//------------------------------//
// Master of Nightmares 
// Story: My Little Pokémon: Grander World 
// by Amarvax 
//------------------------------//

The Dream Realm. Rarity's Dream.

Currently, in Rarity's dream realm, the fashionista was seen in her boutique, working on some dresses. She had her mannequins in here as well, each of them wearing beautiful gowns. Rarity hummed to herself as she was working on these gowns, creating more dresses for her clients. Alongside her were her Pokemon. Her Milotic, Ampharos, Lopunny and her 12 Leavanny were working with her. And of course, her Pheromosa was present as well.

All of them were playing their part in some way in this simple dream. It may be simple but it was what brought joy to Rarity's heart. And since Pheromosa was currently in the Pokemon Center, it was only natural that she'd involve her in her dream, just like she always has in the past. After everything that's happened, Rarity needed this.

"How are you doing over there, darling?" Rarity questioned.

"Phero~mosaaaa!" Pheromosa would reply, waving to her trainer.

"Wonderful! You're doing wonderful, dear!" Rarity praised. She wanted this moment to last for as long as it could. And technically, it can. This was her life before Pheromosa took that damage from Equestrian Wailord. When she ends up recovering, it could be like this once more. Just as it always has. 

With her Leavanny all chatting amongst each other, being the Pokemon she's been with since the very beginning, to Lopunny, who was the most recent Pokemon in her team. Nay, her family. To Rarity, they were all a part of her family. The Leavanny were siblings to each other and her. The same goes Milotic and of course her Ampharos and Lopunny.

And Pheromosa herself? She was like a daughter to Rarity in some sense. Not so much Froslass, but there was a bond there for sure. Life like this sure was sweet for her. But much like what was happening in reality, it can't stay perfect forever.

She would then stop for a moment, looking out the window as an odd presence filled the atmosphere, forcing Rarity to halt her actions. "Hm?"

She was starting to feel something in her own dream, her ears perking up. She could sense it as she would turn to the door, wondering what could be happening. Something was heading their way as Rarity walked over to the doors of her boutique, opening them.

Once she stepped outside, she gasped, witnessing Nightmare Monsters flying towards the Dream Realm. From the skies themselves, they began tearing through as their bodies would start leaking into her dream.

"Sweet Celestia! What are those things?!" Rarity screeched at the sight before her. The Nightmare Monsters crawled their way into her dream, ripping the blue skies apart with the Nightmare Magic they brought with them.

And from the rips in the sky, more Nightmare Monsters would fly into the Dream Realm, beginning to invade it. Upon spotting Rarity, one of them would speak in an eerie tone. "Yes, yes. That is definitely her. She looks just like the Veiled Mistress herself!"

"You got that right! Look at that beauty! I bet she'll make a beautiful statue!" Another one added.

"Statue? What do you mean by that?" Rarity questioned before gasping. "Who are you!? W-What even are you all?"

"I heard that this one is the strongest of them all, apparently. The Strongest Rarity. But of course, our Veiled Mistress is above that." Another one said.

"Veiled Mistress? What are you talking about?!" Rarity questioned, not knowing what they were talking about, or even who they were talking about. That is until it clicked for her. They specifically mentioned Rarity in the plural sense. And when looking at these monsters, she went to one candidate. "You all...Are you from Nightmare Rarity's universe?!"

"Hm. How rare. Usually, most Raritys refer to the Veiled Mistress as another name as a sign of respect. But this one is brave enough to call her by her true name." One of the Nightmare Monsters commented. 

"She would look wonderful in the Veiled Mistress's chambers. Perhaps she could be placed in the centre around all the others that have been captured." Another one suggested. "No doubt about it."

"Then let's hurry and grab this one. Then, we'll infect the various dreams here." The Sea Serpent-like monster would speak before lunging towards Rarity. Its fangs would bare, laced with Nightmare Energy.

"Wah!" Rarity would scream as she ran for cover, heading back inside of her boutique. She would slam the doors shut, locking them up. However, the Nightmare Monsters would immediately burst into the building, breaking through the doors. "Yeeek!"

The doors would break apart as the Nightmare Monsters flew in, breaking into Rarity's boutique and heading straight for her. Already, the Nightmare Magic was beginning to spread, covering the walls of the building and the landscape outside gradually. The Sea Serpent-like Monster slithered in, chasing after Rarity as she tried escaping from them.

Rarity noticed how the dream versions of her Pokemon were suddenly still, frozen in place. She was confused by this, noticing how they weren't moving at all. That was until she saw that their eyes were pitch black. Their eyes were the source of the Nightmare Magic as it started spreading to the rest of them.

"My darlings!"

"They're just dream versions of your Pokemon at the end of the day. Which means they can easily be infected and turn to us. Not that they were real to begin with." The Sea Serpent Nightmare Monster cackled, catching up to Rarity who was trying to escape.

Immediately, the Dream Versions of her own Pokemon would start chasing her down too, moving after Rarity with the intent to capture her. Pheromosa was already moving swiftly after her trainer, sprinting across the area. Right behind her was Lopunny, followed by all of her other Pokemon.

"Why is this happening now?!" Rarity cried out. She was running through the streets, hoping to get away from the Nightmare Monsters. But every step of the way, they would be hot on her tail, following her wherever she went.

Milotic would try and stop Rarity, shooting a stream of Hydro Pump at her. She dodged the attack, barely avoiding the blast of water. Ampharos would release bolts of electricity from her body, trying to stun Rarity. Rarity ducked to avoid the Zap Cannon, quickly getting up and continuing to run.

"Not good...All my Pokemon are currently having their own dreams so I can't even send them out right now!" Rarity said to herself. Her Poke Balls were useless since her Pokemon were having individual dreams. If they were all sharing a dream, then she'd be able to summon them. But right now, they were apart from each other.

Rarity ran as fast as she could, trying to flee from the Nightmare Monsters. She was sweating as she made her way down the streets of this dream realm, hoping to lose them somewhere. But alas, these Nightmare Monsters were persistent and would not give up on her.

Breaking through one of the walls out of sheer force was Pheromosa, who appeared at high speeds, leaving behind an afterimage. She was coming straight for Rarity with clear intentions of capturing her Trainer. Seeing Pheromosa moving towards her, Rarity gasped. She lunged forward, her arms out to grab her Trainer.

However, Rarity would duck at the last second, avoiding Pheromosa who flew over her. Rarity would slide across the ground, managing to get away from the Nightmare Monsters. She would gasp for air as she was tired from running, putting her hoof on her chest. For her to avoid a Pokemon as fast as Pheromosa meant one thing.

She was dreaming of herself being faster than usual. The dream version of herself right now was able to evade Pheromosa. But Rarity knew that this would not last forever. After all, this was her dream. And in reality, she was nowhere near as fast as Pheromosa who was now being used as a Nightmare.

"Huff...huff..." Rarity panted, taking deep breaths. She would look behind her, seeing that her Pokemon and the Nightmare Monsters were still after her. "What am I supposed to do...?" Rarity wondered as she looked around. At the moment, she was in the middle of a street, alone. There was no one here to help her.

"Where are you, Rarity? Come out, come out, wherever you are~!" One of the Nightmare Monsters spoke, his voice echoing all over the place.

"We've got you surrounded! You can't hide from us forever!" Another one spoke, causing Rarity to shiver. She could hear them all around her, meaning that she was stuck. No matter where she went, they would find her. Her best option was to stay hidden as much as possible. If only she could wake up right now. If only she could inform her friends in their dreams, who were also asleep at the moment.

"I...I can't wake up..." But Rarity could already feel that she was unable to wake up at the moment. She couldn't pull herself awake. Even if she wanted to, there was nothing she could do. This Nightmare Magic prevented her from waking up.





Equestria. Out at Sea. The Sea Temple. Samiya. Nightfall.

This was thanks to what was happening in the real world. The Nightmare Creatures, without needing to come in contact with the Sea Temple, already found a way to affect those within it. And that was done by infecting the waters themselves with Nightmare Magic.

The magic covered parts of the waters which the Sea Temple travelled underneath. The Nightmare Magic flowed into the Sea Temple itself, entering through small cracks and holes in it. The Nightmare Droplets would slowly leak into the areas below, falling onto the heads of those who slept.

"Your Majesty! Everyone! Please wake up!" But not everyone was affected. Currently awake was Safia who was shaking crying out to Ash and the others, already sensing the Nightmare Magic nearby. Her cries would be ignored as Ash and the others remained asleep, not even feeling a thing. The Guards, who were obviously awake to protect the Sea Temple, found it to be impossible to wake them up.

"It's no good, Guardian Safia! Try as we might, they just won't wake up!" One of the Guards reported to her. 

"It must be that Magic that's layered over the sea. Whatever it is, it's preventing anyone from waking up!" Safia assumed before hearing the roars of one of the Nightmare Monsters, which was so strong that it could be heard from the outside in the distance.

They were getting closer and closer by the minute, with some of them already having invaded their dreams. "What do we do now?! We can't warn anyone else of this to bring them to safety!" A Guard questioned.

"We'll have to try something else regardless. Few of us are awake and I can try and defend the Sea Temple from any further attacks." Safia said before facing one of the Guards. "We can try and place a shield, using the power of the Crystals. It won't last long, but it should buy us some time."

"Could we use it to wake them all up as well?!"

"Hopefully. Try that approach. The Crystals should have more than enough power to force them awake. Go and-" Before Safia could finish, the Nightmare Monsters of larger sizes would bash their bodies against the Sea Temple and even underneath it, rocking it greatly. Safia lost balance as she stumbled a bit.

Some of the guards would fall over as Ash and the others continued sleeping, unaware of the danger that was surrounding them. Safia grunted as she held onto the walls of the Sea Temple, holding herself up.

Outside, some of the Nightmare Monsters would latch onto the Sea Temple, grabbing onto it. They would start pushing it back and forth, trying to sink it. The smaller Nightmare Monsters would move across the outer layers of the Sea Temple, ready to infect it with Nightmare Magic.

They would touch the Sea Temple, covering it with Nightmare Magic. The Sea Temple was being infected as some of it was covered by the Nightmare Sparkles. The Nightmare Monsters would push the Sea Temple back and forth, trying to tip it over.

Quickly, the Guards ran off, attempting to reach the room with the Crystals. Safia was left behind as she could only watch them leave, hoping they could make it on time. Safia herself would have to guard the rest of the Temple in the meantime with what she has. And even without the power of the crystals, the daughter of the First King of the Sea had the power to do so.





The Dream Realm. Rarity's Dream.

Back in Rarity's Dream Realm, she was currently hiding in what was the dream version of the Ponyville Schoolhouse, hoping to hide from the Nightmare Monsters. She hid under a table, breathing heavily as she heard them all around. "Urgh...What do I do?" Rarity questioned. The sound of the Nightmare Monsters echoed throughout her dream realm, causing her to tremble. She shivered, feeling fear overcome her.

She would shake in place, the Nightmare Monsters still searching for her. "Come out, come out, Rarity~! We just want to turn you into a statue!" One of them taunted.

"Once you become a Nightmare Statue, you'll be spending the rest of eternity with the Veiled Mistress!" Another one added.

"There's no need to worry though! You'll be one of her favourite statues, so you have nothing to fret!" Yet another one spoke. "But you should most definitely be afraid!"

"As if I'd  be afraid of you!" Rarity yelled back. Surprisingly, she wasn't terrified at all. "After what I've been through, none of this is even close to being a nightmare for me!"

"That so...?" Following her voice and her huffing, one of the Nightmare Monsters would locate Rarity, spotting her hiding under this table. He chuckled, lunging towards her. "Then this shouldn't even scare you, right?"

"Huh?!" Rarity would notice this Nightmare Monster heading straight for her, giving her no time to react. She screamed as the Nightmare Monster was inches away from her, its claws stretching out to grab her.

"The Veiled Mistress has come across many versions of herself that are absolutely terrified. As they should be. But you...you're not scared at all. Quite brave, aren't you?" The Nightmare Monster commented while grabbing Rarity, pulling her out from under the table.

Rarity struggled, trying to free herself from its grasp. But despite this, she did not feel scared at all. This Nightmare Monster could see this, and he found it amusing. "Such bravery. I suppose you are the quote on quote 'Strongest Rarity'."

"Let go of me!" Rarity demanded as she was in its grasp. She was staring at the Nightmare Monster, glaring into its eyes. She was filled with defiance as she showed no sign of fear. "I'm not about to become some decoration for somepony else!"

"But it'd be an honour. The Veiled Mistress, upon her ascension into power, was able to see other versions of herself across different universes. Naturally, she saw the beauty in them all, wanting to keep them all to herself. And so, she took them for herself." The Nightmare Monster explained.

"Took them...?" Rarity questioned before gasping. 

"Well, not all of them. Some are still out there, but it is only a matter of time. She admired their beauty since they were her, naturally. Keeping them as decorations is a reminder of how beautiful she truly is."

"Decorations...?! You mean you've turned other Raritys into statues?!" Rarity gasped.

"And now you'll be one of them! Right in the centre!" The Nightmare Monster declared before cackling. Rarity grunted, struggling to free herself from its grasp. However, she was unable to do so, especially when the other Nightmare Monsters came flying in, joining the one who captured her. They all laughed at Rarity while she was being held, unable to break free from this.

"Now then. Let's leave and-" Before the Nightmare Monster could finish, something as dark as them came crashing down at high speeds, slashing the arm that held Rarity captive. It cut right through, causing it to fall apart as the Nightmare Monster gasped.

It would let go of Rarity as she fell onto the floor, falling to safety. She landed safely before looking up, witnessing the source of the attack. Descending into this Dream was none other than the Pitch Black Pokemon himself.

Darkrai.

He had used Poison Jab to cut the arm off, hovering in front of Rarity. He stood in between her and the Nightmare Monsters, who were glaring at Darkrai. "Darkrai!" Rarity cried out, seeing the Pokemon of Princess Luna.

"Did I arrive just in time?" Darkrai asked, looking back at Rarity who nodded. He turned back to face the Nightmare Monsters, giving them a glare. "Looks like I did. Good thing too."

"Ah...I wish it was sooner though." Rarity sighed. "And where is Princess Luna?!"

"Focusing on other dreams at the moment. Right now, she's dealing with someone else. In the meantime, I decided to step in. So here I am." Darkrai answered before facing Rarity.

"Y-You...You're that Darkrai Pokemon!" One of the Nightmare Monsters cried out. They recognized him immediately, knowing who he was.

"And the one from that Princess too. What a waste!" Another pointed at the Dark-Type. "You should be with us! You're not one of them! You belong with us Nightmare Monsters!"

"Hmph. Is that what you think?" Darkrai questioned before smirking. "Do you really believe I would side myself with you creatures?"

"Of course! You cause Nightmares yourself! You spread nightmares, don't you?! So why side yourself with them when you could join us instead?!"

"Yeah! You're one of us! Quit wasting time with these other creatures and join up with us! We could use your kind of power to reach our goal at a much quicker pace!"

"You wish." Darkrai scoffed before turning his back to them, holding Rarity close. "Your Nightmares are not different from a tyrant's actions. You and I are not the same. And besides, you've targeted my friends and the world I love. Unacceptable."

"Oh, my hero~!" Rarity gushed while giggling. Darkrai grumbled before turning back to face the Nightmare Monsters.

"Listen, Rarity. Right now, that universe where Nightmare Rarity comes from is invading our own at this very moment. Nightmare Magic has already begun spreading across the landscape, with Nightmare Monsters taking action in Equestria and the Regions." Darkrai revealed.

"W-What?!" Rarity gasped, hearing this news.

"We're facing another attack from another universe yet again. But this time, Princess Celestia is planning to change things up. She's aiming to go straight to enemy territory early one before it can get any worse. First, getting rid of the threats here is top priority." Darkrai explained.

"And I take it that includes those Nightmare Monsters attacking us here." Rarity assumed.

"Exactly. These ones right here. We can deal with them here and now and right after that, we'll head to their universe. Universe 5. The Nightmare Universe. That's where Nightmare Rarity is residing." Darkrai told Rarity before facing the Nightmare Monsters. "For now, let's deal with them."

"I don't have my Pokemon with me though. And even the ones I've dreamed up have been infected by Nightmare Magic!" Rarity pointed out. "I'm not sure I'll be of much help at the moment, darling."

"Don't worry." Darkrai placed Rarity down. "For this instance, I'll take the role of your Pokemon. Since you can't call out your Pokemon at the moment, I shall stand in their place until you can wake up."

"Really? How sweet of you!" Rarity gushed once more, squealing.

"Besides...these Nightmares can weaken the dreams of others, so whatever you dream of, eventually, they would have overcome it." Darkrai added. "For that, battle alongside me as if I was your Pokemon. Once this battle ends, I'll try and wake you up.

"Then let's do this!" Rarity nodded before facing the Nightmare Monsters. They were watching the two, wondering what they were going to do.

"Hah! Just you two?! Don't make us laugh!" One of them mocked.

"Two against 10 of us Nightmare Monsters? There's no way you can defeat us!" Another one added. "And besides...now that we have you two in one spot, we can easily do this!"

Immediately, the Nightmare Monsters would combine their strengths, unleashing a unified Nightmare Beam as beautiful and as terrifying as the night sky right at them both. Darkrai simply stood there, gazing at the beam as it headed straight for them both. Rarity gasped at this sight as the beam had engulfed Darkrai, stopping once it came into contact with him.

The Nightmare Monsters cackled when watching the beam of Nightmares form into a ball, placing Darkrai inside it. They were expecting him to be flooded with Nightmares immediately. However, their expectations would be wrong as they saw Darkrai emerge from the Nightmare Ball.

"N-No way...How did he break out?!" One of them questioned as Darkrai had then shattered the Nightmare Ball, causing it to fall apart.

"Do you think Nightmares can work me? I cause Nightmares. And the Nightmare Monsters that come from Nightmare Rarity are no exception. Your Nightmares won't affect me." Darkrai scoffed before glancing at Rarity. "And unlike you all, I don't need to rely on Nightmares in battle. You're all vulnerable to whatever else I have to offer."

"I-Impossible!" Some of them stuttered backing away. It was at this moment that they realized the kind of opponent they were going up against.

"As it stands, I am your Nightmare."

"A wonderful delivery, Darkrai! You should stop by PokeStar Studios sometime!" Rarity cheered, admiring the Pokemon of Princess Luna. "Alright, Darkrai! Show me something splendid! Use Poison Jab!"

Darkrai nodded before vanishing from their sights, appearing behind one of the Nightmare Monsters. He jabbed his claws into their backsides, poisoning them immediately. He retracted his claws, using so much force to the point where the Nightmare Monster was launched into the air.

The Poison Jab left behind a trail of Purple Poison, dripping from his claws. Immediately, Darkrai would vanish from the Nightmare Monster's sight, leaving behind an afterimage. The other Nightmare Monsters gasped seeing one of their own falling just one clean hit from Darkrai.

Three of them would unleash an array of Nightmare Spheres, attempting to bombard Darkrai with them. However, they had no effect. Darkrai would stare at them while taking their attacks, having no reaction to them at all.

"I already told you. Your Nightmares won't affect me." Darkrai stated before vanishing from the spot. He would appear above the Nightmare Monsters, descending down.

"Now, use Dark Pulse!" Rarity commanded.

When descending, Darkrai unleashed a wave of darkness below him, sending it crashing down on the Nightmare Monsters. The blast would strike them, shattering the ground with ease as they were struck by Dark Pulse. 

The Dark Pulse would then rise up, rising to the skies before Darkrai unleashed another one, firing it straight at them all. The wave of Darkness would crash into them, creating a black explosion as they were being pushed back. Dark Pulse caused a massive smoke cloud to cover the area, hiding the Nightmare Monsters. 

"Y-You...!"One of the Nightmare Monsters growled. "I bet you're still vulnerable to physical attacks! Get him!" It would order Pheromosa, the Leavanny and all of Rarity's Pokemon who were infected with Nightmare Magic. Immediately, they would charge at Darkrai who stood there, not even bothering to dodge them.

Instead, he would hold his hands out, catching them all. Darkrai gripped them all as he held them back, grunting. All of Rarity's Pokemon tried pushing him back but Darkrai wouldn't budge, keeping them back with his strength alone. "G-Grrr...!" Darkrai grunted as he held them back.

"Now use Thunderbolt!" Rarity ordered.

Darkrai grunted as sparks of electricity would form around him, shocking the infected Pokemon. They all screamed in pain as they were being electrocuted. The Nightmare Monsters watched as Darkrai unleashed Thunderbolt from his body, zapping all of Rarity's Pokemon with 100,000 volts.

After unleashing Thunderbolt, Darkrai would release them as they all fell onto the ground, twitching. They were paralysed thanks to Darkrai's Thunderbolt as they laid on the ground, unable to get up.

"Phe-mo-sa!" Pheromosa cried out, trying to get up but failing to do so. Darkrai glanced at them before vanishing, appearing above the Nightmare Monsters who were shocked at what they witnessed.

"Use Thunderbolt, once more!" Rarity commanded. Darkrai obliged as he released another stream of 100,000 volts, striking the Nightmare Monsters. The Thunderbolt would strike them, electrocuting them all. Some of them would fly back, rolling across the ground.

"T-This is unfair! We're supposed to have unlimited potential in here!" The Nightmare Monsters cried out. In a desperate attempt, they all tried showering Darkrai with as much Nightmare Energy as possible, sending Nightmare Spheres, blasts, streams, spears and so on.

However, Darkrai would simply stand there, taking all of these Nightmare Attacks without any sign of damage. His body radiated with purple energy as he endured all of the Nightmare Energy without being affected by it. This caught the Nightmare Monsters off guard, watching Darkrai withstand their attacks.

"Unfortunately for you...Flurry Heart informed me of what you creatures were capable of. I was never worried about you in the first place. And when I learned that unlike me, you all can feel fear..." Darkrai would start ascending, his eyes flashing black and white. "That you never stood a chance in the first place.

"M-Monster!" One of them cried out. Indeed, Darkrai struck fear into them out of sheer overwhelming presence.

"Oh really? They can feel fear? Then in that case..." Rarity grinned. "Use Dark Void!" Darkrai nodded before unleashing a wave of Darkness from his body, which took the form of a Black Hole. This Black Hole would absorb the Nightmare Monsters who were pulled into it. They cried out as they were dragged into Dark Void, unable to escape from it.

Once pulled in, all they were met with was darkness as their senses were beginning to drop. Soon, they would all be put to sleep. Dark Void would shrink before disappearing, causing all the Nightmare Monsters to drop. Just like that, they had all fallen asleep.

Rarity cheered at this sight, seeing that Darkrai had defeated all of them. "Wonderful, Darkrai! Simply wonderful!" She praised while Darkrai crossed his arms, successfully winning this battle and preventing a nightmare for Rarity. Now all that was left was to wake her up. "Ah, that could've gone horribly, no doubt!"

"It's not over yet." But Darkrai wasn't slowing down at the moment. Even with the Dream Versions of Rarity's Pokemon fading away as well as the Nightmares fading away inside of Rarity's dream, there was more to do. "Right now, there are many more across the Dream Realm that are having their dreams invaded. Nightmare Monsters are attacking multiple dreams of others at this very moment."

"But surely you can wake them up from the outside? Right? Or even the inside!"

"I'm afraid not." Darkrai grumbled. "Whatever they're doing out there, they've managed to force their victims into a deep sleep to where an action from the outside might not be the best approach. Luna and I have opted to stop it from the inside. Even after defeating these Nightmares, I doubt you can just wake up in real life, right?

"N-No...I certainly don't feel like it either. It's as if something is stopping me from waking up." Rarity admitted.

"Exactly. Whatever they've done out there, it forced many others to sleep deeply. And because of that, the effects of what they did reaches to the Dream Realm as well. Thankfully, it's not everyone across the world, but if nothing is done soon, it could lead to more issues in reality. Many will be in danger if this continues." Darkrai explained.

"Then what are we waiting for?! We should wake the others up!" Rarity urged Darkrai.

"Which is why I need your assistance. Luna's focusing on other dreams currently and she instructed me to focus on yours first. So I need you to help wake the others up from here. Luna states that the best thing to do is to have multiple people, ponies, Pokemon or any other species share the exact same dream. Doing so will overload the Nightmare Magic, especially if you're all having pleasant dreams."

"Ah, that can be done. We've been down this road before, sharing dreams." Rarity nodded, already knowing what had to be done. "But for all us to have pleasant dreams...That would require you and Princess Luna to defeat around...who knows how many of those Nightmare Monsters there are right now."

"There's only one way to find out. We need to hurry." Darkrai advised Rarity before holding her close. "In the Hyperdream, Luna can sort Dreams in categories, alphabetical names, chronologically and so on, so she'll have an easier time. But that doesn't mean she can get it done right away. We already know who's dream we've chosen to flood. I'll be counting on you, Rarity. Wake the others up while we deal with these Nightmare Monsters."

"You can count on me, Darkrai!" Rarity nodded.





Reality. The Sea Temple. Samiya.

Meanwhile, in the Sea Temple, the Guards gathered in the room containing the Crystals, entering with Safia leading them. "Alright, men. We need to place a shield around the Sea Temple. It's not permanent, but it should be able to buy us some time while we try and wake everyone up!" Safia commanded.

The Guards would nod as they gathered near the Crystals. These Crystals were imbued with Sea Guardian Energy, having been passed down from generation to generation. These Crystals were given to the First King of the Sea who was granted them by the light of Arceus.

The Crystals were floating in mid-air, radiating with the powers of the Sea Guardians. And currently, the 9 guards would hold onto these Crystals, pouring their own energy into them. Safia herself would grab onto the middle Crystal, closing her eyes.

She began focusing on placing a shield around the Sea Temple itself, hoping to prevent further Nightmare Monsters from entering. The Crystals would flash to life with their golden radiance as they absorbed the Guard's energy, preparing to release a barrier.

However, things were not going according to plan as the Nightmare Monsters outside the Sea Temple would latch onto it, starting to sink it once again. The Sea Temple rocked, causing some of the Guards to fall over, unable to concentrate.

"Goodness!" Safia cried out before yelping, seeing the Nightmare Monsters outside. They were sinking the Sea Temple, trying to tip it over. Safia would hang onto the Crystal, gritting her teeth. Right underneath the Sea Temple, by far the largest Nightmare Monster so far had latched onto it, pushing it back and forth.

This monster, which appeared to be another Sea-Serpet, would smash its head into the temple, trying to break in. It wanted to infect it with Nightmare Magic so badly as it kept smashing into it. Safia grunted, hanging onto the Crystal as the Sea Temple rocked. She was struggling to place a shield around them.

The tremors were throwing the balance off for Safi and the Guards. The Sea-Serpent would then manage to find an open, using its sheer brute force to break into the Sea Temple. It broke through one of the walls, allowing it to enter the Sea Temple. It slithered through as the Nightmare Monsters would start flooding the area, ready to infect the sleeping bodies.

"Oh no..." Safia gasped. She could not finish placing the shield as the Sea-Serpent would stretch its arm out, grabbing onto Safia. She let out a cry as she was snatched by the Nightmare Monster, who laughed at her.

"Gotcha~!" It taunted while pulling her out of the Sea Temple. Safia screamed as she was taken out of the Sea Temple, being pulled out of it. The Sea-Serpent would pull her out, flying off with her.

"Guardian Safia!" The guards yelled out. Some of them ran towards the hole, witnessing Safia being flown off by the Nightmare Monster. She struggled to free herself from its grasp, unable to do so.

"Ngh!" Safia groaned, trying to break free. "Let me go!"

"Not until we turn you into a Nightmare Statue! You'd look wonderful amongst the Veiled Mistress's collection!" The Sea-Serpent cackled. It flew off with Safia while she was kicking and screaming, hoping to free herself from it. But alas, she was stuck and there was nothing she could do at the moment.

"Drat...we can't protect the Sea Temple and wake everyone up at the same time." One of the Guards assumed before looking at the sleeping bodies. The situation was very compromising at the moment, with the Nightmare Monsters creeping in closer and closer. They had no idea what to do.

It looked like the Sea Temple was about to be fully infected with only the guards here to protect it. That is until the Spiritual Defense, despite being unresponsive at the moment, would start waking up.





The Dream Realm. The Hyperdream.

In the Dream Realm, Luna was currently hard at work. Using her capabilities within the Hyperdream, she managed to pull multiple other Lunas from other Dreams that come from the past. Lunas who have had dreams in the past not too long ago were dragged out, here to assist the current Luna.

There were over 30 Lunas present, helping Luna locate certain dreams. And to make things easier, they sorted them out alphabetically, chronologically and so on. Already, Luna got to work, finding certain dreams to save.

And already, in such a short amount of time, more than 60 Dreams have been invaded by Nightmare Monsters. And they were increasing as time went on. Luna was working fast as she could to stop them from invading any more dreams.

The Main Luna was currently with a Luna who had a dream a month ago. Within that dream, she was immediately searching for Ash's dream. But there was one issue. The Nightmare Monsters have already began throwing the Dream Realm and the Hyperdream out of wack. Since the Hyperdream connected trillions upon trillions of dreams across time in the form of these large bubbles, they were starting to move all over the place at an erratic pace.

It was making it difficult for Luna to find Ash's dream. "Where is it...?" Luna questioned as she moved from bubble to bubble, trying to find Ash's dream. But it seemed to be impossible as the Hyperdream was moving around randomly.

"Curse these Nightmares!" A past Luna shouted. "Already, they've managed to disrupt the Hyperdream! I can't keep up with all of these dreams! And they're still coming in!"

"They've even obscured some of the categories! Look!" A past Luna from 3 months ago shouted, pointing her hoof at what the Nightmare Monsters have already done. Usually, Luna sometimes finds dreams based on name, but thanks to the Nightmare Monsters, the letters of these names have been scrambled, broken apart and hard to recognize.

Not only that, but they have already made some of the Dream Bubbles foggy to the point where the Lunas couldn't look inside of them properly. Some of the bubbles were completely hidden, blocked out by Nightmare Magic. Luna grunted, seeing this.

"They keep moving! Changing everything!" Luna's eyes followed the bubbles as more of them were being disrupted at this very moment. Luna would try and find more of her past selves but even those categories were being interfered with. "Drat! They're far exceeding 60 while we'll be stuck with 30!"

"It's no surprise." A Luna from 8 Months ago spoke. "After our first encounter in the Hyperdream, it's obvious that Nightmare Rarity would try everything in her power to make sure that our control over the Dream Realm and the Hyperdream is compromised in some way. It seems she's had enough time to make her minions powerful enough to cause this much chaos."

"We have to do something. Otherwise, we will lose the Dream Realm!" Another Luna shouted.

"Calm yourselves!" Luna ordered all of her past selves. "I'm aware of how dire this situation is! But if we panic, then we'll allow Nightmare Rarity to take control of the Hyperdream quicker! We must remain calm!" Luna explained. All of the Lunas would nod, following her orders.

"What do we do then?" One of them questioned.

"Hmm..." Luna closed her eyes, running through a list of ideas in her head. "The Hyperdream is still our creation and we still have power over it. Even if these Nightmare Monsters can disrupt it with ease, nothing is stopping us from fixing it. However, we'll have to try a different approach if we want to succeed. Finding the dreams we want won't do. Instead, we should target the dreams Nightmare Rarity has sent her Nightmares to, focusing on them instead. Once we defeat the Nightmare Monsters within that Dream, we'll be able to wake up the people involved."

"They outnumber us greatly! And unlike Darkrai, we aren't immune to Nightmares!" A Luna pointed out. "Defeating them in their own dreams will prove to be challenging!"

"Challenging indeed. But not impossible." Luna smirked before facing all of the Lunas present. "What we can do is use our combined power to disrupt the Dream Realm as well. If they're doing it, so will we."

"An interference across many dreams? Is that the approach?"

"Exactly. Our magic can be powerful enough to disrupt them, much like how we manage them. It is risky though..." Luna bit her lip. "To do that would mean greatly damaging the dreams of others. The worst case scenario is that we shatter the dream bubbles, destroying them for good. Which means all the dreams within those bubbles would be shattered and taken away from others."

"So do we risk it? Or do we stick to the original plan of just waking the ones in trouble up?"

"Either way, someone is going to suffer. With all of the Nightmare Monsters attacking various dreams right now, there's no way we can get to them all. Except for Ash." Luna brought up Ash. "He's a big dreamer and I know for a fact he won't allow his dreams to be overtaken. I always have faith in him when it comes to that. Right now, Ash is without a doubt battling any of those monsters, past or present. It will be his dream that we flood."

"Hmph. No arguments there. Ash is a massive dreamer. We'll make it so that his dream is the one everyone shares." Another Luna agreed. All of the Lunas nodded, already knowing what to do now.

"Good. In that case..." Luna held her hooves up, readying herself. "We must act quickly! Make sure not to destroy the dreams!" All 30 Lunas readied themselves, their horns glowing. What they were about to do would be absolutely colossal, but risky to the entire Dream Realm. But it was a risk they were willing to take.

As the journey continues.


Chapter 469 End.