By

Kacie

* * *

~~~ Dani’s P.O.V. ~~~

For once the digital world gave us a nice place to camp, a beautiful waterfall with flowers everywhere! It was really great, but we knew we couldn’t stay. The Digiworld isn’t going to save itself, after all! Before we left we decided to wash up at the waterfall. During her shower, Lexxy found a hidden place behind the waterfall. There was an ancient prophecy that said the power of Melody would unlock the greatest attack, the Heart of Swords. I just knew it meant something important. After all, I have the Crest of Melody! Little did I know how soon we would find out I was right. . . . Sphinxmon attacked, and only Kombatmon digivolving to his Ultimate form, MetalKombatmon, saved the day!

* * *

"I'm getting sick of this." A figure was walking through the shadows. When it came into sunlight, it revealed what looked like a woman, dressed in dark purple and black clothing. A scowl appeared on her face. It was Lordessmon. She had watched time and again her fellow villains fail to destroy the pesky Digidestined. Sure, Duodramon had the strength and Majaramon had the magic, but somehow they both failed. She suddenly sneered. Perhaps now was a good time to send herself in. She was the brains of the group.

"I won't fail like those two." She began pondering. "I should try a different tactic. . . ." After thinking, she finally came up with a solution. She would attack the Digidestined in the one place where the Digimon couldn't save them. "Yes . . . perfect," she uttered softly, and headed towards her potions room. She rummaged through them and finally picked a couple that she could mix to make a special type of poison. As soon as it was finished, she headed out.

She remembered where the Digidestined were going. She would intercept them. She came to a valley. She knew the Digidestined would come into the area sooner or later. It was on the path they were taking. She walked down the hill and looked around. She finally located several fruit trees. She sneered. "This is the perfect spot." She reached into her bag that held the potion and sprinkled it all over the fruit. A sudden, mouthwatering smell filled the air. It would attract almost anyone to the fruit, including the Digidestined. When Lordessmon was satisfied, she vanished from sight and waited.

* * *

Several hours passed before anything showed up. The Digidestined and their Digimon came into the valley. They were exhausted and tired from the long walk. None of them spoke; they were just too tired. They were also getting very hungry. It was after lunchtime and none of them had eaten. When the smell filled their noses, they immediately headed for the orchard with the fruits.

"What is that lovely smell. . . ?" Lexxy asked, a bit of drool dribbling down from the corner of her mouth.

"I dunno. . . ." Lina stood next to her. "But I'm too hungry to care what it is. . . ."

Samee walked up. "So why are you just standing there?" They looked at her. "Let's follow our noses!"

Lexxy put her hand to her mouth and chuckled. "Are you Toucan Sam?"

Samee glared at the tomboy. "Shut up. . . ."

Jenn strolled towards them. She walked in between the two. "That's enough. Let's just go." She soon caught a whiff of the smell, and she too started drooling. "Must . . . find . . . food. . . ."

The group of humans and Digimon continued walking and they finally found a group of trees. Hanging from them were large, ripe fruit. A wonderful smell radiated off of them. The group stared at the fruit for a long time, studying the fruit.

"I wonder if they're safe to eat," Alex wondered.

"Who cares? It's food!" Dani immediately rushed over to the trees.

"Wait!" Alex rushed to follow Dani.

The Digidestined ran towards the fruit that dangled on the trees. Hunger overtook them and they forgot to even consider whether or not the fruit was dangerous or not. They grabbed a whole bunch and stuffed them into their bags. They then removed a couple to eat. They did need their energy to continue moving forward. The fruit smelled so wonderful that they couldn't help but try some right then and there. But no sooner did they bite into the fruit did they start feeling a bit tired.

"I'm sleepy," Lexxy groaned, yawning.

"Me too." Alex stretched out his arms. "Let's go to sleep."

"The walk must've . . . taken more out of me than I . . . thought. . . ." Jennifer curled up on the soft grass beside Foximon. In just a matter of minutes, all the Digidestined and their Digimon were sound asleep, breathing in and out softly and peacefully.

Lordessmon stepped out of her hiding place. "The sleeping poition has taken effect," she said matter-of-factly. "Now for the next phase of my plan."

She strode towards the sleeping group and knelt down next to Jenn, the leader. Jenn had a smiling expression, happy, blissful. Lordessmon narrowed her eyes. She would have to change that. She placed her cold hand against the girl's forehead, and after a few seconds, Jennifer's face contorted into fear. Lordessmon sneered coldly as Jennifer started to shake.

* * *

Everything was black all of a sudden, and cold. Jennifer found herself standing in the middle of nothing. She looked around for Foximon, but she wasn't in sight, and neither were their friends. Fear ran through her mind and veins. Suddenly there was a faint glow in the distance. She walked towards it, and found it was a door of some kind. She opened the door a little, and could see bright light. She cautiously stepped through the doorway.

Suddenly she slipped. Thinking fact, she grabbed onto the ledge and held on tight. She looked down at what appeared to be a bottomless pit. She whimpered in fear and struggled to climb back up. Jenn was extremely afraid of heights.

"FOXIMON!" she screamed in terror as she hung on tightly, but there was no reply. She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes tightly as she tried to keep herself from slipping. Pain was shooting through her hands as they started to lose their grip. Her fingers suddenly gave way and she plummeted towards the darkness below. But then her tanktop got itself caught on a branch, preventing her fall. She sighed with relief, but wondered just how long the branch would hold.

A new fear just then showed its face. Jennifer looked in horror as she saw Foximon. The little fox Digimon looked battered and beaten, barely alive. She was tied down on the cliff’s opposite side, and was barely breathing. "FOXIMON!" she cried again, hoping to get a response this time. There was nothing but silence. Jennifer knew she was helpless to do anything to help her Digimon partner.

Then screams echoed. Jennifer turned her head in all directions, eyes widening in horror as she recognized the voices. It was her friends and their Digimon. But she couldn't see them anywhere. They were coming close, and she was helpless to help them, either. She started crying, believing this was all real. But she had no idea that this was just a dream.

* * *

Jennifer was not the only one experiencing nightmares. The other Digidestined were being overrun by all their own worst fears. And none of them knew they were only dreaming.

Inside Samee's mind, she was running somewhere, but she didn't know where. She knew something was chasing her, but she didn't know what. She was blinded by fear. She didn't know where she was going. All she knew is she had to get away. Something chased her, a shadowy figure.

"Get away . . . get away! Get away!" she cried out, tears of fear streaming down her face. She suddenly tripped and fell to the ground. She quickly got onto her back and pushed herself away a bit. The shadowy figure was upon her, glowing white eyes almost smiling as it stared down coldly at Samee's fear.

"Who . . . who are you. . . ?" Samee choked out, a terrible shiver overcoming her as the realization that she couldn't run processed in her brain.

As the figure stepped from the darkness into what little light was there, Samee felt her heart skip a beat. "Why," it hissed fiercely, "I'm . . . the Digimon Queen!"

"No . . . it can't be . . . not you!" A shriek rang out and the Queen leapt at Samee, a clawed hand outstretched.

* * *

Lordessmon watched as the Digidestined squirmed in their sleep. Sweat stained their faces, and tears started forming. Some were even in fetal position. Lordessmon smiled evilly, very pleased with how things were turning out. She thought it was now a good time to leave. The dreams would do the children in. As long as they didn't know they were dreaming, they'd be trapped inside their minds forever.

Only a few seconds after she left, BabyBunnimon groaned. She struggled to get up. Lordessmon hadn’t bothered to give the Digimon nightmares. Humans had delicate minds and were easier to mess with. She left the Digimon well enough alone. BabyBunnimon noticed Skye was shaking terribly and it wasn't from cold. As she examined her partner more, she could see that her face wasn't peaceful, it was plastered with fear.

There was rustling nearby as something was walking through the bushes. BabyBunnimon hissed. "BabyBunnimon, digivolve to . . . Magimon!"

Magimon braced herself from a fight. But as she looked around, there was nothing. She turned her attention back to Skye and the others. Her ears folded back as she began to worry about the situation.

* * *

Inside the dreams, the Digidestined were still being taunted by their worst fears. Jennifer was still trapped, unable to help Foximon or her friends. She felt totally helpless. Samee was tortured by her own alter ego, the Digimon Queen. She struggled to fight, but Sonomi was always one step ahead.

The nightmares that the others were having were just as awful. Words could not describe it. Lexxy was so frightened that, even though she was asleep, outside the dream she was clutching her Digimon close. Dani tossed and turned in her sleep, as in the dream she desperately tried to get away from something. Alex was crying in his sleep, and loudly too.

But then, in the midst of each of their dreams, voices began breaking through. They echoed in the sky and seemed to be almost imagined, almost as if they came through their minds, voices in their head. The children searched around for the voice.

"Lexxy, it's only a dream, wake up!" Cunomon cried out.

"Jennifer, wake up!" shouted Foximon.

"Dani, you're dreaming!" Pandamon screamed.

"This isn't happening, Lina!" Diratimon shouted.

The voices almost blended in with one another. They almost sounded like a single voice for a second. The Digidestined, in each dream, suddenly thought about this. They slowly realized that the voices they were hearing were their own Digimon. Realization struck them in the face. They were trapped inside a dream!

"You think they heard us?" Foximon whispered softly, nuzzled Jennifer's face.

"F-F-Foximon. . . ." Jennifer whispered, groaning. Foximon smiled gratefully.

"I think they did," Cunomon said, smiling as well.

"Let's keep it up! Maybe we can help them get through this," Diratimon chirped, walking closer to his partner.

Foximon talked into Jenn's ear. "You have to try and wake up. Don't believe anything you see!"

Jennifer looked around in the abyss, trying to locate the voice. As she did, it continued to speak, "Try, please . . . just wake up!"

Jennifer looked at the bottomless pit and closed her eyes. "I don't know how. . . ."

Sunemon suddenly got an idea. She shouted loudly for all the Digidestined to hear. "Face your fears head on! Maybe the nightmare will go away! They won't bother you again!" The other Digimon looked at her, some a bit surprised.

"You sure that would work?" Yazumon asked.

Sunemon shook her head. "I have no idea." Her ears folded back. "But it's the only thing that I can think of."

Inside the dreams, the Digidestined knew what they head to do. If they wanted to get out of the dream and back to reality, they all had to face their fears. Jennifer gulped, and struggled to get herself unhooked by the branch. She used her arms to quickly brace herself and pushed out, launching herself towards the ledge where Foximon was tied. She could feel tears escaping her eyes as she made this leap of faith.

Samee growled almost bitterly and gave a punch at the figure. The Digimon Queen yowled and fell to the floor. She looked up, her white eyes wide with fear and surprise. Samee took on the offensive. "You can't control me anymore!" She dashed forward and gave no time for the Digimon Queen to fight back.

In her dream, once Skye was through with facing her fears, she looked up and saw Athenamon flying towards her. She landed next to Skye, and urged her to get on. Skye climbed onto the back of Athenamon and they flew off into the skies. The other Digidestined were also being guided out by their Digimon. Lexx rode on Sartomon, Kristina rode on Skylamon, Emily rode on Agurimon, and the other Digidestined rode on their Digimon. Their nightmares faded into white as their minds were starting to wake up.

The Digidestined woke up, rubbing their heads and feeling a bit shaky. But one thing was different about them. Their fears, they had disappeared. They each hugged their Digimon tightly, almost afraid to let go.

"Oh thank you!" they shouted in unison, tears of joy staining their faces.

"We're glad your safe!" the Digimon said in unison.

"But who could've done this?" Kristina pondered, stroking the crown feathers of Jaymon.

Samee narrowed her eyes. "I bet it was Marajamon again."

Sunemon nodded. "You know how she is. . . ."

But Skye was having different ideas. "No . . . I don't think it was Marajamon. Not this time."

"What do you mean?" Lexxy tilted her head.

Skye shivered. "It's almost as if . . . it was one of my Digimon creations." She looked at Lexxy straight in the eyes. "My villains were very smart and very tough to beat. They would do something like this, attack us in our dreams. This seemed like one of their works." She turned away. "I only hope that isn't the case. . . ."