Sorry for the delay. But if anyone wants to see Cocoon , here's the dreamcode! ;3

5400-2109-2821

Anyway, please enjoy. Sorry it's so short.

Sleep Paralysis

"Etno."

"Who's there?"

"Etno~"

"Disembodied voices are extremely cliché!"

"Well you're no fun, darling."

Etno's hands grasped out for something, grabbing onto silky, colorful clothing.

"Rainbows don't suit your personality."

"Tsk. And here I thought you'd think I'm being stylish." A high-pitched giggle stabbed at her ear drums.

"What do you want? Why am I here? This definitely isn't the dream I requested."

Etno groaned, forcing a whimper back. She studied her surroundings, not making sense of any of it. Floating eyes, burnt parchment, skeletons attempting to search for themselves in the foul air, the swirling clouds of randomized objects she's had before in her hands.

Pale hands took her own, the clownish sheep licking his lips, not a mark of crimson lipstick removed by his sharp tongue.

"Oh Etno, the human body can't live after eleven days of sleep deprivation! Everyone knows that." The sheep clicked his tongue, pulling her to him, and leading her into a waltz, classical music playing in a far more demonic tone than she thought necessary in attempt to scare her. Moments passed, and he watched her ponder for several moments before spinning her around, black skirt twirling with her lack of grace.

"Are... you saying I'm dead?"

The world around them physically shattered, broken shards of glass now scattered at their feet, laughing.

"You'll have to find out for yourself," he sung dipping his head to kiss her hand, then flipping back the rainbow dreads in his dark hair, standing a foot taller than her, "The real question is- why live?"

"What?"

"Why should you live?" The sheep tilted his head, "You're selfish, bratty, and just a burden to everyone."

"That's not true." Etno shook her head, giving him a glare, "At least... Not the last part."

"Oh no?" He tilted his head, "You think because you pick fruit and listen to your needy animal friends that your pathetic existence is validated in this whole wild world we live in?"

"Well I'm not doing any damage." She stated firmly, violent laughter erupting from the shadows around her.

He silenced the darkness, his black smile never faltering, "Breaking hearts and breaking promises. Not only are you stringing along two men who so madly love you- you can't even

stay loyal to your friends."

"M-madly?" She shook.

"Of course that's the part you'd pick up on. Tsk tsk." She found his hands on her shoulders suddenly, only he was now behind her.

She became silent, the tiny memorable trinkets around her teasing her softly, wish peering harsh insults in her ignorant ears.

"Oh Etno, Mayor Etno. Not only are you actually blind," he flicked the green glasses she wasn't even aware she had on, "you're blinded by your fears of being rejected. A one-hundred percent citizen approval rating just isn't enough for you is it?~"

She tried closing her eyes, only for her hair to be yanked at, causing them to fly open, snarling lips pressed against her ear, "You can't hide from it here, darling Mayor. Your flaws, your secrets, treacheries and deceits... All here for you to plainly see..."

-––—

"Wake her up!"

The woman looked up to the disturbance, Brewster holding back his panic as much as he could.

"Please, calm yourself sir. The Mayor asked to be sedated, said she was having sleeping troubles-"

"She wasn't having sleeping trouble." He started to force himself into a calm, as much as he could, "She's been up for eleven days straight."

Luna looked alarmed, "What?"

"I'm sure she told you that she was only getting a few hours of sleep, when in reality, she has not slept at all. Now, wake her up."

"Not possible."

He knew. He knew so well that he wasn't slightly shaken by the response.

He sighed, unbuttoning his vest as Groucho turned up behind him, as well as Isabelle, "Send me to the same dream."

"I don-"

He glared, "I know you can."

"I can. But I do not think that's wise. If you one of you wakes up before the other-"

"The other will be permanently stuck. I know. But I'm not waking without her, and she clearly can't wake up on her own." He huffed, pushing the love seat next to the bed, and rolling up his sleeves.

Groucho shook his head, "But what if-"

Luna sighed, "It's clear he has experience with this."

Brewster nodded, "I do..." He looked down to his hands, woeful, "I wish I didn't..."

"Now is not the time to regret!" Groucho shouted, "Go to sleep and save her- or I will."

"You wouldn't know what to do even if you did, Groucho. Don't be rash." Brewster shook his head, sitting down on the love seat, and grabbing Etno's hand.

"How do you know so much about this?" Isabelle asked curiously, worry in her voice.

He sighed, "It started when I met a girl..."

Etno found herself with her face in the dirt, though she had just been with Pietro.

As she stood, she dusted off her dress, and wiped what mud she could off her face. Her surroundings seemed to take form of the town she had lived in prior to moving to Cocoon .

Anxiety came crashing down on her suddenly in waves, while this was the destination she had chosen, it wasn't nearly the same. The smell that had originally been of fresh cherries was now of ash and smoke, though there didn't seem to be an actual source. The cherry trees were now growing a different variety of skulls- skulls?!

Her breath hitched, forcing her to glanced away. Immediately she tried to head to the nearest building- the Earth suddenly moving under her, and dragging her down as it crumbled.

She found herself with her face in the dirt- again.

She sat up, groaning. She figured, it was just going to happen again if she wasn't careful. She hummed, pondering. Apparently she took too long, and this caused the Earth to crumble again, but when she opened her eyes, she was on a modern couch, dizzy and confused- considering this looked just like an ex-boyfriend's house.

Wh...?" She looked next to her, seeing the tall, tan, and slim body of a canine man "Butch...?"

The man stirred, yawning, almost letting out a whimper, he rubbed his eyes before they set on Etno, "...You spent the night? I though you were mad at me again. Rrrff..."

This was a familiar statement, "No I..." She paused, "I'm not sure how I got here..." Her voice shook, an she recognized immediately as the way she used to speak, when she arrived in confidence-boosting Cocoon, and far before.

"Skid's a small town, there's only so many ways you can end up here!"

"Right..." She decided to go along with it, "Have you seen a man with colorful dreadlocks around recently? Wears a black suit, vibrant rainbow tie, bright green eyes and seldom has a neutral expression on his face..."

Butch stared at her as if she just described a ballet dancing fish, "...No?"

"Oh." She hummed, figuring she was safe for the time being, "I guess you'd remember quite a character..."

"He sounds pretty whacky!" The canine smiled, "How do you know someone like that?"

"He was a childhood friend. Somehow he always finds out where I live, and visits me on a whim." She sighed, "He hasn't really changed... He's just a bit more demented now."

"You were friends with a demented child?"

"He was sweet. He always sent me letters, gave me presents, visited me at home. At the time, I couldn't understand why people didn't like him. I mean..." She sat up against the headboard, "I couldn't understand how the make-up was off putting, and I thought his daily visits were normal, as I didn't have many friends..."

"And something changed that?"

"It was shortly before moving to a town named Ribbon, that it happened... We were both thirteen, we had our first kiss at a Halloween celebration... I didn't know how to handle it, and he assumed I was, well, his. When I had to tell him I was moving he had the biggest mental breakdown someone could have without committing homicide. He kept me hidden at his house for three days, and his guardians were out of town, and I couldn't contact my parents..."

"You've told me about this."

"Yeah." She paused, "I did."

They were sitting on the beach, even though they hadn't moved from the bed. This is where they broke up.

"I'm moving away from this small town, I've gotten too soft." Butch said, "That's partially your fault though."

"Oh..." She felt herself shake, "Or do you not love me anymore...?"

"That's not it at all." He shook his head, "I think we're leading different lives, kiddo. I've always wanted to be a racer, and you have no idea what you're doing."

Etno shook her head, watching Butch as he continued to monologue their break up, responses, tears, broken smiles...

"This is a memory."

"One you had repressed." Rang the voice of Pietro in her ear. He stood behind her, hands on her shoulders, Butch continued to respond as if Pietro wasn't there

"You don't care about me any more." Etno stated blatantly, no filter in her words.

"Now, that's not true." Butch whimpered, "I love you, Etno, it's just not going to work out right now-"

"Or later." She growled, becoming angry, "this isn't fair to me. I come over- suddenly everything is in boxes- yesterday we were just fine..." She shook her head, "There's someone else."

"Etno..."

"You don't deny it, do you?" The tears fell freely from her face as she heard Pietro chuckle in her ear, "What's their name?"

"Olivia." He glanced away from her in guilt. They stayed silent.

"Don't restrict yourself to one person Etno. You never know when the right person will come along, and when they do, you shouldn't be tied down." As Butch's lips found her cheek, he and their surroundings disappeared in a puff of black fog.

Pietro stood in front of her again, swinging left and right. She watched as his colorful dreads swung playfully by his shoulders.

"Love..." Pietro began, "Love is a wonderful thing, unfortunately, the emotions surrounding it can cut as deeper than the harshest wounds we've faced, or will ever face in our lives." His gaze now seemed blank, as his face faltered to a frown. The clown reached up, paper cranes raining down from a black, cloudless sky, and his smile returned as he caught an emerald crane, "Poor Luna..."

"Luna...?" Etno's eyes widened, "The owner of the dream suite?"

"The very same," his grin widened, and all she could see was the bitterness it held, "So easily tricked..."