The Horrorverse, Part 11: What the Nightmare King Feared

G.U.N. H.Q.

"DOOOUUUGHNUUUUTS!" The large screen in the communications room depicted a ravenous titan rampaging an unsuspecting town. "DOOOUUUGHNUUUUTS!"

"I can't… believe it…" Brett Gunkan said, pinching his nasal bridge. "After everything that's happened tonight… we've got a reanimated Big Mom to deal with now?!"

"Uh, actually, according to Sandman's report, her minions seem to refer to her as 'Great Grandma.'"

"Send our strongest platoons to bring that giant down! Do whatever it takes!"

Meanwhile, Sandman had gone to the medical wing. He peeked inside Haruka's room and found Jack Skellington looking over her. Jack was a tall, lean skeleton with a black suit and a round skull. "The situation is worse than I thought…"

"Do you know how to help her, Jack?" Nolan asked, entering the room.

"Oh, this is beyond my expertise, Nolan. Haruka's been emotionally shattered. She was pumped with Fear Gas at the same time as undergoing a traumatic experience."

"Renbourn…" Just thinking of him made Nolan's hatred grow.

"The only one I know who could fix such a mess is my father… but it can't be helped."

"What do you mean?"

"Nolan…" Jack faced him, "the reason I came here is because Nightmare Land has been taken over. It was Affright. He overpowered my father with Horror's Hand and he's now using the Fear Factory to produce legions of evil Nightmares."

"Didn't you ask the GKND for help?"

"The GKND are overrun! The Fear Factory usually produces more Nightmares on Halloween than any other day, but thanks to Horror's Hand, we've had a surplus! They're attacking the GKND and all the other ones, too! I came here hoping to seek help from the Earth KND… but it seems I'm too late."

"So, Affright is on Nightmare Land. Then let's head there and rescue your father!"

"Unfortunately… ever since the attack, my father hasn't returned. They've taken him somewhere else. They've taken him to a place called Knowhere."

"Like Nowhere, Kansas?"

"No. Knowhere is a galactic mining colony. It's run by Taneleer Tivan, one of the greatest crime lords in the universe. Word is he's a Collector of rare items and creatures."

"Taneleer Tivan…" Nolan spoke reflectively. "Of course. He was the man that bought Horror's Hand from Mandy. I think I've seen him in a dream… And Horror's Hand was there. Jack, we have to go to Knowhere!"

"Well, we can definitely get there on my ship, but are you sure this planet will be safe without you?"

"I've already bagged most of the villains I was chasing tonight. GUN can keep things under control while I'm gone. I'll also take Vanellope with me."

"That's probably a good idea. But Mr. York, you know I won't be able to contact you if you're all the way in space, right?"

"I know, Carol. I'll try to get back as soon as possible."

"Then let's get going!" declared Jack.

Springfield, Oregon

Sherry Linlin had torn the roof off a doughnut shop and grabbed handfuls of the little delicacies, tossing them all in her mouth in one gulp. "MMMMMMMA MA MA MA! My beautiful doughnuts! How thankful I am to be reunited with your taste! Jelly, powder, chocolate, custard! Oh, but this is nothing compared to the wonders that await me…"

"Great Grandma?" Sherry looked down to her right as Lala Stork approached.

"Oh, it's the three-eyed girl… Who were you again?"

"I'm Lala Stork, Grandma. Well, Lala Pudding Stork."

"Pudding, eh? Mamamama! That proves you are a member of my family! And I'm sure there must be many more."

"Don't worry." Sherry heard a man's whisper. She looked behind her to see Homer Simpson sneaking off with a powdered doughnut. "I'll make sure she never gets you."

"GIVE BACK MY DOUGHNUT!!" Sherry swiped her massive hand right through the man's body and yanked out a pink soul that represented him.

"Aaaaaaack!" Homer's soul was choking as Sherry squeezed it by the neck. It was still attached to his body by the neck, so it looked like a rope strangling him.

"Oh? This is unprecedented. I seem to be holding onto his life force."

"Do you think that power is because of the Pink Diamond?" Lala asked.

Curious, Sherry looked down her dress to see her chest glowing pink. "How interesting." she said, ignoring Homer's choking. "Combined with my psychicbending, reclaiming my place as an Emperor will be easy. I guess I had better start learning to use this." Sherry completely severed the soul from Homer's body. The dimwitted man fell to the ground with his tongue sticking out. He shared the fate of the rest of the ravaged town of Springfield. Sherry casually walked out of the town, across Moe, Flanders, and all the other fallen souls.

Knowhere

Knowhere was a gigantic skull in the depths of space, surrounded by an Oxygen Bubble. Inside was a somewhat decrepit town with multiple layers and full of thuggish aliens. "Legend has it that this station is the head of an ancient celestial being." Jack Skellington explained. He and Sandman were perched atop a roof on one of the higher layers. "The Tivan Group mined it for rare and valuable minerals. That's how he became so rich."

"I don't care how rich he is. I just need to know where he is."

"I'm sure we'll find some clues. We just have to know where to look." Jack sported a grin at his own pun.

"…I have not heard a joke like that in a really long time."

"You're welcome." Jack grinned. "Now, let's start searching."

The duo took flight down to the streets (Jack brought his own glider), blending in with the crowds of alien thugs. Sandman looked ahead at a trio of alien children, wearing ragged clothes and happily chasing each other barefoot. "Are they orphans?" Nolan asked.

"Possibly. This isn't a very wealthy side of the galaxy. Tivan is the only one who lives here in luxury, profiting off the misfortune of others."

"Someone needs to do something."

"Maybe, but that won't be us. Once the Kids Next Door are rescued, they can decide when to do it."

The kids ran up to the duo, holding their hands up with hopeful expressions. "Sigh… well, I don't know if this money's any good, but eh." Sandman grabbed a 5-dollar bill from his pocket and put it in a water alien's hand.

A human-like girl with pointed ears and brown hair held her hands up to Jack. "Oh… I don't have any money." he said regretfully. "But I can do this!" The skeleton twirled in place and released a flock of colorful music notes in the air. The notes formed into the face of a jack-o-lantern, and afterwards Jack's body combust with flames as he donned the attire of a pumpkin-headed scarecrow, breathing flames as the notes did the same. The kids were in awe as they clapped at the display.

"Dammit, Nolan, you're being showed up again!" Revan shouted. "Quick, do some psychicbending, choke some of those thugs!"

"&$%*!" The long-earred girl spoke in an alien language that expressed her gratitude.

"Oh… that's Hylian, right?" Jack pulled out a translator. "Well, you're welcome, little girl. Say, could we ask you something? We're looking for Taneleer Tivan. Do you know where he resides?" He held the device to the girl as it translated his words.

"Tivan?" the girl replied, Sandman looking over the translation. "No, we don't know where he lives…"

"Wait a minute." Sandman took the translator. "Do you know about any bars in this town?"

"Bars? What about the Boot of Jemiah? A lot of people go to that place."

"Thank you. Come on, Jack."

"Why do you think we should go there?"

"In the dream I had, I think Affright and Caesar were in a bar before someone led them to Tivan. It might be the key."

The Boot of Jemiah certainly appeared to be a center of attention, and it was connected to an even larger structure. The inside had everything a common bar would have: a pool table, a poker table, and a pole where a Glomourian woman was dancing. Their attention was drawn to a very fat humanoid with long ears, a droopy face, and a yellow shirt, using a mechanical inner-tube to float around while his little legs dangled.

"Hur hur hur! Yes, that's how I like it, 'ey?" The fat man cheered, throwing money at the Glomourian. "You Glomourians were always so beautiful. 'Course, I would kill for an Amazonian, but we don't have the space, 'ey?"

"Hey, you." The man frowned angrily and looked down at Sandman and Jack. "You the owner of this joint?"

"WHO wants to know, 'ey?!"

"I am Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King. We're looking for Taneleer Tivan."

"And I'm looking for a thrill ride with this woman. Piss off, 'ey?"

Sandman grappled him down and grabbed him by the neck, while Jack got behind and touched his claws to the top of his eyes. "Want us to get violent, 'ey?!" Nolan threatened.

Everyone in the bar drew guns and trained them on the duo. "Surprise, surprise." The man smirked. "I'm the second richest man around these parts. I'm part of the Tivan Group, and lots of these men rely on me for their welfare. Name's Krew. Now, let me go and I'll tell you where to find him, 'ey?"

Sandman kept his glare sharp, but released the humanoid balloon. The thugs sheathed their guns and resumed their activities. "Now then… see that little passage over there? That'll take you right to him. But you won't be able to breach his security door, 'ey? A while back, these people made a bargain with him, and this man in a green question mark suit installed a new code lock in his door. Even our best hackers couldn't crack it. But maybe you can, 'ey?"

Curious, Nolan and Jack followed the passage and located a sealed door with a terminal. The terminal had a "?" on its screen. "It can't be…" Nolan tried to hack the device, but his screen merely displayed static.

"That's right, Sandman! It is I, The Riddler! It is time for the final round of smarts! This code lock is sealed with an impenetrable digital barrier, and the only way to decrypt it is to find 20 of the 100 Riddles hidden on Knowhere."

"Vanellope!"

"I'm on it!" The Program jumped into the lock.

Inside the digital space, Vanellope was gazing up at a tremendous green barrier with a giant "?". She was intimidated at first, but cast her fear aside as she zipped around the barrier and attacked it on each and every angle. Unfortunately, the tiny Program made zero dents in the impenetrable structure. She decided to drop back on the ground and press her hands against it, asserting her faulty Digital Chi over the barrier. "GAH!" She was blown back by its superior defense, her body glitching. Vanellope gave up and jumped out of the terminal. "Dad, it's too strong. I can't get in."

"That's too bad. I guess you'll have no choice but to play my game. 20 Riddles, Sandman! Of course, any wise player would find all 100. After all, a certain someone is dying to see you."

"Danika…" Nolan immediately knew. "Come on, you two. We have more Riddles to find. Hopefully for the last time…"

"Now, if you boys would like an alternative," Krew flew up to them with a long paper, "I have a list of 50 errands that I need someone to run. If you do them, I may be able to-"

"We'll do the Riddles." Nolan and Jack ignored him and moved on.

? After Seven Lights, he had Knowhere to go, how he got here, we may never know. ?

At first, they weren't sure who this riddle could be referring to, so Sandman aimlessly snapped pictures of everything in the bar. At one point, his goggles read Subject Obscured, so he walked in that direction and discovered a cowboy hat and sunglasses on a table, next to some Goofy Goober Dollars. It was no doubt a reference to Plankton's old bounty hunter, Dennis, and the solution to the Riddle.

There was a Riddle Cube behind the curtain of the Glomourian's stage. The first room had five targets moving around the wall and balls around the floor. Jack could use a green flubber-like whip called a Soul Robber to grab the balls and chuck them at the targets, hitting all five and winning the trophy. The next room had a large icicle on the ceiling with a frozen trophy. Jack's Pumpkin King fire breath couldn't reach it, but Sandman could absorb it in the Poltergust and shoot fireballs up to melt the ice. The trophy fell down to their possession. The last room had a trophy behind a glass square over a pit, with searchlights and guns protecting it. Jack whirled his Soul Robber and tossed it to his side, so that it went around the glass and snatched the trophy.

They explored the town for more trophies and found another ball puzzle, in the form of Skee-Ball. They pressed a switch to start the game with 10 balls, and Jack had to grab them with the Soul Robber and throw them in the holes. 500 points were required to win the trophy. It took a few attempts on Jack's part, and they would get a rude remark from Riddler at each fail, but eventually he won.

? Krew's top hit men, I would be quite scared, of seeing the guns these two bear. ?

They received this riddle in an open shooting range. There was a display of a large gun trophy labeled Jak & Dax. This trophy served as the solution to the Riddle.

The 15 destructible objects on Knowhere were Christmas present pads. Jack would don his Sandy Claws attire and place presents on those pads. The presents would explode and destroy the pads.

Another hour of hunting later…

"I-Impossible! Y-Y-Y-You found ALL 500 RIDDLES?! IMPOSSIBLE! You must have cheated! Grrrrr! Fine, Sandman! Enjoy your moment of pride, because it's about to be stopped DEAD! Head to the location on your map for your Final Trial! That is, if you're BRAVE enough…"

"Here we come, Danika." Nolan spoke passionately.

Vanellope came out. "Sheee's gonna kiiiill yoooou when she finds out you've been using Formula Quuuuue."

"I can make her understand."

The Riddle Door was located on the west edge of Knowhere. The elevator brought them far down to the bottom of the outside of the station, the gravity altered so that they were upside-down. They were at the start of a racetrack, and all the competitive racers were in karts built for two: Sly Cooper and Bentley, Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Daxter, Banjo and Kazooie, Yooka and Laylee, and The Riddler and a Riddlerbot (who would start in 1st place). The pairs were facing opposite directions, but the back racers had steering wheels.

"Hm heh heh heh. Welcome, Sandman, to the Space Coaster." The Riddler smirked. "This final challenge will be classic Mario Kart: Double Dash. Our audience has long been awaiting the great race." He pointed to a cage where Danika was trapped helplessly. Unlike the other captives, she wasn't blindfolded, she was ecstatic to see Nolan. There was a tube at the top of the cage, aiming into deep space. "She would absolutely DIE if her husband didn't win! Because if he doesn't, she will be SUCKED into deep space and breathe her last! We have a kart set up for you two. And feel free to read the instructions before we begin."

Nolan and Jack approached the empty kart, set in last place. "Why is the wheel facing the other way?"

"Easy! Because all our karts are programmed to drive backwards! You must instruct your teammate which way to turn and what buttons to press. The best part is these other racers are robots. It's not too late to back out, Sandman."

"Not on your life." Sandman took the driver seat while Jack took the front seat. "All those Sandmobile races will finally pay off."

"On your mark…" Riddler began. "Get set… GO!" (Play "Big Blue" from Smash Bros. Melee!)

The racers kicked off at high speed, but Nolan and Jack had already fallen behind. "List toward the right." Jack instructed, Nolan steering the wheel counterclockwise carefully. They hit some "?" blocks, and a roulette spun on Jack's side, indicating they got triple Red Shells. They were driving into a field of giant springs that threatened to fling them into space. Nolan evaded the springs under Jack's instruction, and Jack was able to hit Yooka-Laylee with a Red Shell.

The track divided in two, and the duo decided to take the top track. They had to drive up ramps to go over gaps, and they were steadily catching up to Banjo-Kazooie. Jack shot a shell at them, but they blocked it with their own shell. They drove up a blue ramp that triggered their glider to activate, and Jack had to instruct Sandman to maneuver around columns of fire. Banjo-Kazooie hit one of the fires and slowed down, allowing Nolan-Jack to pass them as they landed.

They crossed the first checkpoint and entered the 2nd lap. "What?! You're still alive? What's the matter with you robots?! We practiced this a hundred times in the simulations! Surely, the real thing can't be smarter than my HOLOGRAM!" They were driving toward a series of small islands in a lava lake, the racers needing to use spring pads to propel up and steer their cars to them. Nolan-Jack were able to land on a high platform to the left and go up another Glide Ramp, soaring over the lava and claiming a "?" Block. They earned Triple Mushrooms, not a moment too soon as they were zooming across a region of Dash Panels.

They were closing in on Sly-Bentley, who had a Green Shell and were determined to take the heroes down. The second the shell launched, Jack used a Mushroom to boost their kart, bounce the shell back with the momentum, and knock Sly-Bentley out of the way. "Impossible! You can't do that in Mario Kart!" Riddler shouted.

"You can now!" Nolan retorted. Jack quickly used the last two Mushrooms to cover some ground, passing Ratchet-Clank as they were going through a track of steep hills with tight left and right turns. They hit another "?" Block and earned a Spring Pad, which would propel them up from wherever they were—however, their item was stolen by Ratchet-Clank, who used a Boo.

"A Spring Pad?" Clank observed. "That may not be wise to use in this area."

"SORRY, SUCKER!" Vanellope jumped out of Nolan's watch, over to their kart, and stomped the item button before quickly glitching off. The Spring Pad forcibly activated and sent Ratchet-Clank flying.

"WHOOOOOAAAA!" Ratchet screamed.

"Hm? Hum, huh—uuuuuhh… mmm, bup-bup." Clank screamed.

"Was that… his scream?" Vanellope asked, feeling like she needed to hear that again.

They crossed the next checkpoint and entered the Final Lap. They grabbed a "?" Block and won a Place Swap. Jack fired it dead ahead and hit Jak-Daxter, stealing their 2nd place spot. "Impossible!" The Riddler shouted, looking back to see them. "You were supposed to have crashed into the lava lake after Banjo-Kazooie sniped you with a Bob-omb! We choreographed it and everything! I HAVE THE MATH EQUATION RIGHT HERE!!" He raised a piece of paper as it flapped wildly.

Nolan-Jack got a Green Shell, and they dodged a banana peel from Riddler. Nolan got them lined up as best he could before Jack launched the shell and hit him. The heroes passed The Riddler, and it was just a clear cut to the Finish Line. "GRRRR! You will NOT win this!" Riddler input a cheat code to give himself multiple Red Shells. He fired them one by one, but Sandman tossed boomerangs to hit them with great timing. "Stop… not… DYIIIIIINNNG!!" Seething with rage, Riddler input a Crazy 8's code. In a flash, his kart was surrounded by eight items.

It would take a slow-motion effect to see what happened next: Sandman saw the Star about to circle to Riddler's front, and so he stomped the brake, slowed down, and swiped the Star right from him. Their kart turned invincible, and Riddler unfortunately touched them and crashed. The heroes sped to the Finish Line with nothing to stand in their way. Meanwhile, Banjo-Kazooie had launched a Blue Shell, but by the time it caught up, Nolan-Jack had already crossed the Finish, so the Blue Shell set its sights on Riddler. "This game hates me." was the last thing he said before his kart exploded. (End song.)

Nolan quickly jumped off his kart and ran to Danika's cage. Nolan sprayed Explosive Gel, blew up the glass, and helped his wife get out. "Huff…huff…" Danika immediately grabbed him in a hug. "Nolan… you made it…"

Nolan took off his mask. "I know I'm always late to dinner… but I always make it back." And the two shared a romantic kiss. If Jack had tear ducts, he would be wiping some away. Seeing them together reminded him of someone special.

The two broke apart and shared a smile. Danika glanced down, and then she realized: "N-Nolan… where's your wheelchair?"

"Oh… yeah." Nolan blushed, scratching his head. "The thing is, I've… been using Formula Q."

Back in the town

"GAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Nolan came blasting out of the elevator, crashing on a road as the aliens panicked. Their hearts filled with dread when a black cloud of shadow loomed over them, glowing white eyes gazing coldly at the man.

"NOLAAAAAAN!" He got up and ran as fast as possible, but the shadow gracefully soared over him, curved down, and stopped in front of him.

"You idiot, why did you take the Chi Gloves off?!" Revan asked.

"Danika, I had to use it! There was no way I could've-" The shadow grabbed him by the collar and opened a void on the ground. "HONEY, PLEASE!"

They both sunk into a Veil. Aliens gathered around and watched as the furious woman smacked and kicked him around like a ragdoll. It was the most convoluted and explicit display of shadow puppets they had ever seen. "WAKAAAAAAA-!" Danika cried, twirling her arm, and giving Nolan one final powerful PUNCH that sent him flying high and crashing on the street.

The shadowbender emerged from the ground, panting. "YOU PISS ME OFF SO MUUUUCH!"

"'ey, what kind of crazy lady are you?!" a thug asked.

"I'M A HOUSEWIIIIIIIIIFE!" Her face turned demonic again.

"RUUUUUUUN!" The aliens cleared the area.

"Sigh… Alright. I'm going for a walk. When you're ready to leave, come get me." With that, Danika left.

"Ehhhh… I got slagged." Nolan grunted.

"She gives you strength, she shows she caaaaares…" That majestic voice could only belong to Jack. "No matter how much it hurts down theeeeere." Jack helped Nolan to his feet. "She will always stand by yooooouuu… As you can seeee… to put it simple-lyyyy… you're just meant to beeeee…"

"…Well, we should probably save your father." Nolan said.

"Oh, alright, then." Jack frowned.

"This is exactly why I never married." Revan commented.

After returning to the Boot of Jemiah, they were able to use the data from the trophies to unlock the door. They passed a short corridor before arriving at the museum from Nolan's dream. Dozens of glass cages, filled with the rarest items and creatures imaginable. A bright blonde man in a black robe turned to his guests. "So, you're Taneleer Tivan. The Collector." Nolan spoke.

"And to what do I owe this intrusion?" Tivan spoke calmly. "I do not welcome visitors unless they have something to offer me." He glanced at Jack. "A living skeleton? Hmm… living skeletons are rare, but hardly rare enough for my Colleción."

"I'm not just any skeleton, you know! I am the Pumpkin King!"

"Ohh! Then I take it you are here for the Nightmare King."

"WHERE IS HE?" Nolan asked demandingly.

"I was told someone would try to rescue him." Tivan walked over to an empty cell. "Back in July, two men came to my museum. One of them was fascinated by one of my items. Horror's Hand." He put his right hand to the case. "He was the first man I know that was able to wear Horror's Hand, without succumbing to pure madness. He demanded he take it, but then he promised a trade: he would deliver the Nightmare King to me before Halloween." Tivan faced them again. "And yet, it is not the same. The price on the king is nothing to the price on the hand. If you return Horror's Hand to me, I will be happy to trade."

"No. We need Darkrai if we're going to get the hand back. We'll bring it to you after you release him."

"Then I propose a game: find Darkrai hidden amongst my Colleción within the next five minutes, and I will let you take him."

"Let's see if his cellphone is still active!" Jack grabbed a Spider Cell from his shirt and dialed a number.

"EEEEEEEEK!" Tivan's chest seemed to jump. Jack narrowed his eyes and reached a hand out.

"Sigh…" Tivan withdrew a bottle of milk from his robe, the shrunken Nightmare King inside it. Jack snatched the bottle, tore it open, and poured the milk onto the ground. Black was merged in with the white, and in a moment, Darkrai grew back to his full size and form.

"Father!" Jack helped him to float. "Father…"

"Ergh… Jack…" Darkrai weakly opened his eye. "N…Nolan…"

"Darkrai, you must know about Horror's Hand." Nolan said. "You know Affright has it. He's using your Nightmares to attack the Kids Next Door. We need to know how to stop him before something terrible happens!"

"NO!" Darkrai started back to full consciousness and flew a few feet away. "No! No one can stop it! No one can stop him… All is lost…"

"What are you talking about, Father?"

"Listen, Son… there's something about Horror's Hand you don't know. Horror's Hand… was the very first Nightmare my father created. It is… my older brother." A Dark Void appeared around Darkrai and expanded, swallowing them in.

They were shown a vision of the Holy Nightmare, who had his left hand raised as multiple streams of red energy flowed into it. "It's true that my father channeled all the fears of the universe into his left hand, intending to create a weapon that mortals would fight over. But what he created was something far beyond his expectations."

When the fear had finished flowing in, Darkrai I raised the Nightmare Sword and CLEAVED the hand clean off. There was a blinding flash as the hand shone with incredible power. Darkrai I watched as red mist enveloped his severed hand, molding it into a small, humanoid shape.

The creature had a black, smoke-like body with a head that looked like a helmet. The helmet had three horn-like protrusions, with the center one almost resembling Darkrai's flame-like head. Its neck had a large collar, blowing in the wind, it had bulbs on the back of its hands, and its feet looked like they were blending in the shadows. It had red eyes with yellow pupils, and tiny yellow spots above them.

At that moment, Darkrai I was filled with curiosity. He slowly reached his right hand to pick up the tiny creature. "…Papa?" it spoke.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHH!" All of a sudden, the Nightmare King was awash with terrible fears even beyond his comprehending. "Wh-Wh…What is this?! What ARE you?!"

"Papa… what's wrong?…" The creature slowly stepped closer.

"GET AWAY! GET AWAY FROM ME!" Darkrai I grabbed his sword, pointing it at the imp as he hesitantly floated backward. Compared to the tiny creature, the Nightmare King was a towering titan of fear, and would seem to have the superior advantage in power and terror. And yet, the little creature before him, without even doing anything, was superior in every way.

"Ha ha ha!" The creature smiled and pranced up to him joyfully. "Daddyyyyy!"

Darkrai STABBED the tiny creature with his tremendous sword. Using all the power he could muster, he transformed the creature into a hand with an eye on the palm.

"And so, my father hid the Horrible Hand deep in the Underworld. He created a statue Nightmare called Horror and tasked him with guarding the hand. Afterwards, he molded an artificial left hand; he was a leftie, you know. And then, many years later, he created me." They watched as Darkrai I grabbed hold of his right pinky nail and forcefully yanked it off. "With only his pinky nail, my power was substantially smaller than my brother's."

Darkrai ended the vision, and they were back in Tivan's museum. "Wait… I can understand that Horror's Hand is more powerful than you or the first Nightmare King… but how the hell is Affright able to flaunt it around so casually?!" Nolan questioned. "He doesn't even have fearbending, so how could he control something that powerful?"

"I… don't know… but it matters not. Horror's Hand cannot be defeated. It's over."

"You can't be serious, Father!" Jack shouted. "There HAS to be a way to stop it! If we don't, the Kids Next Door is-"

"I can't!" Darkrai cried. "When my father told me this story, he… gave me a taste of the fear he once felt. I still feel it… the eye of Horror's Hand is burned into my mind. My brother is angry at my father. He is angry at me."

Nolan grabbed his skinny flame head in his Armament hand. "I don't care how damn scared you are! You're coming with me back to Earth! We need to save Haruka and all the other operatives under Affright's spell!"

"D-Don't make me! J-Just put me back in the milk!"

"Pearl, fetch another bottle, and a mop." Tivan ordered his slim, blue servant.

"No milk for you." Nolan took the empty bottle from Jack and shoved Darkrai inside it, having to use his finger to poke him in all the way. "Come on, let's find Danika and get out of here."

"I'll recycle my bottles from now on…" Jack replied.

Close to G.U.N. H.Q.

What the Sandman and Jack didn't know was that Affright had left Nightmare Land the moment Riddler reported they were on Knowhere. He was nearing GUN with an army of Nightmares at his behest. "The Kids Next Door… heroes admired by all. What lies these people believe. The Kids Next Door were never there for me… the only friend I had was Fear." Affright stared at the Eye of Horror. "But the Kids Next Door have forgotten what fear is. And because of them, the world has forgotten. But I will remind them. I will show them why the Kids Next Door must be feared." He raised Horror's Hand, the eye shining in GUN's direction. "I will make the Kids Next Door hurt them… just like they hurt me."