Ranboo sighed, annoyed. "I do not have time for this discrimination today," he said flatly. The sentient turned back to the other, and continued to shine the torch light over the walls. "I'm doing something very important, Fundy."

"Oh, so I'm not important, then?!" the fox hybrid shouted.

Hands on his hips, Fundy followed the enderman hybrid closely as he made his rounds. "You know, you shouldn't even be here," he rambled on. "This land is way too close to Las Nevadas."

"It is not too close to Las Nevadas," Ranboo reassured. "It's right over the border."

"So, you admit to border hugging, huh?! You're trying to provoke us, aren't you?!"

"I am not trying to provoke you, Fundy. Tubbo and I just want to build a cookie shop. That's all."

"Cookie shop?!" Fundy screeched. "This isn't a cookie shop! This is a-"

All of a sudden, a large, charcoal-colored blur slid across Ranboo's path. Fundy yelped in fear, and jumped to cling to Ranboo's shoulders. The sentient wobbled with the added weight of his friend, causing him to drop the torch. Their only light source immediately went out, plunging them into darkness.

Ranboo groaned, running a frustrated hand down his face. He really should have installed more torches when he had the chance. "Well, nice going, Fundy."

The fox hybrid spluttered. "Me?! I- That wasn't me! What was that thing?!" But Ranboo didn't know. His eyes darted about the castle grounds, searching for the elusive threat.

Out of the depths of the shadows came more haunting figures. The full moon sent soft rays of dim light through the translucent beings, giving them a ghostly aura. One by one, they multiplied and circled the boys, until-

"AAAHHHH!!"

Fundy screamed as one of the beings charged towards him. He managed to duck just in time as it flew over their heads. Ranboo watched with wide eyes as the monsters rushed this way and that, weaving a chaotic pattern around him. The sentient braced his arms to shield his face, but he couldn't block out the beings' echoing howls.

The two hybrids stood back-to-back in their circle of hell, wondering, wishing the nightmare would come to an end. Fundy gasped as it suddenly dawned on him: he knew these creatures. He knew how to fight them.

The fox hybrid reached over his shoulder to pull out the diamond hoe strapped to his back. He raised the mighty tool over his head, and, using all the strength he had, Fundy slammed the blunt edge into the ground. The brutal force of the impact cracked the Earth beneath the two, sending a cosmic shock into the beings around them. Ranboo looked on in awe as the monsters were sent back by an invisible force. Fundy had done it- he had found their weakness.

The fox hybrid made quick work digging a small, circular plot of dirt. And when it was finally big enough for two humanoids to stand in, Fundy pulled Ranboo in to do just that. "Shh!" Fundy warned. He glanced off to the side, then pointed to the sky. "There they go!" Like a murder of crows on the prowl for death, the shadow beings fled the castle en masse. They took to the skies, and instantly veered off towards the river; they were gone in a matter of seconds. 

Ranboo stood in silence for a moment, eyes wide and mouth agape. "What...was that?" he wondered aloud.

Fundy turned to face his friend, his expression somber. "Those...were dreamons."

"What?"

"Dreamons, Ranboo. Have you ever heard of them?" When the sentient shook his head, the fox hybrid scoffed. "They are the most dangerous creatures on the server," he explained. "They're essentially demons that come to possess people and cause havoc. I used to hunt them with Tubbo."

Fundy took a few steps away from his friend, combing agitated fingers through the fur atop his head. His shoulders tensed, and in a powerful wave of frustration, he whirled back around. "You know, Tubbo is really the expert on all things dreamon," he shouted. "We should really be talking to him. Where is he?"

"He's dead."

The fox hybrid froze. All the stress and anger that once plagued the boy's body suddenly vanished, leaving him in a state of quiet shock. "What?"

"I said he's dead, Fundy," Ranboo sighed. As much as the creature hated to admit it, his husband was canonically dead. For some reason, the totem hadn't worked, and Tubbo hadn't revived. The goat boy was, for all intents and purposes, lost between realms, possibly in hell. Ranboo couldn't even look Fundy in the eye- he was so ashamed. "He died early this morning. In a house fire."

Fundy's paws slowly raised up to cup his cheeks. His demeanor became more open, his eyes now pools of pity and grief. "I- I'm so sorry, Ranboo. I didn't know."

"Yeah," the enderman hybrid rasped, now on the verge of tears. "No, yeah. It's alright."

As a single drop of sadness fell from Ranboo's eye, the being felt a strong hand clasp his shoulder. "Let's form an alliance," he said, determination filling his every word. "We'll go dreamon hunting just like the old days."

Ranboo sniffled. "Yes," he agreed. "Thank you, Fundy." If sending dreamons to terrorize the server was Dream's plan, then Ranboo would stop at nothing to wipe them all out. Even if he couldn't save Tubbo, he'd at least make the world a better place for their son.

As Fundy walked towards the castle exit, he suddenly came to a stop, as if he was contemplating something. "And maybe, just maybe," he added, "we could wrangle one of those spooky boys to bring Tubbo back from hell."

A slow smile spread across Ranboo's face. This was going to work- he'd make sure of it.

Will Fundy and Ranboo's alliance last?? We'll find out!

Vote to scare the dreamons away! :)

Thank you for the reads on this story and the votes and comments everyone. I know it's a smaller one compared to my other works, but it means a lot. <333

[Image Credits] "Hooded Specter" (Cropped Slightly) by Steve Snodgrass (https://flickr.com/photos/stevensnodgrass/5133348953)