Third Person
KrakenKid was expecting a lot of things when he entered Tanith's mind. He expected her nightmare to be loud, full of bloodshed and heartbreak, and prepared himself to deal with it all.

KrakenKid was not ready for the quiet that followed. No battles or war, not even someone with so much as a scrape on them. Tanith's personal hell was nothing like he thought it would be.

At first, it didn't seem so bad. In fact, it looked much like her heaven, seeing himself, Cody and a mix of Atlanteans and Tide Changers all getting along. Tanith smiled and seemed happy at first, and the kraken couldn't understand what was wrong with it. Was there something he was missing?

But, then it started to shift. It was like in a blink of an eye, the scene changed, with everyone getting older. Yet, Tanith, Blooper and himself looked nearly identical. Tanith's face changed to panic, but in another blink- Kraken soon realized it shifted everytime she blinked- they were in the hospital. Pikalus was laying down on one of the beds, his hair grayed and his face aged, and closed his eyes. He didn't open them back up.

It started to speed up then. It was replaced with Sam, then Cody, Cannibal, Selena- all gone, all aged until they couldn't go on.

But Tanith looked the same. Physically at least, a look in her eyes told a different story. She looked about ready to cry then.

KrakenKid watched a version of himself comfort her, but it didn't stop there. Soon he watched Blooper pass- not from age, but rather disease. Something that made him sick to his stomach in two different ways, one he didn't understand. Then, it kept shifting.

Kraken watched himself age with every shift, but Tanith hardly seemed affected. Each time, her smile fell a little faster when the Other KrakenKid turned his back. All, until he watched what he thought was impossible: Watching himself die of old age.

Tanith was a little older, but only had a small streak of gray hair on her. She cried at his bedside as the Other KrakenKid flatlined. And the last shift was into a graveyard, where Tanith was alone, surrounded by graves.

The dome cracked. KrakenKid broke through it and rushed to her side.

He didn't say a word. He wasn't sure what he could even say. Tanith just saw him and held on, wrapping her arms around him. KrakenKid let her, squeezing back. It took him a while to summon up the courage to speak. "None of it was real."

"Doesn't mean it didn't hurt." Her voice was barely even a whisper. He wasn't even sure how he heard it, but it made him hold her close. She sniffed but took a while to say anything more. She didn't look up when she spoke. "Have I ever told you why most of my kind don't leave their village often?"

"I don't remember. Tell me again." A distraction- KrakenKid took it without a second thought. Anything to get her mind off of what she watched play out.

"The main reason is because we can't die from old age. Not on it's own, it can slow us down but... We don't die from it. The aging wasn't correct in- whatever that was, I probably would've at least had half my hair gray by then but, that's not the point." She sniffed again. "We stay in villages because when we get attached to others who can die from it, it hurts. Others can grow old together, but we only can if we're with another one of our kind. It's a way to avoid heartbreak."

"Because it feels like everyone else could die in a blink of an eye compared to how long you could live." KrakenKid didn't even know the words left his mouth until he heard them. Tanith nodded, finally letting go and looking at the ground.

"It scares me to think what I would do once all of you are gone. I wouldn't... I wouldn't have a reason-!"

KrakenKid cut her off with a look. Her eyes flickered up to meet his and he put a hand on her face. "Don't. It won't come to that, not if I can help it."

"You can't cure old age. You can't beat it."

"No. But that doesn't mean I won't try." He cracked a smile. "You really think I'm going to die from anything other than in battle? You're kidding yourself."

"I'll sooner get shot before you die."

"Tanith. What did I say about sacrificing yourself? Doesn't help anyone, you have a life now, cherish it."

"Sorry." She apologized, but gave a smile, then started to look around at the dream. "...What is all this anyways?"

KrakenKid stood up, offering a hand. "Let's get out of this part first, I'll explain. We're technically in your mind right now."

Tanith grabbed his hand and together, they walked out of the dream. It collapsed behind them, and KrakenKid watched it. Even if Tanith was trying to smile again, he felt something off.

Before he could say anything out loud, he noticed a lone figure standing in the background. Cece. He thought to himself. Tanith has told him about her.

The conscious shook her head slightly at him. He frowned, trying to mouth what she meant, but Cece didn't answer.

He got a feeling she was saying something along the lines of 'Not okay' or 'Not over' but he wasn't sure why.

---------

"I wasn't expecting that."

Blooper broke the silence that had been lasting for a while now. The pair sat a little outside the dome. Blooper watched as it started to fall apart before meeting Selena's eyes again. "I thought there'd be a lot more-..."

"Lot more what?" Selena snapped before he could even finish his thought. Stress shined through her in little ways, no matter how much she tried to hide it. Half lidded eyes, tangled hair, the fact that her tail was dirty and she didn't bother to brush it off. Ways that most people wouldn't think twice about. Thing was, Blooper wasn't most people. He knew how many red flags all of those things raised, especially when put together.

"Spiders! And snakes and- and- creepy stuff, okay!" He threw his hands up in the air. "Sheesh, stop getting defensive, I'm trying to help you! I'm just saying, for a big ol' 'Worst Nightmare' feast, it didn't include the fears I thought you had!"

Selena huffed, brushing some of her hair out of her face. "It's not like I don't have those fears. I just... Have other ones." She turned her body slight away. "It's not that big of a deal, it's just some stupid dream."

"Well then why don't you have a problem with talking about it?" Blooper pointed out. "Besides, it's not like it'll ever happen."

Selena paused for a long time, then gave him a small look to explain himself. "I'm just saying, everyone turning their back on you and you ending up totally alone? Unlikely. First off, Atlanteans are sappy, they don't leave each other behind. Second, you and your sister are really close, so also unlikely, that dream version of her will ever be a reality, and third," He gestured to himself, smiling. "You're stuck with me."

Selena didn't laugh, but did bite back a smile, which was enough for Blooper. He sat back. "See? Better already! Now we just... Y'know, I didn't ask what we were supposed to be doing after this. I guess we just wait to wake up now that the dream's over."

Moments passed before Selena spoke up. "You know my biggest fear is being alone now, only fair I know yours. What is it? Super volcano? Death? Growing old?"

"Nah." Blooper said, half causally and his smile slowly dropping. "Just uh... Leading the Conch Command. And failing."

Selena paused, then wrapped her arm around his shoulder. "Yeah, well, that's not happening either."

——————

Unlike what Cody saw before from the other nightmares, there were two things that made Sam's unusual.

One was that he arrived at the very end, hardly seeing a thing other than Sam sitting in her home, alone and staring at the floor. Her expression was unreadable.

The second was that as soon as Cody entered to warn her, she drew her bow and pointed an arrow right at him. A breath caught in his throat.

"Sam-!"

"Who are you?" Her voice was dangerously low, eyes narrowing on him.

"It's me!" He answered quickly. "It's Cody! See?" He patted himself down. "I'm as Cody as they come! I swear, everything else was just a living nightmare- we're just in your head- but I'm real!"

Sam's eyes trailed over him for a long moment. "Prove it. You hide a box under your bed. What's in it?"

Emotional tests. Cody told himself. "My teddy bear and Joe's note. Not like you would know but I added the video tape to the mix."

"Video tape?"

Cody swallowed. "Ah, Joe sent it. His last words. I haven't been able to watch it."

Sam hesitated a moment longer. "...Middle name?"

"O-!"

"My middle name." She corrected.

Cody wracked his brain. Sam didn't like giving out personal information but she had told him in little ways. Letting him see her fill out hospital forms, casually saying she related to someone or something, ways that sent a message: 'Work for my love'.

"Bianca!" He said at last. Sam started to lower her weapon but Cody continued. "After your Mom's grandmother. And your favorite color isn't green or teal or anything what anyone thinks. It's brown. The color of tree bark, chocolate and you think it's underrated. You're sarcastic and love to mess with people but you also love them more than anything. They interest you, they make you happy, you can't live without them."

Cody didn't notice Sam had dropped her weapon until he stopped talking. "That's right. Every single bit." Her voice was smaller than usual. "All of this isn't real then. Except you and me."

Cody nodded. Sam huffed and sat down. Her hands moved to her face. "Oh, that's messed up. All of this, so messed up. Something's severely wrong with that boy."

"Boy? What boy?" Cody questioned.

"Ace." Sam rubbed her forehead, groaning. "Not many would pull something like this, even if they could. He's not a psychopath, much too genuine to do that. Creating a nightmare like this? Something that gets into your head and destroys you from the inside out? Comes from pain. Pain creates more pain. And endless cycle that will only end in one way, or another."

The way she was talking sent off alarms in his head. He couldn't place why until it clicked on his head. Nightmare. "What happened?" Sam didn't answer, staring at the ground. "Sam?" Her eyes slowly shifted over to him, sighing.

"You really are right. I can't live without people."

Cody's heart dropped. "You didn't believe it was me when I came in. Am I...?" She nodded. His breath escaped him. Swallowing, he pressed on. "Selena? Pikalus? Tanith?"

"Cannibal, Kraken, Blooper- everyone. Even if I barely knew them. It's so strange, I miss all of them." She wiped her eyes out of exhaustion. "Some aren't even dead, just gone. But it's so hard to feel anything without them. Even the little people, the mailwoman, the baker, all of them. Gone."

"So that's your fear. Being alone because then you won't feel as much. You rely on people." Sam nodded. Cody huffed, leaning his body back. "Wow... I wasn't sure what I was expecting coming in here but it's so... Quiet."

"This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang, but a whimper." She murmured under her breath. "I heard that quote once. Never believed in it until now."

Cody gulped silently as the silence once again overtook the room. He took a seat besides her as she stared blankly, deep in thought. "So... You okay?"

"Are you?" Her eyes trailed over to his. "Because if you went through something similar, then I think we'll have the same answer. I'm guessing your dream had something to do with failing as a king, most likely with a dash of Joe in there." Cody nodded slowly. "Which means you're not okay. You just have to be for everyone else."

"How... How do you do that? Am I that easy to figure out?"

Sam nodded. Cody frowned, dejected but the mermaid smiled at him. "It's not a bad thing. Makes it easier to figure out your intentions are good. Easier to trust, open book, that sort of thing. It's admiral really. Mysterious only works for first impressions."

"Well it works for you, doesn't it?" Cody winked.

That got enough of a laugh out of her to make the both of them relax. Even while still being inside a broken nightmare, maybe for just a moment, it was okay. That they were both okay.

-------------------------

Pikalus was having trouble staying focused watching Cannibal's nightmare. It reminded him so much of his own that he was starting to get whiplash from it.

The beginning was the same for both of them: Their leader casting them out. Professor wasn't sure why, he didn't get there fast enough to see that, but KrakenKid screamed at the crab to leave, with a volley of guards behind him. He had no other choice but to obey, solemnly leaving the Tide Changers behind.

Except it didn't just stop there like Pikalus' did. Instead, CannibalCrab began to wander the outer sectors aimlessly. Everywhere he went, people turned away, shouting that he was a criminal and leaving him to rot.

It was an endless cycle, one that Pikalus soon realized what the outcome would be. No one gave him food, he attempts to catch some were futile. He was going to starve to death, alone, with nobody to help him.

As soon as the general fell, Professor broke through to him and dragged him out of the nightmare. It took awhile for the effects of it to wear off, but soon he started to stir as the fake feeling of hunger disappeared. The scientist dropped him and waited for him to say something. The general paused for a long time, processing what had just happened before opening his mouth and uttering a confused, "What just happened?"

Pikalus didn't skip a beat. Words slipped out of his mouth before he even processed what he was saying. Part was obligation, he had to say it, but the other was a strange sense of pity. As much as he disliked Cannibal, none of this was something he'd wish on anyone.

Another part of him wouldn't even wish it on the one who caused all this, though he pushed that part down. He didn't need to deal with that at the moment.

CannibalCrab was quiet after he learned. He stared at the empty void of a room they were now in before he sighed, closing his eyes. "We have terrible luck. Dang it, why can't it just end already?"

Pikalus blinked as the crab groaned in frustration. "Seriously! I'm tired of being- being- being someone's puppet! Can't we go a week without something going wrong or someone playing mind games with us?"

Pikalus noticed the void began to shift. It formed into walls and carpet, soon taking the form of a house. One he didn't recognize in the slightest, though Cannibal didn't think twice about it. He just kept talking.

"-and at this point, I don't even care anymore! Just end this one way or another! I just- I want to feel like I can actually relax for a day without being forced into some hellish nightmare!" The general finished, crossing his arms with a scowl.

Pikalus didn't say anything for a while, simply looking around. After a moment, CannibalCrab shifted. "Hey! Pickles! You're awfully silent, it's freaking me out."

Pikalus shot a glare at the nickname, making Cannibal smirk but resumed to examining the dreamscape. "What is this place?"

It took the General a moment to notice but he relaxed when he did, smiling fondly. "Oh hey, it's where I grew up. Man, those were the days. Just me and the Moms. I was a spoiled little brat growing up, y'know!"

"Was?"

"Hey!" He barked, making Professor snicker. Still, he couldn't help it. His brain started to put the dots together.

Pikalus knew his own mind, he had attempted to go in it a few times and sometimes succeeded. His natural resting place he went to was his childhood home too. Cannibal had a similar fear including his leader, just like him. Both were generals and fiercely loyal to their leaders.

Why do we have so much in common? Pikalus' throat closed. The very guy he was fighting against for so long wasn't so different. It made him feel strange inside. He never even considered the idea that him and Cannibal were anything alike but now it was getting to him.

So like everything else conflicting his feelings, he stored everything deep down and kept it there.

"So," The crab broke the silence, finally getting up and instinctively stretching out his limbs. "What now? Are we stuck here or-!"

His question was answered when the whole mindscale flickered for the both of them. Pikalus had seen this before. "You're waking up." He said, whipping around. "I think it's working. I'll probably-"

Pikalus didn't finish as his eyes opened.

—————

Varying groans were let out as all of them slowly woke up.

Cody stumbled a few times before deciding to give his legs a moment to fully wake up with him. KrakenKid stubbornly got up but took a moment to process where he was, or what happened. Pikalus rested on his knees, his mind still buzzing with ideas that clouded his rational thinking.

Tanith rubbed her eyes and stared at the ground for a while. Sam already started to look around, focusing her thoughts on what would happen next instead of what already did. Selena couldn't stop thinking of her nightmare and didn't get up. Blooper, exhausted, didn't get up either.

It took them a moment to recover but eventually, they all knew they had to get up. Their Atlantean Weapons were still there, but Ace was not. However, gentle flashes coming from the inside of the Sneaky Sister's tunnels gave them an idea of where to go.

Cody was first to step close to the entrance, taking a deep breath. "I know we just woke up from everything but... We need to act now. Are you ready?"

For a moment, there was silence. Then, the kraken stepped forward, joining his rival with a sharp nod. "As I'll ever be."

One by one, everyone else followed until they all realized they were going to walk into something they might not walk out of.

Cody and KrakenKid stood at the front of the group, and at the same time, moved forward.

————-

"Are you ready?"

Ace paused briefly to catch his breath. His body shook from stolen energy but he huffed, narrowing his eyes on his creation.

Diamond, who had asked the question, watched as he raised his hands back up and started again. Clubs stayed close to him, and grabbed onto his hand, though neither questioned it.

An daunting feeling of fear plagued each and every one of them. None of them could explain it, but it consumed them and their thoughts. There was an thought that they all collectively tried to ignore, and refused to acknowledge.

"As I'll ever be." Ace answered. He wasn't sure if it was a lie or not.

***********************
Been really all over the place but I finally sat down and finished it! Not as long as I thought but I got into a strange state of mind.

For these nightmares, I wanted to focus more on the reaction and conversations of the people who witnessed them. All of these had to do with being alone, but in all different types of ways with different reactions to them!

You'll see a bit more recovery in the next chapter. They're kinda in shock right now just from waking up.

Dang, really cutting down to the wire now. Almost done with this book. Wowzaaaa

ANYWAYS I hope you guys liked this! I worked pretty hard to get this out so even just leaving a simple comment really does help me! Thank you and goodbye!

—JustAnAtlantisWiter