Start the fic.
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As Ranma sat in his room his mind drifted back to his friends, the friends he wasn't even sure were real, the friends he once chalked up as a dream. As Ranma dwelled on all of this he noticed something golden and shiny glinting in the sunlight inside his traveling pack.
"No way! It can't be!" said Ranma.
Ranma walked over to his pack and pulled out something he thought he'd never see again. The key King Morpheus once gave him to protect.
Ranma took the key and placed it around his neck. He made sure to hide it underneath his shirt, no telling what might happen if Nabiki found out he had a golden key.
He screwed up as the key's guardian once before, he wasn't going to make that mistake ever again!
Flashback.
The Oomps were leading the way while dancing. They seemed pretty happy to be working for them. Ranma thought they were funny and they seemed to have made quite the impression on Camille.
Meanwhile Flip was grudgingly carrying the luggage. Ranma felt some pity for him seeing as how Flip got quite the load. It wasn't really fair for him to be carrying so much all by himself.
"Here Flip, let me help you." Said Ranma.
"No thanks! Won't be taking THIS job away from me!" said Flip.
Ranma sighed as the Oomps continued to lead them into the forest dancing all the way.
Later that night they made camp and started to drink some tea the Professor brought. Ranma found tea weird, it was like flavored water. Ranma made a couple of jokes to Camille about it which she seemed to laugh at.
The Oomps on the other hand seemed to absolutely love it. Ranma had to admit it, they were better friends than Flip. They actually tried to prevent him from getting hurt, they also said that they would protect Camille, Ranma, Flip, the Professor, and Icarus.
Flip, who was still acting like a little brat, didn't want to be anywhere near them and made his little campsite far away from them.
Ranma never thought he would ever have so much fun with a girl but Camille proved him wrong. While the others were continuing to sip their tea Ranma was watching over the scepter.
"Listen, that incantation for the scepter, wasn't it something like Shazama Shazama?" asked Camille.
"No. The second word was pajama, I remembered because you made fun of mine." Said Ranma.
"Sh! Not so loud; the Nightmare King might have spies all over this land!" said the Professor.
The Professor put his arms around Camille and Ranma and brought them closer so nobody could overhear them.
"We must let the Nightmare King believe Ranma can use the scepter." Said the Professor.
The Oomps smiled at each other that the Nightmare King just might actually have the beat down he deserves.
"Would you PLEASE keep it down over there?" asked Flip.
Everyone looked up to see Flip wrapped in his blanket looking all around grumpy. Flip stormed off muttering "First they make me the royal bell hop then they won't even let me get any sleep. I've had it, DOGS get better treatment."
Flip put a cigar into his mouth but it didn't stay there long. Once Flip came face to face with a bat goblin it fell right out of his mouth. It looked the entire cave Flip had wondered into was full of flying goblins. Flip swallowed the lump in his throat and ran for his life.
"RANMA!" shouted Flip.
"It's an ambush!" shouted the Professor.
"FLIP!" shouted Ranma.
"Help! Help me! Help! Help meeeeeee!" cried Flip as they carried him away.
"FLIP!" shouted Ranma.
Ranma tried to bat some of the flying goblins away with the scepter but they chose to remain just out of his reach.
"Ranma!" shouted Camille.
Camille tried to go to Ranma to help but the Professor pulled her back to keep her out of harms way.
"Princess this way!" said the Professor.
The goblins continued to lift Flip higher up into the sky despite his many protests.
Some of them went after the Professor and Camille who tried to fend them off with their umbrellas.
A few tried to go after Icarus but he continuously scratched their heads to keep them away.
One of them picked Ranma up by the scepter and started to fly away with him.
"SHAZAMA PAJAMA!" shouted Ranma.
The scepter glowed blue causing the goblin to drop him in fear. Ranma landed roughly on a cliff when more flying goblins pushed him off, one of them grabbed him by the leg and started to carry him off.
Ranma pointed the scepter at the goblin.
"Noo! Shazama Pajama!" shouted Ranma.
The scepter glowed blue and the goblin screamed while releasing him.
"Don't worry Princess, I won't let them take you!" said the Professor.
Unfortunately just as he said this a goblin grabbed him from behind and started to take off with him.
"Unhand me!" shouted the Professor.
"Professor!" shouted Camille.
Camille ran after him but it was to no avail.
"Princess! Run, quickly!" shouted the Professor.
The goblins were now going after Camille. One of them almost got her but got her hat instead. Now they were grabbing her by the arms.
"Let go of me! Get off of me! Get away from me!" shouted Camille.
Ranma saw this and quickly ran towards her at his top speed.
"Get away from her!" shouted Ranma.
Ranma reached her but it was too late. The goblins were already flying off with her.
"Ranma!" cried Camille.
"PRINCEEEEEEEESSSSSSS!" shouted Ranma.
The rest of goblins pushed him down and started to swarm over him. Ranma started to swing the scepter around wildly trying to get them off.
"Shazama Pajama! Shazama Pajama! Shazama Pajama! Shazama Pajama!" cried Ranma.
Ranma had his eyes closed but it felt like as if he were falling a great distance. But then the scepter slipped out of his hands flailing wildly into the sky.
Ranma reached out for it with one hand shouting "Nooo! The scepter!"
Ranma landed on his head with a resounding 'THUD'.
He looked around and realized he was in his room again.
Up on the bed Icarus was busy fighting the pillow until it landed on top of him sending him to the floor.
Ranma laid on the floor for a second or two dumbfounded at what just happened. But then a thought came to him, if it was all a dream then the friends he made were not in any type of danger.
"Phew. What a dream." Said Ranma.
Ranma started to get up but let out a loud gasp as the scepter hit the floor.
"Wow." Said Ranma.
One by one the Oomps crawled out from under Ranma's bed. He had wondered what happened to them.
"You alright Ranma?" asked Oompee.
"I'm alright. But what are you guys doing here?" asked Ranma.
"We're BEING here." Said Oomp.
"Great! I must still be in the dream." Said Ranma.
"Dream? What's a dream?" asked Oompa.
"Um… uh…." Stammered Ranma.
Ranma really wasn't sure exactly how he was supposed to explain this.
"Oh I get it! This is a place called a dream." Said
"Oh is that so?" asked Oompee.
"Sure. Sure." Said Oompa.
"I know that." Said Oompay.
Ranma rolled his eyes. They obviously didn't get it but Ranma was not going to sit around and try to explain it. He was needed.
Ranma walked over to the scepter and started to pick it up.
Just as he picked it up something big and heavy fell through the roof and onto the floor. Whatever it was, it was alive.
Ranma, being startled, aimed the scepter at it and continuously shouted "Shazama Pajama!" which only caused it to glow a lot.
The Oomps had dived for cover but when they saw what fell through they had a look of happiness on their face.
"Hey! Oompo!" said Oompa.
"It's Oompo!" said Oompee.
"I know that." Said Oompay.
The other Oomps ran over to the figure called Oompo with great concern trying to figure if he was okay or not.
Oompee was even on his chest pulling his long dog like mustache. Oompo was built much bigger than the other Oomnps, aka taller and fatter, and he had a bit of a dog face with a mustache much like hound dog would. His collar seemed to be red.
Oompo seemed to regain consciousness for a second and lifted his head up.
"Oh I'm so happy to see all of you again." Said Oompo.
With that Oompo's head fell back down to the floor not moving. The Oomps started to protest that he couldn't go back to sleep again.
"What? Is he a friend of yours?" asked Ranma.
"He's the missing Oomp, the one we left behind." Said Oomp.
Oomp managed to sit up a little to introduce himself properly.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Oompo." Said the missing Oomp.
Ranma bowed to Oompo in a respectful manner.
"Hello, I am Ranma."
"You're Ranma? I have a letter for you from King Morpheus." Said Oompo.
"From King Morpheus?" asked Ranma.
Ranma ran over to Oompo and shook him for a second or two.
"Where's the king now?" asked Ranma.
Oompo started to search around his body as if trying to find something.
"Last I heard he was imprisoned in Nightmare Castle." Said Oompo.
"And the Princess? The Professor?" asked Ranma.
Oompo had found a folded piece of paper, that must have been what he was looking for. It must have been the letter.
"Princess?" asked Oompo.
"The letter! Let me see the letter!" said Ranma.
"Here you go." Said Oompo.
Oompo handed the letter over to Ranma. Ranma started to read the letter, it took all his will power not to drop his jaw at what he saw.
"WHOA! It's the incantation!" said Ranma.
The Oomps looked to each other in awe and amazement that Ranma would have something so important.
"It's the secret to use the secpter! It's got super power, enough to defeat the Nightmare King!" said Ranma.
"Wow! That's great!" said Oompa.
"But why did the king send it?" asked Ranma.
"Let's go to Nightmare Castle right away!" cheered Oomp.
"The king must be waiting!" said Oompee.
The Oomps started to cheer that they were going to help out King Morpheus.
"Off to Nightmare Castle we goooo!" cheered Ranma.
The Oomps cheered once again.
They all got onto Ranma's bed and it's legs started to raise and bend like rubber.
Ranma wasn't exactly sure how all of this was happening but at the moment he didn't care.
The bed jumped out the window and started it's journey to the Nightmare Kingdom with it's riders.
End Flashback.
The flashback must have taken quite a lot of time because Akane stormed into his room obviously mad about something.
"What'd I do now?" asked Ranma.
"You pervert! You seduced Miss Hinako to get out early so you wouldn't have to eat the lunch I made for you!" said Akane.
"Eat your lunch? Akane I'm afraid your lunch is going to try to eat ME… again!" said Ranma.
Akane growled and punted Ranma through the roof. As Ranma sailed through the air he couldn't help but sigh to himself.
"I miss the Princess." Pouted Ranma.
