Crossover With Non-anime Series Fan Fiction ❯ Nightmare's Descent ❯ Good Night, Sleep Tight ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

“Ben, go to bed,” Sandra called up the stairs to her son.
“But mom-” he started to call back.
“Ben, listen to your mother,” Carl joined, and Ben heard his father start to ascend the stairs.
“Fine, I’m going,” Ben grumbled as his father stood in the doorway and glared at him. The boy roughly turned of his Gamebox, Sumo Slammer to be forgotten for the night. He trudged into the bathroom and brushed his teeth, skipping his long-overdue shower and slipping into his pajamas.
Despite the Omnitrix clamped on his wrist, Ben’s parents kept a firm authority over him. He didn’t quite hate it, but he was no fan. However, Ben’s current lifestyle did beat the pants off of getting his ass handed to him by someone like Vilgax or Kevin.
Ben turned off the light, his automatic nightlight flashing on. He had quietly and discreetly asked his father to get it for him because of the constant nightmares regarding the summer he had gotten the Omnitrix. He didn’t tell his father, but the man was smart enough not to ask.
The boy carefully stepped through the clutter in his room and plopped down on his bed, swinging his feet up and under the covers, drifting slowly off to sleep.

---

Dani sat glumly on a high tree branch, staring up at the waning moon. Vlad gone, and she on her own, the young Halfa had thought herself on top of the world. What the reality was, however, that she had no money, had to scrounge for- if not just outright steal- food, and her home was under trees and cardboard boxes if dumpsters weren’t available.
The girl sighed as her mind mulled over her predicament, unwilling to let her sleep through her body’s growing exhaustion. She had considered returning to Amity Park, or even spending the rest of her existence in the Ghost Zone.
Dani had tried what her counterpart, Danny Phantom, had so successfully done, but she failed miserably. ‘Too young’, people had said, ‘Where’s her parents?’ ‘What’s that stupid kid doing?’ Many more Dani didn’t care to think about, and she never liked to think about the fact that they were right. She was a minor, a child. She should have a loving home and family.
But she didn’t.
Instead, Dani had had a maniacal creep for a father, and even then, he was gone now.
Dani laid on the thick branch and curled up, hoping she wouldn’t accidentally fall from the tree during the night.
The lonely Halfa clone fell into dreams quickly.

---

Rouge grinned at Shadow.
“This isn’t funny,” he said bluntly.
“It’s hilarious,” Rouge replied as the hedgehog’s eyes darted back to the doctor at the controls, “I had no idea medical instruments made you nervous.”
“They don’t,” Shadow replied, trying to keep truth out of his voice. He knew Rouge wasn’t buying his lies, though. His dreams haunted him, not only with Maria’s death, but also with the experiments that led up to and came of his birth, which had given him a long-lasting hatred and fear of doctors that he had hid with a stony countenance.
“You’ll be going into a hyper-regenerative, trance-like state for the night, and we’ll have you back up and about in the morning,” the doctor said, ignoring Shadow and Rouge’s conversation.
“You’re going to leave me here like this?” the hedgehog demanded.
“Only for the night, Shadow. And this is a very secure facility- you’ll be safe.”
“You have no idea how much that unsettles me more,” Shadow muttered under his breath. Rouge gave him a look of mock sympathy.
“What,” she said, “You need your nightlight, Shadow? Some ’Ultimate Life Form’ you are.” The bat burst out laughing.
“Agent Rouge, may I ask that you leave?” the doctor asked, “I want him nice and calm when I put him under.” Shadow’s eyes widened slightly, and the young bat smirked at him.
“Sure, Doc. Take good care of him.” She left silently.
The doctor looked up at Shadow and asked, “Are you ready, young man?”
“Yes,” Shadow said, adding in his mind, I should be asking you that question though.
His mind melted into dreams.

---

King Mickey silently strode the halls of Disney castle, looking at the countless stars- the countless worlds- that shone in the sky. He scratched Pluto behind the ear until the dog’s hind foot volunteered to help and absentmindedly removed his hand when the dull claws hit his hand.
The stars hadn’t quite been blinking out as they once had when Ansem had sent the Heartless to do his bidding, but his dreams had been immensely troubled. Strange Heartless filled his dreams, the most prominent of them looking like an angry black jester. Granted, the young brunette man had done a surprisingly excellent job of repelling them, the Heartless wouldn’t retreat despite his efforts.
“Dear,” a voice said from behind the King, and he turned to face his wife, “It’s rather late, and I know you’re tired. You haven’t been sleeping well lately- you need your rest now, and I won’t have no for an answer.”
The King smiled at Queen Minnie- a sad, weary smile- as he consented.
“Alright, I’ll come to bed. But tonight’s not going to go well, I just know it.”

---

Danny sat again on his bed, using his strong ears to pick up the lowered voices of his parents downstairs. He didn’t really want a seeing eye dog, and neither did his father, but his mother saw no other solution for getting him quickly out of the house.
Danny’s father had suggested finding Danny a girlfriend, but his mother shot that down with the question, “But how’s he supposed to meet them?”
His mother’s bright-idea rebuttal to the girlfriend was a dog, which his dad didn’t quite think Danny would be able to handle.
“I know I’m a bit old to be living here,” Danny murmured to his hands, “But what else can I do?” The man sighed and systematically flipped his legs up onto the bed and under the covers, pulling the bed clothing over his body.
“Y’know,” he said to the darkened room in a cheery voice, “I think tonight’s gonna be a great night back in Nightopia.”