54. After Noon

As hinted in the last chapter, the cryptogram is meant to be conjoined with the one in this, and the next chapter. (I'll just tell you it's a neat little reference, given what happens. ;P) Now, this chapter is supposed to be… a bit disturbing. So just be warned.

Madotsuki's Room; 10 years ago

The night before Madotsuki's 3rd birthday. She was a very small child who slept on a small bed, and had small toys in her room. Her parents left the window open that night. It was rather windy out, the trees rustled in an eerie fashion. Madotsuki hid deep under the covers. Clamp…clamp… The breeze was making her closet door bang against the arch, open, close, open, close… In the brief moments she could look through the gap, she could see a dark, indigo cloak breezing. She didn't know what was inside that dark, spooky closet, but she was afraid to go over and shut the door, for a monster might ambush her.

When the door was about to clamp again, it stopped. It stopped as though something grabbed it from the other side. Madotsuki climbed out of the blanket and set her little socked feet on the floor. Walking past all her toys, she approached the door and opened it.

A cloak as dark blue as the night hung in the closet, probably put their by her parents because they didn't have room in their closet. There were blue pointed shoes that were too big for young Mado, and a hat with a purplish-red stripe hung above the robe, two jingle bells on its side. There were two yellow lights seen between the robe and the hat. When Madotsuki looked closer, they looked like… eyes. There were also gloves hanging by the cloak, but they were attached to nothing.

"That was getting on my nerves." A British voice said. The clothes did seem to make an invisible body. And it was staring at her. And speaking. "You should return to bed."

Madotsuki turned around. She felt a force—the floating glove—gently nudge her back to her bed. Madotsuki climbed in. The gloves pulled the blanket over her. "I do not like the wind." The clothes reached over and shut the window. The wind outside became faint and less eerie. The clothes returned to the closet and shut their selves inside.

The next morning, Madotsuki opened her closet. Those same clothes were still hanging there, but they had no eyes and showed no conscience. Madotsuki went off to enjoy her birthday. Last night was probably only a dream. But she wished to have that dream again.

That night, Madotsuki opened her closet again. The clothes still hung… and the yellow eyes were present. "Do you need somebody to tuck you in?"

"Why ah you in dere?…" The child spoke adorably.

"Mmm… no idea. I guess you thought I was in here… so I am."

"Am I dweaming?"

"Hmm… no idea."

"What's your name?"

"…I guess I don't have one."

"You're dark…"

"Is that the name you give me?"

Mado shook her head shyly. "What do you wanna name?"

"It isn't customary for someone other than the creator to name her creation."

Mado stood confusedly. She didn't know many words, being so young. "…Though the name 'Thaddeus' does have a ring to it."

"Daddy-us?"

"Y-…Yes." He would blush if he had cheeks. "I'll be… Thaddeus Dark. You can call me 'Dark-san.'"

"Dark…-san."

"Madot…suki." He replied. He guided the child back to her bed and put the covers over her. "…Madotsuki… that's Japanese for 'Window.'"

"Win…dow?"

"Why would your parents give you an odd name like that?"

"…I dun' no."

Mr. Dark saw the window design on Madotsuki's sweater. He reached down and felt it. "…It's very pretty. Do you mind if I… open it?"

"…'kay."

Mr. Dark opened the window on her shirt, shrunk down, and jumped inside.

An Imaginary Friend is created by a human as an ideal Friend of their design. A Dream Spirit is created by subconscious thinking. I am a being of both types. I can enter and exit the Dream World through Madotsuki's window. So she always wore a shirt with a window.

One night, it rained. But the next morning, it was partly cloudy. Puddles still filled the streets. Madotsuki stood over one and viewed her reflection. Then a frog jumped in the puddle and rippled it. It happily hopped along. Madotsuki crouched like a frog and hopped in the puddle. "What are you doing, Child?" Mr. Dark asked behind her.

"I'm a frog."

"Hmm…" Mr. Dark zapped a magic spell from his finger. Madotsuki turned into a frog. "If you wish to be."

"Ribbit. Ribbit." Madotsuki hopped around the park. She jumped in all the puddles. She seemed to jump further each time. "Ribbit…" She saw a blonde-haired girl with a ponytail sitting behind a tree. "Ribbit." She looked rather lonely, so Madotsuki hopped over to her. She hopped on the lap of the girl's skirt. She merely stared at the frog with narrowed blue eyes. Mado hopped off. The girl stood up and walked away without a word.

One day, Madotsuki was at home, playing with her toys. She stacked blocks like buildings beside her doll house. She noticed how small the toys were compared to normal things. She wondered what it was like. "I wanna be small."

"As you wish." Mr. Dark cast a spell and shrunk Madotsuki. She entered her dollhouse and explored it, interacting with each plastic item. She climbed her blocks and viewed the expanse of her room from the top. She always wanted to climb Karakura's big buildings, but this seemed just as fun.

"I wanna be a cat." Mado said after seeing a cat pass by her house. Mr. Dark turned her into a pink little kitten. "Meow meow." She began to repeat as she wandered around on all fours. The ponytailed girl, who Mado nicknamed Poniko, was walking on the sidewalk. The kitten trotted beside her, going "Meow meow." Poniko ignored her.

One day, she saw a birthday party taking place in a backyard. Some kids that were in her class were there. She wasn't given an invitation. "I wanna be invisible." she requested. Mr. Dark turned her invisible, except to his eyes. Madotsuki approached the fence and watched the party from here. They had balloons and cake. It looked very tasty, and fun.

"Dark-san, will you read me a story?" a five-year-old Madotsuki asked while in bed.

Thaddeus pulled up a chair beside her bed, sat down, and opened a book. "'Once upon a time, there was a little girl who lived alone in the woods. She was a witch, born with magical powers.'

"'People feared her for her magic.'" Madotsuki dreamed she was flying on a broom, dressed in a witch's cloak and hat. "'So she was all alone. Then, a girl came to her house.'" Mado stopped flying and saw Poniko walking by down below. "'A cute girl with golden braids.'" Poniko seemed to glance up at the witch, but turned around and ignored her.

"'Once upon a time, there was a demon that ruled the world.'" Mr. Dark read the next night. "'He enslaved all humans, and darkness shrouded everything.'" Madotsuki dreamed she was a demon, like one she saw in a videogame once.

"'Once upon a time, there was an entire planet, where all the mountains, buildings, and fields were made of musical instruments. Music played every day.' Ooo, this story has a demon, too."

"Will you play me a song?" Madotsuki asked.

"You wish me to play you something?"

"Yes, please."

"…Very well."

Current time; Dense Woods

"Awwww… That story was adorable." Spongebob said.

"Okay, well, what about all this 'suffering' you were talking about?" Harvey asked. "When does that start?"

"I am only telling you that much!" Mr. Dark stated. "You have no business in this child's dreams and therefore it is not your concern!"

"YES it is! You're planning to hurt this girl, and as a Kids Next Door operative, it's my job to stop you!"

"None of your pitiful Kids Next Door could HOPE to understand Madotsuki's suffering!"

"You're wrong! Bad things happen to us all the time! Like when Anthony got that shrinking curse, or Fybi lost her wings, or when Dillon lost Vanellope… You wouldn't believe it, but I felt that sadness and distraught stronger than anyone else."

"That's right!" Spongebob exclaimed, remembering what he learned minutes ago. "Harvey's an emotionbender! But don't tell anyone."

Harvey shot a look at him, then back on Mr. Dark. "Bad things happen to people all the time. But they all got past it, and I know Madotsuki can, too. We could even help her if you just tell us what's wrong."

"I will do no such thing! Emotionbender or not, you are stepping into territory you have no place getting yourself involved in. You will leave this realm at once!"

"Listen, buddy," Harvey pointed a finger, "it's your own fault for bringing me here in the first place, so YOU better…?" Harvey turned around to see the green-skinned corpse. "Hey… does this body have something to do with it?"

"I said DON'T interfere!" Thaddeus roared.

Harvey ignored the warning and approached the body. Although it was disgusting, he bent down and touched it.

On a rainy night, a car shot down the road and ran over a man crossing the street.

Tears appeared in Harvey's eyes, his face struck with horror. "Harvey, what's the matter??" Spongebob exclaimed.

"H-Huh?" Harvey backed away from the body. He wiped the tears off and tried to let his nerves calm. "I-I musta… saw one of Madotsuki's memories. Sh-She felt… really upset a-and…"

Mr. Dark narrowed his eyes, angered at their nosiness. Harvey stared at the hand that touched the corpse. "Wait a minute… this is Madotsuki's dream world. That means everything here is made from her thoughts and… her feelings. If I go around and touch everything I can, I wonder if I'll be able to understand what she's feeling?"

"You will NOT!" Mr. Dark ignited a flame in his hand and threw it, but Spongebob grabbed Harvey and ran down a forest path.

"I think you're on to something though, Harv!" Spongebob told him. "Squidward never wants me involved in his life. But when I do, boy do things work out!"

"The first thing we should do is find Madotsuki herself." Harvey panted. "I need to warn her what Mr. Dark is up to."

"You know, Harvey, I need to ask, why were you keeping your powers a secret? Don't they look like they woulda helped you guys a few times?"

"My mom said it was a rare and dangerous power, and she didn't want me using them until I was older. She told me to always keep my emotions under control and not express them too much. But that's STUPID, 'cause she started using HER powers when she was seven! Why is she so afraid of ME-!"

A few of the surrounding trees blew down from an unseen force. Harvey stopped and stared in shock. "I don't know." Spongebob replied honestly.

"There they are, I SEE 'em!" André declared as Hoodlums were giving pursuit.

"Uh-oh! Let's go this way, Harvey!"

Dressrosa; Doflamingo's office

The Anti Guy raised the knife to end the 142-year-old president's life. Mom shut her eyes from her fate. Then an Ice Arrow flew into the room and froze the assassin solid. A Song Beam fired and struck the frozen Shy Guy, blasting him against the wall.

Before Mom or Morgan could understand what happened, Cheren, Sugar, and Carol ran into the room. "That's an AWFUL dirty trick, Aunt Morgan!"

"Cheren, is it? I see Carol has you at her beck and call. And who might you be? Don Quixote Sugar? I was counting on your toy curse to rid the world of Spongebob Squarepants… but it seems it has failed."

"I never wanted to use my powers to begin with!" Sugar yelled. "And I won't use them anymore, especially not for you!"

"Aunt Morgan, why did you try to kill one of your associates?!" Cheren aimed his sword at the screen.

"Sunni Chariton tipped me off that it was Carol who snuck you into Mariejoa, is this not true?"

"Not me, it was her!" Carol pointed at Mom frantically.

"You know, Aunt Morgan, I may get mad at operatives for disobeying my orders, but I sure as hell don't have them EXECUTED! Heck, the worst I did was throw Kodama in prison, but she kind of…"

"This woman intended for you to slay me. Would you not retaliate in the same manner?"

"Heck, no. I woulda asked what their problem is with me, and KICK their ass if I wanted to! And FYI, Morgan, I never planned to kill you. But it's great timing that you're here: where are you keeping the Firstborn Uxie?"

"So, you learned that secret? Unfortunately, I have given Uxie to someone else. We planned to use her for something important, so don't think we'll let you come up and take her."

"Guess again, Lady!" Cheren slashed his sword at the air. "Because I'm coming up there! And I'm gonna mop the FLOOR with you!" Sugar and Carol gaped at his declaration.

"I already 'mopped the floor' with you 13 days ago. And I did not even use my full strength. What makes you think Round 2 will be any different?"

"I've gotten stronger, Aunt Morgan. And I didn't even have a chance to go full throttle. I'll beat the snot out of you and make you come back to our side."

"Even if you get lucky and beat me, it will not change a thing. But very well, I'll accept your challenge. I expect to see you by May 20. Five days from now. I haven't got all month, you know. But I have one little condition, just to make it fun: you must climb up Mariejoa through Enies Lobby. CP10 should be a pretty decent warm-up for you." The TV switched off.

"You wish." Cheren remarked in spite. He turned to face Mom as the old woman was gasping, clutching her wound. "Mom, are you okay?"

"I'm just fine, you nosey snot. Why… did you bother saving me, anyway?"

"I have an unhealthy fondness for ladies." He said with a cocked brow. "Come on, let's get you back to your sons."

Sugar and Meloetta helped the woman to walk as they navigated out of the castle. "So, you came here searching for Azelf, too?" Mom inquired. "I thought that was a trick."

"Well, based on my info, Doflamingo was keeping Azelf hostage." Carol Masterson replied. "But given how much time passed, she's probably gone by now. Either escaped or taken by the other presidents."

"Or I could be just hanging around here, waiting for something fun to happen!"

"Yeah, I guess so." Meloetta replied. "Azelf is the kinda person to- Oh?"

They all turned and faced up. There was a silver-bodied creature wearing a silver helmet, holding swords in its two tails. "Wait!" Sugar exclaimed. "That's Azure! The greatest fighter we have in our colosseum!"

"That's right!" Azure nodded. "The people of Dressrosa know me as Azure, when in actuality, I am…!" He pulled off her helmet, exposing her blue head with golden eyes and red gem on her forehead.

"A-Azelf! It's really you!" Cheren beamed with delight.

"What've you been doing here?" Carol asked. "Did Doflamingo actually have you trapped?"

"Well, Doflamingo told me he would persuade the other Corporate Presidents not to hurt my sisters if I fought in the Corrida Colosseum. Even if I didn't believe him, it sure got me some work! I don't know where he got all those warriors, but they were the best workouts ever! I couldn't be too worried for my sisters, 'cause we're Firstborn, we know how to pull through. So, what've you been up to?"

"Story time!" Carol exclaimed.

Half an hour of recaps later: "Yikes… I missed a lot." Azelf said. "But wow, Cheren, taking on the Demon Saint Majora and Goddess of Nature Viridi? You kick SERIOUS ass! Hehe, I remember when you were five and playing with that toy sword! When I analyzed his Power Level, it was just a itty-bitty teeny-tiny 3!" She held her small hands very close to each other.

"Heh heh, hey, I was young." Cheren blushed.

"What do you mean by his Power Level?" Sugar asked.

"Well, Azelf here is able to scan a person's overall strength." Cheren explained. "But only if that person attacks her. She didn't actually discover this power until Arceus removed her curse."

"That's why I liked to go around and make ALL the strong guys attack me!" Azelf proclaimed, doing a flip and pointing her tails at her head.

"When she scanned my mom, it was 3,127."

"Hm. I expect nothing less from the famous Rachel." Mom noted.

"Ahright, s'let's see how strong YOU got!" Azelf said perkily. "Come on, Cheren, hit me! Hit me with your strongest shot!"

"We- I-"

"I didn't ask for a stutter, take out that sword and slice me down the middle!" She inched closer each time she insisted, "Go on! Do it! Hit me! Cut me! Do it, Cheren! Cut me into little pieces!"

"UGH!" Cheren burned into his Demon State, raised the Master Sword, and SLICED Azelf perfectly down the middle. Sugar and Carol were speechless at the fact he would slice a Firstborn with no hesitation. Azelf flew back and hit against the wall. The Goddess of Willpower only had a minor scratch on her.

Azelf touched her tails to her head as her red emblems glowed. "Analyzation complete. The speed of your attack, the strength of your cut, plus the current level of chi… You have a Power Level of 4,104."

"WHOA!" Sugar and Carol jumped.

"Don't 'Whoa' yet, let's see the rest of you, hit me!"

Sugar sucked in a breath and blasted a Song Beam against Azelf with her highest note. Azelf recovered and analyzed. "Don Quixote Sugar, your Power Level is: 1,210."

"Not bad!"

"My turn! Heeeyyy-YAH!" Carol rushed up, her fist balled tight, and punched Azelf in the face. She budged a little bit, but the Firstborn analyzed quickly.

"Carol Masterson, your Power Level is: 10."

"D'OH." The rich girl collapsed.

"Hah hah ha!" Cheren laughed. "Still, 4,104. I really didn't expect that!" He stared at his hand proudly. "I may be able to defeat Aunt Morgan after all!"

"Don't get too hasty." Azelf stated. "Morgan visited Dressrosa five months ago just so I can scan her. After a somewhat painful Psycho Beam to the face, I determined her Power Level is 5,892."

"Ache-!" Cheren winced. "That's… pretty high."

"I also know The King's Power Level."

The three kids and adult stared at her with amazement and terror in their eyes. They wondered if it was safe to ask. "W…When did you scan him?" Cheren asked.

"Back in March. He visited Dressrosa in some silly disguise called 'Sir Knightly.' He didn't look at all intimidating when I faced him. And then…"

Azelf lashed her swords at every corner of the pots-and-pans knight. She had never seen armor this indestructible, and yet knocking him around was so simple. But just when it seemed the knight was lying dead, he screamed, jumped to his feet, ran at Azelf like an escaped lunatic, and punched her so hard, her helmet broke and she went flying out of the colosseum.

"His Power Level, at the time, was over nine thousand."

"Nine… thousand…" Cheren felt his spirits decrease.

Dun dun duuuun! The screen cut to Goku, who had a shock-ridden, gaping expression.

"Wait a second, what about Firstborn Guardians?" Sugar asked. "Don't our Firstborn make us stronger?"

"Of course they do! Firstborn can triple your powers!"

Cheren's spirits fired up again, and he said excitedly, "Then I need to claim you as my Firstborn! Does Mom still have your Spirit Ball?"

"I never found it, dumbass!" Mom shouted.

"I MEANT MY MOM!"

"Yes, she does." Azelf answered. "But you're not ready to claim me, yet."

"Whaddyou mean I'm not ready?! I saved the world TWICE! I took on Majora and Viridi singlehandedly! Even my mom needed Lehcar and Mandy's help to beat Ganon! Do I need to unite the Triforce myself now?"

"Oh, screw the Triforce, that thing's nothin' but trouble. Look, I'll tell ya when you're ready to capture me, just trust me on this."

"Sigh, fine. It's at least good to have you back, Azelf."

"Um, excuse me, but," Meloetta interrupted, "don't we have a woman bleeding to death here?"

They now remembered the wound in Mom's hip. "Right." Cheren said. "We'll bring you up to Moonbase and have Melody heal you."

"You're bringing a Corporate President up to Moonbase?" Carol questioned.

"Keep your diapers on, brat, it won't do me any favors to try a sneak attack." Mom said. "Now that President Priss has stopped trusting me."

"We'll keep guards trained on her just in case. Let's go."

Madotsuki's Room

Madotsuki climbed out of bed after waking. She walked out onto her balcony. The sun hovered in the partly cloudy sky. It was about 2:10pm. The town looked pretty and lively. But this was as much Madotsuki would see of it. Madotsuki went back in to write in her Yume Nikki (her Dream Diary).

Dear Diary… Poniko ignored me again. I wonder why she won't talk to me? I also saw a boy with a winter hat. He made fun of my hair, then he chased me. What was really weird is that he talked. I didn't understand him, but… I wonder what he wanted? Will I see him again? Probably a 1/78 chance, though.

Madotsuki had nothing else to do. She would not go outside her room… she made no progress in NASU… so she climbed under the covers and went to sleep.

Neon World

The Neon World was the brightest and most colorful place in Madotsuki's dreamscape. She came here after going to sleep. There were living pinball machines, jiggling worms, one-eyed things with pinchers, all flashing neon colors and dancing about the neon halls while techno music played.

Madotsuki could not blend with the colorful, carefree creatures. She was just too single-colored. But then she came upon a neon parrot. When she touched the parrot, her body turned neon. She happily danced alongside the creatures. She was neon like them, and she made the party even flashier.

Madotsuki found an empty doorway whose black interior contrasted with the neon colors. Madotsuki turned off her neon form and entered. She was in a black dimension with a path composed of purple and red, flashing tiles, which made sounds under her steps. The area was quieter than the Neon World, and no one was around. However, Madotsuki saw two red Lums, little energy balls with wings. The Lums appeared lost, and afraid. They heard the tiles make sounds behind them—Madotsuki was coming.

The Lums tried to flee, but Mado opened her shirt window, took out a bubble with a stoplight design, and changed into a Stop & Go light. She flashed the red light, forcing the Lums to freeze in place. Mado approached the Lums and pulled bubbles out of her head, trapping them inside. The Lums shivered from the horrific thoughts contained in these bubbles, but they could not escape. They were about to float up into the Sea of Bubbles, but two Black Lums flew by and carried the bubbles away.

"Nice catch there, Mad!" Ales Mansay's voice rang from an unseen speaker. "Listen, I managed to catch some myself, they're at the house. Hurry up, I made some food for ya, too! You know grub's always best in Dream Land! Also, somebody's here waiting for ya, too. An old friend of yours."

Still feeling half awake, Madotsuki made her way to the house.

Somewhere outside Dense Woods

Harvey and Spongebob rested under some trees to catch their breath. "The Hoodlums couldn't-a followed us this far." Harvey said. "How big can one person's dream world be?"

"I think Mr. Dark said Maddy was a Bubble Dreamer, too."

"Call her Mado, I'll get her confused with someone else."

"Okay. Anyway, my own Dream World has all my friends' dreams connected to one-another. I think Jessie's are, too."

"So Madotsuki's is made of other peoples'… like that ponytail girl. Sigh, let's keep looking. She has to be around here somewhere."

"Wait, do you hear a bike?"

The two peeked out from some bushes. The 12-year-old girl in question, Madotsuki was pedaling up from down the road, bypassing them on her way to a house with a big magician's hat. Harvey and Spongebob pursued her, keeping hidden within the trees. They gasped when Mr. Dark materialized before the house. Madotsuki Bubbled her bike and put it in her window.

"Madotsuki… it's good to see you again." The cloaked nightmare knelt down and put his hands to her back (if he had arms, it would be hugging). "Do you remember? It's me, Madotsuki. Dark-san…"

"Dark…-san…" Her eyes were half closed.

"Yes… Dark-san…" The man gently stroked her hair. "Sigh… Madotsuki… I feel terrible for letting that happen to you… For six years, you never had someone to comfort you… Those wretched Kids Next Door were so obsessed with stopping parents from feeding their kids broccoli or from giving kids triple homework… ignorant to your plight… But I will be rid of them soon… and I will save you…" Mr. Dark stood up and took Mado's hand. "Let's go inside." He led her into the Magician's House.

"What's he planning to do to her?!" Harvey whispered angrily. "He shouldn't be able to kill her, right?"

"I have an idea! I'll send in one of my Minibobs!" Spongebob ripped off a square piece of his body. It morphed into a mini Spongebob, said "I'm ready!" and ran to the house.

"Spongebob, you got a weird body, but it's handy."

"In more ways than one." Spongebob smirked, extracting more arms from his body.

Inside the house

"KYAAAAAAH!" Ales Mansay screamed like a little girl meeting her favorite boy band. "MR. DARK-SAAAAN! Mr. Dark-senpai! Senpai Dark! DAAAARK-senpai! It's so good to see you again! And of course, the girl who dreamified this magnificent man!" Mansay got beside Mado and rubbed her cheek. "Madotsuki! The honor belongs to you, hah ha!" He glanced up at Mr. Dark, who was giving a spiteful glare. "…Uh, hehe." Nervous, Mansay slipped away. "Food's in the kitchen. Please, help yourself, Mado."

The 12-year-old walked away, her red boots making their usual squeak sound. The Minibob squeezed under the door and saw her. He went to hide when André buzzed in between Dark and Mansay. "Well, we got about 1,056 Mutant Lums ready to bust some heads. So, what's the plan, how're we gonna kill that girl?"

"We cannot kill her." Dark replied. "When I attempted to kill that boy, my attacks phased through him. We cannot kill real humans in the Dream World."

"Well, that's no big deal!" Mansay shrugged. "We'll convince Mado to kill herself! It shouldn't be very hard at all! I mean, every kid her age feels like killin' their self. Especially if she was freaking ra-"

Mr. Dark squeezed The Magician by the neck and raised him to his eyes. Mansay's head puffed and was turning darker blue. "Listen, you prepubescent fanboy." He spoke with pure malice. His yellow eyes bore into the Teensie's soul. "I did not appreciate you sniffing around my background. The only reason I do not twist your neck is because you have technology that is useful to me. But you are NEVER to speak of that. You have no place to. Do you understand me?"

"Ack! . . Crystal. . clear. ." Mr. Dark dropped him. Mansay gasped and puffed his neck back to normal. "Uff… But, it should be pretty easy, right?"

"Sure, I'm a pro at instigating suicide!" André said proudly. "But what about that other thing? You know, with that thing we got in the basement?"

The Minibob perked at this hint. "We should have enough power to fire the cannon." Mansay replied as Minibob ran for the purple curtains. "We'll collect a bit more chi in case…"

The Minibob dropped down a flight of stairs behind the curtains. He squeezed under another door, to a room full of Mr. Dark T-shirts, fan letters, and merchandise. There was also a bubble that contained a silver being with a pink head and two tails. "Spongebob! Is that you?"

Minibob looked at the right wall: Murfy was glued to a large piece of bug tape.

"I'm Minibob!"

"Eh, close enough. Spongebob, see that thing in the bubble? That's Mesprit, the Goddess of Emotion. Mansay's usin' her for something evil! And what's more, that Madotsuki girl is in danger!"

"Time to report back to Bigbob!" Minibob pinched himself and popped.

Spongebob's missing piece reformed. "Hu! Harvey, somebody named Mesprit is trapped in there!"

"Mesprit?! She's here??"

"Do you know her?"

"She's the one who gave me emotionbending. Spongebob, listen, I'll run in there and drag Madotsuki out. If those guys chase me, that's your chance to run in and get Mesprit. You saw where she was, so you'll have a better chance."

"Ooo-hoo, I love distractions!"

"Okay, on three: One… two… three! AAAAHH!" Harvey ran for the house.

"Wait- I wasn't ready! I thought you would say 'go'!"

"HANDS UP IN THE AIR!" Harvey burst into the house and raised his yo-yos. The three villains flinched and did so.

"Like we just don't care??" André joked.

"WAIT A SECOND!" Mr. Dark blasted fire, but dealt no harm to Harvey as the boy threw his yo-yos at Madotsuki, caught her, and pulled her back. "AFTER HIM!" The three villains began to chase Harvey as expected. He unwrapped his yo-yos and held Madotsuki's hand as the taller girl ran with him.

"Come on, we have to get away from them! I'll explain later!"

After Harvey led them far enough from the house, Spongebob quickly ran inside. He went down the basement, to the room where Murfy and Mesprit were trapped. "Spongebob, get me down from here! I'll help you save Mesprit—we need to get Rayman outta here, too!"

"You got it!" Spongebob faced Mesprit's bubble determinedly. "No bubble lasts forever!" He whipped out a camera and snapped a blinding picture.

FC World

Mr. Dark, Mansay, and André chased Harvey and Mado through a warp gate that brought them to the pixelated FC World. They must've gone in that house! Mansay's textbox read. They burst into the ordinary house that had dozens of floors inside.

However, Harvey and Madotsuki were hiding behind the house. "Sigh… let's hope that keeps them busy. My name's Harvey. We kinda met a little while ago. I'm… sorry I made fun of your hair."

Madotsuki stared at him and said nothing. "Your name's Madotsuki, right? I… Ugh, this videogame world's hurting my eyes. Do you know someplace else we can talk?"

Madotsuki reached into her window and took out a bubble that had a hand with an eye. When she donned the Medamaude Effect, Harvey felt his vision zoom into the eye. They warped back to the Nexus. Madotsuki took the Effect off as Harvey shook back to his senses. "Um… 'guess you do."

"…" Madotsuki turned to leave.

"Wait!" Harvey ran in front of her. "I'm here to help you. Those people are planning to kill you—Mr. Dark. Is he your Imaginary Friend?"

"…" Mado looked away, frowning like always. "There are lots of people here. Dark-san is one of them."

"So you… did make him?"

"…Dark-san is the only one who talks. No one else talks. …But you."

"Heh." Harvey blushed. "I'm not really from this world. I'm a real person. Like you."

"…Real…"

"Yeah, real. I'm a human."

"…I don't know what's real." She turned to walk to a door with a blocky design.

"Hey!" Harvey followed her again. "Look, I don't know anything about you, but… I can tell you're upset. And I really want to help you."

Madotsuki spared a glance at him. She said nothing and entered the block door. Harvey followed her into a realm composed of gigantic blocks with varying shapes. They only came in purple, pink, and white colors. Harvey brushed his hand along some blocks as he followed Mado around them. "Do you like to play with blocks?" he asked with a smile. Harvey felt a happy energy radiating from these blocks. He remembered the part in Mr. Dark's story, when Madotsuki turned small and climbed on her blocks. "I play with blocks, too. It's like building your own little city, isn't it?"

After minutes of wandering around the blocks, they found a hat and scarf that were floating in midair. They moved as though an invisible person were wearing them. "Mafurako." Madotsuki introduced.

"Er, I don't see anyone." Harvey said.

Madotsuki put on a triangle kerchief. She turned invisible. The hat-and-scarf girl became visible; she wore a blue shirt and purple pants, and her brown hair hid her eyes. Harvey approached and touched the girl. There was a soulless, empty feeling about her. As though she were isolated in her own dimension.

Suddenly, he and Madotsuki were teleported atop one of the block structures. Mafurako was far away in the distance. Harvey felt a desire for the girl to be far away from them. Madotsuki turned visible and entered a black, polygonal door that was on this block. Harvey went with her, going up a stairwell behind the door.

"Is that how you feel most of the time? Invisible and lonely? I could get if it's because of some trauma, but even if it is, you don't have to feel that way. The Kids Next Door can help you. The KND helps everyone, and the best part is, you never feel lonely. We can help you forget your past, and you'll never have to think about it. . . ."

At the end of the stairs, they appeared in a vast, white marshland. The memories of that horrible monster returned to Harvey. There it was, the mountain-sized beast gripping the hills in its many hands, its tongue oozing with red. There were walls that had large cow utters hanging limp. There was a monochrome girl with pigtails and bare feet. Harvey approached the girl to possibly ask who she was. Then she turned around: multiple arms sprouted out of her body like bones, the pupil of her left eye drooped out. She looked like a disfigured zombie.

Madotsuki was crossing the street with a man, a woman, and another girl, who Madotsuki considered a friend. It was nighttime and it was raining. A renegade car ignored the stoplight and ran them over, only missing Mado since she skipped ahead. Their bodies lay dead on the street. Bones were squished out of the girl's body. Her mother, at the time, was pregnant-

Harvey whipped around, shutting his eyes, squeezing his head. He didn't want to picture such an awful thing. The horror he was feeling. The horror Madotsuki felt. Harvey stomped away, but the image wouldn't leave his mind. It gave him the vision of a girl sleeping in an igloo. Harvey tripped, falling into the white marsh. This unnamed liquid filled him with even more dread.

Madotsuki was forced to walk home by herself. She was lost downtown. She didn't know where to go. She thought she would never see home again. …She felt someone staring at her from the alley. Mado kept wandering, ignoring this feeling. She heard footsteps behind her. She ignored them and ran. She was in a filthy backstreet where no soul roamed. She was lost in the dark and in the rain. She sulked, having lost all hope in finding home. And in her moment of weakness, that's when he grabbed her.

He muffled Madotsuki's mouth. Nobody heard her scream, nobody saw her squirm. He carried her all the way to his 45th floor apartment without a hitch. He shoved the helpless 7-year-old on the bed and-

"NO MORE!" Harvey yelped. He was on the floor, crying and hugging his legs. He felt her emotions on that night. He felt them like it actually happened to him. "No… more… sniff…"

Harvey was not in the marsh, he was on a floor now. Mr. Dark stood over him, more angry at the boy than ever. "Are you happy now…?"

Unable to get up from his fetal position, Harvey twisted his head to look at him. "How. . . h-how could anyone do that to a child? . . ."

"Imagine how I felt… watching her from her window… helpless to do anything…"

"W-Why didn't you do anything?! You were her friend, right?"

"Only in her dreams! I could not step out into the real world unless she were thinking of me. But she was in so much pain that she could not. And from that night forward, all she had were nightmares. And I felt nothing but anger and rage."

Mr. Dark turned away, remembering what happened next. "The horrid transformation of Madotsuki's dreamscape did not go unnoticed by the Council of Teensies. But did they do something? No… they were ignorant! They took me away from this nightmarish world and dropped me in the Candy Chateau! Where everything is sweet and delicious! WELL, IT IS NOT!" He burst flames for a second. "They only enjoy a Dream Realm where everything is happy! That's why I stole the Protoon, to harness its power and turn it into darkness! But then Rayman, the realm's acclaimed hero, defeated me and took it back! Even HE would not hear my plight! Well, NO MORE! I stole the Protoon again and destroyed Rayman's brain! I will ensure that ALL beings know the pain and darkness that Madotsuki lived through!

"Let me ask you something, Harvey!" He turned to the crying boy. "Where were your Kids Next Door when Madotsuki was being raped?! Where was Sector JP? Sector V? WHERE WAS ANYONE?!"

"W-W-We didn't know! . ." Harvey sniffled.

"Oh, that's right! You were saving some boys from the Mega Detention Center! Or you needed to cure a chickenpox epidemic, or defeat the tyrannical Homework Lord. But such a thing is TOO MUCH for your puny child organization! When REAL evil adults are oppressing kids in the most REAL way possible, you shirk away! It wasn't what you signed up for, was it?!"

"I WOULD'VE SAVED HER!!"

"BULL!" Mr. Dark slapped him. "Even if you manage to whisk her away from that apartment, you will never be able to make her forget. Her dreams will forever haunt her. Can you honestly say you would not rather DIE than go on living with this pain?!"

"Sniff…" Harvey managed to put himself on his feet and stand up. "Bad things… happen to everyone…" He choked through his sobs. "But things always… get better… We can help Madotsuki forget… We'll be the friends she never had!"

Thaddeus closed his eyes. He turned to a huge, silver piano that was gaining dust. The vacant room echoed with his footsteps. He slowly approached the piano and took his seat. "The burden is mine to bear… I am the one at fault. I read Madotsuki to sleep every night, with stories that all ended happily. Ugh… when I look back… on all those wretched novels… I remember…"

Years ago…

"Will you play me a song?" Madotsuki asked while in bed.

"You wish me to play you something?"

"Yes, please."

"…Very well." Mr. Dark stood up, and walked over to a piano. He sat down and began to play. (Play "14th Song" from D.Gray-Man.)

He played a soft and gentle melody. The notes rang in her head like a lullaby… it was beautiful. Madotsuki felt herself grow lighter… she felt like floating… sleeping forever… in dreams…

On the windy night of her 3rd birthday, Madotsuki opened her closet and found a set of dark clothes with scary yellow eyes. She named it Dark-san.

Mr. Dark held Mado's hand as she skipped across the wet ground, splashing in every puddle. She saw the ponytail girl sitting by a tree. Mado turned into a frog… but the girl ignored her. She turned into a cat… but she ignored her. Madotsuki turned invisible and watched a party she wasn't invited to.

Her father, pregnant mother, and "friend" were run over by a car. She was kidnapped and taken to an apartment she would never leave. Then, when the kidnapper wasn't looking… she took a knife and stabbed him.

"Sniff…sniff…" The song was so wonderful in Harvey's ears… he couldn't stop crying…

"Once upon a time… there was a witch who lived in the woods."

Ellen gouged out her eyes… then she cut off her legs…

"Once upon a time, there was a little girl who was trapped in an art gallery…"

Weiss Guertena finished painting Mary before he died. Mary waited in the gallery for decades, but her father never returned. She was alone in the darkness.

"Once upon a time, there was a princess who could control snow. She lived on a world completely covered with snow."

Queen Elsa froze her sister, Anna. And in her despair, she froze the entire kingdom. Everyone on Arendelle died, and her spirit was left to suffer.

"Once upon a time, there was a child who could grant wishes…"

Jirachi was suffering. There were so many planets who wished for their loved ones back. Dimentia told him not to… they were not ready to know of the GKND.

"There was a boy who could control the elements…"

Negatar Gnaa was feared and shunned for his power. His shadow came to life and spoke to him…

"Once upon a time, there was an island of lightning…"

Phosphora bowed before God Thor. But Thor, who was actually the deceitful Loki, bashed the child in the head with his staff, and dropped her from the sky.

"But no matter how much they suffered. ." Mr. Dark spoke, pure anger and malice in his eyes as he stared at the open book.

Ellen dragged her bleeding, dying body across the ground, reaching for Viola, wishing for her aid. Elsa sung "Let It Go" for 300 years to erase her grief. Mary tore the petals of several fake roses.

"No matter what sins they may have committed. ." Mr. Dark could not bear to hold the book any longer. He felt more hatred the more he stared at it.

Young Mavis Vermillion screamed and unleashed a black cloud that killed her parents. Phosphora battled Fybi Fulbright in the sky and struck a bolt of lightning that burned her wings. Mary decapitated Garry's rose and let the man die. Sugar turned Cheren into a toy, and everyone forgot him.

The next sentence made Mr. Dark so angry, he would die trying to utter it. "They all lived. . ."

April, Ib, and Sector W7 all hugged Mary. Dr. Facilier, Carla, and the Ice Climbers hugged Wendy. Elsa cried as she hugged Anna's frozen body… She began to unfreeze from her sister's love.

". . . happily. . ."

Avatar Aang and Negatar Gnaa joined together to save the universe. Nigel Uno reunited with his friends on Earth. Phosphora was happily living with Palutena.

"…EVER…"

Mavis, Lapis, and Aisling became the Fairy Princesses. Nerehc Onu made a better Negaverse for his people. King Sandy returned to live with his half-Minish family. Viola lifted Ellen over her shoulders and carried her to be healed. Everyone, everywhere, in this wonderful universe… their bad times had all passed.

". . . AFTER!!"

The book exploded as Mr. Dark combusted into flames. The flames were his hatred, which grew ceaselessly. Tears leaked from his eyes, wetting the ground, wetting his cloak, and the flames would not dry them. He could feel nothing from those stories. Because Madotsuki was still suffering. She was still in her room, haunted by memories that would never be gone, haunted by dreams she could not escape from. And no matter what they did, no matter how much she pretended to be something else – a witch, a cat, a videogame character – she could never escape. So why, then, should Mr. Dark enjoy such stories… when Madotsuki could never achieve a happy ending.

"SHE CAN!" Harvey screamed through his unending tears. "SHE CAN have a happy ending! We'll give it to her! We'll save her from her nightmares and be her friends!"

"IMPUDENT CHILD!" Dark roared. "You would never say such things if you were in her shoes! If you knew an OUNCE of what she felt!"

"I AM FEELING IT! RIGHT NOW! And it's… sniff… it's awful… I never wanna feel this way ever again. But maybe that's good. Maybe it's good that I can feel Madotsuki's emotions. Because now I can reach out and hug her… and tell her it's all right…" He wiped the tears away. "I couldn't stand to hold in my emotions all this time… If my mom's afraid of my chi going crazy, then screw her! Everybody needs somebody else to cry with… so I'm going to cry with Madotsuki. You'll see…" He marched out of the room, feeling strong belief in his own words. Mr. Dark continued playing his piano.

Magician's House

"Dammit! I can't believe that snotty brat tricked me and made off with Mesprit!" Ales Mansay grumbled while typing on a massive keyboard. "Well, the joke's on them! By using Mesprit as a power source, we managed to absorb 50,000 joules of Emotion Chi from Madotsuki! Mixed with the fear from the bubble we had her trap Mesprit in, this baby is READY for fireworks!"

The hat on the top of the house opened to reveal a cannon. It aimed directly at the starry sky. The stars above Dream Land were in truth the Sea of Bubbles. Hundreds of thousands of nightmares that were Bubbled by every Bubble Dreamer throughout history. All were in eternal slumber. "Chi Cannon firing sequence initiate!" Mansay announced as the cannon shone with a bright pink energy. "Lock all targets within firing range! Number of targets estimated at: 988,000! You may fire when ready! Aaaaaand… FIRE!!"

The dreamscape trembled under the cannon's power. A blinding beam shot up into the sky and pierced the stars. The explosion was as bright as a close sun. The thousands of stars were popping. Every monster that they contained, every being that terrorized the peaceful dreams, were free. A maniacal laugh echoed beyond the flash.