Nightmares Suck

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(This chapter contains slight injury detail)
Pixel jolted awake. Her surroundings were just her room.
...
Phew, just a nightmare.
She looked at the clock, and it was only 4:20 am. She smirked a bit, but then felt a tiny bit of pain in her arm. She looked down and...
It was bleeding.
On closer inspection, she accidentally slept on Pancake. It must have cut her. She remembered how it was broken in her nightmare. She panicked and checked for any cracks. Pixel really cared about Pancake and would hate to see it broken.
...
Nothing.
"Thank god." She whispered, picking up Pancake.
'Pixel, I'm sorry!'
'For what?'
'Hurting your arm! It looks bad, tell someone!'
'No way! I can't tell someone, they wouldn't know how to deal with my arm! I've got cake bones, keep in mind!'
'But it's bleeding! I'm so sorry!'
'It's fine, Pancake. I'm not mad at you.'
She went into the bathroom, washed Pancake and rolled up her sleeve. The cut was deeper than she expected, and it was on her right arm. How the hell would she train if she was right handed? "Ugh, fantastic." She looked around for a first aid kit but had no clue where to find one. She was gonna sneak out of her room and find one, but there's no way she'd be quiet enough to walk around. She also had no clue how to do first aid. All she knew was to wash it. She carefully put water on her arm. She had no idea what to do. If only she knew this stuff. She wrapped a small towel around the injury and went back to bed, hoping it worked. She drifted off on her left side.
...
Pixel woke up to Sonic's knock and she took a little longer than usual to get ready.
"Yo Pixel, what took so long?" He asked jokingly.
"... Just a little bit sleepy today! Don't worry about it!"
"Alright, let's go get some food!" He cheered. She smiled at his enthusiasm and went down the stairs. Sonic noticed how she was struggling to keep up with him, and got concerned.
"Pixel, you okay?"
"Yes, I'm okay! Why do you ask?"
"Hmm... You're struggling to keep up."
"You're just kinda fast, that's all!"
"But... it's never been a problem before this."
"I didn't sleep well, let's just say that!"
"... Okay then. Let's go get your sandwich." He said, opening the door. They ordered.
"So is today a Meta Knight day?"
"Yeah, it is."
"Have fun!"
"Thanks Sonic, byee!" She made her way to the stage selection, but couldn't reach Halberd. She tried stretching her arm up to it, but she felt a jolt of pain. How the hell was she meant to reach the stage now?
...
Well, she had an idea. It wasn't a very pleasant one, but it would work. Ignoring the pain, she pushed Pancake up to the stage and it worked. She then stepped through the door. He... wasn't there?
...
Pixel sat down and gripped her arm. It hurt really bad. How did she even sleep on Pancake? She thought she put it away! Even worse, she was right handed. How do you fight if your right arm has a stab wound?! The whole thing was worrying, but she stopped worrying when Meta Knight entered. He seemed out of breath.
"There you are!" She smiled.
"Sorry I'm late... *huff* I slept in."
"Oh, that's fine! It happens sometimes. I only just got here. Did you get some food?"
"No, I had no time." She broke a bit off her sandwich and gave it to him.
"There you go!"
"Uhh... isn't it weird for an adult to accept food from a starving child?"
"Oh, I'm not starving. But you are, so you should take it."
"I... cannot accept this. You need it more than me."
"Oh, so pies are fine but not a small sandwich?"
"W-Well you don't have a really big sweet stash in your room, do you?"
"Wait what?! You have a sweet stash?!"
"... Shit."
"Wow, that's awesome! What kind? Peppermint? Candy corn? Gummy? Chocolate?"
"A pretty big mix. I have them as a midnight snack."
"Okay, that's pretty cool! Anyways, take the sandwich!"
"... If I eat the sandwich, will you be fed enough? You only have a half."
"Who cares? Not like I'm hungry. Anyways, just eat it." He sighed in defeat and ate the sandwich. She smiled, feeling victorious.
"Anyways, are you ready to begin training?" He asked.
... Oh no.
"U-Uh... Yeah! Let's do this!" He smiled under his mask.
"Great, I have an idea for today's training. We've been focusing so much on working up your move set that you don't have a final smash. So let's make one. Write a few ideas down." He gave her some paper and a pen. She felt her heart stop. Picking up the pen with her left hand, she attempted to write some ideas. Meta Knight stared at the paper with confusion.
"... Is that your handwriting?"
"... No."
"Switch to your right hand, it would be easier."
...
Oh crap.
She switched hands and wrote something very lightly. It was more readable, but too light to be seen. She put more pressure on it. The pain was bad, but she still made an idea.
"M-My idea is Cupcake Rain. I wave my hand and cupcakes fall from the sky. Pretty good idea, right?"
"Yes, that's a great final smash. I mean, if it's stronger than Jigglypuff and Rosalina's then it's probably better by default. Now then, try it out." She waved her hand and made it rain cupcakes. How it was possible? Total mystery. The sandbag took some hits and it seemed to be hurt.
"Great work, now let's work on sword fighting tactics." He said, pulling out Galaxia. She silently panicked, but took out Pancake. He looked at it in concern.
"Why is it bloody?"
"Hmm? What's bloody? Pancake's clean."
"Your arm. There's blood on your sleeve."
"... Uhhh..."
"Pixel, have you killed someone?" He half joked.
"Hah, of course not!" He seemed to look into her eyes. She felt uncomfortable. I mean, nobody enjoys staring into deep yellow eyes. The mask was also intimidating. Out of nowhere, his eyes went green.
"Tell me what happened."
"Nothing."
"You've hurt yourself." He was a stubborn one. She sighed.
"Okay, I accidentally cut myself."
"How in the Halberd did you cut yourself?"
"I somehow fell asleep on Pancake and it cut me."
"And you've properly treated the injury?"
"... I had no idea how to do it. I've never done first aid before."
"... Well that's great." He sighed sarcastically.
"Sir, how do I deal with it? I never did this stuff in my game, I only ate cakes."
"I hope you realise I didn't either. In Kirby, you eat food to heal yourself. And since this injury wasn't obtained on a battlefield we have to do this manually." He sighed.
"Manually?"
"Yes. Roll up your sleeve." She rolled it up. He saw the injury and flinched. It was way worse than he was expecting. And to be honest, he had no clue how to heal a human.
"Uhhh... That looks bad. We should probably go see Dr Mario." He sighed.
"Dr... Mario?"
"Yes. Mario, but a doctor." He was about to leave, but then stopped. He had an idea.
"Actually, I've got a better idea." He punched her leg.
"Ouch! Hey what the hell?!"
"I've initiated battle. Hit me back." She stabbed him.
"Ouch... Now let's fight."
"Wait, I wasn't ready for this!-"
*GAME!*
She respawned and the injury was still there. He groaned.
"Ugh, this is quite an issue. How on Popstar do we do this now?"
"Popstar?"
"It's my planet."
"Oh, cool name!"
"Thank you. I have a new idea but it may not work because I don't know if these do anything out of battle. Take this tomato and eat it over there." He gave her a tomato with an 'm' on it and pointed to the other side of the stage. She looked at him confused.
"Uhm... Why?"
"It heals you."
"No, why over there?"
"... Reasons I don't want to explain."
"But what happens if I eat it here?"
"Something that will make me incredibly uncomfortable. And you'll feel the same. Just please go eat it over there." She went to the other side and ate it, then went back. It had healed!
"Now tell me. Why can't I eat it near you?"
"Just something that happens in my game and I'm pretty sure only with Kirby food. It's hard to explain, but if you ate it near me I'd be healed too."
"Isn't that a good thing though?"
"Not really. I am perfectly fine. Although..."
"What?"
"... Nothing."
"No, tell me what's wrong!"
"No."
"Please!"
"No."
"Please!"
"No"
"Please!"
"No."
"If you don't tell me, I'll cry. And... I cry acid!"
"Stop referencing stuff! You've never used YouTube before!"
"Screw you moon! You can't control me!"
...
"Okay so what's wrong?" She asked again.
"... Just a bad dream."
"Hmm. That's strange. I had one too. It was about the Cake Witch. And... she said messed up things."
"... Mine was something that happened a few years ago. It was in 2018, I think. I cannot remember. I was in a dark room, being force fed this golden stuff. I didn't want it, but I couldn't breathe, so I had to open my mouth. I felt paralysed."
"... Man, nightmares suck!"
"Yes, he really does."
"He?"
"Nightmare. I hate him."
"... Wait, what are we actually talking about?"
"Nightmare."
"Oh, I thought we were talking about nightmares."
"Yeah, they suck. But not as much as Nightmare."
"... I'm confused."
"So am I, let's just move on and do training."
"Okay!"
"Now I must say, we do not have the most time to prepare for the trial, or whatever it was. So I will not hold back. Are you ready?"
"Uhhh... Okay!" She bounced up and withdrew Pancake.
"Are you sure you're ready? I don't think you could handle this." He taunted.
"Yeah, I'll be fine! And I'm gonna win this time!-"
*GAME!*
"Ughhhh... You bitch."
"Language."
"Why are you so ruthless?!"
"I'm not ruthless, just trying to make you stronger."
"How is killing me going to help?!"
"I didn't kill you."
"Yeah, whatever you douchebag." She huffed, turning around and crossing her arms. He laughed at her quietly. She spun around and glared at him.
"Quit laughing!"
"Ahahahahahaha!"
"It's not funny!"
"It most certainly is funny!"
"Tch, I'm leaving!"
"You sure? I mean, we have training to do!" He smirked.
"Screw that, I'll go find someone else and you're gonna regret this!"
"Hah! Pixel, I thought you were desperate to join Smash Bros!"
"I am, but I'll train with Isabelle instead!"
"Mhm, good luck with that. She's too busy to train someone."
"Well fine, I'll find someone! Someone better than you!"
"Yeah right, bye Pixel. It's been fun." She walked away, but paused.
"... Actually, I don't want someone else." She said, looking at him.
"Really now?"
"Yeah, I think you're good enough! Now let's do this!... And if you laugh at me again I'll kill you."
"Oh, alright. Come on then." He smiled.
*GAME!*
*GAME!*
*GAME!*
*GAME!*
*GAME!*
"Ouch... *huff* let's go again!"
*GAME!*
*GAME!*
*GAME!*
*GAME!*
*GAME!*
*GAME!*
*GAME!*
"This is hard, why are you so strong?"
"I'm experienced."
"Alright, we're going again!"
*GAME!*
*GAME!*
*GAME!*
*GAME!*
...
"Wait, did I just win?!"
"Yes! Congratulations, you just beat me!"
"HOLY CRAP! I KNEW I'D DO IT ONE DAY, WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
"Great job, you'll perfect the trial!"
"... When is the trial anyway?"
"Hmm... So today is Friday... It's next Monday."
"So... it's in three days?!"
"No. The next Monday."
"Oh, thank god."
"So... wanna take a break and go do something?"
"Oh, such as?"
"Well... I kind of agreed to be somewhere at this time. Kirby invited me to do a Classic Mode. So you can take a break."
"Okay, see ya later!" Pixel left Halberd and paused. What was she meant to do now?
...
Eh, maybe go for a walk.
She left the building and walked around the building. For some reason, she smelled spray paint. At the back of the building the villains were making their emblems. She bolted back inside and closed the door, no way she was getting close to them! Spray paint (in her opinion) smelled awful. She walked up the stairs, but bumped into someone. She almost stumbled back.
"Woah!"
"Oh, sorry." She was caught in a magical blue aura. A fighter had saved her from falling down the stairs!
"Hey, you're Lucario right?"
"Yes."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Pixel!"
"Yeah, I know. Here, let me help you up." He elevated her back onto her feet.
"How did you do that anyway?" She asked.
"I have pretty good reflexes, I had enough time to save you."
"Well that was very sweet. Thank you!"
"You're welcome."
...
"Wanna be friends?" She asked.
"Uhhh... sure."
"Great! Let's go do something fun!... Unless you're busy..."
"No, I was just taking a walk. The person I was training with left."
"Same here."
"Who were you training with?"
"Meta Knight. He had to go do a Classic Mode, whatever that is."
"Just a bunch of fights. I was with Mewtwo, but I fucking hate Mewtwo. So that prick left. I wanted to kill it."
"... Okayyyyy... so you don't like Mewtwo?"
"No. I hate Mewtwo. And Mewtwo hates me too."
"I see... uhh... so what do you want to do?"
"... We could go do a Home Run Contest. Just hit Sandbag with a home run bat. It's easy."
"I dunno, I'm not really a fighter yet."
"We could... go hang out with Pokémon Trainer."
"Okay, which one?"
"... Never mind, Leaf is still in bed and Red is busy. Wanna hang out in my room? Play some video games or something?"
"Okay, sounds fun! What games?"
"I dunno, I have a few. Let's go." She went into the Brawl area and reached Lucario's room. It was blue and edgy with a tv and lots of video games. Like a teenager's dream. Well, an edgy teenagers dream. Pixel doesn't live like that.
"It's very cool!"
"Thanks, I made it back in Smash 4. Took a lot of coins to get a tv."
"Wow, really?"
"Yeah. I had to nab a few tips from Wolf. Such as, having spikes on your wall is a bad idea. He once walked into one of them."
"Oh yikes! Was he okay?"
"Yeah, he was fine. Just a little injured."
"A little? Woah, sounds lucky. Anyways, what games ya got?"
"Oh yeah, forgot about that. There's Pokkén Tournament, Tomodachi Life, Halo, just a whole bunch of games." She looked at the shelf and saw many games. Pokémon Moon, Sonic Adventure 2, OMORI, Pixel's Cake Quest, Mario Maker-
Wait... Pixel's Cake Quest?!
"You have my game?!"
"Oh yeahhh... some guy on Pokébay was selling it for 300 Pokédollars. I bought it to see what it was like."
"Aww! That's so sweet!"
"Thanks. What's it about anyway?"
"A super awesome orphan girl, that's me by the way, is recruited by the Queen Frostingbelle to defend the kingdom and defeat the evil Cake Witch and her army of evil cakes. She has to defend cakes, destroy evil cakes, travel across the planet and risk her life to kill the Cake Witch and bring the Golden Cake of Life back to Queen Frostibelle!"
"Wow, and you left this game to join Smash?"
"It's not as exciting when you're in your 189th play through... also people kept forgetting the game existed and it didn't exactly have a fan base." She sighed.
"It sounds pretty good. I'll play it when I have the time."
"Really? You'd play my game?"
"Yeah, it sounds like the type of game I'd enjoy!" He smiled. Her eyes lit up.
"THANK YOU SO MUCH, LUCARIO!" She cried, slamming herself into a hug. Lucario hugged back with a little too much pressure.
...
Then realised.
"Grk-!" He felt a liquid drip down his chest spike. He had completely forgot why he couldn't hug anyone. She backed away, holding her neck.
"Pixel, I am so so sorry. I forgot that I had a chest spike." He said with guilt. She looked up at him.
"I-It's not... your... fauuuulttt..." She collapsed. He stared down at this possibly lifeless child. What the hell was he supposed to do?
(...)
Pixel woke up in a bed. She heard beeping. She sat up and looked around, seeing Mario!
"Hey Mario!"
"Oh, I'm-a Dr. Mario. The Doctor version of-a Mario."
"So... Mario but with a medical degree?"
"Well... I-a don't have a degree. But I'm still-a qualified!"
"WAIT WHAT?!"
"Oh, relax! Lucario brought you-a to me so I could-a deal with the stab-a wound!"
"And... did you?"
"I tried my-a best, but I really just-a put a bandage around it."
"Well... thank you!"
"No-a problem! You're-a lucky it wasn't-a deep. Also not-a any blood loss, just-a jam. Which is very-a weird."
"I'm part cake."
"Oh! That-a makes sense!"
...
"How long was I out for?" She asked.
"Hmm... well it's-a 7 o'clock right-a now."
"Oh, in the morning?" She joked.
"Yes. You were out for ages."
"Wait... what?!"
"I'm joking, it's-a 7pm"
"Oh thank god. So... should I continue my day?"
"Yes, but-a be careful. You're fragile."
"Ah, I know. Bye bye!" She left the room and made her way down the stairs-
(tumble)
"AAAAHHHHHH!"
"Uhh... you okay?" A green hand came to her face. She pulled herself up and...
"Oh, hi Little Mac! I'm fine!" She laughed, checking if Pancake was damaged. Thankfully it was fine. Then she felt the pain in her neck, but ignored it. She was honestly quite embarrassed, why did she have to fall down the stairs?
"You sure? You look really hurt." He asked.
"Yep, just on my way to see Lucario!"
"Oh, well, can you tell him something?"
"Sure thing!"
"Tell him to 1v1 me on Final Destination no items."
"Is that, like, some sort of threat?"
"Kinda. Anyways, bye." He walked away. She went down to his room and knocked. He opened the door.
"Oh, hey. Are you okay?"
"Yep! In fact, I came here to tell you I'm fine!"
"Thank Arceus, I was worried."
"Also, Little Mac wants to '1v1 you on Final Destination no items' whatever that means."
"Oh, really now? Heh, he's so on."
"Did you guys fall out?"
"We had a heated debate about his recovery. Anyways, I'll get going." He left, locking his door and zooming down the stairs. She ignored him, instead making her way to her room. She was in the mood for some hardcore decorating! She made her wallpaper pink with sprinkles, added cake decorations, fairy lights, a cupcake rug, the whole shebang! And eventually it was looking nice! She smiled with pride, she did a flawless job!
'Wow Pixel, that looks great!' Said Pancake.
"Thank you, Pancake! I did my best, and as always, it looks perfect! I truly am the best!"
'That was egotistical!'
"Ah, you know how I am! Always proud of myself!"
'Someone's feeling a little too proud!'
"Too proud? Please Pancake, you should have seen me earlier!"
'I was your weapon, I did see!'
"Oh, that being said, do you feel pain?"
'Nope, I'm a sword! The only pain I feel is when I'm close to breaking!'
"Remember when you did break? How did you feel?"
'Dead!'
"Woah, wasn't expecting that answer!"
'It's true though! I felt completely empty!'
"Ahahhh... I'm gonna have to end this conversation. You're gonna give me a nightmare."
'Okay! How about you do some drawing?'
"Oh, good idea!" Pixel took out her book. She started to do some doodles.

"Pancake, what do you think of my drawing skills? Pretty great, right?"'Certainly better than mine! I can't draw, hehe!'"If you were human, what do you think you would look like?"'Up to you!'"Oh, maybe you'd look like this!"

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"Pancake, what do you think of my drawing skills? Pretty great, right?"
'Certainly better than mine! I can't draw, hehe!'
"If you were human, what do you think you would look like?"
'Up to you!'
"Oh, maybe you'd look like this!"

"Pancake, what do you think of my drawing skills? Pretty great, right?"'Certainly better than mine! I can't draw, hehe!'"If you were human, what do you think you would look like?"'Up to you!'"Oh, maybe you'd look like this!"

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'Wow! That's amazing!'
"I'm always amazing!"
'Am I amazing too?'
"Of course!"
'Thanks Pixel!'
"You're welcome Pancake!" Pixel yawned.
'Pixel, are you tired?'
"Only a little."
'Get some rest!'
"One sec, gotta put you down so I don't hurt myself again." She joked, taking one pillow off her bed and leaving it on the floor. She placed Pancake on it.
'Why the sudden kindness?'
"I'm in a cheery mood! I beat Meta Knight!"
'Ah, you're gonna be happy about that for the rest of the week.'
"Yep, night Pancake!"
'Night Pixel!'

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