Face Your Fears

Anne Boonchuy gasped as she and Olivier Clawthorne emerged from the portal,

and into the vast, endless void of the Nightmare Realm.

Much like 'Bob' had described, the Nightmare Realm wasn't all that different from the Dream Realm.

Only that instead of the void having softer, Pastel colors that were more relaxing.

The Nightmare Realm had much darker, HARSHER Grunge colors that made her feel unsettled.

In fact, everything about this place felt like being in a Psychological Horror.

Anne was expecting just about anything to suddenly appear, and give her a cheap Jumpscare.

Olivier then held Anne close. "don't be scared...it's just what THEY want."

Anne nodded, and breathed out sharply.

She HAD to be brave...Sasha was counting on her to.

((*REEEEEEEEEEEEEHH!*))

Anne gasped as she and Olivier saw creatures that resembled ink blots speeding towards them.

They indeed reminded Olivier of Groms, though something about them was different.

As the creatures opened their huge, glowing cyclopes eyes,

Olivier quickly drew out one of the Bliss Bombs that he had and threw it at them.

The grenades detonated into a burst of bright, pastel colors.

The creatures wailed as some were disintegrated, while others were badly burned.

"Cool!, they actually work!" exclaimed Anne.

"Heads up!" exclaimed Olivier. "More incoming!"

Indeed, more of the creatures advanced like a pod of black squids.

"Hold on, lemme try something..." spoke Anne, as she grasped her own grenade.

"Whatever it is...PLEASE HURRY." said Olivier (waiting anxiously.)

Anne then drew out a purple tennis racket, tossed up and Bliss Bomb,

and swing her racket at the round object, sending it flying like a speeding bullet.

The bomb then exploded, blowing away more of the Nightmare creatures

(This time, none got away due to being stunned by the impact of the projectile.)

"WA-HOO!" exclaimed Anne, raising both arms. "That's TEN POINTS for me!"

Olivier stared at his girlfriend. "not even going to question how you have that here."

"OLLIE, LOOK OUT!" exclaimed Anne.

Olivier turned...just as one of the creatures flashed it's eye at him.

"ohhh...crap." cursed Olivier, as the creature began shapeshifting into something.

"What's happening?!" spoke Anne, worried.

"It sampled one of my fears, and is now transforming into it." explained Olivier.

Anne and Olivier watched as the creature partially changed into a girl with pointed ears,

mint green hair tied into a topknot with glowing white eyes that looked down at Olivier.

Olivier recognized who the creature was imitating.

(("you are WEAK, Olivier...")) spoke the phantom Amity Blight (it's voice echoed)

(("a Half-a-Witch like you will NEVER reach my level. Take my advice: Give u-AAHHHHH!"))

The Phantom (and, the creature itself) was obliterated by a Bliss Bomb thrown by Olivier.

"if you wanna break me...you'd better try harder than that." spoke Olivier, an edge in his voice.

"I have LONG since surpassed 'her' in power, so those poisonous words no longer sting."

Anne stared at Olivier. She was about to say something...when another one of the creatures

managed to sneak up on her, and flash it's eyes into her face.

"oh, shoot!" exclaimed Anne, realizing what was happening.

And, indeed. the creature began to form into something.

"okay...'turn into something I fear.' what, you gonna turn into Maggie?, Mom, my school principal?!"

The creature finally transformed...INTO ANNE HERSELF.

"wa-what?!" squeaked Anne, stunned.

(("we could've saved them...We couldn't saved ALL of them.")) spoke Phantom Anne.

Anne looked back to Olivier...who was occupied fighting other nightmare creatures.

Feeling she had to deal with this alone, Anne turned back to her corrupt mirror image.

"Wa-what are you-?!"

(("Sasha...Marcy...ALL of Wartwood. WE LEFT THEM ALL BEHIND."))

"I didn't want to!" exclaimed Anne. "I was-"

(("We had the power to stop him...to save EVERYONE.")) continued Phantom Anne.

(("But we didn't...BECAUSE WE ARE TOO WEAK! The Calamity Gem's power is WASTED on us."))

"no...No, that isn't true. We-I was chosen for-"

(("You think we are a hero...we are not. OLIVER IS.")) growled the Phantom Anne.

(("HE" is the best hope that both Amphibia, and the Earth have. but WE keep dragging him down!"))

Anne breathed heavily, feeling anxious as her phantom loomed over her.

(("The boy we love is going to die...we saw it in our vision.")) spoke Phantom Anne ('her' voice like a serpent.)

(("He died defending us, and WE JUST WATCHED. Eda Clawthorne will lose her son...AND IT WILL BE ALL OUR FAU-"))

The Phantom Anne was finally silenced by a Bliss Bomb from Olivier.

"ss-sorry...I got caught up back there." spoke Olivier. "I think they are gone now. Did that thing look like yo-"

Olivier stopped upon seeing Anne close to having a breakdown.

So, he quickly pulled Anne into his arms and hugged her. "It's okay...whatever that thing said, it wasn't-"

"I could've saved everyone...I could've." muttered Anne, trying not to cry.

"If only I had better control over this stupid powers. I can't even make them work without your help!"

"anne..."

"I'm dragging you down, ollie...I never should have come with you." continued Anne.

"You're the REAL hero...the one who'll save everyone. I'm just a weak girl who got luck-"

"ANNE, STOP!" snapped Olivier, pushing Anne away to look at her.

"Get those thoughts out of your head RIGHT NOW: You are NOT weak."

Anne looked at Olivier. "b-but-"

"Anne, you are stronger than you realize...you're stronger than even ME." continued Olivier.

"I know it seems hopeless, but there was a time when even I thought I was too weak. Unworthy of my own power.

But I kept working hard to get better, despite what others said...despite even my own doubts.

And I eventually DID become stronger...SO WILL YOU. and, I *will* help you.

You were chosen by the Calamity Stone FOR. A. REASON, Annie...you aren't a mistake."

Anne looked at Olivier...and finally smiled at him. "okay...I believe you. i'll...I'll try to get better."

Olivier hugged his girlfriend once again. "don't let doubt cloud your mind, annie. DOUBT disrupts magic more than anything."

Anne nodded. "i'll try."

Olivier then drifted them both down to a floating piece of earth.

After casting an energy dome over them, Olivier and Anne sat down on the ground.

"okay, let's take some time to catch our breath and get our bearings." said Olivier.

"I know it won't be easy, but we need to find the way into Sasha's dreamscape."

"If this place really is endless, it'll literally be like finding a needle in a haystack." said Anne.

Olivier took a moment to think about what to do.

"there has to be a simpler solution than just exploring aimlessly." mused Olivier.

"If we stay out here for too long, 'something' is bound to notice us."

Anne exhaled sharply. "if only we had a way to track Sasha's location..." thought Anne, aloud.

"like how when I order a Pizza from Freddy's, and they can track my phone via GPS."

Olivier shot his eyes open. "wa-what did you say?"

"what, Freddy's? It's a pizza place me and my friends used to go to when we were little." began Anne.

"It had these cool looking Animatronics that could sing! (though they were kinda creepy too, an-")

"n-no, about tracking Sasha." said Olivier.

"well...Yeah, I wish we could track her location." repeated Anne. "Make finding hear easi-"

"I think maybe we CAN." spoke Olivier.

"You weren't the only one chosen by the Calamity Stones. Sasha was ALSO chosen, same as you.

and since both your powers came from the same source, you might be able to track her with your power."

"If I can get them to even WORK." said Anne, dejected.

"ANNE."

"I know..." spoke Anne, sighing deeply.

"look, even if I DO get my powers to work...are you SURE I can trace where Sasha is?

I mean...both she, and Marcy's powers were drained back into the stones."

"Not entirely." said Olivier. "Even THEN, I sensed remnants of the stones power within them.

That same remnant was within YOU, which is why the Blue Gem's power returned to you that one time.

Even if the gems were fully restored, their power can NEVER leave you fully.

It will always be part of you, Sasha and Marcy. even in a dormant state."

Anne looked at Olivier. "sooo...I'll never go back to being plain old, normal Anne again?"

Olivier looked at Anne. "As you once said: "THAT Anne is dead and buried."

Anne looked away awkwardly. "guess I did say that."

"here...let me help you." spoke Olivier, offering his hands. "whenever I struggled with my magic,

it usually helped when another witch lent me their own magic via "Channeling."

"Don't you mean..."CH-ANNE-LING?" said Anne, clicking her tongue as she made finger guns.

Olivier breathed out sharply. "you really are just like my mom." muttered Olivier.

"sorry." said Anne. "okay, then..." Anne reached out, and grasped Olivier's hands.

Olivier then closed his eyes (Anne did the same.)

The Witch Boy then focused, channeling his gold colored magic into Anne.

Anne felt the magic flowed into her...feeling much like a gentle stream of water.

As Olivier's magic mingled with her Calamity Power, her body then flared with familiar Turquoise energy.

"that's it...now, focus on Sasha." spoke Olivier, softly. "try to find her through your mind's eye."

Anne's brow twitched as she concentrated all her thoughts on Sasha.

She pushed out all her bad memories of her, and focused only on the good ones.

("sasha...sasha...where are you, sasha?") spoke Anne within her mind.

Anne focused, seeing images in her mind that she was certain she wasn't imagining.

Images of Sasha and Grime escaping King Andrias' flying castle,

The two reaching Wartwood, and staying at the Plantar's Farm.

Images of Sasha reading her own journal...and sleeping in the barn with Bessie the Snail.

Anne then shot open her glowing blue eyes. "I know where Sasha is."

Olivier opened his eyes to that while Anne's eyes were illuminating bright blue,

and she had a blue aura over her body, her hair was still brown and wasn't raised like before.

He smiled, proud of his girlfriend for her progress (but kept quiet about it for now.)

"where is she?" asked Olivier, as he and Anne stood up.

"She is close...I can feel her." replied Anne (still glowing blue.)

Anne raised her open hand, igniting it with blue energy.

As she waved it around, the energy shined bright as she aimed in a certain direction.

"That way." spoke Anne.

"Lead the way, Annie." said Olivier.

disabling their shield, Anne and Olivier began to float up into the void

and with Anne leading, the pair flew ahead in the direction Anne was pointing to.

Eventually they finally reached a small door that they both recognized as not only being Amphibian,

but looked exactly like the kind of door that could be found in the Plantar Homestead.

"I think this is it." said Anne (her blue glow finally fading.)

"It IS." said Olivier. "I'd know that door anywhere."

Anne smiled. "yeah...I think you're right."

As Anne reaches for the doorknob, an inky nightmare creature suddenly appears from behind the door.

Before Anne, or even Olivier could react, it flashes it's eye at Anne.

And once again, the creature transforms into a reflection of Anne herself.

Only this time...it was more monstrous than the last creature was.

This 'Nightmare Anne' a twisted smile that stretched across her face with uneven teeth,

and eyes that were far larger than they should be, which were just empty eye sockets.

'her' clothing were tattered, with skeletal arms, and claw-like hands that reached out menacingly.

Both Anne and Olivier flinched, disturbed at what they were seeing.

(("YOU...WILL...FAAAAIIIILL...")) hissed the Nightmare Anne.

(("EVERY DECISSSSION...YOU HAVE MAAAADE...HAS MADE THINGS WORSSSSE. GIIIIVE...UUUUP."))

Anne glared at her horrid reflection, her hazel eyes turning blue.

"yeah...I made mistakes. ALOT of mistakes." spoke Anne, confidently.

"but I've also LEARNED from them, too. I'm not the same person I used to be."

Anne then floated closer to the corpse-like face of the Nightmare Anne.

"that "Anne"...is DEAD." Anne then opened her palm,

a pulsing blue ball of light with in. "...and so are you. now go to hell."

The Nightmare Anne opened it's unhinged Jaw...to which Anne blasted it with a powerful beam of blue energy.

Once Olivier's vision returned, he was astonished to see the Grom-like creature was obliterated.

Anne then turned back to him, her eyes gleaming blue in the dim light of the Nightmare Void.

"holy crap, that was so hot." said Olivier, blushing beet red.

Anne also blushed. "th-thanks. I kinda surprised myself, too."

Olivier took Anne by her hands...and kissed her forehead.

"I knew you could do it, annie." said Olivier, softly. "I'm proud of you."

Anne wordlessly smiled. She then turned back to the door,

reached for the knob and finally turned it. opening the door.

"hold on, Sash...I'm coming."

[End of Part Thirty-Four]