Welcome to another story that I have created. This one is a Nightmare oneshot that popped into my head after reading one of the manga... Anyway the Memories/dreams which are BOLDED and italicized are in third person where the rest it told by Nightmare himself. Enjoy~
"What have you done?!" Nightmare roared in anger at the jester before him. He only laughed.
"You know what I have done." The malicious man cackled. Nightmare clenched his fist in anger. He hated this place, the prison realm. The horrid place was dank and reeked of blood. The incubus would stay away if he could help it but this time… this time…
"Alice! Alice, please get up!" he shouted to the young girl. However, nothing seemed to faze her. Her eyes were clouded as if she were in a daze. Her mind wasn't any better. The mind reading incubus couldn't pick up on her thoughts. "WHY?! Why would you do this?!" the man questioned.
"For her sake, of course." The Joker was a horrible man. The circus master, the prison warden, it didn't matter. His devious smirk was just as twisted as he was. "In this season of lies, she deserved to hear some truth."
"ALICE!" I shouted, jerking awake. It was only a dream, or more like a nightmare. And yet it wasn't. It was all real. And it haunted me in my dreams.
You could call it funny that a dream demon is having nightmares, that the master of all dreams who controls the dreams of others cannot even control his own. That jester must be doing this to me. He is mocking me, taunting me about my failure to protect her.
I could only sigh at my ridiculous explanations. The Joker had no power in my dream world and the man didn't even exist in the world now. April season ended at the telling of the truth. The circus disappeared. The seasons went away. The only reminder of the April Season was Alice.
"Lord Nightmare." One of my faceless employees muttered from the other side of my door. "The doctor has left, you may come out now."
Ah, yes. The reason I locked myself in my room. Gray had once more called upon the doctor, although, it was not for me this time. Instead, the doctor was for Alice. Ever since the truth came out she has been… ill.
"Lord Nightmare?" the voice of my subordinate rang out once more from the other side of the door. "Are you awake?"
"Yes." My voice was gruff and full of sleep… and worry.
"F-for an update on the young miss' condition, please talk to master Ringmarc." And with that, my employee left. I blinked away the sleep in my eye. Of course I wanted an update on Alice, but I doubted much had actually changed since this whole thing began. When I first brought the girl back from the prison realm I thought she would wake up in a couple hours. The hours turned to time periods. One after another, the time periods changed and Alice didn't wake up.
"Where is my darling little Alice?" Peter asked, stomping into the clover tower. "I have come to take her back to the palace!"
"You must be insane to think you can move her in her current condition!" Gray protested, pushing the white rabbit back.
"Let me see my beautiful pearl!" the rabbit raged. "I will not rest until I see my girl!"
"She isn't yours." The ex-assassin clarified. "And she needs her rest." The man paused for a second. "But we do not need you causing trouble." He turned on his heels. "Follow me, then." He led the angry man to the room of the young girl.
"Alice, Alice! There is no need to fret! I—" he froze. His eyes darted to the incubus who was sitting at the bedside of the unconscious female. "You?! This is all your fault!" Peter hissed.
"Calm down with all the yelling." Gray warned, placing his hand on the white rabbit's shoulder.
"My fault?" Nightmare sullenly asked, glancing at the rabbit with his woe filled eye. "You think THIS-" he paused and gestured to the sleeping form on the bed. "-Is my fault?"
"Of course it is, you mumbling twit!" the rabbit continued "It was your job to make her forget!"
"Are you suggesting that I should have wiped her memory clean?!" The incubus growled, standing angrily to look the rabbit man in the eyes.
"Yes. Yes I am, you-"
"Peter, that is enough." Gray grumbled darkly. "You have seen Alice so now you should leave."
"Fine, fine. I have seen my sweet. So for now I shall retreat." The rabbit muttered, walking for the door. "See to it that my Alice gets the best kind of care." He stopped for a moment and glared at the incubus in the room. "I will be back, Nightmare."
"Alice…" I whispered under my breath, cupping her cheek in the palm of my hand. I wished she would wake up already. It isn't good for her to be trapped inside her head for this long…
"Oh! Lord Nightmare, you're here." I heard my subordinate say from behind me. "The news from the doctor isn't good."
"Any news from a doctor isn't good news…" I answered bitterly.
"Why can't you just go into her mind and pull her out of this?" the man asked. I could feel his stare on my back.
"I-I can't." I muttered, biting my lip. I lied. "Forcing her out could put her into shock."
"I can tell when you are lying." My subordinate pointed out. I cursed under my breath. His assassin training was one of those things… "Why are you lying to me?"
"I can't do it, okay?" the words left my lips like poison. "I can't… I can't face her. I can't force her to do… to do anything."
"I don't understand why you are getting so worked up over this." He sighed. "If she stays like this she will die and there is no replacing her." He glanced at me with his golden eyes. "We might have to send her to the hospital at this rate. She can't survive like this." He stated, although, the gleam in his eyes suggested this was more of a threat. If I didn't do anything then she would be sent away from here and to see her I would need to go to a dreaded hospital.
"Don't you have work to do?" I asked, wanting him to leave. A slight smirk played on his lips.
"Yes, of course sir." … that man knows exactly how to push my buttons. I didn't know what was worse, my fear of hospitals or my fear of…
"Alice…" I whispered, brushing her cheek again. "Wake up. Please wake up." My pleas came unanswered. I pulled up a chair and sat, watching her as if she slept peacefully… but I knew that her mind was in no way peaceful. I didn't need to enter it to know that. But I was afraid. Afraid to enter her befuddled mind. Afraid to face the girl with her broken thoughts and memories. Afraid to find out if she hated me.
What choice do I have? I know I am a selfish man. I wanted to have the poor girl all to myself... I wanted to make her happy. Now I will let her die because I am afraid she will hate me? A greedy demon, that is what I am. I am worse than Peter…
"Alice?" I asked when I entered her mind. My voice echoed through the halls of the prison. Although she was no longer in that realm, her mind became trapped within itself. Each cell being a memory that calls for her attention. Memories are locked away in this prison when they are forgotten. Only Alice holds the key…
"Why won't it open…?" Alice's soft voice asked. She sat upright before one of the many cages. Her face was blank and emotionless. "Why can't I remember…?"
"Just forget." I ordered. She slightly jumped at my voice and spun around to look at me. Her face slowly changed from shock to disappointment.
"You… You made me forget, didn't you?" she asked me. I could almost hear hatred in her voice.
"I did it for you." I answered. "I-"
"For me?" She interrupted. Her thoughts were clouded. "You made me forget the death of my sister! The only person who truly cared about me! What kind of favor is it to take away someone's memories?" she spat. "What right did you have?"
"I- I am sorry! I wanted-"
"You wanted me to be happy?" her eyes were glazed over but I knew she was looking at me. She was looking directly into my soul. "Where is the key?"
"I don't know what you are talking about…" I muttered. However, I knew exactly what she wanted. And it knew she wanted it. The key I kept around my neck, hidden from all, glowed brightly as if to say it was there.
"Nightmare, give me the key." She ordered.
"No." I said bluntly, clutching the key through my clothes. "I cannot let you remember."
"I must remember!" she cried out, tears began to fill her eyes. "What kind of sister am I to not remember? Please, give me the key."
"Wake up and I may consider it." I would never consider it. Not after…
"Wake… up?" her mind was filled with confusion. Obviously she didn't know what was happening.
"Take my hand and come with me." I ordered offering her my hand…
"In this season of lies, she deserved to hear some truth." The Jester laughed. His hands placed on the shoulders of Alice.
"She shouldn't remember!" Nightmare yelled out. "Please, stop this madness! She doesn't need to remember!"
"Obviously she disagrees or she wouldn't come here on her own accord." The twisted man chimed. The girl only stared blankly into nothingness. Joker held out one of his hands. "Now give us the key."
"NEVER!" the incubus growled back. However, the matter was not a choice. The fool cackled loudly before having the key materialize within the palm of his hand. Nightmare stood by, shocked and surprised. He groped for the key but his hand came up empty. "N-no!"
"Now, Alice. You shall remember everything." He smiled widely before leading the girl to the door. In a quick motion he was able to unlock the cell door and unlock her memories. For a moment, Alice was snapped out of her dull state but that moment passed when the wicked jester pushed her into the cell and locking her away to dwell on her past.
"NO!" the helpless dream demon cried out as Alice was swallowed by the darkness within the prison. "ALICE!"
It was just a dream. Or, rather, a real nightmare. I gently touched the key that was chained to my neck. She still hasn't remembered, but she still hasn't forgotten. She has yet to forgive me for what I have done. The thought of giving her the key haunts me, even in my dreams. I cannot control it. The fear of losing her into her past is something I want to protect her from. Protect her from the pain…
She woke up after our encounter in her head, but she wasn't herself. She stalked the halls like a ghost and the dimness shrouded her eyes. Her mind was confused. I could only pick up bits and pieces of thoughts within her mind. A thought I found most was about the key that I hold.
Now wasn't any different. As I sat at my desk, wiping the sleep from my eyes, I could sense her mind. It jumped from thoughts of Joker to the key and then to me…
Work had become a top priority to me since that moment Alice began to hate me. I can't help but to avoid that glazed over look. To see the hatred and rejection in her eyes… I don't know what feeling would be worse. This feeling of being hated by the girl that I loved or to break the promise I made to her so long ago…
'I must go back' her mind echoed. I blinked before realizing what she had just said. Go back? Go back where? 'I must go back for answers.'
After a moment of sitting, dumbfounded as to what her mind was actually saying, I felt her leave the tower. Her last thought that I received was of the forest of doors.
"Alice?!" I yelled out, kicking back my seat as I stood. She couldn't leave Wonderland. Not in her current state of mind… The memories would flood back to her in a wave of emotion and pain…
I ran. Even in my sickly state, I ran as fast as I could. Alice was more important than my health. I can be replaced…
"ALICE!" at the forest of door, the girl only stood there. "Alice! Please don't do this."
"Nightmare?" she asked calmly. She seemed confused. "Why are you here?"
"You-… Your mind said you were going back to your world. That you needed to go back." I sighed heavily. The run out here had wiped me out.
"Go… Back? To my world?" She seemed even more confused. "I… Where is Joker?" Joker?
"Joker is gone. April season is over." I explained.
"B-but… I need answers…" She muttered.
"I… I have your answers." I said. I had all the answers she was searching for. I took the key from around my neck and took it off. I realized that if she didn't know, she would surely return. Returning to her world would create more pain than I would. "Would you like to remember?"
"Y-yes." She whispered softly. Her eyes drawn to the glowing key that I held. "G-give me the key." I stepped closer to her. My body only inches from hers. My hand cupped her soft cheek.
"There is something you must see first…" I placed the key in her open hand. It vanished as soon as it touched her skin and I felt her memories unlock. There was one memory I needed her to remember first, though. One memory for her to see.
Alice was crying. But what girl wouldn't be when the world around her had abandoned her. When the world around her came crashing down. Her last happy memory was when her sister was still alive. Lorina grew ill, however. Soon after, Alice's older sister died. Edith, her little sister, just up and left. Her father died of grief. Even her cat was taken away from her, it died. She was alone. Alice went to the cemetery to visit the graves of her mother, father, and older sister. And every day Alice cried out in pain and loneliness.
"I-I wish this pain would go away." She cried out. Her heart was heavy and her throat dry. A small, blue caterpillar crawled on the leaf of one of the flowers she left on the grave. The colorful, squishy insect caught the girl's eye. "The life of a caterpillar is so much easier, isn't it?"
The caterpillar, of course, did not answer, but that didn't mean it wasn't listening.
"Why is the world abandoning me? Does nobody love me?" she asked the little bug. "Will you abandon me too?" the girl suddenly laughed to herself. "I must be going insane for talking to a bug." That was the only time the caterpillar heard her laugh. She left but came back the next day. Her sadness grew deeper when she saw the caterpillar. He had abandoned her just as the others had. His cocoon strung to the leaf where Alice first found him.
The caterpillar continued to listen to the poor girl whenever she visited the graveyard. He heard her life story and the people who were in it. And he listened to her wish for the pain to go away. When he emerged from his cocoon as a beautiful, blue butterfly, he swore to make the girl who told her stories feel better.
After I had Alice remember the blue caterpillar and the pain she felt, I let her remember things on her own accord. She fell unconscious and I gently rested her against a tree as I thought deeply about what I had done.
After becoming the butterfly, I created this world just for Alice. Although, I did not lie to her when I said the world already existed, I did create the people within it. The first was her pet rabbit. The last gift she received from her older sister before she died was a small white bunny. I took the rabbit and made him a man. This rabbit became Peter. Of course, nobody else in Alice's life still existed so I created things based on what she told me. Vivaldi would be like a kind, older sister to Alice. Julius would be like her father who had nearly worked himself to death. I gave her another cat, Boris Airay, and I created a man who resembled her first love. The duke and his park represented the happy times she had with her sister. (Don't get mad at me for this. I know Peter represents the time she spent with her sister but for this story I did something different…)
I filled the world with people who were, in a way, like herself. She denied her beauty. So I gave her a rabbit who denied he was even a rabbit. She was young and innocent yet not so innocent. I gave her young twin boys that only wished to play all day. She was lost without those she loved. The knight of hearts was created. She was afraid of being alone. Fear drives the dormouse. And my aid, Gray, has a past he does not wish to remember.
I hate that I couldn't keep her from the pain but as long as she stays here, she will never be truly abandoned. Everybody in this world loves her. Even I, the blue caterpillar, love her. That is why I gave up my wings to finally see her truly happy.
Thank you for reading. I hope you liked it, I would enjoy some reviews.