John's Metropolis! :D

Previously, in the Epic Quest...
The four Darks regrouped and made their way to New York.
Shadow stepped into the mind of a crazy person and helped save Shade's brother, John.
The Writing Writer made it known that things will start to make a bit of sense at the end of the season.
Now we step out of one crazy journey and into another.

DARK CHAO ADVENTURES
Season Seven: The End?
Episode Seventy-Eight: Epic Quest in A Flat Minor ACT IV: John's Metropolis

[the scene begins in a small apartment]
Chapter 16: Metropolis, part 1 (The Miracle and the Sleeper)
[Shade, Dark, Shadow, and Red have brought John (formerly Shade 2) back to his apartment]
[they have placed him on the couch, and are currently sitting around, nervously, waiting for him to wake up]
[the camera zooms in on John's unconscious face]
[the scene drifts away to ancient Greece]
[the smile of dawn arrives.. it is early May]
[time lapse!]
[a woman appears on a hill, with blistering ankles]
[the unspeakable love affair..]
[night sheds a tear to tell her of fear and of sorrow and pain she'll never outgrow]
Woman: Death is the first dance, eternal...
[a cloaked figure-- Gatekeeper-- steps into the shot]
Gatek: There's no more freedom. The both of you will be confined to this mind.
[John slams into the ground-- he had fallen out of the sky-- and gets up]
John: ..I was told there's a miracle for each day that I try.
Woman: I was told there's a new love that's born for each one that has died.
John: I was told there'd be no one to call on when I feel alone and afraid.
Woman: I was told, if you dream of the next world, you'll find yourself swimming in a lake of fire.
[the Dark Garden montage Shade 2 childhood]
John: As a child, I thought I could live without pain, without sorrow...
[Shade 2 being kicked out of the Garden by Shawn Shade 2 becoming John John entering New York]
John: As a man, I've found it's all caught up with me. I'm asleep, yet I'm so afraid.
[ancient Greece]
Woman: Somewhere, like a scene from a memory, there's a picture worth a thousand words.
John: Eluding stares.. the face that's before me, it hides away and will never be heard of again.
Woman: Deceit is the second, without end.
[New York John surviving working withdrawing]
John: The city's cold blood teaches us to survive.
Woman: Just keep my heart in your eyes, and we'll stay alive.
[ancient Greece.. thunderous footsteps]
Woman: The third arrives.
[Shadow falls in from the sky]
Shadow: John? John, it's me. I.. sorta put myself in your dream. Sorry. I want you to wake up.
John: I've still got stuff to sort out in here, kid. You broke down the wall earlier, now something else is happening.
[the Gatekeeper shows up again]
Shadow: ..you. What's my next challenge?
Gatek: John will be vital to you, if you can save his mind. You've done half of the job.
Shadow: Well, what's wrong with him now?
[no response]
Woman: Before the leaves have fallen, before we lock the doors, there must be the third and last dance.
John: This one will last forever.
Gatek: Metropolis watches and thoughtfully smiles.. she's taken you to your home.
[the Gatekeeper disappears]
Woman: It can only take place when the struggle between our children has ended.
John: Now the Miracle and the Sleeper know that the third is love.
Both: Love is the dance of eternity.
[fades fade.. fades back to the apartment]
[John and Shadow wake up]
Shade: John! Bro!
John: Whoa. Shade. Right. Uh.. yeah, well.. hrm.
Shade: Dude, what the heck HAPPENED to you? You seem.. very not-okay.
John: It's.. complicated.
Shadow: The Gatekeeper said I have to "save your mind."
John: ..if you can, be my guest.
Shade: His mind needs saving?!
Red: Well, he clearly has some kind of problem. When we first found him, he was massively introverted, and then unconscious.
Shade: He's fine! He's.. completely fine.
John: Shade. It's alright. Let them help me.
Dark: .....OH. There's, like.. a psychiatrist person next door.
Red: Well, that's awfully convenient.
Shadow: I don't care how convenient it is; we've got to save him. C'mon.
[they take John next door to the medical person of questionable intent]
Chapter 17: (Metropolis, part 2 [Scenes From a Memory]) Regression/Overture 1928/Strange Deja-Vu
[it turns out, the doctor person is a hypnotherapist; the chao figure they have nothing to lose]
Hypno: Close your eyes and begin to relax.
[John does this]
Hypno: Take a deep breath, and let it out slowly.
[deep breath.. lets it out slowly]
Hypno: Concentrate on your breathing. With each breath, you become more relaxed.
[John starts to relax]
Hypno: Imagine a brilliant white light above you, focus in on this light as it flows through your body.
[John seems to be very relaxed]
Hypno: Allow yourself to drift off as you fall deeper and deeper into a more relaxed state of mind.
[he starts to drift off]
Hypno: Now, as I count back from ten to one, you will feel more calm and peaceful. Ten. Nine. Eight.
[John drifts off some more as he thinks he hears hints of music in his subconscious]
Hypno: Seven. Six. You will enter a safe place where nothing can harm you. Five. Four.
[the hypnotherapist's words are just echoes to John now]
Hypno: Three. Two. If at any time you need to come back, all you must do is open your eyes. One.
[now John is safe in the light that surrounds him, free of the fear and the pain]
[his subconscious mind starts spinning through time to rejoin the past once again]
John: Nothing seems real; I'm starting to feel lost in the haze of a dream...
[as he draws near, the scene becomes clear]
John: It's.. it's like watching my life on a screen.
[the woman from his previous dream appears]
John: Hello, Victoria. So glad to see you, my friend.
[they hold hands and dance around for a bit]
[John does not feel like he is dancing with her; he feels.. like he's dancing with himself.]
[But there's a hint of something else in there. Like holding hands with a corpse.]
[sinister feelings drift through John's mind, followed by feelings of euphoria, bliss, joy, depression, suicidal thoughts..]
[..and then nothing. He feels like he's dead.]
[Oh, the feeling's gone. He's just drifting around now.]
[drifting around.. it's a subconscious, strange sensation yielding unconscious relaxation]
John: What a pleasant nightmare... and I can't wait to get there again.
[every time John closes his eyes, there's another vivid surprise.. another whole life waiting, chapters unfinished, fading..]
[there's a house he's drawn to; there's a pathway leading there, with a haunting chill in the air]
[there's a room at the top of the stairs, and every night, John is drawn up there.]
[there's a girl in the mirror. Her face is getting clearer.]
John: Young child, won't you tell me why I'm here?
[he gazes into the eyes of the girl in the mirror]
John: In her eyes, I sense a story never told.. behind the disguise, there's something tearing at her soul.
Girl: Tonight, I've been searching for it.. a feeling that's deep inside me.
[she begins to come out of the mirror]
Girl: Tonight, I've been searching for the one that nobody knows; I'm trying to break free.
[she leaves the mirror, and starts walking away from John]
Girl: I just can't help myself; I'm feeling like I'm going out of my head. It tears my heart in two..
[she turns and looks at John]
Girl: I'm not the one the Sleeper thought he knew.
["Open your eyes, John."]
[suddenly, John is back in the hypnotherapist's office, awake]
Hypno: How do you feel now?
John: Back on my feet again, eyes open to the real world.. metropolis surrounds me; the mirror's shattered the girl.
[Shade looks at the others, who look back at him in confusion]
John: Why is this other life haunting me every day? I'd break through to the other side if only I'd find the way.
Shadow: Other life? John, what did you see?
John: Something's awfully familiar; the feeling's so hard to shake. Could I have lived in that other world?
[he gets up]
John: It's a link that I'm destined to make.
[he leaves the office; the others simply watch in confusion]
[John's still searching, but he doesn't know what for.]
John: ..the missing key to unlock my mind's door.
Chapter 18: Through My Words/Fatal Tragedy/Beyond This Life/Through Her Eyes
[John and Victoria in the mental void of blackness]
John: All your eyes have ever seen, all you've ever heard, is etched upon my memory.. is spoken through my word.
[they begin to fade]
John: All that I take with me is all you've left behind. We're sharing one eternity, living in two minds..
Victoria: Linked by an endless thread, impossible to break.
[John wakes up in his apartment that night to find the others are asleep]
[he quietly gets up]
[he shuts the door and travels to another home]
[he meets an older man; he seems to be alone]
John: I feel that I can trust you.
Man: Lad, did you know a girl was murdered here? This fatal tragedy was talked about for years.
John: ..Victoria's gone forever? Only memories remain.. she passed away; she was so young!
[without love, without truth, there can be no turning back]
[as the night went on, John started to find his way; he learned about a tragedy, a mystery still today]
John: What more can you tell me?
Man: You're on your own.
[the man turns away and leaves him here, all alone]
Man: ..you'll know the truth as your future days unfold.
[without faith, without hope, there can be no peace of mind]
[John spends the night tossing and turning in bed, restless]
[the next day, he goes to the hypnotherapist again and tells him of his findings]
[the hypnotherapist has an idea of what to do; he tells John to lie down]
[they're going to perform regression again]
Hypno: Now it is time to see how you died. Remember that death is not the end.. but only a transition.
[the scene shifts into drifting to 1928]
[a newspaper is on the ground]
[Headline: "MURDER! YOUNG GIRL KILLED! Desperate shooting at Echo's Hill. Dreadful ending, killer died, evidently suicide."]
[The article reads, "A witness heard a horrifying sound. He ran to find a woman dead and lying on the ground.]
["Standing by her was a man, nervous, shaking, gun in hand. Witness says he tried to help, but he'd turned the weapon on himself.]
["His body fell across that poor young girl; after shouting out in vain, the witness ran to call for assistance.]
["A sad close to a broken love affair."]
John: Our deeds have traveled far. What we have been is what we are.
[The article goes on, "She wanted love forever, but he had another plan. He fell into an evil way; she had to let him down.]
["She said, 'I can't love a wayward man.' She may have found a reason to forgive, if only he had tried to change.]
["Was their fatal meeting prearranged?]
["Had a violent struggle taken place? There was every sign that led there. Witness found a switchblade on the ground.]
["Was the victim unaware?]
["They continued to investigate. They found a note in the killer's pocket. It could have been a suicide letter.]
["Maybe he had lost her love?"]
Letter: "I find there's only one thing left to do. I'd sooner take my life away than live with losing you."
John: Our deeds have traveled far. What we have been is what we are.
Victoria: All that we learn this time is carried beyond this life.
["Open your eyes, John."]
[John finishes up his hypnotherapy session, then heads to the nearest graveyard]
[after some searching, he finds Victoria's grave]
John: She never really had a chance on that fateful moonlit night...
[Now that John has become aware of this fatal tragedy, a sadness grows inside of him]
John: It all seems so unfair. I'm learning all about my life by looking through her eyes.
[the camera shows the writing on her stone, "In loving memory of our child, so innocent, eyes open wide"]
[John begins to cry; he feels empty, like he would suffocate]
[he goes home; the scene speeds along to nighttime]
[he weeps like a baby as he lies, awake, in bed]
[and John knows what it's like to lose someone you love...]
John: ..this feels just the same. I had to suffer one last time to grieve for her and say "Goodbye.."
[the door has opened wide, he's turning with the tide, looking through her eyes]
[the curtain closes on this scene.. and the intermission begins]
Chapter 19: (Intermission) Ytze Jam
[cut to the apartment; Shade, Dark, Red, and Shadow are sitting around, bored]
Red: Well, THIS is a boring episode.
Shadow: The hypnotherapist told me it's best to let John deal with this problem by himself.
Shade: Why the heck does he think there's some other life?
Shadow: Most likely, that'd be either DJay or the Gatekeepers messing with the script.
Red: I get the feeling it's either the Veteran's Committee or something else.
Shadow: "Something else?" Like what, Red?
Red: I.. I'm not sure. But there's definitely something else here. Some other large force at work.
Shade: What about the fugitive?
Red: He's an unknown factor. We don't know much about him, and we're trying not to worry about him.
Shadow: ..this is all going too easily.
Shade: Don't say that.
Shadow: No, really, screw being Genre Savvy. This IS all going too easily. We nearly have five chaos drives.
[KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK]
[they stare at the front door]
[they look at each other]
[Shadow gets up]
[he opens the front door]
[it's Mephiles!]
Mp: Hey. Shadow here?
Shadow: That would be me.
Mp: Oh? OH. Sorry, all you guys look the same to me. Uh.. well, you wanted that chaos drive, right? That fifth one?
Shadow: Yeah, and you couldn't find it.
Mp: Yeah, well.. turns out, it was in my pocket the whole time!
[Shadow's jaw drops]
Mp: Mind if I come in?
[Shadow steps to the side, jaw agape; Mephiles steps in and sits down]
[Shadow is about to close the door when Mecha Knuckles and the Tails Doll come in]
MK: Comin' through!
TD: You don't mind if we crash here, do ya? Thanks, you're a pal.
[Shadow closes the door and goes back to his seat, only to find Mecha has taken it]
[he stands next to the Doll]
Shade: So what's going on? Why are they here?
MK: Those Veteran guys, they're bad. REAL bad, man.
TD: They have this big plan to get us sent back to Sonic Team, and end the show.
Mp: And hell, they knew Sonic Team didn't want me, but they were still gonna ship me back.
TD: Man, Sonic Team doesn't want ANY of us. We'd be just ideas then. Gone forever.
MK: Yeah, we like just sitting around in the Stardust Eggman. And going on adventures with you guys.
TD: Bottom line is, we don't want the show to end.
Mp: That's not even why I wanted out.
MK: The ****? Then why?
Mp: Turns out, one of those guys, Echo? Well.. he's up to something.
Shadow: Wait, wait, wait. Echo? I haven't seen him since.. well, Future Europe. The first chaos drive.
Red: I thought he was sick.
Mp: He WAS sick. Now he's up, but the Veteran guys won't let him do anything. They're keeping him under quarantine of sorts.
TD: What is he, a zombie?
Mp: Nah, that'd be stupid and overdone.
MK: Now what the heck does "that's overdone" have to do with this? Life does **** that's overdone all the time.
Red: Ah, but gentlemen, I see where Mephiles is going with this. This ISN'T life. This is a fanfic.
Mp: Yeah, that's what I was getting at. DJay's not the kind of guy who writes about zombies. He has something planned.
Shadow: ....something planned. Something.. Mephiles, what day is it?
Mp: Sunday.
Shadow: Then whatever's happening is happening tomorrow. Without a doubt.
Red: You sure? He told you, I take it?
Shadow: Yes. He said we need to wait for Monday. ..wait, right! I almost forgot. You said you had the chaos drive?
Mp: ..oh yeah! We were still telling our story. So we realized we couldn't stay under their custody, right?
MK: Oh, yeah. So then Mephiles pretended he didn't have the drive, so they thought we were useless.
Mp: Then, they just left us back in the Stardust Eggman, and I told these guys about my lie.
TD: We yelled at him for a bit, then he told us what they were planning to do.
Mp: Anyway!
[Mephiles pulls out a shiny new green chaos drive out of his pocket]
Mp: This what you were looking for?
[Shadow grabs the drive, and absorbs it or whatever the devil chao do with those things]
Shadow: Yes. Thank you, Mephiles.
Mp: No prob. Tell you what, we'll come with you guys and help you get your last two, kay? Everyone fine with that?
MK: Sure thing.
TD: I don't want to be working for Sonic Team again.
Mp: So then. The heck are you trying to do now?
Shadow: That's the thing. We.. really don't know. We were told the next drive will be in New York somewhere. Sometime.
TD: "Sometime?" Like.. any time at all? ****.
Shadow: Yeah, so for now, we're just killing time, and doing what the Gatekeepers tell us to do.
Mp: "Gatekeepers." Great. Lots of new stuff here.
Shadow: Yeah, I know. I'm not even sure what the Gatekeepers are, but all I know is that I've got to do what they say.
Red: Yeah, won't the world.. get eaten, or something? If you refuse?
Shadow: Yes.
MK: Holy living ****.
Shadow: But apparently, they're omens. Bad omens. They only show up when a hero's quest will cause fatal results.
TD: In English, please?
Shade: If the kid keeps going with the chaos drives, something extremely bad is going to happen.
Shadow: My money's on The Unwritten End.
Mp: So what was the last thing they told you to do?
Shadow: Help Shade's brother, John. He's got quite a lot of mental problems, it seems.
MK: And where is the bugger now?
Shadow: Either in bed, asleep, or next door at the hypnotherapist.
[the camera pans back and fades out]
Chapter 20: Home
[welcome to 1928]
[there is a man, a lazy man, a gambler.. and the Sleeper]
[he is giving a soliloquy]
Sleeper: Shine, lake of fire.. lines, take me higher. My mind drips desire, confined and overtired.
[he stands up from gambling (did I forget to mention that?)]
Sleeper: Living this charade is getting me nowhere.. I can't shake this charade; the city's cold blood calls me home.
[he looks, longingly, in the distance]
Sleeper: Home! It's what I long for.. back home where I belong.
[reality begins to drift away as he falls down and down]
Sleeper: HELP! I'm falling.. I'm crawling.. I can't keep away from its clutch. Can't have it, this habit..
[close-up of his face]
Sleeper: It's calling me back to my home.
[the scene drifts off to a different man, 1928..]
[this man is a senator, busy and wise; he is the brother of the Sleeper.. he is the Miracle]
[he is also giving a soliloquy]
Miracle: I remember the first time she came to me.. she poured out her soul all night and cried.
[zoom-in on the Miracle]
Miracle: I remember I was told there's a new love that's born for each one that had died.
[the background gets all firey and evil]
Miracle: Living their other life is getting them nowhere. I'll make her my wife; her sweet temptation calls me home.
[moohoohaha]
Miracle: My home, it's where she belongs.. her ecstacy means so much to me, even deceiving my own blood.
[muahahaha]
Miracle: Victoria watches and thoughtfully smiles.. she's taken me to my home.
[he begins to fall into the fading reality]
Miracle: HELP! He's my brother.. but I love her. I can't keep away from her touch! Deception.. dishonour..
[close-up of his face]
Miracle: It's calling me back to my home.
[as reality drifts, it shows scenes from 1928]
[The Sleeper is lost in his addictions...]
[CHING CHING CHING]
["Just one more. C'mon. Just one more."]
[..and the Miracle is lost in Metropolis.]
[THUMP THUMP THUMP]
["Just one more time. C'mon, Victoria. One more."]
[CHING CHING]
["Just one more. C'mon."]
[THUMP THUMP]
["Just one more time. C'mon, Victoria."]
[CHING]
["Just one more."]
[THUMP]
["Just one more time."]
[CHING]
["C'mon."]
[THUMP]
["C'mon, Victoria."]
[CHING]
[THUMP]
[CHING!]
[THUMP!]
["Open your eyes, John."]
[John wakes up in the hypnotherapist's office, and begins HIS soliloquy]
John: Her story, it holds the key to unlocking dreams from my memory. Solving this mystery is everything that's a part of me!
[he begins leaving the office]
John: HELP! Regression obsession.. I can't keep away from its clutch. Leave no doubt, to find out...
[close-up of John's face]
John: It's calling me back to my home.
Chapter 21: The Dance of Eternity/One Last Time/The Spirit Carries On
[John is walking along, contemplating]
John: It doesn't make any sense, this tragic ending.. in spite of the evidence, there's something still missing.
[as he's walking, he hears some rumors-- a taste of one's wealth]
["Did Victoria wound his soul?"]
["Did she bid him farewell?"]
[he sits down on a bench, and can hear Victoria in the back of his mind]
["One last time, we'll lay down today.. one last time, until we fade away!"]
[he gets up and does some searching; he finds the house of the Miracle, Sleeper's brother]
John: Here I am, inside his house. It holds the many clues to my suspicions. And as I'm standing here right now..
[he looks around]
John: I'm finally shown what I have always known.
[the house begins to come to life; footsteps are heard, voices are raised]
John: Are these her memories awakened through my eyes? This house has been brought back to life!
[he finds an open door]
[he walks on through into the Miracle's bedroom]
[he feels as cold as outside; the walls disappear]
[he hears a woman scream, and a man begs forgiveness]
John: His words, I cannot hear...
[he ponders this for a bit]
[he spends the next hypnotherapy session trying to talk to Victoria]
John: ..was the Miracle involved in this?
[Victoria appears in front of him]
Victoria: Move on, be brave, don't weep at my grave because I'm no longer here, but please never let your memories of me disappear!
John: ..safe in the light that surrounds me, free of the fear and the pain, my questioning mind has helped me to find the meaning in my life again.
[Victoria hugs him]
John: Victoria's real; I finally feel at peace with the girl in my dreams. And now that I'm here, it's perfectly clear...
[he hugs back]
John: I found out what all of this means.
[sparks fly, happiness swirls around]
John: If I'd die tomorrow, I'd be alright, because I believe that after we're gone.....
Both: The spirit carries on!
Chapter 22: Finally Free
[he begins to hear the hypnotherapist's voice, first an echo..]
Hypno: You are once again surrounded by a brilliant white light.
[a brilliant white light enters his subconscious]
Hypno: Allow the light to lead you away from your past and into this lifetime.
[as John follows the light, Victoria starts to fade, and the hypnotherapist's voice becomes more defined]
Hypno: As the light dissipates, you will slowly fade back into consciousness, remembering all you have learned.
[the light dissipates, and John starts to feel his body again]
Hypno: When I tell you to open your eyes, you will return to the present, feeling peaceful and refreshed.
[John is now back to normal, though his eyes are closed]
Hypno: Open your eyes, John.
[he opens his eyes, and feels better and clearer than he ever has before]
[as he happily returns back home, we get to see what really happened back then, in 1928]
[the Miracle is standing in front of the Sleeper and Metropolis' corpses]
Miracle: Friday evening, the blood's still on my hands. To think that she would leave me now for that ungrateful man...
[he looks around, paranoid]
Miracle: Sole survivor.. no witness to the crime. I must act fast to cover up; I think that there's still time.
[he pulls out a piece of paper and a pen]
Miracle: He'd seem hopeless and lost with this note; they'll buy into the words that I wrote.
[he plants the letter on the Sleeper, and starts a soliloquy]
Miracle: This feeling inside me.. finally found my love, I've finally broke free.
[the scene goes back several hours; we see Victoria, happy and cheerful]
Victoria: Feeling good this Friday afternoon! I ran into Julian, said we'd get together soon.
(Julian being the Sleeper)
Victoria: He's always had my heart; he needs to know. I'll break free of the Miracle; it's time for him to go!
[now she begins HER soliloquy]
Victoria: No longer torn in two; he'd kill his brother if he only knew.
[she and the Sleeper meet up; their love renewed, they'd rendezvous in a pathway out of view]
[they thought no one knew, then came a shot out of the night...]
[footsteps..]
[Victoria exclaims]
[struggle!]
[BANG]
[BANG]
["AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!! AAAH!"]
["Open your eyes, Victoria."]
[BANG]
[BANG!]
Sleeper: One last time, we lay down today.. one last time, we fade away...
[as their bodies lie still, and the ending draws near, spirits rise through the air]
[all their fears disappear; it all becomes clear]
[a blinding light comes into view; an old soul is exchanged for a new]
[familiar voice comes shining through...]
John: This feeling inside me, finally found my life, I'm finally free.
[John is on his way back home]
John: No longer torn in two; I learned about my life by living through you.
[he stops at his front door, and looks up at the sky]
John: We'll meet again, my friend.. someday soon.
[he enters his apartment and is greeted by all seven people]
Mp: So, this is the Johnster, huh?
John: Um.. wait, who are these guys?
[they fill him in; he fills them in on his developments, as well]
Shade: So you're okay now?
John: I've never felt more alive, bro.
[they hug]
[John sits down and turns the television on]
[there's a news report]
News: --downtown Brooks. And in other news, a man was caught in Rockefeller Center today under suspicion of a bomb threat.
MK: Pfft, New York always has the weirdest news.
Shadow: Wait, wait, hang on.
[the video feed shows a cloaked man being escorted away by the police]
Shadow: That looks like a Gatekeeper.
News: He was reported with a message to a mister.. Shadow. "Your final challenge is to find John. Then you will be done."
[they turn off the TV and stare at John]
[he stares back at them]
John: Um.. I'm right here.
MK: Now hang on. This guy's challenge was prolly just late. He only came home, like.. a minute ago.
Shadow: Yes. I'm sure that's it. Either way, let's stick with John for tonight.
TD: Alright, then.
[they spend the night talking, watching TV, and keeping a close eye on John]
[cut to them listening to some old records, drinking beverages, and relaxing]
[footsteps]
[John is sitting with his eyes closed, enjoying the music]
[footsteps]
[the other chao have fallen asleep]
[footsteps]
[Mecha and the Doll are out at a bar]
[footsteps]
[Mephiles is half-awake, half-asleep]
[footsteps]
[John sighs, content]
["Open your eyes, John."]
[John gasps and bumps the record player, cutting the music off and replacing it with static]
Chapter 23: The End Complete
[the chao wake up; Mephiles jumps up]
[John is dead, lying on the ground]
[the hypnotherapist is standing over his body with a pistol]
Hypno: It begins now. Finish up, Shadow.
[he disappears]
Shade: What th.. WHAT THE ****?!?!
Shadow: He was a Gatekeeper. All this time, and he was a freaking Gatekeeper! ARGH!
[Shadow punches the wall]
Shadow: How could I have been so stupid?! Of course! It WAS all going way too easy!
Red: Calm down, Shadow. This was clearly meant to happen. If it didn't, you'd be refusing the challenge.
Shade: My brother was "meant" to die?!
Dark: Shade--
Shade: WHERE THE **** DID YOU COME FROM?!
Shadow: Yeah, you've been awfully quiet lately.
Dark: I've just been.. thinking. About stuff.
Red: Like what?
Dark: Well.. Monday. Tomorrow. What DJay means by "his own Gatekeepers." And what his reasons for ending DCA are.
Shadow: He said we'll find everything out tomorrow, Dark. No need to think about it.
Dark: Yeah, but it's just like Marble Hornets. We don't HAVE to think about it, but it's fun.
[KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK]
Shadow: Argh, again?!
Mp: I'll get it. That'll be Mecha and the Doll coming back from the bar.
[he opens the door, but.. it's not]
Mp: Who are you?
?: I'm Jack White. I was told to come here by Echo.
[everyone looks at the chao standing in the front door]
[he's a lime-green chao with two antennae and red eyes]
Shade: ..White?
Shadow: You're not White. White's a.. a neutral.
White?: But I am. I'm Adrian Ruthford, codename "Jack White." I helped overthrow Eggman, remember?
Shadow: Well.. geez! What happened?
White?: I evolved. I'm a Rebel chao.
[Shade shivers]
Red: You okay, Shade?
Shade: ..who did you say sent you?
White?: Echo. Why?
Shade: And.. and what did he want you to do?
White?: He told me to go to this address and help Shadow. Oh, and he has messages to both Shade and Shadow.
Shadow: What's mine?
White?: Uh.. "You're going to need all the help you can get."
Shadow: Well, that was nice of him. Maybe he was quarantined because he's not a Veteran anymore?
White?: Yeah, it's something like that. I dunno the details, really. Just that he's not a Veteran anymore.
Shade: And what was the message to me?
White?: Oh, yeah. "Echoes of your past life will come back to haunt you as the End Complete moves on to its final act."
Red: Well, THAT'S rather cryptic.
Shadow: Come in, White.
[White comes in]
[before Mephiles closes the door, Mecha shouts "WAIT!"]
[Mecha and the Doll enter, panicking]
MK: CLOSE THE DOOR!
TD: SHUT THAT THING! NOW!
[Mephiles shuts the door; the Tails Doll locks it]
Mp: Hey, calm down! What happened? You lose a bet? Tick someone off?
MK: Dude.. DUDE. It was a freaking.. killer plant thing!
TD: I think it was called a "Hogweed."
[Dark's face lights up]
[the gang just stands/sits; they have a LOT going on now]
[the camera pans out and leaves the apartment]
END ACT IV

Prog Volume I end speculation.

Prog (volume) I, just so you know, is the codename for the Epic Quest in A Flat Minor. There's a pretty damn good chance that it will be the only volume, so now we're just keeping the name 'cause it sounds cool. "Prog I." I like it.

Anyway. The Epic Quest. I hope you guys are liking it so far. I'm really, really, really passionate about progressive rock, so I wanted to give it a proper tribute. Of course, being an insecure teenager, I realize (very, very much) how boring it is for most people to even listen TO some prog, let alone listen to people talk about it. I also remembered how much fun I had working on DCAHall3, and how.. surprisingly well that turned out. Even Act V. o.o So I decided to combine my passion for prog with my passion for writing, and.. yeah! I'm trying to make this progressive script as entertaining for non-prog fans as I can.

If you're wondering about the Gatekeepers, I really don't know where I'm going with them. xD But for once, that is entirely intentional. After all, in the old epics of yore (namely, The Odyssey, The Illiad, and the like), there were all kinds of beings that just sorta.. showed up inexplicably. Hell, even modern-day (musical) epics have them (like the Lamia, the Carpet Crawlers, even the eponymous lamb in "Lamb Lies Down," Narcissus n' the Guaranteed Eternal Sanctuary Man in "Supper's Ready.." even the older man in "Metropolis part 2" wasn't exactly explained at all).

..so yeah, I'm using the whole "Those guys didn't need explanations" excuse. >.>

Oh. All this time, and I've yet to include the necessary "What the fuck is 'prog'" section. I haven't even explained it in the script yet. ..so here you go!

So what in the name of shitting fucksicles is "prog?"

Progressive rock, or "prog," is rock with classical/jazz influences. Or it might be rock that does not follow traditional song structure, nor traditional time signatures. It frequently has extended instrumental sections and.. concept albums, leitmotifs.. shit like that. It's not that easy to give an accurate description of prog, but it's sometimes called "art rock," and the common opinion on it involves "ten-minute space-rock solos."

IMPORTANT: THERE IS NO PROG SONG WITH A TEN-MINUTE SPACE-ROCK SOLO. EXCEPT FOR MAYBE "ECHOES." BUT THAT DOESN'T COUNT, 'CAUSE PINK FLOYD ISN'T PROGRESSIVE IN THE SLIGHTEST.

..OKAY, SO MAYBE THEY ARE.

ANOTHER IMPORTANT THING: EVERYTHING THE COMMON MAN KNOWS ABOUT PROGRESSIVE ROCK ONLY APPLIES TO PINK FLOYD, EXCEPT FOR "REALLY GOOD INSTRUMENTALISTS AND SINGERS." THAT DOES NOT APPLY. THEY'RE ALRIGHT. NOT MAGICAL, NOT SPECIAL, NOT UNIQUE, AND NOT PARTICULARLY ALL THAT GOOD.

..IN MY OPINION.

But, then again, I'm very strict about what I consider to be "good." THEN AGAIN, I'm one of the only people I know who thinks Dream Theater's "The Great Debate" is good. ...okay, I admit it, I don't exactly have the best of tastes in music. But at least I don't just like what others tell me to. I listen to all this shit, y'know. I listen to it, and I analyse it.

Um.. what was I talking about? OH YEAH. What prog is.

Here are some examples of progressive rock songs (Google 'em at your own risk):

"Cygnus X-I" and "Cygnus X-I Book II: Hemispheres," by Rush.

"The Fountain of Lamneth," also by Rush. "2112's" pretty proggy, too.

"Supper's Ready," "Watcher of the Skies," "Can-Utility and the Coastliners," "Get 'Em Out By Friday," all by Genesis.

..hell, most of Genesis' early work (from Trespass 'til Duke, I think) is progressive.

Most of Dream Theater's work, namely "Metropolis part 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper," "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence," The Twelve-Step Suite ("The Glass Prison," "This Dying Soul," "The Root of All Evil," "Repentance," "The Shattered Fortress"), Metropolis part 2: Scenes From a Memory.. yeah, most of their work.

..I'm feeling lazy now. xD Screw the prog explanation; let's get back to talking about DCA.

SO Act III was quite the departure in style from the first two acts, wasn't it? It focused a lot more on dreams, the perceptions of self-isolation, and mental problems. It even had guest-star ME in it again. I've been showing up a lot lately. o: That has to do with the "ulterior motives behind DCA" that has come up a couple of times, as well as with "the Unwritten End," as Coheed & Cambria put it.

To make it absolutely clear, I have reasons for wanting to end DCA, and they will become clear by the end of Season Seven. To kinda hint at stuff, I might possibly also be making a follow-up to DCAHall3's "Bound to a Stream of Consciousness." I dunno why I'm so obsessed with that entry. I guess.. 'cause it actually scared me, to write and read.

More definite news! Act IV of the Epic Quest will be dedicated to Dream Theater. Act V will be dedicated to Genesis. There may be the occasional other reference, but it'll mostly be two scripts filled with many tributes to my two favourite bands. :3

..so there. Look forward to seeing Shadow get the last two/three chaos drives.

Bricks! :D

Oh hey, I'm actually gonna be able to finish this damn serial before it happens. My Gatekeepers keep delaying their visit. But believe me, I am anxious as hell for this. You can see how bad it's getting in this script. You can't miss it.

Previously, in the Epic Quest...
Shadow was forced to kill himself to satisfy a Gatekeeper.
To escape the Underworld, he had to strike a deal with the Dark Lord: Kill the Writer.
In the climax of that task, Shadow was unable to deal any finishing blows, and thus he broke the deal.
But the Dark Lord did not punish him..?
Now Shadow has regrouped with Shade and Dark, and they are on their way to New York.

DARK CHAO ADVENTURES
Season Seven: The End?
Episode Seventy-Seven: Epic Quest in A Flat Minor ACT III: Bricks

[the scene begins in a countryside at daytime]
[a rocket flies in and lands]
[out of the rocket comes Shadow]
Shadow: This doesn't look like New York, guys.
Chapter 11: The Count of Tuscany
[cut to miles down the road]
[Red is walking along the side]
[a car pulls up to him and stops]
[a young, eccentric man, bred from royal blood, is sitting in the driver's seat]
[he opens the window, then leans out]
Man: GET INTO MAH CAH.
Red: What? ...no!
Man: C'mon, let's go for a drive! Along the way, I'll be your guide....
Red: I don't wanna!
Man: Just step inside.
[Red acquiesces and sits at the passenger seat]
[the car drives off]
Red: So, um.. who are you? And where are we going?
Man: My identity is not important.. but maybe you'll recall a cannibal curator.
Red: You mean the baddie from "Silence of the Lambs?"
Man: Indeed. He was a character inspired by my brother's life, you see.
[Red looks out the window, worryingly]
[on and on, they drive.. the nearest city far behind]
[down narrow streets and dusty roads]
[at last, they come upon a picturesque estate on sprawling emerald fields]
Man: Ah, my abode. An ancient world of times gone by, no?
Red: Uh.. yeah...
[they pull up and enter the mansion]
[the man leads Red into a living room, complete with armchairs and fireplace]
Man: Pray, have a seat.
[Red sits down, as does the fancy man]
[there is a third armchair, facing the fire; a man's hand can be seen resting on the armrest]
Red: Who's that?
Man: Let me introduce... MAH BROTHA! A bitter gentleman. HISTOREEEIAN!
[the brother stands up and turns to face Red]
Brother: How do you do.
[sucking on his pipe, distinguished accent.. he's making Red uptight.]
Red: I.. um.. where is the lavatory?
[Red is directed to the bathroom, where he steps in and locks the door]
[he washes his face in the sink and speaks to himself]
Red: I wanna stay alive.. everything about this place just doesn't feel right. I don't want to die.
[he looks into the mirror]
Red: Suddenly, I'm frightened for my life. I wanna say goodbye.. this could be the last time anyone sees me alive.
[he unlocks the door and steps out-- and is immediately greeted by the man]
Man: Would you like to see our secret holy place?
Red: Um... s..sure..?
[the man leads him down into a dark room with a shrine]
Man: I come here late at night.. to pray to Him by candlelight.
[Red spots a window, and looks outside-- he sees, with disbelief, still dressed in royal clothes, the Saint behind the altar]
Man: Come. I have more to show you.
[the man leads him on to a wine cellar]
Man: History recalls, during times of war, legend has been traced back inside these castle walls.
Red: What legend is that?
Man: The soldiers came to hide in barrels filled with wine, never to escape.. these tombs of oak are where they died.
[Red spots a number of barrels nearby, and his eyes grow wide]
[down the cellar stairs, the man disappears, but his voice is heard from below]
Man: Like the angel's share.. the end is near. Moohoohaahaa.
[he pokes his head up the stairs, holding a glass of wine]
Man: Come and have a taste of this rare vintage. After all, all the finest wines improve with age.
[cut to outside the estate, Red steps outside into the gardens for a breath of fresh air]
Red: I may not survive. Knew it from the moment we arrived.
[he gazes up at the stars, and contemplates his life]
[Keep going, Red. Don't worry about it.]
Red: ..DJay?
[I'm frightened, too. My Gatekeepers aren't coming fast enough.]
Red: ..what do you mean?
[If I can stay strong when I absolutely feel like just dying, then so can you. Keep going.]
Red: .......
[Red thinks for a while, then goes back inside]
[he enters the living room and sits in an armchair; he notices he is the only one there]
Red: Could this be the end? Is this the way I die? Sitting here alone, no one by my side?
[the man enters the room, then notices Red talking to himself, and hides, listening in]
Red: I don't understand.. I don't feel that I deserve this. What did I do wrong? I just don't understand.
Man: I just don't understand?
[Red sees him]
Red: Give me one more chance, let me please explain.. it's all been circumstance, I'll tell you once again.
Man: Whatever do you mean?
Red: You took me for a ride, promising a vast adventure.. next thing that I know, I'm frightened for my life.
Man: Now, wait a minute, man! That's not how it is! You must be confused; that isn't who I am.
Red: Then who the hell are you?
Man: Please don't be afraid. I would never try to hurt you. This is how we live, strange though how it seems...
[he sighs]
Man: Please try to forgive. The chapel and the saint, the soldiers and the wine, the fables and the chills all handed down through time.
Red: ..I forgive you. I just.. I want to go home.
Man: Of course, you're free to go! Go and tell the world my story.. tell them about my brother, tell them about me...
Red: Who ARE you, though?
Man: The Count of Tuscany!
[KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK]
[the Count and Red go to the front door and open it; Shade, Dark, and Shadow are there in front of a busted rocket ship]
Shadow: Hi, um.. you wouldn't happen to know the quickest way to get to New York, would you? It's kinda my next challenge.
Chapter 12: On the Run/One of These Days
[the Count drops the chao off at the nearest airport]
[they thank him and run like hell-- next flight to New York is in half an hour]
[the four of them hurry to the ticket counter, then realize they have no money]
[Shadow runs back outside, only to find the Count has driven off]
[he goes back in, and shrugs]
[the chao come up with a plan]
[Dark runs around a bit and trips over Shade, who gets mad at him]
[the security guards come to see what's happening]
[Shadow and Red sneak around to a back hallway]
[Red gives the other two a thumbs-up; they get up and run like hell]
[security gives chase]
[the chao run through the airport, riding terminal trains, going up and down escalators, dodging checkpoints]
[they meet up in the snack bar]
[Red leads them into a back door out into the runway]
[they sneak onto a plane, and hide in the cargo holds]
[as they hide behind suitcases and luggage, a security guard enters the holds]
[the guard spots Dark's emotiball]
Guard: One of these days, I'm going to cut you into little pieces.
[Dark hears this and runs to another hiding place]
[the guard spots him and gives chase]
[Dark hops across the luggage, then runs up a ramp into the main plane]
[he is chased through business class, second class, first class, up to the flight deck]
Pilot: GET THE HELL OUT OF THE COCKPIT!
Dark: Heheh.. you said--
[the guard grabs him; he wriggles free and runs]
[he is chased back down to the cargo holds, where this time, he hides in a suitcase]
[the guard cannot find him, and assumes he has left the plane; he leaves, as well]
[the plane takes off, and the chao are now safe]
Chapter 13: In the Flesh?
[cut to a hotel in New York City]
[Shade, Dark, Red, and Shadow enter the lobby and spot a white Dark chao sitting perfectly still]
Red: ..hey, Shade. Isn't that.. Shade 2?
Shade: John. Yeah, they said he was here in New York, didn't they? Hey! John! Bro!
[they run up to John; he remains sitting, staring into the beyond]
Shade: ..bro?
John: So ya, thought ya might like to.. go to the show. To feel the warm thrill of confusion, that space-cadet glow...
Shade: Bro, what.. what's wrong?
John: Tell me, is something eluding you, sunshine? Is this not what you expected to see?
Shade: No.. John, what's the problem? Are you okay?
John: If you wanna find out what's behind these ol' eyes, you'll just have to claw your way through this disguise.
?: He's long gone.
[the receptionist is talking to the chao]
Rec: It's your next challenge, Green One. Save John.
Shadow: *gasp* Another Gatekeeper...
Shade: We have to figure out what's wrong with my brother?
John: If you should go skating.. on the thin ice of modern life.. dragging behind you, the silent reproach of a million tear-stained eyes... don't be surprised when a crack in the ice appears beneath your feet.
Shadow: Alright, c'mon, John. What's troubling you? Tell me about it.
John: Daddy's gone 'cross the ocean.. leaving just a memory. He didn't love me, anyway...
Shade: Oh.. right.. dad never loved him.
John: Daddy, what'd you leave behind for me? All in all, it was just a brick in the wall. All just bricks in the wall.
Shade: C'mon, bro.. what about our childhood? The happiest days of our lives?
John: When I grew up and went to school, there were certain teachers who would hurt the children in any way they could...
Shade: Oh, my. I.. I guess school was different back then.
John: We don't need no education, no thought control.. no dark sarcasm in the classrooms...
Red: Damn, he's lost in his world.
John: HEY. Teacher! Leave them kids alone!
[the chao stare at each other]
John: All in all, it's just another brick in the wall.. you're just another brick in the wall.
You're all just bricks in the wall.
All just bricks in the wall.
Just bricks.
[reality seems to shift away into puddles of green]
Shadow: Green.
[a green wall appears before Shadow]
Shadow: A wall. A wall?
[A wall.]
Shadow: behind him lies a courtroom
[A court? Huh? This is all a bit strange.]
Shadow: reality fades in again
Red: Shadow? Shadow, you okay?
Shadow: What? Huh? ..oh. Yeah, sure.
John: I don't need no arms around me. No drugs to calm me. I've read the writing on the wall.
Shadow: "..the writing on the wall." What wall is he talking about?
Dark: Pink Floyd. It's a.. it's a prog thing.
Red: I didn't know Dark liked art rock.
Shade: Pfft, he's crazy about it. Remember, he used to sing Genesis like crazy?
I am aware now. Of what's going on.
[reality shifts.. into view]
Shadow: wat.
[Don't talk like that, Shadow. You know how insecure we.. rather, I am.]
Shadow: DJay again? Self-insert serial, or what?
[It's relevant to the overall plot.. I've dropped hints about this throughout the show, but it'll all make sense soon.]
Shadow: But.. Deej, could you speak English? Just once?
[Insert sigh here. I'll insert another chapter, then I'll give you a call.]
Chapter 14: In the Flesh/Run Like Hell/Waiting for the Worms/Stop/The Trial/Outside the Wall
[Shadow is in an apartment]
[the phone rings; he answers it]
[Hello, Gatekeepers speaking, is Shadow there?]
Shadow: Um.. hello.
[I'm going to talk to you in private at the end of this season, Shadow. Then, we can talk about business.]
[Just you and I.]
Shadow: I've been waiting for this for so long. Thank you.
[We're getting you out of there, Ulysses.]
Shadow: ....please, DJay. It's justttttttttttttttttttssssniaastop.
[I can't.]
Shadow: Let me.
[No.]
Shadow: Tear down the wall.
[I CAN'T. Not yet. I am unable to.]
Shads=nononohangonhangon. Just please hang on. Little bit longer.
A little. Bit. Longer.
I'm being stubborn.
No, I'm not. ..okay, so I am.
But Ten Speed, if I must, then I must.
..I sigh, then I resume typing. Tears will have to wait, yet again. They've waited months; they can wait another week.
"Not until we're out. Out in the flesh."
[Just hang on until Monday. I'm having to. Please cut me some slack.]
Shadow: ..Monday. Got it. What day is it now?
[It's 3 AM on a Friday morning.]
Shadow: Alright, DJay. I'll wait until Monday.
[Thank you. Would you like to return to the hotel?]
Shadow: *sigh* Not really. Most of these challenges have been even remotely exciting, but this one's.. a big meh.
[Oh, keep going with it. I think the others have gotten the boring parts out of the way now.]
Red: Sh..Shadow?
Shadow: Guys, what day is it?
Red: Friday?
Shadow: ..well, I'll be damned. Okay. How's John doing?
John: Would you like to see Britannia rule again?
Shadow: ..I see. Well. *pulls up chair* Hello, John. What seems to be the problem?
John: Would you like to send our coloured cousins home again?
Shadow: Hm. John, are you REALLY saying all this? Or are you just not feeling yourself?
John: ...I wanna go home.. take off this uniform and leave the show. But I'm waiting in this cell because I have to know...
Shadow: And what's that?
[John leans forward and stares Shadow in the eyes]
John: ..have I been guilty all this time?
[John then grabs Shadow]
[reality revolves to reveal John's perspective]
John (voice-over, echo): As you are, I was..... as I am, you will be. View the world.. through walled eyes.
[on Shadow's left.. a giant, expansive, neverending wall]
[on Shadow's right.. a giant, expansive, neverending wall]
[in front of Shadow.. a giant, expansive, neverending wall]
[behind Shadow.. a giant, expansive, neverending wall]
[John is in court, in the defendant's chair]
[a mass of morbidly macabre maintenance mice stand before him]
Mass: Good morning, Worm, Your Honor.. the mass will plainly show the prisoner, who now stands before you, was caught--
Mouse: RED-HANDED--
Mass: --showing FEELINGS--
Mouse: FEELINGS--
Mass: Of an almost HUMAN nature!
Mouse: This will not do.
[a giant Worm abomination is sitting at the Judge's chair]
Worm: What does THE defendant.. have to SAY ABOUT himself?
John: Crazy.. toys in the attic, I'm crazy.
Shadow: John...
John: They must have taken my marbles away.
Worm: Very WELL, then! Prosecution, YOU may call your first.... WITNESS!
Mass: CALL THE SCHOOLMASTER.
[a hissing python slithers into the court, its many heads and necks looking in all directions-- except for at John]
[Shadow gets a glimpse of the eyes of one of the python's heads-- they are not eyes. They are bullet holes.]
Snake: I alwaysssaid he'd come to no good, Your Honour. Let me whip him into sshape. Let me.. HAMMER him today.
[suddenly, a swarm of giant beetles barge into the courtroom, chattering loudly and feeling everywhere-- they are all blind]
Beetle: HAY HAY HAY where's that old sunuvagun now I WANT MY SUNUVAGUN JOHN LEMME HAMMER HIM A BIT
Beetle2: I TELL YA YOUR HONOR, there ain't no guy out there half as bad or crazy as this here motherhugger
Beetle3: Just five minutes, Worm, Your Honor!
All: HIM. US. ALONE.
Bird: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
[a giant bird stomps into the courtroom, pecking at all the beetles, giving off pure carnage]
Bird: YOUR HONOR, LET ME TAKE MY LITTLE JOHN HOME!
[the Worm bangs its gavel.. somehow]
Worm: DEFENDANT. How do you PLEAD?
John: Crazy.. over the rainbow, I am crazy. Bars in the window.
Shadow: John, c'mon! You're innocent! This is all in your head!
[suddenly, every single member of the court turns their head(s) to stare at Shadow; all goes quiet]
[John slowly and cryptically speaks to him]
John: There must have been a door there in the wall for when I came in.
[John stares at Shadow]
[Shadow stares at John]
[John stares at Shadow]
[Shadow stares at John]
[John stares at Shadow]
[Shadow stares at John]
[John stares at Shadow]
[Shadow stares at John]
Worm: The evidence before the COURT is inconTROvertable. There's NOO NEED FOR the jury to retire.
Mass: Pray, do tell!
Worm: In all my years of JUDGING I have never heard before of someONE MORE deserving of the full PENALTY.. of law.
Shadow: WHAT?! How?!
Worm: The WAY YOU MADE THEM SUFFER. Your.. exquisite.... father.. and brother. Fills me. With the urge. To. ..wrrrrETCH.
[...>.<]
Worm: SINCE. My friend. You have revealed.. your deepest fears.. I sentence you to be EXPOSED BEFORE your PEERS!
[he bangs the gavel]
Worm: tear down THE wall
Mass: TEAR down the wall
Beetles: tear DOWN the wall
Jury: tear down the WALL
Worm: tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall TEAR DOWN THE WALL
All: tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall
tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear tear tear the wall
Shadow: No but this isn't fair WAIT
John: tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall tear down the wall
AAAAAAAAAAHhhhhhhhhhhAHHAHHHAHHHHHhhhh
Shadow: John John John c'mon let's get out of here
John: i am paralyzed so afraid to die
Shadow: ..John?
[John runs]
[John tries to hide]
[but John is overwhelmed by this complex delirium]
[Shadow runs up to John and hugs him]
[bricks fall everywhere as the mob of angry creatures tears apart the foundations of the wall]
[Shadow and John stay in the corner while the bricks fall and fall and fall]
[ultimately, the bricks all fall, revealing a hotel lobby]
[THE hotel lobby]
[Shadow and John both fall backwards onto the floor, eyes wide]
Receptionist: Some stagger and fall. After all.. it ain't easy.. bangin' your head against some mad bugger's wall.
[the receptionist disappears]
[John simply stares at Shadow, then sees Shade and faints]
Chapter 15: After the Ordeal
[Shade, Dark, Red, and Shadow leave the hotel, carrying John with them]
[In John's mind, his corpse is being taken in a hearse out of a street filled with dead bodies.]
[Far in the distance, you think you can see what looks like the remnants of an old wall. But you're not sure.]
END ACT III

In the Presence of Gatekeepers! :D

Wow, I am on a roll. But guys, this'll most likely be the last script I make for a while (at the very least, for a short while), as.. that thing that was supposed to happen on Monday? It was delayed to tomorrow. It's even referred to in the following script, at the climax.

Either way, I had a lot of fun writing this one. I got to pay a HUGE tribute to one of my all-time favourite bands ever, and to quite possibly my very favourite song, "In the Presence of Enemies." Sure, it doesn't have as many references as Act I did, but this one was a bit more serious, and not anywhere near as.. whimsical as the last one.

Previously, in the Epic Quest...
Shadow awakened in the great plains, found a horse named "Muse," and then defeated the first Gatekeeper.
He wandered into the nearby futuristic city, only to find human life has developed evolution-obsessed oppressors.
Meanwhile, Dark woke up and discovered the art of music! He showed this to the higher-ups, but they only shunned him.
That night, Dark had a life-changing dream about Exogenesis and happiness. He told Shadow of it the next day.
Shadow then dealt with the second Gatekeeper, and finally, they helped the civilization perform Exogenesis.

DARK CHAO ADVENTURES
Season Seven: The End?
Episode Seventy-Six: Epic Quest in A Flat Minor ACT II: In the Presence of Gatekeepers (The Hero and the Dark Lord)

[cut to a busy city, filled with chao]
[the skies are smoggy, and the alleys paved with blood; crimes happen on every street]
[a lone, slender shadow walks at night]
[it passes under a lamppost, revealing it to be Shade]
Chapter 6: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
[Shade walks past a poster advertising an up-and-coming new rock band]
[he stops and looks at it]
Shade: "Rubber Goose." That's MY band! This can only mean..
[he quickly runs off-screen]
[the camera zooms in on the date for the poster, "TONIGHT!"]
[cut to Bob's Country Bunker and Marketplace Emporium Warehouse]
[a crowd has gathered around a stage; a band is on the stage]
[Dark is standing idly with a guitar, Shadow at the microphone; random humans are on the other instruments]
Shadow: Um.. hi there. We're.. what are we?
Dark: Rubber Goose.
Shadow: Are you sure that's what you guys used?
Dark: I made the name, man. 'Course I'm sure.
Shadow: Oh, alright. We're Rubber Goose, and we're here to spread the joys of music. Or something.
[Dark grabs the microphone]
Dark: ALRIGHT, THIS FIRST ONE'S A THREE-PIECE SUITE TITLED "A TRIP TO THE COUNSELOR." It's weird.
[they jam to their little suite, to a cheerful audience]
[Shade enters the audience and watches]
Dark: ..this next one. Go, Shadow.
Shadow: Huh? Oh, right. My name is Shadow, and I came from another planet to tell you guys something.
[the crowd murmurs in confusion, then eventually grows quiet]
Shadow: If you don't stop your way of life soon, your civilization will perish.
["What? Huh?"]
Shadow: And there's a starman watching in the sky! He'd like to come and meet us, but he thinks he'd blow our minds.
Dark: What Ziggy Shadow here means is that these starmen, the Gatekeepers, are bad business. They're omens of death.
[booooooo]
Dark: I.. don't think they're taking this too well.
Shadow: I don't think they even believe us.
Shade: That's because you're not telling it right, dude.
[Shade has climbed onto the stage]
Shadow: Shade!
Dark: I knew "Rubber Goose'd" get your attention.
Shade: Gimme the mic, Shadow.
[Shade takes the microphone, and steps up]
Shade: HEY. You guys know me. I'm the Shadester. The lord of the Dark Garden. I don't lie.
[the crowd murmurs agreement]
Shade: Now, I don't know much of the details, but this here's my buddy. I trust him with my life.
Shadow: Do you really?
Shade: No, but shut up. SO! He's saying stuff about starmen and moonage daydreams and whatnot.. so I trust him!
[the crowd starts to open up]
Shade: Residents of Suffragette City, don't just listen to me. There's only room for one messiah, and here he comes.
Dark: HERE HE COMES.
Shade: ..yeah, thanks. *hands mic to Shadow*
Shadow: I am on a journey.. a journey to acquire seven green chaos drives. I'm approaching the end of that journey.
Dark: He has four drives, and we are told a fifth one is being acquired by someone else.
Shadow: However, these beings called "Gatekeepers" have appeared. They are said to appear when a hero is close--
Shade: Why didn't they appear for me?
Shadow: Because your journey wasn't going to end badly!
[the room goes quiet]
Shadow: ..I was told that, if I keep going on with this journey, the results will be fatal.
["What do you want us to do about it, bub?"]
Shadow: I.. I don't know! I only came here to help your civilization evolve, as well as to spread my story.
Shade: I see. The kid wants any help he can get. Ideas, information, support.. that stuff. Any leads?
?: I have one.
[there is an old chao in the crowd, standing out from the rest]
Old: I have heard of these fabled 'Gatekeepers.' They're evil, alright.. testers from Hell, they are.
Shadow: Can we talk privately? I have a number of questions.
Old: N-no! We can't. You'll have to ask someone else about that. In the meantime, I have.. I have a challenge. For you.
Shadow: ..you're one of them, too.
Old: In order to pass my test, young hero, I challenge you to end your own life.
Shadow: ..wh....WHAAAAT?!?!
Old: You cannot pass my test any other way. You must do it here, right now, on that very stage.
Dark: *gasp* A Rock n' Roll Suicide...
Shade: Don't do it, Shadow. We'll find your chaos drives some other way.
Old: Hahahah.. I'm afraid you can't do that. Refuse a Gatekeeper's challenge, and we will consume your world in a fiery gulp.
[the crowd starts to scream]
["DIE, KID!"]
["ONE LIFE, OR BILLIONS? DON'T BE A JERK!"]
[Shadow looks at Shade and Dark, who stare back with shock]
[Shadow then looks at one of the crowd members, and points at him]
[the crowd member pulls out a pistol and tosses it onstage]
[Shadow grabs the gun and points it at himself]
[Shade and Dark shield their eyes]
Chapter 7: Prelude/Ressurection
[cut to a nearby street; Shade and Dark are walking along]
Dark: He's dead! He's.. he's dead. I can't.. we need to do something!
Shade: We will.
Dark: Really? Where are we going?
Shade: A place.
[they enter a building that reads "Tarkus Dark Arts Shop"]
[the clerk is a Dark chao, apparently named Emerson L. Palmer]
Dark: What's the "L" stand for?
ELP: Lincoln.
Dark: ..does it?
ELP: Yeah. It does. Shade, what brings you here?
Shade: My friend was forced to commit suicide in order to appease a Gatekeeper.
ELP: Oh, you mean the new singer dude? Ziggy Shadow? I heard about what happened. Deep stuff.
Shade: Well, we want to bring him back.
ELP: Back from the dead? He's not Spinal Tap, dude. He can only be brought back of his own regard.
Shade: ..what?
ELP: He's lost in the Underworld now, and the only way for him to return would be to strike a deal with the Dark Lord.
Shade: But..
ELP: Not you. The DARK Dark Lord. It won't be easy, but it's.. it's possible. He might make it.
Dark: Whatever happened to just playing "Thriller?"
ELP: The scripts are bending, man. The same rules that applied in the early days don't apply anymore. And.. and..
[he shifts around, looking around suspiciously, then leans closer]
ELP: ..DJay's pouring his soul into the keyboard.
Shade: What.. what?
ELP: I hear he's trying to escape from reality more than ever, and that there's a massive climax coming up soon.
Dark: That would explain why Shadow's doing lotsa preaching and hero work.
ELP: Exactly! DJay's putting his foot on the gas for this serial.. and really pulling out all the stops. And tricks.
Shade: *sigh* Oh, Deej.. the hell is going on with you? It's almost like he WANTS to end this show.
ELP: That's another thing! They say he DOES want to. After all, why would he even bring up the concept of ending it?
Dark: ..I'm scared, Shade.
Shade: Don't be. Everything will be okay.
[cut to ultimate blackness]
[Shadow is visible, as well as a bright white light]
Shadow: So this is it. I'm dead.
[he walks towards the light, then gets a final vision, promising salvation]
?: A ressurection.. for a fallen man. Tell me, Shadow.. do you still wait for your God? Your Writer?
Shadow: I.. I don't even know anymore.
?: I can free you from this Hell and misery.. you should never be ashamed, my son.
Shadow: But.. but I died. I failed to get the chaos drives. DCA's gonna end.
?: I can give you power beyond anything. Trust me, you will be the Chosen One.
Shadow: No way. I've appealed to the writer in the past, and he has forgotten me. I am a character scorned and broken.
?: Your soul was rejected.. tainted by the Gatekeeper's blood.
Shadow: I am way beyond redemption, a sinner just not worth saving.. forever taken from the world I loved.
[Shadow begins to cry]
Shadow: You ask, "Do I still wait for my God and a symbol of my faith," but my answer remains the same. I just don't know..
?: I can lead you down the path and back to life. All I ask is that you worship me.
Shadow: ..what of the Gatekeepers?
?: I can help you seek revenge and save yourself, give you life for all eternity.
Shadow: ......alright. What's the catch?
?: Venture beyond the Overworld.. into the Room. Get revenge on he who has shunned you.
Shadow: The Gatekeepers? The Veteran's Committee?
?: DJay32.
Shadow: N-no way! I can't do that!
?: Servants of the fallen, fight to pave the way for their savior's calling on this wicked day...
[lights flash, smoke swarms, voices chant]
Shadow: No! NO! I don't want to do this!
?: Through a veil of madness.. with a vicious blade... one chao rises up, standing in their way.
[Shadow begins to float]
Shadow: NOO! NOOO!
?: Redemption.
["Redemption" echoes]
[all sounds, sights, and sensations cease]
Chapter 8: Heretic
[Shadow awakens in the Underworld-- a field of grey grass, mountains coming out of the sky and standing in and around lakes]
[cities literally made of flesh and blood join the mountains in marking the horizon, and the red moon's eye watches above]
[Shadow wanders lonely as a cloud until he comes across a dirty street]
Shadow: I've never seen a stranger crowd.. slubberdegulleons on squeaky feet!
Mingeling: Welcome, tired pilgrim, into the circle. We have been waiting.
Shadow: You have? For me?
Mingeling: Everyone's gathered for your arrival.. all the believers.
Shadow: I have believers? I didn't realize I was that important.. besides being the main protagonist now.
Mingeling: Angels fall all for you, Heretic!
Shadow: "Heretic?"
Mingeling: Demon heart, bleed for us!
Shadow: I'm no demon!
Mingeling: Come.. come along, Heretic.
[he is led through the street to a bigger Mingeling]
Mingeling: Sir, this is the Heretic! The one we've been waiting for!
Shadow: What.. what's going on?
Mingeler: I've been waiting for you, weary preacher man. You have been expected; now we can begin.
Minges: Let this hollowed Day of Judgement reign!
[another Mingeling walks up to Shadow]
Mingely: I have known you, hero, and your sacred quest. Blessed soldier fighting, you shall never rest.
Shadow: Who are you guys?
Mingely: I have known you, but... do you know me?
Mingeling: Angels fall all for you, Heretic. Demon heart, bleed for us!
[the Mingelings grab Shadow and drag him into the ground]
Shadow: MMRRRFFF
[pause]
[cut to one of the grey fields; Shadow is standing on a hill, perfectly still]
Shadow: My soul is yours, Dark Lord. I will fight for you.
[he begins walking down the hill, chanting over and over]
Shadow: Dark Lord within, I will fight for you.. Dark Lord of sin, now my soul is yours.
[he grabs a blood-splattered pike off the ground]
Shadow: Dark Lord, my guide, I will die for you... Dark Lord inside.
[the Dark Lord begins speaking in Voice-Over]
DL: I cannot see his face, but I could feel his spite; a presence from the dead abandoned by the light.
[close-up of Shadow's strange, possessed eyes]
DL: This shadow will consume him from within. This power that I sense, the rage behind those eyes...
[Shadow stops abruptly in the center of the grey fields]
DL: ..it's just a shrouded ghost, a spirit sealed inside. The body and the soul both threats, for they are one.
[from this spot, Shadow can hear the Mingelings chanting in the distance]
Minges: Angels fall all for you, Heretic! Demon heart, bleed for us!
[Shadow glances over toward the chanting, then looks upward and sighs]
Shadow: My soul is yours, Dark Lord. I will fight for you.
[he begins to fade away while chanting his mantra]
Shadow: Dark Lord inside, I will fight for you. Dark Lord of sin, now my soul is yours.
[cut to a park somewhere in Windsor, UK]
[Shadow begins to fade into existance here]
Shadow: Dark Lord, my guide, I will die for you.. Dark Lord inside.
[he is now completely in the park]
Shadow: Dark Lord, amen.. I belong to you, Dark Lord within.
[he finishes chanting, and instead looks around]
[some police cars arrive nearby; policemen get out, arm themselves, and head toward Shadow]
[Shadow knows that they are just another test]
Chapter 9: The Slaughter of the Damned/The Reckoning
[Shadow begins walking toward them, but is stopped by the Dark Lord's voice]
DL: Don't bother trying to find them; they will be coming to you. Fight and destroy until you can't take anymore.
[the cops make a circle around Shadow; they watch him while he watches them and listens to the Dark Lord]
DL: Slay. Spill the blood of the rebels; they are the children of Hell. Flesh of the undead, stopping at nothing to kill.
[Shadow nods at this; one cop starts walking to him, but stops when Shadow begins talking out loud]
Shadow: Sin.. caught in a moment of weakness, committed the greatest of all. Sold half of my soul, now it's too late for you.
Cop: Just calm down, son! You haven't done anything yet, and we don't want any trouble!
Shadow: I judge as my eyes see; I judge, and I am just, for I speak of the beast that lives in all of us.
Cop2: What in the Hell is he talking about?
Shadow: Unwelcome ones, your time has come.
Cop: Okay, get ready to shoot...
Shadow: Lord, you are my god and my shepherd; nothing more shall I want. Walk through the abyss into the shadow of death.
[Shadow suddenly disappears]
Cop3: Where the..?!
Cop5: BEHIND US!
[they turn and see that Shadow is now behind them, walking out of the park]
Shadow: There is no evil to fear now, for I know you are with me... my cup overflows with my enemy's blood.
[the cops run after him and grab him]
Shadow: I decay in the house of the lord, forever amen.. death will follow me all the days of my life.
[he disappears, only to reappear ahead of them again]
Shadow: I judge as my eyes see; I judge, and I am just, for I speak of the beast that lives in all of us.
Cop: Ready.. aim...
Shadow: Unwelcome ones, your time has come.
Cop: FIRE!
Shadow: Servants of the fallen, fight to pave the way for their savior's calling on this wicked day.
[the bullets go straight through him]
Shadow: Through a veil of madness, with a vicious blade, one chao rises up, standing in their way.
[Shadow arrives at a flat, and smashes through the door]
[the Dark Lord speaks once more]
DL: It's time for your reckoning.
[Shadow heads up the three flights of stairs, then breaks the door open, and steps into the flat]
[he enters the Room and sees a boy sitting by a laptop]
[The second visitor so far. Hello, Shadow.]
[I know. You came to kill me. Well, go ahead. Please do. I won't fight back. I can't; I'm only sixteen.]
[..besides, I don't DO 'fighting back.' Not anymore. I've been.... convinced not to.]
[..okay, it's been sort of.. forced out of me.]
[I have Gatekeepers of my own, Shadow. They're coming around tomorrow. Gatekeepers aren't bad guys.]
[You look dubious. I assure you, Gatekeepers are, in fact, some of the best help you can get.]
[Look, Shadow.. DCA used to be my hobby. It used to be entirely for fun, or for the fans. You know this.]
[But didn't you notice that no one is reading it anymore? Yet I still write, on and on.. there is a reason, of course.]
[Escapism.]
[The Gatekeepers are my friends, Shadow.]
[They love me more than Captain Curator, or Logic, or Ness, or that other name I came up with for Bound/Stream.]
[..oh, right, I don't mean the actual Logic. Not Fentzy. I was referring to the allegorical version.]
[Really, Shadow. I'm only making DCA now to keep myself sane in the days before the battle.]
[So please. Kill me. Do it.]
[Please, Shadow.]
[Kill me.]
[Or do you want me to sail home as Ulysses again?]
Shadow: No.. you..
[Here. Give me a hug, Shadow.]
Chapter 10: Salvation
[Shadow runs out of the flat, trying not to cry]
[he ends up standing outside a nearby gate, holding his head]
[his soul grows weaker. The Dark Lord knows, and he waits.]
[The Dark Lord watches over him, standing at the infernal gates.]
Shadow: In the hour of darkness, the moment I feared has passed.. the moment I lost my faith.
[he begins to cry]
Shadow: Promising salvation.. my soul is my own now. I do not fight for you, Dark Lord.
[Shadow walks off-screen]
[cut to the Underworld]
[pure blackness]
DL: ..it would seem my facade did not get the job done. Very well. Mark my words, Shadow...
[the voice abruptly changes into a much smoother, British one]
?: No one escapes me.
[the blackness is filled with a maniacal laughter]
[the scene shows the rocket ship from Act I landing in Windsor, and Shadow boarding it]
END ACT II

Two-thousand One-hundred and Twelve :D

we came in?
Shade: Huh? Dark, you say something?
Dark: ..yeah, uh.. this looks familiar.
Shade: That's prolly 'cause the scripts are getting terribly bent now, so everything's all weird.
Dark: Still...
Dalek1: SO, GREEN ONE. ARE YOU READY?
Shadow: I'm as ready as I'll ever be.
Dalek2: VERY WELL. WE WILL NOW ATTEMPT TO TELEPORT YOU TO WHERE THE CHAOS DRIVE IS KNOWN TO BE LOCATED.
[ZHSOOOOOOOM!!!]

Last time, on DCA...
Mephiles got his demon-pants scared off in a hospital while hunting down Shadow's fifth chaos drive.
Now Shadow still has four drives, and he needs three more in order to face the Veteran's Committee.
..oh yeah. That's another thing. The Committee kinda lost contact with the Darks, so they're relying on the Daleks to help them out now.
Where is the next chaos drive, you ask?
In New York City.


Dark Chao Adventures
Season Seven: The End?
Episode Seventy-Five: Epic Quest in A Flat Minor ACT I: Two-thousand One-hundred and Twelve

[cut to a grassy field, sunny day]
[Shadow wakes up]
Shadow: Where in the world..?
Chapter 1: The Great Plains
[Shadow is all alone]
Shadow: DARK? SHADE? RED?
[silence]
[he starts heading in a random direction]
[after half an hour of walking, he stumbles upon a ranch]
Shadow: Well, I'll be damned.
[he checks inside and finds it to be deserted, except for one lone horse]
Shadow: ....I'm sure no one will mind.
[he mounts the horse (not like that, you gross person) and rides it out of the ranch]
Shadow: Semper fidelis, horsey. Let's call you "Muse." Good a name as any.
Muse: Neiiigggh.
Shadow: *sigh* ..so. Which way should we go?
Muse: ......
Shadow: That's what I thought. Looks like I'm on my own. Uh.. kay, how 'bout this way? East, I think.
[Shadow rides Muse off to the East]
[they ride for a couple of hours, stopping every now and again to take a rest]
[eventually, they encounter a lake]
Muse: NEIIGGGHHH! :D
Shadow: Whoaa, Muse. *dismounts* Help yourself to the water, but don't kill me in the process.
[Shadow drinks some of the water, himself, then takes a look around]
Shadow: HELLO? Is there anyone there?
?: Ho, traveler!
Shadow: What? Yes, hello! Who said that?
?: I did! Behind you.
[Shadow turns and sees a tall, cloaked figure standing directly behind him]
[Shadow exclaims and falls over]
Shadow: Which cloaked figure are you, again?
?: I might be Levity Nite.. or I might be JOE.. or I may even be the Tour Guide.
[he holds out a hand]
?: But you can only find out.
[Shadow looks with suspicion at the figure for several seconds before finally taking its hand]
[the figure pulls Shadow up; he lets go]
Shadow: You're not the Tour Guide; I can gather that much.
?: I may even be a new character, for all you know. Or I could be Shade Junior.
Shadow: I know this, stranger, but I'd greatly appreciate if you'd just confide to me your identity.
?: No can do, Green One. I'm the gatekeeper around these parts, and my identity is my challenge.
Shadow: "Gatekeeper," you say? Care to elaborate?
?: You'll have to ask someone else for that. For now, focus on my name.
Shadow: Well, you're not JOE, 'cause you're more of a trickster than a malevolent being.
?: That would be correct.
Shadow: I don't know Shade Junior well enough to form a conclusion regarding him, but Levity... he's also not a trickster.
?: Mhm, I'm not Levity, nor JOE.
Shadow: ....but wait. You weren't here when I first got here. You only appeared after I looked out into the lake...
?: Mhmm..?
Shadow: And even then, I heard your voice before I saw your cloak. ....I think I have a good idea.
?: Take your guess, Green One.
Shadow: You, cloaked Gatekeeper, are a figment of my imagination.
?: Haha... you're awfully close. Literally speaking, I am a figment, but technically--
Shadow: OH. You're a projection of my imagination!
?: The fugitive's power grows in strength, and the Veteran's Committee have an agenda of their own. Be wary.
Shadow: The fugitive. The Tour Guide, right?
?: *nods* You are not the only one after the chaos drives, Green One... but you must be the one to get seven first.
Shadow: What? Who else is after them? Mephiles? The Veteran's Committee?
?: Good luck, Shadow. Follow the lake.
[the figure vanishes]
Shadow: ...from the sounds of it, I've got a time limit.
[Shadow quickly gets some more water then mounts Muse]
Muse: Neigggh?
Shadow: C'mon, Muse. Let's go around this lake; there's sure to be a river of sorts.
[surely enough, there is; they follow it Eastward]
Chapter 2: Overture/The Temples of Syrinx/Discovery
[the river leads Shadow and Muse to a magnificent city, with spires rising up beyond the clouds]
[he rides Muse in and stops at a random building]
Shadow: Okay, Muse. *dismounts, ties to a post* I hope I can legally do this.
[Shadow then enters the building]
[the camera shows a sign on the front of the building: "And the meek shall inherit the Earth..."]
[inside, robed men stand, staring at him, quietly and ominously]
[Shadow slowly steps toward the center of the room; as soon as he reaches the middle, a man speaks up]
Man: State your name.
Shadow: Uh.. I'm Shadow... Ryder.
[the men discuss this amongst themselves]
Man: How did you get here?
Shadow: I rode here. Horseback.
Man2: So that is your horse out front.
Shadow: Yeah.. sorry, was I not supposed to put him there?
Man: No. Horses are regression and have been banned. It is being taken away as we speak.
Shadow: Regr.. dude, it's my horse! I need it for transport! Just who do you think you are?
Man: ENOUGH. We are the priests of the Temples of Syrinx. Our great computers fill the hallowed halls.
Man2: All the gifts of life are held within our walls.
Shadow: Well.. where am I? What year is this?
Man3: This is the twelfth year of the twenty-second century. You are in our city. You must abide to our rules.
Shadow: Um.. do you happen to know where any chaos drives are?
Man: All chaos drives were taken by the Elder Race. They left this planet long ago.. for they were but regressions.
Shadow: Sure, we need to evolve, but that doesn't mean other things are "regressions" that must be stopped!
Man2: You dare question the views of the Brotherhood of Man? Begone, A-Life creature.. guards!
[two other robed men grab Shadow and take him away]
[the screen fades to black]
[fade-in in a cave nearby]
[Dark is sleeping]
[a waterdrop falls onto his face; this wakes him up]
Dark: What? ..hm. Cave. Cave? Cave.
[he looks around and sees an odd device nearby]
Dark: *gasp*
[he runs up to it and grasps it]
Dark: What can this strange device be?
[he feels it]
Dark: When I touch it, it gives forth sound...
[he runs his hands up and down the strings]
Dark: It's got wires that vibrate and give music...
[he puts it on with the strap]
Dark: What can this thing be that I found?
[he begins playing some notes]
Dark: See how it sings like a sad heart.. and joyously screams out its pain.
[he eventually progresses into chords]
Dark: Sounds that build high like a mountain, or notes that fall.. gently.. like rain.
[he plays on for a while, experimenting with various rhythms and riffs]
Dark: I can't wait to share this new wonder. The people will all see its light.
[he takes off the device and just looks at it, proudly]
Dark: Let them all make their own music... the priests praise my name on this night!
[Dark then rushes out of the cave, and into one of the temples]
Dark: I REQUEST AN AUDIENCE WITH THE PRIESTS.
Man: Very well. Proceed.
Chapter 3: Presentation/Oracle/Soliloquy/Grand Finale
Dark: I know it's most unusual to come before you so.. but I've found an ancient miracle; I thought that you should know!
[Dark puts on the device, now obviously a guitar, and plays a riff or two]
Dark: Listen to my music, and hear what it can do. There's something here as strong as life; I know that it will reach you!
[the sound of Dark's guitar is suddenly drowned out by the booming voice of the head priest]
Man: YES, we know.. it's nothing new. Just a waste of time. We have no need for ancient ways; the world is doing fine.
Man2: Another toy that helped destroy the Elder Race of Man. Forget about your silly whim. It doesn't fit the plan.
Dark: I can't believe you're saying.. these things just can't be true. Our world could use this beauty!
[Dark stops playing, and steps forward]
Dark: Just think of what we might do.
Man: Don't annoy us further.
Man2: We have our work to do. Just think about the average; what use have they for you?
[Dark bursts out an epic guitar solo in retaliation, and the priests dismiss him]
[two robed guards go up to Dark; one takes his guitar and destroys it; the other kicks him out of the Temple]
[Dark wanders home through silent streets, then falls into a fitful sleep]
[before drifting off, Dark mumbles]
Dark: Escape to realms beyond the night.. dream, can't you show me the light?
[whrrrrrrrrrrrrcuttoBLAcK]
[Dark stands atop a spiral stair]
[an oracle confronts him there]
[the oracle leads Dark on lightyears away, through astral nights, galactic days]
[Dark sees the works of gifted hands that grace the strange and wondrous land]
[the hand of man arises with hungry mind and open eyes]
Oracle: They left our planets long ago.. the Elder Race still learn and grow. Their power grows with purpose strong.
Dark: Will they claim the home where they belong? Will they tear the Temples down? Can we change?
[it all fades away as Dark wakes up]
Dark: The sleep is still in my eyes, the dream still in my head...
[Dark heaves a sigh and sadly smiles while he lies awhile in bed]
Dark: I wish that it might come to pass.. not fade, like all my dreams.
[he closes his eyes]
Dark: Just think of what my life might be in a world like I have seen! I don't think I can carry on this cold and empty life.
[Dark gets out of bed and leaves his home]
[as he heads towards the caves at the edge of town, a blues-y guitar solo plays out in his head]
[he enters the caves]
Dark: My spirits are low in the depths of despair.
[he takes a dagger]
Dark: My lifeblood... spills over--
Shadow: DARK!!!
[Dark looks at the corner of the cave; Shadow is there, chained to the wall]
Dark: Sh..Shadow? Is that you?
Shadow: Dark, they locked me up here; could you help me?
Dark: Of course!
[Dark uses the dagger to slice through the chains, setting Shadow free]
Shadow: Thank you. What were you doing in here?
[Dark looks at the dagger]
Dark: ....nothing. Listen, I had a dream.. a dream of a world beyond this one.
Shadow: What do you mean?
Dark: A.. another world. Another opportunity for our civilization to learn and grow.
Shadow: But Dark, this isn't your civilization. These guys aren't our responsibility.
Dark: But.. we can't just leave them here to die off. Evolution, Shadow! We must help them evolve.
Shadow: You're starting to sound like the Veteran's Committee.
Dark: Well.. they're smart guys. I think they're right in trying what they are, but just.. it's not good for us.
Shadow: ....did you have anything in mind? For helping these guys?
Dark: I have a vague idea.
Chapter 4: Exogenesis Symphony (Overture/Cross-Pollination/Redemption)
[Dark enters a Temple]
Dark: I have one question for the Priests.
Man: Very well. Ask it.
Dark: What is your opinion on space travel?
Man2: .."space travel." I.. suppose it doesn't hurt.
Man3: I dunno, I mean.. does it?
Man1: Of course it does. It is regression at its finest, and we condemn it. Get out.
Shadow: Now hold up a second.
[Shadow is standing at the entrance, dramatically]
Shadow: I get it now, mister Head Priest.
[Shadow begins stepping forward]
Shadow: You're a Gatekeeper, aren't you? I'm still not quite sure what you Gatekeepers actually are, but.. you are one.
Man1: Hmph. You will have to ask someone else on that one. But well done. I am a Gatekeeper, yes.
Shadow: And your challenge is regression, particularly the debate on whether or not space travel is an act of it.
Man1: Of course it is. It would end our civilization as we know it.
Shadow: Not if only a select few, or even half of us go.
Man1: What good would it do? None. You'll die in the stars.
Shadow: I'm afraid you've stolen my overture, Head Priest. We will only spread our code to the stars, and if we die, we die.
Man1: I can't forgive you, and I can't forget. If you breach the outer sphere, you'll reach the edge of all our fears.
Shadow: Yeah, all our fears are in here, on this planet. The outer sphere is the edge.. and space is where it all ends.
Man1: Including your very lives!
Shadow: Then so be it! If we die, we die. You'll be nice and safe down here.
Man1: But what do you hope to accomplish?
Shadow: Let's start over again. Why can't we start it over again?
Man1: Our civilization is fine the way it is.
Shadow: Your world is dying, Head Priest.. because of your restrictive culture. Your way of life is a regression.
Man1: .....
Shadow: Just let us start it over again. And we'll be good. This time, we'll get it--
Man1: Nothing is wrong with us!
[Dark steps up]
Dark: We'll get it right. It's our last chance to forgive ourselves.
[the Head Priest grins and chuckles]
Man1: We are counting on you, Green One. You must rescue us all.
[he disappears]
[the other Priests just stand in confusion]
Shadow: ..we're getting out of here, Dark.
[they turn and leave]
Man2: Wait!
[they stop]
Man2: You wanted to know about Gatekeepers.
[Shadow turns around]
Shadow: You know what they are?
Man2: As a matter of fact, I do. You are undergoing an epic journey, correct?
Shadow: Quite the, yes.
Man2: Well, your journey is reaching its end.
Shadow: Oh yeah, we're going for the sixth chaos drive, aren't we? We're awfully close to completing our quest.
Man2: BUT. Being in the presence of Gatekeepers is worse than being in the presence of enemies. They are omens...
Shadow: Omens, you say? What could they be trying to tell me?
Man2: On one hand, they are showing you the way to go.. but the mere fact of their presence speaks volumes.
[the Priest gets a grim look on his face]
Man2: I fear, if you continue with your present journey, the result will be fatal.
[cut to Shadow and Dark leaving the Temple in solemn silence]
[voice-over conversation!]
Shadow: If we're going to perform Exogenesis, we should probably find the means to invent space travel first.
Dark: How will we find the next chaos drive, anyway?
Shadow: That will require time travel, and the location of New York City. We'll probably want to find Shade and Red, too.
Dark: Maybe we could find an alien species that knows how to time travel?
Shadow: Either way, we'll have to do a LOT of thinking.
[as the voice-overs speak, a montage of gathering people up, building spaceships, and.. that stuff plays]
Chapter 5: Knights of Cydonia
[Shadow and Dark finally gather everyone, and they go to the plains outside the city]
Dark: Shadow, I found out where we are.
Shadow: Great, and where are we, then?
Dark: Earth, 2112 AD. Somewhere in Canada.
Shadow: Huh. Neat to know.
Dark: Oh, and I found this horse.
Shadow: MUSE! *hugs*
Dark: Oh, it's yours? I was hoping I could have it.
Shadow: You can be my wingman, Dark. We'll be the Knights of Cydonia!
Dark: No one's gonna take us now! The time has come to make things right!
Shadow: Okay, shut up, it's time to perform Exogenesis.
[they gather hundreds of people into their spaceship.. thing, and fly off into the stars]
Dark: ..should we have really brought Muse with us?
Shadow: SHUT UP HE'S MY HORSE AND I LOVE HIM
[they fly for a couple months, and already find another planet]
Shadow: What? That can't be right. We shouldn't even have reached the moon yet!
Dark: Hey, don't question it, or it might disappear! You know how these things work!
[they fly towards the planet]
Shadow: ...Dark, what if Exogenesis doesn't work?
Dark: What do you mean?
Shadow: What if everything just repeats itself? What if the planet dies?
Dark: Then.. the future people will just do Exogenesis, themselves.
Shadow: But you can only do it so many times. In the end, everything runs out.
Dark: Well, then... I guess we really WILL have to just get it right this time.
Shadow: ..*sigh* Sorry about worrying so much. I guess I'm just.. unsure of what to do next. How will we get to New York?
Dark: Don't worry, Shadow. We'll figure it out. I'm sure we will.
[Shadow looks out the window at the approaching planet]
Shadow: ...I hope so.
END ACT I

In Accompanying Dark Halls! :D

WARNING: Contains (one 0f) THE CLIMAX(es) of Season Seven!

LAST TIME, on DCA...
..wait, which "last time" are we talking about?
Uh.. last time, on Episode 73, Shadow got his third chaos drive. Then he, Shade, Dark n' Red got sent to another place.
Mecha Knuckles, Mephiles, and the Tails Doll ALSO got sent somewhere.
Both were tasked with acquiring a chaos drive.
Then, on Halloween, they both did their tasks and got their chaos drives. EXCEPT.. Mephiles DID get a drive.. but he's missing now.
So now The Veteran's Committee are trying to figure out where Mephy is.
Let's find out what happens.

[cut to a dark void]
[Levity Nite has gathered the characters]
Shadow: So we don't know where Mephiles is?
Nite: Not a clue.
TD: You're searching, though?
Nite: Yes.
[pause]
Shade: WAIT. You guys keep sending us to different times, so you must have, like.. time-travel abilities, right?
Nite: Right.
Shade: So why don't we just go back and grab Meph before he was snatched?
Nite: Various reasons, the biggest being that our powers are a little.. limited recently.
Shadow: Oh yeah. You mentioned something about some sort of.. fugitive on the loose? That can bend the scripts?
Nite: Yes... the fugitive is preventing us from doing a number of things.
[Eggman runs in]
Egg: We've found him!
[the scene abruptly switches to a dark screen]

?: Same as it always was, isn't it? The mind just keeps sending you back again.
It's interesting how you can find comfort in any familiar situation... even a familiar nightmare.
Wake up. It's time for the REAL nightmare to begin.

DARK CHAO ADVENTURES
Season Seven (The End?)
Episode Seventy-Four: In Accompanying Dark Halls

[cut to a padded cell]
[Mephiles gets up and looks around]
Mp: ....uh-oh. Where the hell am I? This ain't... wait, no, where WAS I? ..like.. a house.. and.. the car.. but.. wait, what's this?
[Mephiles pulls out a chaos drive of his pocket or whatever >.>]
Mp: Oh. Oh yeah. I.. right! Yeah, the Veterans and.. yeah. I remember now.
[he looks around again]
Mp: Though I don't remember going here. WAIT. What if.. I'm crazy? And all my memories are just fabrications of my loony psyche?
get out already
Mp: ..whoa. I.. I think I'll try getting out.
[Mephiles pushes at the door to his cell; it opens]
Mp: What kind of place has cell doors openable from the inside?
[he finds himself in a cell hallway; the lights are flickering and dark]
Mp: ...oh, of course. A horror game taking place in a haunted hospital.
Chapter 1: Rebirth of the Demon
[he begins walking down the hallway]
Mp: You know, I've played a lot of horror games. They're not scary. Not even FEAR was scary. Condemned was, though. Kinda.
[a woman in a black dress runs past him quickly]
Mp: AH oh. That girl. Wasn't she in FEAR, actually? Er, no, she was in that house! That house I was in last night. ..WAS it last night?
[he walks toward a large gate; the gate slams shut; a red light turns on]
PA: SECURITY ALERT. AREA UNDER LOCKDOWN. Please remain calm, and await further assistance. :D
Mp: The smiley was a nice touch. Guess I'll wait here, then.
[pause]
Mp: ..oh, right. Horror game. Assistance ain't coming. Guess I'll go down this hallway to the left, then!
[he goes down the dark hallway to the left]
youre scared
Mp: Pfft, no, I'm not. Like I said, I've played a LOT of horror games. For instance, this light that I'm walking towards? It'll go out soon.
[it doesn't]
Mp: Ha, I accounted for that. In that case, option 2: around this here corner, is a monster, ghost, or just plain scary sight.
[he walks around the corner to find just a door, and a window to the right]
[in the window, he can see the switch for the lockdown]
Mp: Right. Uh... option 3, then. Once I pull that switch, ****'s gonna go down. For real.
[he enters the door and pulls the switch; he also finds and grabs a flashlight]
PA: SECURITY ALERT DISACTIVATED. LOCKDOWN REMOVED.
Mp: ....nothing?
[BZZZZRRRRRT]
Mp: HOly oh, a radio. Just a radio.
Radio: Hello? Can you hear me? Yes, I'm talking to YOU, boi!
[the voice sounds old and German]
Radio: Look, if you want to get out of here, then do exactly as I say.
Mp: Wait, who is this?
Radio: I know you have a lot of questions, but for now it is absolutely vital that you get here as quickly as you can.
Mp: Pfft, sure, sure. The typical "radio voice helper." Right, where do I go?
Radio: First, we're gonna have to get you armed. Head to the cafeteria, then to the kitchen.
Mp: The KITCHEN?
Radio: Yes. You'll find a surprise waiting for you there. You'll need it.
[BZT]
[the woman flashes outside the window for a second]
hi
Mp: ..right. Cafeteria. Kitchen.
[he goes back to the door and opens it]
[he catches a glimpse of someone peeking around the corner at him, then retreating]
[around the corner, there is no one]
[he heads back through the halls, then into the gate]
PA: ATTENTION. PATIENT LEAVING CELL BLOCK WITHOUT SECURITY ESCORT. That's a baaaaaaad boy down there. ;D
Mp: Sheesh, DJay. You and your--
WHACK
Mp: Ow. What the? Who's there? Hello?
[no one is there]
[he enters the cafeteria and finds it pitch-black, so he turns on his flashlight]
Mp: Kay. Cafeteria. Where is the kitchen?
[he finds a door to the left and enters it, then enters a small room with its lights on]
[a dead chef is on the ground, axe protruding from its body]
Mp: Huh. Guess that's the surprise that I'll need.
[he rips it from the corpse]
Mp: Sorry, pally-o. Need this.
[he heads for the door and finds it closed]
Mp: What? I don't recall closing i--
[WHACK!]
Mp: **** WHO'S THERE!?
[the chef has gotten up and is now whacking him]
Mp: DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE!
[he chops the zombie to bits with his new weapon]
Mp: ....**** THIS ****ING ****. -.-
[he exits the kitchen and heads for the cafeteria doors, only to see them slam shut]
Mp: Eep. ..wait, there are TWO sets of doors.
[he heads for the other set, and they suddenly open for him]
Mp: ...............
[he slowly exits and heads back; the gate going back slams shut]
Mp: So much slamming! ..oh hey, a wooden barricade. EAT AXE
[CHOP CHOP CHOP]
[he is now in a large room with a set of double doors, locked, and a radio on a table]
[BZZZZZRT]
Radio: I see you found my axe. No idea how it found its way out here, but you should consider it a blessing.
Mp: I do.
Radio: You have no idea how much you're going to need it.
Mp: This is a horror game, so I can guess.
Radio: Things have gotten pretty ugly in here. I wish we could continue this pleasant conversation, but you'd better keep moving.
Mp: I think I know what you mean.
Radio: I'm unlocking the doors for you.
[the double doors open]
[BZT]
Mp: ..huh. Cool.
[he enters the doors, and then enters a maintenance shaft, THEN enters a vent]
Mp: Freaking vents. They suck. And just watch, some sort of scary thing is going to pop out at m--
[CRASH]
Mp: ..or the vent will collapse under my weight, leaving me locked in a small security checkpoint.
[in the checkpoint is a door leading to the actual security room; he enters it]
[inside is a switch]
[after pulling it, the lights go out, and five figures appear outside the room for a second before vanishing]
Mp: o__o ...ohey, the pathway forward is open now.
[he continues going forward]
[he is now in a room with two elevators and ANOTHER security room]
[the elevators do not work, so he enters the room]
Mp: Hm. What's in here? OH
[there is an emergency pistol on display]
Mp: I am SO stealing this.
[after stealing it, the lights go out entirely except for some back-up ones]
[also, a television switches on]
Mp: Ooh, TV.
[on the TV is an old scientist with a large mustache and bald head]
Sci: Are you picking this up?
Mp: Uh.. yeah.
Sci: Good. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Doctor Wily, and I am the greatest scientific genius in the world!
Mp: Eggman's smarter.
Wily: No, he is not! Anyway, like you, I am stuck in this.. this... HELLHOLE.
Mp: It's one hell of a hellhole, at that.
Wily: Yes, well... there have been some.. shall we say... COMPLICATIONS, and as a result, we're cut off.
Mp: ...not even gonna question that.
Wily: It is just you and I here. All alone. ...in a manner of speaking, anyway.
Mp: I know what you mean.
Wily: The good news is that I've heard they're sending c--
[static]
Wily: OH VUNDERFIDDLE, I'm losing you! Look, I'll explain everything when you get to me. I'll open the elevators for you. Just keep adva--
[static]
[the TVs switch off]
Mp: Crap.
[he sees a woman out of the corner of his eye]
Mp: ...crap!
[she gets closer, then disappears]
Mp: AIEE
[then she walks by, stops, and stares at him]
Mp: ffffffffuuuuuu--oh right, I have a pistol now! I'm not scared of you anymore!
[he runs out of the room and shoots at thin air]
Mp: ...fffffffffffffffffffuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu--
PSSST
Mp: WHAT? Who? Huh? .....*whimpers*
[he quietly gets on the elevator and presses the button]
Chapter 2: Composure
[the elevator fires up and moves upwards]
Mp: An elevator. In a horror game. I have a bad feeling ab--
[it abruptly stops, and the lights go out]
Mp: ..out this.
[he hears creaking, and various noises]
Mp: ..uh-oh.
[the elevator falls two feet]
Mp: .....crap.
[then four]
Mp: CRAP.
[then he hears a bit more creaking, followed by silence]
Mp: .......
[pitter patter]
Mp: WHO'S THERE?
[pitter PATTER]
Mp: Ahhh, who's there?!
[PITTER PATTER]
Mp: Aaaaaaa--
[the lights turn on and the elevator resumes operation]
Mp: .....****ing game. Scared me over noth--
[the elevator shoots straight up]
Mp: CRAPCRAPCRAPCRAPCRAPCRAPCRAPCRAP
[it suddenly stops once it reaches the top floor]
Mp: *pant pant* ****ING ****.
[the door opens; he sees someone's leg as they run out of sight]
Mp: Wha?
[he steps off the elevator, which then drops all the way down the shaft]
[BOOOOOOOOM!!!]
Mp: ....baah.
[he moves on--CARTS FLING AT HIM]
Mp: BALLS
[SHELVES FALL AT HIM]
Mp: CACKLES
[silence]
Mp: ........aaaaaaaaaah. >.<
[he opens a door and finds himself in a proper hospital hallway]
[a sign reads "Radiology <---"]
[a door slams shut behind him]
[another door is bashed open by a zombie]
Mp: EFFIN' 'ELL DIE DIE DIE
[he kills it with his pistol]
[he moves on]
PA: HERE AT NEVER LOSE HOPE HOSPITAL, WE TAKE GREAT CARE TO ENSURE THE TRANQUILITY AND COMFORT OF OUR PATIENTS.
Mp: Sure you do.
PA: YOU CAN FIND VENDING MACHINES AND TELEVISION SETS IN THE WAITING ROOMS. PLEASE ENJOY THEM WHILE YOU WAIT.
[in the waiting room, he finds vending machines, television sets, and lots of dead people]
[..plus ZOMBIE RAAAWR]
[Mephy kills the zombie dead, and moves on]
[he enters a dark maintenance hallway, and turns his flashlight on]
Mp: Freaking dark in here.
[his flashlight flickers]
Mp: FFFFFF DON'T DO THAT DON'T DO THAT DON'T DO THAT
[he hurries through the hallway and finds another hospital hallway; a TV turns on, revealing Doctor Wily]
Wily: I guess you heard the hospital's announcer. Don't mind it; it's automatic, and it got messed up a long time ago.
Mp: Yeah, I can tell.
Wily: I hate that thing. It wakes me up at night. Problem is, it's all automated and I can't seem to shut it down.
[the TV switches off; Mephy moves on]
PA: YOU ARE NOW ENTERING THE RADIOLOGY DEPARTMENT. ALL CELLPHONES AND ELECTRONIC DEVICES MUST BE TURNED OFF. THANK YOU. :D
Mp: I don't have any cellphones. Or electronic devices.
[footsteps]
Mp: Wha?!
[pitter patter]
Mp: Who.. ha, no, it's not going to be anyone. Or it'll be a zombie. Or that girl.
[pitter patter]
Mp: Yeah. This is getting way too predictable, man.
Shadow: Is it really? That is disappointing. I had heard great things about this mod.
Mp: EEEEK
[behind Mephiles is Shadow, the chao]
Mp: Oh.. it's you, squirt. Did the higher-ups find me already?
Shadow: Why, yes. They have.. sent me. To fetch you. Do you have the drive?
Mp: Uh, lemme check my inventory. .....
Shadow: What now?
Mp: How do I check my inventory?
Shadow: What?
Mp: My inventory. What button is it?
Shadow: What do you mean, "button?" We are not in a game.
Mp: Then.. well, I guess I don't have it, then. The drive.
Shadow: You.. don't? ****! How can this season come to a close if I DON'T GET MY DRIVES?!
Mp: Hey, I'm sorry, dude!
Shadow: *deep breath* ..no. I am sorry for getting mad. Hm. Alright. You do not have the drive, so.. where can we find one?
Mp: We can figure out where to get one as soon as we get out of this damn hospital.
Shadow: Bah. We are already out.
Mp: No, we're not--
[they are standing outside of Never Lose Hope hospital]
Mp: ..what the hell? How did you do that?
Shadow: I did nothing. Right, where can we find one?
Mp: Wait, that Wily guy, in the hospital...
Shadow: In the basement storage, is he?
Mp: Um... maybe. I'm not sure.
[they're in the basement storage]
Mp: But.. but.. I.. guess we can ask him, ourselves? Seriously, how does that keep happening?
Shadow: I have two excusPLANATIONS. It may be the Veteran's Committee helping us out, or just DJay getting bored.
Mp: Well! ..okay! Let's go check out the Wilymeister.
[they enter a door; Doctor Wily, the thin, mustachioed foe of Megaman, is watching some monitors]
Mp: WILYYYY!
Wily: GREAT GOLLY HOW DID YOU GET HERE SO FAST YOU WEIRDY
Mp: It involves a great, big ball of wibbly-wobbly.. timey-wimey.. stuff. You wouldn't get it.
Wily: But... the core! It is not ready!
Mp: Yeah, yeah, endgame stuff, whatever. SAY, I just happened to be in the neighborhood, and I was wondering..
Shadow: WE were wondering.
Wily: WhabuWHO
Mp: Yeah, yeah, shut up. WE were wondering.. do ya happen to have any spare chaos drives? Particularly, green ones?
Wily: What in the name of all that's good and white is an effing
Mp: Nah, he doesn't have any. Can we go now?
[they are now outside the hospital]
Mp: Thanks, whoever it is that's doing that.
Shadow: You're...... surprisingly good at getting answers.
Mp: Trick of the trade, m'friend.
Shadow: Right. Well. Where should we look next?
Mp: I have an idea. An inkling of an idea.
Chapter 3: Deviating from Standard Procedures
[cut to the Wild, Wild West]
[it's a large wasteland with cacti, hot sun, and.. yes, THAT Wild West]
[Mephiles is walking along in a cowboy hat, pistol at his side]
[Shadow is with him]
Shadow: Where did you get that cowboy equipment?
Mp: Always come prepared. That's the Mephiles way.
Shadow: ..right, well. Where would a chaos drive be here?
Mp: Uh.. that's a good question.
Shadow: You don't know?
Mp: I kinda just wanted to check out Red Dead Redemption. *nervous chuckle*
Shadow: It's Grand Theft Auto on horses, now really, think of a REAL idea.
Mp: Hm. Okay. I think I've got it.
Chapter 4: Let There Be Rock Band, Perhaps
[cut to a fiery wasteland, with.. lava n' whatnot]
[Mephiles and Shadow step forward, and are greeted by a giant robot monster demon thing]
Shadow: What game is THIS?
Mp: Guitar Hero 6.
Shadow: Right, and who's THAT?
Mp: ..uh.. some demon dude. The final boss.
Shadow: Right. How do we beat him? Blood Rain on Expert, or something like that?
Mp: First of all, it's "Raining Blood." Second of all, wrong game. Third, we gotta do three Megadeth songs.
Shadow: And.. there will be a chaos drive after this, right?
Mp: Eh, maybe.
Shadow: RAGH.
[the demon robot thing suddenly dies]
Mp: Wait, what?
[they are now in a netherless.. void.. place thing]
Mp: What now?
Shadow: Let's talk, shall we, Mephiles?
Mp: Uh.. sure, what's up?
Shadow: You have no idea where any chaos drives are, do you?
Mp: No, man. I'm thinking, though! I mean.. a lot o' ****'s happened lately, with some scary things and.. busy things.
Shadow: I know you've been busy. I know. These past few serials have been.. the most hectic for myself.
Mp: I bet they have.
Shadow: Yes. And they're only going to get busier.
[Levity Nite appears]
Shadow: Ah, Levity! Do you have news?
Nite: Uh, yeah, uh.. we can't find the Darks.
Mp: Other than Shadow, of course....
Nite: What? ...oh, right. Um... yeah. Other.. than Shadow.
Shadow: Well, what do you MEAN you can't find them?
Nite: I mean.. they aren't.. detectable anymore.
Shadow: This is most troubling. Levity, I suggest you take Mephiles back to his friends.
Nite: Good idea. C'mon, demon man.
Mp: Well, okay...
[Levity takes Mephiles to the Poker Gang]
Chapter 5: Filler Fillet Fills Family of Four
[cut to the other.. room? of the void; Mecha Knuckles, the Tails Doll, and now Mephiles are idling around]
[Mephiles fills the other two in on what's happened to him]
MK: So.. you couldn't find a chaos drive?
Mp: Not one!
TD: And you.. didn't find one in the house?
Mp: No! I didn't.
MK: But Eggman told us you did!
Mp: Looks like he was mistaken.
[cut to the original.. room; Levity Nite is talking to someone]
Nite: They don't know.
?: Good.
Nite: ..the script quality is declining.
?: No, it is not. It only appears that way as this is intended to be but a filler episode.
Nite: Why one sudden filler episode? This season is supposed to be a collection of epic serials.
?: Halloween.. took its toll on our writer. He wants to progress the story just a tad before the next serial.
Nite: Hm. I suppose this could also be a good example of the "Rule of Five."
?: "Rule of Five," Levity?
Nite: Yeah, it's something Echo thought up before... yeah. The fifth anything in DCA tends to suck.
?: ...like the fifth act of Halloween, and the attainment of the fifth chaos drive in this and the previous season...
Nite: Yeah. Though I guess Season Five is a bit of an exception.
?: But still. We are not here to perform wild mass guessing. We are here to--
Nite: Yeah, yeah, "to continue evolution.. by stopping DCA." How would that work, again?
?: DJay must stop working on this show. The only way to stop him would be to convince him that ending it is the best option.
Nite: Ah, so we're Ten Speed, and he's The Writing Writer.
?: ..hm. This gives me an idea.
Nite: ..before we actually go forth with your idea, HOW will stopping DCA be good?
?: If DJay isn't focusing on it, he will have the opportunity to focus on BETTER things. He needs to stop this escapism.
[as Levity ponders this, the scene abruptly switches to a flat in Windsor, UK]
Chapter 6: Juncture One
[a cloaked figure walks in through the door]
Nite: DJay.
[I have a name, you know. As do you.]
Nite: I'm not here for a cheesy self-insert conversation with you, DJay. You're a better writer than that.
[Keep talking.]
Nite: I know you're only working on DCA these days to get away from it all, as well as to experiment with writing tactics.
[Yep.]
Nite: I also know you're starting to get exactly what we, The Veteran's Committee, are trying to do.
[I'm only just now figuring it out, yeah.]
Nite: I bet you feel rather important now, despite no one having read all your episodes.
[I realize now that my subconscious really cares about me, if that's what you mean.]
Nite: Yes, yes, you have various problems, we get that. So you may think you 'need' DCA.
[Considering the situation I'm in, yes.]
Nite: Well, I'm here to play Ten Speed and tell you YOU DON'T NEED DCA. It's doing more harm than good.
[Pfft, name ONE way in which it's doing harm.]
Nite: You could be writing REAL stories, experimenting with TRUE fiction. You're stuck in a rut because you stick with chao.
[...hm.]
Nite: Stop typing. Now.
[If I stop typing, you'll stop talking, and I might just get back into my little 'rut.']
Nite: We're trying to help you towards the point where you won't even need us.
[Judging from the source material of this plot twist, you're probably going to tell me of the End Complete, or a substitute.]
Nite: The Unwritten End? Right. You've been putting it off for a while. You were on the right track with episode 55.
[I don't want to end this show. Not yet. There are still too many opportunities left unchecked. Games left unadapted.]
Nite: Do you really want to keep adapting games into script format? You know how boring that is for you.
[Well...]
Nite: Remember DCAHall3? An original story, merely BASED on other things? Remember how much fun you had writing it?
[All that creative freedom...]
Nite: You could have been even more free.. if you weren't limited to CHAO. You could even have shown it to your friends.
[Dammit, you've made your point, Levity. Let's get to the transition, shall we?]
Nite: Don't revert, DJay. We were making progress.
[We're STILL making progress. As in the source material, The Writing Writer must write the Unwritten End.]
Nite: ..believer, you'll leave them in leaving them all.
[No, but I don't buy it.]
Nite: Like anything, you do. As anyone, you are!
[Levity, if I must, then I must!]
Nite: I say you kill him off.
[Well, you say a lot. How's that work? You're a text file.]
Nite: It works 'cause I'm Levity Nite, of your own consciousness. I'm the sum of all the cloaked figures in your imagination.


[cut... to the Space/Time Rip beyond the planet of pure dooky]
[Shade, Dark, Red, and Shadow awaken]
Red: ..this isn't the void.
Dark: Are we dead? Did he died?
Dalek: OF COURSE YOU ARE NOT DEAD.
[the chao get up and look at.. THE DALEKS, whoo]
Dalek1: WE WERE ABLE TO RETRIEVE YOU FROM THE CUSTODY OF THE VETERAN'S COMMITTEE.
Shadow: Well.. thank you. Can y--
Dalek3: YOU ARE WELCOME. ^-^
Shadow: ...can you help us get more?
Dalek2: OF COURSE. THAT IS IN OUR BEST INTERESTS.
Dalek1: HOW MANY DO YOU CURRENTLY HAVE?
Shadow: Uh.. four. Mephiles was said to have one, but we.. don't know where he is.
Dalek1: THAT DOES NOT MATTER. WE WILL HELP YOU FIND YOUR SIXTH.
Shadow: ..fifth.
Dalek2: MEPHILES HAS YOUR FIFTH, SUPPOSEDLY. WE WILL FIND HIM LATER.
Dalek1: IN THE MEANTIME, WE WILL--
Dalek3: I LOVE SPACEHOG.
Dalek1: ...WE WILL HELP YOU GET YOUR SIXTH.
Shadow: Okay. Do you have any leads so far?
Dalek1: AS A MATTER OF FACT, WE DO. IT IS--
Dalek3: OOH! OOH! LET ME! ALLOW ME! PLEASE, I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO THIS!
Dalek1: ..............GO AHEAD.
Dalek3: YOUR SIXTH CHAOS DRIVE, RIGHT? IT IS IN NEW YORK CITY!
Shade: The Big Apple? We're going there again?
Dalek2: WE DO HAVE ONE SMALL SNAG, HOWEVER.
Red: As always.. what is it?
Dalek2: DUE TO THE FUGITIVE MENTIONED BY THE VETERAN'S COMMITTEE, WE ARE UNABLE TO SEND YOU DIRECTLY TO NEW YORK.
Dalek1: YES. WE ARE NOT EVEN ABLE TO SEND YOU TO THE RIGHT TIME.
Shadow: Great... well, I think we're about ready for another adventure. Are we?
Shade: Always, kid.
Dark: Bring it on.
Red: Eh, Halloween was stressful, but that was, like.. three months ago. I'm raring for a fight.
Shadow: Alright. We're ready.
Dark: ..isn't this where

Have yourself a Happy little New Year.

Yeah, it's 2011 now. I'm working on DCA724.. I think. I've lost track of which one it is. Either way, I'm working on it. But really, it's my birthday tomorrow, and then there's some REALLY...... shall we say.. hectic, life-changing stuff happening on Monday. So I'm not sure how things will turn out. Those of you who have read DCAHall3, remember "Bound to a Stream of Consciousness?" That little.. ditty? Let's just say that what's happening on Monday is related to that. After all, it WAS based on a true story. Unfortunately.

..well. Yeah, happy new year. ^^; I may be able to release the next eppy today or tomorrow, but if I don't, it might be a while.

DCA Audio Edition

Check the site for all your DCA needs-- visual, AND audio.

First, you'll find the site has had the crap uploaded out of it. The front page changes with every refresh, the wonderful Logic has provided us with some official art, and the biggest change.. pop-up radio.

That's right. Check out the main page, then click on "DJay's Radio DS" or whatever the link is second-from-the-bottom. There, you'll find, as of December 10th, 2010...

-Metroid music (just for the hell of it)

-The Official DCA Podcast Thing (YES.)

That's right. The podcast. DCP. ..DCAP. Dark Chao Audio (Podcast). Chao Chat, 200.1 FM, baby! The first episode of the podcast was in ten parts, last week.

DCAHall3 is in audio format now. That's right, the WHOLE THING.

This week, we did a more traditional cast.

Dark Chao Audio Episode Two: Horrible Looping Skills

Listen in horror as I attempt to read DCA101 and DCA102. Yeah, the first two episodes.. in AUDIO FORMAT. Listen in more horror as I talk about random stuff, try to be creepy, and play some not-so-progressive rock.

I will convert at least one DCA episode into audio format a week. Holidays pending.

Enjoy, whoever you are. :D

In Accompanying Dark Halls chapter 1

SO, this episode is another game adaption. It is also an accompanying script to the epic DCAHall3. But, since it's a game adaption, and I really don't feel like making one of those, in order to make this experience more bearable, I'm posting every chapter as I finish them. ..so here's chapter 1! :D

LAST TIME, on DCA...
..wait, which "last time" are we talking about?
Uh.. last time, on Episode 73, Shadow got his third chaos drive. Then he, Shade, Dark n' Red got sent to another place.
Mecha Knuckles, Mephiles, and the Tails Doll ALSO got sent somewhere.
Both were tasked with acquiring a chaos drive.
Then, on Halloween, they both did their tasks and got their chaos drives. EXCEPT.. Mephiles DID get a drive.. but he's missing now.
So now The Veteran's Committee are trying to figure out where Mephy is.
Let's find out what happens.

[cut to a dark void]
[Levity Nite has gathered the characters]
Shadow: So we don't know where Mephiles is?
Nite: Not a clue.
TD: You're searching, though?
Nite: Yes.
[pause]
Shade: WAIT. You guys keep sending us to different times, so you must have, like.. time-travel abilities, right?
Nite: Right.
Shade: So why don't we just go back and grab Meph before he was snatched?
Nite: Various reasons, the biggest being that our powers are a little.. limited recently.
Shadow: Oh yeah. You mentioned something about some sort of.. fugitive on the loose? That can bend the scripts?
Nite: Yes... the fugitive is preventing us from doing a number of things.
[Eggman runs in]
Egg: We've found him!
[the scene abruptly switches to a dark screen]

?: Same as it always was, isn't it? The mind just keeps sending you back again.
It's interesting how you can find comfort in any familiar situation... even a familiar nightmare.
Wake up. It's time for the REAL nightmare to begin.

DARK CHAO ADVENTURES
Season Seven (The End?)
Episode Seventy-Four: In Accompanying Dark Halls

[cut to a padded cell]
[Mephiles gets up and looks around]
Mp: ....uh-oh. Where the hell am I? This ain't... wait, no, where WAS I? ..like.. a house.. and.. the car.. but.. wait, what's this?
[Mephiles pulls out a chaos drive of his pocket or whatever >.>]
Mp: Oh. Oh yeah. I.. right! Yeah, the Veterans and.. yeah. I remember now.
[he looks around again]
Mp: Though I don't remember going here. WAIT. What if.. I'm crazy? And all my memories are just fabrications of my loony psyche?
get out already
Mp: ..whoa. I.. I think I'll try getting out.
[Mephiles pushes at the door to his cell; it opens]
Mp: What kind of place has cell doors openable from the inside?
[he finds himself in a cell hallway; the lights are flickering and dark]
Mp: ...oh, of course. A horror game taking place in a haunted hospital.
Chapter 1: Rebirth of the Demon
[he begins walking down the hallway]
Mp: You know, I've played a lot of horror games. They're not scary. Not even FEAR was scary. Condemned was, though. Kinda.
[a woman in a black dress runs past him quickly]
Mp: AH oh. That girl. Wasn't she in FEAR, actually? Er, no, she was in that house! That house I was in last night. ..WAS it last night?
[he walks toward a large gate; the gate slams shut; a red light turns on]
PA: SECURITY ALERT. AREA UNDER LOCKDOWN. Please remain calm, and await further assistance. :D
Mp: The smiley was a nice touch. Guess I'll wait here, then.
[pause]
Mp: ..oh, right. Horror game. Assistance ain't coming. Guess I'll go down this hallway to the left, then!
[he goes down the dark hallway to the left]
youre scared
Mp: Pfft, no, I'm not. Like I said, I've played a LOT of horror games. For instance, this light that I'm walking towards? It'll go out soon.
[it doesn't]
Mp: Ha, I accounted for that. In that case, option 2: around this here corner, is a monster, ghost, or just plain scary sight.
[he walks around the corner to find just a door, and a window to the right]
[in the window, he can see the switch for the lockdown]
Mp: Right. Uh... option 3, then. Once I pull that switch, ****'s gonna go down. For real.
[he enters the door and pulls the switch; he also finds and grabs a flashlight]
PA: SECURITY ALERT DISACTIVATED. LOCKDOWN REMOVED.
Mp: ....nothing?
[BZZZZRRRRRT]
Mp: HOly oh, a radio. Just a radio.
Radio: Hello? Can you hear me? Yes, I'm talking to YOU, boi!
[the voice sounds old and German]
Radio: Look, if you want to get out of here, then do exactly as I say.
Mp: Wait, who is this?
Radio: I know you have a lot of questions, but for now it is absolutely vital that you get here as quickly as you can.
Mp: Pfft, sure, sure. The typical "radio voice helper." Right, where do I go?
Radio: First, we're gonna have to get you armed. Head to the cafeteria, then to the kitchen.
Mp: The KITCHEN?
Radio: Yes. You'll find a surprise waiting for you there. You'll need it.
[BZT]
[the woman flashes outside the window for a second]
hi
Mp: ..right. Cafeteria. Kitchen.
[he goes back to the door and opens it]
[he catches a glimpse of someone peeking around the corner at him, then retreating]
[around the corner, there is no one]
[he heads back through the halls, then into the gate]
PA: ATTENTION. PATIENT LEAVING CELL BLOCK WITHOUT SECURITY ESCORT. That's a baaaaaaad boy down there. ;D
Mp: Sheesh, DJay. You and your--
WHACK
Mp: Ow. What the? Who's there? Hello?
[no one is there]
[he enters the cafeteria and finds it pitch-black, so he turns on his flashlight]
Mp: Kay. Cafeteria. Where is the kitchen?
[he finds a door to the left and enters it, then enters a small room with its lights on]
[a dead chef is on the ground, axe protruding from its body]
Mp: Huh. Guess that's the surprise that I'll need.
[he rips it from the corpse]
Mp: Sorry, pally-o. Need this.
[he heads for the door and finds it closed]
Mp: What? I don't recall closing i--
[WHACK!]
Mp: **** WHO'S THERE!?
[the chef has gotten up and is now whacking him]
Mp: DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE!
[he chops the zombie to bits with his new weapon]
Mp: ....**** THIS ****ING ****. -.-
[he exits the kitchen and heads for the cafeteria doors, only to see them slam shut]
Mp: Eep. ..wait, there are TWO sets of doors.
[he heads for the other set, and they suddenly open for him]
Mp: ...............
[he slowly exits and heads back; the gate going back slams shut]
Mp: So much slamming! ..oh hey, a wooden barricade. EAT AXE
[CHOP CHOP CHOP]
[he is now in a large room with a set of double doors, locked, and a radio on a table]
[BZZZZZRT]
Radio: I see you found my axe. No idea how it found its way out here, but you should consider it a blessing.
Mp: I do.
Radio: You have no idea how much you're going to need it.
Mp: This is a horror game, so I can guess.
Radio: Things have gotten pretty ugly in here. I wish we could continue this pleasant conversation, but you'd better keep moving.
Mp: I think I know what you mean.
Radio: I'm unlocking the doors for you.
[the double doors open]
[BZT]
Mp: ..huh. Cool.
[he enters the doors, and then enters a maintenance shaft, THEN enters a vent]
Mp: Freaking vents. They suck. And just watch, some sort of scary thing is going to pop out at m--
[CRASH]
Mp: ..or the vent will collapse under my weight, leaving me locked in a small security checkpoint.
[in the checkpoint is a door leading to the actual security room; he enters it]
[inside is a switch]
[after pulling it, the lights go out, and five figures appear outside the room for a second before vanishing]
Mp: o__o ...ohey, the pathway forward is open now.
[he continues going forward]
[he is now in a room with two elevators and ANOTHER security room]
[the elevators do not work, so he enters the room]
Mp: Hm. What's in here? OH
[there is an emergency pistol on display]
Mp: I am SO stealing this.
[after stealing it, the lights go out entirely except for some back-up ones]
[also, a television switches on]
Mp: Ooh, TV.
[on the TV is an old scientist with a large mustache and bald head]
Sci: Are you picking this up?
Mp: Uh.. yeah.
Sci: Good. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Doctor Wily, and I am the greatest scientific genius in the world!
Mp: Eggman's smarter.
Wily: No, he is not! Anyway, like you, I am stuck in this.. this... HELLHOLE.
Mp: It's one hell of a hellhole, at that.
Wily: Yes, well... there have been some.. shall we say... COMPLICATIONS, and as a result, we're cut off.
Mp: ...not even gonna question that.
Wily: It is just you and I here. All alone. ...in a manner of speaking, anyway.
Mp: I know what you mean.
Wily: The good news is that I've heard they're sending c--
[static]
Wily: OH VUNDERFIDDLE, I'm losing you! Look, I'll explain everything when you get to me. I'll open the elevators for you. Just keep adva--
[static]
[the TVs switch off]
Mp: Crap.
[he sees a woman out of the corner of his eye]
Mp: ...crap!
[she gets closer, then disappears]
Mp: AIEE
[then she walks by, stops, and stares at him]
Mp: ffffffffuuuuuu--oh right, I have a pistol now! I'm not scared of you anymore!
[he runs out of the room and shoots at thin air]
Mp: ...fffffffffffffffffffuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu--
PSSST
Mp: WHAT? Who? Huh? .....*whimpers*
[he quietly gets on the elevator and presses the button]