CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Nick sighed sadly as another acorn fell through his transparent head. He was little better than a ghost now, which the squirrels of the forest were taking advantage of by making fun of his transparency. They'd dropped acorns, branches and other things through his specter-like form, and he'd long since given up trying to chase AFTER them. Helen and NiGHTS were together at the concert hall, with NiGHTS giving Helen a private performance.
Then it happened. He felt a terrible chill enter him and he gasped as he stood up.
"She's here! Oh no…" He gasped. "I've got to warn them!"
He concentrated, and he rose up on a star, flying into the sky. He only hoped he wouldn't be too late!
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… "So you ALL have instruments?" Helen asked.
"Yep! They were presents." NiGHTS told Helen as they sat on the stage of the concert hall. "Back when…back when Wizeman wasn't so wicked."
"He's a horrid old monster, isn't he?" Helen asked.
"You've got no idea." NiGHTS agreed.
"Ooh, fo' SHAME! Insulting the master like that!" A voice called out.
NiGHTS and Helen jumped up. Helen gasped in fear as NiGHTS looked through the trees, seeing leaves fall down as something BIG jumped from branch to branch.
"YOU! Come out of hiding!"
"Why should I?" the voice called back as the wind picked up and a terrible chill filled the air. "I'm having LOTSA fun playing around with the girl's memories, y'know. Aw, how DESPERATE you are to have your friends think so highly of you…oh, and yo' poor, poor mother…" The voice crooned.
"Stop it!" Helen shouted tearfully.
"You've been messing with Helen's memories, haven't you?" NiGHTS demanded to know.
"As a matter of fact, I have." The voice laughed. "They're just playthings for my amusement, just like blondie is. Once I'm finished with my new toy, there ain't gonna BE much else to use her for…'cept lunch." She stated simply. "But it's not like she can be anything else besides a toy or a TOOL, right blondie?"
"You're the one making me think those thoughts! You rotten monster!" Helen cried out.
"We're not going to be scared by your stupid nightmares anymore, you overgrown pest!" NiGHTS shouted. "Come on, Bella!"
"QUEEN Bella!" Queen Bella smirked, suddenly dropping into the air on a silk thread, giving them a gaze that told them she was grinning. "And DON'T y'all forget it!"
She spun her body rapidly around as a cloud of darkness filled their vision…
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…when the darkness cleared, they found themselves back at the same creepy area that they'd fought Queen Bella in before…with the twisted, dark pink sky, gnarled trees, wrecked buildings, and burning, open furnace. Queen Bella hung down on the web, slowly going down…down…
"What the? Is she TRYING to get burnt up?" Helen asked.
But then Queen Bella stopped, just a foot above the churning furnace, smirking at them with her mandibles and giving them a frighteningly confident glance. "If you think I'm afraid 'o death or YOU…y'all gots another thing comin'!" She laughed as she spiraled back up, then landed on the top center of the metallic platform above the furnace. "Let's settle this, girls!"
"Careful guys!" They heard the narrator call out as he raced through the air, body almost intangible as his star soared alongside the dualized NiGHTS and Helen. "Don't get too close to the furnace!"
"Stay outta this, kid!" Queen Bella called out, shooting out a wad of silk at him. It passed right through him though, and he smirked.
"HA! Being like this has ONE perk…"
THA-WHOOM!
A pillar of fire arose from the furnace. Nick gasped and shot back instinctively, gaping. "YIKES! Sorry, that was scary!"
THWOOMP, THWOOMP! Queen Bella shot out more balls of silk through the air, which followed after NiGHTS and Helen, who tried to shoot them away. Occasionally one of them would barely nick their legs, but then…
THA-BAM! One of the balls they shot hit a part of the metal structure, and Queen Bella looked down through the large hole that was before her, watching as NiGHTS and Helen waved cheekily at her.
"Ooh!!" She growled, shaking her body with anger as she launched another web ball. NiGHTS paralooped around this one too, and sent it flying at the metal structure. Queen Bella jumped back, barely missing. Unfortunately she was soon running out of ring structure to stand on, since NiGHTS and Helen were quickly learning her tricks!
"Oh you…you can't win against me!" She insisted. "I'm Queen Bella! It ain't possible!" She gasped as she found herself on the last patch of metal left that was above the roaring furnace.
"Oh, it's VERY possible." NiGHTS said.
"You're finished!" Helen stated.
"No, wait, mercy!" Queen Bella begged. "I promise, I'll be good!"
Helen looked her over, then turned around. "Alright, then let us out of this nightmare place you conjured up if you're serious!"
THA-WHOOMP!
Helen and NiGHTS were forcibly undualized by a sudden web ball that hit them over the head. A moment later, two strands of silk shot out, tugging them over to Queen Bella, who smiled cruelly.
"Aw, whoever said I was serious? What DO they feed you humans? Gullible soup?" She asked, snickering. She carefully lowered her head towards the frightened Helen, looking deep into her eyes. "Too bad…you're kinda cute. It's almost a shame you'll be rendered comatose once I'm finished with you…"
"You shall not harm her!"
Who should appear of all people but OWL? He whizzed through the air and STRUCK Queen Bella with a full-on body slam, and she went flying, letting go of NiGHTS and Helen…
And SPLOOSH! Sinking into the furnace. Helen looked away, closing her eyes as the Nightmaren's shrieks slowly were muffled…
"…I'm so glad I came here in time!" Owl huffed out as he freed Helen and NiGHTS from their bonds. "Helen my dear, are you alright?"
"…no, I'm not, I…I don't like having to…to…" Helen spoke quietly.
"Helen, I know how you feel." NiGHTS admitted softly, folding her arms. "Remember how Reala is my sibling? I…fought him before and…and…"
She lowered her head sadly. "I destroyed him, but he was reborn when Wizeman came to life once more. Wizeman always could "trust" my brother to work for him…I had thought Ree would have fought back against Wizeman's control, but I was wrong...and I learned the hard way that he no longer saw me as a sibling…"
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…the dualized Elliot, Claris and NiGHTS found themselves in a big area that had torches with blue flames floating in midair around a large throne of Red. Reala stood there, no mask upon his face, wearing clawed, yellow gloves and an outfit of red, purple and white. He looked very ghastly and frightening, and his dark eyes peered at NiGHTS and the visitors. There was a ring of rocks all around the purple area that Reala was sitting in the middle of on his tall throne, and a blue ring with flashing lights above them.
"Like it?" Reala asked calmly. "I made this place just for you…a big coliseum for our final battle!" He crowed as a big red face insignia floated above the throne. "Master Wizeman will be quite pleased."
"Ree, it's not too late." NiGHTS insisted. "Come on. You can fight this. Don't make me fight you too. I defeated all the others…"
"Yes…but they didn't have the power I did…and you do not either, you TRAITOR!" Reala growled.
"I'm your SISTER, Ree! I don't want to fight you!" NiGHTS begged.
"My name…is REALA!" Reala whispered softly, dangerously. He rose up. "Now then…ready to run, NiGHTS?"
That was all the warning the purple jester's former brother gave her. He rushed through the air, claws ready to tear her to shreds. NiGHTS felt a flash of sorrow fill her, then she quickly dove to the side, twirling through the air as she and Reala did a twisted "dance macabre".
Up, down, left, right…and Reala wouldn't listen to reason.
"Don't make me do this!" NiGHTS insisted.
"You don't get it, do you?" Reala asked, a big smirk on his face. "You're too soft-hearted NiGHTS…you just don't have it in you to kill your big brother…I, on the other hand, have no such weakness!"
He slashed his claws, managing to score a strike on NiGHTS' chest.
"NiGHTS!" Claris shouted.
"Don't give into him!" Elliot insisted.
"You can beat him! He's not your brother anymore!" Claris went on as NiGHTS flew back up into the air.
"Yeah, the "Ree" you know wouldn't act like that!" Elliot agreed. "You told us all about it, remember?"
"Oh come on, NiGHTS! I was always better than you at this!" Reala laughed as he dove down at NiGHTS, grabbing her leg…
BA-WHOOM! He was kicked through the air, and then found himself trapped as NiGHTS paralooped around him. "You WERE better than me!" NiGHTS shouted, blasting Reala through the sky as he screamed…
THA-WHOOOM!
His body was alit with light as he gave out a gasp and he began to dissolve into nothingness. His last words were "…NiGHTS…why?" before he was finally gone…
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…Helen was glad to find herself facing a beautiful green orb…and she knew what it was.
"The Green Ideya, a symbol of wisdom and growth!" Helen realized. "It represents my future…nurtured by my memories!"