NoTES: NiGHTs, Reala, Gulpo, Puffy, Wize Man, Yadda yadda, Illumina and
Lumina are © of Sonic Team. Yuji Naka has proven that he can do much much
more than a simple hedgehog, creating the most fanciful world I have ever
seen in a side scrolling game in a class all its own. The game NiGHTs alone
makes the very dead system of Saturn worth buying. This is the opening
Chapter to Nights into Dreams... Stardust; The Memories. I have dozens of
ideas bubbling in my head for continuing this but I wanted a few opinions
before I continue. So here you go! btw, this is NOT a high impact
crossover. While Lumina makes an appearance and Illumina may appear later,
the "Sonic Shuffle" team will have nearly zilch in the way of appearances
here. I use Lumina as a counter to NiGHTs simply for the same reasons Sonic
has Amy Rose.
Dream One: NiGHTs into Days
Nightopia, The Dream World... it is a world of peace and great beauty molded by the minds of the young. Dreams of happy times and places, peoples and things which are beautiful and untainted by hatred. And the colors of the dream energies means something, White - purity, green - wisdom, yellow - hope, blue intelligence, and red - bravery, rarest of all. While you dream, you may visit this place, but what about the Nitopians? Do they sleep? Do they dream or think on their own? If they have always existed as long as there have been minds bent on dreaming, then were they always like this?
NiGHTs is the bravest of all Nightopia's inhabitants... and the last of his kind. The Aerial ace who stood against Wize Man and his minions - the Nightmaren - from destroying good dreams forever, is alone. The Last time this happened, he was the object of the dreams of two special children - Claris and Elliot. And yet, a dream without a dreamer is alone.
'How long has it been?' NiGHTs thought to himself. Time was so trivial in Nightopia, because it didn't really have day or night, it was all governed by the waking world - at any given time there was always SOMEONE asleep, so Nightopia never saw interruptions because of that. Even their Sisterworld - Maginary world never saw true night.
The Lone guardian of all Dreams stood atop the Nightopian twin Seeds Tower, and NiGHTs looked upon a beautiful Cityscape, the same one Claris and Elliot had flown over to save him. Such sweet children, so full of energy... All of them, not just red which the guardian of dreams thrived on. The city was bathed in twilight from which it would never see day, yet that didn't matter. Maybe here, he hoped to find... to find them again? He wasn't just the guardian of Dreams, he was also their guardian... would they ever see each other again?
"There you are!" A female voice giggled from behind him. Without even turning around, NiGHTs knew who it was.
"What are you doing here Lumina? Illumina send you here for something?" NiGHTs' usual nature was not to speak much, and was deeply reflective, but now he sounded... annoyed. Lumina had been his friend for... a very long time it seemed. He could remember once upon a time, flying above the night high in the air, looking over sky and sea, counting Shleep with his best friends Reala and Lumina. That however, was short lived, and perhaps that was only a dream itself. 'Dreamers, yes that's it' NiGHTs thought to himself, 'I am never so alive as when I have a Human Soul with me. Oh Claris, Elliot.. I miss you so much, if only we could fly again... But you have to grow old and pass away... but... I just don't want a new dreamer.'
"Huh? No, NiGHTs! The Precioustones are fine. Illumina told me something was going on in Nightopia, I thought you might know what." the pink pixy-like creature said brightly, and her eyes seemed to smile even if she had no visible mouth to smile with.
"What's wrong with Nightopia?" NiGHTs frowned.
Lumina's expression sagged, and she seemed to hang a little heavier in the air. "NiGHTs, are you okay? You seem so serious. I know you're a protector now like I am... but still... Nights? If there's anything wrong tell me okay?"
"Of course I will Lumina." He smiled softly, then looked back at the city. He thought he heard the sounds of a basket ball smacking against pavement, a rush of laughter, and footprints scrambling after it. 'Elliot...'
"Nightopia to NiGHTS! Nightopia to NiGHTS! Come in NiGHTS!" Lumina did several midair back flips and giggled at NiGHTs harsh glare at her joke. "Maybe this is what Illumina wanted." She grabbed NiGHTs arm. "Come on!!"
"Huh? Where are we going?" NiGHTs asked.
"It must be 2 AM now." She said placidly, watching the sparkles in the distance turn into a flurry of pink hearts. To them, 'above' as we would know, was a mirror reflection of the ground, and the two were connected through a very large gnarled tree, at least in this dream. Between Terra and Terra, hanging in the firma, were floating windmills. To them it was a perfectly normal scene, sometimes the sky would be a rainbow, or like now, snowing pink hearts. "C'mon NiGHTs, I want to see everything!" That was her way of saying 'We're going to have a good time whether you like it or not.'
****
'Wize Man is gone... Fool... Why...?' Red was the color of bravery, Yellow was hope, White was purity... Black? A hand clawed up from the stone wreck it had been forced into. "Wize Man... Where are you?" The voice called, but there was no answer. The Black, red, and white harlequin like being closely resembling NiGHTs looked around its throne room. "There can be only one NiGHTs... I will be it!" he cursed.
Black, it must be Impurity. What about those between shades? Those grays? Reala was it. But then again, he was only confused... Wize Man had seen to that. Perhaps the evil Lord of Nightmares had made both Reala and NiGHTs, but giving them free will... Reala had fleetingly seen the light.
'Come now Reala! you must surrender!' A high pitched nightmarish laugh came from the mouthless face with twisted bunny like ears that flopped forward. It had a flashy yellow and red diamond shaped cape that was mostly white with a jagged edge to it, its Mickey Mouse type gloves held a Magician's cane and shoes floated in the air where a body should have been, at least in the real world. He had no body, for this was a Nightmaren, a particularly powerful one, and he, Jackle, was second only to Wize Man himself. At his command were magic cards to fly to his aid, and in his mixed up world were doll soldiers and jacks in the box... only huge with a vengeance. Discordant jazz type music wafted in from the background of his two bit reject circus lair.
'I will not!' Reala replied charging at his foe. 'UHG!' He was thrown back into a rock which shattered to pieces on contact. Vile snickering at his expense ensued. Reala regained his form and flew once again at Jackle and his thrown. 'Nooohg!!' A Joker's Card smacked up against Reala sending him reeling once more. Time was running out, dawn was coming. 'Michael.... don't leave me... Don't wake up.. not now, I need you...' Energies of green and white quickly left the budding Dream guardian as dawn approached for his child... the Alarm Clock of the mind had come to zap him back to reality, and perhaps this Dream Guardian too would disappear with him. 'NiGHTS!' He called out in desperation, only the other Dream Guardian could save them now...
'What's this? Another one? hehe hehe hehe!!!' Again with the insane laughter as a purple figure bolted for him.
Dawn had come all right. Darkness grew around Reala who had lost the will to fight. A sparkling blue sphere of intelligence vanished into the air, then at last, the yellow jewel of hope faded. Michael's eyes opened, while Reala's began to close.
'What a shame...' Came a dark voice with false pity in its tone.
'Who is there?' Reala's mind raced. 'Wize Man...?'
'If only your dreamer had not left you... tsk tsk.'
'Michael...'
'What kind of Dream Guardian should be reliant on a kid? Are you there for them or are they there for you? What a joke... Don't you remember Reala? Your purpose?'
'My purpose....' Reala mouthed softly. A pain welled up in Reala, it was a Nightmare, literally for him. No Nightopian knows pain... No Nightopian has ever known pain, but then again Reala and NiGHTs were created Nightmaren. The sensation would not leave him as the glowing red jewel that sat atop the center of his shirt lifted from its post. The most valuable thing he had, Courage... hanging there in front of him... why?
'Power... Hah, and this little bauble...' The hand of Wize Man flew to the energy shard and snatched it away from the ailing Nightmaren.
'Michael....'
'Is that all you can say?' the voice laughed deeply. ''Michael! Save me!' Disgrace I say...' The voice paused then continued, 'if your power depends on the waking, then you have no power... but I could show you what real power is... if... you give me this.' The jewel flashed before Reala's eyes.
'I could become stronger...?'
'Yes...'
So the dark deal had been made, and Reala returned to being a Nightmaren after willfully giving his bravery to Wize Man. And now, he was fully bent to his purpose, destroying Nightopia and proving once and for all, that they do not need silly dream energies to be. And if that can be done, perhaps reality itself might be reached. "It seems that you were not as strong as you thought fool..." The eyes of the darkened one lifted to the demonic checkerboard on which he stood. "And I will prove that I am stronger than you could ever be, by defeating NiGHTs... once and for all."
****
Twin Seeds... the town where it all began, in the waking world. Here, we see fliers hung around town posting images for a pink hared woman in her mid twenties. It's the Twin Seeds Festival, beginning September 29th, and the city is certainly showing its festive face once more. Claris Edwards has sung at every festival since the Twin Seeds Centennial Fair when she was 14 years old.
"Mama! Mama! It's so pretty!" A little pink hared girl giggles noisily clinging to her mother's hand tightly.
The woman laughs. "Ahh dear one..." She smiles and turns to her blue hared husband.
Elliot Edwards wore a long coat with the sleeves rolled up, and black sunglasses on his nose, underneath was a red shirt and brown baggy pants. He still looked a bit rough around the edges and he was. The highly acclaimed Basket Ball Player was always bustling and on the go, but always managed to take time to be with his wife and their child. "The City hasn't looked so alive in ages. Remember that year we met?"
Claris laughed, "I'll never forget... Everyone would call it a silly dream... I don't think it was silly at all."
Elliot smiled softly. "Yeah, who would believe we literally met in a dream anyway?" He sighed happily. All his dreams had come true, and he owed it all to NiGHTs. Then again, without him, there wouldn't be any dreams left to live. He shuddered a little at the memory of Wize Man.
"Do you think we'll ever see him again?" Claris held her husband's hand, reading his mind almost.
"I don't know... it's been so long since I've seen Nightopia. Years... Do you think he'd even recognize us if we got back?"
Claris' face sagged a bit, "I don't know... I hope so. He was so nice. I just can't believe he wasn't real Elliot. If he wasn't real, then how would we have ever known each other?"
"Mommy? Who are you talking about?" The little girl asked. "Where's Nightopeda?"
Claris smiled down softly at the little girl. "Nightopia dear. And Nightopia is the place where all good dreams are. In it, lives the sweet magical little Nightopians with their fairy-like wings and Saturn rings around their little cone heads. They all have very big hearts... and Protecting all good dreams is the Guardian Knight, NiGHTs."
"Wow! Really Mommy?" The girl bubbled.
"Yes." Claris laughed.
"Wow! Can I visit Nightopia too??" She smiled.
"In your dreams dear heart." Elliot said affectionately. The three of them continued onto the park where a few local kids were having a basket ball game.
****
"Hi NiGHTs!" A chubby little clown like being with wings and a halo said, trying to keep up with the two aerial aces. He was a simple Nightopian, followed by another creature similar to him but... with Ram's horns and a fluffy coated body.
NiGHTs and Lumina both turned to meet the Nightopian and... "Hell- o...." NiGHT's wide purple eyes blinked a few times to see if what he was looking at was 'real'. "...A Mepian?" He said looking at the funny looking Nightopian Creature.
"A Mepian?" Lumina asked, her tone completely different from NiGHTs'. She knew what a Nightopian was, but she hadn't been in Nightopia long enough to know exactly what normal was. the Mepian just looked adorable to her, so she was confused about NiGHT's reaction which was more like 'What are you doing here!?'
"Yes..." The Nightopian replied, the Mepian shying away looking sad. "Oh oh! Please don't go away!" He grabbed the little Mepian's arm and brought him back to looking at the others. "Why are you so surprised NiGHTs? After all, it was your bouncing Nightmaren around this world that created our hybrid friend here."
NiGHTs sighed. "I'm sorry..." He looked at the Mepian, probably a cross between a Nightopian and a Shleep. When he sent those Nightmaren flying, sometimes they would hit a Nightopian - the two Ideyas would mix and a Mepian would be born. "...I just thought..."
"What?" The little Mepian spoke up, "That we'd all disappear after Wize Man was gone?" It grinned sheepishly. "Nah, being half Nightopian keeps us here!" He smiled. "Besides, without us, life would get boring here fast." He made a fake yawn and stretched.
NiGHTs laughed, "Sure it would... you guys are great at getting into trouble. Hmph." NiGHTs recalled one Nightopian idly fishing at a river when a Crewle Pole Mepian suddenly pushed him into the water from behind! UG... and let's not forget the Snip Mepians always starting snowball fights with others in the Frozen Bell.
"Oh NiGHTs, they aren't all bad." The Nightopian said with an angelic smile. "This one's my friend! they are part Nightopian you know... it's not like they're Wize Man's slaves, they have free will just like you do."
In that, NiGHTs couldn't argue, although it did disturb him. His free will allowed him to break away from the wicked Wize Man... but Reala... even if he had turned once, he only fell back into his terrible clutches. Maybe free will wasn't such a good ideya, it allowed a person to be good or bad depending on their choices.
"Aww it's so cuuuute!" Lumina smiled and started scratching the Mepian behind his horns. A soft "baaa"ing sound like the bleating of a baby lamb carried from its voice.
A ? appeared over NiGHTs head before he burst into laughter. "Lumina! I hope whatever enemies Maginary world has aren't that cute. You'd go right up to them and pet them to death!"
Lumina Rolled her eyes and gave him a cross look. "Oh NiGHTs.... You party pooper. Can't ewe see he likes it!?" The Nightopian and Mepian, even NiGHTs laughed over the pun.
"Right Right.... So what brings you guys here?" the Purple harlequin creature asked.
"We wanted to see where you and Lumina were going." One said, the other nodded.
"Ask her." NiGHTs laughed and glanced to Lumina. "I certainly don't know."
"Crescent Carnival. It's a new dream, I saw when I came here! I'd just love to explore it." She smiled."
"Crescent Carnival? I've never heard of that..." NiGHTs said. He looked in the direction Lumina was staring at, and sure enough there was a Carnival dream there. It had everything, roller coasters without supports hanging in the air, a giant ferris wheel, rides lit up with so many bulbs it made the place shine with twilight while the sky above it was deep rich blues with so many stars hanging in it it would drive your senses crazy. And despite the beautiful shining purity of the dream... NiGHTs felt something else and his eyes narrowed. 'What... could it be?'
"Come on NiGHTs!" Lumina smiled and grabbed his hand once more. Her little wings beat furiously to draw him into the new dream.
Dream One: NiGHTs into Days
Nightopia, The Dream World... it is a world of peace and great beauty molded by the minds of the young. Dreams of happy times and places, peoples and things which are beautiful and untainted by hatred. And the colors of the dream energies means something, White - purity, green - wisdom, yellow - hope, blue intelligence, and red - bravery, rarest of all. While you dream, you may visit this place, but what about the Nitopians? Do they sleep? Do they dream or think on their own? If they have always existed as long as there have been minds bent on dreaming, then were they always like this?
NiGHTs is the bravest of all Nightopia's inhabitants... and the last of his kind. The Aerial ace who stood against Wize Man and his minions - the Nightmaren - from destroying good dreams forever, is alone. The Last time this happened, he was the object of the dreams of two special children - Claris and Elliot. And yet, a dream without a dreamer is alone.
'How long has it been?' NiGHTs thought to himself. Time was so trivial in Nightopia, because it didn't really have day or night, it was all governed by the waking world - at any given time there was always SOMEONE asleep, so Nightopia never saw interruptions because of that. Even their Sisterworld - Maginary world never saw true night.
The Lone guardian of all Dreams stood atop the Nightopian twin Seeds Tower, and NiGHTs looked upon a beautiful Cityscape, the same one Claris and Elliot had flown over to save him. Such sweet children, so full of energy... All of them, not just red which the guardian of dreams thrived on. The city was bathed in twilight from which it would never see day, yet that didn't matter. Maybe here, he hoped to find... to find them again? He wasn't just the guardian of Dreams, he was also their guardian... would they ever see each other again?
"There you are!" A female voice giggled from behind him. Without even turning around, NiGHTs knew who it was.
"What are you doing here Lumina? Illumina send you here for something?" NiGHTs' usual nature was not to speak much, and was deeply reflective, but now he sounded... annoyed. Lumina had been his friend for... a very long time it seemed. He could remember once upon a time, flying above the night high in the air, looking over sky and sea, counting Shleep with his best friends Reala and Lumina. That however, was short lived, and perhaps that was only a dream itself. 'Dreamers, yes that's it' NiGHTs thought to himself, 'I am never so alive as when I have a Human Soul with me. Oh Claris, Elliot.. I miss you so much, if only we could fly again... But you have to grow old and pass away... but... I just don't want a new dreamer.'
"Huh? No, NiGHTs! The Precioustones are fine. Illumina told me something was going on in Nightopia, I thought you might know what." the pink pixy-like creature said brightly, and her eyes seemed to smile even if she had no visible mouth to smile with.
"What's wrong with Nightopia?" NiGHTs frowned.
Lumina's expression sagged, and she seemed to hang a little heavier in the air. "NiGHTs, are you okay? You seem so serious. I know you're a protector now like I am... but still... Nights? If there's anything wrong tell me okay?"
"Of course I will Lumina." He smiled softly, then looked back at the city. He thought he heard the sounds of a basket ball smacking against pavement, a rush of laughter, and footprints scrambling after it. 'Elliot...'
"Nightopia to NiGHTS! Nightopia to NiGHTS! Come in NiGHTS!" Lumina did several midair back flips and giggled at NiGHTs harsh glare at her joke. "Maybe this is what Illumina wanted." She grabbed NiGHTs arm. "Come on!!"
"Huh? Where are we going?" NiGHTs asked.
"It must be 2 AM now." She said placidly, watching the sparkles in the distance turn into a flurry of pink hearts. To them, 'above' as we would know, was a mirror reflection of the ground, and the two were connected through a very large gnarled tree, at least in this dream. Between Terra and Terra, hanging in the firma, were floating windmills. To them it was a perfectly normal scene, sometimes the sky would be a rainbow, or like now, snowing pink hearts. "C'mon NiGHTs, I want to see everything!" That was her way of saying 'We're going to have a good time whether you like it or not.'
****
'Wize Man is gone... Fool... Why...?' Red was the color of bravery, Yellow was hope, White was purity... Black? A hand clawed up from the stone wreck it had been forced into. "Wize Man... Where are you?" The voice called, but there was no answer. The Black, red, and white harlequin like being closely resembling NiGHTs looked around its throne room. "There can be only one NiGHTs... I will be it!" he cursed.
Black, it must be Impurity. What about those between shades? Those grays? Reala was it. But then again, he was only confused... Wize Man had seen to that. Perhaps the evil Lord of Nightmares had made both Reala and NiGHTs, but giving them free will... Reala had fleetingly seen the light.
'Come now Reala! you must surrender!' A high pitched nightmarish laugh came from the mouthless face with twisted bunny like ears that flopped forward. It had a flashy yellow and red diamond shaped cape that was mostly white with a jagged edge to it, its Mickey Mouse type gloves held a Magician's cane and shoes floated in the air where a body should have been, at least in the real world. He had no body, for this was a Nightmaren, a particularly powerful one, and he, Jackle, was second only to Wize Man himself. At his command were magic cards to fly to his aid, and in his mixed up world were doll soldiers and jacks in the box... only huge with a vengeance. Discordant jazz type music wafted in from the background of his two bit reject circus lair.
'I will not!' Reala replied charging at his foe. 'UHG!' He was thrown back into a rock which shattered to pieces on contact. Vile snickering at his expense ensued. Reala regained his form and flew once again at Jackle and his thrown. 'Nooohg!!' A Joker's Card smacked up against Reala sending him reeling once more. Time was running out, dawn was coming. 'Michael.... don't leave me... Don't wake up.. not now, I need you...' Energies of green and white quickly left the budding Dream guardian as dawn approached for his child... the Alarm Clock of the mind had come to zap him back to reality, and perhaps this Dream Guardian too would disappear with him. 'NiGHTS!' He called out in desperation, only the other Dream Guardian could save them now...
'What's this? Another one? hehe hehe hehe!!!' Again with the insane laughter as a purple figure bolted for him.
Dawn had come all right. Darkness grew around Reala who had lost the will to fight. A sparkling blue sphere of intelligence vanished into the air, then at last, the yellow jewel of hope faded. Michael's eyes opened, while Reala's began to close.
'What a shame...' Came a dark voice with false pity in its tone.
'Who is there?' Reala's mind raced. 'Wize Man...?'
'If only your dreamer had not left you... tsk tsk.'
'Michael...'
'What kind of Dream Guardian should be reliant on a kid? Are you there for them or are they there for you? What a joke... Don't you remember Reala? Your purpose?'
'My purpose....' Reala mouthed softly. A pain welled up in Reala, it was a Nightmare, literally for him. No Nightopian knows pain... No Nightopian has ever known pain, but then again Reala and NiGHTs were created Nightmaren. The sensation would not leave him as the glowing red jewel that sat atop the center of his shirt lifted from its post. The most valuable thing he had, Courage... hanging there in front of him... why?
'Power... Hah, and this little bauble...' The hand of Wize Man flew to the energy shard and snatched it away from the ailing Nightmaren.
'Michael....'
'Is that all you can say?' the voice laughed deeply. ''Michael! Save me!' Disgrace I say...' The voice paused then continued, 'if your power depends on the waking, then you have no power... but I could show you what real power is... if... you give me this.' The jewel flashed before Reala's eyes.
'I could become stronger...?'
'Yes...'
So the dark deal had been made, and Reala returned to being a Nightmaren after willfully giving his bravery to Wize Man. And now, he was fully bent to his purpose, destroying Nightopia and proving once and for all, that they do not need silly dream energies to be. And if that can be done, perhaps reality itself might be reached. "It seems that you were not as strong as you thought fool..." The eyes of the darkened one lifted to the demonic checkerboard on which he stood. "And I will prove that I am stronger than you could ever be, by defeating NiGHTs... once and for all."
****
Twin Seeds... the town where it all began, in the waking world. Here, we see fliers hung around town posting images for a pink hared woman in her mid twenties. It's the Twin Seeds Festival, beginning September 29th, and the city is certainly showing its festive face once more. Claris Edwards has sung at every festival since the Twin Seeds Centennial Fair when she was 14 years old.
"Mama! Mama! It's so pretty!" A little pink hared girl giggles noisily clinging to her mother's hand tightly.
The woman laughs. "Ahh dear one..." She smiles and turns to her blue hared husband.
Elliot Edwards wore a long coat with the sleeves rolled up, and black sunglasses on his nose, underneath was a red shirt and brown baggy pants. He still looked a bit rough around the edges and he was. The highly acclaimed Basket Ball Player was always bustling and on the go, but always managed to take time to be with his wife and their child. "The City hasn't looked so alive in ages. Remember that year we met?"
Claris laughed, "I'll never forget... Everyone would call it a silly dream... I don't think it was silly at all."
Elliot smiled softly. "Yeah, who would believe we literally met in a dream anyway?" He sighed happily. All his dreams had come true, and he owed it all to NiGHTs. Then again, without him, there wouldn't be any dreams left to live. He shuddered a little at the memory of Wize Man.
"Do you think we'll ever see him again?" Claris held her husband's hand, reading his mind almost.
"I don't know... it's been so long since I've seen Nightopia. Years... Do you think he'd even recognize us if we got back?"
Claris' face sagged a bit, "I don't know... I hope so. He was so nice. I just can't believe he wasn't real Elliot. If he wasn't real, then how would we have ever known each other?"
"Mommy? Who are you talking about?" The little girl asked. "Where's Nightopeda?"
Claris smiled down softly at the little girl. "Nightopia dear. And Nightopia is the place where all good dreams are. In it, lives the sweet magical little Nightopians with their fairy-like wings and Saturn rings around their little cone heads. They all have very big hearts... and Protecting all good dreams is the Guardian Knight, NiGHTs."
"Wow! Really Mommy?" The girl bubbled.
"Yes." Claris laughed.
"Wow! Can I visit Nightopia too??" She smiled.
"In your dreams dear heart." Elliot said affectionately. The three of them continued onto the park where a few local kids were having a basket ball game.
****
"Hi NiGHTs!" A chubby little clown like being with wings and a halo said, trying to keep up with the two aerial aces. He was a simple Nightopian, followed by another creature similar to him but... with Ram's horns and a fluffy coated body.
NiGHTs and Lumina both turned to meet the Nightopian and... "Hell- o...." NiGHT's wide purple eyes blinked a few times to see if what he was looking at was 'real'. "...A Mepian?" He said looking at the funny looking Nightopian Creature.
"A Mepian?" Lumina asked, her tone completely different from NiGHTs'. She knew what a Nightopian was, but she hadn't been in Nightopia long enough to know exactly what normal was. the Mepian just looked adorable to her, so she was confused about NiGHT's reaction which was more like 'What are you doing here!?'
"Yes..." The Nightopian replied, the Mepian shying away looking sad. "Oh oh! Please don't go away!" He grabbed the little Mepian's arm and brought him back to looking at the others. "Why are you so surprised NiGHTs? After all, it was your bouncing Nightmaren around this world that created our hybrid friend here."
NiGHTs sighed. "I'm sorry..." He looked at the Mepian, probably a cross between a Nightopian and a Shleep. When he sent those Nightmaren flying, sometimes they would hit a Nightopian - the two Ideyas would mix and a Mepian would be born. "...I just thought..."
"What?" The little Mepian spoke up, "That we'd all disappear after Wize Man was gone?" It grinned sheepishly. "Nah, being half Nightopian keeps us here!" He smiled. "Besides, without us, life would get boring here fast." He made a fake yawn and stretched.
NiGHTs laughed, "Sure it would... you guys are great at getting into trouble. Hmph." NiGHTs recalled one Nightopian idly fishing at a river when a Crewle Pole Mepian suddenly pushed him into the water from behind! UG... and let's not forget the Snip Mepians always starting snowball fights with others in the Frozen Bell.
"Oh NiGHTs, they aren't all bad." The Nightopian said with an angelic smile. "This one's my friend! they are part Nightopian you know... it's not like they're Wize Man's slaves, they have free will just like you do."
In that, NiGHTs couldn't argue, although it did disturb him. His free will allowed him to break away from the wicked Wize Man... but Reala... even if he had turned once, he only fell back into his terrible clutches. Maybe free will wasn't such a good ideya, it allowed a person to be good or bad depending on their choices.
"Aww it's so cuuuute!" Lumina smiled and started scratching the Mepian behind his horns. A soft "baaa"ing sound like the bleating of a baby lamb carried from its voice.
A ? appeared over NiGHTs head before he burst into laughter. "Lumina! I hope whatever enemies Maginary world has aren't that cute. You'd go right up to them and pet them to death!"
Lumina Rolled her eyes and gave him a cross look. "Oh NiGHTs.... You party pooper. Can't ewe see he likes it!?" The Nightopian and Mepian, even NiGHTs laughed over the pun.
"Right Right.... So what brings you guys here?" the Purple harlequin creature asked.
"We wanted to see where you and Lumina were going." One said, the other nodded.
"Ask her." NiGHTs laughed and glanced to Lumina. "I certainly don't know."
"Crescent Carnival. It's a new dream, I saw when I came here! I'd just love to explore it." She smiled."
"Crescent Carnival? I've never heard of that..." NiGHTs said. He looked in the direction Lumina was staring at, and sure enough there was a Carnival dream there. It had everything, roller coasters without supports hanging in the air, a giant ferris wheel, rides lit up with so many bulbs it made the place shine with twilight while the sky above it was deep rich blues with so many stars hanging in it it would drive your senses crazy. And despite the beautiful shining purity of the dream... NiGHTs felt something else and his eyes narrowed. 'What... could it be?'
"Come on NiGHTs!" Lumina smiled and grabbed his hand once more. Her little wings beat furiously to draw him into the new dream.