried to run faster, his very little brain screaming for him to run.

His friends were close behind them. They picked up whatever they could find, which was mostly sand, and threw it. However, they were knocked away by a rush of wingbeats. Piglet was barely able to reach Pooh just as The Bad Dream King slammed his head into the sand. The impact caused everyone to be flung back.

Pooh tumbled onto the ground. Honey Maple flung out of his arms. Pooh looked up to see Honey Maple disoriented. The Bad Dream King's large shadow began to cover her. "No!" Pooh scrambled to get to his feet. He was pinned to the ground by a large wing. He was soon staring into the Bad Dream King's eyes. This time, he knew it wasn't a dream.

"I have you now," The Bad Dream King said. "Do you really think you could-"

"Despair!"

King Moonsoul swooped in. His body slammed into The Bad Dream King hard. His claws pinned the wings, but the skeletal head tried to bite him. King Moonsoul bit his neck in pure retaliation. He ignored the whip-like tail smacking his back.

Pooh coughed out the sand. Piglet was soon by his side. He handed Piglet a paw to help him up.

"Are you ok, Pooh bear?" Piglet asked.

Pooh coughed a little while longer, getting the sand out of his mouth. "I believe so." He looked around for Honey Maple. She was nowhere to be seen. "Honey Maple! Where's Honey Maple?!"

Piglet squinted his eyes the best he could. He peered through the sand which was hard considering that two dueling creatures are causing small sandstorms. Then, he spotted something. He pointed to a flash of orange scales. "There!" To his shock, Pooh ran toward Honey Maple. "Pooh! Don't!"

Pooh ignored his friend's frantic plea. He jumped over King Moonsoul's tail. He ducked when the Bad Dream King's claws were about to come down on him. Pooh's limbs ached, but he continued to crawl over to a distressed Honey Maple. He hugged the baby dragon as it started crying.

The sky soon went dark. Roars from two large beasts shook everything around them. All the creatures of the Starlight Kingdom and Hollow Realm turned their attention to them. Eyes wide with shock.

King Moonsoul barrel rolled out of the way as a blast of red light went at him. The Bad Dream King, now known as Despair, roared loudly as he charged forth. King Moonsoul bit the monster's wing hard. The silver dragon was met with a heavy smack of the tail. The wound stretched from his shoulder to his hip. He let out another roar before he sent forth a burst of fire.

Pooh watched in fright. His arms held onto Honey Maple tighter. Eyes wide with fear. All the screams and shouting had been drowned out. He recalled what Christopher Robin had said about war. The noise. The explosions. People getting hurt for no reason at all. He thought it was something that would stop in time, wouldn't it? Now, there was a fight before his very eyes.

Creatures began to move away from the scene. A few began to pick up their enemies in order to avoid being trampled. Fire exploded around them. Palm trees collapsed only a few feet away. Sand flew everywhere, making it almost impossible to see.

Pooh trembled. He could hear Honey Maple whimper. Tears rolled down his eyes. "Let's go back to your mama." He slowly got up, but his slow movements caused him to be hit by King Despair's tail. He flew into the air for about a mile or two until he hit the largest dune in the desert. The world spun around him. The sand almost swallowed him.

I can stop all this, you know…

Pooh looked up. His vision was still blurry but he squirmed from the sand. "Honey Maple." He coughed, sand clinging to his mouth. "Honey Maple!"

I know a spell that you can use to stop all this worthless fighting…

Pooh got onto his feet and looked around. "Hello? Who are you?" There was no one around, but the night sky was barely visible. "I can't see you but, can you show me where Honey Maple is?"

I'm…a friend. Honey Maple is fine I'm sure. She couldn't have toddled far. Something about the voice was a bit sweet, but the annoyance it held made Pooh's skin crawl. Now listen, there's a spell that I want for you to do. Just repeat the words and it'll be all over.

Pooh scanned the area. Then, he saw Honey Maple as a light burst out from the fight. He ran toward the baby dragon. As he picked her up, she let out a squeal of pain. Pooh was about to ask what was wrong, but then felt something wet on his paw. He looked at the blood to see it leaking from Honey Maple's wing. He soon noticed that her left front paw was slightly crooked.

A faint boom was heard in the distance. Pooh looked up at the sky once more. The faint glimmer of King Moonsoul's shape appeared in the moonlight. Bursts of red-gold flames were mere dots in the distance. The black shape of King Despair was barely seen. Before long, Queen Flamesong joined in by coming from behind. The ground was littered with shapes that scrambled to get away from the chaos.

Pooh's vision blurred with tears. Why did it come to this? Why did they fight? Was it because they were so different? "If only I knew a spell to stop them in my own head. But…I'm a bear of very little brain." He sniffed. "I can barely remember the spell I've used to heal Queen Flamesong."

That's why you need to repeat, alright?!

Pooh sniffed again. He wiped his nose. He couldn't quite put it, but that voice seemed weirdly familiar. However, it was right. The fighting will only get worse if he doesn't do something. He took a deep breath. "Ok…What are the words?"

Pooh listened to the voice very closely. As he did so, Piglet, Wisp, Rabbit, Tigger, Hurricane and Whirlwind soon arrived. They all panted heavily, exhaustion riddled their bodies.

Before anyone could say anything, Pooh opened his mouth and spoke the spell. "Oh shadows of night. Weave and bind what was two. Devour the light. Make me anew. Let my enemies tremble on my return. For they soon shall learn." Pooh soon noticed that his shadow began to warp. It stretched out into the fight. His friends' shadows were also heading in that direction.

Hurricane stood stock still. "Pooh…Where did you learn that spell?"

Pooh watched the sky. His heart pounded as King Moonsoul, Queen Flamesong and King Despair were charging at each other again. The colorful bodies were ready to make contact. Suddenly, an indigo light crashed down on the desert. Pooh smiled as they began to descend back to the ground. "It worked! They can stop fighting now."

Hurricane paid it no mind. He asked Pooh again. "Where…did…you learn that spell?"

Pooh turned his attention back to Hurricane. "I heard a voice that said it would stop the fighting and it did. Everything will be ok now."

Two shapes soon appeared behind Pooh. They both glared down at Pooh menacingly.

Rabbit, Wisp and Piglet shuddered. Hurricane and Whirlwind raised their wings, their bodies shielding them.

Pooh tilted his head. "What's wrong?" Suddenly, Honey Maple let out several hisses and tried to squirm away. "'Honey Maple? Ow!" Pooh cried out as something bit his arm. He looked to see a beak clamped on his arm rather tightly. "Icarus? What are you doing here?" Pooh soon noticed something strange about the creature.

Icarus' green feathers began to darken. Taking on a near black color with hints of indigo. Black, soulless eyes peering at Pooh in wicked glee.

A heavy thud resounded on Pooh's left. He turned to see Echowing looming there. To Pooh's horror, he saw Honey Maple in Echowing's claws. Letting out a sheer cry. "Honey Maple!" Pooh tried to move, but his arms and feet wouldn't obey. A painful sting soon felt like his entire arm was on fire.

"Pooh!" Piglet slid off Wisp's back. Before he could get even two steps toward his friend, he was yanked back by Wisp. "Let me go! Pooh's in danger!"

"Don't be a fool!" Hurricane hissed. "That spell Pooh conjured was to break a special seal placed on a dark deity long ago."

"A dark deity?" Rabbit stared at Hurricane in bewilderment. "What are you talking about?"

Icarus laughed. "I guess King Moonsoul never told you that story." He backed away from Pooh as he scratched the sand with his claws. "I suppose it couldn't be helped." He slowly pulled out something tucked under his wing. It was a statuette of King Moonsoul and Queen Flamesong with their claws and tails intertwined.

Echowing grinned. His claws began to glow. Underneath, Honey Maple's scales began to turn gray. Slight cracking was heard. Honey Maple screamed at the top of her lungs. Echowing only laughed at the hatchling's struggle.

Pooh struggled to move. His feet refused to listen to him. "Grr! Come on feet! You…need…to…move!" He found himself watching as Honey Maple turned to stone before his eyes. The gray material reached up to her chest. "Honey Maple!"

Honey Maple thrashed a little longer. Her wings were flared out slightly until the stone forced them to stay in place. She looked on helplessly. "P-P-Pooh!" Finally, she was entirely gray and still. Her body froze in a permanent state of anguish.

Pooh's mouth hung open. His very little brain went blank at the sight. He could almost imagine Christopher Robin standing behind Honey Maple. A disappointed look on the young boy's face. He briefly heard the shouts of his friends. However, everything else was drowned out. He could only hear his own heartbeat.

Icarus was on his shoulder. "Foolish bear…" He whispered straight into his ear. "Did you really think you could help anyone? You are nothing special. Just a nobody that means so little." He was only a few inches away from Pooh's nose as he fully faced him. "But. As a special thank you…" His voice suddenly changed. It almost sounded like it was melting into Echowing's. "Let me show you my true form."

Pooh could only say one word. "What?"

Before his very eyes, Icarus turned into a cloud of smoke. Echowing did the same, revealing that Pooh's friends have also been turned into smoky bodies merged into one. Twisting and humming an eerie tune. In the farther distance, Pooh could hear screams of fear rise between the dunes. A brief explosion filled the air. Then, standing before him was a creature that was far more terrifying than King Despair.

Two sets of sickly green eyes peered down at Pooh. Four wings spread out. Two that resembled birds and two that resembled bats. Wide enough to block the night sky. Feathers ran down its spine, spikes peeking out. A long graceful neck arched. His tail had a diamond-shaped spike at the end. Six horns crowned his head. He was far bigger than King Moonsoul and King Despair combined. "Hello, Pooh." His voice was thick and husky. "Let me properly introduce myself. My name is Nightplague. Time for me to reclaim what's mine."

Pooh looked down as a crawling darkness appeared underneath his feet. It began to drag him down into the depths. The pull felt like multiple hands were reaching out and grabbing him. Pooh couldn't even speak. He could only watch Nightplague sneer at him.

"Thank you Pooh bear." Nightplague let out a hissing laugh. "The bear who has a very small brain. Savior of Nightplague and a failure to his friends."

Pooh watched him laugh. His eyes blurred with tears. Regret hung in his heart. The laughing continued until he was down into the darkness. His entire world had gone black.

—-

That's it for this chapter. What do you think? Who is Nightplague? What was his beef with the realms? Find out! Review for more content!