Mother X: Father

by Tatsurou

Nightmare Moonside

With the destruction of the Chimera Mook, the power in the department store turned back on...though the escalators groaned and shrieked in mechanical protest of how they'd been twisted, resulting in officious voices instructing everyone to clear out until repairs could be made. A security guard didn't even blink twice at Ness, Jeff, and Moondancer being in the office on the fourth floor before escorting the group out. Once they were all outside, Jeff straightened his glasses. "So...what should we do now?" he asked carefully. "Do we pursue the mention of Monotoli?"

"Bad idea," Moondancer pointed out calmly. "The Mani Mani Statue's been moved by human agency up until this point. First Liar X. Aggerate in Onett, then Mr. Carpainter in Twoson...which suggests it's currently in the possession of this Monotoli, if that creature was talking about him as if he would be more important." She gestured to the nearby skyscraper, with 'Monotoli' written on the front in a vertical arrangement. "So we're likely to be up against a lot of security that isn't under Nightmare or Madness influence, since nobody over in that area shows any signs of odd behavior. Can't bash our way through, and we don't even know if Paula's there."

"Yeah," Ness agreed. "Finding Paula...needs to be our priority." He seemed...listless as he spoke, his eyes frequently drifting to the heart charm still clutched in his hand. "Any...any ideas how to go about doing that? It doesn't sound like charging into Monotoli's building would be a good way to go about it."

"If she is there, you have to fight your way through a horde of security people in their right minds to get to her, followed by another Carpainter but stronger, and all the while the Mani Mani Statue will be feeding Madness into you through every crack it can find," Buzz Buzz concluded. "If she's not there, the attempt lands you in jail...assuming you don't end up there anyway even if she is there."

"Sounds like our priority should be finding and destroying the Mani Mani Statue," Jeff deduced thoughtfully. "It's the method through which Giygas is empowering his agents and corrupting Ness. Cut off that avenue, and Ness or Moondancer might be able to sense Paula's location and we can go to her more directly."

"Of course, we're in the same rut we were before as far as where to look," Moondancer muttered as she looked up from the 'strategy guide' she'd been checking before. "It seems my concerns about overusing the Borange Ray and releasing extra madness in the world were well founded. According to this, it should have been an ordinary Mook we encountered in the Department Store...and when I pointed that out to the guide, the later pages have grown even blurrier. We can't count on anything here being accurate anymore..." She tapped the one page past the 'Department Store Mook' page that was still clear...somewhat. "And I don't like this line about 'divided paths'. That either means we end up splitting up...or we're at another crossroads in time where things could go either way. Neither is a good sign." She carefully closed the guide and put it away.

"In that case, why don't we wait for my Mom over at that bar she mentioned?" Ness suggested thoughtfully. "She always seems to know how to fix messes. Maybe she can help."

"Not a bad idea," Jeff allowed as the group made their way there.

---

It didn't take long for the group to find the bar in question, and they stood calmly outside for a time. However, it quickly became apparent that none of them were well equipped for calmly waiting for something to happen. Eventually, Ness spoke up. "I'm going to take a look inside," he said firmly. "Maybe someone in there can tell us something...or maybe Mom directed us here for some reason beyond just a chat? Maybe there's something important here..." He turned resolutely to enter the bar.

"But-" Jeff began, only to blink in surprise as no one stopped Ness from entering. Confused, he hurried after him.

"This will not end well," Buzz Buzz grumbled as Moondancer followed the pair.

To Jeff's surprise, the bar served various juice and milk drinks in addition to the adult beverages that weren't available to youngsters, making it more of a cafe than a bar despite the wall of exotic liquors behind the counter. "Maybe we can get a smoothie or something..." Jeff began, only to see Ness' eyes glazed slightly as he walked around the edge of the counter. "Ness, I'm pretty sure we aren't supposed to go back here!" he called out as he raced after him...only to follow him through a door hidden behind a wall panel, the bartender ignoring their actions.

Seeing the door slowly closing behind the pair, Moondancer seized it in her aura to hold it open before racing in after them, Buzz Buzz close behind.

---

Ness blinked as he came to himself, staring around at what looked like the bar he'd just been in...but distorted, as though everything were cast in negative colors. The people were odd distortions of ordinary people, half stretched out and half squashed as though viewed through fun house mirrors. "Is...is this Fourside?" he asked worriedly.

"Fourside?" one of the people asked, obviously confused. "This is Moonside!"

"Yes is no, no is yes!" another declared happily as a flame charged Ness, only to metamorphose into a fire hydrant with a face. "Wecmole to Moonside!"

---

Moondancer stared around her in shock. It looked like the bar she was just in...but it was very different. The roof was much lower, and the glasses were stockier. The benches were no longer built for humans, shaped for someone of a completely different physique. In fact, they almost looked shaped for her own physique...

And the bartender was a pony like her, but without a horn. She had a plum coat, a raspberry pink mane and tail, and fandango eyes. She glanced over at Moondancer and smirked. "Welcome to Nightmare, useless knockoff," she offered pleasantly. "Care for a drink? Cyanide? Hemlock? Arsenic? That was your fancy last time you were here..."

Moondancer blinked in confusion. "What?" she asked dumbly, backing up against the door she'd just come through...only to find no door there. "What the?"

"This is Nightmare," the bartender offered with a twisted smirk as a wolf made of wood with glowing green eyes lunged for Moondancer. "No real world lies here..."

---

Jeff stared around in shock as he took in his surroundings. It looked odd, like two different worlds superimposed upon each other. On one side, it looked like an odd fun house mirror reflection of Fourside. On the other, it seemed like a relatively happy land of colorful creatures and rainbows, overcast with a dark sheen that left everything dreary. Somewhere in between, it almost looked like a very small room filled with boxes, but it was very hard to spot that part. "What's happening?" he demanded in confusion. "Which is real?"

"Which?" Buzz Buzz asked in shock. "You see both, too?"

Jeff turned...and blinked in shock. Instead of the tiny bug he was used to seeing Buzz Buzz as, there was a floating black ball with silver stripes on its body, big golden eyes, and dragonfly wings keeping it afloat. "...you look different."

"I noticed," Buzz Buzz buzzed back. "I look more native to that non-human land we're seeing...but not quite."

Glancing back and forth, Jeff saw both Ness and Moondancer fighting separate red swirls. The one attacking Ness sometimes looked like a fire hydrant with a face. The one attacking Moondancer sometimes looked like a green-glowing wolf made of bits of wood. "I...I think these worlds we're seeing are made for them," Jeff pointed out thoughtfully. "I don't know why we're seeing both, though, and not our own..."

"I'm not because I'm trapped between times," Buzz Buzz explained. "It's why I'm so weak, and why most things don't perceive me. As for you...I think you're immune."

"Immune?" Jeff inquired.

"You have an incredibly strong mind, strong enough you should be a powerful PSI user," Buzz Buzz explained. "But you don't have access to PSI. You're PSI-Null...and I think that means PSI effects that specifically target the mind can't touch you. Which means...you're immune to the Madness Waves, the power of the Nightmare Engine, and things that amplify that power."

"I see-" Jeff began, only to see Ness and Moondancer wander off in two different directions. "What do we do?"

"We'll have to split up," Buzz Buzz concluded. "These images...they're effecting the two of them. We can't leave either of them alone in them. I'll stick with Moondancer, since I already look like I belong in her illusion. You stick with Ness. We'll...try to keep them from accidentally blasting each other."

Jeff shuddered at the thought. "Here's hoping..." he muttered as he raced after Ness.

Comments

[badninja]

Why do I think that Moondancer is going to ascend to being an Alicorn soon? I think she is primed to do so.

[ShadwSonic]

"We'll have to split up," Buzz Buzz concluded. "These images...they're effecting the two of them. We can't leave either of them alone in them. I'll stick with Moondancer, since I already look like I belong in her illusion. You stick with Ness. We'll...try to keep them from accidentally blasting each other."

Minor nitpick here, but you meant "Affect", not "Effect". The former is an Action, the latter is the rEsults of an action.

[F14m3rz]

Nightmare Moonside

Puns.

"So we're likely to be up against a lot of security thatisn'tunder Nightmare or Madness influence, since nobody over in that area shows any signs of odd behavior.

You know, except for him.
vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/nintendo/images/9/9c/EBannoyingreveler.png/revision/latest?cb=20081217185843&path-prefix=en
And her.
vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/nintendo/images/5/51/EBextracrankylady.png/revision/latest?cb=20081217185902&path-prefix=en
And this taxi.
vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/nintendo/images/5/51/EBmadtaxi.png/revision/latest?cb=20081217185942&path-prefix=en
And this speed limit sign.
vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/nintendo/images/d/d7/EBcrazedsign.png/revision/latest?cb=20081217185908&path-prefix=en

"Yeah," Ness agreed. "Finding Paula...needs to be our priority." He seemed...listless as he spoke, his eyes frequently drifting to the heart charm still clutched in his hand. "Any...any ideas how to go about doing that? It doesn't sound like charging into Monotoli's building would be a good way to go about it."

Beat up Criminal Caterpillars.

"If she is there, you have to fight your way through a horde of security people in their right minds to get to her, followed by another Carpainter but stronger, and all the while the Mani Mani Statue will be feeding Madness into you through every crack it can find,"

Ah, it's not that big a deal, just threaten him to stop with an armed sniper on a rooftop in broad daylight; it worked well enough for Cadence.

According to this, it should have been anordinaryMook we encountered in the Department Store...and when I pointed that out to the guide, the later pages have grown even blurrier.

So that's why it's pink.

Seeing the door slowly closing behind the pair, Moondancer seized it in her aura to hold it open before racing in after them, Buzz Buzz close behind.

Wasn't there supposed to be a gangster with a heart of gold who died somewhere?

"Welcome to Nightmare, useless knockoff," she offered pleasantly. "Care for a drink? Cyanide? Hemlock? Arsenic? That was your fancy last time you were here..."

{Moondancer: Ah, I believe I remember you from somewhere; Shitfaced Stoner, was it?
Berry Twist: Um, what?
Moondancer: No, I remember now. You're that pony who always threw piss-poor insults at people because her mom's desiccated corpse got fucked in front of her, right?
Berry Twist: Look, I'm just a figment of your imagination, and I would appreciate it if you played al-
Moondancer: *Grabs the pony by her head, smashes it into the counter, and pulls her in close* Listen here, motherbucker, I only came here for one reason, and one reason alone; to make sure that Ness doesn't get messed up in the head again. And I don't need to go on some findmuck of an emotional recompense that's nowhere near close to mimicking the style and tone of the original. So for all intents and purpose, take your third grade insults, shove them directly up your ass, and fuck off. Savvy?
Berry Twist: I'm the ruler of Zone 1. It ain't nothing without m-
Moondancer: *Blasts her with the Borange Ray* Wrong game.}
Huh... more violent than I was expecting... but I'm fine with this.

Jeff turned...and blinked in shock. Instead of the tiny bug he was used to seeing Buzz Buzz as, there was a floating black ball with silver stripes on its body, big golden eyes, and dragonfly wings keeping it afloat. "...you look different."

"I noticed," Buzz Buzz buzzed back. "I look more native to that non-human land we're seeing...but not quite."

Oh hey, he's a parasprite.

"You have an incredibly strong mind, strong enough youshouldbe a powerful PSI user," Buzz Buzz explained. "But you don't have access to PSI. You're PSI-Null...and I think that means PSI effects that specifically target the mind can't touch you.

Ah, is that why he's affected by PSI Brainshock?
{

• If an enemy hits Ninten, Ness, or Lucas and their respective parties with Brainshock, the chances of it affecting them increases the higher their IQ is.

}

Also, if Jeff is really "PSI-Null", wouldn't he, you know, just be inside this room while he watches his friends act like weirdos?
walkthrough.starmen.net/earthbound/image/screens/23/illusion.png
{Ness: Leave me alone, Mr. Fire Hydrant!
Moondancer: Why does no one like me?!
Buzz Buzz: Whoa, far out, man. I've got four wings, dude...
Mani-Mani Statue:...
Jeff:...
Mani-Mani Statue:...
Jeff:... *Walks over to the statue, and pushes it over*
Mani-Mani Statue: *Breaks.*
Ness: Wait, what just happened?!
Jeff: Um... I'm basically Madame Exorcist from Inuyasha, except really inconsistent about it?
Buzz Buzz: Ah, that makes sense.}

Anyways, see you later.

[Dirty Bit]

Nice touch with Berry Punch as the bartender.

Jeff as PSI-Null gives me Black Clover vibes.

[The Feline Bard]

Ha, Buzz Buzz is a Parasprite.

[InsanityStreak]

Meanwhile Ness mother is still sitting at the bar drowning her sorrows after watching her son snob her for an interdimensional adventure.