Ydnam EiznekCm grew up like any common girl in the town of Startsville, liking ponies and tea parties. But despite living in the happiest place on Earth, her parents were toxic, and she was always forced to hear about the dark happenings of the world. Her encounter with her Positive sure didn't help, Ydnam's mind being distorted by her fearbending and forced to become like Mandy for a short time.
Fortunately, Ydnam had her dreams to turn to. Ydnam had one of the most majestic dreamscapes, where she sailed a boat on seas of golden sand, where her favorite islands were risen up on pillars of sand. There were sandy rivers that could carry Ydnam to the dreams of her classmates: she was a Bubble Dreamer, so such an act was easy. She would invite her friends on adventures through the Dream Realm, fighting evil Dream Spirits and bringing happy thoughts to innocent people. Ydnam also tried to spread happiness to her parents' dreams… but as she grew up, she learned it was all for nothing.
After all, most dreams, especially bad dreams, were based on reality. Although she delivered happiness to people in their dreams, they would wake up to their dark realities and steadily return to nightmares. Ydnam would learn that some of those dreams she visited belonged to slaves, abused children, or homeless people. And as Ydnam developed her power, she traveled to even farther corners of the Dream Realm, visiting people from other planets… and she would only become exposed to the harsh happenings of those worlds. Eventually, Ydnam learned that she couldn't accomplish much when limited to dreams… so, she decided to spread her happiness in reality.
About -24 years ago, Ydnam discovered her sandbending. She trained with it until she was confident and skilled enough to fight the villains that would threaten her. Ydnam would search for oppressed people in her dreams, learn where they are in reality, and go to liberate them! With her sandbending, she assaulted several abusive parents, raided oppressive towns and governments, and recruited people under her smiling banner!
In her early adult years, Ydnam would marry Yllib Xitroc and give birth to Ydnic. Ydnic stayed with her father in Ydnam's old house at Startsville, for her mother didn't want to involve her in her pirate business just yet. In fact, whatever happened to Ydnam's parents? Well, they've been asleep for a while.
As she buried towns and enemies in her ever-growing sandbending, she learned something else about her powers: she could use sandbending in the Dream Realm also, as was true with any bender, but in there, it was known as Dreamsand. They are allies of the Bubble Dreamers and could take down Nightmares just the same, but it was extremely rare for a person to be born with both powers. (In fact, typically Bubble Dreamers don't have any additional element.) When a sandbender also possessed Bubble Dreaming, they could apply Dreamsand in reality.
Ydnam would convert the ground of oppressed areas into Dreamsand and put the miserable people into a blissful sleep. She could then enter their dreams and Bubble all the negative things inside, and she would let them sleep to never be exposed to the darkness outside. She and her friends would travel to other worlds and acquire more allies.
Wodahs was a white Moebian hedgehog who was artificially created by scientists to conquer Moebius. Wodahs wound up being emotionally sensitive and sympathetic for the people, so he rebelled against his masters. Sadly, he was captured and frozen, and while the military intended to fix his emotional defection, he was ultimately stored away and forgotten. Wodahs would be freed by the military when they needed a hero to fight the evil Scourge and his nefarious family. Wodahs would fight the likes of Scourge and other evil oppressors of Moebius. When the Smile Pirates visited Moebius one day, Wodahs would join their crew.
Aluza was the teary-eyed queen of the Psychic Nation in the Negatar Realms. She would always be found crying and making emotional speeches about hope. She once led a revolution to fix the Negatar Realms and turn it into a peaceful world, erasing the dark influence of the Negatar. Aluza was an extremely rare waterbender, so some questioned if she was actually from the Posiverse. Aluza signed up for Ydnam's crusade and they had several towns and prisons buried in Dreamsand.
Eizzil Enived became friends with Ydnam in their early teenage years. Eizzil joined her crew, and she would later eat the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Space Jelly, giving her the spacebending abilities of portals and pink lightning.
Horde Prime was an alien conqueror from the Posiverse, with a skull-like head, three green eyes on his right side, and his uniform had green and white hues overall, with dreads to match. With his army of clones, he would invade several planets in a distant galaxy, but could never get close to those protected by the Galaxian government. His desire was to "purify" people under his mind-control chips, joining him as his brothers and sisters. He banished one of his defect clones into the Netherverse using a machine, but many years later, he received a signal from that clone from some other sub-dimension.
Horde Prime would soon discover Planet Etheria and set his attacks on it, wishing to take control of Etheria's powerful weapon. But Prime's army was defeated by the heroin, She-Ra. Her friends would use the same portal machine to banish Prime and his flagship to another dimension, which wound up being the Negaverse. Prime would continue his quest in that world, invading several worlds. The Meta-Beast and Smile Pirates took interest in him a couple years later, so Ydnam fought Captain Ridley for his recruitment. Ultimately, the Horde chose to side with the Smiles, so they could work together to bring peace to the Negaverse.
Ekusas Ahihcu was a ninja that hailed from the Animret Dimension. In his travels to resolve conflict, he stumbled across a portal that brought him to this universe, where he learned about the Smile Pirates. Ekusas found one of their territories and was able to meet with Ydnam, asking to join her crew. He was a master at Taijutsu, but as a little joke on Ydnam's part, she gave him the Snake-Snake Fruit, Model: Queen Tie. So, now he can use Tiejutsu! :D
Acanom Awot was the leader of a gang of kids called the "Despairagers." They drove around in a stolen bus and committed naughty crimes. Crimes such as throwing soap balloons over dirty windows, stealing cement and filling gaps in the road, or even harassing robbers who were trying to run from the bank. Acanom first made friends with them when they saw her committing property damage (for junk the people didn't want). When they asked her to hang out, she manipulated them into doing all these good deeds and saying they were bad. When Ydnam learned about these rascals, she personally approached and asked them to join her crew. Acanom's friends were:
Urasam Nomiad, a handsome red-haired boy in a tux. He is a musicbender who wields a conductor's baton.
Orataj Irumek, a computer nerd with a blue striped polo shirt and baggy white pants. He had braces on his buckteeth and was a genius at MATH!!!!
Okotok Igustu was a part-Silanaf girl in a silver dress and very tall, red platform sandals. She ate the Step-Step Fruit: she could conjure floating tiles from the soles of her shoes by "stepping" on the air.
Asigan Ustegnihs was a farmer boy in overalls and brown boots. He loved playing in mud, being a mudbender and all, and was next to Acanom for his positive and playful personality. To avoid confusing him with another Asigan, we'll call him by his last name… okay, that's even worse. His name is Austin, there.
About a year ago, Ydnam visited the dream of Aluben, the former Dictator of the DNKG. Ydnam listened to her story and let Aluben vent her rage about her mother. Ydnam hugged the girl and comforted her, giving her the motherly support Aluben never got. After a month of visiting her dream, Ydnam orchestrated a break into Galactic Juvy. Aluben had escaped this prison earlier to kill her awful mother, so tighter security had been placed. This security wasn't enough to hold back the Emperor's forces. Aluben was taken from the facility… along with some extras.
Ragus was a -10-year girl with a forced smile, aquamarine hair, a dress that depicted the full moon in a night sky and shadowed graveyard, dark sandals, and stitches around her body. She made friends with Aluben in Juvy, sharing hatred for their parents, so Aluben made sure she was rescued, too. Despite her apparent age, Ragus had been converted into a living doll by her father; she was actually around -25.
The pirates had also taken Ahtaga Llubhcnurt, one of the twin wardens of the prison. Ahtaga was famous in the Wardens Weekly magazine, so Ydnam just had to have her for her crew! Ahtaga seemed rather thrilled, for she could take her teaching and disciplining to new levels. She was an obese woman in a blue dress with red polka-dots, silky brown hair done up into a bowlish shape, and high-heels. Ahtaga entrusted her Positive to watch Juvy while she left with the pirates.
Aluben learned about the planet of New Aruhtaz, a world created from the New Big Bang based off her mother's homeworld. Their culture revolved around celebrating the dead, and a few of their skilled bonebenders made skeletons dance at festivals. Some bonebenders honed their power to search for rare fossils and others worked as doctors. While Aluben wasn't particularly interested in the culture, she requested Ydnam to place a good chunk of the populace in sleep. She would like for her people to experience better dreams than she had.
All the people put to sleep by Ydnam's sand would be connected to her dreamscape via the rivers of sand. But naturally, Ydnam's actions would be seen as criminal by both the government and Dream Realm denizens. After all, they couldn't just let her make the whole Dream Realm part of her empire. Bad enough that she already took such a huge chunk of it. The Dream Spirits fended her off whenever they could, but when she was serious about taking over some dreams, there was no stopping her. Not to mention she even had some bad people killed in real life, some that would just refuse to rest happily.
…
However, Ydnam wasn't the only one with dreams united to her own. The other Pirate Emperors, although they weren't Bubble Dreamers, had their dreams all connected to their crewmen and subordinates. Their dreams had powerful defenses and guardians to where even Ydnam's crew couldn't easily conquer them. Before they could, they would be woken up. And even where Ydnam managed to Bubble the dark ambitions in their dreams, the pirates could pop their ambitions free.
"The more powerful the person's will, the less likely they are to become ill." said a Dream Spirit in white and red magician's clothes. His yellow eyes peered through his top-hat, a grin underneath it, and he had teal hair in large dreads. He was mostly slim with wider, gloved hands and boots. "The Emperors won't be so easily controlled, so long as their minds are well patrolled."
"But the Ant King isn't that old. I can't believe even he has a powerful dream." Ydnam said, panting after having escaped the gold embers of that dream. "Balan… our only choice is to destroy them in reality. But still… the Four Emperors are even stronger out there."
"Eliminating them is no small task. Not while desire is how they bask."
"Balan… does this mean my dreams are weaker than theirs? Is my happiness not strong enough?"
"If you doubt your dreams, then nightmares await. Do not let this weakness decide your fate. For now, patience is what we need. Do not lose hope, nor be blinded by greed."
"Yes… maybe I'll return home for a bit. Spend a bit of time with the family…"
"Agreed, My Lady."
Balan was an Imaginary Friend created by videogame developer, Yuji Naka. He was first given form in the Dream World in 2018, but Yuji promised to bring him to reality as he developed the videogame, Balan Wonderworld. Unfortunately, the game was met with negative reception for poor design. Yuji lost sight of his passion as a result and Balan was abandoned in dreams. The same was true for his dark counterpart, created alongside him: Lance. Angry for being abandoned, Lance terrorized the dreams of many over the years, but Balan, having not lost sight of his original purpose, was determined to stop him. For years, he chased Lance, even to the parallel world of the Nega-Dreamverse. But then he would come to learn about Lady Ydnam and vice-versa. Balan decided to become her crewmate, even if he could only serve her in dreams.
Balan also built a small crew of people whose dreams he saved, called the Balan Company. This included Jose the farmer, Yuri the bug-loving girl, Haoyu the aviator, and several others.
Somewhere in a desert
The Bandit Van made a clean getaway from a villains' camp, driving the desert road in the dark of night. Lorac sat cross-legged on the roof, juggling five colored, glowing stones in her hands. "Let's get these power stones to the vault. I hope these aliens will be able to rest in peace now."
"You think it might be better to just crush those things?" Hgielar asked.
"We should have them returned to their worlds, at least!" Leic beamed.
"We'll leave it to DNKG in that case." Lorac replied. "Phew! Anyone else feeling famished?" She stashed the stones in her pockets. "They have to have a diner somewhere out here!"
Further down, there was a roadside restaurant called "The Cactus Flower." They parked the van behind a large stone mount, setting the van's alarm before going into the diner. There was no one else aside from the waitress and a teenage boy in black student clothes and unkempt hair under a matching detective's hat. The friends enjoyed a decent dinner, but to their dismay, police cars started surrounding the premises. As they questioned what was happening, the black-clothed boy approached their table.
"The Nega-$ Thieves." He tipped up his hat: he was a pale, Japanese boy with purple eyes. "I thought you'd stop here after your mission."
"Who are you?!" Acificap asked.
"Ihcikok Amo, junior detective. I've been specially requested to track you down. I'm sorry if all this backup seems excessive… but I heard you could be quite elusive."
"Who asked you to track us down? The navy?"
"I was only told the police wanted to ask you some questions. So… could you please come with me?"
"Not a chance." Ssiew stated. "You've already taken several other sectors away, why should we bite your bait?"
"I wouldn't know anything about that. I'd just like this mission to go smoothly."
"Yeah? So would we!" Lorac declared. Hgielar remotely controlled the Bandit Van into ramming through the police cars. Amo whipped out two yo-yos and launched them, but Lorac and Leic leapt, gracefully grinded on the strings, and kicked Amo's face with enough force to knock him back. The kids escaped out the door as Hgielar punched down incoming officers and Acificap knocked them over with ropes. They boarded the van and drove away, with some cars in pursuit.
"Think I should get Aerodactyl to carry us away?" Hgielar asked.
"It's too early. See if we can outrun them first!" Lorac answered.
"I don't think that'll be an option!" Acificap pointed.
NUG cars and robots were blocking the road ahead. Hgielar was set to release Aerodactyl… but the soldiers were suddenly bombarded by cannonballs from the sky. The ammo exploded into golden sand to knock the troops to sleep. A band of kids, the Despairagers, dropped off the flying pirate ships via ropes. Urasam struck the robots with notes, Austin clogged them up with mud, and Okotok jumped to use her Step Kicks to knock them down.
The police officers were able to catch up, Amo riding with one. But as they jumped out of their cars with guns raised, a force grabbed them: their own bones began twisting in their own bodies. "Hello, friends! Just wanted to repay you for rescuing me!"
A rowboat lowered, being carried by bubbles. Aluben, Acanom, and Orataj were riding it. "Aluben! Is that you?!" Leic cheered.
"How is everyone tracking us down?!" Lorac yelled.
"Orataj here hacked the NUG's database!" Aluben answered. "He let me know as soon as he found out their plan to catch you. We knew they were coming here, but I guess we didn't beat them to the punch!"
"Doesn't matter in the end, I suppose." Orataj straightened his glasses. "Now, shall we take them all in our custody?"
"Well, thanks for the assist, I guess." Ssiew said. "I guess we'll just go."
"Wait, Leic!" Aluben shouted. "There's another reason we came out here. We would like for you to meet Lady Ydnam!"
"Lady Ydnam?" Lorac questioned. "Is she here, too?!"
"Of course not, silly!" Acanom said. "Well, unless you mean that she's always here in our hearts… so, I guess she is here, silly!"
"Hey, Acanom, I think they're all down." Orataj alerted. "You wanna knock them out?"
"Okay!" Acanom drew a bubble wand and a bottle of pink bubbles. She blew Sleep Bubbles around all the officers, putting them and Detective Amo to sleep. "Now, Asigan!"
"Loud an' clear!" To the operatives' horror, Austin transformed into a giant mud monster. He slithered around and absorbed all the officers into his being. They sank into the muck, and the farmer would then shrink back to his normal form. He patted the belly of his overalls.
"Did you just EAT them?!" Acificap exclaimed.
"Naw, none of that!" Austin laughed. "Ah'm a Logia mudbender! Ah got tons of mud stored in mah sub-dimension type o' thing, and Ah c'n hold lots o' people this way. Ah left room for 'em to breathe, don't worry!"
"He makes for excellent storage and excellent mud baths~" Urasam said.
"Anyway, Lady Ydnam was really thankful that you rescued me." Aluben continued. "I told her about you in particular, Leic. She says you sounded like a delightful person and she wanted to meet you! Your friends are invited, too!"
"That's nice, but this is kind of on short notice." Lorac scratched her head awkwardly. "We just finished a mission and we'd like to rest."
"That's no problem!" Acanom beamed. "The place you would meet Ydnam is the Dream Realm. I could use my power to put us to sleep and take you to her dream."
"I don't exactly feel comfortable being put to sleep at the mercy of… well, a dangerous pirate crew." Ssiew replied honestly.
"Aww, but we share the same goals!" Aluben grinned. "You can trust us!"
Her creepy smile, coupled with her history, didn't really assure the thieves. "But then again…" Lorac thought aloud.
"Then again what?" Ssiew asked.
"Well… what we were just talking about. The Galactic Navy have taken several other operatives to battle other pirate crews… and we don't really know what's happened to them. Maybe Captain Ydnam could help somehow."
"Or we could get in more trouble with the navy!" Acificap argued.
"I ain't puttin' no bubbles or sand in my eyes!" Hgielar stated.
"Then maybe Leic and I can go to sleep ourselves. The rest of you can drive the van and make sure the pirates don't do anything."
"That's a great idea!" Acanom cheered.
"Hold on, ain't Leic a spirit?" Hgielar asked. "Can spirits have dreams?"
"Not on our own." Leic answered. "I can only appear in the dreams of friends, provided they're asleep as well. So, if Lorac's asleep, I'll be there inside her!"
"You worded that weirdly, but okay." Lorac figured. "Let's go for it. In fact, we'd better get going before more cops show up."
"Hooray!" Aluben cheered. "I can't wait to show you Ydnam's Sand Land!"
The thieves got back in the van with Aluben and the Despairagers (after Austin had his captives hauled up to the ships). Acanom gently blew Sleep Bubbles at Lorac, Leic, Aluben, and herself, putting them to sleep.
Dream Realm
Acanom found Lorac's dreamscape close to hers. She got her and Leic out of there and brought them into her dream. A gold sea of sand brushed the shore of her dream, and the view of the grander sea made their eyes glimmer in wonder. They rowed a boat out to sea, with Acanom making bubble sails so the breeze could carry them faster. The gold sea was vast, the dunes risen into many sizes and shapes, and islands for all of Ydnam's subordinates or long-time prisoners dotted the desert. Some islands resembled whole towns or regions that were buried under her sand in reality.
"Lady Ydnam's heart is linked to all of ours, making hers the biggest dream in the universe!" Acanom said. "She brings reality to dreams with her mystic sands, uniting all these scattered lands into one fun world! We'll meet with Aluben and Lady Ydnam on Paradise Island."
"At least it sounds inviting." Lorac figured. "But what about all these peoples' real bodies? Are they just laying in the middle of somewhere?"
"Oh, no, not at all! Ydnam's Sandlings are protecting them in the real world. They're bodies of sand that she gave life with her bending. Otherwise, our crewmen are always stationed at our territories. We can go to sleep and meet up here, but otherwise we're awake protecting our territories or making new ones!"
"You phrase that so innocently…"
"Uh, hehe." Acanom blushed. "I mean, it's true that we can get kind of violent, but we're only trying to help everyone in the end."
"I'm sure you are, I just can't say I agree with the means. Especially after that whole Sir Prize incident."
"At least we can try to talk things out with her." Leic smiled, dipping his feet in the sand as they whisked across. "Ha ha ha! The sand feels so nice! It's really beautiful under the sky, too!" Indeed, the gold contrasted magnificently under the indigo, starry sky. "Lorac, you gotta try it!"
"Well, I do like a good beach walk." Lorac hung her legs off the boat. "Ahhhhhhhh." Her heart and mind grew soft and serene from the satisfying sensation. "Sooo gooooood."
"That's the magic of Dreamsand!" Acanom said. "And because Lady Ydnam has sandbending and Bubble Dreaming, she can make this sand in reality, too."
Paradise Island was an extremely vast island. The shore where the kids docked spanned like a fluffy, dark-pink carpet, warm to walk on as though it had been freshly vacuumed. Great cliffs stretched the length of the shore: they were like curtains of a table, their texture smooth across their ripples. There were giant teapots pouring waterfalls, ponies and unicorns grazing, and all the buildings looked like fairytale castles. Lady Ydnam's palace was a pearly, glimmering white shining high in the night.
They met up with Aluben and headed into town. The residents were miscellaneous people from other dream islands, and they rode giant kittens to get around. Acanom and Aluben gave their friends a small tour, showing Beauty Salon Avenue, Teacup Park, or the Pony Farms—
"Help! Someone help!" They heard a scream from the farms. A unicorn was prancing their direction, pink with a purple mane. "I have to find Lady Ydnam! Please!"
Acanom gasped: the unicorn's leg was cut, stuffing spilling out. "Oh, no. He's got a cut."
"Then he shouldn't be running!" Leic said. "It'll only hurt more!"
"Wait…" The unicorn slowed to a halt. "You're Ydnam's crewmen! You won't stop me from finding her!"
"Aluben!"
"Right!" Both girls lunged at the unicorn, Aluben's spiked bones erected, but the horse zipped around them and bolted for town. The kids ran after it, watching as the unicorn shot its horn at a kitten, causing it to dissolve into bones. Its horn regrew as it shot at more kittens en route to the palace.
"Oh, no!" A giant girl with fluffy pink hair, freckles, and a sweater that resembled the night hid around the buildings. She wore blue socks and green slippers, legs quivering. "A ripped unicorn! We have to stop it!"
"Leave it to me!" A girl in a red shirt and green hair in multiple curls ran out. She donned a red cat costume and raced across the air, making it over the unicorn. "Lady Ydnam is still out with Master Balan!"
The unicorn aimed up and shot horns, the girl (Cass Milligan) dodging. She dropped on the horse and began trying to tame it, but Cass was kicked off. "Not so fast!" A person with an aviator's hat and bat wings flew to tackle the unicorn to the ground. He was Haoyu Chang.
"I've got it!" Acanom ran up to Bubble the rogue unicorn. The creature shook around for a bit before falling to sleep. "Phew! We'd better get this thing to the cellar."
"We'll take care of that!" Haoyu changed back to his human form; green hair, glasses, and an orange vest over his white hoodie. He and Cass lifted the bubble onto another kitten, riding it through town. "Thanks, Acanom!"
Lorac and Leic watched as Aluben used her power to dissolve the kittens' bones into dust. "I'm sorry you had to see that, guys! Please don't tell Lady Ydnam about this incident, okay?"
"Why not?" Leic asked. "Do unicorns rampage often?"
"No no no!" The two flinched, finding the giant girl hunched over them. "A ripped horse disturbs Lady Ydnam's reality. The same for all these kittens. If she asks, we have to tell her that they ran away. Please don't tell her the truth, please?" She folded her arms, speaking with a soft, but mildly pitched voice.
"Okay, okay…" Lorac consoled her.
"Hehe, you're quite a big one!" Leic laughed.
"Oh, I'm sorry if I imposed." The girl stepped back, a hand propped on a roof in support. "My name is Ahsas. I'm from Ainozama."
"She's also a moonbender!" Aluben beamed.
"Hi, Ahsas! I'm Leic and this is Lorac! We're here to meet Ydnam."
"Ah! Are you going to join our crew?"
"No, nothing like that!" Lorac waved hands. "It's just a friendly visit, if anything."
"Ahsas, maybe you could carry them to the palace." Acanom requested. "I have other things to attend to before I join you guys."
"I guess we'll be seeing you!" Aluben waved.
"Okay!" Ahsas knelt down, hands lain flat. "I'll be careful, I promise."
The trio set foot on her soft and gentle hands. They lay relaxed as the giant began to carry them across town. "Hehe, now I feel like a little dolly!" Leic laughed. "This place is like a giant playroom, isn't it?"
"It's even more fancy than my Positive's room." Lorac smiled, enjoying the grander view of the fantastical sights. …Still, she was curious about that unicorn incident, and what could've happened if Ydnam saw it.
Bandit Van
"Ahhhhh." Acificap sighed blissfully in the mud, pickles over her eyes. "When was the last time I had a mudbath…"
"Ah'm glad you like it, Miss." Austin smiled, standing beside the tub. "Ah always keep mah mud fresh."
"I have some questions about that." Ssiew cringed.
"Come on, Ssiew, you really gotta try this!"
"I don't wanna sit in some boy's Logia mush!"
"Honestly, I hope Lorac and Leic finish their business soon." Hgielar said, driving the van. "Can't really do our business with you pirates hangin' around."
"Don't pirates and thieves go hand-in-hand?" Orataj asked, using his laptop. "By the way, you guys have some kind of special website, right? How do you log in?"
"'Guess even the computer nerd can't hack it! Only master thieves know how to find ThiefNet. Even Lorac, and she usually stinks with computers."
"Hey, Hgielar, that reminds me of something." Ssiew said. "That detective guy from before… he seemed to know about our mission. If he's with the navy, you don't think they were in league with those smugglers, do you?"
"Wouldn't surprise me."
"You can always ask him." Austin said. "Ah got him right here." Amo's head emerged from his belly.
"WHAT?!" Ssiew gawked. "I thought you took your prisoners up to your ships!"
"Ah saved this one 'cause he looked a little sly."
"Logia dimensions are weird." Hgielar commented.
"Uhn…" Amo sighed.
"In that case, maybe I will." Ssiew said. "Hgielar, pull over. I'm gonna ask him some questions."
Hgielar found a good place to park as Ssiew dragged Amo outside and away from the van, tying him up in vines. She slapped the boy awake. "Huh?! Whuh?"
"Don't ask why you're covered in mud! Tell us how you knew about our mission. We aren't easily traceable, you know."
"Yeah? Well, I'm not easily breakable."
Ssiew willed her vines to squeeze, the boy hacking. "The N.U.G. was in on that operation, right? The smuggling? And they contacted you to intercept us!"
"No, that's not it at all! I tracked you down myself. I don't know why the police wanted you… well, then again, you are quite infamous."
"You used the website, didn't you?"
Amo looked her in the eye, staying silent. "Are you acquainted with other thieves?" Ssiew asked. "Did you force them to talk? Answer me!" She squeezed him again.
"Uhn! I'm not saying anything. More importantly… where are those pirates who just attacked us? I know those ships were Smile Pirate ships. Some say you're affiliated with them. And that one was talking to you like familiar acquaintances."
"One of their crewmen directly targeted our sectors' towns, and we haven't forgiven them. We just happen to be on good terms with Aluben."
"The Necro Dictator, you mean."
"She's friendly now! I think. And we didn't even know her back when… forget it. I convinced the pirates to let us see you, and if you cooperate, we could hand you back to the navy."
"I work with the police, not the navy exactly. But it is apparent they ordered this operation."
"They've been forcing other DNK sectors to work for them."
"The DNK protect the people the same as the navy, right? It's just the DNK are independent, and given your recent actions, they probably want to-"
"You know NUG and the navy commits plenty of crimes, too, right?"
"Nnnh…of course I do. Overcharging taxes, taking bribes… even purchasing dangerous weapons like those fruits…"
"! You know about Devil Fruits, too?!"
"Ah! I…"
"We've stolen Devil Fruits from them on a few missions. They were recorded on the site, too. You really do use it, don't you?"
"…"
"Why help the army when you know they can't be trusted? When you know we're the good guys."
"Because truth and lies favor both sides. Even you guys are suspiciously socializing with your so-called enemies. Either way, I decided I'm more comfortable on the side of the law."
"So, you used to be a thief."
"…"
"Fine. We'll decide what to do with you later." Ssiew kicked and knocked him out.
Dream Realm
After Ahsas carried them to the palace, a squeal of delight was heard up the hall as Ahtaga Llubhcnurt came waddling up with open arms. "Aluben! Dearie! Welcome baaaaaack!"
"Auntie Llubhcnurt!" Aluben leapt down to hug the pudgy woman.
The operatives exchanged pleasantries with her, surprised to learn she was a warden at Galactic Juvy. She explains this new job has been the time of her life, helping so many naughty and unruly kids find their way. Speaking of which, they led Lorac and Leic, who had jumped off Ahsas, further through the castle and into a playroom with lots of dolls. Ragus was there to greet them, and while Lorac had never seen her personally, she had heard she worked with the World Anarchists and Medusa. "Oh, all that razmataz is all in the past!" Llubhcnurt assured. "She's been such a well-behaved little darling!"
"I hope to apologize to Nerehc and everyone else someday!" Ragus grinned.
"Blue flags, blue flags!" Lorac yelled (red flags in their world).
"By the way, Aunt Llubhcnurt, wonderful job at capturing those little tykes the other day!"
"Oh, it was easy as catching cats in a cage, dear! And they were just as fussy, ho ho ho!"
The thieves were about to question this until the sound of horns played: Lady Ydnam was arriving! "Follow me, the dock's this way!" Ahsas stormed ahead with gentle quakes, the others racing after. Ydnam's flagship, the Sleeping Sands, flew to a stop beside a dock along the castle. The queen herself, the Golden Dreamer, stepped off, accompanied by Balan. "Now, what do we have here? New guests?" Ydnam looked upon the barefoot thieves with adoration. "Ah, I see… You must be Lorac and Leic! You're just as adorable as Aluben described!" She bent down and began to tickle Leic's underarms.
"Hahaha! Stop it, I'm ticklish!"
"Uh, eh…" She really got close and comfy right at the start, Lorac thought. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Lady Ydnam. To be honest, the DNK has always been cautious of you."
"Oh, I know I buried a few towns, and maybe that Joyverse operation didn't set the best impression, but you needn't be afraid of me, sweethearts! Even from here, I can tell you are kind souls who spread kindness in turn. And I see you've already met some of my crew. Ah, this handsome young man here is Balan." The magician gave a courteous bow. "He hails from a dreamscape aptly named Balan Wonderland."
"Uh, Wonderworld, My Lady."
"Right, right, that silly tongue of mine, po po po po!" Ydnam laughed like a high class lady.
"Well, that's a fun laugh!" Leic said. "Po po po po!"
"Yyyyeah…" Lorac grinned awkwardly. "So, Lady Ydnam, we'd like to talk to you about some things."
"Well, I'm all ears, child. However, I would like to check up on my family first, Llubhcnurt, you haven't seen Ydnic around, have you?"
"Oh, I believe she was out for a walk, but I'll go fetch her immediately."
"Let's look for her together, Auntie!" Aluben fist-pumped. "We'll have a race!"
"Hu, that's a marvelous idea, Ali! What should the prize be?"
"The winner gets a serving of Super Sugar Tea!"
"OOOOOHHH!" The girls giddily raced off.
"Wait! I wanna play, too!" Ahsas hurried after them.
"Don't worry, I'll be sure to save an extra spoonful for you kids." Ydnam whispered. "I do hope you'll stick around for dinner!"
"We'd love to, Miss!" Lorac smiled. "Though, Dream World food doesn't exactly—YOW!"
Balan flicked a long cane down and over, bonking Lorac's toes before whipping it back. "Dream food isn't exactly… what, dear?" Ydnam frowned.
Balan held up some script cards behind the queen, Lorac skimming them confusedly. "Uh…it doesn't exactly do itself justice in writing! Dream food must be tasted to know its amazingness! Heh…"
"Yes, you're absolutely right! And believe me, you've tasted nothing like Dream Tea and sweets! Now, where is that silly kiddy?" She proceeded into the castle.
Balan approached the duo. "I know you're new, but you must beware. There are some facts our queen cannot bear."
"Oh, we kind of saw a problem like that earlier." Leic said. "With a… unicorn accident."
"Lady Ydnam has seen many cruel realities. When they seep into dreams, it weakens their vitalities. We must do our part to maintain the dreams, or this place will crumble at the seams."
Balan followed her to the castle, leaving them with dour expressions.
Horde Island
Aluza and Wodahs were summoned by Horde Prime, who showed them a Moebian dog woman in a prison cell, behind a green barrier. She sat still and silent before the Gungi board. "All she has been saying is, 'Take me to the Supreme Leader.' And this strange table appears in her dream."
"You said she just appeared on one of your ships, right?" Wodahs asked. "How do we know she isn't a spy?"
"Because the Meta-Beasts have been more aggressive toward us ever since we found her. One would assume she is a prisoner who escaped their captivity, and an important one at that. As for this 'Supreme Leader,' she refuses to give us a clear description or name."
"She's longing to return to her special someone!" Aluza proclaimed like a drama actress. Her tears dripped down her white armor. "Her Supreme Leader must give her so much HOPE!"
"She'll be following a new Supreme Leader soon." Prime smirked. "She'll make a perfect sister. But we must prepare for the possibility of war with the Meta-Beasts."
"As long as we believe in ourselves, we can win!" Wodahs cheered. "If only we could rescue Incubator and the Akasims from the navy."
"We will! I have HOPE that we will!" Aluza cheered up. "Especially once the DNK have agreed to aid us!"
"Though I doubt the proclamations of such A-Losa." Prime remarked.
"I told you to stop calling me that! You're just as bad as my brother!"
"We need to just start calling you Awina!" Wodahs supported.
"I agree." Prime smiled. "She is quite a whiner."
"AAAHH!" Aluza blasted giant tears from her eyes, sending Prime down the hall. A pair of Horde Clones arrived to help him up and dry him off.
"Your actions speak for themselves." Prime brushed it off. "But I agree with Wodahs. Those Akasim clones were created with my technology, so I'm owed my due for catering to his obsession."
Pony Farms
Acanom went to speak with Farmer Jose about the unicorn incident, but he claims to have no idea what happened. It had been one of many strange incidents to have happened, with some of the Tea Wells having been dried up, the sweets in the bakeries had been sucked of their flavor, turning them into tasteless plastic, and even some of the castle kittens were killed and left skeletal. Luckily, these incidents were fixed before Ydnam could catch on, but it was as if someone were intentionally trying to sabotage the dreamscape.
Acanom went to Beauty Salon Avenue and entered the shop where Ekusas worked parttime. The white-garbed ninja was currently filing a cyan-haired girl's nails, bangs over her right eye. "Ah, Miss Acanom, how kind of you to visit me. Do you require my services, or can I expect to hear another profession of love?"
"Tehehe! Not today, Ekusas-san! I need to speak with you in private once you're done."
"It shall be done. As soon as I sharpen Miss Iben's scratch~"
Afterwards, Ekusas joined Acanom behind the building. She told him about the recent sabotage incidents, but the only people Ekusas could suspect were resisters like Prince Okuz or He-Ra. "Even so, I'll keep my eye open for suspicious activity. We've already got enough trouble with the enemy-"
Ekusas was STOMPED by a giant slipper. "Oh, my! I'm so sorry!" Ahsas blushed, suspending her hand on another building.
"Ah…didn't feel a thing, my fluffy starlight…" Ekusas gasped.
"Acanom, you haven't seen Princess Ydnic around, have you? I'm trying to find her before…!" Looking across town, she spotted an orange-haired girl riding a bike. "There she is!" She stormed over the streets, dodging around several kittens. "Ydnic! Hey! Yoohoo!"
The pink-dressed girl looked back mid-pedaling. "Oh, hey, Ahsas!" She called halfheartedly. "You, uh, need something?"
"SOO-PRIIIIIIISE!" Llubhcnurt suddenly intercepted Ydnic with a big hug! Her head inflated like a balloon. "And Auntie wins the contest!"
"That's not fair!" Aluben yelled.
"Yeah! You saw me chasing her!" Ahsas argued.
"Now, kids, the rules never said we couldn't follow each other. Losing is no excuse for poor sportsmanship~"
"You're right! Sorry, Aunt Llubhcnurt!" Aluben grinned.
"Okay…" Ahsas sighed.
"Ydnic, we have some new guests at the castle, your mother would like you to come have dinner with them."
"Oh, that's quite alright. I filled up on plast—I mean, pie and fruit earlier today, so I'm not hungry."
"A little social activity will help your appetite! Let's be onward, sweetie!"
"I'll get the bike!" Aluben pulled Ydnic's bike with them.
As Ahsas followed them, a shadow slithered away from the bike and hid in an alley. A tan-skinned boy in a black jacket, white shirt, and blue jeans emerged from the shadow, along with a motorbike. He had dark-brown hair and scowling blue eyes. "So, she's come back to the castle? Maybe we could sabotage the food at this 'dinner.' I wonder if that would be enough. I guess I'd better head near the dungeon in case it happens."
Castle Ydnam
"So, those mean navy guys are bothering your friends, too." Ydnam spoke sadly, walking the kids through a library. "I can only hope they haven't fallen victim to the Emperors. We've already been trying to rescue prisoners from them, but I wouldn't know anything about other operatives."
"Miss Ydnam, if you can travel to anyone's dreams, can't you travel to the Emperors' dreams, too?" Leic asked. "Could you perhaps do something?"
"I've been trying to for ages. But even at my level, Bubble Dreamers aren't all-powerful. There are certain things that can deter us: people with strong wills and minds, and people who despise or are opposed to me. It's the very reason some people won't stay here in my Sand Sea."
"That makes sense." Lorac said. "But it would've been nice if it did work."
"Yes… and my efforts to fight the Emperors directly haven't exactly gone fruitfully. So, for a while now, I've wondered what angle to take. And then I looked back on one of my favorite books."
Ydnam took a children's book off a shelf: titled The Phantom Thief, it depicted a shadowed person against a sunset-like background. "The Phantom Thief?" Lorac read.
"It tells the story of a boy who could travel through dreams. The boy had no strong dreams or ambitions, so he stole them from other people. But when he did, those people lost their ambitions. And the boy himself became overwhelmed with those ambitions that he lost sight of all of them. I've always wondered… what if I could do what he did? What if I could steal the 'ambitions' of the Emperors? Even if those ambitions couldn't make me stronger, it would steal their desire to do evil. Hehe, I'm sure you know this book! You kids are thieves as well, aren't you?"
"Yeah! I've also read the full novelized version."
"There's a full what now?"
"There's a longer version, though it's-"
"AHEM." Balan coughed, sitting on a shelf above them. "You're thinking of a different book, child."
"Ah, I thought so!" Ydnam grinned. "This children's book is the only real version! Not one of those long and BORING books!"
"Aha…yes." Lorac scratched her head.
"Come to think of it, you know a Phantom Thief technique, don't you, Lorac?" Leic asked.
"Eh?" Ydnam cocked a brow.
"Leic!" She hissed at the angel.
"What are you hissing about, dear?"
"It's nothing; Leic's misremembering something."
"Ah, yeah, my bad!" Leic blushed.
"…" Ydnam gazed at them curiously. "Well, it sounds like you know a bit more than just this book. Is Phantom Thieving a real art?"
"It's a forbidden art, one that can't be used easily."
"But why? Please, tell me more!"
"Sorry, but I can't. Can we please forget about it?"
"I concur, My Lady." Balan said. "We must not urge her. Also, a call from Llubhcnurt announces the arrival of your daughter."
"Perfect! Then let's get ready for dinner; Eizzil's cooking is the best!"
"Then let's have a bite before we wake up!" Leic said, rubbing his tummy. "We asked her what we needed to, at least. I guess the best we can do is help each other when we can."
"Yeah." Lorac figured. "I'm glad we got to clear the air, at least."
As Ydnam led them to the dining room, she glanced up at Balan with a knowing glare. "Well, if you'll excuse me," Balan said, "I'll check in with the crew. There's so much happening and still much to do." So, he flew away.
Balan soared out to town and located Acanom. She filled him in on the strange incidents occurring on the island. Afterwards, Balan gave her an assignment. With a heavy heart, Acanom accepted the task: she pinched her cheeks and-
Waking World
"Hu!" woke up in the Bandit Van.
"Hey, up and at 'em." Acificap said with a hint of suspicion. "How are things going in there?"
"Everything's going well." Acanom stood up. "I just wanted to see how everyone's doing."
"Lucky for you, we're experts at staying up late." Hgielar said. "Even though we're still pooped as hell."
"Hehe! Poop!" Austin laughed.
"You're one of those boys, how nice." Ssiew cringed.
"If you're tired, Urasam here knows a good song to sooth the muscles." Acanom said. "Don't you?"
"That's counterintuitive, My Acan." Urasam said. "Why not a more invigorating song to-"
"I think a relaxing song would be nicer! The night is still young, after all."
"Oh, I see! Then I shall…" Urasam pulled out his baton and began to wave it around, the tip sparking to release notes with the hum of his voice. "Ho-uh-ho-uh, hooo, uuuhh, hooo…" The notes drifted about the van. The thieves' muscles began to grow soft, but as Hgielar looked in his rear view mirror, he saw the Despairagers poking their ears shut. "Ho-uh—AAAAHH!"
Hgielar stomped the brakes, causing them to stumble and break Urasam's song. The largest boy stomped over and grabbed the maestro's shirt. "Boy, I'm gonna need to ask you to not do that—AGH!"
Austin grabbed Hgielar in his enlarged muddy hand. Acanom whipped out Sleep Bubbles and tried to blow them against the thieves, but Ssiew whipped them away. Austin threw Hgielar out the van's door, then tried to grab the other two, only for them to shake out of his muck. Acificap tried to jump on Lorac and Leic, but Austin caught and threw them out the van as well. "Master Balan ordered us to capture them!" Acanom confirmed.
"Could've guessed that." Orataj replied, the kids rushing outside. Austin turned into a giant mud monster and tried to step on Hgielar, but the boy's Haki fists repelled his feet. Austin spat boulders of mud that Hgielar dodged, the muscular thief leaping to topple Austin's legs. He collapsed on the ground, giving Hgielar the chance to bash his stomach area.
Okotok used Air Steps to get above Ssiew before dropping down, and whenever Ssiew bound her in vines, the Silanaf would repeatedly kick off her own vertical steps to yank Ssiew over. Ssiew couldn't even bind Okotok's feet without her Step Kicks splitting the vines. Okotok lunged herself at Ssiew, who spun a Razor Leaf shield, but Okotok quickly readjusted herself to Step an opening through the shield. She flipped again to headbutt Ssiew. "You know, you kind of dress like my Positive." Ssiew said. "But she wore it way better."
"Still better than YOUR rags!" Okotok retorted.
Urasam directed notes at Acificap, but she maneuvered like a ribbon dancer to evade them, with her ropes acting as ribbon. She tried to catch Urasam, but he was just as evasive. As the song went on, Acificap got closer, and she drew a pack of floss. She bit the floss in her teeth, so when she next got close to Urasam, he evaded her ropes, but she swiftly snatched his baton in her floss. His performance halted, so Acificap was able to rope and slam him to the ground.
Hgielar was on the cusp of KOing Austin, so the mud boy escaped before he could and retreated into the van. Okotok KO'ed Ssiew and dragged her back in the van, but when Hgielar was about to charge in after them, a solid holo-barrier sealed the van. "Sorry, friend, but you'll need smarts to break MY barrier." Orataj smirked. "Solve the equation and you can come in."
Hgielar wasn't gonna begin to interpret the complex math before him. He began to pound away against the Math Wall, but whatever force was creating it was too strong, so Hgielar decided to erect his extra two arms. Orataj was taken aback, his Math Wall beginning to crack. So, he left an opening on the roof for Acanom to climb up. "Take THIS!" She inserted her bubble bottle into a minigun and blasted Sleep Bubbles at the muscle boy. Hgielar took a few hits before jumping back.
"Aerodactyl, get her!" Hgielar released his Nomékop, the dinosaur immediately trying to seize Acanom in talons. Acanom dodged, but Acificap swung a rope up to catch her ankles. Acanom blasted Sleep Bubbles at her face, knocking her to sleep. Austin thrusted a giant Mud Fist from the roof and at Aerodactyl's jaw, but Hgielar leapt up next to squeeze the boy's arm in Haki. Austin cried out in pain, but Okotok swam up the arm and repeatedly pelted Hgielar with Step Kicks.
Aerodactyl tried to seize Acanom, but cannonballs pelted the dinosaur. Orataj had already signaled their ships for backup. The ammo burst into Dreamsand and knocked Aerodactyl to sleep with enough hits. Acanom was then able to pelt Hgielar's face with bubbles, but he decided to jump off before sleep could become him. The ships blasted more Sandballs down, so Hgielar decided to return Aerodactyl to his Pokéball. He grabbed Acificap and Urasam before bolting from the scene. "I'm sorry, guys! I'll come back for you, I promise! Gotta contact one of the other sectors!"
"He's getting away with Urasam!" Okotok yelled.
"Call a ship to collect the rest of us!" Acanom ordered. "Send a few to keep chasing them. We need to bind these kids up and have them taken to one of our bases. Then we can keep them asleep."
Castle Ydnam
When Ydnic returned to the castle, she was quickly greeted with the familiar call of, "ARK! ARK! ARK!" Her father, Yllib pranced up on all fours, happily sniffing her with his big nose. "Awe, Papa's always so happy to see you!" Llubhcrnurt cooed.
"He's sure a lot more fun than mine!" Aluben cheered.
Ydnic gave a smile to satisfy them… not that she could make any other expression. She used to think her simple-minded father was funny and cute… but she had grown past that phase. Rather, she was tired of dealing with him. And it didn't help that most of the castle guards were clones of him. How could she even tell this one was him? It didn't matter though…
…
Lorac and Leic enjoyed a nice, desert-heavy dinner with Ydnam, Ydnic, Ahsas, Aluben, and Llubhcnurt, sharing stories with vibrant smiles. "But I guess I must be a Hobbit, because I've barely grown an inch in three years!" Lorac laughed.
"Yeah, even Nosam outgrew her!" Leic laughed. "But he sure doesn't love her any less!"
"Yup! …Unfortunately."
"You kids need to eat more sweets!" sang Eizzil Enived. She used the tentacles of her jellyfish form to carry and place more plates on the table. "Fatten yourselves up, that'll help ya grow!"
"Not in the way we want!" Lorac said. "Besides, we need our smallness for espionage."
"I've met a lot of students who were insecure about their weight." Llubhcnurt said. "But ya know what I say? The bigger you are, the fluffier you are! Just ask Ahsas here."
"But I'm not fat, am I?" Ahsas blushed.
"That fluffiness comes from somewhere!" Aluben grinned.
"Awwww."
As lighthearted as this place seemed, Lorac felt a weight of anxiety. She usually liked such a positive atmosphere, but this place was a little too happy. Maybe it was just that the sweets tasted only like the residue of sweets against a plastic wrapper. In fact, looking across the table, Ydnic's smile looked forced, but weak. Even she wasn't into the taste of the dream food.
Ydnic glanced up and caught Lorac's stare. "Oh, hey, Lorac! I wanted to ask… how's Ynohtna been?"
"Er…I dunno. I don't really see him that much."
"I helped Sir Prize keep Sector -W trapped in his Happytime Bubble. I felt bad, so I haven't talked to him since."
"But little Ynohtna enjoyed his dream!" Ydnam said. "It was a shame that nasty General Kroy had to ruin it. Just like he ruined my precious Sir Prize."
"Sir Prize was such a delight." Eizzil sighed. "But now his dreams are damaged beyond repair. Poor man…"
"Well, it's not like we tried to repair his dreams." Ydnic said.
"No use repairing what's too broken." Ydnam shrugged it off. "Still, he's better off than all those toxic meanies. At least he's not making anyone miserable! Those kinds are better off DEAD!"
The castle rumbled and dimmed for a second. "Um…er…" Ahsas felt the need to change topics. "Leic, weren't you saying earlier that you can make butterflies?"
"Yeah! I don't know if I can use them…oh!" Leic summoned his spirit sword. "Let's try it out! Fly, Flutterwing!" The sword scattered into butterflies and fluttered about the room.
"Awwww! How beautiful!"
"Yep! They can make anyone feel happy! The effects aren't permanent, but they're good for a short laugh."
"Simply wonderful!" Ydnam threw her arms open in awe. "Leic, you'd be perfect for my crew! You're a ball of joy! And most of us enjoy wearing white."
"Thanks, but I feel more at home with the thieves. I used to live in poverty, so I fit right in. And I'm not allowed to hurt mortals, but I can use non-violent forms of combat."
"You know, there's a girl named Yuri in Balan's crew." Ahsas mentioned. "She loves bugs. You would be best friends in no time!"
"Cool! Lorac, wanna go to meet her?"
"Honestly, I'd like to get back home after this. I don't wanna worry the others."
"I'm sure you could stay for one last meeting or two." Ydnam assured. "Actually, there's something else I'd like you to see. Aluben, could you go get Ragus? And tell her to bring the little ones."
"Of course, Captain!" Aluben left the room on that cue. Ydnic's expression was one of worry, and Lorac took note of this. After a moment, Aluben returned with Ragus, a dollhouse in her hands.
"Would you guys like to see my dolls?" Ragus opened the front of the house. There were dolls positioned in the rooms to her liking, but the heads were… squirming?
"!!" Lorac and Leic were horrified: those weren't just any heads. "HEY! It's Lorac!" Dnis yelled.
"Big Sis Lorac! Please help us!" Narod yelled.
"She cut off our heads and stuck them on these dolls!" Ubnok yelled.
"Mmmmm! Mmm-mmm-mmmmmm!" Ylla's mouth was stitched.
"And don't worry about their real bodies." Ragus smiled. "They're tucked cozily in Dreamsand."
"When did you capture Sector TG?! We never heard anything about that!"
"Oh, it happened just a couple days ago!" Llubhcnurt began.
Sector TG were regular customers to the Steak Queen restaurant in their hometown. It was a fancy restaurant attended by wealthy, haughty customers. With swift, tiny-size speed, they zipped over the tables and swiped food from the patrons. Afterwards, they would meet on the roof of the restaurant and chow down. "AHA!" Llubhcnurt jumped out and GRABBED Oyib in her purse. "I knew you little rascals would be up here!"
The tinies jumped to alertness as pirates appeared on other nearby roofs. "I recognize you whippersnappers." Llubhcnurt wagged a scolding finger. "You were part of the Black Lotus's Little Detention Center. I was sent photos of you six in particular, you were quite nasty!"
Oyib burst free of the purse with his airbending. "We'll show you how nasty we are!"
The pirates shot sand guns at the tinies, but they evaded quickly and fought back with their bending. Llubhcnurt had taken a few combat lessons from her Positive: her purse was stuffed with cannonballs, and she could swing it with ease with terrific force. The warden was durable against their attacks and she was able to KO Narod and Ubnok. The situation grew worse for the tinies when Eizzil showed up, using Space Lightning to electrocute them. Another pirate, Bruce Stone of the Balan Company, used his cloaking suit to sneak up and bash the tinies with his cane. Inevitably, Sector TG were defeated and detained by the pirates.
"I had my little eyes on them for a while~" Llubhcnurt concluded. "It's hard to believe such cuties could be so nasty."
"It works in our favor in the end." Ydnam said. "Perhaps now you'll be willing to stick around a bit longer?"
Ydnic knocked a cake slice off the table. "Oops! I'll get it!" She got down underneath and pulled out a phone. "Atuy, it's me. Listen, I need you to come to the castle. I know, but I might need you to…"
"What do you want from us?!" Lorac demanded.
Ragus closed the dollhouse. "I was curious about it from the beginning, but it seems like the art of Phantom Thieving truly is real. So, tell me, Lorac… if I could use my power to get you into the Emperors' dreams, would you be able to 'steal' their ambitions?"
"LEIC!"
"Yeah!" Leic reformed his sword and SLASHED Lorac, a sensation that would startle her awake… but her vision merely became dusty, swirling before reappearing right back in the dining room. "What?!"
"Po po! Seems like they were successful."
"Has something happened to our teammates?!" Leic gasped.
"I can't say for certain, but you two, at least, have been Sleepy Eyed!"
In the real world, Lorac, Leic, and Ssiew were lain on sandy beds with gold sand piled on their eyes. "Under my enchanting Dreamsand, you two are trapped in slumber!"
"Lorac, if we keep trying, maybe we can wake up—AH!" Ahsas grabbed the two in her giant hands.
"I'm really sorry about this…"
"Now tell me, child!" Ydnam yelled to the squirming Lorac. "Can you use the Phantom Thief style on the Emperors?"
"The Art of the Phantom Thief is forbidden! It's true that it can steal a person's very desires from their dreams, but by taking those desires, the people will become apathetic drones. Their dreamscapes will dissolve into cold deserts."
"That's fine by me! Even if I can't bring them to joy, it'll be much easier to be rid of them!"
"But those desires will have to rest in the heart of the thief, that being me. If they become too overwhelming for me, I might explode!"
Leic raised a brow. Was this actually what happened between her and Clockwerk? But he wouldn't ask now. "Then could you teach others the art, perhaps? If not just give the desires to me? Ekusas, Wodahs, heck even Balan would make great Phantom Thieves! Either way, I WILL find the answer! You and I, we'll crush the enemy Emperors together!"
Lorac bit her teeth. Pulling off a miraculous escape would be pointless if they couldn't wake up. But then how could… "Oh, Mom! The games are here!" Ydnic called. The ops glanced left, seeing a service kitten carrying some board games. "I asked the kitten to bring us some! Maybe we could discuss this over some Eels & Escalators!"
"Ooo, that sounds fun!" Ydnam beamed. "How about it, kids?"
"…?" Lorac looked at Ydnic. Ydnic gazed at her and made the lightest gesture of slitting her throat, then nudging at the cat. Lorac then shot a look at Leic, eying over at the kitten. Leic gasped knowingly. "That sounds fun! I'll get it for you!"
"Huh?!" Ahsas's hand suddenly turned to butterflies. Leic flapped to the kitten—Balan drop-kicked and pinned Leic to the floor. "What do you think you're up to, young-?!" The tip of Leic's sword became butterflies and flew toward the cat, cutting it. The kitten dissolved into bones before their eyes.
"Lady Ydnam, look over there!" Ahsas reached her other hand to turn her around—but she released Lorac. "Whoopsie."
"HYAH!" Lorac kicked the remaining sweets off the table and threw some teacups at the queen. Tea splashed over Ydnam, but it immediately faded away. "This dinner stunk! The tea wasn't real and the food was plastic—AH!"
Aluben seized Lorac in bonebending. "That isn't very nice!"
"N-n-no tea… p-plastic…" Ydnam's face creased up in anxiety.
"No, it's not plastic!" Eizzil yelled. "It's made from honest-to-goodness ingredients!"
"You mean like cow guts?!" Lorac shouted.
"No no no no no no no no!" The castle began trembling, the room turning darker. Leic struggled to escape Balan's hold and Lorac from Aluben's. "I know what'll make us feel better!" Ydnic said, running to Ragus. "Let's plays dolls! Ragus, can I have one of your dolls?"
"I would rather you not." Ragus smiled.
"Aww, pretty please?" Ydnic grabbed the bottom rim of the dollhouse and tugged it. "Come on, I really wanna pl-" They both dropped the dollhouse, smashing it open as the "dolls" bounced out.
Leic instructed his butterflies to fly to them, but Eizzil warped tentacles to swat them down. One of the butterflies maneuvered around her and made it to Ylla, cutting the stitches on her mouth. "BLAAAAAAHH!" She bellowed a soundwave at Aluben to hurt her ears. Lorac escaped and ran to swipe the TG kids off the floor—Eizzil warped her tentacles to grab Lorac's limbs, electrocuting her. The pink lightning cast shadows from the fallen dolls, allowing Uzu to send his shadow to Balan. The shadow bit the shade of Balan's crotch, the magician wincing as he released Leic. Leic flew to cut the tentacles holding Lorac.
"Our dreamselves are technically our spirit selves, so I can hurt you a tiny bit!" Leic smiled. Llubhcnurt leapt to bash him with her purse, but he made a butterfly shield. Leic snatched the dolls up in one arm, held the sword hilt in his teeth, and pulled Lorac with the other hand. Ahsas dove to block their route, but Ylla bellowed up to hurt the giant's ears. Leic ordered some butterflies to surf them to the air, flying to one of the glassless windows. Alas, Balan flew up, kicked through the butterflies, and SLAMMED Leic in the belly, forcing the boy into the wall as they all fell back to the ground.
"You kids are being mighty rude!" Llubhcnurt wagged her finger. "I think we're gonna have to lock you up!"
"Psst! Big Sis!" Ubnok whispered. "The castle's floor feels like marble! I think it has real Dream Earth Chi!"
"Now, are you going to be good and settle down?"
"Come on, hit my head against the floor!"
Lorac glared up at the warden determinedly. "Fine, we'll settle down!" She swiftly grabbed Ubnok and BASHED him against the floor: he mustered enough earthbending in his noggin to break the floor open, the group plummeting down the next floor. Leic saved them with butterflies, he and Lorac bolting with the tinies in hand. They dodged Eizzil's tentacles, but Balan swooped after them. Lorac whipped Ylla back for her to blast another soundwave, but Balan endured and swung a kick, which Lorac dodged with a leap. Leic made a butterfly stairway up and out a window, from which the two jumped down a series of butterfly platforms. The guards of the castle, a bunch of Yllib clones, catapulted their selves up, only for Ylla to yell them away. Balan flew up and swung kicks from multiple angles, the thieves nimbly evading.
They were able to make it to the grounds around the castle, racing to the walls (which looked more like bedroom walls with heart wallpaper). Ylla's throat was sore, so Lorac bashed Ubnok against the ground some more to send quakes at the Yllib guards. Leic had more butterflies carry them up and over the walls, but Eizzil had warped herself and the pirates above the wall. Aluben grabbed Lorac in bonebending and Balan grabbed Leic. To make matters worse, Ydnam was flying over on a bubble boat. "Phew, sorry for that little episode there! Now, where do you think you kids are running? So long as you're in my dream, you-"
"Lady Ydnam! Lady Ydnaaaaam!"
They viewed beyond the wall. Ydnam gasped with delight: "It's a Pegasus!"
"But it's…!" Ahsas gasped in worry.
"LAAADAAAAAY!" The Pegasus had a manic face as its back half was spilling lint. The horse dodged Eizzil's tentacles and made it over the wall. The sight of the Pegasus' innards horrified Ydnam, the horse immediately bursting into flames.
"No! No no no no no no no!"
"Your so-called friends? STUFFED! Manufactured! Overworked, underpaid seamstresses!"
The words of her Positive rang in Ydnam's mind. The grounds quaked as the castle walls collapsed, the pirates keeling over. Lorac dropped back on the ground, and when Balan dropped to grab her, a motorcycle suddenly emerged from the shadows and RAMMED him in the head. "GET ON!" the tan-skinned punk boy yelled.
Lorac and Leic hastily jumped on the bike, the boy speeding them over the fallen walls. "I don't know what she was thinking, wanting me to save you! Maybe I still have a chance to breach the dungeon."
"Who's 'she'?" Leic asked.
"Hold on, I'll get us someplace hidden." Atuy sank them into a Veil and sped through town.
"They escaped!" Ahsas yelled. "Who was that boy?!"
"Tell everyone to spread out and find them!" Balan ordered. "And have some people check on the dungeon!"
…
The biker boy brought them to an indigo-painted sewer with sand rivers. They took refuge inside a tunnel. "Alright, let's cut to the chase: my name is Atuy. The Smile Pirates took over my hometown a few years ago."
"Were you the one behind that unicorn incident?" Lorac asked.
"Yeah. From what I get, Ydnam's been through a lot of psychological trauma in her childhood. Stupid things like how her toy unicorns were filled with stuffing or how her tea isn't real. Because she tries so hard to escape those realities in the Dream World, the very foundation of her dreams is fragile. When she's exposed to those truths, fears will take over, and the power of her Dreamsand will wither. If she takes a big enough shock, everyone who's trapped in this dream can awaken. That would give people a chance to fight back against the pirates. Of course, it won't solve everything. One of Ydnam's commanders, Horde Prime, has several of these people under his mind-control, so I heard. They serve the crew in real life."
"By any chance, did you learn this stuff from Ydnic? She was acting pretty weird at the dinner."
"…Yep."
Atuy had met Ydnic around the time he was forced into this world. She tried to make friends with the boy, but he would only get angry and push her away, using his shadowbending to hide. However, she would always find him and keep trying to make him happy like everyone else. But Atuy argued that none of these people were happy, no matter how the pirates brainwashed them. Ydnic could easily tell her mother about the upset boy and get her to work some bubblebending… but deep down, Ydnic felt the same way he did. So, she would keep him a secret.
It wasn't until a few months ago, when Ydnic helped trap Nega-W, that she had enough. She began plotting with Atuy to sabotage the crew, telling him of her mother's weaknesses.
"There's a dungeon near the coast where Ydnam stored up all her fears and anxieties. Now, only her crewmates manage it. But whenever the dream becomes unstable like this, it weakens the dungeon's hold. I was hoping to bust it open and ruin the dream for good."
"That sounds kind of risky if it's just the two of you."
"That's partly why we rescued you. If this goes right, a ton of the pirates' captives have a chance to escape, including you guys."
"And that means we'll be back in our bodies, too!" Ylla exclaimed. "Thank goodness! I wasn't about to stay as that twerp's toy!"
"Don't get too excited." Oyib cautioned. "They could've separated us in real life. We wouldn't be able to escape on our own."
"The same goes for our team, too." Lorac figured. "But as long as we can wake up, our chances are better than staying in here."
"Then are you gonna help me do this thing?" Atuy asked.
"Yeah!" Leic fist-pumped.
"Then let's hit the pavement. We can even cause some havoc on the way."
With all the passengers he was carrying, Atuy couldn't abuse his Shadow Veil, and the lighting of this realm didn't cast strong shadows either. They zoomed by and killed several kittens, exposing their bones, and Ubnok was used to bust some tea fountains and cause the tea to disappear. They fought down pirate guards and made it to the coast. "You two?!" Acanom had arrived. "Why is the sky so dark? And… is that Atuy?!"
"Nice to see you again, Goody Two-Shoes."
"Acanom, what have you done to our friends?!" Lorac asked.
"I was just doing what Master Balan asked! But it looks like I'll have to stop you now!" Acanom molded her own motorbike from bubble. Atuy sped along the edge of the coast with Acanom in pursuit, launching Bubble Torpedoes that Leic intercepted with butterflies. They raced along a cliffside that steadily progressed into a cave. Giant teddybears tried to crush them, but Atuy was evasive on his bike. Leic leapt on one of the bears' arms and stabbed its head, mustering a surge of chi to turn it into a giant butterfly. Leic rode the giant bug after his friends, knocking down other teddybears.
They found a huge sealed gate with dark mist seeping through the sides, the structure rumbling. While Leic used his butterfly to fight the teddies, Acanom caught up and battled Atuy, his shadowbending against her bubbling. The gate had a giant safe lock, so Lorac climbed on top. She ran on the lock like a wheel and listened for whenever it clicked. It seemed to have more than three digits to its code, but after reaching five, the force pounding on the door managed to burst it open.
Lorac was smashed against the wall, and as the Nightmares poured out, Leic, Atuy, and Acanom ducked for cover. Giant versions of Ydnam's parents, oozing with toxic, came moaning out like zombies, dissolving the teddybear guards. Skeletal kittens, unicorn stuffing zombies, blobs of mustard, and giant walking political books marched out. "What've you done?! Lady Ydnam's gonna flip if she sees any of these!" Acanom yelled.
"It won't be our problem as soon as we wake up!" Atuy stated.
"Detroit…Detroit…Detroit…"
A pair of glaring red eyes peered through the dungeon. A mass of fear slithered out, its tentacles looming ominously over them. "Manufactured… IN DETROIT…"
"Dream or not, I think we oughta run from that thing!" Leic panicked. "It could cause some mental damage!"
"AAAAAAAHHHH!" The kids bolted from the monster, its darkness flooding the cave. "That special filling is just MUSTARD. Mass-produced in a factory. Made by underpaid old women who gave up on their dreams."
Acanom used her bubble-cycle while the thieves rode Atuy's cycle, but they couldn't escape along the cliffside as puddles of mustard and toxic filled it. "You guys will pay for this!" Acanom yelled, simply making a flying bubble to escape.
"Hey, why don't we just cross the sea?!" Lorac pointed at the expanse of gold sand. "It's just sand, so we should be able to ride across!"
"Better than nothing!" Atuy turned his cycle and zoomed over the sands—it quickly began to sink. "?!" The kids jumped off and tried to run, but sank into the sand just the same. Leic flew and grabbed either of Lorac and Atuy's hands, struggling to pull them up. He managed to hoist them up as the two skidded across the surface. "AAAAAAHH!" Unfortunately, a wave of gold washed over the trio, burying them as they were drawn deeper underneath.
…
Balan and the pirates brought Ydnam to her secluded room in the castle. They called the other commanders to help fend off the Nightmares. Aluza mustered giant tears in the shape of whales to wham the mustard blobs. Wodahs sprayed the toxic parents with his healing gas. Horde Prime attached chips to the droll factory workers to bring them under his control, but his chips were corrupted by Fear Chi, causing them to shatter.
The mass of darkness crept through the town, swallowing everyone in its despair: its head resembled that of Ydnam's Positive, Mandy. "Doctors don't want to cure you… they want to make you sicker, to make more money. That milk you like was sucked from cows. You're drinking unborn baby cows. Ponies aren't used for magic. They're made into meat and served for a cheap meal."
The pirates focused their attacks on the nightmarish mass, holding it back a fair amount. Acanom formed a giant Sleep Bubble and moved it over the beast, but the bubble immediately popped. It lashed a tentacle to swat Acanom out of the sky, and it began to advance despite the pirates' attacks.
…
"There, there, Patrick." Ydnam patted a white unicorn calmly. "Nothing's going to happen to you. This island is a paradise. We'll be just fine. Hmmm…" Somehow, it felt lonely in her unicorn garden room. But this place should be lively with her stuffed friends. Maybe she should get more plastic cake. Or… "I know! Maybe I should invite Ydnic in here! Let's go find her."
Ydnam wandered the castle for a bit in search. "Ragus, what're you doing?!" She heard a voice from Ragus's room. Recognizing it, Ydnam creaked the door open.
Ragus had stitched Ydnic to the wall. "I know you were trying to help them escape, Ydnic!"
"It was an accident!"
"LIAR!" Ragus tugged on a string to squeeze Ydnic's hand. "What are you trying to do, huh? Is this world too BORING for you?"
Ydnic glared. "Ragus… aren't you sick of always being happy? Didn't you hate your father for making you like this? Why wouldn't you hate it here?"
"Why would YOU, Yddy?"
"Because I'm sick of it! I'm sick of always being happy all the time. People are scared and miserable because of us. I feel like I have no freedom here, all this positivity gives me a headache! The only reason she married my idiot dad is because he's too stupid to argue, because REAL couples are supposed to ARGUE! I'm sick of living in my mom's head! I'm sick of eating plastic food and riding stuffed toys because she thinks REAL things are nasty and gross! She says she's trying to get rid of all the bad people, but she's a hypocrite and a coward! Her own precious dream is being destroyed by her own nightmares and she'd rather hide like a baby!"
"…" Ydnam backed away from the room. She walked outside the castle and saw the massive Nightmare in the distance.
Ahsas used Lunar Flames on the skeletal kittens to restore some of their flesh, but the Mandemon slapped and nullified the effect. Aluza's eyes were drying out, Wodahs was out of gas, and Horde Prime didn't care enough to keep trying.
But to their awe, another titan stomped from the direction of the castle: an enormous, rotund bubble in the shape of Ydnam, with hair and a scarf flowing with glittering Gold Sand. "When will you quit living in your petty dreams? Reality is cruel. Even you're cruel. Yet, you fool yourself into thinking you're a good person. You kill people you don't approve of… you force them to follow your ways. You're as bad as any politician. You're as toxic as any adult."
"My dreams aren't petty! My joy will be the cure to this toxic universe! So long as you exist, my dreams won't be a paradise. So long as my enemies exist… it still won't be a paradise. I'll make you and all the Emperors see the fight. With the Phantom Thief's power… and my own!"
Ydnam could materialize any of her favorite things inside the body of her Slumber Queen. She sent unicorns to stab Mandemon's eyes, kittens to melt its chest, and spewed a waterfall of tea down its throat. As her dreams and her fears clashed, waves of gold and black sand rose around the Sand Sea.
…
In the Waking World, people began to awaken from the weakened effects of Ydnam's Sand Chi. The pirates were able to detain most of them… however, a particular bunch were unable to wake at all: Lorac, Leic, Atuy, and the TG kids.
"Waaaaaaaahhhh…" The kids in question had sunk several miles through the sand, finally to emerge from a dark, dusty ceiling. The expanse of a cavern splayed before them, taking in all its glory as they fell the great drop. They flailed their limbs for hundreds of feet worth of falling, their screams barely covering much distance in the cave.
They crashed on a sandy hill and slid down gracefully, though Leic was upside-down and Atuy was rolling. The dolls were still tucked in Lorac's pants, but sand got in the tinies' mouths. The hill eventually reached the bottom, where the kids could get up. "Sigh…well, that went from scary to fun!" Leic smiled.
"Easy for you to say." Dnis spat sand out. "Also, your pants stink!"
"Even in dreams?!" Lorac exclaimed.
"Pipe down." Atuy stated. "Are we… under the Sand Sea?"
This cave was dark and lonely compared to the lively beauty of the Gold Sea above. Yet, they wondered if this was even part of Ydnam's dream at all. …Lorac could almost hear faint voices across the distance. She felt a sense of unease… but a desire to travel forward and follow them.