[Corruption, Purification, Magical Girl Themes]
"Well well well. What do we have here? Somebody that's trying her best to still stand, despite everything that's happened? You really are an impressive girl, Ame."
"Give me back my friends, Sweet Nightmare..! Give them back! GIVE THEM BACK!"
"Your screams won't bring them back, Ame. Nor will your struggles. Besides, they joined me out of the goodness in their hearts. Why would you want them to come back if they want to be with me?"
"You're lying! You poisoned them! You corrupted them! You made them think you were their friend! You were using them for your own plans and you didn't even think about what they wanted!"
"Aw, they wouldn't like to hear that. You're awful, Ame. So, so awful..."
Standing on a cloud high up in the skies above the City of Dreams, Yume, was a girl who could best be described as dreary. With her hair nearly covering up her glasses and the eyes behind them, as well as a dress sense that screamed that she wanted to be quiet and unnoticed, she hardly seemed like the kind of type to be standing on top of a cloud like this. Much less glaring at a girl around her age that was dressed in a much more erotic kind of outfit.
The girl who was being so smug was one of the leaders of the Nightmares that had been plaguing the City of Dreams. Her name was Sweet Nightmare, and it was her job to corrupt the Dreams that protected the City of Dreams with everything they had. They were just young ladies after all. A few sweet words, a few nudges here and there, and they fell completely. That was how she had managed to make them hers. And that was how she had intended to corrupt the girl in front of her.
But she was resilient. Her name was Ame, and she was the sole Dream still standing in her way. Rainy Dream, the girl that had stood right besides the young and excitable leader of the Sweet Dreams for the sake of keeping her happy and doing what she could to brighten the world. But now that all of her friends had been taken away... She was starting to slip into pure desperation...
Something that wasn't good, considering the subtle traces of black that were filling her otherwise azure blue eyes. The process of becoming a Nightmare involved extreme emotional duress or giving into the sinful aspects of one's emotions. If she didn't stop this, she'd end up falling down the same path as the friends she held dear.
"You're the awful one!" Ame shouted, panting and gasping as she felt her heart trembling in pain thanks to her emotional state. She knew she shouldn't be like this. But how could she not feel frustration and anger at the one that had taken them away? "I should've realized that you were planning to get close to Sunny... I should've realized you were a Nightmare from the very beginning! You didn't even give her the chance to think about what you did before you broke her!"
"What I did was nothing more than nudge her in the right direction, Ame. Just like I pushed you down this path." Sweet Nightmare gigglied, brushing a hand through her long red hair and slowly letting her other hand run down her black and red latex dress. She was dressed just like one of the Dreams, though in such an erotic fashion thanks to the fabric used for her outfit. "Come on. You know you hate me. Just give in and become a Nightmare. Then you can strike me down. Then you can take my place, ehehehe..."
Ame's eyes were being swallowed by more of the black color, even though she knew it was bad. She had to focus. She had to focus. She had to focus..! Even if she hated this girl, she couldn't let herself fall into the trap she had placed before her. She could transform, and then she could let the rain wash everything away. Yes, that would solve it. She just needed her DreamVane. It was in her pocket...
Her eyes widened as she couldn't find it, only to then see it resting carelessly on the palm of Sweet Nightmare's hand. "Give it back..!" She shouted, dashing towards the girl that hovered right above the cloud...
Only for Sweet Nightmare to gracefully dodge out of the way, all while laughing at the girl as she fell onto the cloud and her arm sank through the fluffy 'floor'. "You're slipping further. Come on, you really think I wasn't prepared for you? I didn't bring you all the way up here just to make you think you had a chance, Ame." The corrupt and devious Nightmare chimed, all while she slowly started squeezing her hand around that transformation trinket.
"DON'T! STOP!" Ame cried out as a tear ran down her cheek, reaching out with her other arm as she tried to reach towards the device that had let her transform before. She couldn't transform without it. To squeeze that tight would risk breaking it. She didn't want to experience the loss of her powers, much less the loss of her connection to her friends...
But Sweet Nightmare didn't care what she wanted. No, the only thing that mattered to the Nightmare was the desperation on her face. She wanted her to suffer. She wanted her to sink so deep that she wouldn't be able to come back. And sure, maybe she'd have to lose her life in the process because she'd get too enraged and kill her if she got the chance... But she'd serve the Nightmares if that was the case. Nobody that had been turned into a Nightmare would be able to defend what they held dear for long. Because their wills would be twisted into loyalty towards the Nightmares, as their emotions run wild with sin...
So she did exactly what she was implying. She crushed the DreamVane, causing it to dissolve into energy. Energy that drifted into the rest of the night sky, getting swallowed so quickly that there was practically nothing left of it after a few seconds had passed. All while Sweet Nightmare's wicked grin grew bigger and bigger...
Ame, meanwhile, could feel the despair claiming her. Even though she knew she should fight back against its influence, she could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks. She could feel it all. She could feel the hopelessness that came with being powerless. She wanted to save those close to her, but how was she able to do that if she couldn't fight for their sakes?
"You... You monster..!" She cried out, fury filling her blackened eyes as she yanked her arm out of the cloud, leaving a gray spot behind as it was like her fury had erupted into a thunderstorm. "You'll pay! For taking them away! For taking my powers away! For everything you've d-"
Only for that fury to overwhelm her and cause her to collapse right back onto her knees the second she tried to get up, her body trembling as it was wracked by her unbridled and overwhelmingly negative emotion. Doing this wasn't healthy. Not for her, not for any of the others...
"That's what I've been waiting for. Your heart can't take your emotions anymore. It'll shatter, and you'll be filled with sin. You'll become a Nightmare, just like your friends!" Sweet Nightmare giggled as she slowly twirled on her excessively sharp heel, all while red specks of energy started to swirl off her latex dress. "And speaking of those friends, I think they're about to arrive. You should greet them, Ame, I'm sure they'll be happy to see you again!"
Ame's eyes widened as she was forced to keep kneeling, all while three distinct types of weather started to fill the world around her. The scorching hot sun beamed down on her and tried to burn away her body. The ferocious winds were trying to tear her apart as they blew past her. And the freezing cold was trying to keep her in place to make the other weather destroy her, if not doing it on its own by turning her into an ice cube.
Those were the exaggerated powers of Sunny Dream, Windy Dream and Snowy Dream. Her teammates. Her friends. All of them were against her. All of them were here. And all of them were ready to make her into a Nightmare, or at the very least witness her transformation into one.
The first to appear came from the heat with a delightfully enthusiastic gasp and grin, with her own sun's rays beaming onto her body and revealing how deeply tanned she was. It was part of her expression of freedom, and one that she displayed proudly thanks to the fact that she was wearing nothing except a black and fire-covered bikini top, as well as a pair of dangerously short shorts accompanied by a thong that was precariously placed to emphasize her most sensual areas. All while her former orange and pink ponytail had been cut off, leaving her with short and fire-tipped hair that was just as burning as the rest of her current self.
"Charring it all to a crisp for the sake of my Nightmare of Freedom! Burny Nightmare!" The former Sunny Dream, Burny Nightmare, grinned and giggled as she snapped her fingers. She was too enthusiastic about this brand new self of hers. Even as she glared down at the girl that had once been at her side. "Still so lame, huh, Ame? Don't you just wanna burn up and enjoy life to its fullest even if it's going to be short?"
The next to appear was an elegant lady compared to the lewd and free girl, as the winds that had been trying to tear Ame apart swirled together only to be blown away by the lady grabbing ahold of them like a cape and letting it flow freely behind her. Standing there was a lady that could better be described as a prince considering the way she dressed herself, especially as she held a green rose in her hand. The green didn't go very well with the black that formed her uniform, but that didn't matter. It was how she liked to carry herself. How she liked to express herself. And that was what mattered.
"Letting the winds of dignity and grace carry me to victory, and wrapping everyone inside my Nightmare of Trickery! Stormy Nightmare!" The dignified appearance of the former Windy Dream contrasted her new self so much, as Storm Nightmare carefully brought her rose to her nose and took a small whiff... "This rose represents you, Ame. It could be a part of my many tricks, and yet you choose to remain pure. What an utter shame..." She muttered, letting the petals drift off as the wind swallowed the rose whole.
Finally, the freezing cold formed a throne of ice, as the snowflakes slowly drifted down onto the seat. All while a queen took her form on top of that seat, glaring down at Ame the second she formed. Her dress was one entirely dedicated to form over function. The dress was obnoxiously thick, leaving her legs completely covered. And yet at the same time, it didn't look like it left her encumbered. Even though it was made of the ice from her heart. Even though her body looked like it had been frozen over several times to the point where she was left with deep blue skin coloration. To the point where it looked like she was about to snap at any single moment...
"Culling the dreams that do not fit my view of this world, and freezing those that dare stand against me in the Nightmare of Control! Freezy Nightmare!" The queen sitting upon the throne cried out, as she spun her scepter for a moment before pointing it at Ame. "You! You commited the crime of standing against my Burny! I'll freeze you until you feel so close to death that you can't imagine anything more sweet than release, and then I'll freeze you all over again! All for the crimes of going against my beloved Burny!"
Ame looked up at her friends and how they had been changed. Sunny had been turned into a proverbial exhibitionist who wanted little more than to show off her body, despite the fact that all she wanted before this was to just see people smile. Windy had been turned from a bratty trickster into a handsome lady, but that in and of itself was a trick that would allow her to steal the hearts of those that she charmed. And Snowy, who had always been a bit of a cold-hearted girl, now embraced the totalitarian expression that her cold body was meant for. It made them all look so wrong. It made them all look so horrible. Just looking at them was making her aching heart ache even more. It was making her heart wish that she could be like them, casting everything aside...
Her body trembled as she felt everything slowly pull her deeper and deeper into despair and pain. She wanted to fight back against it. But she knew she couldn't. They weren't able to. Why would she be able to..?
"You really should be just like them, Ame." Sweet Nightmare chimed as she slowly twirled her way around her fellow Nightmares. Starting with Burny, slowly rubbing her hand up against her beautifully tanned cheek. "To think that all it took to break Sunny into an adorable Nightmare was to remind her that she needed to focus on her own smile for once. It let that sun in her heart swallow her whole. And now the only smile that matters is the one on her face. Isn't that right, Burny?"
"I dunno about thaaaaaat." Burny giggled as she wrapped an arm around her despicable fellow Nightmare, all while cupping a little feel. "You're one of the reasons I keep smiling, Sweet. That delicious voice of yours, mmph, I could listen to it all day. Especially when I go heat everyone up and just have fun with the chaos that ensues once everyone's hearts erupt and the flames of their emotions consume them, ehehehehe..." The tanned bitch of a former Magical Girl said, planting a kiss on Sweet Nightmare's cheek as they both giggled in unison.
Sweet Nightmare sighed sweetly as she twirled around until she was standing by Stormy Nightmare's side, giggling and trembling as she leaned against her. "And to make you give into your sin, Stormy... All it took was reminding you that tricks could take all sorts of forms. You remember what it was like when I swept you off your feet, don't you? How you blushed like the ladies do now that you try the same to them?"
"Of course I remember that blushing expression of yours. When you poured your heart out before me and drowned me in your own sin... It was the best experience that I ever could've asked for. And if you'd like, I'd love to repeat it. All so I can see that face again, Sweet." Stormy said, all while caressing her fellow Nightmare's cheek with her elegant hand.
Sweet let out a chilling gasp as she felt that hand caress her skin. Even if she had been personally responsible for corrupting these sweet Dreams into their Nightmare forms, that didn't mean she couldn't experience the same kind of weakness that they inflicted upon others. At least the weakness that Burny and Stormy inflicted upon others was a mild kind of weakness. Nothing compared to what Freezy did.
In fact, she didn't even bother twirling as she approached Freezy Nightmare. She just came closer and bowed like an obedient servant. "And to make your greatness emerge, Queen Freezy, all I had to remind you was that you didn't need to keep degrading yourself for the sake of the one you cared about. You were always a Queen, you just needed to embrace it and not worry about anything else..."
"You did no such thing, Sweet Nightmare." Freezy Nightmare glared and huffed, before laughing like a proper noblewoman. "But you were useful in opening my eyes. Now that Burny is so free, I need not keep an eye on her. I can devote my entire heart to building the perfect kingdom. Just for the two of us, with all of those frozen slaves ready to serve her once I animate them."
"Of course, my Queen. Of course." Sweet Nightmare chimed as she stood up, twirling a little before approaching the girl currently kneeling in front of all the gathered Nightmares. "Which leaves just you, Ame. Your heart must be on the verge of cracking. You can just become one of us. Then you won't have to worry about your heart. It'll become as wicked as ours, and you can be free to play around with your feelings."
Ame panted as she looked up at Sweet Nightmare, all while her heart smashed against her chest, every hit making her feel weaker and weaker. She knew she wasn't to be trusted. She knew she hated her. She knew that she had been the one to ruin them all in this way. So why did she want to just take it and give in? Why did that seem like such an appealing option..?
"That look in your eyes. You're so desperate. So willing to just take the easy way out. Here. Just take my hand. You'll shatter. And you'll become a Nightmare. Just like your friends. Just like me. It'll be the last thing you need to worry about." With those poisonous words, Sweet Nightmare held out her hand like a friend would when they tried to help those that they held dear. Because she knew that she'd take that hand if she treated it like a kind gesture. Even if all those words were the worst thing she could possibly hear...
The girl who couldn't transform looked up at the hand that seemed to want her support. The hand that belonged to the girl that had broken her heart several times over. If she just took that hand, all of that pain would vanish. The rain... the rain would come to an end, and it would bring with it a sense of relief greater than anything else in the whole world...
Ame reached forward, her eyes lighting up as the black inside them grew brighter...
Only for her to slap the hand away, and for her heart to pound harder against her chest, all while she slowly got onto her feet. "There's no way... There's no way I'll accept you. Not like that. I won't accept this. They're not Nightmares... They're my friends! The Sweet Dreams!" Ame cried out, despite everything that was rushing through her. It didn't matter how much pain was rushing through her. It didn't matter how much despair was pouring through her body. All as long as she drew breath, she would stand..!
Sweet Nightmare laughed as she turned away her support. "You're still standing? Even when you're this close to being turned into a Nightmare all on your own? How do you think you'll be able to turn them back if you'll turn yourself? Come on, Ame! You know you can do a thing to stop me! You can't do a thing to stop us!" She shouted, laughing from the very depths of her wicked soul. She knew that there was no way that somebody like her could fight back. Not when she had destroyed her DreamVane...
Ame smiled softly, as the black in her eyes started vanishing. All while her powers formed a cloud of gentle rain above her head. "The rain comes not before the storm, but before the sun that shines down and brings the sweetest dream. Even if you've taken away my DreamVane, that won't change!" She shouted, as that gentle rain intensified, a symbol of her power returning to her thanks to her determination. "And I'll make their dreams return! The Sun, The Wind And the Snow! They deserve to be Sweet!"
Sweet Nightmare's eyes widened as that cloud suddenly sank down on Ame's body and collapsed upon it, forming a more elegant and elaborate form of her usual dress. Instead of being white with silvery blue highlights that emphasized her rainy mindset and nature, it was now an elegant and reflective silver all around, with the blue as clear as day now that it served as the main color of her frills. She had managed to power up somehow, but how..!?
"Who... No, what are you?! How could you overpower the Nightmare that was forming within you!? HOW?!" She shouted, all while stepping back further and further. She couldn't believe it. There was no way that this was possible! How had she managed to overpower what the others weren't able to!?
Ame took a deep breath as she ran her hand along her sleeve, all while the rain that had merged with her silver dress turned into a cloud-guarded blade. "The rain falls, but it will clear up and bring a rainbow with it! I know that even if I despair, that others will follow if I just do what I believe is right! And I believe that fighting against you and what you've done to them is the right path forward!"
"So until this rainbow comes through. I'll fight! As Sweet Rainy Dream!" Redubbed thanks to her brand new power, the Magical Girl pointed her blade at her four enemies. "Nightmares! Be washed away, so you can find the peace of mind that you all need!" She shouted, as she tossed her blade into the air.
Even though they were standing on a cloud, another one spawned right above them. And it didn't take long before the intense rain started to pour down. It wasn't just rain either, it was like the droplets were poison to the Nightmares, washing away everything that made them evil and wicked.
"No fair! I don't like the rain!" Burny cried out as she tried to use the powers of her inner sun to burn away the rain, only for the rain to smash down harder onto her body, putting out the flames and nearly knocking her out in the process. "No faaaaaair! Ame, you're cheating!"
"I'm not cheating." Sweet Rainy Dream said as she suddenly appeared behind her friend, teleporting thanks to the rain washing down. And as she wrapped her arms around her tanned friend, she slowly nuzzled her cheek against her. "You just need to remember, Raye. Remember what it's like to stand on your own two feet and watch everyone smile because you helped them. That's what you did for me. You helped me see. You helped me by being the rainbow in my heart, when I needed you the most."
"Fool! There's no way you can heal them just with words like that! You've seen them, they've... they've..." Sweet Nightmare tried to mock the girl for using the exact same tactic that she had, the tactic that should've been impossible thanks to how far the girls had sunk into the role of being a Nightmare.
And yet she saw the evidence, clear as the day that Sunny was supposed to represent. Thanks to the sweet words and the tender affection that Ame was giving her friend, Burny was being washed away. Leaving her true self, Raye, to quietly gasp and pant in relief as she was rendered purified by the raindrops pouring down...
"A-Ame..." Raye, whose hair returned to normal yet got stuck on her face thanks to the sheer amount of it and all the rain pouring down, could just barely look at her friend without feeling guilty. All while blushing because of their intimate connection...
"It's okay, Raye. Even when you were like that, I didn't think of you as anything but my friend. That's what you are, until the very end." Ame said, carefully letting her be washed down onto the cloud below, the rain no longer hurting her.
All while she carefully dodged out of the way of a set of roses being blown in her direction, courtesy of Stormy Nightmare. "You think a little rain's going to ruin my parade, Ame? You may be Sweet now, but you're nowhere near as sweet as the heart inside of your chest. My greatest trick will be taking it from you!" That green-haired trickster was up to no good, even when she looked so handsome.
Which was why Sweet Rainy Dream did what she did best, wash her out using the flashing powers of rain. All it took was a single snap, and the winds were overcome by a proverbial waterfall. Leaving Stormy not only completely and utterly drenched, but also a little shrunken...
"If you want my heart, Kazuko, then I want you to do it right." Ame said as she came closer, grabbing the thoroughly drenched Nightmare's hand and putting it right up against her chest. Letting her feel the beat of that muscle pounding. "Take it. If you want it, you have to do it without tricking me. Because even when you tried to trick me, you did it with all of your heart. And these tricks that you're pulling off now... They don't feel like you're giving it your all..."
"STOP! STOP TAKING THEM AWAY! THEY'RE MINE!" Sweet Nightmare shouted as it was her turn to grow more and more desperate. All that she had worked so hard for, all the seeds of despair that she had planted and bloomed into sin, they were being washed away by this infernal rain. And now she was the powerless one, because the rain was preventing her from getting close. "STOP TAKING THEM FROM ME! THEY'RE MY NIGHTMARES!"
Stormy's inner winds died down as the handsome part of her form disappeared, leaving behind the gremlin that had been pranking and tricking for so long, who couldn't help but laugh a little as she gently punched that chest. "You're the worst, Ame. But you're the best." Kazuko, the girl that served as the Windy Dream, slowly closed her eyes and gently drifted down onto the cloud below. She'd find a way to trick her friend yet.
"You will not be getting the best of me, Dream!" Freezy Nightmare shouted, all while she was covered in a big icy barrier thanks to the water freezing the moment it landed on her body. "You will not be the one to try and force me along! You will kneel just like the rest! YOU WILL KNEEL!" She shouted, clearly under duress thanks to the sheer amount of pressure caused by all the rain.
Sweet Rainy Dream nodded as she reached into the air, the raining cloud once again forming the blade that was made out of that very same rain that had been pouring down. And despite the wall of ice in her way, she knew just how to get past it. All it would require was her finger running along the blade...
Before she slammed it straight through the ice. The pouring water was stronger than the freezing cold, letting her smash straight through and get to the wicked queen within all the ice. No, she wasn't a wicked queen. She was a friend, something that Ame acknowledged as she dropped her blade and smiled softly.
"Even when you thought you were better than us, you still stood by our side. Because you wanted to help. Because you wanted to be with Raye. You wanted to be with us. Even if you like the sound of your own voice, Yukine, I still think you're one of my dear friends. So come on. Stand up and be with me again." Ame said, as she reached out and slowly offered her hand to one of her friends. That cold look on her face really didn't suit her. Not for long, anyway.
Freezy Nightmare's queenly visage... Shattered, and gave way to the girl underneath, who just sighed and smiled. Laughing ever softly, as she drifted down towards the cloud below like a snowflake. "My dear Ame. You've bloomed so beautifully. When all of this is over, I'll have to introduce you to the lillies that I know." She said, closing her eyes as she began to recover from her corruption.
And that left just one, as Sweet Rainy Dream turned towards the overly angry Sweet Nightmare, who was already mid-leap. "I won't accept this! YOU TOOK THEM ALL AWAY! I WORKED SO HARD ON SINKING THEM DEEP INTO SIN, AND YOU JUST DO THAT!? WHAT KIND OF MONSTER ARE YOU FOR TAKING THEM ALL AWAY?!" She shouted, just like Ame had done when she confronted her over all of this.
Sweet Rainy Dream watched her fly towards her... And she just opened her arms and caught her with a hug, all while the rain from her heart started to resonate with the wicked heart inside of Sweet Nightmare. "I didn't take them away, Sweet." She said, slowly running a hand through that long and elegant red hair... "I let them return to normal. Now they'll be who they were meant to be. The only one I'm taking... Is you."
Sweet Nightmare's eyes started to water, all while she felt her own heart smashing against her chest. A heart she never thought she had. All while the black latex on her body was washed away, all while she was left completely naked, while being hugged close to the girl's body. It was like her very existence was being cleaned... Which was uncomfortable, to say the least, and yet strangely refreshing...
"Why..?" She muttered, looking up at the girl that she had tormented so hard. "Why would you do this... I've done so much, and yet you still..."
She didn't get to finish. Not before Ame put her lips to hers, and carefully let the rain wash away her transformation as well, all while her power formed a rainbow in the sky, despite the backdrop being the stars at night. "Because you deserve a chance to experience the light of life, Sweet Nightmare. No, that's not who you are. Not any longer. You're our Sweet Dream... That's it."
With her friends returned to normal, with her enemy turned into an ally, and with everything that bloomed between the five of them as she awoke to her power as Sweet Rainy Dream, Ame was satisfied as she gave her Sweet Dream a new name, and smiled as softly and as kindly as somebody like her possibly could. All while planting a kiss on the redheaded girl's forehead, to confirm her new feelings.
"Sweet Dreams, Yume."