(Author's Note: It's gonna seem confusing in the beginning- not gonna say why yet but you'll see- but trust me, it'll make more sense later)

Third Person

Cody woke up on the ground. Alone.

The waters was cold and it was earlier in the morning, that much he could tell. He sat up suddenly, gasping but then groaning as his muscles were oddly stiff.

More confusion only clouded his mind when he looked around and found... nobody around him, but the destruction told him there was a battle.

Spots that had been uprooted, burned or even had melting ice were all around, but anyone who should've made it had seemingly vanished.

Cody struggled to his feet, then ran a hand through his top feathers, desperately looking around for signs or an answer.

Eventually, all he could do was trudge into the city and hope for the best.

Cody tried to ask people in the streets what was going on, but they would see him and give him a shocked or nasty look before steering clear. He kept trying, but everyone refused to talk to him. It wasn't until guards came and roughly grabbed him that he knew something was terribly wrong.

He struggled against their grip, trying to yank out of it but to no avail. He gave up halfway through and instead went limp, finding his willpower was running low, as was his energy. He didn't understand why, how long had he been out exactly? And why was he so... Exhausted?

As they dragged him along, he soon began to realize where he was being taken. The palace, he knew these streets like the back of his hand, and he was only proven right even further when they climbed the stairs and into the entrance.

They weren't gentle with him, and dragged him up to the thrones before throwing him on the ground. Cody found himself at the feet of someone sitting on the throne. Whoever it was, stood up and dismissed the guards before yanking him up. It took him a minute to realize they held him there, and the look in their blue eyes when they looked at him was... Surprised. Then sympathetic.

And when Cody's eyes finally cleared, his heart stopped. He reached out, touching their shoulders and wondering if it was really real. Then, the words escaped him, though it was only a ghost of a voice. "...Joe?"

The king dropped him in surprise, causing him to fall on the ground with a pained hiss, but his head swung up, grinning. It hesitated and dropped when he noticed Joe wasn't doing the same.

Cody opened his arms, gesturing for a hug but it was Joe's hesitation that worried him. However, he couldn't help but feel okay when they did embrace. Cody wanted to hold on forever, already feeling tears flow to his eyes, but Joe pulled away as he began to squeeze him. "Cody..." He was breathless, but something in his eyes told a different story.

"Joe! You're alive! I can't believe it, I-..." Cody sighed, content, but his worries resurfaced when Joe's normal cheery and humorous attitude still remained missing. What's wrong with him? Isn't he happy to see me too?

Joe searched his eyes before shaking himself. He gave a slight smile and helped his brother steady himself, then dusting off his shoulders. "I am and... I..." He looked like he was going to say something, but decided against it. "It's good to see you."

Cody might've fallen apart right then and there or dragged Joe into their room to talk or something, but his brother's behavior was throwing him off. "Joe... What happened?"

Joe stiffened, then rubbed the back of his neck. "With me or with Atlantis?"

"Both."

Joe made a small noise, but then they sat at the little stair flight between the throne and the ground. He took a breath, preparing himself. "Well, I was very close to death. They thought I was but I just barely made it out, then we had to camp out for a while until I could make it back to the village. Everyone thought we were dead so they sent out my message, alerting you. But I am okay. I had to heal for a while before coming over here. I wasn't going to make the journey if I hadn't."

Cody nodded, keeping his hand on Joe's arm and squeezing it again, just to feel that it was real. He's real. He's right here.

"And Atlantis..." Joe's eyes dropped, now a very saddened look written all over him. Cody's heart pounded just waiting for the answer.

The full answer didn't come right then and there, but one question was simultaneously answered and brought up new questions.

"Joe," Footsteps approached from the stairs and both turned, though the chicken tensed and glanced at his Brother. "The Council needs to see you again regarding-"

Cody felt his heart seize and Nexus energy curl around his fingers when they locked eyes. He got up to attack, the newcomer preparing for one as well, blue eyes glowing with power but Joe stopped both of them before either could make a move.

"Stop!" Both did, though the hostility didn't leave. "Hey, hey, hey!" Joe got in the middle of them, extending his arms. "Don't! Please, don't fight here, not now. I'm really sick of fighting."

Cody sucked in a breath, narrowing his eyes. "Explain yourself. Both of you, why is he even allowed in here?"

"I could say the same thing." Ace's chest rose and fell rapidly, though he kept his glare steadily on the penguin.

"What do you mean-!"

Joe cleared his throat, getting their attention. He let out a breath when it worked, then straightened up. "Cody is my brother and despite what the council might rule, as King, I am overriding it for further investigation."

Cody blinked in confusion. What the council might rule?

Ace's eyes burned with something Cody didn't understand. It wasn't quite hatred- no... Something mixed in with it... Moments passed before he noticed something else. Ace's body trembled slightly, and it clicked in his mind. Fear.

Joe must've noticed it too because he rushed to him and pulled him off to the side. The had a quick conversation, one in a lower voice so Cody had no idea what either was saying before Ace seemed a little calmer before. But the look he gave Cody before looking away was unmistakable: He wasn't entirely happy with him being there.

Joe turned to his brother, flashing a quick smile before he started to move for the door. He made a gesture to follow him, which made both Cody and Ace move forward, shooting a glare at each other as they did as if to say "Back off, he meant me". Joe just groaned to himself, wondering how he was going to keep them from strangling each other.

Walking down the streets- with one of them on each side of the chicken- Cody continued to notice the people of Atlantis avoiding his gaze. His frown only deepened, and out of the corner of his eye, Ace gave him a look again. Cody gritted his teeth but ignored him.

Joe's steps got heavier as they headed further down the city, confusing Cody and giving him a bad feeling. Joe stopped in front of the door to a room Cody felt like he knew but couldn't put his finger on it. He was silent for a long while, and then a heavy sigh escaped him as he turned back.

"You don't remember anything that happened, did you?"

Cody stared before slowly shaking his head. Ace shifted in footing, uncomfortable and now standing behind Joe. His eyes were fixated on the floor.

"It's been a week, Codes." Joe's voice made him snap to his attention, looking in his eyes now. "You were completely gone off the map for a week and now you really don't remember anything? What you did?"

"What I..." Cody tried to think but shook himself, straightening up. "No, no I don't. Joe, I really don't understand, what do you mean?"

Joe searched his eyes before closing his own, resting now. "You... Where do I need to start? What's the last thing you did?"

The brown eyes now shot to Ace, narrowing on him. "Fighting him. Something happened where I passed out, I don't remember anything else after."

"Right, I have to start at the hard part then... Just my luck." Joe mumbled, then cleared his throat. "Well, you and the rest of your team recovered and continued to fight Ace, but one of your attacks made him go berzerk. Hardly any control of his own actions- more than usual. He started to make kill shots and instead of helping, you panicked and you... You ran, Cody. You abandoned them."

Cody's face fell. "What? No-no I couldn't have-!"

"A dozen eye witnesses say differently, not including my own." Ace spoke up, arms crossed but more like he was building up a wall between them. He finally met the penguin's gaze, eyes glowing intensely. "You ran, and you failed them. Your friends dropped like flies before Joe could reach me."

And it dawned on Cody where they were. He pushed past both of them, shoving Ace roughly out of his way before opened in the door and rushing inside. His brother called after him, slightly distressed but it was too late. Cody's whole body became heavier once he saw the bodies of his friends and allies lying on the table.

Pikalus, Tanith, Selena, KrakenKid, Cannibal and Blooper. Even seeing his rival's lifeless form made Cody shocked to his core and dropping to his knees.

Joe followed in quickly, while Ace barely took two steps in, avoiding everything in the room like it was the plague. "Cody! Listen! I know what you're thinking but something happened to Ace! I don't know what it was but I fixed him- I got through to him! I was able to help him see reason and all of this-"

"He killed them..." Cody's fists clenched as he scanned over them. His mind wandered, then turned to Joe. "Where's Sam?"

Joe gulped silently before answering. "I looked everywhere but nobody really knows. She was the only one left when I got there and once I calmed down Ace, she was just gone. We're- we're not sure what happened but we're working on getting her back."

Cody began to grit his teeth, thoughts clouding his mind of all of them being struck down, and then Sam being all alone. It wasn't difficult to point a finger at who to blame, and Cody finally let his rage take over as he launched himself across the room at the blue haired man.

Ace took the first hit head on, off guard as he was slammed into the wall but soon pushed him off. Joe screamed something but Cody couldn't hear as he charged up an attack and shot.

Ace dodged it, but didn't seem to fight back, instead just avoiding his and defending himself. Already confused, when Cody's next charged attack was blocked by Joe, he was completely shaken and skidded to a stop.

Joe's eyes glared at him now, his body in a protective stance over Ace as he stood up and loomed over his older brother. "Cody." He said sternly, eyes flashing. "That's enough."

"But he-"

"NO!" Joe shouted, now much more irritated than before. "I tried to be reasonable, I thought maybe you could make peace but clearly you can't'! You're attacking an unarmed man!"

"He has powers! He's not unarmed!"

"But did he use them?" Joe countered, gritting his teeth as Ace stayed behind him, crouching. "No, he didn't. Why can't you accept that?"

Cody's voice raised. "Because this is all his fault!"

"Maybe some of it is, but it's your fault too!" Joe raised his even higher in retaliation, shutting his brother up. "That's why, isn't it? You can't deal with it being your fault! I'm sorry, but you need to face the facts: You failed them! When they needed you most, you weren't there, you left! And because of your actions of screwing everything up and leaving, the council..."

Joe slowed down, and in the silence, Cody's heart hammered against his chest. "The council," Joe finally said. "Has deemed you unfit to rule and a threat to Atlantis. I wasn't sure about this until just now but... You've disappointed me. I don't even recognize you anymore."

Cody's heart dropped, his body freezing. "J-"

"Cody Maverick, I, King of Atlantis, have deemed you too dangerous for this city, and hereby banish you from Atlantis. You have twenty four hours to leave before you will be killed on sight." He turned away, walking away. "Goodbye, Brother. Please run before I have to call the guards and escort you to the outskirts myself."

Joe left, with Ace following close behind, and Cody was left with nothing.

Cody wasn't sure when he started moving but he eventually found himself outside and heading for the outskirts. He didn't really feel his legs moving even though they were, it was more like he was watching himself do it from a third perspective.

He only regained feeling when he heard a screaming, and watched as a figure pounce on him before he could even think to move.

Cody groaned, struggling as they wrapped their hands around his throat but managed to push them off of him. Only then did he see who it was, and everything was lost to him.

"You ruined EVERYTHING!" Sam screeched. Her scales had lost their shine and her hair was in knots. She clearly hadn't been taking care of herself, and just seeing her like this broke the penguin's heart.

"Sam..." Cody whispered, but it fell on deaf ears.

"They're dead!" Sam's eyes overflowed with tears as she spoke, drawing one of her arrows into her hand, even though she had no bow. "They're all dead and you did NOTHING! You- you-!"

Cody could do nothing, frozen like a deer in headlights. Sam's sorrow quickly turned to wrath as she clutched the arrow. "YOU DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE!"

Sam launched herself at Cody, aiming to drive the arrow through his heart, but he couldn't move. So instead, somebody knocked her out of the air and wrestled her to the ground. He could barely process it as they took the arrow and instead killed her with it. Her blood stained the ground, as the figure stood and faced Cody.

The penguin almost thought he was seeing a ghost, until he noticed the lack of a tail, and the green eyes and it hit him. "Cece? Tanith's conscious- wha?" He could barely speak, brown eyes kept on staring at Sam, shaking. "What... I don't understand, how are you here?"

"Simple really." For someone who just killed a girl, Cece looked unfazed. She wiped the blood from her hands on her pants. "I can only appear in the mind plane, so this means..." She nodded at Cody to finish her sentence.

"...I'm in my mind? Wait..." He blinked, looking around. "Are you saying this isn't real? It's just some sort of nightmare?"

"Something like that." Cece told him, then stretched, groaning slightly. "It's a long story, but let me just say, sorry I didn't get here sooner. It took a while to transfer from Tanith to you, and then break through all this." She waved her hand over Atlantis, and even the dead body of Sam on the ground. "Though, I am glad I got here before it started over."

Already with his mind reeling, Cody was thrown off even more than before. "Start over? Cece, I don't understand, what's going on?"

The conscious sighed. "Right, very well, I'll explain. Just let me," She waved her arm over the area, and slowly, it began to fade into the empty streets of Atlantis. "That's better. Now, last thing you remember was passing out while against Ace, right?"

Cody nodded, eyebrows raised.

"Thought so. Ace has been inside all of your minds before, and I don't know why, but you're not dead so instead he placed you, Tanith- and I assume everyone else too- in a never ending nightmare. It's constructed to feed on your greatest fears, then loop you back in it again and again."

Cody just stared, speechless for a moment before crossing out, "Loop?"

Cece nodded, crossing her arms. "This isn't your first time living through it. It's your seventh. You get told over and over how you ruined everything, then either Sam kills you or you kill Sam and then collapse in grief and it starts over again. Perfectly designed to destroy you from the inside out."

"Wait so..." Cody rubbed his head. His mind kept spinning with information, desperately trying not to break down. He settled on one question in the end. "Why am I afraid of Joe and Ace getting along?"

The green eyes rolled. "You're thinking too literally. You're afraid of Joe being disappointed in you, and finding out there was a way to stop Ace without bloodshed when you were already planning on ending his life. Not to mention Sam of all people attacking you?" Cece put her hands on her hips, sighing. "It seems Ace knows a thing or two about nightmares, hmm?"

Cody wrapped his head around it a few times before it stuck. Eventually, he looked up and spoke. "So, just to make sure I got this, Ace put us all in nightmares we couldn't wake up from on our own?"

"Correct."

"So... How do I wake the others up?"

Cece gestured to herself. "I can help with that. I'll transfer you through the bonds. Some might be harder given they're forming but not quite to the level where it's noticeable, but I'll do my best. The other part is that you need to break through to them when the dream is at its weakest."

"Which is?"

The conscious hesitated, now looking a bit more worried. "Unfortunately, the end of it. It's weak when it's trying to start the loop over again because, well, it's starting over. Not much else can be done."

Cody's heart churned at the thought of others- even the ones he disliked- having to go through their own personal hell like he did. But, he had to shake it off. No other choice after all. Standing up straight, he looked Cece in the eye and nodded at her.

"I'm ready." He told her. "Let's go."

Cece nodded before concentrating and opening up a strange, violet portal. "Letting people into other's minds is exhausting so I'm going to sit it out. Good luck to you, Cody."

The penguin nodded before plunging in.

———————

Cody should've known Cece wouldn't take him to Tanith first, and instead wanted him to help KrakenKid. After all, conscience or not, Cece was Tanith's conscious.

He found himself outside of a large dome where around him was nothing but total darkness. Inside however, was a heavily damaged Conch Command, with Illithids and Generals laying dead on the ground all throughout. Cody recognized a few of the bodies: Gnash the golem, CrankyCrab the cook, and even the bluebird, Darrel.

As he searched, Cody tried pounding on the dome but with no avail, then remembered that Cece mentioned it was only possible to 'Break Through To Them' when the dream was ending. He hadn't expected it to be so literal.

But, he had no choice but to wait. Sudden voices brought his attention to the only three alive of the bunch. KrakenKid himself was one of them, and the other two was his son, Blooper and Tanith. The situation made Cody's blood run cold.

Tanith restrained Blooper with one arm and part of her tail, then held a knife to his throat. Blooper was deadly still, a panicked look on his face. KrakenKid was a good distance, but had a look of anguish on his face. His gun was loosely held in his hands, like he'd forgotten it was there.

"Tanith, please... Not Blooper."

Cody's heart sank just looking at Tanith. Pure cruelty in her eyes and blood soaking into her shirt. Her head shook slightly, chuckling at him. "So soft, KK. It was so easy to bring the Atlantean army in right under your nose."

His head shook, one tentacle wiping his eyes before facing her again. Cody didn't think it was any more possible for him to look exhausted. "You don't need to rub it in my face anymore. Just... Spare Blooper. I'm begging you."

The blue eyes glinted. Blooper tried to mouth 'No Dad!' But went unheard. Eventually, her eyes flickered to the gun. "Throw it over to me, and I'll let him go."

KrakenKid gulped but tossed his gun to her side. She smiled, unraveling herself from Blooper and using as much force she had in her tail to smash it, hitting it enough times to where it was unusable.

"Good. Now that that's out of the way," In a quick motion, the knife plunged into Blooper's neck and cut across before letting go.

KrakenKid cried out, catching his body before touched the ground and got blood on his arms in the process. Blooper tried to say something, but it came out gurgled. Light left his eyes.

"BLOOPER!" The kraken screeched, then looked up in anger. "YOU PROMISED!"

"Oh, KK." Tanith childed him. "Don't you know? Never trust an Atlantean." Her knife fiddled around in her hand, before she raised it, then plunged it into her own heart.

Dropping to the ground, KrakenKid stared at her body, stunned. "Wha... Why did you do that? Why are you doing any of this?"

Tanith choked, voice low. "Mission completed. No need to stay around anymore. Plus, well, you're alone now. No son, no generals, not even the one who betrayed you. You failed, KrakenKid. You lost."

Tanith gave a twisted grin. "And isn't that the only reason I need?"

Her entire body went limp. KrakenKid was frozen for a long time, covered in his son's blood and the only one alive. He had nothing left.

That's when Cody started to notice this was his time, and the dome looked thinner. Punching it, it began to crack, mere glass now, and after a few hits, he broke through.

Cody bolted forward, reaching KrakenKid's side and panting. "Kranky, I can't believe it but I'm actually happy to see you."

The kraken didn't respond, and instead, carefully laid Blooper's body down, before doing the same himself. He stared up, eyes blank.

Cody hesitated, waving his hand in front of him. "Uh... Kranky? KrakenKid?" Not even a blink that showed he acknowledged him. "...Kraken, listen, this isn't real! None of it is! You're in a freaky nightmare! Your son isn't really dead! No one is! Tanith didn't betray you, I didn't invade you- Well, other then when I Uh... Stabbed you in the stomach but that's not the point!"

Still nothing. Cody sighed, sitting down. "I probably sound crazy- maybe I am- but we can't just give up now. I get it, I just came out of my own nightmare and I..." He took a breath, shoving the doubts and fears out when they rose to his throat. "I'm still recovering. The only reason I'm still standing is because the others need help."

Cody paused but still got the same result. "We don't get along, I know that, but as much as I hate you, you don't deserve this never ending nightmare. We have to keep going- everything depends on it! The future of Atlantis is in our hands now, we can't just let it go to waste!"

The Tide Changer remained deathly still. Cody silently wondered if he was too late. "We've had a lot of conflicts in the past, and certainly more in the future- that's never going to stop, with or without a peace treaty- but that doesn't mean we can't work together. I promise- I'll stop Ace in anyway possible! But I can't do it alone. That's why, right now, I really need you to-"

"Does anyone ever tell you that you talk too much?"

Cody froze, then found himself laughing. He'd never thought he'd see the day where he was actually happy to hear one of his sharp retorts. KrakenKid's eyes finally flickered to meet his, glaring. He began to sit up, Cody offering a hand but KrakenKid waved him off. "I'm fine." He mumbled, getting up. "Sheesh, Penguin. Give me time to process this before you tell me everything's a lie, don't just force your trust on me."

Cody sheepishly grin. "Right, should've thought about that. Sorry, haven't had much time to process this either but we need to go. We're not the only ones living in these nightmares."

KrakenKid took a moment to stretch before his eyes nearly popped out of his head. "LIKE BLOOPER?"

Cody had to back up when he nodded, hoping KrakenKid wasn't going to hit him. KrakenKid growled lowly, tentacles curling. "He's just a kid, Maverick! We gotta- how did you get into my mind in the first place?"

"Cece, she linked us and-!" Cody didn't even get to finish before KrakenKid ran, noticing the place where Cody broke through and into the darkness, screaming her name.

Cody followed and noticed moments later, a violet portal-looking thing had appeared, though it flickered until the last one Cody saw. He wondered if it was because the bond wasn't quite formed yet, but before he could say anything of warning to KrakenKid, he rushed right into it. Cody almost followed, but right before he could, another opened up right next to it. Green, and much more stable.

Cody looked between the two, and decided he could leave KrakenKid to help Blooper privately. He'd be out of place anyways.

Taking a deep breath, the king plunged into the green one.

-------

KrakenKid kept pounding against the dome that held Blooper and his nightmare but it did nothing.

The Penguin didn't follow, KrakenKid noticed, breaths getting ragged. Good. He doesn't need to be here, I can take care of my son.

But, not matter how hard he thrashed against it, it didn't so much as crack. Instead, he was stuck inside a new type of nightmare: Watching his son suffer.

Blooper looked on the verge of hyperventilating. Around him, the Conch Command was under heavy fire and he was surrounded by the generals in KrakenKid's room. A chorus of shouts kept coming from each general, asking for directions and Blooper looked between all of them, stuttering nervously.

"I-I don't... Barricade the-"

"No more barricades, we're low on supplies!"

"Oh uh... Send troops out back-"

"We're surrounded, they'd be killed!"

"I'm sorry, I just- I just don't know!" Blooper admitted, approaching the balcony. "Just- Just give me time to think!"

Slowly, the generals obeyed and left the young kraken alone. Blooper let out a long sigh once all of them were out of his sight and sat down on the balcony. He kept his knees close to his chest and sighed. "I'm sorry, Dad..." He mumbled, a sob catching in his throat. "I-I couldn't do it. The Tide Changers are dying as soon as you're gone and it's all my fault! I failed!"

A cracking sound was the only thing that tore his attention away from his son. His constant pounding finally became fruitful as now, the dome took damage. KrakenKid began to launch his full force against it, grunting. His pace only increased when he noticed Pikalus starting to swim up to the balcony, gun in hand.

KrakenKid broke through and rushed as fast as he could towards his son, not caring about anything else. Blooper looked up and stared down a barrel of a gun, Professor at the other end. Professor snarled at him. "Filthy kraken."

Before he could fire, KrakenKid tackled him to the ground, shocking both of them. He grabbed the gun and killed the human right then and there before turning to Blooper.

He didn't so much as get to blink before Blooper rushed at him, wrapping his arms tightly around him and sobbing into his chest. KrakenKid didn't wait another beat to return it, holding on and closing his eyes. "It's okay, Bloops. I got you." He whispered. "None of this is real, okay? You didn't do anything wrong."

"It- It felt so real, Dad!"

"Shhh... I know." KrakenKid didn't realize he was crying too until he heard it in his own voice. It made sense, not too long ago, he watched Blooper die too. KrakenKid needed this moment between them as much as Blooper did. "But it's not, okay? None of this will ever be real. Trust me."

"...Can we just stay here for a while?"

"Yeah." KrakenKid smiled softly, slowly rubbing his back as Blooper looked up at him. "We can take all the time you want. It'll be fine."

"...And you won't tell Selena about any of this, right?"

"Not a single word. Just us, okay?"

"Okay." Blooper responded, sighing. "I know I don't say it as much as I should but... I love you, Dad. I don't want to miss out on saying that."

"It's okay, Bloops. I love you too."

---------

Cody wasn't sure what to expect when seeing Professor's nightmare. He wasn't prepared for it either.

Atlantis was in ruins, buildings now reduced to rubble and many Atlanteans dead. Most either through rubble falling on them, or beaten to death. Cody grimaced as he looked through all of it, trying to see if he could break through yet, but couldn't.

He finally spotted Pikalus lying in the middle of a half broken down house. He was just waking up, and after seeing everything, he covered his face and mumbled something to himself, shaking his head. Cody watched another him move through the broken houses, making a beeline for Pikalus with a small army in the toe. Pikalus noticed, but didn't move, head dipping down in shame.

"Pikalus." The other Cody looked down at him, disappointed. "You said you had it under control."

"I know." Pikalus mumbled, avoiding his gaze.

"And then this happens and... Pikalus, you have to understand, I so desperately want to be on your side but when you pull something like THIS-!" The King gestured all around him, still shaking his head. "It makes it so much harder to. You went Hulk and destroyed everything!"

"I know, Cody." He finally looked up. "And I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean for this to happen! I didn't mean to fail you!"

"But you did. And for your own safety, I have to do it. People will come after you if I let you walk free." Other Cody's eyes turned down cast for a moment. "I really didn't want to do this but I can't play favorites."

Pikalus pivoted his body towards Other Cody, bowing his head. "I know. I know everything you have to do so please, just get it over with."

Other Cody took a deep breath before standing up straight, staring him down. "Professor Niall Pikalus, I, King of Atlantis, have deemed you too dangerous for this city, and hereby banish you from Atlantis." Professor flinched upon hearing it but Other Cody couldn't stop. "You have twenty four hours to leave before you will be killed on sight."

Other Cody's shoulders sagged as he gestured for his army to leave and help the people still alive. He slowly turned back to Pikalus, not looking him in the eye. "This wasn't supposed to happen... Why did you have to make me do this?" Other Cody turned and left him behind, not looking for an answer, or not able to look at him any longer.

Professor answered anyways. "I'm sorry, I failed. I lost my temper and it's all my fault..."

Cody clenched his teeth and bashed against the barrier keeping Pikalus in the nightmare. It cracked under the pressure, and soon, burst open.

Pikalus looked up, both surprised but saddened when he saw Cody, but became even more perplexed when Cody helped him up and led him out into the darkness. There, Cody began to explain everything.

Professor was an odd one. His preferred way of being comforted was with logic and facts. In his own words, "It helps me get a grip. Reality helps more than dreaming." So, naturally that's what Cody did. Gave him facts how the dream wasn't real and what was going on.

But, at the same time, Cody was soft at heart, and even if it wasn't Pikalus' preferred way of comfort, Cody gave him a bear hug as soon as he was finished. "I just want to say, that's never going to happen. I'll sooner die trying to snap you out of Hulk mode then banish you from Atlantis."

"That's not very kingly." Pikalus chuckled.

"I'd rather be your friend than a king." Cody told him as he hugged back, then finally let go. "You're the best friend I got. I need you to be besides me while I lead, okay?"

Professor nodded, smiling. "Okay. Anyone ever tell you your insides are just as soft as your outsides?"

"Once or twice." Cody laughed, glad to see him smiling again. He wasn't sure if he was completely okay yet, but if he managed to help a little, Cody was happy with that. "We should check up on Kraken, make sure he's done too."

As he spoke, Cody suspected Cece must've been listening because the same shakey, violet portal appeared. Pikalus couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. "You had to deal with Kraken, huh? What was his nightmare like?"

"Intense." Was the best Cody could say before going inside of the portal.

On the outside, he popped out in front of KrakenKid and Blooper, walking side by side away from the dome. Pikalus was right behind, the four of them all stopping and looking at each other.

"You got him?" Cody nodded at Blooper. "Good. Four down, four to go."

"Of course I got him." KrakenKid rolled his eyes. "It's my son, you think I don't know my own son?"

"Right, right, never mind." Cody sighed, then quickly explained to the krakens how the nightmares worked, and most importantly, how to break the others out of them. When he finished, he added. "Now, I know it might seem like a lot, but we should split up and get the rest. We need to wake up as soon as we can, who knows what Ace is planning if he went through all the trouble of making sure we couldn't wake up. Cece, you still with me?"

There was no audible response, but she did in a way of creating four different colors portals, three of which were flickering. Red, orange, pink and aqua. Cody knew what all of them were.

KrakenKid responded first, marching forward. "If we're splitting up, I'll take Tanith." He didn't wait for anyone else and slipped into the red portal, making it close behind him.

Blooper shrugged and chose pink. "I got Salami then, I don't know the other too."

Cody turned towards the aqua colored one, nodding. "Sam's my job then. Good luck, Pikalus."

Both Blooper and Cody left, leaving Pikalus with the lone orange one. He grumbled, knowing exactly who he was assigned to and entered it. "This is gonna be a disaster." Pikalus said to nobody in particular. "Cece, give me strength."

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Oh boy why'd that take so longggggg

Sorry for the wait but here's Chapter 86! Editing might be bad but I just really needed to get this chapter out or it would've never been completed I swear
Anyways, as always, notes! Oh boy is there a lot of them, hold on tight

- Ace has been in all of their minds- no matter how brief- and remembers how they worked. Thus, he created the perfect nightmare to keep them down. The whole purpose of it is that you can't break out of it alone, and he thought he could isolate them. (Also somewhat symbolic for how Ace himself is)

- Cece was able to snap Cody out of it, but it took several tries. Cody relieved that nightmare or a variation of it seven times. Many of the others were the same, some more than others depending on how fast you can get to them

- Cece was only able to get into their minds via Tanith's Bonding. However, since she hasn't fully formed a bond with some people, their portals are seen as 'Flickering' meaning it's not quite there yet. Cece stopped physically talking to them because creating gateways between minds is hard enough, and between one's she hasn't fully bonded with took a lot out of her. Yeah she needs a long rest after this

- Cece might be helping the others but Tanith is still in her dream. Yes, Cece tried to snap her out of it. No, she didn't succeed.

- All of the ones shown in this chapter related to failure. Cody failed Atlantis, his brother, his friends, and even failed to find a peaceful way to deal with Ace (Even though there's no longer one, his mental state still holds onto the fact that there could be, and a possibility like that out there scares him because he can't find it) KrakenKid was failing his Tide Changers and his Son. (He also fears betrayal by someone he trusts, as shown by Tanith in the dream) Blooper fears that once his Dad is gone and he has to lead, he'll fail immediately and everything his Dad built will crumble. (He also low key fears responsibility because he can no longer be a kid then) And finally, Pikalus fears failing Cody, putting more pressure on him on top of what he already has, and failing to keep himself under control.

- The other four will be dealt with in the next chapter

Anddddd I think that's it! I do hope you guys liked this, I tried my best to make it good even though I was having trouble writing it. Be sure to comment, comments fuel me greatly and I love getting them. See ya!

--JustAnAtlantisWriter