Dreamtale Oneshots

A Shattered Vision

He appeared in front of the familiar shack of the witch. It was pitch black outside and he could barely see. The air around him felt dense; it'll probably rain soon. Why is he stalling? The guardian shook his head, taking a few steps forward and pushing open the door. The dried hinges let out a loud creak and Nightmare felt a shiver run down his spine at the eerie sound. 

He fully entered the ghostly shack and closed the door behind him, squinting into the darkness while taking a few strides forward. He doubted the witch was asleep thanks to his last visit here when she'd been expecting him. Then again, he couldn't see any sign of her. Maybe she really was asleep-

"You're back."

Nightmare yelped, spinning around to face the door he'd just closed. The witch eyed him with a strange look. The guardian quickly recovered from his shock and scowled at the goat lady, folding his arms angrily. He didn't like the way she was staring at him.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"You never came back for more vials." She mused aloud. "Nobody has ever resisted the temptation of them."

Nightmare faltered, his mind going back to the vial he'd taken about a week ago that transformed him into the opposite of himself. Truth be told, he did long for those feelings again however the words Error had said to him and the way Dream had been so relieved when he'd returned back to normal grounded him. He wouldn't do something selfish like that again.

"Well I did." Nightmare answered bluntly.

The witch hummed thoughtfully, turning away from the guardian and shambling over towards the counter. 

"Well, what are you here for this time?" She asked, peering at him with her ruby-red eyes.

"I need to see the future again." He replied, treading over towards the counter. "I need to know if I've changed it."

The witch frowned however nodded and slowly shuffled towards the potion rack in search for the right potion.

"You know, to drastically alter the future like you're trying to do is nearly impossible." She spoke, moving aside a few bottles until her eyes landed on the familiar purple concoction. She reached forwards and grabbed it with her paw, stepping back and shuffling over to the counter again.

"Nearly." Nightmare pointed out. "But not completely. If I keep trying then I'll do it."

The witch paused, staring at the guardian with fascination. A grin etched it's way onto her face as she placed the fizzing, purple brew in front of him.

"I may not like you, but your determination is interesting and admirable."

Nightmare felt both attacked yet appreciated.

"Thanks, I think."

The witch cackled quietly, pushing the bottle towards him.

"Just take a sip- oh, but before you do there's something you need to know."

Nightmare narrowed his eyes slightly, looking between the potion and the witch.

"Since I can only assume you've been trying lots of ways to change whatever may happen, you will most likely be shown multiple possibilities."

Nightmare frowned- is that a good thing? He stared at the witch one last time and when he was sure she wasn't going to say anything else, he popped the cork out of the bottle and leaned his head back, taking a sip of the brew. Just like last time, a blinding flash of light filled his vision and the bottle slipped out of his hand. The witch snatched it quickly and huffed, grumbling under her breath.