Dyglo's story. A Tale of Three Tails... um... Tales

"*groan* Hang on, young ones...  let me just sit down.  Yipe!  Don't pull on my tails, please.  Yes, they're real.  No, they're not grafts.  Not implants either. *sigh*  If I tell you a story, will you settle down?  Oh.  That's why you came here.  Dyglo?  A little help?  Thanks." "No problem." "What would you like to hear?  ... Are you sure?  Ah.  You want to archive it.  Well, I suppose we had better do this properly.  Sonyk, could you come over here?  Sonyk?  Hey!" "What?  What's the hubbub about?" "These kids want to know about... the Change." "Ah.  I think I see.  I'll fill in my part." "Same for this dragon." "Thanks, Dyglo. Now, how to start?" "From the beginning?" "*sigh* Cute, Dyglo.  Very cute.  How about the night before?" "Sounds good to me." "Not to me." "Too bad.  You're out-voted."

----------------------- {Chris} -----------------------

    I remember it clearly.  There had been a supernova about a month or less back, and it kept getting bigger.  I had been out walking, and had just returned.

(Dyglo and Sonyk weren't around yet. Hold your horses.  No!  Let go of him!   You all right kid?  One would think I'd be broken of those figures of speech by now.)

    I was absolutely different than what I look like now.  (Okay, we.  Happy now, Dyglo?)  Pale skinned, no fur, glasses, skinny as a toothpick, and no tail whatsoever.  I had taken to watching the supernova occasionally, along with the stars, after all, it was Summer Vacation.  No school to worry about for around two months.  Well, now you know the general background of what was going on.  Some people were getting hysterical and holing up in the mountains and stuff.

    I wasn't worried about that.  I was worried about a shower and a snack.   It was a scorcher of a day, and I had been sweating like crazy on my walk.   "Lucy, I'm home!" I shouted in my best Ricky Ricardo voice.  (I think the librarian can help you understand.  ask them sometime.)  Checking the clock, I saw that I had been gone for about four hours or so.  Not like it was my fault or anything.  I was out looking at the supernova.  Sometime during the night before, it had taken on an odd greenish color.  With practised expertise, I kicked off my shoes and carefully avoided stickers buried in the carpet on my way to the bathroom.

    The slam of a car door announced that my Dad was home.  After shouted greetings, he told me that he was totally wasted, and was going to bed.  I finished cleaning up and went into the computer room.  Church was a couple of days away, an I had to reset my biological clock so I'd be able to wake up on time.  Working my way to the kitchen, and sneaking a glance at the now-greener supernnova, I stocked up on munchies to wait out the night.   Signing onto AOL, I checked my mail, read the comics, checked newsgroups and messageboards, then began roaming the 'net.  Mostly looking for Furry media.   See, I was a furry.  Well, a fan with minor lifestyler tendencies anyways.

    At around 11:53, I started hearing a high pitched whine.  I kept trying to ignore it, but it kept growing louder, eventually reaching the point where it _hurt_, then going beyond.  The last thing I remember is clutching my head and screaming.  Now, it may have just been my imagination, but before I blacked out, I thought I heard my scream split into three different, more beastial screams, a bird screaching, some kind of roaring, and something else, I wasn't sure what it was.

    Groggily, I awoke to an oppressive heat. Opening my bleary eyes, thinking that Dad must have put me in bed, I found myself in a pile of unconscious bodies.  Well, not fully unconscious, they were coming around as was I.   Finally, it dawned on me.  There were strangers in my house!  With a scream, echoed by the others, we got up, only to scream again, only louder this time.  Scrambling to different corners of the room, I looked wild-eyed at the others, who were looking wild-eyed themselves.  "W-wh-who are you?? What do you want??"  I yelled, on the verge of panic.  The other two appeared to be a dragon and a white-bellied sea eagle.

    The dragon had curled up into a ball, and was shaking terribly.  "I've gone crazy!  I'm crazy... I'm seeing things that aren't real.... h-h-help.... h-help m-m-me....." I heard from it's direction.  Whatever it was, it was gibbering to itself and crying.  An acrid smell was coming from that direction.  The eagle was just staring at it's hands, twitching slightly, eyes wide and beak hanging open.

    I became aware of a pain that was somehow... beyond where my rear ended.    I looked down, and what I saw was the last thing I expected.  I was sitting on three big, bushy, black-and-white tails.  I lifted my hand to touch them, and when I did, I saw a white furred hand with a spike of black that stopped in the middle of the back of the aforementioned hand.  I closed my hand, and the hand closed.  My nervous system must have decided that this was just too much, because my eyes rolled back and I fainted.

--------------------- o/`-Sonyk-o/` ---------------------

    "Is that my hand?"  That's all I remember thinking at first.  Staring at the alien hands before me, that's basically what I thought.  "Where's the pinky?" was next in line.  Living all of your life having five fingers, and then suddenly waking up with only four can be very odd.

    Hearing a thump, I saw the stranger in the fursuit sprawled on the ground.  "Whoever he is, he did a good job on it.  Almost looks natural.   Right down to the... drool coming out of his mouth?"  The stranger's mouth was hanging open, and I could see no line or space that would give away it being a fursuit.  Those teeth sure looked real, and even the fur appeared to be coming out of skin.  The fact that I could see that detail brought attention to my improved eyesight.  I wasn't wearing glasses and  I could make out the minute details of the "wood" panels on the opposite wall!  I always knew it was probably fake.

    As amazing as this revalation was, I could not, in good conscience, leave the stranger lying there.  For that matter, the other one looked like they were in pretty bad shape too.  Was that what it looked like when someone had a nervous breakdown?  The fursuiter could wait.  This guy couldn't.  Taking a deep breath, I stood, idly noting the feathers and the wings, filing that noticing away for later awe, and tried walking over to the dragon.  I failed miserably.  For some reason, my knees would not bend the way they were supposed to.  Standing again, I realized my mistake.  Avians' knees don't bend the same way as mammals' knees usually do.   "Ohh boy... this is gonna take practice," I mutterred.  Supporting myself on the wall, I made my way to the dragon and, as best as I could, knelt beside him.  Stranger or not, they needed someone to talk to.

------------------- ~-~Dyglo~-~ -------------------

    Waking up on a pile of strangers isn't something I'd reccommend.  Afer the initial scurry, the sheer impossibility of what was happenning set in.  I _recognized_ those two.  They weren't supposed to be able to be in a pile.   They were my online characters, for goodness sake!  The scales and claws on my hands weren't helping any, either.  Those things firmly anchored in my mind, I did what most other people would have done.  I lost it.

    With firm certainty, I knew that I was crazy.  I was off my rocker, and they were going to call the nice men in white coats to come and lock me in a padded cell for the rest of my life!  Were those two with the men in white coats?  They were there to take me away!  Maybe I could turn into a giant sausage and scare them away... The sausage could keep me safe for a little while, but eventually, they would sic their giant sausage-eating fish on me!   Mmm... fish... I could eat the nice fishie, and have a nice meal.  Nicely garnished, a bit of lemon... I would have to be careful about the bones.  The bones would get stuck in my throat, and I would have to have my eyes polished in order to get it out.  Not the eye polish!  Not the momma?  Again!  Again!   I'm the baby, gotta love me!  Big purple eyes, I'm very cuddly...

    I felt a touch on my wing.  I had wings?  Sure!  Why not?  After all, this guy had them, why couldn't I?  "Are you okay?" he asked.  Being the kind dragon that I obviously was, I had to answer him.  After all, to do otherwise would be Not Nice.

    I raised my head and looked him in the eye.  I grinned.  "No, I'm afraid I don't know any Okay.  My name's Dyglo!"  That was who I was supposed to be, right?  Cartoon dragon, anti-"mallet control" activist (or was that anti-"mallet control activist"?  ::shrugs::), defender and devourer of all that is fishy and maybe those tiny little after-dinner mints that they have at some restaraunts...

    His expression was wonderful!  Nice blending of shock and confusion.   "But... you were just... how did...  huh?"  Ah, incoherence.  Apparently, I was putting the 'toon factor on a bit much.  "But... you can't be Dyglo.   Dyglo is an online entity.  True, he was always hanging out in my mind, but he was part of me."

    This earned him a Strange Look (tm).  "This coming frrom a giant eagle?   I don't suppose you know any other dragons.  I am Dyglo.  Wanna see my ID?"   The setup line was out.  Now I only had to see if he'd take the bait.

------------------- o/`-Sonyk-o/` -------------------

    "ID, huh?   Let's see... in this situation..."  I tried to 'call up' Dyglo's personality.  I tried again.  What was the matter?  It was easy enough before.  I tried to 'call up' my skunktsune personality.  I tried for five minutes!  I tried for ten minutes!  Where were they??  What had happenned??  Where were my other two personalities?!?  I could feel Sonyk's personality quite clearly.  Clearer than any time before, in fact.

    Then the dragon's words hit me.  "This coming from a giant eagle?    Coming from a giant eagle?  From a giant eagle?  A giant eagle?  Giant eagle?  Giant eagle?"

    The words echoed in my mind.  Clear as if he himself was-  "Would you quit that?!?"  The dragon grinned and drug himself to his feet.  Could it be true?  Could I have turned into my eagle morph, Sonyk Wynde?  Could this dragon somehow be Dyglo?  Edging my way past the dragon, I turned the corner to look into the bathroom mirror.

    The sight that greeted my eyes was shocking, to say the least.  Staring back at me from the mirror were the piercing eyes of a anthropomorphic white-bellied sea eagle.  Not just any sea eagle, but one I recognized.  The image before me was tons better than I could ever draw of this eagle.  I was Sonyk.  There was no doubt in my mind about that now.  "Could it be?" was replaced with "How?"

    I stumbled back into the computer room to find the dragon --no-- Dyglo hunched over the third person.  "He don't look so good."  He was right.  The guy didn't look so good.  "Think we should move him?"

    I wasn't sure.  Why didn't Dad come back here to find out what the commotion was?  He would know exactly what to do.  Taking a moment to think, I guessed that the... other... had fainted from the stress and shock of whatever had happened.  There probably weren't any injuries or anything.   "It'll probably be okay.  Let's move him to the couch.  I'll get his legs."   I picked up his feet, and immediately dropped them, jumping back a bit, surprised.  I knew who this was now.  It was Chris.  Skunktsune, that is.   How that was possible is beyond me.

---------- {Chris} ----------

    I woke slower than usual.  Voices I didn't reecognize were talking to each other.  "*groan* What happenned?"     "He's awake. How are you feeling?" asked one voice.     "Terrible.  Why do you ask?"     "Um... because things are going to get a bit worse.  Tell me... Can you feel your other personalities?"  How did this person know about my "split personality" as I liked to call it?  For that matter, who was this guy?  The voice seemed like it rang a bell, but I couldn't remember it.     I tried to humor him.  A bit of Dyglo might dissuade any further snooping in my life.  I tried again.  Where was he?  On the third try, I felt someone tap on my head.  Irritated, I opened my eyes and looked in that direction.   "You called?" asked the dragon that met my gaze.     I... tried to act rationally.  I tried to keep my cool.  That resolve went out the window at the sight before me.  I.. uh... *cough cough*... I scrambled onto the back of the couch, screaming like a ninny.     "I like him.  He's silly," stated the dragon.  With a toothy grin, he took a bow and went to browse through the freezer.  Details about him started snapping into place.  Bone spade, wing spurs, line of spikes running down his back, no horns...  Somehow, this dragon was Dyglo.  Climbing down from the couch, I cautiously made my way to him.  I reached out and poked at his scaly side.  Lifting his head over the freezer door, he looked down at me.  "Do you mind?  I'm eating here," commented Dyglo, with a frozen fishstick hanging out of his mouth.     Blinking, I stammered a response.  "D-D-Dyglo?  Is that you?"     "Eeeuhhh... you were expecting Yogi Bear?"  He drew his head back down, and sounds of intense munching began.     "Surprising, isn't it?" asked a voice behind me.  On reflex, I felt myself bend forward, and muscles that were somehow past my lower back flexed.  "Whoa!  Easy!  It's all right!"  Looking back, I saw another surprise.   There were three tails, splayed out and raised, coming from above my rear.   Blinking away my shock, I straightened out and relaxed.  A pair of feathered wings curled around their owner, in an attempt to protect them, I guess.

------------------- o/` Sonyk o/` -------------------

    After I recovered from my shock, I made a mental note to never sneak up on Chris like that again.     Now to break the hard news to him.  The question was... how?  I was still trying to come to terms with it myself.  "Chris, sit down please.  I'm afraid I have some bad news."  Chris did as asked, and looked intently at me.  "I'm sure you realise who I am." A hesitant nod.  "Well, somehow we got seperated.  I'm you, you're me, and so is Dyglo, I think."     "Hang on," interrupted the skunktsune.  "How could that be possible?"  A doubtful expression was on his face.     "No clue, but to prove it, ask me anything that only you'd remember."     I watched him turning the offer over in his head.  "Okay.  Who did I break off a friendship with in the fifth grade, and why?"     "His name was Carlos.  We broke off the friendship because we trusted him with a secret, and he stabbed us in the back by spouting it out.  We had a slight crush on a girl.  Still haven't forgiven the little S.O.B.  To be even more specific, it was at Sooner Elementary.  Flunked fifth grade."  I felt a stab of pure hate at the memory.  He betrayed my trust.  I still wanted to choke the heck out of Carlos.  Apparently, judging from the expression on the other me's face, I had proven myself.  "That wasn't the bad news though.  I just wanted you to know in advance that I feel the exact same way."   Gathering all the willpower I could muster, I continued with the tradgedy.   "I'm afraid that... Dad's... not here... anymore."  I fought back the tears.   Didn't I already cry them all?  I had to continue, though.  "I checked... all over the house, and I can't... find him.  The car's still here.  It's like he just... vanished.  I..."  Grief finally took over.  I couldn't hold it back any longer.  I wished that I wasn't watching.

    When I finally got ahold of myself enough to look up, Chris was staring off into space.  How well he... I... whatever.. However Chris was taking it, I didn't know.  It had obviously hit him hard.

------------------- {Chris} -------------------

    Gone.  Just like that.  Poof, no more Dad.  How could this happen?  Why would this happen?  No Dad... What would happen to me?  I knew nothing of camping, even with my father.  How was I supposed to do it alone?  I would have to learn by experiment, I guess.  But wait... I wasn't alone.  Everything was starting to click into place.  Dyglo was with me.  That much I knew.  Also, there was an eagle.  The description sunk in, and I realized who he was.  Sonyk Wynde.  My other two online personas, in full 3d reality.  Fleshed out and real enough to touch.  How remained as much of a mystery as ever.     Standing to my feet, I approached the nearest mirror and studied my reflection.  For once, it _fit_.  I was finally me.  I could be me whenever I wanted.  I let out a shaky breath and reached up to rub my fingers through my fur.  I turned around to face the other me's.  "Well, it looks like we're gonna be on our own for awhile.  If we expect to survive, we'll have to stick together, at least at first anyway."  I drew them both in for a hug, then released them.  "Have either of you looked around at the neighbors' houses?"     "Yeah, Dyglo went out before you woke up.  All of them were empty," replied Sonyk sorrowfully.  "I guess we should assume the worst."     Dyglo let out an over-exaggerated gasp.  Laying his claws across his eyes, he started whining, "Oh no!  Not the worst!  Anything but that!  Anything but assuming the worst!  Anything but that!  Ohh!"  He reminded me of Penfold from Dangermouse.  Exchanging glances with Sonyk, I realized that was exactly what he was trying to do.     "Dyglo..."     He looked up from his melodramatic display.  "Yes, Chief?"     "Shush."  I couldn't help but chuckle.  It soon faded as I remembered the news.  "I guess you two are my only friends now."     A somber silence hung in the air for a few seconds before Sonyk asked the question that had been lurking in the back of my mind.  "When are we going to leave?"  He was right.  We would have to leave eventually.  If everyone had dropped off the earth, there would be nobody to maintain the power grid.  Eventually, it would crash.     "I say we leave right now," nominated Dyglo with a grin.  It stayed on for a while as we looked at him.  Eventually, it faded, and he continued with a severely regretful tone.  "I... already finished all the fish.  Can we go?  Please?  Can we get some more?  Please?  Pretty please?"     "I guess we should pack a few things.  At least enough to last us a while.  Only the clothes on our backs, tho-" I cut off as I realized something.  Apparently, the others realized it too.  I slapped my forehead.     "Uhh..."     "I know!  I know!  We aren't wearing a stitch, and there probably isn't anything in the house that would fit on us now."  I let out a sigh.  "I guess it's time for a bit of cloth-surgery.  I never was any good at that stuff."

    A thorough packing and an improvised pair of shorts later, I got back on the computer.  It was already dark, and the other two had managed to fall asleep.  Signing onto AOL with the intention of e-mailing everybody in my address book just in case someone made it through the change, I sighed.  Opening my mailbox, mostly out of habit, I was struck by the enormity of it all.  There was nothing in my mailbox that was really important, and all of it was dated before the change.  I felt the tears well up inside me as I opened up the first.  It was obviously spam by the subject, but I didn't care.  After slowly reading it, I moved to the next one.  Then, to the next.  I read all of the e-mails that night.  Spammer or friend, it didn't matter.  By the end, I had broken down into tears.  All of those people... gone.  Friends... gone.  Spammers... gone.  Everybody was gone.  Chatrooms empty.  Newsgroups mere grisly reminders of the event.  Messageboards were now memorials to those!  w! ho had vanished.  Grimly, I filled out each of the e-mails.  Through tear-filled eyes, I moved the mouse to send.  With a click, they were away.  Each contained my address if anyone wished to search me out.  Well, anyone who made it through the change, anyways.  Signing off and shutting down the computer, I curled up in a corner and cried myself to sleep.

------------------- ~-~Dyglo~-~ -------------------

    I was in a neat room.  There were loose screws and missing bolts all over the place!  I remember I was starting to play with a one-sided cube when I noticed that there was something different.  I couldn't quite place what it was, but I could tell that something was odd.  Sitting on a marshmallow creme recliner, I tried to think of what it could be.  Shrugging off the feeling, I picked up a puddle of silver and looked at my reflection.     While practicing wild takes, my reflection changed into some pale, thin skinned creature.  "LET ME OUT!  I AM NOT A DRAGON!" it cried.  As I pondered on the absurd obviousness of the statement, the thing pounded on the silver, eyes wide behind its glasses.  Whatever it was, it was obviously very distressed.  If it wanted to get out, why didn't it just break the silver with a mallet?  Before I could ask it this, the silver puddle turned into a fuzzy trout and flew away.     Shrugging off the occurance, I started to toy with a passing pastry brush, when it pulled out a dinner roll and-!

    I woke up with a sharp gasp.  I could feel my heart racing, but I didn't know why.  A nagging feeling inside me said that I should be worried.  I told it that it was too early, and that it should go back to bed.     Sonyk was still asleep.  How he could be comfortable in that position, I had no clue.  He looked peaceful as he slept.  A quick glance at the window revealed a dark sky on it's way to dawn.  It didn't seem fair that I was awakened that early.     I shifted around, trying to get back to sleep, but I couldn't.  Getting all the way up, I discovered that Chris was nowhere to be seen.  I checked the two bedrooms.  He wasn't in either of them.  Peering into the computer room, I spotted him curled up in a corner.  His face was twisted into an expression of extreme sorrow.  What could have caused such an expression?  Especially one that would linger during sleep?     I carefully picked him up and carried him to the couch.  Laying him down, I sighed as he relaxed a bit.  Quietly, I stepped outside and watched the forerunners of the day warning of the coming sun.  "A 'toon's life isn't easy," I mutterred to myself.  The emotional strain was sometimes incredibly hard, but all in all, I wouldn't trade it for anything I could think of.  I flopped down and watched the sun greet another day.  Soon, the others would be up.  I savored the moment of calm.  Hopefully, it would last quite a long time.

------------------- o/` Sonyk o/` -------------------

    We gathered our supplies and walked out the door by about noon.  After closing the door, Chris pinned a sheet of paper to it.  He noticed me watching and explained.  "I left the door unlocked.  If anyone might need something, they can go in and look for it.  The note just says which way we're going."  We reached the top of our washed-out driveway and turned around.  "Gentlemen," he continued, "while that trailer home wasn't grand, it was nice.  A veritable hub of memories, both good and bad.  A few days ago, it seemed alive.  Now, it looks cold... lifeless.  We're leaving the only home we've ever really had, and this time... we're not coming back.  Let's remember it for when it was still alive."     "I'll miss it," I commented.  A tear rolled down my beak and dropped off the tip.  Chris talked Dyglo into getting the battered old mailbox off of its mount.  The dragon did so and handed it to Chris.  Tucking it under his arm, the skunktsune took a deep breath and started walking down the gravel road that led out of the edition.  Dyglo and I followed silently.

    ...Well almost silently.  After about a five mile hike to the highway, Dyglo asked one of the classic journeyman's questions.  "Are we there yet?"     With a slight smile, we turned and walked to the nearby store (Well, it was probably another 30 minutes or so.  We were taking it easy).  One of the upsides of living in the middle of nowhere was that the IGA had quite a bit of stuff that would keep for a while.  Unfortunately, the doors were locked.  It wasn't really an obstacle.  The real obstacle was shaking the thought that we were intentionally breaking and entering with the intent to steal.     A couple of broken glass doors later, we began our scavenger hunt.  I went to the breads, Chris loaded up on soups, and Dyglo was eventually swayed from the junk food to some meat.  With two carnivores, we suspected that we'd be going through a lot of it.  Once we got the bare essentials, we started in on things that we didn't neccisarily need, for a bit of dietary experimenting. ([Dyglo: In other words, we loaded up on Twinkies, other snack cakes, chips, marshmallows, gum, chocolate, and several other similar items.  ::grin::])     Once done at the store, we began heading west.  My reasoning was that if we hit the Interstate, it would be a great help to find our way around the country.  In retrospect, it wasn't exactly such a good idea.  While it was our ticket out of Oklahoma, our feet were killing us before we even reached Norman!  Shoes wouldn't exactly fit us, and the constant walking got a little harsh on our feet, especially on the asphalt.     We camped out that night in some abandoned cars.  We had passed several of them that day, with a few of them still running their engines.  All driverless.  It was  one of the most haunting scenes I had ever seen.     It was quite somber in camp.  Nobody spoke.  I guess we had too much on our minds.  The next day seemed much more cheerful, except for Chris.  He still wore a cloak of sheer seriousness.  Something was bothering him.  I wasn't sure what it was, but I planned to find out.     As I rushed to catch up with him, he merely glanced my way and continued to watch the road.  We walked in silence for a bit longer before I broke the silence.  "Care to tell what's wrong?"     "Nothing," he replied.     That would never do.  I kept at it.  "It's no use trying to lie.  Something's eating you up inside.  The longer you keep it in, the more damage it can do.  You know that.  Now, spill."     He stopped.  The skunktsune looked on the verge of tears.  "They're gone!  Is that what you wanted to hear?  Everybody's gone, and I didn't even get a chance to tell them goodbye!  Dad, Mom, all of my friends, they're all GONE!  Every last one of them!"  A frustrated rage burned in his eyes.  He stormed off and climbed over a guard rail.  Obviously, everyone going poof had hit him harder than I thought.     "There were so many things I wanted to say," he continued when I approached.  "Now, I'll never get another chance.  They're gone...  They're all gone..."     I had to do something quick before he totally fell to pieces.  "Well, look on the bright side," I began.     "How in the world can there be a bright side to this?"     "At least there aren't any more lawyers!"  This drew a slight smirk from him.  "...or politicians," I continued.     Shaking his head, he broke out into a smile.  "Thanks..."  I started to get up.  Chris's hand shot out and latched onto my arm.  "Wait... There's more."  His face had gone back to serious.  Dead serious.     I leaned on the guard rail, being careful of my tailfeathers.  "Do you remember how much power we designed Chris to have?" he asked.     "Of course I remember, but it was always safe because he... didn't...  ohmyGod..."  The implications of what really happened to us sunk in... deeply.     "I'm scared, Sonyk," he whispered, eyes wide with panic.  "Absolutely terrified.  It was safe for the online character version because he didn't know that he had any special powers.  That was part of his description.  But... I can feel them.  I _know_ that they're there, churning just below the surface...  It's a struggle not to test them.  I don't know how to use them, or what all they can do.  Do you realize how terrifying that is?"     I felt ready to puke.   Without any real training available, trying them would be extremely volatile.  Anyone could get hurt.  Anything could happen.  It would be like playing catch with a thermonuclear warhead.  Eventually, it would go off.  When would be the real question.  "I think I need a drink..."  Normally, I don't drink, but for this I would make an exception.

    Much to my dismay, we spent day after day walking.  I tried to cheer the other two up occasionally, but after the first week, they just got annoyed at my attempts.  They were extremely edgy for some reason.  They seemed to relax for a bit after we reached Moore.  We approached a store to restock supplies.     Chris volunteered to go first and make sure it was safe.  As he yanked the door open I could smell from where I was several yards away an almost unbearable odor.  As my eyes started tearing up, I saw Chris go limp and collapse.  Thankfully, the door closed.  Sonyk muttered a few bad words and rushed to drag the skunktsune back.  By the time they were away from the door, Sonyk was gasping for breath.  "Idiotic fool.  Should've relized that some things probably would have gone bad by now," muttered the eagle.     "Wouldn't that be 'stinking fool'?" I asked.     "No time for jokes, Dyglo.  We've got to make sure he's okay.  I think it was sensory overload or something."  He waved something across Chris's bleeding nose, and the mephit sputtered awake with a groan.     "Rembind mbe nevah t' do dat again," he said as he clutched his sinuses.   A bit of crimson ran down his arm.     I pulled out a few gas masks and offered each one.  We needed supplies, and it was likely that this situation would happen many more times at other stores.  "A bit late for that, don't you think, Dyglo!?" snapped Sonyk.   Shocked, I backed up a bit.  "Let's go.  This store is useless.  Come on, Dyglo."  Sonyk helped Chris up, and without a glance in my direction, they continued walking.     "But-"     "No!  Let's go, Dyglo!"  They shuffled on.  I dropped the masks and stared after them, unmoving... hurt...  Shaking it off, I picked up and strapped on a gas mask.  Determinedly, I stormed up to the doors of the Wal-mart and, in my barely controlled anger, pulled off the doors.     How could they just brush me off to the side like that?  Didn't my opinion count anymore?  With nobody watching, I put up no pretense of wanting to pig out on junk food.  Not only would that be unhealthy, but I'd have to remove my gas mask.  I ripped a cart away from the others and set about gathering supplies.  They just took me for granted, with no regard for what I thought all!  I took a few of my agressions out on a watermelon.  They didn't understand me!  Nobody did!     As I sunk my claws into another melon, a tiny voice whispered, "I understand you."  Shocked, I spun around and threw the melon.  "You can't hit me.  I'm not out there," it continued.     "Who are you?" I asked, spinning around.     "Close your eyes," said the voice.  Seeing no harm in the suggestion, I did so.  I felt myself hit the floor as my consciousness was drawn into the depths of my mind.

    I hit a square of shaggy carpet.  Fighting my way out of it, I saw the thing from the silver pool sitting in an armchair, peering at me above its glasses.  It stretched out a hand and helped me up. "Hello, Dyglo.  Nice to finally meet you.  Well, I met you a few weeks ago, but that wasn't the best of introductions."

------------------- {Chris} -------------------

    We needed supplies, but I didn't have the strength to protest as Sonyk led me away.  We were a good ways away when I smelled it.  Looking around, I asked, "Where's Dyglo?"     "He's right behind... us..."  Sonyk looked back towards the store.   "Oh... $#!t..."     It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what happenned.  "We can't just leave him!  We've got to get him!"  I got out of Sonyk's grasp and started running back to the store.     "Wait!  Don't be a fool!  D@mn..." shouted Sonyk.  I paid no attention to him.  I saw something on the ground and picked up the speed, closing the distance easily.  I slid to a halt, ignoring the resulting pain.  It wasn't Dyglo.  Just a couple of cartoon gas masks.  My eyes were watering severely, yet I still saw that the doors had been ripped off.  I recognised it as Dyglo's handiwork.  As I reached for a gas mask, Sonyk said something, but I didn't hear him.  He had followed me so far.  Now I would see if he would follow me any further.  Strapping on the mask, I stumbled into the Wal-mart's opening.

------------------- ~-~Dyglo~-~ -------------------

    "Now that we're comfortable," he began as he leaned on the card table, "I suppose we can start our discussion.  Fish?"  He offered me one from a passing serving cart.  Gladly accepting it, I munched on it as he continued.   "Now, do you remember a couple of weeks back when Sonyk tapped you on the shoulder?  You know, when you were curled up into a ball?"  I hesitantly nodded.  "Can you remember anything before that moment?  Do  you remember why you curled up into a ball, or even curling up into the ball?"  Now the guy was just being silly.  Of course I-     -waitaminute...  I couldn't!  Before that moment, I only remembered giving the Ruby to the Rescue Rangers for them to protect, Enchantra's shrinking spell going haywire and banishing me to another dimension, meeting the other dimension's Rescue Rangers, meeting Chris, and Nimnul testing that Giganti-thingamajig on me!  Well, there were other little memories, but nothing else!  Like I just woke up curled in a ball!  "What kind of trick is this?" I asked.     "No trick.  Do you remember who used to be in Moore that you knew?"  I shook my head 'no'.  "Didn't think you would.  That's because it's one of my memories.  And yet, I know your memories.  Chris Davis, at your service.  You were one of my online personas.  Acorn Cafe."     Why did he say-- "Hang on... let me finish these coffeebeans first," I said as I grinned and guestured to an impossibly large mountain of unground coffeebeans...  --that?  Huh?  Where did that memory come from?  It didn't fit in anywhere in my life, that I could--  I stood there, facing my evil twin.  "Draw, varmint!" he said in a bad western voice.  I whipped out a notepad and sketched a rat from the Redwall series...  --remember.  That memory didn't fit in either!     He sat there with his hands steepled, watching me.  "Chateau Pax," he said, which made absolutely-- I opened the door to my room and gazed inside.   A humble beginning of a hoard was in the corner.  In the ceiling was an open-air skylight.  The room was perfect...  --no sense at all.  Where were these fake memories coming from?!?  They didn't-- There it was.  A piece of sheet metal with a message etched into it.  It was pinned to the door of the hotel with a piece of railroad track...  --fit in my life anywhere!   "Alfandria," said Chris.  How was-- The giant slab of chocolate rose into the clouds.  Strapping on the Mission Impossible brand suction cups, I took a deep breath and began climbing.  This was going to be the best chocolate sculpture ever...  --he doing this-- I tunnelled through the snow underneath my prey.  A few quick swipes, and the snow would collapse under him.  Boy, I enjoyed snow fights...  --to me?  "The Homestead," he added.  Oh, no... not--  The countdown was done.  I lit the fuses to the canisters and cut the rope holding the slingshot back.  I had some skywriting to do...  --again!  I could barely--  I watched in fear as the mob of furvey questioners swarmed over Chris.  His black and white face turned to me and shouted, "Run, Dyglo!   Save yourself!"  I started flapping my wings...  --take it.  "Do you see it now?" the thing asked.  "I didn't want to do it, but I had to show you.  I created you."

------------------- {Chris} -------------------

    "Dyglo!  C'mon, buddy... Wake up.  Please!  Don't go!  Come back, Dyglo!   Please!" I cradled his head in my arms.  He was breathing, barely.  Sonyk and I had dragged him out of the Wal-mart and out of the smell.  Where Sonyk had gone after that, I don't know.  "Please...  Don't go, Dyglo... no... Dyglo... I need you..."

------------------- ~-~Dyglo~-~ -------------------

    My breathing was ragged as I glared at this stranger in my mind.  That was about all I could do.  "Is that your plan?  You created me, just so you could destroy me?  Am I nothing to you?  Just a... a... a plaything?"     He shook his head.  "No, Dyglo, that is far, far away from what I think you are.  You see, I created you out of necessity, but then, you grew.  You kept on growing, and eventually, it was hard to tell who was who."  He stood up.  "You see, Dyglo," he said, "you're a part of me, and I'm a part of you."  He was kneeling beside me with a look of sorrow on his face.  "They do care about you.  They value your opinion.  You are so much more than you think you are to them."  A tear rolled down his cheek.  "That's something that I want.   But, no matter how much I want it, I know that I can't have it," he sighed.   As I got up, he continued his monologue.  "Dyglo, I want you to have a good life.  I just wanted to tell you goodbye before I went."     Chris's sad voice echoed through the room, "Dyglo... I need you..."     This other Chris smiled wanely.  "You hear that?  You're needed."  It seemed that he was beginning to get fuzzy around the edges.  We hugged, and he whispered, "Goodbye, Dyglo.  It was nice to meet you, at least for a little while.  Don't forget me, okay?"     Before I could say anything, he blew away, like golden dust in the wind.   "No, Chris... never..."     The gold dust settled on me, and sank in.  Faintly, like the last echo on the wind, I heard his voice.  "Remember..."

    My eyes opened, and I saw Chris (Skunktsune) above me.  I sat up, and he broke into the crazed/releaved kind of laughter.  I smiled at him, and the smile quickly faded.  I started walking.  Voice full of curiousity, he asked, "Dyglo?"     I paused and looked at him.  "I... just have to be alone for a little bit, okay?"  He nodded, and I turned and continued on for a little ways.  I didn't want them to see me cry.