Another story by guestsurprise and myself, introducing my new OCs, Manic, Oracle, and Spike. Enjoy and no flames please!

The story, 'The Wizard of Oz', mentioned in this story, belongs to it's respective owner.

Special thanks to guestsurprise for all their help on this story! :)

Sasha and Rachel giggled as Jape and Jest were chasing them around the entire castle for a tickle fest.

"Come here," Jape laughed.

"No!" Sasha laughed, now trying to get away from Blithe, who almost grabbed her.

"Why you little rascal; come back here," he chuckled. "All I want is a kiss!"

"Blithe, keep away!" Sasha laughed, now feeling him grab her and plant playful kisses in her neck.

"You taste delicious!" he laughed, now kissing more in her neck.

"Careful now…Whampire just may tickle YOU for kissing his girl like that," Jocu smirked, now leaning back and watching the fun.

"Oh come now~ they know we only mean fun. However, no female can resist our charms," Jape winked, now planting a playful kiss on Rachel's face.

"EEEEEK! Jape cut it out," she laughed without heat as he nuzzled in her neck.

"Admit it…you both find us charming…." Jape winked, now flexing his muscles. Both girls laughed and then nodded.

"Of course we do; we just love our fiances," Rachel giggled.

"But of course…after all...they are your soulmates," Jape smirked, now helping Rachel up and Blithe helped Sasha up. Both girls cuddled them and then Sasha heard the distant cry of Poppy and Ivy.

"I believe it's story time," Vivo smiled, now walking in and winking at the girls.

"Oh I would love to read them a story!" Sasha smiled. "We aren't doing cuddle time until later with the brothers so I have time."

"Perfect! Which story would you like to read them?" Vivo asked.

"The Wizard of Oz. They'll love it!" Sasha smiled, now walking with Vivo down the hallway.

An hour later, Sasha read to the twins and it was not long before they were slowly falling asleep.

"And this is the part where Dorothy has to get her ruby slippers back," she said, trying to condense down the story to where it was more kid friendly and where the twins could understand.

The twins cooed at her sweetly and began to yawn. Sasha could only smile as she looked at how beautiful they were. They were so attentive and grinning at her, but it was clear they were getting sleepy. The part where Sasha got to the end is when the twins had finally dozed off to sleep.

"And then Dorothy was happily reunited with her family. The end…" she said softly, now looking over and seeing the twins resting in their beds.

"That was a cute story." a voice giggled. Sasha turned and saw Kumi walk in with a big grin and she and Sasha hugged.

"You know of the Wizard of Oz, Kumi?" Sasha grinned.

"Of course," Kumi nodded. "I just love the characters! The Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion!" She tail wagged with excitement. "These imaginary beings remind me of the ones we have here in the Tickle Realm! Beings are were considered a myth!"

"Really?" Sasha asked in confusion. "What do you mean by that?" Weren't these tickle monsters considered a myth too?

"Oh yes. For you see Sasha, there are many beings and creatures that are part of our vast realm. So, we do have our own share of creatures that are considered a superstition, rumored to have existed but never seen before!"

"Really?!"

"Really. We also have many friends that live in neighboring realms, like the Dream Realm and the Love Realm." Kumi giggled.

"The Love Realm?" Sasha echoed.

"Oh yes. They are….well….I will let Jocu explain to you someday." Kumi giggled.

"Explain about what?" Jocu asked, now walking in and munching on a nearby fruit.

"About the Love Realm," Kumi giggled. Jocu only lightly rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Do not get me started," he chuckled. "Those beings are hysterical when it comes to affection."

"Who are they?" Sasha asked.

"You'll all see in due time. Now then, I believe Scruffy is dying to go on a walk with you," Jocu laughed, now seeing the large beast walk over to Sasha and purr in her side.

"Hey there, boy!" she laughed, now bending down and scratching under his chin.

"You can walk him through the garden if you want and then meet us back here," Kumi said.

"Sounds like a plan," Sasha said, now grabbing a giant leash and getting Scruffy attached to it. As large as he was, he was for some reason not a puller and allowed Sasha to walk him wherever she wanted to go.

What Sasha didn't know was that the night was going to turn into one of mystery, wonder, and fun!

As they left the castle and began to walk through the garden, Sasha could feel the cool, misty air swirling through her hair. She enjoyed being in the realm now and then because it was just refreshing to be in another world.

"I almost wish I could stay here," she said to herself.

But then again, she knew that she wouldn't want to do that. Earth was still home no matter what other realms or places there were. Earth was home to her family and her beloved Whampire, the one being who makes her heart flutter and knees buckle.

The more Sasha thought about Whampire, the more hazy her mind became. She grinned to herself, imagining her in Whampire's strong, loving arms. "I wonder if the Love Realm has a vacation spot for me and Whammy-kins?" she thought out loud.

As she daydreamed, Sasha wasn't aware that there were various holes in the garden. Scruffy sensed the danger and tried to get Sasha to stop, but she wasn't paying attention. He even stopped altogether!

"Scruffy, c'mon!" she said, now trying to pull him. Scruffy huffed in response and tried to get her to come back the other way, but she wouldn't hear of it!

"No come more this way!" she said, now pulling and becoming more agitated.

Scruffy tried to pull back once more, but it wasn't working. His eyes widened because he saw a hole right behind her and as he pulled her more towards him, she lost her balance and let go of his leash.

"Scruffy! I-AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Sasha screamed, now falling backwards into the hole and plummeting down it.

Scruffy ran to the top of it and howled and barked in horror! Sasha was gone deep into the abyss! Quick as lightning, Scruffy ran back for help! Sasha could be in danger!

Sasha screamed as she fell and fell into the dark abyss. It felt as though she was falling forever! Just how deep was she plummeting down?!

"OOF!"

At last, Sasha fell down at last. Much to her surprise, the fall didn't hurt at all! She managed to stand up. She found what cushioned her fall. It was a giant bird's nest.

"Whoa!" Sasha managed to climb out of the bird's nest and looked around the room. She saw various plants around what looked like an underground room. There was also a table filled with beakers and test tubes. Next to the table was a cabinet of various bottles, each filled with a brightly colored glowing liquid.

"Wow! It's like an old school version of Frankenstrike's lab." Sasha said as she looked around. But her eyes returned to the giant bird's nest. Why was that there?

But then, something else caught Sasha's eye. Something that made her heart race in fear.

On the other side of the room was a torture rack. It was a metal slab that stood upright against the wall. Sasha saw the roller on top of the slab that stretches out whatever victim is trapped on that rack!

Knowing she wasn't safe here, Sasha left the room and found even more tunnels! It's obvious someone is living underground. But who? Nobody ever mentioned about an underground home right underneath the castle! As she peeked into other rooms to find a way out, Sasha saw things much more ominous.

One room was filled with many sharp weapons, cracked bullseye targets, and bones. Lots of bones. Another room looked like a kitchen, but it was dark and musty smelling. A big black cauldron sat in the middle of the room.

All of these rooms looked like the opposite of Tickle Castle. It was like Sasha stumbled into an underground nightmare!

Swallowing hard, Sasha had to find a way out, she ran down a different tunnel and bumped into something big and hard.

Sasha looked all the way up and saw three of the most horrifying creatures she's ever seen.

The one Sasha bumped into was the tallest. He was giant and built, standing at ten feet tall. He had a pale human face, spiky black hair, red eyes, and wore a black mask over his nose and mouth. He had bird-like legs and had black feathers covering his entire torso. In his leather gloved hands was a big, sharp axe.

The creature standing beside him was a few feet shorter. It was a woman wearing a dark blue cloak. She had long white hair that touched the ground. In her hair were fluffy white feathers. And...much to Sasha's growing horror, she had just one large blue eye.

The third creature was a lizard-like monster that was the smallest of the trio. He was covered in dark green scales, had pointed ears, yellow eyes, and a long, feathery tail. The only hair on his head was a tuft of red hair.

Sasha, being easily scared, instinctively let out a terrified scream.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! MONSTERS!" She was so busy screaming, she didn't notice the monsters screaming back at her.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

Sasha ran down the nearest tunnel. The monsters were still in shock.

"What was that thing?!" The lizard monster shrieked, hiding behind the cyclops woman. The cyclops was too terrified to respond.

But the bird-like monster chased after Sasha, hoping to catch her. He went down the tunnel she ran into and saw Sasha lying on the ground in front of a dead end. She was out cold. The bird monster walked up to Sasha's limp body. He assumed that this intruder was so scared, she blindly ran down the tunnel and ran right into the dead end.

The feather-haired cyclops and lizard man rushed over. "Manic! Did you catch the creature?!" asked the cyclops.

The bird-like monster known as Manic, picked up Sasha, still unconscious. "Yes. I'm taking her to my lab." He and his friends took Sasha to the lab where the girl landed in. Manic brought Sasha to the torture rack and locked Sasha's arms and legs in. He cranked up the rack to make sure Sasha was secured and not going anywhere.

"What is it?!" asked the cyclops. "It's some kind of flesh-faced monster!"

"Manic! Are you sure this table can hold it?!" asked the lizard monster. "What if it breaks free and eats us?!" He watched Manic open a book he took off the shelf.

"Just stay calm, Spike." Manic said, keeping his nose stuck in the book. "If my theory is right, this creature is harmless. And she's more afraid of us than we are of her."

At that moment, Sasha woke up and saw Oracle and Spike looking right at her. She screamed, making her scream.

"AAAAAHHH! WHAT'S GOING ON?! WHERE AM I?! LET ME GO!" Sasha tried to free herself, but she was tied down too tight. "Please! Don't hurt me! Let me go! I promise I'll never tell anyone about this! Just let me go!"

Oracle and Spike were dumbfounded! This creature was terrified of them just as Manic said!

"Silence." said Manic, closing his book. He approached his prisoner. "You are not leaving this lair...human."

When Manic said, 'human', Spike screamed. Oracle collapsed.

"A HUMAN?!" Spike wailed. "A REAL HUMAN?!"

"I...It's not possible..." Oracle said weakly. She tried to stand, but her body was shaking so badly, she couldn't. "Humans aren't real. They're just a myth!"

Sasha couldn't believe what she was seeing! These monsters were horrified of her?! And they thought humans were a myth?! Sasha swallowed hard when Manic loomed over her with those haunting red eyes.

"Spike, Oracle, watch over the human." Manic went to look under his desk, but he didn't find what he needed. "Where are my tools?!" he roared.

"Tools?!" Sasha's heart sank into her stomach. "What kind of tools?!"

Manic ignored her. "Did you use my tools for cooking again, Oracle?!"

"But they're perfect for chopping up bones for my broth!" Oracle said honestly as she staggered to her feet. Sasha turned pale as a ghost. Tools that cut through bone?! This monster was going to dissect her!

"NO! PLEASE, NO! DON'T DO THIS TO ME!" Sasha pleaded. But Manic left to get his tools. Once he left, Spike and Oracle turned their attention to Sasha. They just stared at her, mesmerized.

"I just can't believe it!" Oracle breathed. "A human! A really real human!" Her eye was filled with amaze and wonder.

"I don't know. What if we're just imagining her?" Spike thought out loud.

"What?! You think you're imagining me?!" Sasha said. She gasped when Oracle reached out and touched the human's hair. "She feels real." She pondered for a moment. Then she tickled Sasha's stomach. Sasha laughed. "She laughed! She must be real!"

"Yehehes, I am!" Sasha tried to get away from Oracle's wiggly fingers, but she can't move at all. "Now, stop! I'm really ticklish! Ahahahahahahaha!"

"Humans are ticklish?" Spike asked with a playful grin.

"Well, I don't know if all of them are, but some are. Me, I'm really, really ticklish!" Sasha admitted.

"So, that means the Lauhinians really do tickle humans!" said Oracle. Her voice sounded very excited. "Because laughter is the greatest strength here in the Tickle Realm!"

"So, you know about the Tickle Monsters?" asked Sasha.

"Of course. We've been living right under their noses for years. We were created by the Nitians to overpower the Lauhinians." said Spike.

The Nitians?!" Sasha gasped. Guess that explains why they looked so scary.

"Yes, child." said Oracle. "The Nitians collected the nightmares from children, bones from the past tickle beasts that they hunted, and a dash of Nitian blood. Then they mixed all the ingredients into a boiling cauldron and we, the hybrid nightmares rose from the ghastly concoction! Unfortunately, they didn't plan on us being sentient and not wanting to work for them. So, we fought the Nitians off and left. But the Nitians wanted to finish what they started before the Lauhinians knew about us. So, the Nitians hunted out kind into extinction. Only us three remain."

"So, we made out own home right underneath Tickle Castle, the one place the Nitians can never go near!" Spike said.

"We heard rumors that the Lauhinians would tickle humans when they were sad. But we thought that was just a silly rumor! But now, it's not! Humans are real and so is their powerful laughter!" Oracle was filled to the brim with joy.

"Y'know..." Spike lifted up Sasha's shirt. "I don't think it's fair those fur balls get to have all the fun." He chuckled darkly. "Let's make this human laugh!" He opened his mouth and stuck out his long, black forked tongue. He hissed and flicked his tongue against Sasha's tummy.

Sasha started to laugh, but she quickly closed her mouth.

"Aw! Don't be like that!" Oracle said. "We just want to make you laugh!" She made the feathers from her hair come alive and tickle Sasha's face. Sasha tried her best to hold back her laughter as the feathers tickled her ears, neck, and under her chin.

"Come on! Laugh, little human! Coochy, coochy, coo! Tickle, tickle, tickle!" Oracle cooed. Her teasing worked as Sasha started snickering.

"She's breaking. Keep it up!" Spike decided not to use his tongue. Instead, he used the fluffy, feathery end of his tail to tickle Sasha's tummy.

That's all it took.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! STOP! DON'T TICKLE ME! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Bingo!" Spike laughed. They tickled and teased, making Sasha laugh and laugh. Her laugh was so contagious, it made the hybrids laugh!

"PLEASE, STOP! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NO MORE!" Sasha pleaded. "I NEED TO BREHEEHEEHEEATHE!"

Spike and Oracle stopped. It was a good thing Sasha was used to being tickled. She took a much needed break. She looked up and gasped when she saw drips of slime oozing from Spike's mouth. Oracle saw the shocked look on Sasha's face. "Don't worry, dear. When Spike laughs a lot, he starts to drool slime."

"Slime?!" Sasha felt her skin crawl.

"Yeah, I can vomit slime." Spike explained as he let a heavy amount of slime pour out of his mouth.

"Eeeewwwww!" Sasha squealed with disgust.

"Okay, Spike. That's enough." Oracle said gently, seeing Sasha becoming more grossed out. Spike stopped. Oracle sighed and petted Sasha's head. "I don't want Manic to experiment on you. You seem like such a sweet girl."

"Yeah! Manic can't just start dicing you up!" Spike protested. "We gotta convince him this is nuts!"

"Guys," said a familiar voice. Sasha gulped when Manic returned with a black bag. Inside must be his tools.

"Manic! We won't let you hurt this human!" said Oracle. "We are all curious about her, but we must not dissect her to learn more about her!"

"Yeah! We've been with her for only a few minutes and we've learned so much already!" Spike mentioned.

"And we really don't think she's dangerous." Oracle added. She started tickling Sasha's stomach, making Sasha laugh. "See? She's completely helpless if you just tickle her!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Come on! No more tickling!" Sasha begged as she laughed.

"But it's fun!" said Spike as he tickled Sasha's armpit.

"Very fun!" Oracle giggled.

Manic watched his friends playfully tickle the human. She laughed and laughed, not acting angry at all.

Manic sighed. "Okay, I get it." He dropped his bag. "I won't do anything to her."

"You better not!" Oracle pointed her blue fingernail at Manic. "Or else!"

"Yeah!" Spike spoke out. They stopped tickling Sasha, much to Sasha's relief.

Manic blinked in surprise. He never expected his friends to stand up for a human that they just met. "Alright, alright. I won't lay a finger on her." He walked up to Sasha. "Still, this is just crazy. A real human..."

Sasha stared at Manic. She swallowed a little as she still found him a little scary. Suddenly, someone's scream was heard. Everyone looked over and saw Rachel, Jocu, and Kumi come down the same hole Sasha fell through!

"RACHEL!" Sasha squealed with joy.

Rachel gasped when she saw the hybrids. "SASHA!" she screamed when she saw her sister on a torture rack!

"What is going on here?!" Jocu roared. "What are these things?!"

"Guys! It's okay!" Sasha said right away. "They're my friends!"

Manic turned his head to Sasha. This human considered them friends?!

"They only tied me up like this because they were scared. They've never seen a human before!" Sasha explained. "They were just about to let me go!"

Once Sasha was freed, she and the hybrids went to the castle where she explained everything.

"So, the Nitians created you to overpower us?" said Jocu.

"Yes, your Highness." said Manic. "But they treated us like garbage, making us gain sentience and revolt against them. It didn't take long for the Nitians to eliminate their own experiments. We were the only ones who managed to survive."

"And you made a home deep below the castle to stay safe." said Kumi. "So, I guess the myth about you are true!"

"So, what will you do now?" asked Oracle, looking very nervous. The hybrids expected the worst.

"Well, you're welcome to live under our castle if that's what you desire." said Jocu. "And if you ever need anything, just let us know."

And his response caught the hybrids off guard. They weren't about to be executed?! Or banished to parts unknown?!

Jocu smiled. "Well, it's getting late. Maybe you three would like to spend the night?" he offered. "We have plenty of room."

"Sure!" Oracle and Spike said right away.

"No." said Manic.

"Awwww! Come on, Manic!" Spike whined. "We've been sleeping in that burrow our whole lives! I'm getting tired of my old dog bed!"

"And I've been sleeping on the floor because my hammock broke!" Oracle complained.

"Yikes! Sounds like you guys need more help than we thought." said Kumi. "Tell you what, in the morning, we can help with your sleeping arrangements at your home?"

"YES! New dog bed!" Spike cheered.

"I would like an actual bed." said Oracle.

Manic sighed. It was too late to change the minds of his closest friends. Sasha saw Manic not looking very happy. "Manic?"

"Hm?"

"I know this is a lot for you to take in, but the Lauhinians are good people, you can trust them." Sasha smiled. "This is a change for the better, I promise."

Manic looked deep into Sasha's eyes. "Alright, fine. We'll give you guys a chance." Despite his doubts, Manic knew the Lauhinians are better to be around the Nitians. So, the stoic hybrid decided to adjust to this new chapter in his life.