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Nightmares
by Kittie

Rocky sat up with a gasp, swallowing a scream. He was covered in sweat, and his heart was pounding. "This is the fifth nightmare in so many nights," he hissed frustratedly, jumping out of bed. He hit the floor with a thud; having forgotten how tangled up in the covers he was. After he managed to get loose, and once he was sure no one else in the house was awake, he grabbed his communicator of the nighttable and teleported to the Power Chamber.

"Zordon?" He called as soon as he materialized. "Zordon, are you awake?"

The stasis tube lit up slowly, and Zordon's yawning face appeared. I AM NOW. WHAT SEEMS TO BE THE TROUBLE, ROCKY?

"I've been having horrible nightmares, Zordon, and I'm wondering if it has anything to do with Rita and Zedd being back."

WHAT DO YOU MEAN?

"They're all about me and the guys... but I always get killed or something. The first one, there was this grey ranger who came out of nowhere, and I got hurt really bad in battle, and just before I died, I gave my Zeo Crystal to Billy. And then there was this other one, where there was a silver ranger, of all things, and he accidentally killed me with a whip-type thingy."

HOW MANY OF THESE NIGHTMARES HAVE YOU HAD?

"Five," he answered glumly. "The past five nights. And if I'm not dying in them, I'm at least being horribly wounded or going insane or something like that."

HMMM... THIS IS MOST PERPLEXING. ALPHA! ALPHA, WAKE UP.

Alpha plodded out of his sleep chamber with a mechanical yawn. "What is it, Zordon? Are we under attack?"

NO, ALPHA. I WOULD LIKE YOU TO SCAN ROCKY FOR THE PRESENCE OF A SPELL.

"A spell? Why? Are you feeling all right, Rocky?"

"No. I haven't slept in five nights."

"Oh, poor Rocky!" Alpha ran a scanner up and down his body. "I do not detect any spells, Zordon."

WELL, ROCKY, IT APPEARS THAT THESE DISTURBING DREAMS ARE JUST IN YOUR HEAD. TRY TO IGNORE THEM, AND PERHAPS THEY WILL GO AWAY.

"I hope so, Zordon. After all, finals are coming up, and I need my sleep. Thanks anyway."

~*~


Ms. Appleby glared at Rocky as he stumbled into class ten minutes late. "That's the third time this week, Mr. DeSantos. If you're not careful, your grades will be affected!"

"Sorry, Ms. Appleby," he replied, slouching over to his desk.

"What's with you," Adam whispered as Rocky collapsed into his chair.

"No sleep."

"Again?"

"Mr. Park! No talking in class!"

"Sorry, Ms. Appleby." Adam busied himself writing a note instead. Another nightmare?

Rocky glanced at the note, then nodded slightly.

You died again?

Another nod.

What's up with that?

Rocky shrugged, then wrote a note of his own. I talked to Z.

What'd he say?

"Gentlemen, are you passing notes?!" The class snickered as both Adam and Rocky flushed a bright pink. "I'll take that as a yes. Why don't you do your talking in the principal's office, both of you!"

"Yes Ma'am," they sighed in unison.

"Thanks a lot, Adam," glared Rocky as soon as the door shut behind them. "I really needed that."

"If you didn't want to communicate, you should have ignored me," retorted Adam. "Besides, I'm worried about you."

"You should be. I'm gonna fail for sure."

"Why don't you just tell Ms. Appleby the problem? Maybe she'll give you a break."

"Yeah, right."

"It could happen. She likes you."

"Not anymore."

Adam thought about this, and had to concur. "Well, maybe she will again once she finds out what's going on with you. It's worth a try."

"I guess."

They reached the benches outside Principal Kaplan's office and took their seats. Rocky yawned and rested his head against the wall, falling almost immediately into a deep sleep.

~*~


They were all playing baseball, he and the gang. Aisha hit the ball into the woods, and Rocky, ever willing, trotted out to retreive it. He watched the scene unfold reluctantly, knowing something terrible waited in those woods, but not sure what. He got his answer soon enough—

~*~

"Aaaiiigh!" Rocky sat straight up, screaming, clutching his hand in deep pain.

Beside him, Adam jumped and fell off the bench. "What?!"

Rocky couldn't breathe. "Wolf! Wolf... got me! Big... wolf! Yellow—!"

"What are you talking about?" Adam looked around nervously as people began to stare.

"Yellow eyes! Glowing.... Big—!"

Adam slapped him. "Get ahold of yourself!"

Rocky grabbed at his cheek, the nonexistent pain in his hand forgotten. "What? Where am I?"

"You're at school," whispered Adam, truly disturbed by Rocky's pale and sweaty face. "You had another nightmare."

"Oh man...." Rocky dropped his head into his hands and tried to slow his pounding heart. "What is wrong with me?"

Ms. Appleby stalked up to them, ready for a lecture, but stopped as she saw the state Rocky was in. Suddenly concerned, she knelt before him. "What's the matter?"

Rocky just moaned, so Adam took it upon himself to answer. "He hasn't been sleeping well, Ms. Appleby. Really bad nightmares. He just had another one."

"Rocky? Are you feeling all right?"

He looked up vaguely, his face still pale. "Not really."

"Why don't you go to the nurse," she helped him to his feet, "And we'll forgot this morning's incident ever happened, all right?"

"Okay," he nodded drunkenly, and allowed himself to be dragged away.

Adam waited until they were out of sight before ducking behind a plant and activating his communicator. "Zordon? Rocky's getting worse. I'm kinda worried."

I HAVE BEEN MONITORING HIM, AND I UNDERSTAND YOUR CONCERN. HOWEVER, I CAN DO NOTHING UNTIL HE HAS LEFT THE SCHOOL BUILDING.

"I understand." Adam was about to sign off when he had a thought. "Zordon? I wonder... there might be someone who could help us...."

~*~


After school was over, Adam went to the nurse's office to collect Rocky. He was sitting straight as a rod over by the main window, his eyes wide open in an attempt to stay awake. "Hello," he slurred.

"Yeah, hi. Nurse Gayser? I'm gonna take him home, if that's okay."

"What about his parents?"

"I drove him here," lied Adam. _Does she know I don't drive? Oh man...._

His fears were abated when she smiled at him. "All right, go ahead. Feel better, Rocky."

"Uh-huh," he muttered, and allowed Adam to drag him outside.

"Listen, Rocky," Adam told him as soon as they were in the clear. "I'm taking you to the Power Chamber, okay? We're gonna try something."

"Okay."

~*~


Rocky's mouth fell open when they were greeted in the Power Chamber by a familiar face. "Billy?!"

"Hi," he smiled, running a hand through damp hair. He looked younger than Rocky remembered him, though that could be because the last time Rocky had seen him (in person, at least), he'd been almost one hundred years old. He also looked thinner, but that could be due to the still dripping wetsuit he had on. Despite any changes, though, his voice was exactly the same. "Zordon tells me you haven't been sleeping well."

"I haven't," Rocky confirmed, sinking down onto the exam table. "I keep having horrible nightmares."

"So I've been told. We'll figure this out, don't worry."

"What do you care?" Rocky heard himself ask.

"What?" Billy's voice took on an unfamiliar tone: confusion.

"You resent me for taking the blue powers. I thought you'd want me... incapacitated."

"Rocky! That's a horrible thing to say," scolded Adam.

"It's the nightmares talking," reassured Billy confidently. "Don't worry about it. Now Rocky, just lie back and relax."

"No! I'll fall asleep!"

"That's the idea."

"No! I don't want to sleep!"

HUSH LITTLE ROCKY, DON'T SAY A WORD.... Everyone looked around, shocked, as Zordon began singing softly. ZORDON'S GONNA GIVE YOU A THUNDERZORD. AND IF THAT THUNDERZORD DON'T RUN, ZORDON'S GONNA GIVE YOU A ZEO GUN. AND IF THAT ZEO GUN DON'T FIRE....

Amazingly, Rocky started to drop off. In seconds, he was asleep. Billy gently attatched some electrodes to his chest and forehead. "Now we wait."

~*~


....Rocky shouldered his way to the forefront. "Maybe he just needs to be knocked around a little to get his senses back," he yelled, just before charging his former teammate. The Blue Ranger leaped through the air, his devastating side kick aimed at his enemy's head. Suddenly, a chain shot from his target's wrist, wrapping around Ranger Three and slamming him into the ground.
Rocky struggled to free himself. The chain's links were razor sharp. He noted, with a great deal of suprise, that they had begun to penetrate his suit. To add to his torment, his opponent was tossing him left and right, battering his body against the cliff walls that isolated the little valley. Desperately, he summoned his arm blades. Gasping in pain as his bonds sliced into his arms, he lunged forward and succeeded in cutting through the chains. Shrugging them off, he gaped as the breach repaired itself, and the whip prepared to strike at him again.
He wanted to pass out. _Some kind of drug... he's poisoned me,_ he thought. Wobbling unsteadily, he forced back the waves of nausea that threatened to overwhelm him. Sluggishly, he turned to face the thing that had once been his friend, knowing full well he couldn't withstand another attack from that weapon....
Rocky's vision was tinged with red. He could scarcely stay focused on the chain that slithered in front of him, as though alive. The gold bohemoth before him drew back his arm and snapped it forward in a whipping motion. His reflexes dulled by the toxins coursing through his blood, Ranger Three could only stare as the links became glowing projectiles. The highly charged energy darts easily tore through his suit and ripped into the flesh beneath.
The Blue Ranger giggled compulsively, unable to feel the grievous wounds that were going to bleed him to death. His eyes would stay open no longer, their lids seeming to weigh tons. Rocky DeSantos welcomed the darkness as it overtook him. With a final gasp of pain, he toppled backwards and remained still....

~*~


He jerked awake with a cry, willing his body to obey him. Hands were holding him down, and voices frantically trying to calm him. "What...? Who...?"

"Relax, Rocky, it's just us! You're in the Power Chamber, you're safe!"

"It... it killed me, it was huge...! It had these... chains, and it.... IT HURT!"

"It was just a nightmare," Adam assured him, "A particularly bad nightmare. Try to relax, we're working on the problem."

"No, I can't relax, I'll get killed again!"

"Not if I can help it," said Billy, returning from his vantage spot at one of the consoles.

Rocky gasped and almost leapt to his feet, finally recognizing the voice of the gold bohemoth in his dream. "It was you! You were the gold guy!"

Billy's face took on a pained look. "I was never the gold ranger, you know that Rocky!"

"No, not the gold ranger, that gold guy! That killed me! You do want me dead!"

Billy rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Listen, Adam, I think I have an idea about this. It's weird, but...."

"I don't care how weird it is, Billy. Rocky's gonna go insane if we don't fix this."

"Agreed. Heck, he's already halfway there. Alpha, can you contact the other rangers?"

"Certainly, Billy!"

In moments, the other three Zeo Rangers appeared in the Power Chamber. "What's up?" asked Tommy, and then he did a double take when he saw Billy. "What-? Who-? How-?"

"Yeah hi, Tommy, nice to see you again."

Much to everyone's surprise, Kat leapt forward and grabbed Billy in a hug. "Billy, what are you doing-" Then she grimaced and let go of him, looking down at the wet spot on the front of her dress. "Here?"

Billy smiled. "Sorry."

"He's here for Rocky," answered Adam. "You all know about those weird nightmares he's been having, right?"

The others nodded, and Billy stepped forward with a printout of the readings from his experiment. "Well, I think I've found the cause. It appears there's a parallel dimension somewhere, in which all of us are just characters in a fictional television show."

"What?" asked Tanya, disbelieving. "Come again?"

"That's what I thought," allowed Billy, "but these nightmares of Rocky's are coming straight from this alternate dimension. Apparently, fans of this TV show like to write their own episodes of the show. And lately, a lot of these people have been killing Rocky off."

"But why?" Rocky sank to the floor and buried his face in his hands. "I'm so lovable!"

"I don't know," answered Billy, shaking his head, "But the high concentration of such stories is affecting your psyche. We have to find a way to end this."

"But don't we all get killed in stories," asked Tommy, still somewhat skeptically.

"Probably," came the answer, "I guess Rocky's just more sensitive to it than the rest of us."

"Or everybody hates me," moaned Rocky. "Either way, I'm dead meat. Literally."

"Can we get in touch with these people," asked Kat, wringing out her shirt.

"Maybe," Billy wrinkled his nose, deep in thought. "But only through... one of those stories."

"Well, how do we get one?"

"I'll see if I can make contact with one of the writers. Preferably, one who's been kinder to Rocky." He pushed a few buttons on the console, and finally, his face lit up. "I've got one! She's been quite kind to him... she's only injured him seriously once!" Rocky moaned.

"Well, let's contact her," Tanya said.

"Yeah, and hurry," whined Rocky. "I don't wanna die again!"

(And there you have it. Billy thanks you for your time.)

End

Note: The stories appearing in Rocky's nightmares are the brainchildren of, in order of appearance, Bryan Rowe, Pat Flanagan. April Richards, and Padishar Lupine. The nightmare with the gold bohemoth was almost a direct quote from Padishar's fanfic, "Cry of the Wolf.