Life is but a dream Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. I own the plot.
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Ratchet felt the warm rays of sunshine caress his face lightly. He grumbled and turned away from the sun, but soon after, the buzzing of an alarm clock awoke him from sleep. He switched the alarm off and yawned lightly, stretching his body. For some reason, it felt a little colder than usual.

Then, the events of last night came rushing back to him: the question, the dinner, the seltzer, the "doctors", the needle, the headaches...the NIGHTMARE. Ratchet's eyes opened and when they did bright painful light entered, making him hiss and close them. He tried to relax while at the same time think of a plan. Right now, he was in a cold place where the two men held him prisoner. He had to find a way to escape, meet with his friends, and get the two arrested. Feeling sweat hit his pajama top, he raised a hand to wipe the sweat off. At the same time, he opened his eyes slowly...and then Ratchet froze.

"W-What the..."

The only upside, in his opinion, was that he kept his five fingers. Other than that...something was wrong with him. His golden fur was now replaced with nothing but skin, which made him feel really naked. He moved his arms in front of his face, only to see the same peach-colored skin on both arms. They were lean and wiry but indicated toughness underneath the skinny. They were also littered with scratches here and there, much to his distaste. Throwing off the covers in a rapid motion, he found faded blue pajamas and two feet matching the skin tone of his arms with matching toenails.

"..."

Without warning, he jumped off the bed and raced for the mirror which was opposite the bed. He blinked twice before his mind could process the unimaginable thought.

"...What the hell?!"

Looking back at him was a boy of about 16 years of age (he should've been 23 at this point) with dark-blonde hair that reached up to the smalls of his lower back, hazel eyes, a thin face that retained his handsome qualities, and a body a little too thin than what's considered as well-built, even though there was evidence that he had abs through the thin pajama top. On the top of his hair were two tan little ears that looked like the ears of those Munchkin Scottish Fold kittens. After looking down and back at the reflection for at least 3 minutes of sheer shock, his mind finally clicked at what he turned into.

'...Oh...My...God...'

A scream echoed the room soon after.
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Ratchet, after having finally calmed down, rubbed his temples. He suddenly got turned into a...whatever he was...and now he's stranded here...wherever he was! It was obvious that, since nobody came rushing in, the room was sound proof. However, his captors must have had a sense of class, for the room looked like an exact replica of a five-star hotel. Complete with running electricity, water, and entertainment.

"Hmm..."

Ratchet went over to the curtains and swished open the windows. For one thing, he was on one of the top floors. The second thing was that he awed on how primitive this place seemed was. No spaceships, no hoverboards, no robots, nothing whatsoever. Was he caught in a time warp or-?

"Hello~!"

He turned to find a very...strange individual. For one thing, she was the same species as he was now, first. In the second place, even though she was in the doorway, there was a strong scent of cotton candy and bubblegum, which was fitting, considering her appearance.

"..."

This woman looked like at least 24 years of age, with a mess of bubblegum-pink hair. Her blue eyes were dancing with fun, and though her weight lost her points on the physical beauty scale, her face and her aura made Ratchet like her immediately...That is, if she wasn't faking this fun demeanor just to thrust a needle in his arm. He made some quick scans. She dressed in a nurse's uniform but her arms were free of medical kits and/or equipment.

"Hey there! So, you're the new guy here at Shoki no Mental Sanitarium~? Oh, sorry! I should introduce myself! I'm Penelope Peters, but call me Pinkie. Everyone does here, and I'm known for giving anyone who's feeling down a good time! The staff members are expecting ya, so I'm the first one here! Your doctor will be here shortly. Don't worry! He doesn't bite! Since I've met you now, wanna be friends?"

So saying, she energetically offered a hand. Ratchet hesitated. He didn't know whether to trust this woman or not, but a voice started speaking in his mind.

"If she was suspicious, she would've hidden a needle behind her back. She seems friendly and nice. Shake her hand and be friends with her. She could help you later on."

Ratchet then shook her hand and at that moment, another person entered the room. Ratchet only got a glimpse of him, but that one moment gave him a feeling of apprehensive and shock. Why did this man look so familiar?

The bald head, the small eyes, the bony fingers...

Ignoring Ratchet, Nurse Pinkie turned to the man and smiled innocently. The man smiled a creepy and unnerving smile before walking up to Ratchet. Ratchet noticed with distaste that the man looked stronger and taller than he was, so there was little to no chance of a fair fight should this man prove unfriendly. And the demeanor and mannerisms looked so authoritative and so...familiar...

"Hello, Nurse Pinkie. I see this is my patient, no?"

Add 'nails like a chalkboard voice' to a list of uncomfortably familiar details about this guy...

"Yes, Doctor!"

The man grinned down at Ratchet with one of those toothy grins. It was impossible to tell if he had eyes behind those huge glasses, so Ratchet decided to concentrate on the glasses while listening. The next few words made his hair stand on end and made him realize of why he was so uncomfortable with this man.

"Hello...I am your new therapist and Doctor Percival Tachyon is my name."

...Percival Tachyon, the leader of the Cragmites who killed my father, banished my race to another dimension, and tried to kill me and Clank, is...

Is...

...MY THERAPIST?