AN: Hello everyone! Welcome to another rewrite! I was originally going to update after Runaway Reptile Redux was finished, but then I thought... eh, doing it now can't hurt. So, here we are! I hope you guys like this rewrite, as there are going to be some pretty significant changes between this and the original.

Anyway, onto Shadow's Emissaries Redux

Chapter 1 Chasing a Shadow

"No…" her voice was soft at first, but there was next to no chance it was going to stay that way. "No!" Pom Pom tossed and turned in her sleep, cringing as tears welled in her closed eyes. "Please, no…"

…

Pom Pom ran with all the speed and strength she had. She barreled down the ashen ground of the Koopa Kingdom, panting and sweating. She didn't stop nor did she turn her head, for she had a clear goal. That goal took the form of a shadow, a shadow that was quickly moving away from her. Even though it was still some ways away from her, she wasn't going to stop. She wouldn't let this shadow out of her sight. Not again.

"COME BACK!" she yelled. Out of the corners of her eye, she noticed the scenery around her changing. The Koopa Kingdom she was running through grew dark, eerily dark. This wasn't necessarily a big deal. The Koopa Kingdom was covered in smog every once in a while when the volcanos erupted, after all. But even still, there was something wrong with this particular darkness. It wasn't natural. It closed in on her on all sides, threatening to choke and/or suffocate her. It wanted to blind her too, stopping her in her tracks when it came to chasing down the shadow that she was so determined to catch.

But she wouldn't let that happen. She had to catch that shadow. She couldn't let it get away. Not this time.

And so, she ran. Her lungs felt like they had caught fire, which made breathing an impossible task. She knew her body couldn't handle this pace for much longer. Sure, given how she had been training for a good portion of the last few years, she had more stamina than the typical Koopa. She could run for an amazingly long time. But even then, her body had limits, and right now, she was right on the cusp of reaching them.

"No!" She wouldn't stop. Not for a second. This shadow had already given her so much grief. If she could just catch it, if she could just see what it was. If she could see and know that it was real, for absolute certain. If she could know it was real after so much time questioning and worrying…

"GAH!" She put on another burst of speed. The darkness closed in on her; it was like she could feel its weight pressing down on her. Her lungs felt as if they were going to explode, thus causing her to pass out. "PLEASE COME BACK!" She put on another burst of speed, all while she heard whispers around her.

"Crazy," they said. "You're crazy. You're crazy…"

Tears welled up in Pom Pom's eyes. Ignore the whispers. Ignore them and continue going forward. She would reach the shadow. She would see what this stupid, damn shadow really was. She would prove the voices whispering in her ear wrong. She would know this shadow for true and certain. She had already lost so much. She wasn't going to lose this too.

Almost there, she was almost there. The shadow was less than a foot away from her. She didn't know if it was just her imagination, but it seemed to be slowing down. Regardless, Pom Pom didn't smile or even allow herself to feel a morsel of relief. How could she? This shadow had bested her before, left her all alone to cry and start choking on her own tears. She couldn't let that happen this time, and she wasn't going to. She just had to reach the shadow, and she was SO CLOSE! So close to answers, so close to relief! So close to finding out if the voices whispering in her head were right and if the shadow was actually there. She reached out her hand, prepared to reach out and touch the shadow…

But the ground opened up beneath her. Pom Pom had NO time to react AT ALL. She couldn't jump out of the way nor could grab onto the ledge. She plummeted downward, into the deep dark pit that she knew and dreaded all too well.

"AHHHH!"

…

"AHHH!" Pom Pom woke up in a sticky hot sweat. Her chest rose and fell at a speed that NO ONE should EVER be breathing at. Tears poured down her face, and she felt like she was falling into a pit, just like in the dream. The only difference was that this was a metaphorical pit as opposed to the literal one.

"DAD!" Pom Pom tried to wipe the tears from her face. As she waited for her dad to show up, she reached over and grabbed the teddy bear that she had been sleeping with since she was five. When that did nothing to soothe her, she reached out and grabbed the pink ninja star she had gotten as a gift when she turned thirteen. Holding both items in hand, she felt more secure. But she was nowhere close to feeling as secure as she could've been, as she probably SHOULD'VE been.

"DAD, PLEASE!" The tears fell at a faster rate. She held both items close to her chest, the tears pouring and drenching her. It seemed to take forever for Pom Pom's Dad to show up, and as such, it took her a minute to realize he was there when he actually did arrive.

"Pom Pom!" Pom Pom's father, Boom Boom, ran over to her bed. He immediately got to work comforting her, wrapping his big, meaty arms around her body and patting her back with his big, meaty hands. Pom Pom leaned into his hug, crying more and more. That dream… that stupid dream…

"Pom Pom, do you have your rescue meds?"

Pom Pom barely had the strength to nod in response. She reached for her bedside table and pulled the drawer open, digging a pill bottle out once she did. Boom Boom pulled away in order to give her an opportunity to open the bottle.

"Here," he said. He reached into his hammerspace and pulled out a water bottle. It didn't matter how many times they went through this same old routine; Boom Boom was always ready with the necessary tools. Pom Pom stuck a pill in her mouth and gulped down the water, swallowing both. She waited a few minutes. While her breathing rate slowed down, it was still nowhere close to a normal level.

"It's okay, sweetie," Boom Boom said, his normally gruff voice sounding gentle and calm. "Just take a deep breath."

Pom Pom took a big breath, holding it in for about five seconds before slowly letting it out. She did that a second time, and then a third. It really helped, as did holding her teddy bear and ninja star. After a little bit, she was… not at one hundred percent, but calmed down enough so that she could speak and think coherently.

"Thank you, Dad."

"Of course, Pumpkin." Boom Boom placed his hand on her shoulder. "You were dreaming?" Pom Pom nodded, and Boom Boom's face grew sad and grim at the same time. "Did you see… her again?"

Pom Pom sniffled, having to force herself to nod. "I…" she put her head in her hands. "I know she wasn't real, but… everything… she was… I…"

"She felt real to you," Boom Boom said. "And she probably always will." Pom Pom nodded in response to him, refusing to lift her head out of her hands. After a little bit, Boom Boom grunted. "Do we need to talk to your doctor to adjust your meds?"

A silence followed that statement. While Pom Pom didn't say anything, she did shake a considerable amount. She couldn't look into her father's face. She hugged the ninja star closer to her chest as if she wanted it to enter her body and calm her heart. She wiped some sweat off her brow, adjusting her golden blonde hair. All the while, she was scared to answer the question, as whether she answered in the positive or the negative, the result would be the same.

"Honey," Boom Boom said after about three minutes of waiting for the answer. "I know you don't like the meds, but you've gotta understand that they're important."

"I know, Dad," Pom Pom said, her face growing warm.

"They were important in your normal, everyday life. But now that you're gonna be joining the Koopa Troop in two days…" Boom Boom let out a whimper and shook his head. "You'll be far away from home, Pom Pom, and I won't be there to help you through this. We need to get you on the right meds so that you can function." He leaned closer to her. "So that you don't have these nightmares."

Pom Pom stayed silent, knowing that he was right while also dreading the truth he was talking about. Yes, she was going to join the Koopa Troop. Yes, she wouldn't have her dad to come comfort her if she woke up screaming in the middle of the night. And yes, she probably needed a med adjustment. But… but she knew that wouldn't fix anything. It hadn't so far. If the meds worked the way they were supposed to, she would've stopped thinking about… HER a while ago.

That thought made her sink into the bed. Her. That figment of her imagination that she had been trying to escape from. She knew it wasn't real. She knew it so well that she didn't even bother saying her name. Saying it out loud, on top of being painful, would only bring her back. It would bring her back to that time when she was six. That time when she and her played games in the forest. That time when they were best friends.

That time that didn't actually happen.

"Pom Pom, I know it's tough." Boom Boom grew misty-eyed. "And… I hate to see you like this." He sniffled again. "If I could take this burden from you, I would. I would go through it for you if it meant that you could finally escape from it and be happy."

Pom Pom wiped some tears from her eyes. "I… thank you, Dad." She turned away from him. "I just… I remember it so vividly. I remember HER so vividly. And… I know, I know. I know she wasn't real; I get that. But… I just…" She whimpered. "Am I insane?" She looked into Boom Boom's eyes. "Am I insane, Dad?"

Boom Boom cringed. "No, honey, you're not. You're just…" he sighed. "Look, it'll be alright. You've been training for a long time for this. And knowing you, you aren't someone who's going to let these nightmares get the better of you." He smiled. "I mean… you never have. Ever since you were six, you've been strong."

Pom Pom bit her lip. "Ever since I've been six, I've dealt with memories that never actually happened."

"True. But…" Boom Boom reached out and took her hand. Admittedly, the feel of her tiny hand in his big one felt so… it felt right. "Pom Pom, you're not crazy. You're not a freak. You just have challenges." He smiled. "Everyone has challenges. Some are diagnosed, some aren't. They can be debilitating, sure, but if you stay strong, then you can… well, maybe not overcome them, as stuff like this is a lifelong battle. But you can live a normal life. You can reach the dreams that you've always had, even with a unique set of challenges."

Frowning a little bit, Pom Pom nodded. She looked down at her ninja star, as well as her teddy bear.

"And… just know that you have people rooting for you. Me, your brother, your mom… we all want to see you shoot for the stars." Boom Boom smiled. "Which is why we are so very proud of you for becoming a soldier. It is a tough job, I can say that from experience, but it's SO rewarding. You help make a difference. You help others who can't help themselves." Boom Boom, when he looked at her now, did so with a glimmer in his eyes that always seemed to be there when he talked about his beloved daughter. "We will be rooting for you, Muffin. We will always be rooting for you. Even though we'll be far away, just know that you will always be on our minds. Okay?"

Drying some tears from her eyes, Pom Pom put on a tiny smile. "Okay, Dad."

"Good." Boom Boom stood up. "Now, do you think you can go back to sleep? We still have a few hours until sunrise."

Pom Pom let out a breath. "I think I can manage."

Boom Boom gave her a thumbs up before leaving and gently closing the door behind him. Once he was gone, Pom Pom sighed and lay back down. This really was an uphill battle, but her dad was right. She wasn't going to let this get the better of her. She COULDN'T let it get the better of her.