No Need To Fear

No Need To Fear
By Emma Wesner

Tonight was the night. Tonight was the night that they were finally going to defeat the Beast of Darkness. The Monster of All Things Evil, the Creature of Chaos, the Stalker of Nightmares, no more would He wreak havoc in the peaceful Kingdom of Dreamland. No, tonight it would end.

The many soldiers shifted nervously at their posts as midnight fell, their armor clinking and rattling from their anxious movements, the electrified air buzzed from the tension.

“Easy men! Stand your posts and stay alert! Tonight is the night, so remember the reason why you are fighting! We must protect our beloved Princess no matter what happens! Fight with bravery and courage!” General Oaf shouted as he made his rounds, his brown bear fur dancing in the breeze, bellowing motivational speeches and inspecting the ranks of troops before the oncoming battle.

“Captain Sparkle, is everything ready?” General Oaf turned to the brawny purple unicorn,
“Yes General. The Princess is safe inside the castle, and Sergeant Buttons has the flare set in place. That Creature will be finished.” The Captain snorted, flaring his nostrils and pawing the ground with his hooves.
“Very good. And what of the Ambassador? He is our strongest fighter, and we’re going to need all the help we can get, that Beast isn’t gonna go down without a fight.”
“Do not worry General, I am here,” The Ambassador said just as he slithered up in his entire colorful, cotton splendor, “and tonight shall be a glorious victory like none other! As the children usually say today, it is on like Donkey Kong!”

Just as the Ambassador said this, an ominous howling shattered the tension as it echoed throughout the kingdom, signaling the arrival of The Monster. Haunting the deepest corners of darkness, outward it crawled from the deep unknown, growling with hunger, it craved the fear and human flesh of the Princess.
The soldiers braced themselves as the Beast made itself known, first opening its sensitive glowing red eyes, then extracting itself from the shadows, exposing its sinister, scaly, ebony body. Each of It’s limbs were equipped with long, sharp talons, and fangs like swords jutted out of It’s massive jaws, a Monster perfectly designed for inflicting fear and pain.

Releasing their battle cries and raising their weapons, all of the soldiers charged the hideous Abomination, but the Creature merely knocked away most of the men with a sweep of its monstrous arm, and the mighty battle began. Over and over again the small army of Dreamland battered and struck the Thing, causing little damage, but managing to drive It towards where Sergeant Buttons was stationed with the flare.
It had been a long, intense struggle. Though there were no casualties, many had fallen, and now only General Oaf, Captain Sparkle, Sergeant Buttons, the Ambassador, and privates Cuddles and Swirly were left.

“Die you Monstrosity!” General Oaf yelled as he gallantly clashed with the Beast, sword against fangs, with the valiant Captain Sparkle at his side, providing back up for the giant bear.
The Ambassador and two privates had blocked off the Creature’s escape, and held their position as Sergeant Buttons prepared to unleash the flare as soon as the light-sensitive Monster came close enough.
But as soon as the monster was close enough to the flare, It understood what the Sergeant was about to do, and slashed through the unsuspecting tiger, as well as General Oaf and Captain Sparkle, bringing down not only, the poor tiger, bear, and unicorn, but all the hopes of Dreamland as well.

“All is not lost yet!” The brave Ambassador cried, “Private Cuddles and Swirly, man the flare station and take over for Sergeant Buttons. I shall handle the beast myself!”
Private Cuddles and Swirly both glanced uneasily at each other, not wanting to abandon the Ambassador, but followed orders by dodging the Beast’s many sharp claws, and running to the flare post.

The beast suddenly began laughing a belching chuckle as it realized that the only thing standing between the delicious Princess and Itself was the Ambassador.

“Who do you think you are standing between me and my meal? Puny piece of cloth, you are simply an old, worn out blanky!” The Monster roared,

“I am not just a blanky, I am a Security Blanket!” The mighty Ambassador roared back, then, with a powerful shove, he forced the Creature up next to the flare and shouted,
“Now privates!”

All of a sudden, light flooded the area with a warm, pulsating glow. Wails of pain were emitted from the Beast as It’s skin boiled and withered away from exposure to the rays. With Its last shrieks and gurgles, the dreaded Monster disintegrated, never to haunt Dreamland again.

An uproar of cheers reverberated throughout the land as many of the soldiers had already been healed by the soft hands of Molly and Dolly, the two army nurses going around and mending wounds with their needle and thread.
“Great job Ambassador! Now that Monster will never bother us again!” General Oaf growled,
“It was not I who saved the night, but privates Cuddles and Swirly who turned on the flare. They should be commended for this glorious victory, I propose a hearty round of marshmallows on the house!” All of Dreamland’s army cheered, and went to congratulate the two heroic Privates.
Private Swirly blushed a great deal, and private Cuddles couldn’t seem to stop gloating about the triumphant moment. All of Dreamland now seemed content and safe, but all of the celebrating appeared to rouse the beloved Princess from her castle, and little Melody awoke.

Sitting up in her bed, the little eight-year-old Melody looked around her bedroom to find mini marshmallows, pencils, crayons, and all of her stuffed animals strewn about the floor wearing bottle caps and playdough cups as if it were armor. Nervously staring at her open closet door, Melody contemplated whether it was safe or not to venture away from her bed, in fear of being caught by the Monster that usually hid in her closet at night. But Melody decided that there was no need to fear, her night light glowed brightly in the dark, and her many friends were there to protect her. Gathering up her dearly loved stuffed animals, including Oaf, the teddy bear, Sparkle, the purple unicorn, Buttons, the stuffed tiger, Cuddles, the stuffed dog, Swirly, the snail beanie baby, and last but definitely not least, her dear blanky, Melody tucked her soft companions into her bed and happily fell asleep, safe and secure in Dreamland.