(no subject)
Something was wrong. Tiffany Aching knew something was wrong, but she couldn't figure out what. Little things didn't add up. For example, why was she wearing a green dress? She had gone to sleep wearing blue. Then she looked closer, and nothing made sense. Cracks in the wall disappeared into nowhere. Voices sounded both right next to and miles away from her ears.
And then it hit.
Oh, she thought, a dream. She stared down at her hands, which looked solid enough. Then she closed her eyes, and thought of her broomstick. It would be in the corner of the room -- her corner, not Maka's -- and leaning against the wall.
When she opened her eyes, the broomstick was in her hands. It had always been there. Funny, she hadn't felt the solid weight drop into her hands. She was outside, too, though she hadn't remembered being there. The skies weren't blue, though. She had thought that her dreams would have had blue skies. Peering closer, she saw that it was some gloomy grey-blue colour.
An old memory jumped into her head, and she narrowed her eyes. "All right, where are you?" she demanded. "I'm not nine years old anymore." She waved about the sword in her hand. The light glinted off it in strange ways. Feeling properly armed, she thought about where the drome would be hiding. Even if the drome was the monster making her dream, this was still her dream. She wasn't going to believe what her eyes told her. Waving the sword again, she walked towards the forest --
-- into a patch of bodies, rotting with age. She stumbled a few steps backwards and scrunched her nose at the smell, but bodies weren't anything terrifying. After all, they weren't real --
-- then the bodies started moving. Tiffany raised her sword to defend herself, but a niggling thought at the back of her head told her that she oughtn't be doing that. Her Second Thoughts said, the bodies aren't real.
Her Third Thoughts contributed: The fact that they're not real doesn't mean they can't kill you.
Her Second Thoughts replied: You can't die in dreams.
Tiffany thought: How do you know? And stop arguing, please.
The bodies had gone already by this time, and all she saw was black. Light, she thought, and then there was a small fire ahead of her. Her feet crunched on the gravel below, and then, the light went out. She could feel the air grow clammier and clammier. "It's not working," she told the drome. "This is my dream. You can't frighten me. Maybe you could when I was nine, but not now." She saw light again --
-- and Maka flew at her, scythe in her hands.
She stifled a scream and dropped to the ground. There was a clamouring inside her head as she scrambled across the gravel. What's going on? she asked herself, shakily standing up. She looked around --
-- A knife came from nowhere. She felt no hurt as it passed through her skin. There was nothing where blood should have been.
She had no weapon in her hand. She had nothing she could use to defend herself. Looking around fearfully, she saw a cold and cruel Maka, an insane Haruhi, a Kyon who no longer was of this world, and so many more. They made no sound, simply closing in upon her.
She was assaulted with a wave of utter blackness. She had forgotten about that. It was in her eyes, her nose, her mouth. She couldn't breathe. She clawed desperately at whatever was in front of her face. It didn't go away. The world started to spin. They laughed. She couldn't tell who was laughing or where. Lights danced in front of her eyes, and her friends came closer and drew back. There was the tintinnabulation of silver bell laughter, and in her ears she heard the cacophony of her heartbeat, and in front of her eyes swam faces, faces, faces that shifted and stretched to the sure and steady blackness that surrounded her and --
She saw the drome, and all her anger came pulsing back.
"This is my dream!" she shouted, pushing the darkness back. "These are my friends!" She could feel the anger rushing inside her, rising as her emotions grew stronger. It wasn't her Second Thoughts or Third Thoughts talking anymore; now Tiffany herself spoke. "How dare you? How dare you come and steal who am I for your pleasure?"
The blackness shuddered, just a tad bit.
Tiffany Aching felt her power race through her body as she faced the darkness -- and faced her inmost fears. "Are you trying to frighten me? Do you think you have power over me? Who do you think you are? You have no right!"
It didn't meet her gaze. She continued to stare at it, and it squirmed away.
As the last echo of her words echoed across the fading darkness, she turned around. She was standing near the apartments, her hat on her head and her broomstick in her hands.
And then it hit.
Oh, she thought, a dream. She stared down at her hands, which looked solid enough. Then she closed her eyes, and thought of her broomstick. It would be in the corner of the room -- her corner, not Maka's -- and leaning against the wall.
When she opened her eyes, the broomstick was in her hands. It had always been there. Funny, she hadn't felt the solid weight drop into her hands. She was outside, too, though she hadn't remembered being there. The skies weren't blue, though. She had thought that her dreams would have had blue skies. Peering closer, she saw that it was some gloomy grey-blue colour.
An old memory jumped into her head, and she narrowed her eyes. "All right, where are you?" she demanded. "I'm not nine years old anymore." She waved about the sword in her hand. The light glinted off it in strange ways. Feeling properly armed, she thought about where the drome would be hiding. Even if the drome was the monster making her dream, this was still her dream. She wasn't going to believe what her eyes told her. Waving the sword again, she walked towards the forest --
-- into a patch of bodies, rotting with age. She stumbled a few steps backwards and scrunched her nose at the smell, but bodies weren't anything terrifying. After all, they weren't real --
-- then the bodies started moving. Tiffany raised her sword to defend herself, but a niggling thought at the back of her head told her that she oughtn't be doing that. Her Second Thoughts said, the bodies aren't real.
Her Third Thoughts contributed: The fact that they're not real doesn't mean they can't kill you.
Her Second Thoughts replied: You can't die in dreams.
Tiffany thought: How do you know? And stop arguing, please.
The bodies had gone already by this time, and all she saw was black. Light, she thought, and then there was a small fire ahead of her. Her feet crunched on the gravel below, and then, the light went out. She could feel the air grow clammier and clammier. "It's not working," she told the drome. "This is my dream. You can't frighten me. Maybe you could when I was nine, but not now." She saw light again --
-- and Maka flew at her, scythe in her hands.
She stifled a scream and dropped to the ground. There was a clamouring inside her head as she scrambled across the gravel. What's going on? she asked herself, shakily standing up. She looked around --
-- A knife came from nowhere. She felt no hurt as it passed through her skin. There was nothing where blood should have been.
She had no weapon in her hand. She had nothing she could use to defend herself. Looking around fearfully, she saw a cold and cruel Maka, an insane Haruhi, a Kyon who no longer was of this world, and so many more. They made no sound, simply closing in upon her.
She was assaulted with a wave of utter blackness. She had forgotten about that. It was in her eyes, her nose, her mouth. She couldn't breathe. She clawed desperately at whatever was in front of her face. It didn't go away. The world started to spin. They laughed. She couldn't tell who was laughing or where. Lights danced in front of her eyes, and her friends came closer and drew back. There was the tintinnabulation of silver bell laughter, and in her ears she heard the cacophony of her heartbeat, and in front of her eyes swam faces, faces, faces that shifted and stretched to the sure and steady blackness that surrounded her and --
She saw the drome, and all her anger came pulsing back.
"This is my dream!" she shouted, pushing the darkness back. "These are my friends!" She could feel the anger rushing inside her, rising as her emotions grew stronger. It wasn't her Second Thoughts or Third Thoughts talking anymore; now Tiffany herself spoke. "How dare you? How dare you come and steal who am I for your pleasure?"
The blackness shuddered, just a tad bit.
Tiffany Aching felt her power race through her body as she faced the darkness -- and faced her inmost fears. "Are you trying to frighten me? Do you think you have power over me? Who do you think you are? You have no right!"
It didn't meet her gaze. She continued to stare at it, and it squirmed away.
As the last echo of her words echoed across the fading darkness, she turned around. She was standing near the apartments, her hat on her head and her broomstick in her hands.