The Horrorverse, Part 1: The Nightmare Begins

Sleeeeeepiiiiing… Beauuuuty fair…

Goooold of suuuunshine iiiin your hair…

Once upon a time, in a kingdom far, far away… A beautiful prince walks to the top of his tower.

Lips that shame the red, red rose…

Dreaming of true love in slumber repose…

Before his eyes, a manifestation of darkness appears from the flashing lightning. The prince's mismatched eyes fall upon the Key in the villain's hand.

One day, he will come

Riding over the dawn…

The dark figure lifts the prince above him and throws him over the tower. Down, down he fell, until he met with the earth.

When you awaken to love's first kiss

'Til then, Sleeping Beauty, sleep on…

The prince's mourning subjects gathered around him, bowing their heads to their beloved ruler. They all chose to join him in slumber, until the day he would awaken.

One day, you'll awaken to love's first kiss…

'Til then… Sleeping Beauty… sleep on…

A man in a gas mask looks over the prince's body.

York Household, 10p.m.

A lone orange leaf on a lone tree snapped off its branch, swaying in the air as it joined its hundreds of brethren on the ground. Every yard was covered with dead leaves, almost every tree was bare. An eerie wind blew on this cloudy night. The only lights came from houses and the brimming faces of candlelit jack-o'-lanterns. Kids wouldn't be outside on a night as dark as this. At least… not until tomorrow.

A car pulled up in the driveway of a house whose mailbox read York. The driver of this car pulled off a gas mask and came out on his wheelchair. His trenchcoat and hat camouflaged himself in the dark. The man rolled up to his front door, typed '2853' in the security lock, and entered.

After hanging up his coat and hat, he looked to see his son playing a videogame on the couch. Beside him was a shadowy creature with orange hair in two ponytails. "Hey, Dad! Mom left you dinner in the refrigerator."

"Shouldn't you be in bed, Dillon? It's a school night."

"We're having a Halloween party tomorrow, we ain't gonna learn anything. Besides, I wanna be up real late tomorrow night. This is just practice."

A ponytailed girl with candy in her hair zipped out of the game console. "I'm going as a WITCH this year!" Vanellope von Schweetz cheered. She was a Program girl their family adopted three years ago. "What do you think of my hat, Dad?" she asked, showing off her rainbow-colored candy witch hat. "I made it myself!"

"Ha ha, it's cute, Vanel!"

"And hey, isn't tomorrow the 3-year anniversary since you adopted me?"

"That was November 3, silly. Speaking of which, you want me to go trick-or-treating with you again, Dillon?"

"Come on, I'm 14. I don't need an adult with me."

"Fair point. Well, don't stay up too late. Sigh… I don't feel hungry." The man rolled toward the stairs and used the wheelchair lift to carry him up. He heard water running mixed with a soft, beautiful humming. It was a humming that made every night worth it and always softened his heart. He entered the bedroom, seeing steam coming from under the door to their bathroom. His wife was showering. After a night in that damp and dirty city, he needed someone warm and clean to lay with.

"Eh… my gear can survive another night." he said, deciding not to put his work clothes in the laundry basket. Instead, he set them on a shelf and changed into his pajamas. With that, he fell onto their bed and waited for his wife to join him. "Yaaaawn…" He held his iPhone towards the ceiling and searched articles like Multiple Murders, Same Victim?; Kids Next Door: Are They Good For Us?; and Dr. Drevis' New Formula. "What a crazy world we live in…" The man turned to put his phone on the nightstand, then returned to facing the ceiling—

"MISS ME, NOLAN?!?" A psychotic child with blonde hair, a bloody face, and bulging mismatched eyes jumped over him. "AH HAHAHAHA! HA HA HA!" He clasped Nolan's neck and squeezed him to his last breath. Nolan grabbed the boy's arms and desperately tried to pull them off. He squirmed and rolled before he was able to get him off, throwing the boy against the door. Nolan hunched over on the bed to catch his breath, then fell on his back again.

"Hello, honey." Nolan whipped right and saw his wife come out of the bathroom. Danika was a slim and soft woman with dark brown eyes, black hair with a blue streak in the middle, and wore a black bra and underpants. Her hair was still slightly wet. "Awww, you're sweaty… Was it a hard night?"

Nolan looked to where he threw the boy, seeing him gone. "Er… yeah…" He looked as Danika climbed in the bed.

"I'm guessing Holiday had something creative planned?"

"Apparently. He gave me and Crystal the slip. Well, he'll definitely show himself tomorrow…"

"So, who you going as? Batman again?"

"Yeah right. I get enough of those jokes…"

"I still got my Catwoman suit…" Danika smirked.

"Hey, I don't wanna feel like I'm doing it with Scarlet."

"For a vigilante, you sure don't like to roleplay. Fine, Mr. Real, let's do it normally." Her black lips were about to meet his. "Um… sweetie, what is that on your headband?"

"Headband?" Nolan took off the headwear and turned it to face his face, revealing his messy black hair and 5-o'clock shadow to the camera. "When did this get on my face?!"

Danika took it to get a close-up of her face. "Sorry, pervs, you don't get to see anything. Good-bye." She threw the camera on the floor. While the bed made creaking sounds, all the camera could see was a carpeted floor.

…

…

…

Nolan saw from a pair of eyes that were not his own. He was staring down at fingers that looked like rotting straw, tapping on a table. He viewed around the dark, filthy alien bar and could not determine his location. At his table was a strange white-faced man in a thick brown coat, sunglasses, and a top-hat with long and thick black hair hanging behind him.

Nolan watched as a pink-skinned woman in a white robe approached them. "Good evening." She bowed. "My master will see you now." His body acting on its own, Nolan followed her down a dark passage. "I present to you, Taneleer Tivan. The Collector." He viewed around a vast chamber with glass cages containing alien flora, people, and artifacts. The eyes fell upon a blonde-haired man in a black coat with fur on the edges. He slowly turned, showing his bushy blonde brows, dark eyes, and a black line down his chin.

"Greetings…" Tivan spoke in a quiet, French accent. "Do you have something to offer me?"

"No." said the voice of the one Nolan was seeing from. "I heard you were in possession of a certain artifact…"

"You will have to be more specific. My Colleción is composed of the rarest of all known artifacts."

"Horror's Hand."

Tivan cocked a brow. "And what do you desire of said relic?"

"I desire to see if it is real."

"Very well… This way." Tivan led him to a glass cage with a giant golden left hand. The hand had an eye in its palm. The man put his gloved right hand to the glass.

"By staring into its eye… one is thrown into their greatest fear. Is this true, Collector?"

"Indeed, it is… When I gazed into its pupil, I saw my Colleción… burning into ashes. I was horrified, until I realized… the universe will always have more to give me. I wonder, Monsieur, what your greatest fear is?"

The man stared at the eye. "…I am fear." A pink light flashed from the eye.

Nolan's vision was white. He could make out a blurry shadow. "…ad… Dad…"

Daylight shone into the bedroom window. Dillon shook his father awake. He was wearing a black jumpsuit with a blue bird design. "D-Dillon? What time is…"

"It's 7:20, Mom already left for work. Whaddo you think of my Nightwing costume?"

"It's great… Wait, didn't the bus come, yet?!"

"It did, but I wanted you to drive me in your Sandmobile! It'll look awesome!"

"Ugh… Fine, Dillon." Nolan lazily climbed out of bed and followed the excited boy downstairs and outside. The camera view was now positioned behind him. "Midna, is that camera yours?"

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay." said the floating shadow girl that was carrying it. "I better not find anything naughty in this."

"Missed out on that." Nolan went outside to see his son was already in the Sandmobile. The day was bright and vibrant as the dark clouds were far away in the distance.

"Hey Dad, can we go the long way?" Dillon requested.

"What long way?"

"I'll tell you, let's do it!"

"(I thought you said you outgrew me…)" mumbled the tired adult. Nolan climbed into his driver's seat and started the Sandmobile. The high-tech vehicle moved with the speed of a racecar as it sped through the neighborhood. Midna had to fly faster to keep the camera behind it.

"Left! Right! Another right!" Dillon cheered, the Sandmobile making tight, dangerous turns.

"This is why Batman didn't have any kids…"

"He had like FOUR kids." Dillon stated. "Just not blood ones. Heck, me and Carol even went as Tim and Batgirl last year."

"Oooo, sounds romantic."

"I-It was just a play!" The boy flushed.

"Uh-oh, there's a train coming." Nolan noticed the upcoming railroad tracks.

"USE THE BOOST TO GET THROUGH!" At Dillon's shout, Nolan slammed the boost pedal and shot past the tracks before the train came. After a few more turns, they arrived at James Woods Elementary.

"There, tutorial level over. We're at school."

"Dad, it looks like some bullies are harassing that kid over there." Dillon pointed at a tree.

"So, go help him."

"Nah, just shoot them with your car!"

"You can't be serious!"

"Come on, they're not real bullets, right? They're the non-killing bullets you made with Nagisa."

"For criminals, not common bullies!"

"Just this once and I'll never make you drive me again! Pleeeaaaase?"

"Ugh, fine." With that, a cannon appeared on the Sandmobile and locked onto the three bullies. One shot at a time, they were knocked out.

"AAAAAAAAHHH!" The kid they were antagonizing screamed and ran into the building. Other kids were running in panic.

"It's okay, they aren't dead!" Nolan yelled through the speaker. "Alright, Dillon, get out."

"Hehe, you're such a killer, Dad!" Dillon snickered, jumping out of the car and running to the building.

"Heh heh. Love ya too, son." Nolan waved. With that, he drove the car out of there before the uproar would increase.

The Q

"Hm hm hm! Can you believe someone already wrote a book about that universe?" Crystal asked Nolan. She was reading a book titled, The First Dimension. "Though I guess since OUR universe was reborn, I suppose they had time to… The whole thing is so confusing, though."

"Yeah…"

"Oh, I recognize that look. Something on your mind, Nolan?"

"Oh, not really. Just had trouble sleeping last night."

"Really? Last night was easy. Ever since the universe was saved, these criminals have been really slowing down."

"I know, but… I've been having nightmares."

"Not about that 'Shimmer' thing again, is it?"

"No, those have stopped."

"Actually, Nolan, ever since that whole adventure, I've had something on my mind as well. I wasn't sure how to put it into words, but… well… I think we should consider hanging it all up."

"Hanging what up?"

"Hwhat do you think?" Crystal chuckled. "The vigilante stuff. I just have my doubts that the world needs you, me, and—…" She stopped herself before saying Yuki's name. "…Just two vigilantes… anymore. The Kids Next Door are just so much more amazing now, and there's nothing that can challenge them after the Destroyer of Universes. No matter what the Brotherhood or any random Villain of the Week try, the Kids Next Door will always win."

"But our job is different from the KND, Crystal."

"Pfft, HOW? Just how many times have they gotten involved in our missions, or vice-versa? Now, this might stem from the fact that I wasn't in New Galaxia for five minutes before getting turned into a card, but you must admit I have a point."

Nolan had no rebuttal. It was his discussion with Nagisa all over again. "…I guess you're right."

"Granted, I'm still in the prime of my youth. I'm thinking of going to work for Adams' Tech. I'm sure you can help put in a good word for me with Kimberly, right?"

"Of course, Wick. What are friends for?"

"Hm hm hm! Well, I believe I'll hit the costume store. I want to see if I look good in anything besides a witch robe. Care to join me?"

"I got nothing better to do." Nolan shrugged.

With that, the two adults left the bookstore, breathing in the crisp night air. "…Er… Crystal?" Nolan sensed something amiss. "Does something seem off to you?"

The sky was dark. Streetlights were on. Stars glittered the sky. …Crystal and Nolan gazed horrifically: a massive jack-o'-lantern had taken the place of the sun. It brimmed an eerie orange.

A swarm of bats seemed to be swooping down from the jack-o'-lantern. These bats turned out to be humanoid monsters with wings, possessing the heads of rats, cats, platypuses, and vicious versions of other animals. Ten of these monsters faced The Q, and the people began to scream and run. Nolan and Crystal, however, grabbed their weapons.

Nolan threw boomerangs to stun the first monster, then rolled up to start beating on it. A lion monster lifted him out of his chair from behind, but Nolan wrapped his arms back, grabbed the beast, and hurled it overhead and headfirst against the ground. Nolan then uppercut the previous monster, sending it to the air as Crystal then leapt to bat it with her staff. Crystal shot fire at the other monsters, ducking when one tried to grab her, then whacking it off its feet. Crystal jumped onto the monster and bashed it in the head to knock it out.

Crystal froze another monster, leaving Nolan to punch it senseless in one hit. Four of the monsters gathered around Crystal, but using the Ground Quake setting on her staff, she blew them all back. Nolan did a ground takedown on one while Crystal went for another. Unfortunately, more monsters had begun to swoop in. "Oh, forget this!" Nolan said impatiently, tapping his wristwatch. "Get slagged!"

The Sandmobile extracted its cannon and blasted the monsters with Antikill, KOing them easily. Nolan then grabbed a device with a glass vial on it and stuck it against one of the monsters, taking its blood. "Scan says it's Nightmare DNA. …But that can only mean-"

"Nolan, look!" Crystal shouted. Towering over the city in holographic form, lit by the light of the jack-o'-lantern sun, was a man who dressed and looked like a scarecrow.

"Greetings, people of the world. And may I say, Happy Halloween. …I understand that it's a different date in some parts of the world, but it matters not. Because, as of this moment, the Always Hallows' Eve has begun. As you can see, I hold the power of Horror's Hand." He extended his left hand, which bore a clawed glove with a shining pink eye on its palm. "An ancient relic so powerful, it will give even the gods nightmares. This hand contains every fear in the entire universe. And with its power, on the night when Nightmares are at their strongest, I have blotted out the sun. No one will ever look up at the sky and feel its warmth again.

"Oh, but now you're thinking… 'Why should we be afraid? We have the Kids Next Door! The saviors of the universe!' Cast these thoughts aside, good people. I can assure you that the Kids Next Door have succumbed to my will. Enjoy the Horrorverse." The eye of Horror's Hand flashed. "This night has only just begun. And I have 100 verses of fear-related poetry to keep you entertained." And the hologram faded away.

"I don't like the sound of that." Nolan said. "Crystal, let's get to Sector Q." His friend nodded, and they quickly hopped into the Sandmobile. They sped through the city, blasting more monsters that were terrorizing civilians. Affright's voice echoed throughout the city.

"Verse Number One: What Is Fear? Fear is what we feel at the moment of birth. A helpless infant who knows nothing of the world around them. Inexperienced. Uninformed. We fear the unknown. That is why we wet our beds over tales of the Boogeyman. And only when we gaze up at our mother's smile do the fears go. But what if Mother's smile was not there? What if there was no Father to fight the monsters? What if there were no Kids Next Door? Then there would be no hope. Only then do we experience True Fear."

Nolan and Crystal returned to their neighborhood and parked the Sandmobile below Sector Q Treehouse. Nolan held onto Crystal as he grappled them up to the balcony. The two barged into the living room-

"AAAAAAAHHH!" Quill Ramsey jumped and grabbed Nolan's neck, his face manic. Nolan punched him off and saw that the other Sector Q members were running about in a panic. "DIE, WHALES! DIE!" Drake Puncture cried, blasting his harpoon randomly. The harpoon flew for Nolan, but he grabbed it and yanked the boy over, punching him unconscious. The other kids ran to attack the adults with horrific expressions, leaving them no choice but to knock the kids out.

"Affright was able to fill their treehouse with Nightmare Toxin." Nolan deduced. "But where did it come from?"

"It's coming from the branches!" Crystal pointed up as red gas seeped in from the tree branches. "But I don't understand how that's possible."

Nolan rolled up to the TV and pressed the communication button. "This is Sector Q calling Sector V! Come in Sector V!"

"Adult voice detected. Activating security-"

"Computer, it's me, Nolan."

"Oh, Nolan! Long time, no see! My, you look… a little less for wear. Anyway, contacting Sector V now." The screen became static before bringing up an image of their living room.

"DIE, AMISH, DIE!" A manic Haylee was bashing Kirie with her wrench, and the latter was munching Rainbow Monkey stuffing like cereal. Sheila Frantic raised up in front of the camera, wearing a Conker mask, and said, "Suck off, mother fuzzer." and shot the screen.

"Calling Sector W!" Nolan shouted. The screen showed Sally and Harvey choking each other with yo-yos and Fybi was taping her wings down. "Calling Sector W7!"

"NEE HEE HEE HEEEEE!" Chimney's bloodshot eyes and psychotic grin were against the camera. "Nekos taste MUY OISHĪ!" she said as she forced her teeth into Gonbe.

"Sector JP!" The screen switched to one of Kodama tying fireworks to herself and lighting the fuse, Yuzu stuffing herself with ramen, and Karin repeatedly stomping Jinta's head against the floor. "Stomp me harder! STOMP ME HARDER, DAMN IT!!" Jinta shouted.

"…Sector SA!" The screen switched to Index constantly sticking a finger in her mouth and vomiting, along with Goombella setting fire to books.

"This is awful!" Crystal said. "Affright's poisoned nearly all the relevant Kids Next Door sectors!"

Nolan passed her a weird look. "What? I didn't see you try to contact Sector E."

"Oh, hello, Sandman." Affright's face suddenly appeared onscreen. "I thought I would find you on this channel. Enjoying the show? I am, too. And the world will, as well, because I am broadcasting every sector to the airwaves. The people who looked up at those treehouses with hope will now see the darkness and turmoil that lies within. They will see, not valiant heroes, but monsters, mindlessly tearing each other apart. And before you ask, I have taken the liberty of pumping the schools full of toxin as well, ensuring that each and every Kids Next Door operative, threatening or not, is out of commission."

"Dillon!" Nolan gasped.

"So, now you must be wondering, what do I plan to do with you? True, in the past, the legend of Numbuh 2030 brought children inspiration, and brought enemies fear. But that legend was vastly overshadowed by the exploits of your children. We no longer fear you, Sandman. And even if you try to save them all, it will be too late." The screen went dead.

"Unable to trace source of communication." Computer said.

"Damn it! Affright must have been planning this for months! We have to get to the school and rescue Dillon!"

"But what about Sector Q here? And all the other sectors? If Affright has really trapped them all, what are we supposed to do?"

Nolan clasped his head. In truth, he didn't know where to go after Dillon, how to begin searching for Affright on such short notice. "…Haruka… Crystal, I remembered something: three years ago, Haruka trained herself to be immune to Nightmare Toxin when she was testing her new metahuman powers. Crystal, take the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. in Sector Q's hangar, go to Virginia, and look for her. She's the best chance we have at curing the operatives. I'll head for James Woods Elementary. Report to me by the hour so I know nothing bad's happened."

"You sure you can handle it by yourself?"

"Sure. I'll just need to grab some equipment from the Sandcave."

"Okay. See you soon, Nolan." Crystal boarded her staff and rode out of the treehouse, going down to the hangar.

Meanwhile, Nolan set his sights on his house and glided down. He entered and was about to head into his hideout via the closet, but- "Huh?" His code lock was replaced with a terminal with a green "?".

"Good morning, Sandman! Or would 'evening' be a less confusing term given the circumstances?"

Nolan heard the voice coming from his TV. He rolled up to see his face. "Oh, not you again." He recognized the man with glasses and the green jacket riddled with ?'s. "Look, Riddler, I already found all your trophies after the Seven Lights Quest, I don't have time for more of your OCD right now."

"We'll see who has OCD… OCD, OCD. Listen, Sandman, ever since you defeated me, I have been biding my time, waiting for my chance to plot my revenge. So, when Affright was plotting his little 'scheme,' I was given the opportunity to develop a whole new smörgåsbord of riddles! And I expect you to play along."

"Fine, just give me the code to my hideout and I'll get started."

"Now, that doesn't sound very convincing. Sigh, simpletons like you always need some sort of incentive. Perhaps this will persuade you?" Riddler cut to a picture of Danika York, tied up, gagged, and blindfolded as she struggled in her seat.

"Danika?"

"That's right." The Riddler showed clips of Angelie McKenzie, Luvbi Fulbright, Matthew Dimalanta, and finally Eva Jackson. "You'd be surprised how gullible one becomes when one's gasoline tank is refilled with sleeping gas. Slap chi-blocks on them and even fierce Logias become easier to manage! I have hidden these proud parents in indiscernible locations around the world, locations I shall only reveal after you solve my riddles. And if you should seek their hiding places by some OTHER underhanded means, know that I have them set to be executed!"

"Ugh. Alright, I'll play your game. But unless I can get into my hideout, I'll certainly be taking my time with it."

"Impatient and unprepared as always. Very well. Solve this riddle and I'll allow you into my network."

? The princess who lives with you and your wife, still longs for the Hero she knew from a past life. ?

Nolan already knew the answer. He made his way to Dillon's room, where Midna also slept. Inside his closet hung a green tunic with a pointed hat, white pants, and brown boots. Nolan snapped it with his wristwatch camera. "Very good, Sandman! I guess even monkeys can solve puzzles. Alright, here are my codes. But you'll need more than THEM to solve MY riddles. For now, I must go… That smörgåsbord comment made me hungry."

Side Quest: The Riddle Hunt: Find all 500 Riddles scattered across the world.

Nolan shook his head in annoyance. He rolled back to his closet and hacked the terminal, decoding the code 'Obvious.' After entering his Sandcave, Nolan retrieved his utility belt, equipped with a boomerang, Line Launcher, Shock Rod, and Grapple-Cam. "…This isn't enough." Nolan rolled up to his keyboard and typed a code. Three vials of green liquid came out. "Sigh… I promised Danika I wouldn't use these, anymore. But I can't underestimate Affright. Not now." He injected himself in the leg. Feeling strength course through his lower body, Nolan stood from his wheelchair and kicked his legs forth.

He felt a pair of small hands touch his shoulders. "Ah, we don't need those bitches, anyway." said the mangled form of Revan Bane Sidious, snuggling up to Nolan's head. "So, can I drive?"