Disclaimer: NiGHTS into Dreams does not belong to me. If it did, I could die a happy person.

Shattered Nightmare

It was over.

They had fought as valiantly as they could, never faltering once in their effort to persevere against their foe. But it wasn't enough. The two of them expected to be triumphant; In fact they had to be if they were to survive what was to come. But they weren't able to overcome the force the God wielded. They had failed, and now everyone and everything else would have to pay for it.

Any ounce of hope was stolen from them the moment they knew they had lost. Separated now, she glanced over to him, praying in her heart that he was alright. She instantly felt sick at the sight. He was laying there, motionless except for his slight, sharp breathing, though barely noticeable it was.

He was badly injured, even though she had hardly a scratch on her, besides the few bruises she got from the fall. Why did he have to bare this alone? The young girl choked back her tears and attempted to crawl over to her fallen maren, hoping somehow, someway, she could be of help. But she knew in the back of her mind there was nothing anyone could do to help him now.

She felt shards from the glass staircase pierce into her hands. The stairs had been shattered during the battle. Panes of colored glass were scattered everywhere. Reds, blues, and yellows glistened across the floor, as if they were stars in the midnight sky. That staircase would have been their only method of escape, as he could not fly anymore, but they were gone now... And it was just a matter of time before He would come for them.

The girl ignored the pain and dripping blood and continued over to where the maren lay. She cradled him in her arms, allowing her tears to flowing freely. "I'm so sorry," she sobbed, nuzzling her head against his chest, "I'd rather be plagued by endless nightmares than lose you. Please.." She trailed off into a whisper, "Just wake up." But her plea went unanswered and his eyes remained closed. If it wasn't for his almost undetectable breathing, she would have thought he was dead.

Now it seemed as if the darkness was creeping up on them. She looked down at him and memories filled her mind of a time when everything seemed so peaceful and happy. He was no longer his mischievous, joyous self. Now all she could see was sadness. Not only in him, but in all of Nightopia and in the Nightopians. Nothing was the same as when they first met, what seems like forever ago. Their fun and games had ended.

Again she noticed the darkness. Seeing how the dark was consuming everything here, she could only begin to imagine what was happening in their paradise now that they lost. He was right, there was no defeating the dark, because without it there would be no light either. Then how could "God" try to overtake the light?

And how long will it be… before He finds us again?

Suddenly looking to the right, she noticed a flicker of light emerging out of the black. She looked away, back down to the unconscious figure in her arms. Something was about to happen, though she didn't know what yet. In the distance she heard a sinister, mocking laugh and instantly knew who the voice belonged to. "No… Please, no…" She cried, resting her head back on her fallen maren's chest. This was all too much for a child to handle. She shuddered, helpless, her fear creeping up and paralyzing her whole body. Their time was up.

The spark of light grew bigger the longer she stared at it; it's warm yellow glow almost hypnotizing. And before she could realize, her vision started to fade. The ground beneath them disappeared into the dark. Was she floating now? She didn't dare look down in fear of falling. She had to keep all of her attention on him, despite what was happening around her ….and what was coming for them.

But now he was fading, too. "No…" She didn't want to be alone, not when she had spent her whole life alone. He was the only one who kept her happy. He was the only one who made her want to live.

"Don't leave me."

It was too late now, he had vanished completely from her arms, leaving behind nothing but dusty sparkles… It was almost as if a star shattered in her very hands.

He was gone. Everything was gone. Now she was truly alone.

She looked back to the glowing light above her. It was all that was left. She extended her hand toward it, but there was no way she could reach it. Dark laughter surrounded her. Frozen from fear, she didn't even have a chance to react when the giant metallic, eyed hand grabbed hold of her. There was no mercy from this god. She began to notice shadowy figures with red eyes surrounding her. The girl cried out, pleading to the heavens to make it stop. But they kept coming, and the fingers wrapped around her grew tighter and tighter. She was going to die here and no one would even care.

Despite the hand crushing her she continued to stare at the golden light. Slowly, it took the shape of a crescent and at that moment she knew what was happening. The cackling from the god faded into a low humming, the very sound her fan in her bedroom makes. Consciousness filled her as she blinked her tired eyes open. It was night still and she could see the moonlit sky outside of her window.

The girl sat up, hugging her knees to her chest. She tried to wipe away the tears that had already been shed while she was asleep, but it was to no avail. She continued to sob, unsure of what really happened. Was it really all just a dream? And what happened to her savior? There was no way she could fall back into her not-so-peaceful slumber. She was too afraid to find out what was, or wasn't, in her nightmares.

Forgive me.

(A/N: This is supposed to be a "reader does the interpreting" fic. So it doesn't matter who you see the girl as.. It can be Claris or your fan character, whoever. NiGHTS is supposed to be the maren, of course, but if you want it to be Reala of a fan maren, then I suppose it could work for them as well....Some how ^^;.)