SMG4 Movie: WESTERN SPAGHETTI (IF MEGGY WAS THE VILLAIN...) (Novel)

Chapter 5: Nightmare's Aftermath

(WARNING/TW: MENTIONS OF GORE, BLOOD, DEATH! ⚠️)
~ 8:30 A.M. ~

   "Tari?"
Tari woke up with a loud gasp that morning. She shot up from her bed, hyperventilating like she never had before. She were a ball of sweat, and her heart pounded harder than a drum inside her chest. Her breath came in short gasps when she whirled her head towards the voice.
It was Mario!
   "MARIO! WHERE- WHERE am I....?"
She stopped to blink. She was lying in her bed.
   "What...? How..."
   "Tari, are you okay? You're acting coo coo crazy."
Trying to process everything that had just happened, Tari groggily rubbed her eyes and sat up. "Yeah.... yeah."
Mario blinked. "You sure?"
It took Tari a few moments to reply. "Yeah. Just... just had a nightmare. That's all."
Mario looked like he wanted to ask more questions, but he made himself stay quiet. He looked genuinely horrified by Tari's reaction. It was far from normal, but Tari didn't expect Mario of all people to care this much. He was supposed to be the comic relief who saw past serious stuff. But ever since they've arrived in Western Spaghetti, not only her, but Mario had changed a lot too.
They needed to get out of there.
 Stretching out her limbs with a groan, Tari proceeded to hop out of her bed. Turning towards the window, she saw that the curtains were closed.
Huh. If it was only a dream, why were the curtains closed?
She shook her head. Mario must of closed them while I was asleep.
Reaching out to open them, Tari found herself glancing at her robotic arm. Finding it in one piece shocked her, even though the destruction of it only played out in her dream. But It felt so real. Flashbacks of her dream suddenly began to play in the back of her mind like a broken record. Saiko's sickening demise, her brawl with Meggy... her getting... demolished?
Tari's eyes widened as she let out another loud gasp.
   "Tari?"
   "I'M FINE!" Tari snapped before Mario could say more, clenching onto the curtains, whirling her head around to face him. "I'm fine..." She repeated in a quieter tone, realizing her outburst. "Everything's fine, Mario."
   "You really don't seem fine--"
   "L-lets just go out and uh... go visit SMG4!" Tari had to quickly come up with an excuse to cover up her lie. It seemingly worked because Mario no longer pestered her and remained quiet.
I really hate lying to my friends, but I really have no other choice. If I told Mario about my nightmare, he'd think I'd gone nuts! And if I told anybody else about my dream, I'd never hear the end of Meggy herself. And that's honestly the last thing I want right now.

What was I supposed to do in this situation...?

I felt so alone.

--

~ 8:47 A.M. ~

As the two walked out of the hotel, bright beams of the sun casted upon the rooves, making a majority of Western Spaghetti cloaked in a shady darkness. Tari felt a sudden breeze hit her as she walked out, which made her shiver. Turning towards Mario, she could see that he also suffered the same issue. That was strange. It was cold out? But we're supposed to be in a desert. It shouldn't be cold at all. Shaded or not.
Speaking of which, why was it all dark out? There shouldn't be this much shade in a desert. Especially this early in the morning.
Tari froze.
 Suddenly, the thought of her dream hit her hard like a blow to the stomach. Her anxiety began to return, making her feel sick again. It was dark in her dream too! But in her dream, the sky was red and the clouds were black? The sky here seemed completely normal. A blue sky, white clouds...
Tari exhaled in relief. Tari, you're only overthinking again. It's just a shadow. Your dream isn't real, just get over it.
Doubt flooded over her when she tried to talk herself into thinking that everything was going to be alright. An odd, sinister feeling clung in the air, and Tari didn't like it at all.
Something felt off, but Tari couldn't quite put her finger on what. She tried to shake the negativity away, but she was failing miserably.