Chapter 3: Nightmares

As Krystal slept, her mind began to wander. Wander into the realm of dreams. At first, things were peaceful; surrounded by her old friends, even ones she hadn't seen in years. A smile broke across her face as she approached them.

Playful banter from Shard, Jiminy's comforting voice, and the warm feeling of fur brushing against her leg as her Pokémon surrounded her. It was practically perfect.

And that's when things went horribly wrong.

The sky turned a deep grey, almost black, as the kind visage of her friends disappeared like a candle being blown out. She looked up fearfully and saw a dark shadow looming over her, its crimson eyes staring daggers into her soul.

Floof.

In this form, she was still a sheep, like in the waking world, but now her wool had been darkened in a deep grey, bordering on a pure charcoal colour. She had horns that looked more akin to that of a demon than a sheep sprouting from her head, the tips coloured the same crimson as her eyes.

Krystal turned and began sprinting, calling out to her friends. Shard, Jiminy, Paris, anyone, but to no avail. All that was there were her and Floof. She kept running, kept calling it for her friends, but it was pointless.

After a bit of running, she reached a cliff, falling off of which lead into a deep dark abyss that seemed to go on for an eternity. There was no end to it.

She turned to see Floof approaching them, like a murderer getting ready to kill their victim.

"I jUsT wAnT tO tAlK!" the nightmare Floof stated in a demonic distorted voice, a murderous look in their eyes.

"Leave me alone!" Krystal shouted in response, as clones of Floof appeared around her, swirling around her like a shadowy tornado.

"YoU cOnDoNe SuIcIdE!" one rasped into her ear in a sickening tone.

"STOP!" Krystal screamed in response, falling to her knees.

"YoU cAn'T gEt RiD oF uS!" another one hissed.

"LET ME GO!" Krystal cried, tears falling down her cheeks.

"YoU dOn'T eVeN dEsErVe ThOsE "fRiEnDs" Of YoUrS! EsPeCiAlLy NoT PaRiS!" the main demon said, towering over Krystal, raising their hand as a pair of dark grey chains sprouted from the ground like vines, wrapping themselves around Krystal's legs, causing her to fall to the ground.

"Don't do this," Krystal pleaded, her eyes red from all the tears.

Floof didn't listen, staring daggers into her soul as two more chains sprouted, tying Krystal's hands, pulling her arms below her, into a kneeling position.

"STOP!" Krystal pleaded. "LET ME G-" her voice was stopped short a metal collar appeared around her neck, jerking her back like a dog on a leash. She tried to speak but was cut short, as her mouth refused to open.

Now, she couldn't even plead with this demon. Krystal began crying again, tears filling her eyes.

"YoU dIdN't GiVe Me A cHaNcE!" Floof hissed. "GoOdByE, "fRiEnD"!"

Floof then snapped her fingers, causing a hole to appear in front of them, between her and Krystal. Gesturing with their hand, the hole moved under Krystal, causing her to fall into the void. Floof watched her fall, a sick twisted grin on their face.

Krystal shot up in her bed, screaming, and covered in sweat. She pulled off the covers, thankful that what she'd witnessed was only a dream.

She hugged her arms.

"It was just a dream," she told herself, her breathing ragged and uneven.

"Krystal?" Paris asked, looking over at her.

She turned to him, and he immediately hopped off the chest of drawers, and into his human form to comfort her.

"The nightmare, again?" he asked her.

Krystal nodded, explaining it to him in detail, including the part where she had been chained up, silenced and the thrown into a deep black abyss.

Hearing her door creak open, Paris turned to see Balan looking in, concern covering his face.

"I heard screaming." Balan said. "Is everything okay?"

Paris explained what Krystal had told him, the evil versions of Floof, the chains, the silencing and being pushed into a pit by said version of Floof. All the while, she sobbed into Paris' shirt.

"Oh my gods," Balan gaped when he heard it, approaching her he held out his arms. "Let me try and comfort her."

Paris was reluctant at first, but then looked down at the Tims, all huddled around Krystal, making sad noises, clearly concerned. Sighing, he handed Krystal to him.

"Thank you, Paris." Balan replied, as he pulled Krystal closer to his chest, sitting on the bed with her in his lap, rubbing her back. "It's alright dear, it was only a dream."

Krystal just sobbed a response, clearly muffled.

"By the sounds of it, it must've been a horrible nightmare." Paris reasoned, his expression grim.

"Has she had nightmares like this before?"

"Only a few, but they've never been as bad as this." Paris explained. "At least, that's what she told me. Same description as the one she's had, but never anything to do with chains and pits. Floof usually just appeared, looking menacing and then the dream would end, according to Krystal."

Thinking of a way to calm her down, Balan thought for a moment, and surprisingly to Paris, began singing in a mysterious language. But, Paris did recognise the melody.

"When you wish upon a star,

Makes no difference who you are,

Anything your heart desires,

Will come to you,

"If your heart is in your dream,

No request is too extreme,

When you wish upon a star,

As dreamers do."

Recognising the next verse, Paris sang, despite Balan singing the first two in a different language.

"Fate is kind,

She brings to those who love,

The sweet fulfilment of

Their secret longing."

Balan smiled at him, continuing the final verse, stroking Krystal as he did so.

"Like a bolt out of the blue

Fate steps in and sees you through

When you wish

Upon a star

Your dreams come true."

Krystal, who'd been in Balan's arms this whole time, had managed to calm down again, falling asleep peacefully once more. Paris assisted him with putting her back into the bed, before asking him a question.

"What was that back there?"

"When You Wish Upon a Star."

"I know the song, Balan. What language were you singing it in? I've never heard anything like it."

"Ah, yes, you've never been here so you never heard Wonderworld's native language; Balanese."

"Interesting," Paris mused. "You're not a half bad singer."

"I live to entertain, Paris. I'm three thousand years old, after all. In that amount of time I've heard my fair share of songs, and learned to play so many unique instruments."

"Perhaps you could teach Krystal some Balanese?"

"I'd love to."

Balan stood, getting off the bed and heading to the door. "You're very lucky to have Krystal, Paris. She's a once in a lifetime girl."

Paris chuckled. "She's 28, Balan."

"Regardless, my point still stands. You and her friends are so very lucky to have her. A friend like that is priceless. A true friend, would understand that, and not stoop as low as Floof did. She's not a friend. True friends, and friends in general don't do what she did."

"Truer words have never been spoken maestro," He climbed back onto the chest of drawers. "Night, Balan."

"Night."

Paris paused for a moment. "Balan?"

"Yes?"

"Maybe you should stay here, just for tonight?"

Balan thought for a moment before smiling, then laying next Krystal on her bed, to which she pulled herself closer to him, as he wrapped an arm around Krystal.

Tims soon followed, some placing themselves at Balan's feet, other placing themselves next to Krystal.