Stupid NiGHTS. For some peculiar reason I went after him. Off to the nightmare...I found him confronted by Wizeman. Jackle was joking around being an idiot beside him. Ugh, when was he not...?
"And for WHAT reason do I find you in the nightmare? You never come here unless I tell you to NiGHTS."
"I was...uhhhh...."
Wizeman took a wandering look at me. I grinned wickedly. Perhaps I'd be of service...
"Reala, I have a task for you as you just showed up."
Excellent, Maybe I'd get to drag NiGHTS to his pitiful punishment...Ah that would be excellent...
"Go and get me the dreamer..."
I nodded. "Of course, Master. I shall comply." I flew past NiGHTS.
"You suck-up...." he whispered, and I growled.
I could still hear Wizeman saying something to NiGHTS and Jackle as I flew off. Those idiots...they never did a thing right. I would comply to any order Wizeman gave me....and oh, how I wished he'd order me to tear NiGHTS apart.
I didn't go long without finding that peculiar thing...its bright color stood out in the dark too well. I stared at it. It was alot smaller than I, and I felt much more regal and superior. It was asleep again; very peculiar....how could anything sleep in the nightmare...? Not even nightmaren could manage that.
It's right hand was bleeding with no sign of stop. It looked rather disgusting, but as long as it stayed in the nightmare, it would keep bleeding. I flexed the muscles in my arms and went to pick it up as Wizeman had asked. Light little thing; I had no trouble lifting it in the slightest...
~~~~~~~~~~
Sleep...I seemed to go in and outta it. Half the time I couldn't control it. Even in the dark, where I didn't really wanna feel anything but fear because I couldn't feel too much else, it was like...I just let myself go...I slept. Why though...? I was afraid here...Afraid of the huge thing with the six hands...afraid of that thing I couldn't see that had given me its weapons...its cards. Those blade cards.....
"Mmmmm...ughhhh my head...." My eyes fluttered open. ACK! I wasn't just in a black world...I was in something's arms....I looked up at the face. The color was drained so he was such a pale color he nearly looked blue. Icy cold eyes stared straight ahead, and we floated forward through the horrible darkness. He was wearing a red and black striped jester's hat. Where was this?!! Was it some sort of joke??!!
Even still, I was scared, and the only thing I could do was let out a scream.
Ugly clowny-thing...It turned its face to look at me and I almost cowared in his arms. His sickly-colored face twisted into a horrible grin and I covered my face with my hands.
"Leave me alone!! Please...I just wanna get outta here...." I said softly.
His sinister evil laugher made me feel sick...He held me firmly in his arms and after a bit dumped me down before that huge horrible one with the six hands.
I squealed in surprise and tried to get up and run. That jester with black and red hat drifted down and held me with a grip that was digging into my shoulders. I couldn't go. It was all a big nightmare, this whole place and everything in it.
"Tails!!"
"Huh...?" I turned my head to look. That jester I'd seen before in the purple clothes. The one who could speak English. At his side was that invisable thing, holding its deck of cards.
"I'll help you, I promise!!" the purple jester told me.
"What do they intend to do to me?!" I sobbed.
"You'll be fine. I can help you..."
~~~~~~~~~
"What are you saying?" Wizeman snapped.
"He's speaking 'English'," Reala said as though I were some insignificant scum. "...Like that odd dreamer."
"SHUT UP REALA!! THE DREAMER'S LESS FUNNY-LOOKING THAN YOU!!" I yelled in Tails' defense.
"NiGHTS!!" Wizeman boomed. "I WILL NOT TOLERATE THIS! SILENCE, BOTH OF YOU!"
Jackle, being the smart one, had stayed quiet all along.
I was too annoyed at how everyone was treating dreamers like objects. "Ironic how you shout the word 'silence'...."
Wizeman's six eyes glared at me as though I'd done something dispicable. I sighed. "Wizeman...if you want the dreamer to live you have to treat him well. He isn't like us. Nightmares aren't his world...He needs more than we do."
Reala glanced at me. "What could it need? It could live in the nightmare longer than expected and hasn't awakened to the Waking World."
"...He needs comfort, Reala," I told him. "He has feelings, and they need to be cared for."
Reala looked at me a moment then keeled over laughing. He dug his claws into Tails' shoulder.
"AAAAAHHHHH OOOOWWWWWW!!!!"
I flew over and pulled Reala's hand off. Then I grabbed Tails, holding him close to me to protect him.
"You have to understand, Wizeman..." I said, letting Tails bury his face against my chest. "He will need his world to be bright to live."
Wizeman looked like he was considering something. "...Very well..." he said hestitantly. "HOWEVER...I want Reala with you at all times to ensure you don't do anything stupid."
I looked at him. "What is there that I could possibly do?"
He glared at me. "Knowing you, there's many ways you could get into trouble. I know Reala wouldn't do anything like that."
Reala smirked proudly. Jackle waved.
"Did everyone forget me?"
"You..." Wizeman sounded disgusted. "...The insane one. Reala, lock him in Soft Museum and MAKE SURE its locked this time." He shot a warning glance at me. "You and the dreamer go with Reala as well."
I sighed. "Yessir..."
Reala glided toward the exit. "Come on, you freaks!" He beckoned us to follow. I gathered Tails up in my arms and went after him. Jackle darted to my side.
"It's alright...we're leaving the dark now," I said softly to Tails in English. He whimpered a little and hugged closer to me as we flew.
"I don't even know your name...I just want outta here..."
"I'm NiGHTS...you can't leave until you wake up..." I put my attention back on flying after Reala. Jackle slowed up a reasonable lot.
"Ahh...I don't WANT to go...Reala's going to lock me away because he thinks I'm crazy...I don't LIKE being locked away all alone, IT GETS DAAAAARRRRRKKKKK IN THERE!"
I sighed. "I know Jackle...but disobeying Wizman is a bad idea. I don't want anything to happen to you."
"Fine..." He sighed unhappily and flew on ahead of me. He wasn't acting like himself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NiGHTS...weird name...I was still confused about everything. ...Wake up? What did he mean that I had to 'wake up' to leave? Wasn't I awake NOW?
After awhile...the darkness ended. The brightness hurt my eyes a little, but I was really glad to be outside. I smiled at the sight. Everything was so pretty! Ahhh...lush green field, a beauitful sky....with the ground reflected on it...?
"AHH?!!"
NiGHTS stopped flying and let me down. The jester with the red and black hat was now getting far ahead, and so was that invisible thing. NiGHTS was smiling again. Was he the only one who smiled kindly? The others looked so evil when they grinned....
"Where's this? Why is the sky so weird?!" I had lotsa questions...but I tried to limit them so he could answer.
He laughed. "This is Spring Valley.This used to be my dream to ruin, but now its Gillwing's. It's all dreams, Tails. Thats why its so odd..."
"Dreams? How can they be dreams? I'm awake..."
NiGHTS stared blankly forward. "...It probably feels that way, doesn't it..? It probably feels just like being awake..."
I was just more confused. "But I AM awake..."
"No..." He put a gentle arm around my shoulders. "Tails...you live in the Waking World. Thats where your life is...Thats where your friends are...At night, or when you sleep, you dream, and you awaken into here...Nightopia...The Dream World. This world around you is all your dreams...but...we are the nightmaren...the things that make it all scary. One of us takes over each dream, and when anyone comes to close to us in that dream, we take away their dream energy, Ideya, and they fade from here. All Ideya is powerful...but the red stuff, the courage, is the most rare and powerful of all. The reason Wizeman finds you so peculiar is that you are in the dream world, so your ideya should be following around you...and its not..."
"But...then...when am I going to wake up anyway..?"
"I don't know...you've been dreaming for an abnormal length of time...No-one sleeps this long...Are you sure all is well in the Waking world?"
I ignored the question and looked far ahead. The greenery gave way to red and black checkered ground...I pointed to it. "...What is that place..?"
"Stick Canyon...Reala lives there...."
"Reala..?"
"...The one in the red and black hat. The invisible one is Jackle, he's a little crazy...and as I told you before, Wizeman's the big stupid one with six hands. Gillwing is a huge, ugly green thing, and he lives where we are now...Puffy is a fat, singing bouncing, bunny-thing, Claws is a cat-guy, and Gulpo is a fish...and an UGLY fish, at that..."
Just then the one in the red and black, Reala, came back.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
I sighed in annoyance. "NiGHTS, do something RIGHT for a change, and follow me." I flew over and grabbed the dreamer by the arm, and dragged him along with me. It made a loud cry of either pain or protest, I wasn't quite sure. But I didn't care.
NiGHTS flew after me and pried my golden claws off.
"You have to be more careful! He's not as durable as we are, Reala, and he doesn't have any ideya!!"
I scowled. "Give me a break. He's the same as anyone."
NiGHTS glared at me. "No. And besides, I was the one given the job of protecting him...you're only here to bring Jackle back and make sure I don't do anything 'stupid'."
I rolled my eyes. "Good for you, 'Great Dreamer-Guardian'. Ugh....Just come on, alright?" And I swiftly took off, looking back to assure NiGHTS followed.
"And for WHAT reason do I find you in the nightmare? You never come here unless I tell you to NiGHTS."
"I was...uhhhh...."
Wizeman took a wandering look at me. I grinned wickedly. Perhaps I'd be of service...
"Reala, I have a task for you as you just showed up."
Excellent, Maybe I'd get to drag NiGHTS to his pitiful punishment...Ah that would be excellent...
"Go and get me the dreamer..."
I nodded. "Of course, Master. I shall comply." I flew past NiGHTS.
"You suck-up...." he whispered, and I growled.
I could still hear Wizeman saying something to NiGHTS and Jackle as I flew off. Those idiots...they never did a thing right. I would comply to any order Wizeman gave me....and oh, how I wished he'd order me to tear NiGHTS apart.
I didn't go long without finding that peculiar thing...its bright color stood out in the dark too well. I stared at it. It was alot smaller than I, and I felt much more regal and superior. It was asleep again; very peculiar....how could anything sleep in the nightmare...? Not even nightmaren could manage that.
It's right hand was bleeding with no sign of stop. It looked rather disgusting, but as long as it stayed in the nightmare, it would keep bleeding. I flexed the muscles in my arms and went to pick it up as Wizeman had asked. Light little thing; I had no trouble lifting it in the slightest...
~~~~~~~~~~
Sleep...I seemed to go in and outta it. Half the time I couldn't control it. Even in the dark, where I didn't really wanna feel anything but fear because I couldn't feel too much else, it was like...I just let myself go...I slept. Why though...? I was afraid here...Afraid of the huge thing with the six hands...afraid of that thing I couldn't see that had given me its weapons...its cards. Those blade cards.....
"Mmmmm...ughhhh my head...." My eyes fluttered open. ACK! I wasn't just in a black world...I was in something's arms....I looked up at the face. The color was drained so he was such a pale color he nearly looked blue. Icy cold eyes stared straight ahead, and we floated forward through the horrible darkness. He was wearing a red and black striped jester's hat. Where was this?!! Was it some sort of joke??!!
Even still, I was scared, and the only thing I could do was let out a scream.
Ugly clowny-thing...It turned its face to look at me and I almost cowared in his arms. His sickly-colored face twisted into a horrible grin and I covered my face with my hands.
"Leave me alone!! Please...I just wanna get outta here...." I said softly.
His sinister evil laugher made me feel sick...He held me firmly in his arms and after a bit dumped me down before that huge horrible one with the six hands.
I squealed in surprise and tried to get up and run. That jester with black and red hat drifted down and held me with a grip that was digging into my shoulders. I couldn't go. It was all a big nightmare, this whole place and everything in it.
"Tails!!"
"Huh...?" I turned my head to look. That jester I'd seen before in the purple clothes. The one who could speak English. At his side was that invisable thing, holding its deck of cards.
"I'll help you, I promise!!" the purple jester told me.
"What do they intend to do to me?!" I sobbed.
"You'll be fine. I can help you..."
~~~~~~~~~
"What are you saying?" Wizeman snapped.
"He's speaking 'English'," Reala said as though I were some insignificant scum. "...Like that odd dreamer."
"SHUT UP REALA!! THE DREAMER'S LESS FUNNY-LOOKING THAN YOU!!" I yelled in Tails' defense.
"NiGHTS!!" Wizeman boomed. "I WILL NOT TOLERATE THIS! SILENCE, BOTH OF YOU!"
Jackle, being the smart one, had stayed quiet all along.
I was too annoyed at how everyone was treating dreamers like objects. "Ironic how you shout the word 'silence'...."
Wizeman's six eyes glared at me as though I'd done something dispicable. I sighed. "Wizeman...if you want the dreamer to live you have to treat him well. He isn't like us. Nightmares aren't his world...He needs more than we do."
Reala glanced at me. "What could it need? It could live in the nightmare longer than expected and hasn't awakened to the Waking World."
"...He needs comfort, Reala," I told him. "He has feelings, and they need to be cared for."
Reala looked at me a moment then keeled over laughing. He dug his claws into Tails' shoulder.
"AAAAAHHHHH OOOOWWWWWW!!!!"
I flew over and pulled Reala's hand off. Then I grabbed Tails, holding him close to me to protect him.
"You have to understand, Wizeman..." I said, letting Tails bury his face against my chest. "He will need his world to be bright to live."
Wizeman looked like he was considering something. "...Very well..." he said hestitantly. "HOWEVER...I want Reala with you at all times to ensure you don't do anything stupid."
I looked at him. "What is there that I could possibly do?"
He glared at me. "Knowing you, there's many ways you could get into trouble. I know Reala wouldn't do anything like that."
Reala smirked proudly. Jackle waved.
"Did everyone forget me?"
"You..." Wizeman sounded disgusted. "...The insane one. Reala, lock him in Soft Museum and MAKE SURE its locked this time." He shot a warning glance at me. "You and the dreamer go with Reala as well."
I sighed. "Yessir..."
Reala glided toward the exit. "Come on, you freaks!" He beckoned us to follow. I gathered Tails up in my arms and went after him. Jackle darted to my side.
"It's alright...we're leaving the dark now," I said softly to Tails in English. He whimpered a little and hugged closer to me as we flew.
"I don't even know your name...I just want outta here..."
"I'm NiGHTS...you can't leave until you wake up..." I put my attention back on flying after Reala. Jackle slowed up a reasonable lot.
"Ahh...I don't WANT to go...Reala's going to lock me away because he thinks I'm crazy...I don't LIKE being locked away all alone, IT GETS DAAAAARRRRRKKKKK IN THERE!"
I sighed. "I know Jackle...but disobeying Wizman is a bad idea. I don't want anything to happen to you."
"Fine..." He sighed unhappily and flew on ahead of me. He wasn't acting like himself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NiGHTS...weird name...I was still confused about everything. ...Wake up? What did he mean that I had to 'wake up' to leave? Wasn't I awake NOW?
After awhile...the darkness ended. The brightness hurt my eyes a little, but I was really glad to be outside. I smiled at the sight. Everything was so pretty! Ahhh...lush green field, a beauitful sky....with the ground reflected on it...?
"AHH?!!"
NiGHTS stopped flying and let me down. The jester with the red and black hat was now getting far ahead, and so was that invisible thing. NiGHTS was smiling again. Was he the only one who smiled kindly? The others looked so evil when they grinned....
"Where's this? Why is the sky so weird?!" I had lotsa questions...but I tried to limit them so he could answer.
He laughed. "This is Spring Valley.This used to be my dream to ruin, but now its Gillwing's. It's all dreams, Tails. Thats why its so odd..."
"Dreams? How can they be dreams? I'm awake..."
NiGHTS stared blankly forward. "...It probably feels that way, doesn't it..? It probably feels just like being awake..."
I was just more confused. "But I AM awake..."
"No..." He put a gentle arm around my shoulders. "Tails...you live in the Waking World. Thats where your life is...Thats where your friends are...At night, or when you sleep, you dream, and you awaken into here...Nightopia...The Dream World. This world around you is all your dreams...but...we are the nightmaren...the things that make it all scary. One of us takes over each dream, and when anyone comes to close to us in that dream, we take away their dream energy, Ideya, and they fade from here. All Ideya is powerful...but the red stuff, the courage, is the most rare and powerful of all. The reason Wizeman finds you so peculiar is that you are in the dream world, so your ideya should be following around you...and its not..."
"But...then...when am I going to wake up anyway..?"
"I don't know...you've been dreaming for an abnormal length of time...No-one sleeps this long...Are you sure all is well in the Waking world?"
I ignored the question and looked far ahead. The greenery gave way to red and black checkered ground...I pointed to it. "...What is that place..?"
"Stick Canyon...Reala lives there...."
"Reala..?"
"...The one in the red and black hat. The invisible one is Jackle, he's a little crazy...and as I told you before, Wizeman's the big stupid one with six hands. Gillwing is a huge, ugly green thing, and he lives where we are now...Puffy is a fat, singing bouncing, bunny-thing, Claws is a cat-guy, and Gulpo is a fish...and an UGLY fish, at that..."
Just then the one in the red and black, Reala, came back.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
I sighed in annoyance. "NiGHTS, do something RIGHT for a change, and follow me." I flew over and grabbed the dreamer by the arm, and dragged him along with me. It made a loud cry of either pain or protest, I wasn't quite sure. But I didn't care.
NiGHTS flew after me and pried my golden claws off.
"You have to be more careful! He's not as durable as we are, Reala, and he doesn't have any ideya!!"
I scowled. "Give me a break. He's the same as anyone."
NiGHTS glared at me. "No. And besides, I was the one given the job of protecting him...you're only here to bring Jackle back and make sure I don't do anything 'stupid'."
I rolled my eyes. "Good for you, 'Great Dreamer-Guardian'. Ugh....Just come on, alright?" And I swiftly took off, looking back to assure NiGHTS followed.