Dream 3: Silk Cocoon... The Entrapment
While NiGHTs and the others Exited the Crescent Theater, a young girl gleefully ran through the fair. She was dazzled by the brilliant lights and many colors. "Wow!" She gasped, it was so beautiful, she'd never seen a place quite like it in any of her dreams. She looked at the little Saturn headed creatures just like the ones Mother described and bounded over to one. "Hello!"
The Nightopian smiled brightly at the girl and bowed his head respectfully. "Hello little girl!"
"I'm Molly." She grinned. "What are you?" She reached out a hand to touch the Saturn ring.
The Nightopian chuckled and pulled away from her grip, suddenly flying into the air. "I'm a Nightopian. What else would I be?"
"Wow! So I'm in Nightopia? Really?" She beamed.
The Nightopian laughed, "Yes, really. Wow, you have a lot of Dream energy." the creature commented.
"Dream Energy?" Molly blinked. Her mom had said something about it before.
"Why of course!" He smiled and pointed to 5 glowing spheres circling the child. Until now she'd thought they were kinda like living balloons. "Those are Dream Energies, you must have a lot if I can see them. See? Yellow for Hope, Blue for intelligence, okay so maybe you don't have quite that much there... umm... Green for Wisdom, yellow for hope... and oh my! So much red!"
Molly giggled. "Courage." She smiled proudly.
"Yep! How'd you know?"
"My Mom told me that to get to Nightopia you have to have lots and lots of dream energies. And if I have enough bravery I might get to even see NiGHTs." She smiled again.
"Mom?" The Nightopian looked confused. "What's a mom?"
Molly stopped a second and thought about it. "Mom. She's the really nice lady who feeds me and clothes me, and makes me eat nassssty brussdel sprouts and wipes my face clean and kisses my boo boos." She thought a little more, "And tells me stories, and tucks me in at night! ^^"
The Nightopian nodded and smiled understanding most of that, then looked confused at the last part. "...Tucks you in... bed? At night?"
Molly cocked her head to one side and stood wobbly on her feet. "You're silly. You mean to tell me you don't know what a mommy, a bed, or a night is?" The Nightopian seriously shook his head.
"You're weird!" she giggled. "If you don't have a mommy or a daddy, then where do you come from?"
The Nightopian Whistled like a bird. "Eggs of course!" He smiled. "That's silly. All Nightopians come from eggs." and bowed his head again.
"Eggs huh?" the child thought. Something caught her eye in the distance, distracting her. "Hey What's that?"
"What's what?" The Nightopian asked, and as he turned around found the answer. Gao (A lion like Night Maren), Crewle Pole (A tadpole Nightmaren with a little rider with a fishing pole), Hollow (an owl), and a Party Maren (A Nightmaren that's a bright pink cute fish with butterfly like yellow wings) were headed for the girl, straight for her. "Oh no!"
"What Mr. Nightopian?" Molly Blinked. "They're cute!"
"They're Nightmaren! RUN!" He grabbed the girls shoulder, twisted her around and shoved her the opposite direction of the maren. A mad rush of horror began at the mere mention of Nightmaren in Nightopia, and everyone began running, pushing and shoving each other out of the way.
Little Molly found herself pushed and shove too, "Mommy! Help!" She cried, "Daddy!"
"Molly! I'm coming!" The Nightopian flew up out of the crowd to help his new friend, only to be knocked for a loop by a Gao. "Molllllllyyyyy!"
"NOOO!" the little girl cried as the leading Hollow grabbed and ripped the green energy away from her. Yank, a Crewle Pole nabbed the White. Snatch! Party tore away the blue. ROAR! A Gao yelled at her, and she screamed and fell back on her rear. He made off with the Yellow, while another Gao dive bombed her for the red. "GO AWAY!"
As the maren hit the Red energy, an interesting thing happened. A Flash of light burst from the dream sphere and Gao roared as if it had been hurt. It tried again to snatch it up in his teeth, but the red energy just would not be his. After a few moments, he stopped trying and flew off after the other maren who were more successful.
****
"By Illumina! What's going on?" Lumina floated up to a safe vantage point after exiting the Theater. "Everyone's running scared!"
NiGHTs eyes widened in alarm. "No! It can't be happening, not again!"
"What's that NiGHTs?" Lumina looked over at her friend.
NiGHTs looked horrified, almost angry, while the Nightopian looked very worried. The Mepian looked both worried and scared and hid behind the Nightopian. "NO! I don't wanna' be a Nightmaren! NiGHTs do something!!" it cried.
NiGHTs flew down and snatched up a passing Nightopian, bringing him to eye level. "What's going on? Tell me this isn't happening!"
The Nightopian shivered a moment before gazing into the piercing lavender eyes staring at him without malice. "NiGHTs! It's horrible! Nightmaren have started appearing in this dream, and they're everywhere!" Nights suddenly let go and the Nightopian fell back to the ground before remembering he could fly.
"NiGHTs??" Lumina chimed again. NiGHTs just hung there in the air motionless until something caught his eye.
"How could this be happening?" The Dream guardian's face became determined. "Nightmaren, here in Nightopia again! But I defeated Wize man....! THIEF! Give back that Energy!" He chased after the Gao with the yellow dream energy in tow.
"N-nights! WAIT FOR ME!!!" Lumina beat her wings at double speed and flew after her friend. "What about Wize Man!?"
The Nightopian and Mepian exchanged looks. "No..." the Nightopian said. "Wize Man can't come back... How could he?"
"But NiGHTs wouldn't have reacted that way... if it wasn't true." the Mepian watched another Maren haul away a sphere of blue dream energy. "Ideya... The Nightmares are coming back!!"
"Oh no, this is terrible! We can't let that happen." The Nightopian said, the Shleep horned Mepian nodded to him. "Ack! Hey! While we've been narrating, they're getting in on the action!" He pointed to Lumina and NiGHTs charging toward the enemy.
"Y-you're right! What are we waiting for!?" The Mepian bolted off after them.
*****
"Well isn't this Interesting?" Reala watched the scene of total panic and chaos with delight curled on those black lips of his. He had his legs crossed and his head on one hand almost boredly. He was seated on his throne with a new Eye Glass hanging in front of him. "What will you do now NiGHTs? Can you stop this rebirth?" he cackled. "The Nightmare's coming back all right... to haunt you."
Reala yawned and stretched, quickly becoming bored with the general chaos. He cracked his knuckles one at a time, each joint giving a sickeningly loud snap. Boredom, that's what he had. It had to be if he was silly enough to be enjoying the sound of his fingers crunching as if it was he crunching an enemy's bones.
"The strongest and the weakest, awakened..." He went on watching a Crewle Pole completely terrorize a helpless Nightopian. He cracked another vicious smile at the sight. How warming it was to him. "But not Wize Man... And how? Stupid Jackle and his riddles... I'm no one's Memory..." He snapped his fingers and the Eye Glass came closer. "Too much..." He idly brushed his hand back and the stone and mirror bent to his will.
"Now what's this!?" His eyes lit up watching a little Pink Hared girl in the crowd. "Claris?" he sneered. Suddenly he wasn't so comfy in his relaxed bored state of being, He was on the edge of his seat and reached out his hand sharply, yanking the mirror off the chunk of stone and holding it at arm's length only. After a moment of Study, he mused, "No... Not Claris... Smaller, younger... but you look so much like that witch."
This created a new problem for the Maren, as he looked on the destruction. Another Dreamer, not Claris or Elliot, had entered their realm. Sooner or later, Reala would have to leave his Checkerboard field with its floating rocks and torches, but perhaps sooner than later. "If another Dreamer is here... NiGHTs will soon be bonded with her to use her Red Ideya...." A low growl erupted behind her. A slow cruel smile twisted onto his face. "Clawz..." The Maren turned around, a black and purple cat with a hunched over look, wicked claws and sharp eyes emerged from the edge of the board. "So you're back as well...? Perhaps I won't have to leave so soon. Clawz!"
A mrow met his ears as the large Nightmare cat, neatly three times Reala's Size, approached the Throne. Reala floated down to the gigantic cat and scratched him behind the ears. A resounding thunderous purr came from it. "Clawz my pet.... I have a little job for you." As soon as he stopped the scratching the Cat was at attention, eyes narrowed. The Maren brought the Mirror level with him. "This child... if you can't get her energy... KILL her." The cat hissed and arched its back, then shattered the mirror into a thousand pieces with its claws. Reala laughed insanely, "Good good... now Go!"
*****
"Nooo!" NiGHTs called, flying after the Maren. The Gao slammed into a Yellow Ideya Capture, and NiGHTs slammed into it just after him. "Rrrr! I don't have any chips!" He cried out. He was held in the center of the Ideya Capture for a few moments, and then rejected like so much bad sushi. "Shoot!"
"NiGHTs!" Lumina said then supporting her friend. "What's going on? What do you mean?? NiGHTs? Please please say something!"
"Ideya Capture..." NiGHTs sighed, the red jewel on his chest flashed. "I can't destroy it unless I get enough chips..."
"Chips? NiGHTS COME ON! Enough of this, let us in on whatever it is NiGHTs! I can help!" the Maginary girl cried out. NiGHTs flew off in a huff, looking for the blue spheres that cluttered the sky generally in groups of 3 or 5. "Rrrrg! I HATE you NiGHTs! Leaving me behind!" She kicked at the air stubbornly.
On the ground below a much younger looking Elliot and Claris were back to back weathering the stampede as only a couple of human Dreamers could. "Elliot? What's going on here?" Claris asked.
"I don't know Claris..." he held his friend's hand. "We're back in Nightopia, but there's Nightmaren everywhere! But how...??"
"This doesn't look good..." Claris shook her head then happened to look up, seeing NiGHTs bolt overhead. "Looks! Elliot! It's him!"
"It is!" the blue hared boy smiled widely. He cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone and shouted at the top of his lungs. "NiGHTs! NiGHTs! It's us!! Claris and Elliot!" It was no use however, NiGHTs was entirely too wrapped up in collecting the Chips to notice that his dreamers which he so longed to be with again were right below him.
Lumina however, was not so distracted and looked down at the two humans. "Hey NiGHTs! You have friends here after -" She rolled her eyes, the purple jester had already vanished into the distance with a trail of white sparkles following him. He performed several loops in the air, each one having a swirling rainbow suck the band Maren into it. For others, he simply plowed into them in a drill spin, causing Maren to bounce around sometimes into Nightopians making yet more Mepians in its wake. "...Reckless... completely reckless." She flew down to the two humans and did a graceful aerial curtsey. "Hi! I'm Lumina!"
Elliot and Claris both stared at each other blankly then at the Maginary girl. "Lumina...? How come we didn't see you last time we were here?" Elliot asked.
"Oh that's easy! I'm not from Nightopia, I'm from Maginary World." She smiled.
"Maginary world? You mean another dream world?" Claris asked.
"Sort of, except Maginary World is made from the hopes and imagination of the world whereas this place is made purely of Dreams! Maginary world also has a goddess, Illumina, and I'm her guardian." She smiled. "I also guard the Precious stones which keep our world in balance."
"Then what are you doing here?" Elliot started and Claris finished.
"Hmm? Oh... Maginary World and Nightopia are so similar, that the boundaries between them are sometimes very weak. Because of that, Illumina can allow me to travel between worlds! As long as I've been doing that I've known NiGHTs... so when Illumina told me he wasn't feeling well, I came right away to cheer him up." Her expressive blue eyes twinkled.
"Something's wrong with NiGHTs? Then why did he just pass us over?" Claris sighed looking up at the night dream's sky. An egg shaped Alarm Clock started floating down the street. "Elliot look! It must be morning!"
"We can't wake up now..." Elliot shook his head. "Take us to NiGHTs...! Now!"
"Ahh well.. I can try!" Lumina blinked... She took Claris and Elliot each by a hand and tried flying up. "It's no use!" She grunted. "I can only carry one of you at best!"
"All right, Claris... I'll catch you later!" he kissed the pink hared girl then ran off through the crowd.
"Ready!" Claris said, and Lumina used all her might to lift the girl into the air after NiGHTs. "Does NiGHTs ever talk about us?"
"Huh? I don't know, It's been a while since I've been in Nightopia." She flew to one side to avoid a Hollow.
"hehe hehe hehe! Oh no you don't!" A giant sized card with a yellow trail on it slammed into the fairy-like creature's back.
"OW!" Lumina cried out and lost her grip on the pink hared girl. "Claris!!" She tried to dive after he, but another green trailed card flew passed her, then a red one. Lumina was forced to retreat. "NO!"
"AAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Claris screamed until she hit --- Blackness for only a moment. She bolted quickly into an upright position in bed, breathing heavily. "No!" She closed her eyes and breathed heavily a moment. She looked beside her, Elliot was still there in be, though he had a distinctly worried look on his face. She was back in the real world, terrified or not. Around her was their room exactly as it had been before they went to sleep, there was nothing wrong, although the light of day was beginning to invade the room.
She decided to give Elliot a few minutes to wake up... Nightopia was in trouble, and if this was like last time that was HIM she was with in the dream... She held her husband's hand tightly for support. "It's okay Elliot.... We've been through this nightmare before."
As Elliot was running through the dream world as his younger self, he heard a little girl cry out in fear. "Molly?!" He blinked and jolted his head toward the sound. In the middle of it all, he saw Several Gao chasing the little girl and her red dream Ideya. "MOLLY!" Elliot called and ran after the girl. 'How did she get here?!' he thought.
Above the girl, someone else heard the cry, someone purple with white sleeves, pink purple and yellow boots, a red and yellow vest with star buttons, and a red jewel on his chest. None other than NiGHTs heard the call, although he didn't know the name Molly. "I'm coming Claris!" He yelled, certain it was her, although she looked younger. Then he saw his old dreamer. A moment of hesitation was more than enough, a Red trailed card struck him in the back, causing him to fly head over heals over head over heals into the dirt.
Elliot's thoughts were first to his daughter though, no matter how much he didn't want to see NiGHTs hurt, he was just a dream, his daughter was real. "Molly! Molly!" He picked up a rock off the ground and threw it at the Nightmaren. "Get away from her you Gao!" the lion roared and turned on Elliot... "Shoooooot!!!!" and he was forced to run the dead opposite way of the Nightmaren.
"Well well.. we meet again." Came a voice with a high pitched laugh attached to it. The little girl had stopped to catch her breath, but she could see above her a floating cape with a bunny head and red and yellow diamonds covered sneakers and a white cape. There was no body... He wasn't speaking to her either, rather, the purple being on the ground.
"You... Alive?!" NiGHTs pulled himself off the ground, but his dream energy was fading. A translucent ripple flew through his body as another card smacked against him. "Oof!" he stumbled back without grace and landed flat on his back. He gave a groan of pain. "...no..." he sighed, and tried pulling himself back up. 'This is not my day...' He could see Elliot running away in the distance and the girl standing out in the open... she had the red Ideya. "Hey! You! Kid! that red ball? can I have it? Please!?" He got back up to his feet only to be knocked back by a Joker's card to the head.
"Like I'd let you get an Ideya like that??" Jackle chortled.
Molly started to cry. "Meanie!!!"
"Wouldn't you rather give that nice rope Red Ideya to me? Jackle?"
"No!" She stuck out her tongue at the Boss Maren. "You're a meanie boss Maren! Why would I give my Bravery to you?"
Jackle was completely taken aback. "What's this? What's this!?" he managed finally to find his laugh. "Now There's a Joker! NiGHTs! She won't turn it over to me! Oh well, I won't let it be turned over to you." He pulled out a very special Wild Card which cackled with energy. "Go back to your world dreamer!" he cackled and let the card fly at the child.
"No!!" NiGHTs yelled and moving with the last of his strength, flew at the girl and shoved her out of the way just as the card struck him full on. His energies and the card rippled and became a burst of brilliant white light.
When the Chaos had cleared, where NiGHTs had stood was now an Ideya Palace. Within it, Nights hung, limp and lifeless, his beautiful lilac eyes shut as if in the middle of the most peaceful dream.
"Molly! NiGHTs! I'm coming!" Elliot shouted, having used his dream energy to how you say... grow up, his more familiar adult form ran through the dirt path of the carnival toward his old Enemy. "Jackle!!!"
"Hmmm?" Jackle turned to the voice. heh, even as an adult he could tell it was Elliot. How many other blue hared kids were here that knew about NiGHTs after all? "You're no use... used all your Dream Energy.... Oh well... It's time for little boys to... WAKE UP!" A card flashed, and an Egg Timer appeared, instantly catching Elliot in its beam.
"Daddy!!" Molly sniffled, watching her father disappear before her eyes.
"Now for you... want to hand that energy over now little girl?" Jackle cackled. To emphasize the point. a giant growling cat slunk around one of the tents, its sights set on Molly. The girl was between now the Rock and the hard place, Jackle before her and Clawz behind her... and NiGHTs asleep on the job, what is a Dreamer to do?
While NiGHTs and the others Exited the Crescent Theater, a young girl gleefully ran through the fair. She was dazzled by the brilliant lights and many colors. "Wow!" She gasped, it was so beautiful, she'd never seen a place quite like it in any of her dreams. She looked at the little Saturn headed creatures just like the ones Mother described and bounded over to one. "Hello!"
The Nightopian smiled brightly at the girl and bowed his head respectfully. "Hello little girl!"
"I'm Molly." She grinned. "What are you?" She reached out a hand to touch the Saturn ring.
The Nightopian chuckled and pulled away from her grip, suddenly flying into the air. "I'm a Nightopian. What else would I be?"
"Wow! So I'm in Nightopia? Really?" She beamed.
The Nightopian laughed, "Yes, really. Wow, you have a lot of Dream energy." the creature commented.
"Dream Energy?" Molly blinked. Her mom had said something about it before.
"Why of course!" He smiled and pointed to 5 glowing spheres circling the child. Until now she'd thought they were kinda like living balloons. "Those are Dream Energies, you must have a lot if I can see them. See? Yellow for Hope, Blue for intelligence, okay so maybe you don't have quite that much there... umm... Green for Wisdom, yellow for hope... and oh my! So much red!"
Molly giggled. "Courage." She smiled proudly.
"Yep! How'd you know?"
"My Mom told me that to get to Nightopia you have to have lots and lots of dream energies. And if I have enough bravery I might get to even see NiGHTs." She smiled again.
"Mom?" The Nightopian looked confused. "What's a mom?"
Molly stopped a second and thought about it. "Mom. She's the really nice lady who feeds me and clothes me, and makes me eat nassssty brussdel sprouts and wipes my face clean and kisses my boo boos." She thought a little more, "And tells me stories, and tucks me in at night! ^^"
The Nightopian nodded and smiled understanding most of that, then looked confused at the last part. "...Tucks you in... bed? At night?"
Molly cocked her head to one side and stood wobbly on her feet. "You're silly. You mean to tell me you don't know what a mommy, a bed, or a night is?" The Nightopian seriously shook his head.
"You're weird!" she giggled. "If you don't have a mommy or a daddy, then where do you come from?"
The Nightopian Whistled like a bird. "Eggs of course!" He smiled. "That's silly. All Nightopians come from eggs." and bowed his head again.
"Eggs huh?" the child thought. Something caught her eye in the distance, distracting her. "Hey What's that?"
"What's what?" The Nightopian asked, and as he turned around found the answer. Gao (A lion like Night Maren), Crewle Pole (A tadpole Nightmaren with a little rider with a fishing pole), Hollow (an owl), and a Party Maren (A Nightmaren that's a bright pink cute fish with butterfly like yellow wings) were headed for the girl, straight for her. "Oh no!"
"What Mr. Nightopian?" Molly Blinked. "They're cute!"
"They're Nightmaren! RUN!" He grabbed the girls shoulder, twisted her around and shoved her the opposite direction of the maren. A mad rush of horror began at the mere mention of Nightmaren in Nightopia, and everyone began running, pushing and shoving each other out of the way.
Little Molly found herself pushed and shove too, "Mommy! Help!" She cried, "Daddy!"
"Molly! I'm coming!" The Nightopian flew up out of the crowd to help his new friend, only to be knocked for a loop by a Gao. "Molllllllyyyyy!"
"NOOO!" the little girl cried as the leading Hollow grabbed and ripped the green energy away from her. Yank, a Crewle Pole nabbed the White. Snatch! Party tore away the blue. ROAR! A Gao yelled at her, and she screamed and fell back on her rear. He made off with the Yellow, while another Gao dive bombed her for the red. "GO AWAY!"
As the maren hit the Red energy, an interesting thing happened. A Flash of light burst from the dream sphere and Gao roared as if it had been hurt. It tried again to snatch it up in his teeth, but the red energy just would not be his. After a few moments, he stopped trying and flew off after the other maren who were more successful.
****
"By Illumina! What's going on?" Lumina floated up to a safe vantage point after exiting the Theater. "Everyone's running scared!"
NiGHTs eyes widened in alarm. "No! It can't be happening, not again!"
"What's that NiGHTs?" Lumina looked over at her friend.
NiGHTs looked horrified, almost angry, while the Nightopian looked very worried. The Mepian looked both worried and scared and hid behind the Nightopian. "NO! I don't wanna' be a Nightmaren! NiGHTs do something!!" it cried.
NiGHTs flew down and snatched up a passing Nightopian, bringing him to eye level. "What's going on? Tell me this isn't happening!"
The Nightopian shivered a moment before gazing into the piercing lavender eyes staring at him without malice. "NiGHTs! It's horrible! Nightmaren have started appearing in this dream, and they're everywhere!" Nights suddenly let go and the Nightopian fell back to the ground before remembering he could fly.
"NiGHTs??" Lumina chimed again. NiGHTs just hung there in the air motionless until something caught his eye.
"How could this be happening?" The Dream guardian's face became determined. "Nightmaren, here in Nightopia again! But I defeated Wize man....! THIEF! Give back that Energy!" He chased after the Gao with the yellow dream energy in tow.
"N-nights! WAIT FOR ME!!!" Lumina beat her wings at double speed and flew after her friend. "What about Wize Man!?"
The Nightopian and Mepian exchanged looks. "No..." the Nightopian said. "Wize Man can't come back... How could he?"
"But NiGHTs wouldn't have reacted that way... if it wasn't true." the Mepian watched another Maren haul away a sphere of blue dream energy. "Ideya... The Nightmares are coming back!!"
"Oh no, this is terrible! We can't let that happen." The Nightopian said, the Shleep horned Mepian nodded to him. "Ack! Hey! While we've been narrating, they're getting in on the action!" He pointed to Lumina and NiGHTs charging toward the enemy.
"Y-you're right! What are we waiting for!?" The Mepian bolted off after them.
*****
"Well isn't this Interesting?" Reala watched the scene of total panic and chaos with delight curled on those black lips of his. He had his legs crossed and his head on one hand almost boredly. He was seated on his throne with a new Eye Glass hanging in front of him. "What will you do now NiGHTs? Can you stop this rebirth?" he cackled. "The Nightmare's coming back all right... to haunt you."
Reala yawned and stretched, quickly becoming bored with the general chaos. He cracked his knuckles one at a time, each joint giving a sickeningly loud snap. Boredom, that's what he had. It had to be if he was silly enough to be enjoying the sound of his fingers crunching as if it was he crunching an enemy's bones.
"The strongest and the weakest, awakened..." He went on watching a Crewle Pole completely terrorize a helpless Nightopian. He cracked another vicious smile at the sight. How warming it was to him. "But not Wize Man... And how? Stupid Jackle and his riddles... I'm no one's Memory..." He snapped his fingers and the Eye Glass came closer. "Too much..." He idly brushed his hand back and the stone and mirror bent to his will.
"Now what's this!?" His eyes lit up watching a little Pink Hared girl in the crowd. "Claris?" he sneered. Suddenly he wasn't so comfy in his relaxed bored state of being, He was on the edge of his seat and reached out his hand sharply, yanking the mirror off the chunk of stone and holding it at arm's length only. After a moment of Study, he mused, "No... Not Claris... Smaller, younger... but you look so much like that witch."
This created a new problem for the Maren, as he looked on the destruction. Another Dreamer, not Claris or Elliot, had entered their realm. Sooner or later, Reala would have to leave his Checkerboard field with its floating rocks and torches, but perhaps sooner than later. "If another Dreamer is here... NiGHTs will soon be bonded with her to use her Red Ideya...." A low growl erupted behind her. A slow cruel smile twisted onto his face. "Clawz..." The Maren turned around, a black and purple cat with a hunched over look, wicked claws and sharp eyes emerged from the edge of the board. "So you're back as well...? Perhaps I won't have to leave so soon. Clawz!"
A mrow met his ears as the large Nightmare cat, neatly three times Reala's Size, approached the Throne. Reala floated down to the gigantic cat and scratched him behind the ears. A resounding thunderous purr came from it. "Clawz my pet.... I have a little job for you." As soon as he stopped the scratching the Cat was at attention, eyes narrowed. The Maren brought the Mirror level with him. "This child... if you can't get her energy... KILL her." The cat hissed and arched its back, then shattered the mirror into a thousand pieces with its claws. Reala laughed insanely, "Good good... now Go!"
*****
"Nooo!" NiGHTs called, flying after the Maren. The Gao slammed into a Yellow Ideya Capture, and NiGHTs slammed into it just after him. "Rrrr! I don't have any chips!" He cried out. He was held in the center of the Ideya Capture for a few moments, and then rejected like so much bad sushi. "Shoot!"
"NiGHTs!" Lumina said then supporting her friend. "What's going on? What do you mean?? NiGHTs? Please please say something!"
"Ideya Capture..." NiGHTs sighed, the red jewel on his chest flashed. "I can't destroy it unless I get enough chips..."
"Chips? NiGHTS COME ON! Enough of this, let us in on whatever it is NiGHTs! I can help!" the Maginary girl cried out. NiGHTs flew off in a huff, looking for the blue spheres that cluttered the sky generally in groups of 3 or 5. "Rrrrg! I HATE you NiGHTs! Leaving me behind!" She kicked at the air stubbornly.
On the ground below a much younger looking Elliot and Claris were back to back weathering the stampede as only a couple of human Dreamers could. "Elliot? What's going on here?" Claris asked.
"I don't know Claris..." he held his friend's hand. "We're back in Nightopia, but there's Nightmaren everywhere! But how...??"
"This doesn't look good..." Claris shook her head then happened to look up, seeing NiGHTs bolt overhead. "Looks! Elliot! It's him!"
"It is!" the blue hared boy smiled widely. He cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone and shouted at the top of his lungs. "NiGHTs! NiGHTs! It's us!! Claris and Elliot!" It was no use however, NiGHTs was entirely too wrapped up in collecting the Chips to notice that his dreamers which he so longed to be with again were right below him.
Lumina however, was not so distracted and looked down at the two humans. "Hey NiGHTs! You have friends here after -" She rolled her eyes, the purple jester had already vanished into the distance with a trail of white sparkles following him. He performed several loops in the air, each one having a swirling rainbow suck the band Maren into it. For others, he simply plowed into them in a drill spin, causing Maren to bounce around sometimes into Nightopians making yet more Mepians in its wake. "...Reckless... completely reckless." She flew down to the two humans and did a graceful aerial curtsey. "Hi! I'm Lumina!"
Elliot and Claris both stared at each other blankly then at the Maginary girl. "Lumina...? How come we didn't see you last time we were here?" Elliot asked.
"Oh that's easy! I'm not from Nightopia, I'm from Maginary World." She smiled.
"Maginary world? You mean another dream world?" Claris asked.
"Sort of, except Maginary World is made from the hopes and imagination of the world whereas this place is made purely of Dreams! Maginary world also has a goddess, Illumina, and I'm her guardian." She smiled. "I also guard the Precious stones which keep our world in balance."
"Then what are you doing here?" Elliot started and Claris finished.
"Hmm? Oh... Maginary World and Nightopia are so similar, that the boundaries between them are sometimes very weak. Because of that, Illumina can allow me to travel between worlds! As long as I've been doing that I've known NiGHTs... so when Illumina told me he wasn't feeling well, I came right away to cheer him up." Her expressive blue eyes twinkled.
"Something's wrong with NiGHTs? Then why did he just pass us over?" Claris sighed looking up at the night dream's sky. An egg shaped Alarm Clock started floating down the street. "Elliot look! It must be morning!"
"We can't wake up now..." Elliot shook his head. "Take us to NiGHTs...! Now!"
"Ahh well.. I can try!" Lumina blinked... She took Claris and Elliot each by a hand and tried flying up. "It's no use!" She grunted. "I can only carry one of you at best!"
"All right, Claris... I'll catch you later!" he kissed the pink hared girl then ran off through the crowd.
"Ready!" Claris said, and Lumina used all her might to lift the girl into the air after NiGHTs. "Does NiGHTs ever talk about us?"
"Huh? I don't know, It's been a while since I've been in Nightopia." She flew to one side to avoid a Hollow.
"hehe hehe hehe! Oh no you don't!" A giant sized card with a yellow trail on it slammed into the fairy-like creature's back.
"OW!" Lumina cried out and lost her grip on the pink hared girl. "Claris!!" She tried to dive after he, but another green trailed card flew passed her, then a red one. Lumina was forced to retreat. "NO!"
"AAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Claris screamed until she hit --- Blackness for only a moment. She bolted quickly into an upright position in bed, breathing heavily. "No!" She closed her eyes and breathed heavily a moment. She looked beside her, Elliot was still there in be, though he had a distinctly worried look on his face. She was back in the real world, terrified or not. Around her was their room exactly as it had been before they went to sleep, there was nothing wrong, although the light of day was beginning to invade the room.
She decided to give Elliot a few minutes to wake up... Nightopia was in trouble, and if this was like last time that was HIM she was with in the dream... She held her husband's hand tightly for support. "It's okay Elliot.... We've been through this nightmare before."
As Elliot was running through the dream world as his younger self, he heard a little girl cry out in fear. "Molly?!" He blinked and jolted his head toward the sound. In the middle of it all, he saw Several Gao chasing the little girl and her red dream Ideya. "MOLLY!" Elliot called and ran after the girl. 'How did she get here?!' he thought.
Above the girl, someone else heard the cry, someone purple with white sleeves, pink purple and yellow boots, a red and yellow vest with star buttons, and a red jewel on his chest. None other than NiGHTs heard the call, although he didn't know the name Molly. "I'm coming Claris!" He yelled, certain it was her, although she looked younger. Then he saw his old dreamer. A moment of hesitation was more than enough, a Red trailed card struck him in the back, causing him to fly head over heals over head over heals into the dirt.
Elliot's thoughts were first to his daughter though, no matter how much he didn't want to see NiGHTs hurt, he was just a dream, his daughter was real. "Molly! Molly!" He picked up a rock off the ground and threw it at the Nightmaren. "Get away from her you Gao!" the lion roared and turned on Elliot... "Shoooooot!!!!" and he was forced to run the dead opposite way of the Nightmaren.
"Well well.. we meet again." Came a voice with a high pitched laugh attached to it. The little girl had stopped to catch her breath, but she could see above her a floating cape with a bunny head and red and yellow diamonds covered sneakers and a white cape. There was no body... He wasn't speaking to her either, rather, the purple being on the ground.
"You... Alive?!" NiGHTs pulled himself off the ground, but his dream energy was fading. A translucent ripple flew through his body as another card smacked against him. "Oof!" he stumbled back without grace and landed flat on his back. He gave a groan of pain. "...no..." he sighed, and tried pulling himself back up. 'This is not my day...' He could see Elliot running away in the distance and the girl standing out in the open... she had the red Ideya. "Hey! You! Kid! that red ball? can I have it? Please!?" He got back up to his feet only to be knocked back by a Joker's card to the head.
"Like I'd let you get an Ideya like that??" Jackle chortled.
Molly started to cry. "Meanie!!!"
"Wouldn't you rather give that nice rope Red Ideya to me? Jackle?"
"No!" She stuck out her tongue at the Boss Maren. "You're a meanie boss Maren! Why would I give my Bravery to you?"
Jackle was completely taken aback. "What's this? What's this!?" he managed finally to find his laugh. "Now There's a Joker! NiGHTs! She won't turn it over to me! Oh well, I won't let it be turned over to you." He pulled out a very special Wild Card which cackled with energy. "Go back to your world dreamer!" he cackled and let the card fly at the child.
"No!!" NiGHTs yelled and moving with the last of his strength, flew at the girl and shoved her out of the way just as the card struck him full on. His energies and the card rippled and became a burst of brilliant white light.
When the Chaos had cleared, where NiGHTs had stood was now an Ideya Palace. Within it, Nights hung, limp and lifeless, his beautiful lilac eyes shut as if in the middle of the most peaceful dream.
"Molly! NiGHTs! I'm coming!" Elliot shouted, having used his dream energy to how you say... grow up, his more familiar adult form ran through the dirt path of the carnival toward his old Enemy. "Jackle!!!"
"Hmmm?" Jackle turned to the voice. heh, even as an adult he could tell it was Elliot. How many other blue hared kids were here that knew about NiGHTs after all? "You're no use... used all your Dream Energy.... Oh well... It's time for little boys to... WAKE UP!" A card flashed, and an Egg Timer appeared, instantly catching Elliot in its beam.
"Daddy!!" Molly sniffled, watching her father disappear before her eyes.
"Now for you... want to hand that energy over now little girl?" Jackle cackled. To emphasize the point. a giant growling cat slunk around one of the tents, its sights set on Molly. The girl was between now the Rock and the hard place, Jackle before her and Clawz behind her... and NiGHTs asleep on the job, what is a Dreamer to do?